I've Had a "Ruff" Day at Work

I read in the paper last week that Friday was the official "Take your Dog to Work Day."  Really and truly I am not making this up.  This picture is not my dog it came out of the paper.

How do you know is ready to go to work?  Has he talked to his dog therapist and does he have subconscience desires to be more than a mutt.  Does he want to be a professional canine?  Another question:  Is it legal?  There are child welfare laws.  Wouldn't the ASPCA or PETA want to be involved?  What hours would your dog work?  Would one hour equal seven hours?

Would he wear doggie outfits or come "fido al fresco?"

My most burning question is:  Is this fair that dogs get to work and cats are left at home?

We used to have 3 cats Rip, Chloe, and Pedro.  Pedro was an undocumented cat.

He was a cat who participated in the Coleman version of "Take your Cat to Work."  Pedro volunteered to work at Daren's Construction yard.  He was a pioneer, he was politically correct and best of all he is gone.  Maybe taking your pet to work will take the place of the previous excuse of "our cat ran away."  Sounds good!  Stuff your pet in a burlap bag and ...

Take Your Pet to Work! 

         So today is Fathers Day

 I have been thinking about my dad.  

I am the youngest of 5 girls and I am pretty sure that when I was born dad knew that he was for sure not getting any boys.  That's why I am named after him.  I am named Colleen after my dad Collins.  I actually didn't like my name too much when I was younger.  I would have rather been named Jennifer, Laura, Lisa or my very favorite Christine.  I did like being named after my dad.  And now being older I appreciate my name because it really does mean so much to me because of my dad.  

From my dad I inherited my large pores, thick ankles, straight hair, and a tendency to be very single minded.  I think now days they call this OCD.  Some things I wish that I had inherited from my dad: 

 I wish I had a more mathematical mind.  Dad is able to figure anything out.  Sometimes he thinks about things for days and puts it together in his head and then he will put it on paper and then put it to work.  This is amazing and a true gift.  He was a really great engineer.  

I wish I was as wise as my dad.  Dad didn't force his opinion on me as a young girl or teenager.  When he had something to say to me however he would say, "I need to visit with you in my den young lady".  I knew what he had to say was important and that he had been thinking about this visit long before it happened.

I wish I had the patience to be really good at something like my dad.  Dad never ever started a hobby that he didn't go whole hearted into.  His photography did not stop at just buying the camera.  He was really good at making movies and making them so enjoyable to watch.  These were complete with titles and credits.  His still photography rivals a professional.  And now his new interest in digital photography and computer scanning is amazing.  Dad is also a very skilled carpenter, music lover and collector, car mechanic, electrician, writer, speech and talk giver, and family historian.  He is NOT a great hair dresser.

Dad is a great sport and never seems to get his feelings hurt when he catches us making fun of him.  We only laugh at him because we love him.  Five things that make me smile as I remember my dad growing up:

1.  When a man in our ward rubbed lotion on his arm during church, dad told mom that there was something "off" about that guy.

2.  When he would play music in his shop on his homemade speaker and we would sing together when I would hold boards for him while he used the saw.

3.  When we went to the cabin and slept in cots under the stars in the front room before the roof was on the cabin.

4.  When he would come  to Utah when we lived up there and take me grocery shopping and buy Elisabeth animal crackers and then we would have roast for Sunday dinner.

5.  When he would come to a dance or band concert and I would ask him how he liked it and he would say, "I didn't know you were the only girl in the band", because I didn't see any other kids there.

There are tons of things I could say about dad, but I was just thinking about him today.

Thanks for reading.

Love Colleen (named after Collins)

HERE COMES SUMMER!

There are a few things about summer I love.  I love 7 trips to Carson Pool a day.  I love lots of Krazy Sub 1/2 pepsi 1/2 diet pepsi with extra ice.  I love little boys "butch" haircuts.  I love the Corn and Tater party.  I love girls camp.  I love Cub Scout Day Camp, Which by the way is the subject of my post.  

If there some of you who live under a rock and have not ever been to CSDC you have really missed out on the finer things in life.  Day Camp is at South Mountain at the Heard Pueblo.  Which is really cool.  It goes for 3 consecutive days from either 8am-2pm or 3pm-10pm.  Our stake likes the afternoon session.  To keep the boys cool they have sprinklers going everywhere in the trees, on every path.  Even those east mesa moms hair was flattened and they had to wear hats like everyone else.  Also they encourage the boys to bring squirt bottles and throw water balloons, even at the adults.  Yesterday when I went there was some kid that kept hitting me every time I walked out of our campsite.  One balloon even had a rock in it.    I had had enough of that little twerp and when we went to the last rotation in the amphitheater I put a big water balloon down under him and he sat on it.  Ha Ha it totally looked like he wet his pants.  On the way home the boys in my car were so stinky I had to continually smell my armpit for some fresh air.  I'm sure none of them showered when they got home because they did swim in the pool earlier that day.  It was great fun and the best part, I was only invited to go one day.  Really the best part was my Joe Coleman who was by far the nicest kid there.  There are many great things of summer coming up, so I will keep you posted.

Colleen