The Dog who Came Back
A few weeks ago I had written that Tipper, my sister’s dog, had run away.
Back then, we were starting to get worried. She had already been lost for over a week.
Then there was a reported sighting, near a grumpy farmer’s property. Who was rumored to have shot dogs before.
That’s about when the sightings stopped, and we began to fear the worst.
Day after day, with still no word about Tipper.
Emotions up and down, like a roller coaster.
Then we started to accept that maybe she might be gone for good.
And we did our grieving.
It was like a lump in my chest that wouldn’t go away.
I felt like I had just lost my best friend.
****************************
Well, my best friend is BACK!!!
Yesterday, Tipper showed up in someone’s barn, all miserable and bedraggled. Apparently the cats were teasing her, and she was too weak to fight them off.
The farmer had a copy of one of the flyers we had sent out, and phoned my brother-in-law. Within hours, Tipper had seen the vet and was safely back home.
The dog’s been MIA for 24 days. She went from 32 lbs. to 22 lbs. She’s a walking bag of bones, and totally exhausted.
Lord only knows what kind of anxiety and trauma she’s been through the past three weeks. I don’t even know how she fed herself.
But aside from being hungry and tired, the vet said she’s otherwise okay.
And of course, yesterday I had to get in my car and drive for a few hours, to go see her.
The first thing she did when she saw me was bark excitedly, and then go get her ball.
The silly mutt barely had enough strength to walk, but here she was, trying to lure me outside into the back yard so I could play with her.
Because that’s the special game that Tipper plays with Uncle Friar. And only Uncle Friar.
I’m not ashamed to admit, I just plopped down on the floor, and bawled my eyes out. Out of sheer joy and relief, this time.
Of course, Tipper didn’t care to notice. She just kept yapping at me.
C’mon Uncle Friar! C’mon! Let’s PLAY!
You stupid dog!
You stupid, lovable dog!
Welcome back.
Tags: dog returns, duck toller, lost dog, Tipper
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June 2, 2009 at 6:46 pm
@ Wee Friar,
I also cried when I heard she was found. I’m teary when I look at those photos. She’s so scrawny.
I wish dogs could communicate, so we could find out what happened to her during those 24 days. That’s a long time in doggy days.
June 2, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Aughhhhhhh. Look how thin she is…
I am so glad she’s home. She looks like a big bundle of love.
Yay. Very happy for Uncle Friar.
June 2, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Dogs rule.
I’m glad Tipper is back.
Why did they call the dog Tipper? Does he fall over alot? Is he generous with waitresses? Does he push cows over?
Just curious….
Eyeteaguy
June 2, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Sorry, she. My dog was a he and I get stuck in the habit.
June 2, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Ohhh! I am so teary over this! I’ve emailed you.
I’m totally happy she’s back!!! What a darling. Poor dear. She’s such a beautiful, beautiful girl. Look at that gorgeous face!! I’m so glad she’s all right, and I can see why you love her so much.
You wrote this well, by the way. Very touching.
PS. What’s that painting of by her food bowl? Can’t make it out.
June 2, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Geez, I can’t get over this story and how long she was gone. I feel so utterly relieved. It feels like a miracle, doesn’t it?
June 2, 2009 at 9:07 pm
@Friar’s Mom
Tipper’s skinny, but she’ll bounce back.
I think it cheered Tipper up a bit when I gave her a bit of raw steak.
The dog will be getting lots of good food and treats for the next while. Bet you she’ll milk it for all it’s worth!
I can see you’ll be giving her the gravy pan to lick next time she visits you.
@Janice
As happy as I am for myself, I’m an “Uncle” who just visits a lot.
Imagine Tipper’s “Mommy” and “Daddy”. They’re even more ecstatic!
@Eyeteaguy
Have no idea why they called her Tipper. Just came up with the name, I suppose, when she was a little ball of fur.
You’ll have to ask Friar’s Seestör.
@Steph
That painting by Tipper’s food-bowl is a piece of steak.
Painted none other than….Friar’s Seestör!
(She dabbles in painting too, and she’s actually quite good!)
June 2, 2009 at 9:13 pm
@Steph
The first few days that Tipper was lost, someone told us “Don’t worry, my dog came back after SIX DAYS”. And I thought “OMG, that’s so LONG!”.
…let alone TWENTY FOUR!!!
A Shih-Tzu or a Chihuahua wouldn’t have lasted anywhere near this long.
Duck-Tollers are rugged little critters, you gotta admit.
June 2, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Friar and Friar’s family,
I said it last night but it’s well worth repeating. Hooray. Happy dance for that sweet, skinny pup. Feed her lots of love and lock the doors during storms.
The Kid would like to express her joy and awe, too. But she’s asleep now. So instead, it was the first thing she mentioned this morning. “Did Friar’s sister’s dog really come back?”
Yep. She’s a determined girl. Just like you.
But furrier.
*kid beats me with a towel*
Anyway, I’ve never been so happy to see a dog that I’ve… never really seen. Welcome back, Tipper.
Francis,
Because she was married to Al Gore.
Ohhhhhh…
(Sorry, that’s a little U.S. joke. It’s all I think of when I hear her name.)
Regards,
Kelly
June 2, 2009 at 10:41 pm
@Kelly
Heh heh. Personally, I think Tipper’s a better name for a retriever-dog, than for a Vice-President’s wife!
June 2, 2009 at 10:43 pm
The thought has crossed my mind.
