Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, your popular host, Mani the purebred border collie, here today to talk about my unpleasant experience, and some other things. You may remember me from such posts as “Mice In The Rice”, among so many, many others.|
Here I am in a characteristic pose.
You can see all the gray-leafed plants around me. Some of them had a difficult time with all the rain we had earlier, but they’ve recovered. (That’s the alkali sacaton, Sporobolus airoides, behind me, if you needed to know.)
The “partridge feather”, Tanacetum densum subsp. amani had some parts that rotted away, but it’s growing back.
And the “mystery centaurea” is doing really well again. It has a nice purple flower, but no one has ever been able to tell the guy I live with what its name is.
It grows like this; a flat gray mat.
The maples (Acer grandidentatum) are turning color now.
It may look like it’s going to rain in that picture, but it’s not going to. We had a few millimeters of rain yesterday, but the forecast calls for more dry weather. October is often a dry month here.
There are still some colchicums in flower. This is Colchicum cilicicum.
The guy I live with said it should be cilicium; that’s the correct Latin word meaning “Cilician”, from Cilicia in Turkey; he said, “Whatever”.
And there are sphaeralceas. They guy I live with posted pictures of these on Facebook, but he said why not post them here, so I am.
And, finally, there’s Solidago ‘Wichita Mountains’.
So that’s the gardening stuff. I saw a raccoon on my walk the other night; we hadn’t seen any for quite a while (years, maybe) until then.
The guy I live with told me one of the biggest sources of anxiety, for him, is having to set the alarm for something. The jury duty business means he’ll have to be there two hours before he normally gets out of bed, so he’s going to have to set the alarm four hours earlier than he usually does.
So, as I said in my last post, he’s been trying to think of every eventuality, and maybe find me a place to stay in case he has to do jury duty.
He called one place, and sent emails, but got no response. He said not responding is typical of the way things are now. He makes phone calls, sends emails, and so on, and gets no responses at all.
But finally he did find a place, not very far away at all.
It was hard for me to believe that I have documents, but I do, and so he downloaded a thing called an “app” on his phone, spent quite some time trying to figure out how to upload my documents to this app, and then he called the place, and someone answered.
Let me indulge in a little interlude here.
The guy I live with worked for the phone company for thirty years, and he gets very irritated when people don’t answer the phone. He said everyone has phones they carry with them, but no one ever answers their phone.
The latest in communication is something called “texting”, and he says that’s a perfectly good substitute, but people don’t answer texts, either.
Anyway, the people at the place I might stay talked to the guy I live with, and I had to go for an interview, like to see if I was a maniac or a weirdo or something.
(The guy I live with says that all purebred border collies are weirdos.)
And so we went.
I was absolutely terrified and didn’t want to approach anyone there. I even crawled under the bench that the guy I live with was sitting on. The guy I live with felt very sorry for me, but didn’t understand why I didn’t like the place, since I like going to my doctor’s office, and liked going to Day Care there.
I was afraid I was going to be abandoned, right then and there, but the guy I live with assured me he would never, ever abandon me, no matter what.
We’re going back next week, for another interview.
Of course, there’s a chance that none of this will be necessary, but the guy I live with said this was “just in case”.
I got extra cuddles and kisses after my ordeal.
And that’s the situation here, on a chilly, dry, and windy evening in October.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
Oh, that sounds SO unpleasant! That is something that I am SO fortunate to have never experienced with Rhody. I know that Rhody would enjoy going to a resort if he could not come with me on a trip, but I could not bear to leave on a trip without him! Goodness! I do not even want to think about it!\
By the way, Rhody agrees that all purebred border collies are weirdos. He says that terrier mutts are weirdos also. In fact, he says that almost all canine people are weirdos. Otherwise, human people would not be so dependent on them. He says that only a few canine people are not weirdos, such as chihuahuas and dachshunds, which is why they are so weird.
Well I have been to a resort, more than once, so I don’t know why this affected me so much.
Maybe next week will be better.
We hope the next interview goes better, Mani. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time and it’ll be good as a change and no doubt a relief for the man you live with to know you’re being taken care of…just in case the jury duty thing is on.
