Mind Control
People like to think they control their behavior. I read an interesting article in this month’s Discovery magazine that puts this issue in question.
The article is about the Toxoplasma gondli microbe. Zoologists have just finished a study showing that the microbe actually alters the brain chemistry of rats so that they are more likely to seek out cats! Infection thus makes a rat more likely to be killed by a cat with the microbe ending up in a cat – the only host in which it can complete the reproductive step in its life cycle.
This parasite also lives in many species including an estimated 60 million supposedly symptomless Americans. Studies over the past few years have suggested (not proven) that toxoplasmosis infections in humans also may cause behavioral changes. These include everything from subtle shifts to outright schizophrenia. One scientist also thinks it may be skewing the sex ratios. When he looked at the records of 1800 births he found that instead of the normal sex ratio of 104 boys for every 100 girls that the ratio was 260 boys to 100 girls in women with high levels of antibodies against the parasite.
Another scientist who had trouble getting his work published showed that people with this infection had more than twice the probability of having an auto accident.
I remember an article in one of last years weekly news magazines where they said that fat cells actually alter your brain chemistry to make you eat more than you need. Do I hear that peanut butter jar calling my name?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
It Must Be Spring
I grew up in Connecticut. The state bird is the robin. Seeing the first robin is a sign that spring is here. That usually didn’t happen until April. My standard April fools joke was “Hey, there’s a robin!”
Now in Northwest Florida the robins pass through on their way South in November and come through again in January. Today they showed up en masse. I was out in the shed and I heard it start to rain. I opened the door to look outside because it sounded strange out there. What I saw was straight out of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. Evidently the rain was perfect to bring out the insects and worms in the grass. Robins were flying everywhere and there was a blanket of them on every grass section in the schoolyard behind the house.
I was finished for the day in the shed so I came inside. I got a call from brother Lou and sat out in the sunroom and talked to him. As I talked I saw the robins taking over the back yard. Brie also noticed and was going crazy with all the activity just out of reach through the windows. The poor cat didn’t know what to do. It would jump up on the chair and do that creaky meow cats do when they see birds. Then it would jump down an look out the glass doors at all the birds flying over the house and swish its tail and crouch and jump back up on the chair.
I’ve always liked robins, They don’t stay in this area for a long time so I always enjoy it when they invade the backyard and fill up every inch of lawn area with their feathery little bodies.
I grew up in Connecticut. The state bird is the robin. Seeing the first robin is a sign that spring is here. That usually didn’t happen until April. My standard April fools joke was “Hey, there’s a robin!”
Now in Northwest Florida the robins pass through on their way South in November and come through again in January. Today they showed up en masse. I was out in the shed and I heard it start to rain. I opened the door to look outside because it sounded strange out there. What I saw was straight out of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. Evidently the rain was perfect to bring out the insects and worms in the grass. Robins were flying everywhere and there was a blanket of them on every grass section in the schoolyard behind the house.
I was finished for the day in the shed so I came inside. I got a call from brother Lou and sat out in the sunroom and talked to him. As I talked I saw the robins taking over the back yard. Brie also noticed and was going crazy with all the activity just out of reach through the windows. The poor cat didn’t know what to do. It would jump up on the chair and do that creaky meow cats do when they see birds. Then it would jump down an look out the glass doors at all the birds flying over the house and swish its tail and crouch and jump back up on the chair.
I’ve always liked robins, They don’t stay in this area for a long time so I always enjoy it when they invade the backyard and fill up every inch of lawn area with their feathery little bodies.
True at First Light
I just finished the audio version of Ernest Hemingway’s last posthumous book “True at First Light”. I listened to it while I uncluttered my workshop and finished up putting things in the storage area of the shed. This was a good book to listen to while doing this mindless work. I’m close to being operational in the workshop. I know I’ve spent more than 11 hours in the shed this week because the 8-cassette book had 11 hours of audio read by Brian Dennehy. The book is billed as a fictional memoir and is written in the first person in a rambling almost stream-of-consciousness style. I don’t know if this is typical Hemingway since the only other book of his I’ve read is “Old Man and the Sea”. While the plot didn’t seem terribly important the author’s descriptions of lion and leopard hunts, African customs and everyday life were interesting and enlightening. I’ll have more on this later.
How the book got published is a story in itself. Here is its history from BookPage.com
BookPage: How did the publication of True at First Light come about?
Charles Scribner: Before Hemingway died, he boasted to my father that he had several unpublished manuscripts in a safe that would someday earn very good royalties for his heirs if he didn't live to complete them. When he died, Mary Hemingway went to their estate in Cuba, the Finca Vigia, and was able to retrieve those manuscripts and bring them home in exchange for deeding all of their Cuban property and possessions to the Cuban people. In other words, Castro's government wanted everything of Hemingway's left behind, but they were willing to let her bring the manuscripts home to the U.S. In all, not a bad trade. In the long run, the manuscripts were worth more and certainly were of more value to the world of book lovers.
The book was edited by Hemingway’s son Patrick (who accompanied him on the safari) and there was some controversy over publishing this work in the first place. I’m glad they did.
The book is a self-portrait and fictional chronicle of Hemingway’s final African safari. Early in the book you learn that there is no word for I’m sorry or I love you in the Swahili language. I enjoyed the descriptions of the African landscape, the protocol involved in hunting lion and leopard and the sometimes poignant descriptions of the killing of the animals. You come away from the lion hunt with respect for the animal and a sound understanding of the dangers and strategies used by both the hunters and the hunted. I enjoyed learning about a lions habits and hunting methods. There is great respect shown for the lion. A moral sense about the kill is demonstrated by Hemingway’s thoughts after the lion is killed: "I was happy that before he died he had lain on the high yellow rounded mound with his tail down and his great paws comfortable before him and looked off across his country to the blue forest and the high white snows of the big Mountain." The book also explores personal relatioships and tribal customs.
The part of the book that got to me the most was a story that didn’t happen in Africa. It was a memory Hemingway had about putting down a horse he had ridden for a long time. The horse had a split hoof and they were going to kill it and use it as bear bait to shoot a bear and then any eagles that came to feast on the bear. As he is bringing the horse to the proper location to kill it he reminisces about how the horse was always very clever and fast at picking up on little games he would play with it. The horse was periodically giving him horse kisses and Hemingway saw that the horse was thinking that this was another game and trying to learn the new games rules and play correctly. They reach the spot and the horse gives him another kiss. Hemingway says, “I know you would do this for me, old friend” and he brings out his gun. He explains the horse knows what a gun is and describes the horses eyes upon recognizing what is going on. This story hit a little too close to home – I had memories of saying good-bye to Sunshine, but it illustrates how Hemmingway gets inside the minds and personalities of the people and the animals in the book.
