cody bear’s friends

ok…i didn’t make it: i can only go SO FAR without making fun of the fdls morman chic haircut!  but i did well on the rest!

put the canon in the kombi for trip to dog park AND grocery-getting.  here’s the kombi in the park:

as a plus…ran into my friend gardner on the way back from the grocery. he had a bicycle babywagon full of produce.  at first, …i freaked out he had another kid…but then i realized it was veggies!

wasted no paper today and only used the car to and from work….

here’s a cactus:

it is important to note that cody bear wastes…not at all.  he INSISTS his kibble bag is recyclable…and he drinks water.  he won’t read the paper, drink soda, order things that come in boxes or plastic bags.

….ok….thanks cody bear….as if you weren’t already cuter than us…now you have to be more environmentally friendly????

that’s right! we try really hard to stay green. but still, there are a few more things we are going to try to work on every day from here on out.

1. i waste food. i do. example. i buy a loaf of healthy bread (about 3.69).  then i bring it home and i never eat it. i end up throwing it out when i realize it is probably gross and i have no idea how long it has been in there. i’m not doing that any more!

2. take better care of my health. this way i lower my risk of getting sick as i age and resources won’t be wasted on my healthcare. (that’s the theory, anyway) but you never know. somethings are beyond our control. but, i do want to get into better cardiac health….

3. the world is full of negativity. and hate. i promise from here on out to stop making fun of the flds ladies’ hair do’s anymore. or people in general. just IN CASE my picking on folks is contributing to the planet’s negative vibe.

4. i am going to RE-ATTEMPT to stop drinking soda. the packaging (can, plastic, whatever) isn’t helping this planet. besides it is TERRIBLE for me. i HAVE to quit. (as i sip my icey coke…)

5. ride my bike to the grocery store more frequently. (its a very short ride, but i don’t like riding my bike if i have to buy big things.  i just don’t feel comfortable carrying a twenty-four pack of cottonelle on my handle bars.)

ok, that’s good for now. i’ll probably add more soon.  we’ve actually been doing a good job at our recent efforts: buying locally grown veggies,  new water filtration system, reusing bottles, etc.

…so…i think we’re going to do all right!

most of the dogs weren’t comfortable with these guys…

they were big goats.  i usually see the little ones, that go up to your knee.  unlike the pig, these goats kind of moved all the dogs away.  but they were being good, and i think they were pretty.

cody bear probably would have been scared at first, but he would have gotten over it.

in other news, i rode my kombi to the grocery again last night.  such a good bike!

every week i help with a dog training class at a local animal shelter.   the class is for reactive dogs; dogs also called aggressive.  most of the dogs are fearful of other dogs, or people.  one dog, buddy, is scared of dogs, people, and bikes.  terribly scared and extremely vocal!

enter my awesome little kombi bike!

at first the bike was stationary, and every time the little guy looked at the bike or approached it, he got a click and a treat!  soon the instructor was riding the bike around the training area and the dog was NOT barking at it.  it will take lots of positive association before this dog is ready to be a spectator at tour de france, but his mom is so hard working and has come so far with him, i wouldn’t be surprised if he has his own side car on a kombi of his own one day!

sooooo….despite my earlier rant, today was actually good. i was home all morning with the furpods. they love when i don’t go in till 2!

(its conducive to napping!)

then took cody bear to work with me. he was a great demo dog!

bad break with car, not starting, leaving me and cody bear stranded and all…but then…

rode kombi to the grocery! bungied groceries to the bike and headed home for a tasty meal. the eggplant, wine and other sundries were in the basket and the takeout meal was bungied to the rear rack.

took cody bear for a super long late night walk. we walked to the park, too, where we ran like loonies and jumped onto tables and over bars and such. (prepping for agility 101 starting this week) it was fun!

now….i wouldn’t need a car if it weren’t for the pets. here’s why:

1. need car to drive dog with chronic health problems to vet. emergency appointments sometimes.