But I don’t know too many nuclear engineers who go by “Friar,” either, so I never judge.
Heh heh right back at you.
June 2, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Welcome back to Tipper and I am so happy for the whole Tipper family and fan club.
Glad you wrote a post to express your gratitude, it helps us find a place to express ours.
Love the painting by the dog bowl – now that is puppy love!
June 2, 2009 at 11:07 pm
BTW , I forgot to mention that Tipper has very good taste in art. Very eye catching painting. And hung just right. It’s nice to think of her all cozy and tucked inside with her family tonight.
Did the vet say to ease her back with small portions of food first or is she just eating at will?
June 2, 2009 at 11:15 pm
@Kelly
Tipper?….I don’t even KNOW her!
@Patricia
The art is nice, though I suspect Tipper’s more interested than what’s in the bowl, than what’s hanging on the well.
@Janice
Yes, Tipper commissioned Friar’s Seestör for some still-life Meat-Art.
Yeah..the vet said her stomach’s shrunken. So feed her lots of small meals. Plus she’s on a high-nutrition supplement.
June 2, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Kelly
Here’s where the Friar originated from:
(Though I’m in much better shape than the cartoon!)
My favorite is how he takes one bite out of the food, then chucks it over his shoulder.
Karen JL, Brett and Eyeteaguy will no doubt have nostalgic memories over this one too.
June 2, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Rocket Robin Hood?
I had not seen that.
My boxer’s name was Little John though, really.
June 2, 2009 at 11:40 pm
My pillow calls. G’night Friar. Glad Tipper’s back.
June 2, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Too bad Tipper doesn’t have one of those talking dog collar translators from “UP” so she could tell you what she’s been up to. Glad your special friend came home relatively unscathed.
June 3, 2009 at 5:58 am
Friar, I’m so glad for you. She is startlingly thin, but looks wide-eyed and ready for action. I lost a pet dog once… for 4 whole hours, and I was pretty upset. I can’t imagine 24 days. What was the first meal you fed her… a favourite treat I bet.
June 3, 2009 at 6:24 am
Friar,
And I thought you were just plain ol’ vanilla Friar Tuck. Noooo… you’re Rocket Tuck! Very funny (but the embedding isn’t working—says disabled by request—I had to *gasp* make effort and go see it on YouTube).
My favorite Friar with my beloved Errol:
Until later,
Kelly
June 3, 2009 at 7:15 am
@Janice
Yup…another Canadian Icon. Rocket Robin Hood…possibly the cheesiest low-budget TV 1960′s cartoon EVER made. (Worse than Spider Man!)
@fee
I can imagine the adventures she’s had, stored there in her little doggie brain. We’ll never know…though.
Like my sister said…she’s home now…that’s good
enough for us.
@davina
My sister was feeding her this special high-nutrition dog food from the fed. But when I visit, the first thing I gave her was a bit of raw steak, which I brought over especially for her.
June 3, 2009 at 7:18 am
@Kelly
Here’s MY favorite Robin Hood (especially at 1:50)
“Ho, Hah-hah, Parry, Dodge, Spin..”
How jolly can you GET?
June 3, 2009 at 10:27 am
Methinks we should rewrite the lyrics to “The Cat Came Back”, in honour of Tipper.
And if I could post a link to the NFB video of same from here, I would…
June 3, 2009 at 10:29 am
Sheeee’s BAAAAACK … and doing great!
She was bathed last night and is fluffy and soft (and smells a whole lot less like a barn).
She’s gone from a dazed catatonic doggy to her old perky playful self.
She’s still weak and atrophied which leads to hourly wipe outs. She can’t quite jump up in the van (ends up looking like bambi on vertical ice). She wiped out while scraching at her collar (What?! a COLLAR?!).
She’s never been more interested in food in her whole life. The command “leave it” when referred to food, isn’t working anymore. (She actually used to spit out a doggy treat if we said “leave it” and it was in her mouth)
She spends most of her time sleeping and resting.
No signs yet of neurosis or emotional trauma (We’re waiting to see what the next thunderstorm brings).
She hasn’t been on her own yet … we may try it today for a short spell.
Eye-guy … Tipper was for “Tipperary” because her human dad is of Irish descent. Not the smartest moniker for a dog that we take in a canoe though. ;-/
She slept in bed with me this morning, soft and fluffy and really bony! So many bones. She looked like a doggy skeletor when we bathed her.
) all around.
June 3, 2009 at 10:36 am
http://www.nfb.ca/film/the-cat-came-back/
Not sure if it will embed, and it is *very* slow to load.
(Budget cuts at NFB maybe?)
June 3, 2009 at 10:42 am
Dear Friar’s Seestör,
As you can see, we are all big Tipper fans…So glad she is all soft and fluffy now.
Brett,
I was singing that after I saw Friar’s Headline!
June 3, 2009 at 10:45 am
Janice,
Me too! That’s why I couldn’t resist posting the link
hope everyone gets to see it.
June 3, 2009 at 11:19 am
I’m so happy to hear Tipper came back.
June 3, 2009 at 11:25 am
[...] returned to her home — a little worse for wear but alive and kicking!! You can read about it here on Friar’s blog. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)To Curse or Not to Curse, [...]
June 3, 2009 at 12:58 pm
@ Friar’s Seestor
Tipper, canoe. I really did LOL. Nice one.
June 3, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Oh Happy Day!
No more freakin’ DEAD FISH!!!!!
