LiamLicks: 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015

The End of the Year is Here

LIAM SNUGGLING WITH HIS PHOTO PILLOW

Another Year is almost Here
And it means my adoption anniversary day is near.

New Year's Day

Yay

On January 1, 2008 my pet parents Carol and Paul adopted me from North Shore Animal League. I am what is called a rescue and a mutt-i-gree.
I have lived with them for 8 years.

The past week Mom has been receiving donation requests from several of her animal organizations. "Last chance for a donation!" Meaning a tax deductible gift- one may include on your income tax filing for 2015. And save you some money while you are saving the animals. Win, Win...

Here are our organizations

1-I bet you have viewed the ubiquitous ASPCA video. You know it, the one with the shivering chained dogs beseeching us for help while "Silent Night" echoes in the background.

We know when it starts it must be muted. Mom cannot bear it. Daddy Paul reminds us the dogs in the video are actors and are not hungry, cold and abused. If so, they deserve Golden Globes. Mom's opinion is that they are real neglected dogs photographed by animal rights activists to illustrate their situation.
Here is the link
https://www.aspca.org/

2-My rescuers The North Shore Animal League of America. They are NO KILL

http://www.animalleague.org/
I am featured on the Mutt-i-gree Gallery Wall. Mom wrote about me and it is on the site with my photo. Here is her post.
I retired in December 2007 and visited North Shore on January 1, 2008 with the intention of adopting my first dog. We arrived midday and by that time most puppies were in process of being adopted. I was a bit anxious we would leave empty handed but in the last room there was a puppy not yet claimed. I had my first dog. I named him Liam after the actor Liam Neeson. I was told he had been rescued from Tennessee, was about 5 months old and might be a basset hound/lab mix. Later on DNA testing showed him to be four dogs in one, equal parts beagle, dachshund, dalmatian and Irish setter. Imagine! Liam has enlarged my world and enhanced my life. I had no idea being a pet parent would teach me how to really love.
Adopt.
Rescue.
Save a life.
Liam saved mine.

3-My friend Wrangler's school, GuidingEyes for the Blind. Wrangler is the Today Show Puppy who joined the crew last January and has been in training to be a guide dog. We follow him on Instagram, FB, Twitter. Or every morning on TV.
http://www.today.com/pets/wrangler
https://www.guidingeyes.org/

4-and Best Friends Animal Society, the organization which saved Michael Vick's dogs
we are sponsoring several animals, even a goat!
It is a home, a sanctuary, a functioning farm...

http://bestfriends.org/

LIAM, SAVED AND SAFE

I am safe at home. Wishing others can be safe

and save others.

Happy New Year

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU KID

Liam
Woof, Woof

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Charlie Brown's Tree is Here

CHARLIE BROWN'S TREE AND A ONE QUARTER BEAGLE

I am all set to have that idyllic tree decorating event...wine (my own bottle) candles (battery operated) Christmas music (CNN breaking news) chestnuts (will almonds do?) a fire (where is that Yule log CD?)

Traditionally we set it all up Thanksgiving weekend. It appears this has become the norm for many. Turkey is still being eaten as Facebook is decorated with Christmas tree photos. Hey! Me too. I want to join in. And we are ready. Last year we discarded our tree. Lights no longer worked and it was worn out. A Bed Bath and Beyond ad features a tree. It is 49.99.
On the Monday of Thanksgiving week we go to BBB and find the advertised trees. They are reduced to $34.00 and with the 20% coupon (one does not go to BBB without a coupon) they are a dream bargain at 27.99. We pick one and buy it.
We have our tree and expect to be part of the Thanksgiving weekend Christmas decorating event.

Here we go.
Thanksgiving is done.
We are ready.

We have a new tree.
Paul assembles it quickly. Hmm, why so easy and why no complaints?
He calls me to check it out.

What!!! What is this? Charlie Brown's tree is in our living room.