I don’t think I would have gotten through the book if I tried to read the print version, but the way I read it was perfect. The 2 Hemingway books I have read now I enjoyed, so it also makes me interested in reading The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Graduate
The folks at NovaCare called and asked that I stop in for my graduation from physical therapy.
Penny made some brownies for me to bring in. When I showed up Beth, my principle therapist wasn’t quite prepared – so she told me not to go anywhere and finished up her preparation.
Graduation is actually just stopping bye to say good-bye and thank you. I got a certificate of merit signed by all the therapists. What was nice was that Wes – a big black easy going therapist – got everyone’s attention and announce my graduation saying in one of his impersonator voices that I have been coming there for about 2 years – exaggerating a little, well a lot. Besides the certificate I got a NovaCare water bottle and can insulator.
It was nice to have the formal good-bye. It puts closure on that period of my life and it also showed what great people I had working with me.
The folks at NovaCare called and asked that I stop in for my graduation from physical therapy.
Penny made some brownies for me to bring in. When I showed up Beth, my principle therapist wasn’t quite prepared – so she told me not to go anywhere and finished up her preparation.
Graduation is actually just stopping bye to say good-bye and thank you. I got a certificate of merit signed by all the therapists. What was nice was that Wes – a big black easy going therapist – got everyone’s attention and announce my graduation saying in one of his impersonator voices that I have been coming there for about 2 years – exaggerating a little, well a lot. Besides the certificate I got a NovaCare water bottle and can insulator.
It was nice to have the formal good-bye. It puts closure on that period of my life and it also showed what great people I had working with me.
Rats in the Attic
For the past week or so we have been hearing noises in the attic. Penny was the first to hear it and said it sounded like something running around on the roof. For the last 2 nights we’ve hear scratching sounds and little footsteps scampering around. It was definitely an animal in the attic and most likely a rat! (hopefully not lots of rats).
It’s not safe to have those critters up there – apart from the noise they like to gnaw on things like electrical wire. They are a safety hazard. So I did some research on the web and found that my course of action should be:
1. Find where they are getting in and seal it up.
2. Trap the rat(s) that now can’t get out
The advice on trapping was to use 10-20 traps and place them against the wall where you see droppings and other signs. Putting traps out in the open is no good, rats stick to the perimeter when they move around. Peanut butter is good bait and one site recommended using dry dog food as an attraction and surrounding the approach with traps bated with peanut butter.
So I got a dozen traps (I figure it’s an investment for safety) and spent the day making sure all the roof vents were nailed tight. I found one that was pried open – perhaps the entry point. I also trimmed some branches that were close to the house. Another place where they could get in is the garage. There is a space on the top of the garage door where a rat can squeeze in. Did you know a mouse only needs a quarter inch to squeeze in while a rat can fit through a half-inch space? Critters in the attic are usually rats and they normally don’t come down into the house. Since they need food I figure they’ve been feeding either on the outside cat feeder or in the garage where we store cat food.
After closing all entry points it was time to put out the traps. Our attic is very low. Too low to stand or even sit so all movement is crawling. I gave my arms a pretty good test today crawling around up there and they passed. I set 8 traps in the attic and 4 on the garage floor then came in the house. I didn’t expect results for a while. I figured the rat(s) would be suspicious of the traps and be too wary to get close. But only about a half-hour after I got through setting the traps we heard one snap in the attic. It definitely got something because we heard some noise from the animal trying to get free – obviously not killed instantly, but it didn’t take long. Now I have to crawl up there tomorrow and see what happened.
Update - Right after I published this posting we heard another trap go.
For the past week or so we have been hearing noises in the attic. Penny was the first to hear it and said it sounded like something running around on the roof. For the last 2 nights we’ve hear scratching sounds and little footsteps scampering around. It was definitely an animal in the attic and most likely a rat! (hopefully not lots of rats).
It’s not safe to have those critters up there – apart from the noise they like to gnaw on things like electrical wire. They are a safety hazard. So I did some research on the web and found that my course of action should be:
1. Find where they are getting in and seal it up.
2. Trap the rat(s) that now can’t get out
The advice on trapping was to use 10-20 traps and place them against the wall where you see droppings and other signs. Putting traps out in the open is no good, rats stick to the perimeter when they move around. Peanut butter is good bait and one site recommended using dry dog food as an attraction and surrounding the approach with traps bated with peanut butter.
So I got a dozen traps (I figure it’s an investment for safety) and spent the day making sure all the roof vents were nailed tight. I found one that was pried open – perhaps the entry point. I also trimmed some branches that were close to the house. Another place where they could get in is the garage. There is a space on the top of the garage door where a rat can squeeze in. Did you know a mouse only needs a quarter inch to squeeze in while a rat can fit through a half-inch space? Critters in the attic are usually rats and they normally don’t come down into the house. Since they need food I figure they’ve been feeding either on the outside cat feeder or in the garage where we store cat food.
After closing all entry points it was time to put out the traps. Our attic is very low. Too low to stand or even sit so all movement is crawling. I gave my arms a pretty good test today crawling around up there and they passed. I set 8 traps in the attic and 4 on the garage floor then came in the house. I didn’t expect results for a while. I figured the rat(s) would be suspicious of the traps and be too wary to get close. But only about a half-hour after I got through setting the traps we heard one snap in the attic. It definitely got something because we heard some noise from the animal trying to get free – obviously not killed instantly, but it didn’t take long. Now I have to crawl up there tomorrow and see what happened.
Update - Right after I published this posting we heard another trap go.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Dreamgirls
My daughter already blogged on this movie and I can’t hold a candle to her writing so I’ll reference her blog and add my comments.
http://daysleeperkaren.blogspot.com/2007/01/dreamgirls.html
For me this is the best musical I have seen. Except for a couple of places the songs and action meshed beautifully. Karen called Jennifer Hudson’s performance of "And I Am Telling You,” a showstopper. That it was. I have never felt the emotions of a character in a movie as strongly as I did with that performance. You feel her fear, desperation and vulnerability – and you forget she’s acting and want to do something to help.