But anyway… Yay! For doggies coming home and for happy doggy parents and happy doggy uncles and grandmas!
Yay! For warm beds and clean fur and doggy treats and paintings of steak!
Yay! For ‘Rocket Robin Hood’ Daffy Duck and ‘The Cat Came Back’(one of my all time faves)!
Yay, yay, yay!
OK. I’m done.
I’ll go back to being cynical now.
June 3, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Tipper’s back?!! Oh, that’s the best news I’ve heard all week! (It’s been a short month so far…)
::bounce::
::bounce::
Mer
June 3, 2009 at 2:36 pm
@Brett
I was half tempted to call my post that. “The Dog came back…”
@Janice
I’m amazed at how many fans Tipper has. She’s getting quasi-internet celebrity status, in my little blogo-circle.
@Brett
NFB, eh? (Our American friends are sure getting a good dose of Canadiana this week!)
@XUP
…and it was awfully nice of you to post the lost dog ad on YOUR blog, to help spread the word.
Tipper thanks you. We all do.
@Eyeteaguy
I was in a canoe once with the Daug, and we got close to some waterfowl. Stupid mutt went nuts and we almost DID tip.
@Karen
Oh..come ON. The Lame-ass Dead Fish was only discussed for 5% of the comments. We spent 300 comments-plus, talking about Hot dogs and the Friendly Giant, and stuff.
@Mer
Yep..this is one memory that’s going into my Happy Compartment.
June 3, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Tipper needs an avatar and a twitter account.. I tweeted her on #woofwednesdays…:-) Cause it is just great to have her make it back. ;-D
June 3, 2009 at 3:32 pm
*sniffle, blub!*
oh, welcome home, Tipper!
June 3, 2009 at 3:35 pm
@ Friar – Yes, but I still had to LOOK at the lame-ass dead fish every time I came back.
It’s much better to look at doggies. Even if they are painfully skinny.
June 3, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I’m so happy to hear that Tipper is back home safe and sound. I’ve been keeping an eye out for her in and around Carp, which isn’t too far away.
June 3, 2009 at 4:07 pm
AHAHAHA!! A piece of steak!! That’s awesome! Your seestor has a sense of humour!
June 3, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Urban Panther’s beautiful love story is up on my page today – I am blatantly asking you to come on over and read it and give her a comment. It is a lovely piece of writing
Alex’s post will be up on Friday…
Blatant blatant promotion of a lovely piece of writing by one of your friends!
June 3, 2009 at 4:46 pm
@Janice
I wonder if Tipper started to Twitter? She’d surely get more followers than most of us do!
@auntie
Aww…you dont’ have to cry anymore. Tipper’s happy and safe!
@Karen
Lame-ass fish or not…WHO twisted your arm, and made you keep coming back?
You like to hang out here. Admit it.
@alison
Carp wasn’t unthinkable. We put out posters, as far as Arnprior.
Dog’s got a lot of energy. I was even wondering Carleton Place or Stittsville.
Funny, how she ended up within 3 km of her house. (Which doesn’t speak well for her homing instincts).
@Steph
I did my watercolors of donuts and burgers a few months ago. But my Seestor had already thought of Food Art several years earlier.
June 3, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Because we just can’t get enough NFB, YouTube has it too so it will embed:
June 3, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Patricia,
I LOVE blatant self-promotions. Clicking through now.
June 3, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Here’s my fave though (couldn’t find the YouTube):
http://www3.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/films/film.php?sort=title&id=33071
Awesome.
June 3, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Kelly,
Hope you liked the story – it’s as lovely as Tipper’s homecoming
June 3, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Just a note … it isn’t food-art, it’s pet-art. Hung artistically at doggy height, above her feeding station. Dogs deserve aestheically pleasing eating enviroments too. The funniest thing was that she sniffed it when it first went up.
June 3, 2009 at 5:44 pm
@Patricia
Gee, thanks! (I think).
I know I can always count on you to drop in and tell everyone to go see your own blog.
@Brett
Thanks to you, I’m now compliant with the CRTC for having sufficient “Canadian Content”.
Much appreciated!
@Seestör
If you promoted yourself, I think there’d be a big market for personalized pet-art.
If you ever wanted to give up your lucrative high-tech job, and become a starving artist.
June 3, 2009 at 5:50 pm
@Friar,
Now that we’ve covered the Canadian Content requirement, and everyone’s been to Patricia’s blog, here’s a Viking metal video, just for some variety.
PS – feel free to drop in tonight whenever you are free.
June 3, 2009 at 5:53 pm
@Brett
Yeah, now that everyone’s gone to check out what Patricia, Panther and Alex are writing, we can sit back and relax, and watch Vikings disembowel each other.
June 3, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Guess we shouldn’t post this one then, eh?
Oops. Sorry.
June 3, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Oh, hurrah! Good girl, Tipper!
I AM glad she’s back…
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
June 3, 2009 at 8:01 pm
although the day is not over, I thought I should warn you that my horoscope said that a lovely dog would arrive in my life today and I should disregard common sense and just accept this dog into my life…
I am hoping the joy surrounding Tipper’s return home is the dog in reference…because I have just lost 2 dogs to brain cancer and old age and I am not ready…
Viking brutality – wow these posts and YouTube things are very interesting…
June 3, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Check out @ridley Tara Hunt’s dog and #woofwednesdays… Tipper could so knock it out of the park
Besides she’s much more huggable.