LIAM IS LONGER THAN THE TREE IS WIDE

Is this a joke? Who would sell such a tree? Is it a commemorative edition for the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas?

Don't know Charlie's Brown's tree? If you are familiar with this iconic TV movie you may remember Charlie Brown's tree. Tiny unadorned unloved...Charlie selects it and brings it home...to derision. If you don't know of it here is a refresher link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas

This year is its fifty year anniversary. First shown in 1965.

CHARLIE BROWN, HIS TREE, AND LINUS

Liam is longer than our tree is wide. Liam is a small dog. I know he has big dog looks. But no, he is 37 pounds and 15 inches tall and 24 inches long.

I am revealing his stats in order to give you an idea of the minuteness of our tree.

He sort of dwarfs the tree... and we did pull out the branches bending them up and down into natural positions and here is what we have. No, we cannot work with this tree. Oh and it sheds its needles at first touch.

LIAM AND HIS TREE

Our last tree was purchased at BBB and was fine. Photos follow

MOM, WHERE IS OUR BIG TREE?

What went wrong here? The height is okay. What I did not realize was that no width was displayed on the box. When it is assembled it is only a few inches wide and its girth does not widen sufficiently to hold more than a few ornaments. Liam tries to make himself smaller.

Liam wonders if he is meant to be Snoopy. He is one quarter beagle. Where are the decorations he asks?

Liam-Mom, do I have to do what Charlie Brown did? Take them from Snoopy's house?
Me-Liam, you do not have a house.
Liam-oh, bummer

In Charlie Brown's Christmas story his little tree is accepted. In the end they use Snoopy's dog house decorations to fill in its shortcomings.

We will not do that. Liam does not have a dog house. He lives in our house.

WAITING FOR THE NEW TREE

We order a 7 foot Spruce online from Lowe's on Cyber Monday. The date is November 30.
Huge discount, free shipping. Email says it is on its way. I expect delivery within a few days. Not too bad. Lowe's is in Garden City and I envision its journey down Old Country Road to our house. Should take about a half hour. I think Thursday December 3 is the latest arrival time. I mean it is only a few miles. Lowe's offers tracking.

A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on Wednesday December 2...and we watch it and commemorate it with our own Charlie Brown tree.

No tree December 3rd or 4th.

On Saturday December 5 I access the shipping info. I am shocked. Our tree is coming from the Southwest! What was I thinking? That the Garden City Store would pluck a tree from their display and drive it over? Yes, I was. My thought process is sometimes too hopeful and naive. No, our tree is on a journey across the United States. Screenshot on Saturday December 5 shows it started in Albuquerque NM and has traveled through 6 states. Currently in Hamburg Pa. This tree could compete in the Amazing Race, though at a slower pace. See its journey so far

I am starting to feel sorry for our Charlie Brown tree.
Liam requests that it have a decoration. Okay one decoration to honor Charlie's first attempt to decorate his tree. Ours did not fall over like his did.

I don't even think this would be okay for an office.
Well

Maybe...

We are waiting

I am bonding with the tree.

Liam is guarding the tree and channeling Snoopy

LIAM GUARDS HIS TREE

We do not want to return our Charlie Brown tree until our new tree arrives.

Dec 7

New tree is here. It seems heavy enough and long enough to be an acceptable tree.

LIAM INSPECTING THE NEW TREE

We expect to decorate this weekend.
Anyone want a little scrawny never dressed tree?
I don't want to reject it.
That would be inconsistent with the message in A Charlie Brown Christmas

Woof, Woof

Friday, November 27, 2015

SUMPdate

LIAM LOOKING AT TULLY LAKE (THE SUMP)

This week's blog story is a SUMPdate.

Date with a sump.

Sump update.

Both.

WE CAN SEE IN!

Our blog of October introduced our park and our lake/sump. See following link for refresher.

http://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-walk-in-park.html

We are in November and now the leaves are dropping from the trees and a wider vista is opening up. By holding my iPhone up on top of the fence I record an unobstructed view.

