Ranger the Beagle: 2/11/1996 - 3/31/2010

We had to put Ranger to sleep this evening as a result of a large tumor causing him extreme discomfort and other complications.

He was my first real dog from pup through the end.

A few highlights include climbing Redcloud Peak in Colorado, playing "Touch Ranger" with Bill and Casey in Mom's backyard, trudging through the snow in Pittsburgh on walks (he had his root canal in Pittsburgh too). I was amazed how he liked to jump up and walk on walls. And, of course, hiking in the Lake Tahoe area. The below still remains one of my favorite pictures ever.



He had a good life and certainly made my life better as well...

One Weird Coupon

I was clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper this morning when I came across the one pictured. If you buy more eggs than anyone wants, you get a free 2 liter bottle of an obscure soft drink that nobody drinks. Weird stuff.

Can you sell a toilet on Craigslist?

The downstairs toilet in our place was never a great flusher... Adding to this was the fact that there was a very slow leak in the flapper. You could stop it temporarily by oiling the gasket and flapper but eventually the leaking / filling cycle would begin again.

It was an American Standard toilet that was perhaps made more for looks rather than functionality.



I'd finally had enough so replaced it with my favorite toilet... the Toto. If you aren't familiar with Toto it is one of the classic "flush and walk away" types of toilets.

Anyway - rather than loading the old crapper into the landfill I wondered if there was a market for used toilets on Craigslist so posted an add..fully disclosing the flapper should be replaced of course. I priced the toilet to move... $20. Afer about a week I got the call. Someone was interested so we met in front of Home Depot and did the exchange.

And the question is answered. Indeed you can sell a toilet on Craigslist.

Spring is Here!

We've started the Spring planting with new annuals in the pots and a few trees/perennials in the back. Jack, of course, helped.



The pot nears completion...



We also took a risk and planted some herbs and tomatoes. Hopefully no more frosts...

NCAA Thunderous 24 In Place!

The Thunderous 24 is in place and surprisingly it includes Georgia Tech and Michigan State...More surprisingly is the absence of Tourney #1 seed Kansas. While the KU ousting shocked the country it is a feeling KU fans are somewhat used to... here's the deal though...if there is a National Championship sandwiched between these shocks (as there is in Kansas' case) it is a trade most will make.

Go Jackets...go Sparties

Tourney Time! Hawks, Jackets, Spartans all Hoopin'

And all in the same Midwest bracket no less!

I'm partial to this "FOX Expert's Picks" though he has much more faith in Georgia Tech than I do...



Regardless, it is nice to just see Tech in tourney after a few years sitting at home. And they had a nice run to the finals of the ACC Tourney as well.



Hoop it up!

This Garlic Pepper Will Kill You

I saw this strange shaker of garlic pepper in the break room at work. It's strange for two reasons. First, it comes from a grocery store in Cabool, Missouri. I have no idea how it ended up in Nebraska. Second, it's strange because of the ingredients. It's called garlic pepper, but it contains no pepper. The first ingredient is salt, the fourth ingredient is MSG. Yes, this garlic pepper will kill you. I don't know if these are typical ingredients for garlic pepper. If they are, eater beware.

Empty Lot Across the Street

There's an empty lot across the street from us that is generally not much to look at. The other day, however, after a day of rain the sun was out and it was pretty cool with the reflection of the oak tree in the puddle.

Ben & Jerry Begin Rolling Out Summer Flavors

Out of these four flavors, I bought Boston Cream Pie. It's pretty darn good if you like boston cream. Erin was disappointed I didn't choose Milk & Cookies, so that'll probably the next flavor we try.

Sheriff Jack

Jack came home from school with a sherrif badge on last week..along with a shirt full of crumbs.

Kansas Based Idiot Group Strikes Out in Folsom

As if California doesn't have enough crazies running around the Kansas based Westboro Church has taken to sending groups of protestors our way.

These hate mongers completely struck out in Folsom as a counter protest forced them to cancel as documented recently in the Folsom Telegraph newspaper.

Yuki's Breed Gets No Respect

I saw this Purina dog food advertisement featuring a dog that looks a lot like Yuki. For a moment, I thought Yuki's designer mix (Border Collie + Blue Heeler) was beginning to gain some credibility in the snooty world of dog breeding purists. Then, I read the ad. Nearest I can tell, this Yuki-dog is being portrayed as an unwanted shelter mutt in need of a a charity handout. Bah! I'll take Yuki over any prancing pure-breed any day!

Barbeque Ribs Underway - Dad's Recipe

It's another good day for some barbeque ribs so I'm using Dad's recipe which is a fail-safe method for a good rack of ribs.



Ribs have been dry rubbed and put into the oven at 250 degrees where they'll cook slowly for ~5 hours. In the pan is a ramekin filled with worcestershire sauce, honey, chile sauce, garlic salt and a little teriyaki sauce. The theory is the steam off this sauce will infuse the ribs a bit.

Here's a 1/2 way picture (they've been in about 3 hours). I pulled the ribs out and spooned a little of the compote over the top of the ribs. Next I sprinkled a little brown sugar over the ribs - it melted almost immediately. Afterwards, I put covered them back up with foil and put them back in the oven. The house is smelling good!



And the final product. They spent the last hour or so on the grill so Steph could use the oven. When I put them on the grill the racks broke in half and 2 clean bones actually fell off! Low heat - maintained that ~250 degree temperature - I actually turned the grill off for the last 15 minutes and let the ribs rest a bit.



They ate well!

Good Brownies

Prepare a package of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie mix as directed, adding the following ingredients to the batter:

One and one-half cups pecan pieces
One and one-half teaspoons ground chipotle chile
One teaspoon bourbon whiskey

Bake as usual. Cool and serve.

Crazy Sit Dog & Crazy Smile Dog

Don't be put off by the Japanese. Just watch these two dogs! The first dog sits crazy and the second dog only smiles when his master comes up to him.

Hungry Jack!

Jack's been eating like a horse over the course of the last two weeks.

A typical dinner for him might include:
Pasta with a side of green beans - he eats it all and then declares "more food"
12 mini carrots (cooked) - "more food"
a jar of pudding

Maybe he's in some sort of growth spurt... he's definitely getting taller as he now hits his head on the counter overhang - fortunately he's learned to be careful around it.

Heritage Dr. Pepper

2009/2010 has seen a fad of "retro" beverages containing real sugar get released. One recent one that I tried with the Heritage Dr. Pepper.



This is another good drink though my favorite of the "retros" remains Pepsi Throwback. Mexican Coke, it should be noted, still contains can sugar and competes well with this genre of emerging drinks though I haven't seen any Coke specific retro drinks.

Segway Gaining Acceptance

While walking around the University of Arizona campus in Tucson this weekend, I saw the biggest gang of Segway riders I'd ever seen (previously the largest I'd seen was a gang on one). I captured the sighting with my cell phone camera.

Jack's Winter School Pictures

They recently did dress up pictures at school and we liked the way all of Jack's came out. He dressed as a cowboy, a naval officer and a BMX racer.

Which is your favorite?



Photo 1 - The Cowboy



Photo 2 - The Naval Officer



Photo 3 - The BMX Racer

Jack (aka The Joker!) Makes Dad a Valentines Cake

Jack and Mom did some cooking yesterday! A red velvet, heart-shaped cake for Dad.