June 3, 2009 at 8:41 pm
@Brett
Oh…YUuuuuCK. That ain’t right!
(Howcum you don’t post this sh*t on YOUR blog?)
@Kyddryn
Yes…Good Girl!
(Stupid girl..maybe, for running of like that).
But good girl, just the same. We’re glad she’s back.
@Patricia
Oh, yes. Horoscopes! ALWAYS 100% accurate, those are!
PS. Don’t mind Brett. He just likes to shock me with his Viking Skull-Rock.
@Janice
…Yes…but Tipper would only have so much time to go on Twitter. She’ll be too busy retrieving balls and swimming in the river.
June 3, 2009 at 8:45 pm
@Friar,
If it fits, I’ll post it. See, The Deep Friar is more free-form, so it works here.
BTW the movie from which that second clip is taken.
Yeah.
Most fucked up film ever. Eraserhead makes sense compared to Begotten.
June 3, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Brett,
Back to the NFB stuff… that last one… the music sounded so Irish, it was weird. Why does Quebeçois music sound so much like everything I grew up with?
The story was very beautifully told, too. What were these things, Saturday morning cartoons? Shorts before you saw a movie?
I never heard The Cat Came Back quite that way, either. LOL.
I’m not even looking at your gross stuff. I know better.
Later,
Kelly
June 3, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Kelly,
The story originates in the Gatineau Valley. There were a lot of Irish people there, and also to the west over where we live. But there were also French people.
I myself am half-Irish, half-French Canadian (sort of, some Algonquin in me, but not enough for the tax break…)
That’s one of my favourite videos ever. It brings chills to me every time I watch it. Especially the transformation from wolf to man.
The first video is pretty cool, it’s a “Viking brothers unite to fight off the invaders” thing. Not too bad.
The second video is stoner metal, the video track is from a pretty weird indie film called Begotten which is (apparently) telling the story of life, death and rebirth. I think you’d need to be really drunk or high to get it though…
June 3, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Yes…Totally agree..could I BE Tipper? huh? huh? could I could I … Where’s the ball where’s the ball….
Will work for tummy scratches, steak and Vache-Qui-Rit… maybe an occasional fish…
Nope doesn’t sound bad at all.
June 3, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Brett,
Aha, that explains it. Very haunting video, I bookmarked it forever. I’m going to make time to explore their other vids, too. I was very impressed.
Later,
Kelly
June 4, 2009 at 12:11 am
@Brett
What’s scary, is you probably know videos that are WORSE. So I’ll just cut my losses and be grateful you didn’t post something even more shocking.
@Kelly
It ain’t the CBC or NFB, if they didn’t show fiddle music somewhere, with tapping spoons.
Also, be on the lookout for films about the Great Depression in the prairies. Where people wear drab clothing and sport large HATS.
@Janice
Tipper, Time OUT. All done!
June 4, 2009 at 6:40 am
Friar,
I look forward to the tuques.
That, to me, is the national headgear of Canada.
June 4, 2009 at 7:58 am
@Kelly
Then you’ll have to visit La Tuque (Quebec).
(That’s out of the way, even for Quebeckers.)
June 4, 2009 at 8:11 am
LOL. I had to MapQuest it… the map you get shows it’s near NOTHING. You have to zoom out a couple of times to see any other towns at all. Don’t think this urban dweller is headed there any time soon!
June 4, 2009 at 8:31 am
Now I know for sure that life is back to normal.
Friars post has morphed into some off topic wierd stuff, Brett is pulling out gross videos, Kelly is smart enough not to watch them. Oh wait! It’s not normal because Eye-guy has gone quiet.
Eye-guy … I have a blog-crush on you. Please come back.
June 4, 2009 at 8:33 am
@Kelly,
In 1961, my girlfriend and I took a 300 k bus ride from Montreal to La Tuque. We went to visit her gramma and she wanted to show me where she grew up. More that half the ride was straight north from the Saint Lawrence River, through uninhabited forest.
La Tuque is a stinky sulphur smelling lumber town. The cars are covered with sulphur dust every day. There’s a free carwash for the whole town. Locals don’t use outdoor clothes lines.
The lumber company provides lots of free activitie, because the town is isolated. My friend and I played golf and hiked along the river.
Amazing how the nose gets accustomed to the stinking rotten egg smell of sulphur.
June 4, 2009 at 8:48 am
@ Friar’s mom
You played GOLF?! I never knew. I can’t imagine it.
Your döddör
June 4, 2009 at 8:56 am
Friar’s Mom:
Eeeew.
June 4, 2009 at 9:36 am
@ Friar’s Seestor,
Oh, I never left. I’m always here lurking and skulking. My pupose is strictly momentum. When I see the comments start to fade and dwindle I drop in and kick Friar’s balls….to get them rolling again.
Right now we are move on at a steady 60 km/hr, using about 5.5 l/100km. But I do see a hill up ahead. We keep going back to Tipper coming home, but that is getting old now. Brett always helps by embedding some YouTube and that of course gets Kelly going so we are all right for now.
I’ll keep monitoring the situation. Carry on.
Eyeteaguy
June 4, 2009 at 10:16 am
@Kelly
Never been to LaTuque.
But based on population, it’s a bustling metropolis compared to Splat Creek.
@Seestör
Stay away from Eyeteaguy. He’s no good.
@Friar’s Mom
To repeat Seestör….you GOLFED?
NO. WAY.
