Category Archives: Home on the Range

Ken and Bonnie come to visit

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Carrie, Brian, Ken and Bonnie in front of Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park, Charleston.

Carrie, Brian, Ken and Bonnie in front of Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park, Charleston.

My sister, Bonnie, and her husband, Ken, came to our house for a visit last week. Now, for those of you that read my blog, this was not the Yearly Sister Vacation. (That fun get together will take place in August this year at oldest sister Linda’s house.)  

No, this was a spouse vacation; Bon and Ken’s vacation together. I had a wonderful time and hope they did, too.  

On Sunday, we went to Charleston for the day.  The Spoleto Festival was just getting underway. This 17 day event, held each spring in the city, celebrates performing and visual arts. People from all over the world come for this event and the streets were more crowded than usual with tourists, although it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was easy to find parking and no wait for lunch at our favorite Charleston Greek Restaurant, Old Towne Grille on King Street.  

Carrie and Bonnie at the market, Charleston.

Carrie and Bonnie at the market, Charleston.

After lunch, we strolled through the market. I bought a new paring knife from the knife guy I discovered several years ago when my brother, Dennis, helped me pick out my first pocket knife from him. He also carries great kitchen knives and when I am in the market on a Sunday (the only day he sells there), I stock up on whatever kitchen cutlery I have a need for.

We walked King Street and Market Street and Meeting Street. We walked through St. Philip’s Cemetery, full of famous South Carolinians such as John C. Calhoun, Charles Pinckney, Edward Rutledge and more! We heard The College of Charleston Choir practicing inside the church while we contemplated the old bones of the dead. We had a little respite at Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub on Church Street.

Getting a llittle refreshment at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub.

Getting a little refreshment at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub.

Then we hoofed it to a little crafts fair, where Carrie found a wooden spoon and Bonnie found an Appalachian Bow Saw bread knife.

 

On Monday, Memorial Day, we took the boat out to Lake Marion. Bonnie wore a life vest at first, since she is a little afraid of the water. It was a beautiful day.

It was after she took the vest off that she almost went overboard!

It was after she took the vest off that she almost went overboard!

This was a bucket list item for her. Woohoo! We watched a movie, Big Fish, with Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, Steve Bucemi, et al. Every time I watch this movie, I like it more.

Ken's big fish!

Ken's big fish! Look very closely!

And, on another day, we took the boat to Folly Island and did a little salt water fishing. We saw a few dolphins and a shrimp boat head out to sea.

The guys went golfing a few times during the course of the week. One day, while the boys hit the little white bugger, Bon and I went to Elloree. Elloree is a bucolic, quaint little town not far from here. We shopped and had lunch at Amporn’s, a Thai restaurant with the absolute best soups. Bon loves the soup so much there that we had to go back on another day for her to have it again. Matter of fact, that day, she ordered two bowls!

Here are a few other pics that tell the rest of our story!

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Sam, a dog

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I’ve had several requests to give an update on our dog, Sam.

For those of you not aware of what happened, Sam came to us about a month ago. He was badly beaten up and starving.

Now, I don’t know much about dog fighting, but his wounds indicated just that. My guess is that Sam was what is called, the bait dog – thrown into the ring to teach the bigger badder dog how to better attack.

Brian and I didn’t want to add a dog to our menagerie, so we struggled with whether we should feed him, thus encouraging him to stay. I thought he might die, so decided to do what I could to make his last days comfortable.

After a visit to the vet, we decided to bath him and bring him into the house. Our three cats, Grace, Tink and Tess were a bit leery of him, but in general, everyone got along pretty well.

I forgot to mention that Sam likes to chew on chair legs, too!

I forgot to mention that Sam likes to chew on chair legs, too!

I read up on Pit Bulls, since the vet said that is partly what he is. Pit Bull Terriers are amazing creatures. They love people, are incredibly loyal, good natured, affectionate, almost always obedient and eager to please their masters. Yes, all true! Pits get their bad reputation because of how they are raised. These dogs must have masters that teach with a firm hand. Cesar Millan, author of the Dog Whisperer, offers great advice for teaching you how to raise and care for your dog. You must provide training, exercise and social skills. You must teach the dog respect for humans by not allowing it to jump up on people and not allowing it to enter doorways first. Humans must make the dog heel beside them or behind them while walking. The objective in training is to achieve “pack leader status.” Since it is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in the pack, he must be taught that humans are higher up in the order than the dog, yada, yada.

All of these techniques worked very well the first two weeks! But, of course, that was mostly due to the fact that he was very sick, almost lethargic. Since last Saturday, he feels so much better and we are discovering that he likes to chew. The house is as puppy proofed as we can make it, yet he still finds shoes, books, carpets and paper! He now has the energy of a normal puppy and wants to jump, run and play! He has discovered his bark! After a night of quiet sleep, he likes to jump on the bed and lick our faces so we will wake up and play with him at 4 a.m.!

Puppy love

Puppy love

Sam is smart. He knows the basic commands – Stop, Come, Sit, Heel. And, he listens about 70 percent of the time. So, what was pretty easy at first, has now become a bit harder. But, we’re committed to it. He is our dog, Sam!

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The day I killed an anole

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What is an anole, you ask? Well, it is the correct name for the little reptiles we have running around all over the place around here that we typically call chameleons.

Green anoles are found throughout the southeastern U.S. and in parts of Texas. A green anole has the ability to change its colors (usually green but can be brown, yellow, gray or any mixture thereof) to better match its surroundings and mood. The male anole has a large flap of skin under his neck known as a dewlap that protrudes during courtship or while defending his territory. They get to around 6 to 8 inches long and feed on a variety of insects, which is a very good thing.

I didn’t mean to kill it and felt very badly for a time afterward. Here’s the story.

This is an anole. This one ruled my my deck and my brother-in-law name him Clyde.

This is an anole. This one ruled my deck and my brother-in-law, Ken, named him Clyde.

The other day, while driving to work, I was thinking about the work day ahead and cruising at 55 miles per hour on the two lane road that connects me to the interstate. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something on the passenger side window. I looked over to see a green anole hanging on the window. The wind was making his green skin shake and his little face contort in such a way that he looked as if he was smiling.

I slowed down until I could find a spot on the road to pull over. I talked to the little guy gripping the glass while I looked for a place to stop, “Hang on little fellow, I’ll save you!”

Stopped at the side of the road, I got out of my car and walked around to the passenger side. That little lizard that had been seized with fear only moments before now was faced with a new dilemma. Frightened of me, he took off running across the hood of my car. I tried to reach him, but to no avail. I walked back to the driver’s side of my car and he went across the hood again to the passenger windshield wiper for cover. So, I walked around to the other side of my car again, determined to save him from sure death.

Well, the little bugger skipped across the car again. This time, after I circled the car, though, he made a leap and took off running across the highway. I looked both ways and saw no cars. I watched him cross the double yellow lines and get oh, so, close to making it to the other side, when a pick up truck began its approach from the distance.

I yelled to my little lizard friend, “Hurry up, get going.” I prayed out loud, “Oh, please let him make it.”

And then… And then, splat.

I watched these events unfold and could do nothing to stop the inevitable. I stood at my car for a few minutes, unable to get in. Dumbfounded and shocked. The pickup truck driver never had a clue.

I told myself it was silly to feel bad; after all, it was just a little lizard.  But, all I could think was that I could have saved him and failed.

There’s no moral or message to this story. I told Brian that night what happened and it cracked us up in the telling. I almost peed my pants.

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