From the Observation Deck

Rut Roh is Grendel talk for “oh shoot, Mommy is going to kick my butt for dragging that dish out of the sink and leaving the chewed remains in the living room.” He does talk like that, really. He got it from the Jetson’s dog, Astro.

Grendel’s been suffering a bit from cabin fever. The rain here in northern Virginia has been relentless. So we got together and decided on a topic for today. Words that begin with the letter “R.” Why? Because Grendel only understands a few words (bone, dinner, walk) and I want him to learn to say, “I ruv roo, Rommy.” 

There are actually more “R” words than this, but here are a few for today’s vocabulary lesson.

• Rabies—Grendel has been vaccinated, no worries.
• Rawhide—another word for bone. Grendel loves these.
• Razorback—a kind of pig. See swine flu post.
• Reefer—refrigerator? No. Double breasted wool coat? No. What Clinton didn’t inhale? Maybe.
• Rufa—as in Garra rufa. A flesh eating fish that gives pedicures. (Btw—I’ve been told by a health official that this is not a good idea if you want to remain free of infections and other nasty stuff. It may seem fun to have a fish eat the dead flesh off your toes, but think about it people. Gross.)
• Recover—hoping this happens soon with the economy.
• Recruit—me please.
• Refinance—what the bank won’t let me do until I get a job.
• Recriminate—what members of Congress do on a regular basis.
• Read—what most people need to do more of. See Whut? post.
• Reflect—on the beauty of what is around you and those you love.
• Ruf—duh. What Grendel says when he wants dinner, or anything else for that matter.

Have a great weekend. We are off to the beach! Ray! Ree ruv ruh reech.

This may turn into a series, who knows, but there is a pain-in-the-butt squirrel who has decided that my deck is a good causeway between his various billets. He is often seen digging through the flower pots on my deck and even “unstuffed” my neighbor’s deck chair—a little bedding for the winter I suppose.

 In general I like wildlife but this little guy needs to go. And it’s not that I have some big thing against squirrels—even though there was that one who stole a bagel out of my backpack when I was hiking in the Grand Canyon. It’s become a favorite pastime in my house to watch his comings and goings. Here are some snapshots and a serious indicator that I need to get out of the house and start working again. (It seems I may not be alone in this little form of entertainment. There are quite a few YouTube videos of cats and squirrels. Hmmmmm.)

One day I had myself a little fun and let one of the cats go outside just as squirrel was raiding a flower pot. Man can my cat fly! She was across the deck and hanging on by two fingernails before I could even say “death to squirrel.” She didn’t get him, but some day. Yup, some day…

That’s how I like to pick out teams for those office pools. And whenever I go to the steeplechase races out in Middleburg, VA I pick horses with names that sound cool. It’s very scientific and much more fun than reading stats and playing the odds. (Just a note—this is not how I pick my stocks.)

So I’m loving that a 50 to 1 long shot won the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird won while I Want Revenge (a bad way to live your life by the way) was out before the race started. I really don’t know anything about horses and racing but I love underdogs. I’m from Philly, it’s in my blood.

Now out of all the contenders, these are the horses that I would have picked based purely on their names.

1. Chocolate Candy. Need I say why?

2. Mr. Hot Stuff. Again, need I say why?

3. Pioneer of the Nile. Because I took an awesome trip to Egypt in 2007.

 Do you have a favorite team, horse, champion, or underdog and if so, what color does he/she/they wear?