@Kelly
Yeah..but I bet you La Tuque has really GOOD poutine!
@Eyeteaguy
Yes, thanks for monitoring my blog. Warms my heart, it does.
Let us know when the conversation topic starts to bore you, okay? Then I promise we’ll talk about about something else, to accomodate you.
June 4, 2009 at 10:18 am
welcome home Tipper
June 4, 2009 at 10:45 am
@ Friar,
No problem. We’re getting close, golf keeps popping up and that’s a sure fire way to kill a comments section.
I may need to intervene shortly.
June 4, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Oh thank God! You are so lucky. Tipper is so lucky. I am all teary now. I am so happy for you, your sister and Friar’s Moms.
I lost my little Holly last week after 17 years, and I can so identify with your family’s anguish and am so happy your got Tipper back. What a miracle!
Lots of love,
Dale
June 4, 2009 at 1:57 pm
@Jobthingy
Tipper says HI!
@Eyeteaguy
The only reason we’re talking about Golf here, because it’s something Friar’s Mom would never EVER do. In her WHOLE LIFE. (Except maybe that one time in 1961).
@Dale
Aww…I’m so sorry about your doggie. I remember how fondly you spoke of Holly, only a few months ago.
June 4, 2009 at 2:01 pm
The fact that golf was chosen as the “sport of business” shows you just how messed up business can be.
I own two sets of clubs.
And I think golf is dumb. Really dumb.
And I’m not even going to apologize if you like golf.
Nyah.
Why can’t the “sport of business” be something cool, like jai alai?
(Cue the Miami Vice soundtrack.)
June 4, 2009 at 3:09 pm
@Brett
We laugh at animals like Tipper, because we throw the ball, over and over, and they chase it, over and over. hah hah. Lookit the dumb dog.
But how dumb is THAT…compared to hitting a little white ball with a stick and chasing after it for 4-5 hours?
June 4, 2009 at 3:48 pm
@Friar,
’nuff said.
June 4, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Hey, Brett, if we dont’ watch out, we could hit 100 comments by tomorrow.
Again.
June 4, 2009 at 4:45 pm
@ Wee Friar and Friar’s Seestör,
Yes I played 18 holes of golf at LaTuque, Quebec, a half century ago. That was my one and only game in my entire life.
However, I did practice putting at the Highland Golf Course near the Keltic Lodge in Cape Breton, and second time I practiced putting was at Greyhawks Golf Course in Ottawa. Jay said he was surprised how good I was on the putting green.
Golf was a game that didn’t turn me on. I prefered sports that get my cardio moving, like cycling, skiing, tennis, and speedskating.
And where does fishing come in as a sport? I love the unspoiled wilderness and the sounds of nature– the sound of the water on the side of the canoe, the call of the loons, the sound of mating spring peepers, and the sound of a distant wookpecker. I love the calmness of early evening, the breathtaking sunsets, and the company of my Fishing Sherpa. I will always remember that humungous bass I hooked last spring. It arched itself in a silhouette against the low sun, a few drops of water dripping from its glistening body. It splashed back into the water, and escaped.
Lucky fish, it must have know it was two days before bass season opened.
June 4, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Did I miss anything? Been outside perfecting my putt….
Hey, it’s a very mental game
Both my dad and my brother played, In fact, my brother and a couple of his friends use to pick up a extra date money caddying as a teenager in the summertime.
What’s wrong with golf?
June 4, 2009 at 4:55 pm
@Friar’s Mom
It’s funny, you didn’t fish for about 50 years..then suddenly, three years ago, you tried it with me a few times. And now you like it again.
We better not talk about Lame-Ass fish, though. Or Karen JL will get upset.
@Janice
Yes…golf is a mental game. It makes me MENTAL.
I didn’t mind it when I was a student. But there aer just too many other outdoor activities I’d rather do.
I play twice a year, if I’m lucky. No matter what, I always seem to shoot 120.
My Dad came close to golfing his age. He passed away at 70. And he’d get the occasional 73.
June 4, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Fishing is cool.
Here’s the deal with golf (and of course, I hope y’all know I am poking fun here):
Golf is the sport equivalent, to me, of pointless bureaucracy that exists within ineffective systems (e.g. certain companies or governments).
See, if there’s a goal – get this ball in that hole – you could do it many ways.
You could just pick up said ball, walk to the hole, deposit the ball, and then go have a beer.
You could construct a big-assed gun and shoot the ball into the hole.
Or…
You could balance the ball on a little wooden stick, then (while wearing a funny costume), smack said ball with another funny looking stick, and try to get the ball in said hole.
It’s made intentionally difficult. And I’m not sure why.
Put another way, if human reproduction were as difficult as golf, the human race would have died off a long time ago.
June 4, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Friar,
I am lousy at it. I mean stinkeroo. Not that I play much. I don’t. But I really like it. Will even watch it on TV.
I know, lame. But what can I say?
And yes, there’re lots of fun outside things to do.
In fact, I have to go do them. I have some hand painted silks to hang up in the breeze to dry. It’s gorgeous here today.
June 4, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Brett,
Okay too easy… An occasional “hole in one” would do….please, my apologies to everyone… no no.. I insist.
June 4, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Janice,
I was hoping someone would “take the ball” and run with it…
Seriously though… I play golf about once a year, and always have a good time.
June 4, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Chuckling… and blushing..
Hey did you know that there’s a Golf Balls “Will it Blend?” Not great but they actually do.