Thanks. That is the plan. The guy I live with said it was better to have some sort of plan rather than things just happening.
He said that anxiety can get in the way of things, which is why there’s been all this planning and stuff.
Now if only it would rain.
Oh Mani, what an ordeal! New places and situations can often be difficult – especially an interview. I’m glad my days being interviewed are over – I hope.
Like the guy you live with, I spent some time with the phone company (25 years) and I agree – this not answering calls or texts drives me nuts (especially texts – they’re so easy) It just seems so rude.
Last fall I was called for jury duty 3 times and each time I called in the night before I was told not to come in so there is hope. I figure it’s kind of like saving $$$ if a strike is looming. If you’ve saved money and have a temp job set up – you won’t go on strike but if you haven’t – boom – you’re out on the picket line. It’s always good to be prepared.
That’s why the guy I live with with hopefully planning for every eventuality. We just live day to day, here, sometimes without knowing what day it is, so planning is good.
The business about not answering the phone is aggravating beyond belief. Sometimes the guy I live with doesn’t hear the phone ringing or a text notification, but other than that he always answers his phone. That’s what they’re for; answering.
The guy I live with was surprised at my reaction to the interview; he said I wasn’t going to be given away or sold, and that maybe I thought that was what was happening.
Mee-yow yore Colchicums an yore Sphaeralceas an THE Solidago yellow flowerss are beeuteefull!!! Wee REELLY like THE Red Sphaeraleca’s!!
Wee had rain fore 7 dayss an 7 nitess …….it wuud ease off an stop for an hour or two an then start again! Fursday an Furiday NO Rain! An so far today (Caturday) NO rain!!
Wee thott of youss’ an wished wee cuud send rain to youss’!!!!
Mani mee so sorry you gotted freeked out….you spend so much time with Guy this little trip mite have thrown you off!! Guy iss doin the rite thing tho’. Inn case hee has to due Jury Duty…..mee wuud bee freeked out two!!!!
***nose bopss*** BellaDharma an 🙂 BellaSita Mum
Thanks; we’re going back on Monday to see if I can do this. The guy I live with told me I wasn’t going to be given away or anything.
It’s been really dry here, but October is usually a dry month for us.
You CAN due this Mani…reememburr iss only IF Guy has to go fore Jury Duty……think of it as a staycation where you stay sumwhere else! Guud Luck mee frend.
Wee nose it iss dry out yore way butt wuud LOVE to send rain….iss rainin AGAIN todady! CATFISH!!!!!!!!!
No rain here for the rest of the week. Maybe next week.
I went for my second interview today and met other dogs. It was okay. I’m going back next week. I haven’t had any contact with other dogs in a very long time now.
The guy I live with talked to his sister today and she said her dog really liked that place (different location), so that was nice to hear.
I also got to go to the store, which I’d never done before. I waited in the car and watched everything around me. It was pretty interesting.
And then later, after dinner, I encountered a huge bullsnake on the patio, so my day was pretty good.
HURRAH Mani!! You did it!!! An you went shoppin an you saw a BEEG Bullsnake!!! Yore a **Star**!!! Well dun mee frend! Hope efurry day iss as fun as this day was! 😉
Thanks. It was pretty interesting.
Oh Mani, we all seem to have abandonment issues occasionally but they rarely happen. The guy you live with is going to extraordinary measures to ensure you will be safe and have company while he is away. Doesn’t sound like abandonment. Hopefully he will find a loop hole to get him out of jury duty. Doesn’t sound pleasant. On the plant side love those Spaeralceas. We occasionally see the orange one here but it is not very common. Will to look at starting some from seed this winter.
Thanks; the guy I live with claims to have thought of everything, or almost everything, so we’ll see.
He also says sphaeralceas are easy from seeds and Alplains sells several species. He mails seeds to Canada but maybe you need an import permit (we do, here, and the guy I live with let his lapse).
Will have to check out Alplains. Thanks for this. Usually with seeds you don’t need and import permit.