Riding the storm out.

Okay, it's not so much a storm as it is a massive heat wave. We've got a Red Flag Warning going on over here, which basically means you can burst into flames if you're out in the sun too long. Just kidding. But not really.

I got up extra early this morning so I could walk the dogs before it got too hot. It was 80° at 7:30. Oyyyy. Now I'm at my mom's house. I had to get Freddie's thyroid meds. I'm cooling it for a few minutes before I head out again. A few weeks ago, my sister got one of those water coolers for the front hall; I'm going to swing by New Seasons and get a refill. We're going to be drinking a LOT of water this week.

Things should start cooling off by Sunday, which is good because there's no way in hot holy hell I'm going to attempt any sort of exercise in this heat. Call me a wimp, but it ain't gonna happen.

Colorado was a blast. LS&C are wonderful kids, and I really enjoyed meeting them. Curly Joe is quite a little spitfire. He’s coming along pretty well with the house training, and maybe a couple of years from now he’ll get over the excitement every time a cat walks past him.

He’s a good pup, full of spirit and curiosity. He's not old enough for the training yet (they have to be a year old), but I'm going to try and get Curly Joe certified as a therapy dog. When we're out walking, people flock to him. I shit you not. He has a gentle way with people, it's like he was born to be a therapy dog. I really want to do this so I can take him into nursing homes to visit with the elderly. I love old folks, and I miss my Gram. It would make her happy to know I was trying to help some old timers feel a little less lonely.

Tank doesn’t really know what to make of him yet, but sometime soon, he’s going to kick Curly’s ass, and Curly is going to LOVE. IT. Now that I’ve gotten a good look at him, I’m positive Curly Joe is a Corgi/JRT mix. Probably some German Shepherd, too. He’s got a Corgi face, Terrier legs and the GSD Stink Eye:


That right there is the exact same look Luke used to give me right before he had a meltdown. The message conveyed went a little something like this: "I love you and I don’t want to do this, but in a few seconds I’m going to go postal.”

It was one of the many reasons why I loved that dog so much. He was a ton of love stuffed into 95 pounds of scary.

Here is Curly Joe trying to help Tank overcome his carsickness.



Here is yours truly enjoying a (totally vegan) VG Dog from VG Burgers in Boulder, Colorado. It had the works: sauerkraut, onions, relish and mustard. I asked for no ketchup (because ketchup on hot dogs is blasphemy) and got some “cheese” on it instead. Sooooooooooo goooooooooooood.





The bad news is, VG Burgers is the only vegan restaurant in the entire state of Colorado. The good news is, the owner told me they are going to be opening up a couple of stores in the Pacific Northwest. It’s an expensive meal, but I’ll shell out the dough to walk into a joint and enjoy a vegan hot dog and milk shake. Oh, yes. I totally will.

Anyway, Colorado was a blast. Took lots of pictures, but I haven’t finished updating my travel journal yet. I am lazy have ADD.


Look for more running blogs next week, when the temperature goes back to normal. Sheesh.