Every time they played “white people’s” music in the movie it was soft and sweet and you just felt that there was nothing there. The “black people’s “music was filled with emotion and soul. It was like looking at the music world through black eyes and seeing that the popular music just didn’t get it.
I also felt myself in awe about what special power music has in drawing out emotions. When a musical is done right it is not only awesome but almost magical. I’d go see many more movies if they were done as well as this one.
My daughter already blogged on this movie and I can’t hold a candle to her writing so I’ll reference her blog and add my comments.
http://daysleeperkaren.blogspot.com/2007/01/dreamgirls.html
For me this is the best musical I have seen. Except for a couple of places the songs and action meshed beautifully. Karen called Jennifer Hudson’s performance of "And I Am Telling You,” a showstopper. That it was. I have never felt the emotions of a character in a movie as strongly as I did with that performance. You feel her fear, desperation and vulnerability – and you forget she’s acting and want to do something to help.
Every time they played “white people’s” music in the movie it was soft and sweet and you just felt that there was nothing there. The “black people’s “music was filled with emotion and soul. It was like looking at the music world through black eyes and seeing that the popular music just didn’t get it.
I also felt myself in awe about what special power music has in drawing out emotions. When a musical is done right it is not only awesome but almost magical. I’d go see many more movies if they were done as well as this one.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Rainy Days and Sundays
I watched Sunday Morning on CBS today for the first time in quite a while. Early church competes but this week I recorded it. There were 2 relevant stories (to me) this week. One was on the return of men’s hats. I had just mentioned in a blog that JFK started the trend of not wearing hats. I found it interesting that hat sales were up and it is attributed to Brad Pitt. It seems that guys are thinking if he wears hats and that Angelina Jolie woman hangs around him then maybe if they wore hats…..
I watched Sunday Morning on CBS today for the first time in quite a while. Early church competes but this week I recorded it. There were 2 relevant stories (to me) this week. One was on the return of men’s hats. I had just mentioned in a blog that JFK started the trend of not wearing hats. I found it interesting that hat sales were up and it is attributed to Brad Pitt. It seems that guys are thinking if he wears hats and that Angelina Jolie woman hangs around him then maybe if they wore hats…..
I personally think most men look terrible in hats.
The other story was about Russian immigrant singer Regina Spektor .
Her music is used a lot on my favorite show – Grey’s Anatomy – and a show my wife likes - CSI NY. The director of CSI really likes her music and is planning on having her in the show for 1 episode next season. She is a talented singer/song writer who has not let fame go to her head.
"My grandparents turned 18 and World War II happened the next day," she said. "So I have that very Russian-Jewish thing of 'Tomorrow you might get a phone call about something wonderful and you might get a phone call about something terrible.'"
So she is enjoying her good fortune but not losing sight of how blessed she is.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/18/sunday/main2371910.shtml
Today it’s turned out to be a cold rainy Sunday. I’ve spent it making a digital tape, CD, and DVD of the Rufus Payne Rhythm drum line performance at Belk’s last Dec. These will go to Tim and Karen. I used Windows Movie-Maker software to do it and while it is not as flexible as Adobe Premier, it is easy to use and user-friendly.
Right now I am on the treadmill. I’m doing 60+ minutes at 3-3.5 mph every 2nd day. I raise the incline to 6 degrees for the last 30 minutes and it provides as good or better of a workout than jogging. Come to think of it this topic was on Sunday Morning too. They had a guy who hiked from the Mexican to the Canadian border and back again – twice. He’s getting married and he and his wife will spend their honeymoon hiking from Canada to Mexico.
I’m also watching the Chicago / New Orleans playoff game. It’s not a bad game. Well I have to stop typing before I perspire all over my keyboard.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Both Sides Now.
My triple procedure dental adventure culminated today with Dr Woo mounting the new crown onto the remains of tooth # 13. It is a good fit and it’s hard to tell it is a crown at all. So far I’ve only done cautious chewing on it, but it feels like it will work just fine – with no pain or hot/cold sensitivity. Because of the crown lengthening procedure, however, there are now deep pockets on each side of the tooth that trap food easily. But I’m back to chewing on both sides again so I have to find a new excuse to explain why I’m always the last to finish eating..
I stopped by NovaCare (where I did my physical therapy) yesterday to fill them in on the latest for my arm. It was nice to see the therapists again. It was also nice to see them smile when they saw me. That place has been a part of my weekly schedule for more than a year. I got to know the therapists well – how many kids they had, what TV shows they liked, etc. I’ll miss them.
Now that my 2 or 3 weekly visits to PT are over there is very little structure forced onto my schedule. This week, for example, I had a haircut on Tuesday and the dentist today. I’m imposing my own loose structure to each day. I get up at 5:30 and do morning stretches and exercises. (My shoulders are finally allowing this again). I usually listen to daughter Karen hosting Morning Edition during this time. After breakfast and reading the paper it’s off to whatever project is going on. Right now that is getting the workshop ready to make a 3-in-1 bed for our first grandchild. I break for lunch and again at 3 PM when it’s time to either walk or exercise. I alternate days for these. When I use the treadmill to walk I’ve got it set up so I can read, watch TV or blog or surf the web or all of the above.. That takes me to 5 or so, which is dinnertime. After dinner it is time for paperwork, paying bills watching some TV, spending time with Penny, etc. Of course normal housework fills any gaps. What is nice is that we can be spontaneous any time and pick up the next day where we left off. Everything can wait.
There is no lack of things to do. We are contemplating re-sodding the front lawn and putting in a sprinkler system. This is on top of the furniture project, painting the house, having a garden, making a water feature and of course some travel, kayaking and day trips. I’m beginning to wonder how I ever got anything done when I had to work.
My triple procedure dental adventure culminated today with Dr Woo mounting the new crown onto the remains of tooth # 13. It is a good fit and it’s hard to tell it is a crown at all. So far I’ve only done cautious chewing on it, but it feels like it will work just fine – with no pain or hot/cold sensitivity. Because of the crown lengthening procedure, however, there are now deep pockets on each side of the tooth that trap food easily. But I’m back to chewing on both sides again so I have to find a new excuse to explain why I’m always the last to finish eating..
I stopped by NovaCare (where I did my physical therapy) yesterday to fill them in on the latest for my arm. It was nice to see the therapists again. It was also nice to see them smile when they saw me. That place has been a part of my weekly schedule for more than a year. I got to know the therapists well – how many kids they had, what TV shows they liked, etc. I’ll miss them.
