Chiquita, the Wonder Dog!

There's something special about little dogs. For some reason, they think they are absolutely invincible. Either that or they have no idea how small they really are. Case in point, I purchased a new vacuum cleaner today and gave it a whirl and Chiquita makes a bee-line for it. She actually tries to bite it as it's moving. I'm not sure whether she is mad at it or is trying to protect me from it's menacing ways. The funniest part is the noise she makes as she is trying to bite the vacuum -- an extremely high-pitched "Yiii-yi-yi."
I only wish my camera could capture sound. 
You really have to hear it to appreciate her efforts.

Rainy Days and Fridays Never Get Me Down

Remember that old Carpenter's song? You know, "Hangin' around, nothin' to do but frown. Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." Well, that's definitely not me, especially when it's a rainy Friday (or Fried-day as Larry at work likes to say). Contrary to what some people think, it really does rain in Arizona. I got home early from work and decided to see what I could capture outside my house. One lucky guy had Cosmo Park all to himself and his two dogs -- he didn't let the rain get him down. In my backyard, I found some beautiful symmetry in a puddle created by the run-off from our roof. I like the way the ripples and circles interlock, and the middle of the puddle looks like the water is bubbling up from below. Another raindrop made a large vertical splash that reminds me of an upside down icicle. I love the way a camera's flash freezes everything.

Score!

About this time last year, my daughter found a beautiful tabby cat perched on her windowsill, crying to come in from the cold. Well, she knew better than to ask me if we could have another cat, so she kept shooing him away for at least two months. We figured he was a stray since he wasn't nuetered and had no collar. Well, by the end of April, it was obvious that the darn cat wasn't about to give up, so I relented. We took him to the vet so he could get his shots and be "tutored" and he has never failed to keep us entertained. Of course after the fact, I learned she had been secretly feeding him and letting him in at night (no wonder he wouldn't leave). His name is Bonez, 'cause he was so skinny when we found him. As you'll see, he's filled out rather nicely. I shot this video of him this morning while he was playing rubber ducky hockey. He even managed to get the rubber ducky in the drain twice! Not quite a hat trick, but pretty good for a cat. ;-)

Help me, I'm melting!

Well, not me literally, but cheese, wine, and chocolate were involved. Last night, I enjoyed my first experience at the Melting Pot in Scottsdale. Yes, I must admit I was a Melting Pot virgin. But, I can now proudly state "I am experienced!" And what an experience it was.

In my mind I was thinking I would be dipping food into bubbling pots of oil, which did not present a pretty mental picture. Happily, though, I could choose from several types of dipping concoctions. My favorite was Coq au Vin, which featured flavors of fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, spices and burgundy wine. M-m-m-m-m!

I can't remember the last time dinner took close to 4 hours, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Especially the chocolate-drenched goodies at the end. I highly recommend the "Cookies 'n Cream Marshmallow Dream" chocolate fondue.

I've got new digs!

I've moved my blog from my ISP to Google. The amount of space I'm provided with Cox is pretty limited. Google is more than generous, so I packed up my bits and bytes.
Oh, and in case you're wondering why I go by Debaru -- it's because I own a couple of Subarus (Suzie Blue to the right and Suzie White below). A friend at work also owns a Subaru and started calling me Debaru one day and it stuck, as you can see by my personalized plate. :)