Archive for March, 2010

Blue Raining Cats

Posted in Pets | 1 Comment »

Blue Raining Cats

Blue Hole

     Blue Hole          

                                                    Thom Cantrall
            Boonville is small town with a history… and my family is a major part of that history.  It lies in a valley along Anderson Creek about a hundred miles north of San Francisco in the coastal range.
            My Great-Great Grandfather, J.B. Sanders owned a hotel there in it’s earliest days and later operated the stage line.  He had come west from a farm in Kansas, near the town of Coffeyville where it is reputed that Jesse James once used his barn for a hideout to get some much needed rest.
            J.B. brought his family to the little valley in the 1870’s after having sold a hotel at Spenceville in the California Gold Fields and they set up an operation that stripped the bark from the tan oaks that grew in great profusion there.  The bark was dried and taken to market in the San Francisco area where it was rendered down for the tannic acid in it which was used in processing leather.  The men would work about six months of the year to amass sufficient bark for a load and to load a train of mules with it.  They then set out on the trail, sometimes taking several months to make the trip, sell their product, buy what was needed in the way of supplies and goods for the next year and return to the valley.  During the time of their absence, the women and children were left on the homestead and they made do as best they could.  They hunted and they fished.  They grew plentiful gardens in the rich, dark soil.  And they were a family.  And they lived as families of the day lived.
            In 1947, right after the end of the Second World War, the national economy was in transition from a wartime economy to peacetime.  At this juncture, jobs were scarce for qualified men and with all the returning veterans, it was even harder, so, when my father heard of a new sawmill that was being set up near Boonville, we made our way there.  In those days, sawmills were small affairs, constructed on the spot in the middle of a stand of timber, in this case the coastal Redwoods, Sequoia Sempervirons, and the timber was logged and skidded directly into the mill yard.  There was no trucking of logs at this mill, no railroads and it was an efficient way to make lumber. This mill, it turned out was sixteen miles west of Boonville, exactly half way between the town and the Pacific Ocean.  The road to the coast was not paved and in some places not even graveled.  From the Coast Road, at the sixteen mile mark, a dirt cat road (a trail cut in by a bulldozer) ran two miles down to the bottom of the canyon where the creek had been dammed to form a log pond from which the mill was fed.  The timber being harvested was magnificent… Redwood logs that, split in half, were further through than my dad was tall and he was about six ft. There were only cabins available for housing at the mill and these had no running water and no electricity.  Our cabin had three rooms as I remember, and water was hauled by the bucket load from a spring at the bottom of the hill except when it rained.  It was then caught as it ran off the roof of the cabin, except for that portion that was caught inside after it ran through the roof of the cabin!
            Since school was in session and there were no facilities for getting children to school from Blue Hole, my sisters remained at home and my brother, two years my junior and I went with my parents.  My uncle, just recently returned from service in Italy during the war was there too.
            Often, on weekends my aunt would drive up with their four children and my three sisters to visit.  We had wonderful times there.  The mill pond was full of trout, eager to bite about anything we put in front of them, the hills were full of deer we were not supposed to hunt, but did anyway… I often accompanied my dad on these ventures, even at four years old.
            One of my earliest memories, and a vivid one at that, was at Blue Hole.  The Garcia River ran through the area and it held a huge run of salmon and steelhead (sea going rainbow trout).  There were also some marvelous native trout in the stream.  One day, my father and I went fishing… Well, he was the one fishing; I was along for the “ride”.  In one pool shaded by the huge Redwood trees that grew on the bank, there was a large rainbow trout cruising for dinner.  My father placed me on a large rock beside the stream where I could see and said, “Wait here and watch what happens!”  He then caught a grasshopper from the bank back from the stream a ways, threaded it on the hook and flipped it out into that pool… The large trout was attracted to the splash of the bug as it hit the water and turned to it immediately.  Like a miniature shark with a nice, fat, delicious swimmer in its sight, the fish closed in.  The grasshopper kicked once, twice and, after a moment or two, again.  On the third kick, the great fish struck like a Polaris Missile from the depths.
            My father set the hook and the battle was joined.  For several minutes, it seemed like hours to a four year old sitting on that rock watching, they battled, but slowly, the trout began to succumb.  Dad eased him toward the bank and moved down himself to the edge of the river.
            Another dilemma arose as the fish tired and was beaten.  Dad could get him to the bank, but could not lift him the two or three feet vertical necessary to get him ashore. And he could not jump in with the rod in his hands because he could not do so and keep the line tight.  Any slack in the line and the fish would be gone in a flash.
            Dad called to me, asking me to come to him, around the rock from behind and away from the river.  When I got there, he asked me if I thought I could to a chore for him.  Not knowing what it was, I eagerly agreed and he showed me how he wanted me to hold HIS rod and apply a steady pressure to the fish while he went into the water to get it.  I was so very careful to do it just right, backing up a step or two when I felt the line begin to slacken.