Now that my 2 or 3 weekly visits to PT are over there is very little structure forced onto my schedule. This week, for example, I had a haircut on Tuesday and the dentist today. I’m imposing my own loose structure to each day. I get up at 5:30 and do morning stretches and exercises. (My shoulders are finally allowing this again). I usually listen to daughter Karen hosting Morning Edition during this time. After breakfast and reading the paper it’s off to whatever project is going on. Right now that is getting the workshop ready to make a 3-in-1 bed for our first grandchild. I break for lunch and again at 3 PM when it’s time to either walk or exercise. I alternate days for these. When I use the treadmill to walk I’ve got it set up so I can read, watch TV or blog or surf the web or all of the above.. That takes me to 5 or so, which is dinnertime. After dinner it is time for paperwork, paying bills watching some TV, spending time with Penny, etc. Of course normal housework fills any gaps. What is nice is that we can be spontaneous any time and pick up the next day where we left off. Everything can wait.
There is no lack of things to do. We are contemplating re-sodding the front lawn and putting in a sprinkler system. This is on top of the furniture project, painting the house, having a garden, making a water feature and of course some travel, kayaking and day trips. I’m beginning to wonder how I ever got anything done when I had to work.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Everything in its Place.
Many months ago we bought some tile squares (on sale, of course) that were FSU colors (no offense, Christy). The thinking was that Penny would make a serving tray or something similar for Meme Nelson. I proceeded to put them in a safe place and forget about them.
Fast-forward to this week and Penny is ready to do the project. It has grown into a tiled patio table now because we found a neat table (on sale, of course) at Lowes. So out to the garage I go to get the tile – and I can’t find it. Now the only things that have happened since I tucked the tile away are – shoulder surgery, shuffling our storage areas twice and filling the storage shed and shop, replacing our washing machine – which also involved shuffling storage out and in because of the laundry pedestal I built.
I thought I knew where the tile was because we have 2 other stashes of tile in the garage. I had no trouble finding those. It ended up taking me 2 days to find the tile but some good came from it. I uncluttered all the stuff piled in the front of Penny’s car in the garage. I pulled out the little dog bed that Truman didn’t want and Karen gave to us for Allie. I washed the cover and set it out for Brie. She likes it. I have it fresh in my mind now where a lot of our stuff is. Between this search and setting up the storage shed our storage situation is looking up. There is actually some empty space available to continue organizing our stuff.
We will never get completely done organizing; after all we’ve got 30+ years of disorganized storage practices to overcome. And there is always something more important going on in our lives than organizing storage (naps are nice). I don’t ever expect to have a place for everything and everything in its place, but I am hoping to find things faster from now on.
Many months ago we bought some tile squares (on sale, of course) that were FSU colors (no offense, Christy). The thinking was that Penny would make a serving tray or something similar for Meme Nelson. I proceeded to put them in a safe place and forget about them.
Fast-forward to this week and Penny is ready to do the project. It has grown into a tiled patio table now because we found a neat table (on sale, of course) at Lowes. So out to the garage I go to get the tile – and I can’t find it. Now the only things that have happened since I tucked the tile away are – shoulder surgery, shuffling our storage areas twice and filling the storage shed and shop, replacing our washing machine – which also involved shuffling storage out and in because of the laundry pedestal I built.
I thought I knew where the tile was because we have 2 other stashes of tile in the garage. I had no trouble finding those. It ended up taking me 2 days to find the tile but some good came from it. I uncluttered all the stuff piled in the front of Penny’s car in the garage. I pulled out the little dog bed that Truman didn’t want and Karen gave to us for Allie. I washed the cover and set it out for Brie. She likes it. I have it fresh in my mind now where a lot of our stuff is. Between this search and setting up the storage shed our storage situation is looking up. There is actually some empty space available to continue organizing our stuff.
We will never get completely done organizing; after all we’ve got 30+ years of disorganized storage practices to overcome. And there is always something more important going on in our lives than organizing storage (naps are nice). I don’t ever expect to have a place for everything and everything in its place, but I am hoping to find things faster from now on.
Friday, January 12, 2007
One-Legged Birds
I went for a beach walk today hoping to see Comet McNaughton along with the sunset. A layer of clouds along the horizon covered the sunset and the comet.
On my walk I ran into a whole flock of one-legged birds. I couldn’t imagine this being normal so when I got home I did some research. Apparently some birds (I think these are a type of Plover) participate in this one legged activity as a game. They can actually tuck the other leg up under the feathers so it can’t be seen. Once one bird starts the activity many in the group will follow. They will even hop around on the one leg instead of using both. This behavior was described in a couple of articles. They don’t know why the birds do it.
To my question of how legs were lost the answer was motorcycle accidents – well, not really, it was entanglement with monofilament that was the chief culprit.
So my worry today about seeing a flock of 25 Plovers all with one leg was not well founded. I was watching a group at play. (maybe they were playing pirates)
You can see in the upper left one of the birds is actually hopping away on a single leg!
I went for a beach walk today hoping to see Comet McNaughton along with the sunset. A layer of clouds along the horizon covered the sunset and the comet.
On my walk I ran into a whole flock of one-legged birds. I couldn’t imagine this being normal so when I got home I did some research. Apparently some birds (I think these are a type of Plover) participate in this one legged activity as a game. They can actually tuck the other leg up under the feathers so it can’t be seen. Once one bird starts the activity many in the group will follow. They will even hop around on the one leg instead of using both. This behavior was described in a couple of articles. They don’t know why the birds do it.
To my question of how legs were lost the answer was motorcycle accidents – well, not really, it was entanglement with monofilament that was the chief culprit.
So my worry today about seeing a flock of 25 Plovers all with one leg was not well founded. I was watching a group at play. (maybe they were playing pirates)
You can see in the upper left one of the birds is actually hopping away on a single leg!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
It’s 3 AM I Must Be Stupid.
Like my daughter Karen I have begun training for the River Run. Like her also it is going to be a walk for me. Since my shoulder has settled some due to the cortisone shot I have been able to start a regular fitness routine to get ready.
I’ve been setting my alarm clock for 5:30 AM and using it to wake me. Brie usually sticks her whiskers in my face at about 5:20 so I’ve got a dual alarm. The alarm I use is also dual alarm so I could think of it as a triple alarm. Waking up to exercise is not that critical so I only use one alarm on the alarm clock. The alarm/radio/CD player can wake me up to a CD. The song we’ve been using to wake to is Matchbox 20’s "It’s 3AM I think I’m Lonely”(or whatever the title is).
