Sparky the Wonder Dog

One might ask how a dog can be a wonder. Here is my attempt to post about my newest family member, Sparky. Sparky is a Collie/Shepherd/Husky?? mix. He was rescued and adopted from the St. Louis Humane Society. His name at the time of adoption was "Brody". I did not care for the name but thought I would get used to it. Well, after about a week of forgetting the dog's name I decided it had to be changed. I mean who calls a dog "Brody"? The only Brody I could ever remember was the guy in the Jaws movies. I did not want to equate calling my dog with the blood thirsty shark!

So we talked about names. It took nearly 2 days to agree upon a name. (There was another Sparky in my life when I was a young girl. He was my Grandma and Grandpa's dog. He was the best dog. He would let the grand kids crawl all over him and never ever growl. He was the ever vigilant protector. He feared nothing or so the grandchildren thought. Later when we were older we found out he did have one fear- THUNDER! The dog hated storms.) Hands down, I won on the naming of the dog. He caught on very quickly to his new name. Since he was a stray, his Humane Society name did not matter to him anyway.

Sparky is a wonder because of the 8 dogs we brought into the "family" area with us, he was the only one to play ball. I always wanted a dog who was smart enough to play games. So this did it for me. Also, he seemed very much at ease with all of us. We filled out the papers and proceeded to bring him home. This was a stray dog who thought I was his protector, so he wanted to ride on my lap as I drove the 30+ miles home from the pound. It was a messy ride. He was nervous and tried to climb over the seats and children the whole way home. Needless to say, when we arrived home I was quite content to let him run. He did not go far and was more than happy to chase and retrieve the ball I threw for him.

Since Sparky seemed to be an intelligent animal, I decided to teach him some tricks. The first was to sit and heel. He did well with both. Next, I thought, let's try "shake". He caught on immediately. He was still having trouble with "come" when called. So I enlisted the help of a shock collar but I could not bring myself to push the button. I went back to offering treats as a reward for coming when called, then after a few days, just a great deal of praise and lots of attention.

My cousin has dogs that do all sorts of tricks. So inspired by her, I decided he should learn to roll over. It took all of 2 days for Sparky to learn this one. He does it on command now but only if you have a treat for him. He does not even care anymore if it is me commanding him. All the visitors to our "ranch" thoroughly enjoy this trick. Our home is not really a ranch but the neighbors have cows and horses so we call it a ranch.

About a week after we rescued Sparky, I let him out before going to bed. I heard him yipe and proceeded to open the door thinking he was ready to come in. He did charge into the house nearly knocking me down. It took two seconds for me to realize what had happened. He had been SKUNKED! He smelled horrible.

I quickly shut the door and went to the phone to call a couple of experts. The first said to use tomato juice. I check the pantry, NONE! I called another friend. He said he had viewed a show called Myth Busters recently covering this topic. Their solution was to wash the animal with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. I thanked him and got off the phone.

I looked at Sparky a basically black dog and decided I did not want to bleach his fur so I opted to use the baking soda mixed with soap. I assembled the necessary ingredients and put on a rain suit so I could give an emergency bath. I quickly found out Sparky does not like water. He almost knocked me down twice during the 30 minute bath. Finally we were finished and he smelled pretty good. I brought him in and went to bed.

Needless to say, Sparky now stays away from those cute little black and white animals. He has learned they are DANGEROUS!

This dog is truly a wonder. He is constantly finding a new way to make us laugh or impress us. With those ears perked and the nose twitching, Sparky makes us smile and happy he is a part of our family. Welcome home wonder dog! We hope to have many years with you .

FREE Home Buyers Seminar

Free Home Buyers Seminar

Date and Time: Thursday October 2, 2008 7:00 to 9:00p.m.
Place: Prudential Select Properties
16442 Village Plaza View Dr
Wildwood, MO 63011
Come learn about........
Tax credit for 1st time home buyers, financing, home buying process, etc.

NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY!

For reservations: call 636-779-1100
email AHayden@psphomes.com
Or sign on to http://www.selectann.com/

Stone Hill Grape Stomp Event 2008

You missed a gorgeous day! We had a stompin good time!

This is a follow up to my invitation to attend the Grape Stomp in Hermann, Missouri. We made it to Stone Hill Winery at 8:30 a.m. It was chilly for an August morning in Missouri. I actually had to wear a jacket to be comfortable.

We waited in line until 11 a.m. then the registration took place. Everyone in our group was within the 90 admitted to stomp. We carried all our picnic items in and proceeded to set the table. Everyone who walked by commented on the outlay of food and drinks. We laughed and joked with them saying we had been here before and knew how to have a good time at the stomp.

The normal two minutes of stomping this year did not seem so bad. Maybe because the weather was not too hot or maybe because we have experience in stomping and knew what to expect. We had a newbie stomping with us. She did great. No fear! All in all everyone in our group had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures from the event. Nearly everyone asks how long our feet stay purple, so my daughter thought she would photograph feet in the grapes. As you can see, the grapes are white.
Join us next year for a Stompin Good Time!

Mileage Deduction vs Profit Share

Have you heard? We are going to get a break on the deduction for mileage on our taxes for this year. Yes, that is right, a whole .08 cents more per mile.

I am happy to have the additional deduction but gas has been expensive all year not just from July 1st to December 31st. Wouldn't you rather have a share in the profits of Exxon/Mobil? They only posted $11.8 billion in profits in the second quarter.

So which would you vote for: mileage deduction break or profit share with Exxon/Mobil?