June 4, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Heh heh, guess there was a little double entendre in my last comment, eh?
(Four kids… play golf about once a year… *ahem* anyway)
Yeah, I’ve seen the golf ball will it blend. I like this one too:
June 4, 2009 at 5:37 pm
ROFLOL
And okay… that was clever, golf 4 kids.. except… those triplets.. is that a double bogie or what?
(I gotta go do the silks.. and no that is not code for anything )
June 4, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Well you see, I had a good coach…
(aka fertility specialist)
June 4, 2009 at 5:42 pm
That’s some caddying.
Chuckles and heads out…
Later gator.
June 4, 2009 at 5:54 pm
@Brett and Janice
“Careful…don’t breathe it.”
June 4, 2009 at 6:43 pm
@ Brett
Corvus Corax??
CANTUS BURANUS II live at Wacken 2008
@ All, re: Golf
I (sort of) learned while living in Hawaii. Came to the conclusion that golf is a bosomless sport–because mine kept getting in the way. Of course, I was guilty of taking the turf out during my swings.
Mer
June 4, 2009 at 6:59 pm
@Mer,
Very cool! I’ve never encountered them before – I like it though, worth checking out.
June 4, 2009 at 7:25 pm
@Mer
Heh heh….THAT would have been fun to watch!
Maybe that’s why the best female golf pros look like guys. Helps to have a flat chest.
@Brett
A band you’ve never encountered before?
NO. WAY.
June 4, 2009 at 7:47 pm
@Friar,
Oh, I’m sure there are many. And then there are some “artists” I wish I’d never encountered (e.g. Britney)
June 4, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Damned great news Friar. I’m truly happy for you!!
June 4, 2009 at 11:58 pm
@Brett
Well, if it’s any consolation, I think Britney has jumped the shark, ever since she’s shaved her head.
@Don
This was the best news of the YEAR! I’m quite happy…so is our whole family.
Stupid dogs…it’s amazing how they grow on you, isn’t it?
June 5, 2009 at 10:52 am
@ Brett
Yeah, Medieval metal. They even sing in Latin.
You can find more on YouTube, but a lot of those videos were made by people who went to the concerts and sat in the bad seats.
Ditto, on Britney. My daughter was in middle school when Britney first hit it big. You have no idea of the torture I endured. (I kind of feel sorry for her now.)
@ Friar
And all this time I thought it would have been painful to watch. I was really bad.
June 5, 2009 at 11:44 am
Yay! This is one of the best blog posts I’ve read this week! I’m so happy for you!
Welcome back Tipper!
June 5, 2009 at 12:47 pm
@Mer,
Learning to read, write and speak Latin is actually on my bucket list.
Things sound so much cooler in Latin, especially *evil* things.
(Friar: stop thinking about body parts.)
Often times this style of music is seen as being somewhat “brain dead”. And yet, the vocalist for one of the most notorious black metal bands (Mayhem) is an electrical engineer, with a real day job.
June 5, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Woof! Woof woof, grr, woof rooooo!
Harumpf
heh aheh hehhh hehhh!
woof woof!
June 5, 2009 at 1:26 pm
This blog is going to the dogs.
June 5, 2009 at 1:29 pm
@ Brett
I used Wheelock when I was in college. There’s a web site dedicated to Wheelock’s Latin that included audio files, but I would suggest getting the big kahuna (i.e., the book) because the web site is only based on the book. (I wish I had kept my ciopy.) After you make it out of Wheelock, there’s New Latin Grammar by Allen and Greenough and Bradley’s Arnold Latin Prose Composition.
If you want to swear in Latin, try Catullus’ poetry, especially #16. My teacher wouldn’t translate and the dictionary wouldn’t even print, but there were a few things a friend and I figured out.
(You can get English translations that give you an idea, but don’t really convey the insult intended.)
Mer
June 5, 2009 at 1:42 pm
@Mer
Medieval Metal. Well, now you’ve made a friend for life with Brett.
@Hannah
It was one of the happier posts I’ve written in a while.
@Brett
Body parts..? Who, ME?
(Actually, I’m still traumatized looking at your other Viking videos…)
I’m still amazed at Tipper’s growing Fan Club.
@Tipper
All DONE! Time OUT! Good girl!
@Eyeteaguy
Going to the dogs…yet we’ve still hit the 100 mark.
I should write about furry critters more often. Mabye people like that better, than lame-ass fish.
@Mer
The little bit of Latin I learned, was from Asterix comics!
June 5, 2009 at 1:53 pm
@For the Tipper Fans out there (who havent’ already seen this…)
Here’s an old post from last winter. (when Tipper was in top shape):
http://deepfriar.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/uncle-friars-tips-on-dog-sitting-a-duck-toller/
June 5, 2009 at 2:12 pm
@ Friar
I learned about Shakespeare in Classic Comics, why not Latin? Comics are not to be underrated.
Well, now you’ve made a friend for life with Brett.
Re: Viking videos
With the really serious heavy metal I worry about the singers’ vocal cords. I keep wondering whether they can speak the next day. And then there’s the thing that happened to Julie Andrews that keeps her from singing anymore. Too much strain on the cords and such.
Re: Tipper
You know, even scarily thin she’s adorable. She’s got the most expressive eyes!
Mer
June 5, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Brett,
Three years of Latin and no one ever taught me anything evil. Darn. I never noticed anything else sounding cool, but now I want to brush up just so I can swear or insult someone.