2. have to have a car to get home at reasonable hours to let dog out because i can’t use a doggie door due to cat.

so, i’m not blaming them. but…that is the reeeeaallll reason i can’t be a commuter. but i really could do it if it weren’t for that.

note on photograph: cody bear will not go up to his bed (the day bed) or my bed until he is told to go “up”. so today i didn’t know the cat was on the bed. i was at my desk and couldn’t see her tucked behind the cushion and shelf. the dog kept looking at the bed and then looking at me! i repeated “up”, “UP” but he would not move. then i see the cat. i don’t know if he was afraid she would hurt him or that i would get mad at him, but he was clearly not sure about sharing the bed with the kitty. he’s either a chicken or overly polite!

good news!  i am picking up my little car today from the shop.  a brand new transmission, one new motor mount and….lots of empty space in my checking account and savings account.  i will also bring back a smokin hot credit card!

here is what my parking spot looks like now.  please note that the insurance said the damage was not caused by the accident, like my mechanic said.  it was caused by poor maintenance and a long time leak.  note the pristine parking spot!

i have parked in that EXACT spot for 6 years.  exact spot….6 years….not one single smudge or puddle or stain ….at all.

oh well, time to let the healing begin.

i shall have this here cup of tea to calm my nerves and get me psyched to pick up my little car!

really, i’m ok.  it isn’t going to be as expensive as we initially thought, and the mechanic and his manager were so helpful and really worked hard to get me the best deal.  that is the best part, knowing i can trust my car in the hands of these folks!

so, …i do here by vow to keep using my bike to go to the grocery store as long as i don’t need to buy a 24 pack of toilet paper.  i’m not hard core enough to be seen pedaling my kombi through the city streets with a giant block of cottonelle.  i don’t think i’ll ever be that hard core…

in transportation: (transPOORtation?)

as you may recall, while my car has been in the shop i have been driving the company truck. previously, i had a dainty carbon footprint, but the last two weeks…my carbon footprint has been mammoth. i’m not knocking it; i’m super thankful my boss let me use the truck. but today, on a work errand…. a huge garbage truck almost drove over the bed of the truck. i was trying to pull out into traffic….waiting for an opening….and the truck driver didn’t look. he backed up and backed up. i honked and honked. he stopped about 5 inches from completely crushing the back of the truck. my LAST day borrowing the truck and it was almost road kill.

now, on to more peaceful topics:

demonstrating peace: it is cody bear doing his paw to hand gesture. this paw motion followed some political news that hit my dog in his heart. cody bear’s political candidate was richardson and he had just heard richardson was dropping out of the race. he tried to convince me that i would have to vote for this guy because he had a gentle soul and a strong spirit. i still don’t know who i am voting for….but i have to say… as unsure as i am, if i had one vote to use AGAINST someone…that would be a no-brainer. i may propose the pres primary “negative vote” to congress in the next year or two. (not really)

moving on:

this is the cat on cody bear’s bed. i had to show this picture because she has had some less than flattering photos on the blog and i haven’t represented her fairly. she is NOT scary. she is a gentle cat with some idiosyncrasies. but she is alot smaller and alot friendlier than she has been represented.

and finally, in photography:

the best tip i got this year in regards to improving my pictures: don’t use the flash on your point and shoot digicam. flash sux.

this is cody bear tonight, with nothing but the back patio light. you can see it in his eyes: he is imploring me to stop telling him to stay and to let him go hunt cats. poor old cody bear.

one last note:

the dbs kombi lux. people…..there can NOT just be 3 people in the entire world owning these awesome bikes. (me, some guy name andreas and an australian researcher in norway) people people (leute leute) i implore you! if you have a dbs kombi bike…puh-lease leave a comment. do you love your bike? where did you get it?

ok, that’s all gang. have a great weekend!

waiting to get the transmission fixed on my little car…thankfully i have two bikes to help me get by….

the grocery getter, my kombi bike:

i don’t live far from several markets, one organic health food mart, 2 super marts, and one combo dealy. i love my little norwegian bike and i still don’t know how it ended up in my hands(under my feet & seat!)

the basket holds plenty of veggies, goodies, even room to add a bottle of wine or something. so tonight i grabbed a canvas bag, hopped onto the kombi and went to the stoh!

i need to promise myself that when the car is fixed and back home….i will still use my kombi. i love it love it LOVE it! i want another one!

the dead transmission saga continues….

i have my bosses truck for a few days, but i was going to drive in with my trek in the bed, then cycle home.

i have never ridden in down town traffic and i was really nervous….after all, i only have the one working break, right?

well, i ended up talking to honda for 45 minutes and was running late so i didn’t have TIME to pack up cycling shoes/clothes, find a back pack, etc. so…..

i’m not peddling home. i’m a whimp! but, i am going to peddle to the grocery and all my other weekend errands, so that will help. by next week folks might confuse me with kevin bacon, from quicksilver. only slower and with pony tails.

in the words of cody bear:

“really? are all these bikes necessary? lets just walk!”