Back on Black Friday we woke up to that song at 3:45 AM (It’s 3 AM I think I’m tired) so we could get to Circuit City and participate in the shopping frenzy.
So, last night I set the alarm to wake to the CD and went to bed. Since I’ve had my problems with my back and shoulders I never sleep through the night (In older person’s parlance that’s called pulling an all-nighter) I normally wake hourly or every 2-hours get up, go potty and return to sleep. But the last 2 nights have been different. Since the cortisone shot has taken effect I’ve been sleeping longer. The night before last I made it all the way to 3 AM before I woke. And last night I slept straight through until the alarm woke me --- at 3:45 AM! In our laid-back retirement life there has been nothing urgent enough to warrant setting both alarms (to make sure we get up) since Black Friday. So alarm #2 was still set at 3:45. When I went to bed I didn’t check which alarm I set. I found out at 3:45. Then I couldn’t fall back to sleep – so I will be more careful tonight(and I will change the setting from 3:45).
Like my daughter Karen I have begun training for the River Run. Like her also it is going to be a walk for me. Since my shoulder has settled some due to the cortisone shot I have been able to start a regular fitness routine to get ready.
I’ve been setting my alarm clock for 5:30 AM and using it to wake me. Brie usually sticks her whiskers in my face at about 5:20 so I’ve got a dual alarm. The alarm I use is also dual alarm so I could think of it as a triple alarm. Waking up to exercise is not that critical so I only use one alarm on the alarm clock. The alarm/radio/CD player can wake me up to a CD. The song we’ve been using to wake to is Matchbox 20’s "It’s 3AM I think I’m Lonely”(or whatever the title is).
Back on Black Friday we woke up to that song at 3:45 AM (It’s 3 AM I think I’m tired) so we could get to Circuit City and participate in the shopping frenzy.
So, last night I set the alarm to wake to the CD and went to bed. Since I’ve had my problems with my back and shoulders I never sleep through the night (In older person’s parlance that’s called pulling an all-nighter) I normally wake hourly or every 2-hours get up, go potty and return to sleep. But the last 2 nights have been different. Since the cortisone shot has taken effect I’ve been sleeping longer. The night before last I made it all the way to 3 AM before I woke. And last night I slept straight through until the alarm woke me --- at 3:45 AM! In our laid-back retirement life there has been nothing urgent enough to warrant setting both alarms (to make sure we get up) since Black Friday. So alarm #2 was still set at 3:45. When I went to bed I didn’t check which alarm I set. I found out at 3:45. Then I couldn’t fall back to sleep – so I will be more careful tonight(and I will change the setting from 3:45).
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Jan 6
I only have some thoughts and observations today.
First I had a very successful week with the computers. All did not go smoothly but we now have our new wireless network working with our desktop and both laptops. We have 250 GB extra storage on the desktop and an additional 80 GB for the laptop. Actually the drives can be put on any XP machine. They plug and play just like a flash drive. The new wireless has much better range than the old. I’m getting a “good” or “very good” signal where it once was “weak”. I should be able to surf the web while I’m walking on the treadmill, too. The new router also makes for a neater looking setup. We also have 5 USB-2 ports on the desktop, one of which has a 5-memory card reader on it.
Some people in our neighborhood still have their Christmas lights and decorations up. That used to mean it was too cold to bother taking them down. I guess this year it’s too warm.
I took my first beach walk in over a week yesterday. There seemed to be a significant number of little sandpipers with only 1 leg. I usually see one each time I walk but there were many yesterday. I wonder how they lost the leg. Was it due to dogs, cats, big fish or motorcycle accidents? It’s amazing to me how well they compensate and manage with only the one leg.
It took about 3 days for the regular outdoor cats to start showing up again after the grand dogs went home. Marmalade only shows up briefly now – we think she might have kittens and moved them away from the dogs.
The cortisone shot has eased my shoulder pain somewhat. I’m sleeping a little better. The crepitation continues.
I only have some thoughts and observations today.
First I had a very successful week with the computers. All did not go smoothly but we now have our new wireless network working with our desktop and both laptops. We have 250 GB extra storage on the desktop and an additional 80 GB for the laptop. Actually the drives can be put on any XP machine. They plug and play just like a flash drive. The new wireless has much better range than the old. I’m getting a “good” or “very good” signal where it once was “weak”. I should be able to surf the web while I’m walking on the treadmill, too. The new router also makes for a neater looking setup. We also have 5 USB-2 ports on the desktop, one of which has a 5-memory card reader on it.
Some people in our neighborhood still have their Christmas lights and decorations up. That used to mean it was too cold to bother taking them down. I guess this year it’s too warm.
I took my first beach walk in over a week yesterday. There seemed to be a significant number of little sandpipers with only 1 leg. I usually see one each time I walk but there were many yesterday. I wonder how they lost the leg. Was it due to dogs, cats, big fish or motorcycle accidents? It’s amazing to me how well they compensate and manage with only the one leg.
It took about 3 days for the regular outdoor cats to start showing up again after the grand dogs went home. Marmalade only shows up briefly now – we think she might have kittens and moved them away from the dogs.
The cortisone shot has eased my shoulder pain somewhat. I’m sleeping a little better. The crepitation continues.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Crepitation
Today’s word is crepitation. To crepitate is to make a rattling or creaking sound or to crackle. According to the doctor that’s what my shoulder is doing. Please do not confuse this with decrepit – I’m not quite that far-gone yet.
So what is the cause you may ask? It could simply be an area of inflammation that the anti-inflammatory medication I take can’t penetrate. That’s the best case. It could also be scar tissue and other crud (dissolving stitches) causing the problem. The doc took X-Rays to determine if the stainless steel clips she used to attach the muscle and tendon had come loose. They were OK. It is interesting to see the X-Ray of my shoulder and the little clips sitting there. They look like the little metal loop you find on fishing leaders and lures only they are flat.
The first order of treatment is a cortisone shot. The idea being that it will settle the inflammation down and then my prescribed anti-inflammatory medication could handle any later issues. If that fails then it’s back to surgery – arthroscopic this time- to go in and see what’s going on and to fix it. Recovery time for this is only a couple weeks versus the nine months to a year for the original surgery.