Maybe I could learn to say “consarnit” in Latin to disgust Friar.
Or “mercy me.” Actually once upon a time I probably could say that.
Baloney? Hooey?
Big jerk?
There, Francis, Kelly’s gone completely foul-mouthed. Hope you feel better about the state of this blog now.
Until later,
Kelly
June 5, 2009 at 2:35 pm
@Mer
I never did understand the lyrics of those Viking Metal singers. I’m sure they’re singing poignantly-written lyrics
..but all I hear is GLARRGH ARGGHH RGGHARGHH GLARGG
PS Tipper’s eyes are like laser beams. She’ll STARE at people non-stop, especially when she wants to play. Especially with Uncle Friar. We feed off each other.
My sister scolds me: “DON’T even MAKE eye contact! “. Because that will just get the daug going all over again.
@Kelly
For some reason, all this Latin talk makes me think of Biggus Dickus.
(If you’re a Python fan).
June 5, 2009 at 2:48 pm
LOL. Oh, yes, once upon a time I was a huge Python fan.
June 5, 2009 at 3:04 pm
@Kelly,
I think that since you swore on Friar’s blog, Friar can go and swear on your blog.
I think he may have you at a disadvantage though. He knows more four letter words than you do and your blog is not the seething cesspool that this blog is.
June 5, 2009 at 3:16 pm
@Kelly
What do you mean…”once”?
You don’t like it anymore?
@Eyeteaguy
And I know I have YOU to thank, for helping turn my blog into the seething cesspool you so ardently refer to.
I know five, and six letter words, too.
June 5, 2009 at 3:29 pm
You are most welcome. It has been a joy and and an honour to turn your bland and inane blog into the cesspool we all know and love.
Eventually I will tire of this place and turn my intentions on another site.
Karen, Xup, and Mer are all viable candidates.
And then they too can sit back and watch me work my magic and ardently thank me for it.
Eyeteaguy
June 5, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Friar,
You grow, new loves replace old…
It’s all still rattling around in my head, but I have a feeling this self wouldn’t appreciate it nearly as much as that old self. Funnier in the rear view mirror, I suspect.
Later…
June 5, 2009 at 3:37 pm
@Eyeteaguy
Yes…because we know that NOBODY ever read my blog, until YOU came along!
I strive to make you feel welcome here. Every time I write a post, I ask myself “WWETGD?”
@Kelly
I’ve just seen those movies so many times, that I might need to put them on the back-burner for a few years, and let them feel fresh again.
Ni! Ni! Ni!
June 5, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Now is that anyway to treat your savior?
And Tyler would give me a medal. He would give you an acid stain on the back of your hand.
You now have 6 weeks to repent.
June 5, 2009 at 4:21 pm
@Eyeteaguy
I have to admit…I never got 100 comments before, until you came around.
We used to have to egg people on to do it…now it just happens on its own.
June 5, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Holy crap, this is like replying to my own blog when I’ve been away for a week…
@Mer,
That looks interesting – I will have to check it out. Swearing in Latin would be useful. Because it would sound really official and medical or something.
I know. Most of the really aggressive “singers” do serious time with voice coaches, even though to the average person it sounds like they are vomiting.
I can do a pretty good imitation of a death growl for about a minute and then I start to cough… you need to practice a lot to keep it up.
L.G. Petrov is one of the old school guys (from one of the vids I posted) but there are many. I’m kind of partial to a lot of the newer stuff too. I’ll post another link to a *lady* who can growl with the best of them.
@Friar,
Penis, vagina, anus, rectum, scrotum.
@Kelly,
Well, don’t feel bad. They didn’t teach us anything evil in English either. French, that’s another story…
@Friar again,
To be honest, it varies. Some of the best metal lyrics are IMHO from the proto-metal bands like Sabbath, old stuff. Maybe they had some “help”. Kind of like Pink Floyd.
@Eyeteaguy,
You’re full of shit. As always. And I’m a bastard. But you knew that.
Plus, we don’t talk about Fight Club.
–
And as promised above, here’s a kick-ass metal vocalist, who also happens to be a lady.
Live vid, just so you can see it’s not fake.
June 5, 2009 at 6:50 pm
@Brett
That’s JUST the kind of girl I’d like to take home to introduce to Friar’s Mom!
June 5, 2009 at 9:46 pm
There must be a couple of girls in this video you’d take home to Friar’s Mom.
Or at least, you know they can party.
June 5, 2009 at 9:48 pm
@Brett
I like how this post went from recovering a lost dog to MTV (Circa 900 AD).
June 5, 2009 at 10:01 pm
@Friar,
Is this more appropriate then?
June 5, 2009 at 10:01 pm
(Fucking assholes won’t let it embed. No wonder no one gives a shit about Lassie movies today. Jerks.)
June 5, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Brett,
I guess your sheets haven’t come back from the wind yet, eh?
^^
. .
^
o
Friar,
Not to go all Customer Experience on you, but…
Do you have any idea how hard it’s getting to load this site with all the vids on a page of two gazillion silly comments?
I could have a glass of wine (a quick one, okay) and come back and the thing would still be puffing away, I think I can, I think I can…
And my connection’s not too bad, either.
Just sayin’.
[playing the part of the killjoy today will be Kelly, the Customer Experience Vigilante...]