Grape Stomp 2008 Charity Event

Here is an invitation for anyone who ever thought they might enjoy stomping grapes! It is a fun time in a beautiful setting. This will be my third year attending the Stomp. And unless I am under the weather or worse, I will be there. Be sure to bring blankets, chairs and picnic items. And bring your imagination. We have had wedding parties stomp grapes together, Lucille Ball look alikes, Mario Brothers, etc. If you can think of an original costume, come on out and stomp for style or for volume. Either way it is a stompin' good time for all. Audience participation is required!
"On Your Mark, Get Set, STOMPERS STOMP!"
You only have to stomp for 2 minutes which, to most, may seem like a short amount of time. But I can assure you, in the hot sun, 2 minutes is a LONG time. Grapes along with the vines feel very interesting on your bare feet. I cannot imagine doing this for a living or for actual wine consumption. YUK!
The winery tour will give you a fairly in depth history lesson. Stone Hill is Missouri's oldest and most awarded winery. The tour helps you appreciate the heritage of this gorgeous area and the winery itself. The Held Family has done a stellar job restoring the winery and capturing a piece of the past
Please join us in picturesque Hermann, Missouri on the "hill" at Stone Hill Winery for the annual Stone Hill Grape Stomp. Come have a stompin' good time by stomping for fun and charity! Help celebrate the beginning of the grape harvest by stomping your toes into a barrel full of juicy grapes! The Grape Stomp is a charity event for River Bluff Industries, a local Sheltered Workshop for the mentally and physically challenged.
When: The event is August 9th,2008. Time: Registration starts at 11 a.m. but the line forms at about 8 a.m. since only 90 people can stomp due to time constraints and the quantity of grapes. So come early if you want to participate!
Age Categories: 0-12 yrs, 13-19 yrs, 20-39 yrs, 40-55 yrs, over 55 yrs. Special Groups: Stomp already-stomped grapes for style points and fun. Only six special group slots. At end of competition, there will be a Grand Stomp-Off among age-group winners and Grand Style Stomp-Off among age-group style winners for Grand Prize.
Judging: Stompers judged 80% on amount of juice and 20% on stomping style. Stompers get 30 lbs. of grapes and two minutes to stomp to music. Winner from each class with highest overall points goes on to compete in the Grand Stomp-Off for Grand Champion Stomper. Winner from each class with highest style points goes on to compete for Grand Style Stomp-Off for Grand Champion Style Stomper.
Cost: Grounds Fee: Adults = $3.00; Children = $1.50: Preschool = Free (includes tour). Proceeds go to River Bluff Industries. Stomping Fee = $5.00 (½ of entry to River Bluff Industries, ½ to prize money.) Most if not all of the winners donate their prize money back to this worthy cause.
Winery: Tour tickets are available at the tour booth. Maximum tour size is 50 people. Tours are on the hour and half hour. Grounds fee includes tour: Adults = $3. Ages 6-12 = $1.50. Preschool = Free. Friday and Saturday Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. Last tour at 7 p.m.
Chilled wine and grape juice available by the bottle at winery and Pavilion. Limited to one bottle of chilled wine per person. Lunch served 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Accepting dinner reservations from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Call 573-486-3479 for reservations.
COME, join us and STOMP!

Boston or Styx?

Which do you like better Styx or Boston?? After attending a concert on Friday night at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri, I feel the need to ask this question. I went to this concert thinking I like Boston but was very surprised to find out I had already missed most of the best part of the bands.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, we were late for the concert start time. After arriving and getting our seats, it was apparent Styx plays music for the audience. Everyone in the audience was swaying to the music, dancing and singing. The members of the band were very fan friendly. They put on a great show. As Tom Shaw said goodbye, the stage was torn apart and set for Boston.
At this point, I am happy to be in the arena. AND then it happens, they start to play.... Needless to say, after the first seemingly endless song, I am happy I have the earplug in my ears. The music was way too loud!
All of those familiar songs only sounded familiar until the band started to sing. They did not sound very good. AND when did Boston ever have a girl play guitar in the band?
We eventually left, before the show was over. I spied many empty seats after Styx left the stage and only after enduring about 45 minutes to an hour of "music" did I understand why.
Maybe Boston was having a bad day. But then again maybe Styx is really just that good! I was totally impressed with their performance.

The King of Beers Sold

Does anyone else feel like America is for sale? Today Anheuser-Busch, the King of Beers, is being sold to InBev, a Belgium based company. Why? To keep shareholders happy. InBex is purchasing A-B for a cool $52 Billion.
What does this sale mean to St. Louis? What does it mean to the country? At this point it is difficult to say, but rest assured business will change. New people will be in charge with new ideas. New ideas of how to make more money. Will this mean a change in the time honored brewing process?
I visited the brewery last week with my brother and his family. The tour was interesting and enlightening. Many steps are involved in the brewing of a great beer. The process is timed and very precise. The ingredients used are of the highest quality. Even the water is purified so all of the products taste the same no matter what state they are made in or for.
The company's history is nothing short of amazing...American history. The company survived Prohibition by selling non-alcoholic products. The company sold ice cream, root beer, ginger ale and baker's yeast to name a few.
The Budweiser Clydesdales are magnificent horses and a must see on Super Bowl ads not to mention a symbol of America. And let us not forget to mention the red, white and blue Budweiser logo or the A with the eagle swooping in.
Will this be the end of the "Real Men of Genius" commercials or just the end of "Anheuser Busch St. Louis, Missouri" at the end of the radio commercials?
Anheuser-Busch holds a 48% market share in the US. Will this continue?
What effect will the sale have on the real estate market in St. Louis?
Only time will tell.