I am through with going to physical therapy (PT). I will continue it at home for the foreseeable future. I’m supposed to take it easy for 2-3 days now, ice the shoulder thrice a day (which I am doing as I write this) and then start my home PT sessions.
I’m hoping that the shot will fix me up. I don’t want 2007 to be another banner year for my doctors.
Today’s word is crepitation. To crepitate is to make a rattling or creaking sound or to crackle. According to the doctor that’s what my shoulder is doing. Please do not confuse this with decrepit – I’m not quite that far-gone yet.
So what is the cause you may ask? It could simply be an area of inflammation that the anti-inflammatory medication I take can’t penetrate. That’s the best case. It could also be scar tissue and other crud (dissolving stitches) causing the problem. The doc took X-Rays to determine if the stainless steel clips she used to attach the muscle and tendon had come loose. They were OK. It is interesting to see the X-Ray of my shoulder and the little clips sitting there. They look like the little metal loop you find on fishing leaders and lures only they are flat.
The first order of treatment is a cortisone shot. The idea being that it will settle the inflammation down and then my prescribed anti-inflammatory medication could handle any later issues. If that fails then it’s back to surgery – arthroscopic this time- to go in and see what’s going on and to fix it. Recovery time for this is only a couple weeks versus the nine months to a year for the original surgery.
I am through with going to physical therapy (PT). I will continue it at home for the foreseeable future. I’m supposed to take it easy for 2-3 days now, ice the shoulder thrice a day (which I am doing as I write this) and then start my home PT sessions.
I’m hoping that the shot will fix me up. I don’t want 2007 to be another banner year for my doctors.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Dog Crates, Computers and Throws-Oh My!
I finally decided to take the plunge and try to install USB-2 ports on our obsolete USB-1-only computer. If successful, the plan was then to install the 250 GB USB-2 external hard drive- then install Norton Ghost to backup the complete 80 GB internal hard drive. I chose this timing because the holidays were over, Penny was running off with PAM (so she wouldn’t see me pound my head against the wall) and finally I am only doing light work until I talk to the doctor tomorrow and see what’s up with my right shoulder.
The USB hardware is a PCI card with 5 USB-2 ports on it. With Windows XP it’s supposed to be plug and play-but it wasn’t. I uninstalled and removed the modem from the computer to open up a PCI connector for the USB card. I verified the computer was not affected by removing the modem. Then I stuck the USB card in and turned on the computer. It found the new hardware but did not find the proper drivers and failed to install. So I manually entered the drivers from the provided CD and this time the computer said the hardware was installed and ready. So I stuck on a flash drive to see if it would read it and the computer locked up.
After removing the card and restarting the computer I searched the web for advice. All of the reviews said the device was truly plug and play and they loved it. All except one guy who happened to have the same model computer as me. I was lucky to find his review. He had the same problem, called tech support and they suggested trying a different PCI slot. That worked for him and eventually it worked for me. I had to swap positions of the card 3 times. On the last try the computer found the hardware and successfully installed it. When I stuck a flash drive on it it worked! Yes, USB-2 is much faster than USB-1.
By this time I had the computer pulled out and opened up, cables and CDs everywhere and a big mess to clean up. I figured it was a good opportunity to straighten up. Before I could start the doorbell rang. I opened the door and to my surprise there was the replacement dog crate that Julian had promised. (See previous blog) I was pleased to see he was true to his word- and not a procrastinator.
Back to the computer I re ran all the cables, used tie straps to eliminate tangles and plugged everything back in. It was time to turn on the new external drive and see if it was plug and play. There were no installation instructions with it and no CD with drivers. This is when Penny got home – so she was her to see me flip the switch….and….. “New Hardware Found”…….”Finding Drivers”………..”The new hardware is installed successfully and ready to use”!!!! It worked.
Penny brought in the mail and one of the “free with rebate” 1GB flash drives arrived.
Then it was the doorbell again and the 3 feather and down throws we ordered were on our doorstep.
I installed Ghost and it is backing up our hard drive as I write this. Overall a successful day. It always takes longer than you think to do these things.
Tomorrow I may tempt fate and try to install the new wireless router we got during our Christmas buying frenzy. When I finally broke down and installed Windows XP service pack 2 on my laptop it became incompatible with our current wireless setup. I’m hoping the new router will work with the adapter on the laptop. If not a new adaptor may be needed for both my and Penny’s laptop.
I also ordered some hardware today for some furniture I will be building for Karen. This will be my first build it from scratch furniture project I do in the new workshop. Wish me luck – with that and the wireless system.
I finally decided to take the plunge and try to install USB-2 ports on our obsolete USB-1-only computer. If successful, the plan was then to install the 250 GB USB-2 external hard drive- then install Norton Ghost to backup the complete 80 GB internal hard drive. I chose this timing because the holidays were over, Penny was running off with PAM (so she wouldn’t see me pound my head against the wall) and finally I am only doing light work until I talk to the doctor tomorrow and see what’s up with my right shoulder.
The USB hardware is a PCI card with 5 USB-2 ports on it. With Windows XP it’s supposed to be plug and play-but it wasn’t. I uninstalled and removed the modem from the computer to open up a PCI connector for the USB card. I verified the computer was not affected by removing the modem. Then I stuck the USB card in and turned on the computer. It found the new hardware but did not find the proper drivers and failed to install. So I manually entered the drivers from the provided CD and this time the computer said the hardware was installed and ready. So I stuck on a flash drive to see if it would read it and the computer locked up.
After removing the card and restarting the computer I searched the web for advice. All of the reviews said the device was truly plug and play and they loved it. All except one guy who happened to have the same model computer as me. I was lucky to find his review. He had the same problem, called tech support and they suggested trying a different PCI slot. That worked for him and eventually it worked for me. I had to swap positions of the card 3 times. On the last try the computer found the hardware and successfully installed it. When I stuck a flash drive on it it worked! Yes, USB-2 is much faster than USB-1.
By this time I had the computer pulled out and opened up, cables and CDs everywhere and a big mess to clean up. I figured it was a good opportunity to straighten up. Before I could start the doorbell rang. I opened the door and to my surprise there was the replacement dog crate that Julian had promised. (See previous blog) I was pleased to see he was true to his word- and not a procrastinator.
