Beginning Again with Ben

Where does the time go??? It seems like I missed a week!!

Let’s see, besides work, I haven’t been up to much. Ben and Alley are doing well. I bought new collars for them on Thursday!! Just like the ones that I wanted. Alley now has a single row of alternating spikes and rhinestones on a pink leather base and Ben has three rows of spikes and rivets on a black leather base. They both look absolutely adorable!!! My friend Dawg thought that Alley was showing off her collar, which I’m sure she was. Sometimes she gets this little prance going, and boy, if she didn’t look like she was bouncing with every step, neck held up high! What a good girl. Ben just looks like the collar was made for him! If I had access to leather I would make him the collar I see in my head. A little bit “badder” then what I can fine retail. Pictures will be coming. My camera battery is dead and I keep forgetting to charge it.

Now of course I want to take it one step further. Mastiffs were used as war dogs, and you can see why. I wouldn’t want to face one on a battlefield, thats for sure. So, with my skill at making chain armor and chain mail, I want to make him some sort of plating/armor that a traditional war dog would have worn. Wouldn’t that be breathtaking???

I’m thinking he would make a great subject for photographs, plus be a hit at parades and Ren Faires, as well as Halloween. Plus, I think people have forgotten what purpose dogs used to serve. Sure, now all we ask of them is to be companions, but every breed out there had a purpose. Sporting dogs are the dogs they are because people needed hunting companions. They made hunting EASIER! Herding dogs made animal husbandry EASIER! Working dogs protected life and property, and in some cases, made our conflicts weigh heavier in our favor. You can’t help but have more respect for dogs when you actually appreciate them for being the beautiful, trainable, advantages that they are. They are good for so much more than just being couch potatoes and fashion accessories. But, I guess I’m part of a dying breed when I think that way.

Ben and Al will get to show off their new collars in a few days when we all head down to see my family for Thanksgiving. This will be the first time in 3 years that I have celebrated a holiday with any of my family and probably 13 years since I will have celebrated with the whole family. I’m excited! It feels good. I’m not much of a family gathering person. In fact, I’ve liked being divorced and living on my own because I’ve been able to skip all that family stuff. No birthdays, holidays, so on and so forth. I’m pretty selfish. I know!

But, beisdes sister, nephew, brother-in-law, mom and dad… I’m also thrilled pink because Al and Ben will get to play with Tyson, my sister’s APBT/Boxer mix. He’s got something else in him too, to make him big, because he’s definitely a good hundred pounds, but… Ben has got him beat and they are going to have a BLAST! I hope my sister has insurance. Alley is also a big fan of Tyson, so this is just going to be a bully brew ha ha!

Also, as part of a new tradition we are trying to start at work, to further along the camaraderie we feel as a shift, we went out as a group last night for a just a beer after work. It was wonderful. Rick, our friendly bartender at the Argus was as inviting and funny as ever and we genuinely had a good time, Brooks, Dawg and I. Brooks and I also went over to say “Hey” to my buddy Mike over at Madisons before the night was over. It’s really nice having just a beer or two with buddies. It makes the world right. It gives a person time to relax and just hang out. I look forward to the next time we can do that.

Have a good night all… back to work for me.