We have an update on the sump. My BIL (brother-in-law) is the one who had a date with the sump by doing a bit of research in an on site visit to Tully Park. He interviewed a few park people who added a bit of local history.
They said
Yes, it is a sump.
No, it is not a lake.
It does have fish
All liquids in the surrounding area drain in.
It never dries up.
It is deep
The bottom has years of chemicals.
It is unnamed.
There are two other sumps in the area.

LIAM ON HIS TULLY PARK WALK

BIL did consider descending to its shore. A very steep drop deterred him. There is a chain link fence guarding the perimeter and the entrance gate is padlocked. However the adjacent part of the fence is bent back and allows easy access. Looks like someone left his/her coat.

THE WAY IN

THE BLUE OF THE WATER CAN BE SEEN

We enjoy glimpses during our walks.

Each November walk affords us a wider view and we are looking forward to seeing the entire sump. Most of the trees are deciduous so we should have a clear view when the leaves are done. This week I spotted what I thought was a formation of canoes. The shape was right and they were paddling along. Liam nibbled some grass as I strained to process the images I was seeing. Oh, of course. Not canoes. Geese. Hundreds. Their heads appearing as the bow of the boat and their curled tails the aft. Moving in unison. They are sump sailing.

Looking forward to the changing seasons in our new dog friendly venue.

This year our neighborhood walks have been enhanced and expanded.
Liam has his rabbits and I have my lake.
Thankful for all our adventures.

And hopeful for a future dog run...

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all.
Enjoy your meals and treats. Liam is trying for his.

LIAM NOSING AROUND THE STARBUCKS TREATS

And riveted on the annual

Thanksgiving dog show

Woof, Woof

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Red Cup

LIAM READS THE TIMES AS HE LICKS HIS REDCUP

Every November 1st the Starbucks red cup makes its appearance. I know this because I have recorded it many times.
I welcome it showing up. Others don't. They say its arrival is too early. Rushing the season. Ignoring Thanksgiving and this year it has been blamed for being unChristmasy
I am fine with the red cup's coming November 1st. I want to enjoy the fun as long as possible. Red cup leaves early...a day or two after Christmas. While other decorations hang out past New Years. And my reaction to the 2015 version was delight in its stark simplicity, red cup and green logo. Did not occur to me to want more on it.

Liam loves it. I take a photo of him lapping the foam. A spontaneous moment... not setting up the shot. It happened and I took it.

There is an annual red cup contest.

We enter our photo.

I look at the other entries. I see a problem right away. The Starbucks logo is not shown in our photo. Here is our Instagram screen shot and what I believed to be a cute caption.

OUR INSTAGRAM ENTRY

And no boxes or name visible. Another strike. This could be any red cup! I did not consider deleting and redoing. Why? I saw the caliber of the entered photos and realized we had little chance. I read the criteria. Here is a screen shot of the qualities...the right margin is cropped but the judging criteria are what I want you to see, the five words at the center.

We might qualify for creativity and individuality.
Okay, maybe only individuality.
Liam is an individual.

People keep hashtagging #redcupcontest even though the contest ended 11/5/15. I suppose they want to be included. There are currently 38,827 entries. Last one posted minutes ago.

The earlier ones feature animals, kids, families, friends, with their red cups in ingenious locations and positions. What a gallery. The newer ones have the red cups as the star. Guess word dripped out.

BUT it is over
The results are in...below is the link to the winners...this year the cup is the star. No people, pets, scenes...

It's all about the Red Cup and it being a blank canvas.

Now I am esctatic. My cup had nothing but a dog's head in it. I had no chance. Better than little chance.
http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2015/11/10/red-cup-contest-results.aspx

If you don't do links here is a screen shot of the winning photos as shown on Instagram

These five are the winners. Each receiving a $500 gift card.

Which would not last me that long anyway.