Back to the computer I re ran all the cables, used tie straps to eliminate tangles and plugged everything back in. It was time to turn on the new external drive and see if it was plug and play. There were no installation instructions with it and no CD with drivers. This is when Penny got home – so she was her to see me flip the switch….and….. “New Hardware Found”…….”Finding Drivers”………..”The new hardware is installed successfully and ready to use”!!!! It worked.
Penny brought in the mail and one of the “free with rebate” 1GB flash drives arrived.
Then it was the doorbell again and the 3 feather and down throws we ordered were on our doorstep.
I installed Ghost and it is backing up our hard drive as I write this. Overall a successful day. It always takes longer than you think to do these things.
Tomorrow I may tempt fate and try to install the new wireless router we got during our Christmas buying frenzy. When I finally broke down and installed Windows XP service pack 2 on my laptop it became incompatible with our current wireless setup. I’m hoping the new router will work with the adapter on the laptop. If not a new adaptor may be needed for both my and Penny’s laptop.
I also ordered some hardware today for some furniture I will be building for Karen. This will be my first build it from scratch furniture project I do in the new workshop. Wish me luck – with that and the wireless system.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
The Pursuit of Happyness
Spell-check does not like that spelling for happiness but that’s the title of the movie Penny and I went to see today.
“I met my father for the first time when I was 28 year old. When I had children, my children were going to know who their father was.”
- Will Smith as Christopher Gardner
Will Smith convincingly plays a single father striving to make ends meet as he walks a shaky line between homelessness and achieving the American dream. The movie is a typical Hollywood underdog-succeeds movie, but it is done remarkably well. It’s a character study and is somewhat dark at times.
Will Smith really shines. There is none of his jiggly comic characteristics. Just a convincing performance of a man trying his best to be a good father while on the financial ropes. I find it interesting that he succeeds as a father but can’t really be with his son emotionally because of everything he is doing to take care of him. His son is played by his real-life son and this kid is a chip off the ol’ block.
For me the best scene comes when he finally wins the job he is working for. (No, I’m not giving away anything-would they make a movie about an underdog that fails?) It is one of those scenes where there is very little dialog but Will Smith’s red teary eyes and the expression on his face tell the story of what this accomplishment means. I like actors who can portray emotion clearly with no dialog. This is the only part of the movie where I welled up. The movie is not a tearjerker. It’s not manipulative either. It simply tells the story and lets you be the spectator.
I liked the film. I always like Will Smith but this role really demonstrates his acting ability. After all he is a very rich performer and he convincingly pulls off this role.
“You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.”
- Will Smith as Christopher Gardner (to his son)
Spell-check does not like that spelling for happiness but that’s the title of the movie Penny and I went to see today.
“I met my father for the first time when I was 28 year old. When I had children, my children were going to know who their father was.”
- Will Smith as Christopher Gardner
Will Smith convincingly plays a single father striving to make ends meet as he walks a shaky line between homelessness and achieving the American dream. The movie is a typical Hollywood underdog-succeeds movie, but it is done remarkably well. It’s a character study and is somewhat dark at times.
Will Smith really shines. There is none of his jiggly comic characteristics. Just a convincing performance of a man trying his best to be a good father while on the financial ropes. I find it interesting that he succeeds as a father but can’t really be with his son emotionally because of everything he is doing to take care of him. His son is played by his real-life son and this kid is a chip off the ol’ block.
For me the best scene comes when he finally wins the job he is working for. (No, I’m not giving away anything-would they make a movie about an underdog that fails?) It is one of those scenes where there is very little dialog but Will Smith’s red teary eyes and the expression on his face tell the story of what this accomplishment means. I like actors who can portray emotion clearly with no dialog. This is the only part of the movie where I welled up. The movie is not a tearjerker. It’s not manipulative either. It simply tells the story and lets you be the spectator.
I liked the film. I always like Will Smith but this role really demonstrates his acting ability. After all he is a very rich performer and he convincingly pulls off this role.
“You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.”
- Will Smith as Christopher Gardner (to his son)
Monday, January 01, 2007
Dog Crate Negotiations
We got Christy a nylon fabric dog crate for Christmas. She found it in Tuesday Morning when we were doing some Christmas shopping . It seemed like a perfect solution for traveling. It is lightweight but strong and sturdy. It folds up like those camping chairs and fits into a carry case that you can sling on your back.
We used it for the first time when Christy visited at Christmas time. To our dismay when we got home her dog Finn had gotten out of the crate and into our bread supply. We found that Finn had scratched the heavy-duty plastic mesh material until it split and then squeezed out the slit.
I didn’t think this was right. The crate should have been designed to handle some scratching. I e-mailed the manufacturer and explained our disappointment with their product. Here is my e-mail:
----------------------------------
I’m writing because your dog crate failed the first time we used it and I would like to know what recourse we have.
We purchased your portable pet crate as a Christmas gift for our daughter. It seemed like the perfect solution for her to travel with her dog, a medium sized Lab mix (about 55lbs). The dog is an adult and is crate trained.
When we got home after putting the dog in the crate for the first time we found the dog loose in the house. The crate had a 16-inch vertical slit in the screen apparently caused by the dog’s nails. The dog slipped through the slit. Here are some pictures.
My daughter worked in a veterinary clinic and takes excellent care of her dog – including proper trimming of the dog’s nails. On your web site you say “We take pride in our selection and we rigorously field test each product to provide durable, functional and fun gear for yourself and your pets.” I am an engineer and I was very impressed by the design of the crate. It is light but strong and sturdy. I know that if I designed this product I would want to know how well it performed in the field.
Fortunately the dog only did minor mischief when it was loose. It got into the trash and also tried to eat a couple of loaves of bread. But we are very disappointed in the performance of the product. I’m sure we did not misuse the crate and I’m also sure that the dog’s nails are not too long or sharp. They are trimmed and filed properly.
Have you had this problem with other customers? Has the door been redesigned? What should we do to make our crate usable again? Do you back your product with a warranty?
I really like the design of this crate but I’d like to be able to use it more than one time.
---------------------------------------------------------
To my surprise I got a response the next day:
Paul:
Sorry to hear about the tear in the dog crate. We are obviously concerned your dog got out to mischief.
Where did you buy the crate? We have had very few problems with this product. Of course, we cannot control dogs that chew or scratch.
Has your dog used other soft crates? Call me if you have a few minutes. Xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Cheers,
Julian
---------------------------------
After reading about not controlling dogs that chew and scratch I figured they were not going to back their product.