Until later,
Kelly
June 5, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Kelly,
Heh heh the sheets are fine, m’lady, just my normal quirky self here now. The advantages of being a father of four include the ability to consume a whole bottle of wine, three pints of beer, and then function three hours later…
I wonder if it is Safari causing you grief? I don’t use it on my Mac (I’m addicted to several FF extensions).
June 5, 2009 at 10:21 pm
@Brett
Do you remember to old Lassie TV show? (I remember before they had Timmy, there was JEFF, and his pal Porky).
@Kelly
Well….I dunno. Maybe it’s your machine. Because I don’t see this post being any slower to load than the others.
(But then again, the computer I’m using is Brett’s old machine, which is probably super-pimped out).
@Brett
Mabye Eyeteaguy can show up and you two can have a forum here, on Safari or Linus or Ethernet rings or something.
PS. Maybe we shoulda watched that Clint movie tonight, instead.
June 5, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I’m here, watching the ball roll.
Three questions. If you can answer them then I will dance a jig while singing a merry tune.
1) Why is it called a BlackBerry? (from RIM not the fruit)
2) Why is it called Ethernet?
3) What does PING stand for?
Have a pleasant night. And no cheating, Google, Bing and Yahoo are not allowed. Geeks need only apply.
Eyeteaguy
June 5, 2009 at 10:42 pm
@Eyeteaguy
1) Because “Blackberry” sounds more friendly that “Stupid cell phone with a key-board attached so that you’re now obliged to answer word-related emails at all hours of the day”
2) Because the people who invented it sniffed too much ether.
3) Putzes Instigating No Good.
June 5, 2009 at 11:01 pm
OH no Friar.. Twitter’s down for maintenance.. maybe that laundry and dishwasher stuff WILL get done..;-)
June 5, 2009 at 11:45 pm
@Janice
Welll….time for bed anyway. (If I want to get up and go fishing tomorrow).
June 6, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Answers
1) Because on the prototype the keys on the device resembled the small bumps on a blackberry.
2)Becuase data appeared on the screen of the prototype like it came from the Ether (air).
3) Packet INternet Groper.
Now you know,and knowing is half the battle.
June 6, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Good ole G.I. Joe…
I still think they should rename it the CrackBerry.
June 6, 2009 at 9:17 pm
@Eyeteaguy
I’m looking for sarcasm in your last comment, and couldn’t find any.
What gives? I hope you’re feeling all right.
@Brett
How about the DingleBerry?
June 7, 2009 at 6:30 am
I could have called it the Homewrecker, because it seems to have the same effect sometimes.
June 7, 2009 at 11:15 am
@Brett
I used to have a job where I was “on call”. Hopefully, never again. You couldn’t pay me enough.
June 7, 2009 at 2:32 pm
@Friar,
I have a blog post in the can about stuff like this… but I’ve been too busy enjoying the nice weather to post it
June 7, 2009 at 2:53 pm
@Brett
Ooooh boy. I’d have a LOT to say on the subject. (Maybe you can have me as a guest-writer one day!)
June 7, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Oh, that will definitely happen, hey, if Eyeteaguy got a moment in the sun, why not you?
June 7, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Go outside and play. Both of you. Right now.
Silly rabbits…
June 7, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I would. But I’m doing laundry for six…
June 7, 2009 at 3:32 pm
By hand? I hear you have a tree just made for sitting under. Bet that washer has a timer that will bing or buzz you when to switch it over… I say squirt guns at twenty paces for you and the wee ones… but that’s just me.
June 7, 2009 at 3:33 pm
My kids are being wimps today. It’s overcast and a bit cool.
(Plus, there’s lots of red wine inside…)
June 7, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Now if I could just find a ball to chase…
( actually I am going to go sit back and read my paper. It was to wet to read this morning. )
Have a good afternoon.
June 7, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Wine? and laundry? You clever one…
June 7, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Friar,
I just heard the wonderful news! I can’t express how happy I am for you and your family. I am filled with joy for you all!!! Please give Tipper a belly rub for me.
June 7, 2009 at 4:08 pm
@Janice,
While multitasking is usually a moral weakness to me, if it involves wine, bring it on
June 7, 2009 at 6:32 pm
@Janice
It’s been kind of BLAH outside. Cool and cloudy (except NOW…weekends almost over..NOW the sun comes out). I think we might break 60F.
Might try a quick bit of fishing this evening. Though I’ll get eaten alive by the bugs, I suspect.
@Brett
I bet you I could multi-task at work better, if I was allowed to have a glass of wine (or three).
@Rebecca
Yup! It’s great news. I’ve already given the daug several belly rubs (when I saw her last Monday, she lay on the couch with me…on her back..paws in the air). Totally content.
She’s probably terrorizing her family right now (trying to get them to throw the ball in the water).
June 8, 2009 at 8:56 am
I’ve been away for a bit but I’m VERY glad to see Tipper has returned home. She’s soo skinny though; poor baby.
Take care.
June 8, 2009 at 1:50 pm
@ Brett
My answer to wimpy kids: indoor soccer with this. I don’t know whether it’s wine-safe, though.
Mer
June 8, 2009 at 5:15 pm
@Liz
My sis just sent me photos. Tipper’s no longer starving-looking. She’s already filling out. And she’s back to being hyper and chasing the ball.
In fact, she’s getting FINICKY with her food. She now expects the hi-nutrition canned food, preferably with gravy. And turns her nose up at her old dry stuff.
@Mer
Oh, I dunno….I think that ball is still capable of knowing over a lamp. Or a drink all over your keyboard.