I talked with Julian later that day and the conversation was actually enjoyable. Julian has a British accent and seemed genuinely concerned. I reiterated what I said in my letter emphasizing that I didn’t consider a scratching dog outside the normal expectations. I went on to discuss a design fix that I thought would handle scratching. At this point he showed interest in the fix.
He offered me a $50 certificate that could be used to purchase anything on their site. (The crate cost more than that) He said he could send us a new one but we would still have the same problem. I told him if we got another we would reinforce it before we used it. I told him that since he was interested in my fix for the problem that we could trade my design fix for a new crate. He liked the idea. He said he would mail us a new crate and asked me to provide a drawing or picture of my fix.
So using Penny’s sewing skills and putting all our heads together we picked a material to fix the crate and used it to reinforce the torn cage. Penny also sewed up the slit that Finn had made.
I sent the following e-mail to Julian:
--------------------------------------
Julian,
Happy New Year!
I promised to send you my “fix” for the problem we had with our Dog Digs. My wife and I have actually made the modification but it hasn’t been “field tested” yet. We should know by the end of the week if it works or if there are other problems we didn’t anticipate that the fix might cause.
The dog got out of the crate by tearing the webbing. The tear he made ran almost the full width of the webbing and therefore was big enough for him to squeeze through. Given that this dog could easily tear the webbing, some means to limit the size of any tear was needed. I thought the simplest way to do this was to put horizontal strips of material spaced such that any tear would be limited to a size too small for a dog to fit through. A dog will naturally scratch in the vertical direction so horizontal strips make sense. Another concern is that a dog may get stuck in the webbing trying to squeeze out if the spacing were too narrow. Some trial and error or better yet some sort of testing would be called for to optimize the spacing. Here is a picture of our modification:
I am anxious to see if this works or if the dog can still get out. I will let you know how successful we were.
I enjoyed our conversation on the phone. I will update you on the effectiveness of the fix when I get more information.
-----------------------------
So now I wait and see if a new crate really comes and to see if Finn defeats the new design..
We got Christy a nylon fabric dog crate for Christmas. She found it in Tuesday Morning when we were doing some Christmas shopping . It seemed like a perfect solution for traveling. It is lightweight but strong and sturdy. It folds up like those camping chairs and fits into a carry case that you can sling on your back.
We used it for the first time when Christy visited at Christmas time. To our dismay when we got home her dog Finn had gotten out of the crate and into our bread supply. We found that Finn had scratched the heavy-duty plastic mesh material until it split and then squeezed out the slit.
I didn’t think this was right. The crate should have been designed to handle some scratching. I e-mailed the manufacturer and explained our disappointment with their product. Here is my e-mail:
----------------------------------
I’m writing because your dog crate failed the first time we used it and I would like to know what recourse we have.
We purchased your portable pet crate as a Christmas gift for our daughter. It seemed like the perfect solution for her to travel with her dog, a medium sized Lab mix (about 55lbs). The dog is an adult and is crate trained.
When we got home after putting the dog in the crate for the first time we found the dog loose in the house. The crate had a 16-inch vertical slit in the screen apparently caused by the dog’s nails. The dog slipped through the slit. Here are some pictures.
My daughter worked in a veterinary clinic and takes excellent care of her dog – including proper trimming of the dog’s nails. On your web site you say “We take pride in our selection and we rigorously field test each product to provide durable, functional and fun gear for yourself and your pets.” I am an engineer and I was very impressed by the design of the crate. It is light but strong and sturdy. I know that if I designed this product I would want to know how well it performed in the field.
Fortunately the dog only did minor mischief when it was loose. It got into the trash and also tried to eat a couple of loaves of bread. But we are very disappointed in the performance of the product. I’m sure we did not misuse the crate and I’m also sure that the dog’s nails are not too long or sharp. They are trimmed and filed properly.
Have you had this problem with other customers? Has the door been redesigned? What should we do to make our crate usable again? Do you back your product with a warranty?
I really like the design of this crate but I’d like to be able to use it more than one time.
---------------------------------------------------------
To my surprise I got a response the next day:
Paul:
Sorry to hear about the tear in the dog crate. We are obviously concerned your dog got out to mischief.
Where did you buy the crate? We have had very few problems with this product. Of course, we cannot control dogs that chew or scratch.
Has your dog used other soft crates? Call me if you have a few minutes. Xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Cheers,
Julian
---------------------------------
After reading about not controlling dogs that chew and scratch I figured they were not going to back their product.
I talked with Julian later that day and the conversation was actually enjoyable. Julian has a British accent and seemed genuinely concerned. I reiterated what I said in my letter emphasizing that I didn’t consider a scratching dog outside the normal expectations. I went on to discuss a design fix that I thought would handle scratching. At this point he showed interest in the fix.
He offered me a $50 certificate that could be used to purchase anything on their site. (The crate cost more than that) He said he could send us a new one but we would still have the same problem. I told him if we got another we would reinforce it before we used it. I told him that since he was interested in my fix for the problem that we could trade my design fix for a new crate. He liked the idea. He said he would mail us a new crate and asked me to provide a drawing or picture of my fix.
So using Penny’s sewing skills and putting all our heads together we picked a material to fix the crate and used it to reinforce the torn cage. Penny also sewed up the slit that Finn had made.
I sent the following e-mail to Julian:
--------------------------------------
Julian,
Happy New Year!
I promised to send you my “fix” for the problem we had with our Dog Digs. My wife and I have actually made the modification but it hasn’t been “field tested” yet. We should know by the end of the week if it works or if there are other problems we didn’t anticipate that the fix might cause.
The dog got out of the crate by tearing the webbing. The tear he made ran almost the full width of the webbing and therefore was big enough for him to squeeze through. Given that this dog could easily tear the webbing, some means to limit the size of any tear was needed. I thought the simplest way to do this was to put horizontal strips of material spaced such that any tear would be limited to a size too small for a dog to fit through. A dog will naturally scratch in the vertical direction so horizontal strips make sense. Another concern is that a dog may get stuck in the webbing trying to squeeze out if the spacing were too narrow. Some trial and error or better yet some sort of testing would be called for to optimize the spacing. Here is a picture of our modification:
I am anxious to see if this works or if the dog can still get out. I will let you know how successful we were.
I enjoyed our conversation on the phone. I will update you on the effectiveness of the fix when I get more information.
-----------------------------
So now I wait and see if a new crate really comes and to see if Finn defeats the new design..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