            I watched as he entered the water, which was up to just above his knees right here, and get behind the fish which was lying on its side in the water, spent.  Slowly, so as not to spook it, he eased his hands up until he could scoop it out on the bank and just as he did this, he yelled to me to pull with all my might… And I did! So much so that I went right over backwards and the fish landed on top of me!  It was flopping and wriggling and I could not grab it and was so afraid it would get back in the water, but there was Dad… grasping the fish and then dispatching it quickly with a rock.
            We returned home that day a very proud pair; we had conquered the great fish.  Oh, there were others in the creel; I have a picture even today of that catch.  It showed a board with twelve trout on it, the smallest over eight inches and the largest, not counting this one large fish over fourteen inches. There were many other fishing expeditions, but this was the most memorable. 

            The summer was idyllic, but the coming of winter brought the deluge of rain that country is so noted for.  The dirt road out to the main road was impassable for three solid months, so there was no way to get out to town for anything but the direst of essentials in groceries, etc.  To get out, a cat had to be driven the two miles from the mill to the main road, then the drive to town of a twisting, rain sodden partially graveled road… it was not a trip for the weak at heart.
            Because there was no way to get lumber trucks into the mill, the lumber piled up, unsold and it was not long before the paychecks began to bounce, which spelled the death knell for the Rocket Lumber Company of Blue Hole.
            When the winter rains slacked a bit, the cats dozed a bit of a road, then pulled each car out, one by one, from the camp and we left Blue Hole.  But, it has always been a part of my history, and, as you can tell, not a bad part either.
            We spent the summer of 1948 at a mill on Anderson Creek just outside of Boonville.  It was the Jones Mill and there we lived in a surplus US Army mess tent.  It was divided off into four rooms, three for sleeping and the fourth for general living area.  My sisters were with us for this period.  I don’t recall why we left there, but I believe Dad got work as a carpenter in Santa Rosa, our regular home and his regular trade and we returned home.  We never again lived in the valley, but visited there often and hunted near there for many, many years.  I even took my first deer there when I was fourteen years old, but that is another story…

About the Author


DLL Rainwear - Adult Navy Raining Cats and Dogs Compact Umbrella


DLL Rainwear – Adult Navy Raining Cats and Dogs Compact Umbrella


$14.95


The perfect umbrella for when it’s Raining Cats and Dogs!…

DLL Rainwear - Women's Navy Raining Cats and Dogs Raincoat


DLL Rainwear – Women’s Navy Raining Cats and Dogs Raincoat



This DLL Private Label rain coat has a hood, vented front and shoulders, snap front closures and is mid-thigh in length. The Raining Cats and Dogs print covers the pockets, the cuffs, sash and the inside of the hood. Lined with a thin nylon material for extra warmth, this 100% polyurathane coat also has matching rain boots and umbrella to complete the look….


Raining Cats & Dogs (Melanie Travis Mysteries)


Raining Cats & Dogs (Melanie Travis Mysteries)


$3.40


It’s an all-new case for Melanie: a husband, an eight-year-old son and, count them, five poodles. Finding a new, bigger house is at the top of her agenda. To add to the mayhem. Melanie has got the task of keeping an eye on her disconcertingly beautiful new neighbor, whose absent husband is nearly as worrisome as her seven wander outdoor cats. Melanie’s poodles are constantly being provoked by the …

It's Raining Pigs & Noodles


It’s Raining Pigs & Noodles


$4.89


Brace yourself for more pun-ishment from the playful Jack Prelutsky and illustrator James Stevenson, creators of The New Kid on the Block, Something Big Has Been Here, and A Pizza the Size of the Sun. More than 100 Prelutsky poems populate the pages–a mix of 8-year-old-boy humor, nonsense poetry in the tradition of Ogden Nash and Edward Lear, and clever, often unabashedly shameless, wor…

Will Moses' Mother Goose


Will Moses’ Mother Goose


$8.94


From world-renowned folk artist Will Moses comes one of the most original and enchanting Mother Goose books ever. Featuring over sixty of childhood’s best-loved nursery rhymes, in Where’s Waldo-like fashion, children can search magical full-spreads of Will’s unmistakable paintings to find their favorite characters. Young and old alike will discover new reasons to love this beautiful book and the w…

DLL - Child's Navy Raining Cats and Dogs Rain Boots


DLL – Child’s Navy Raining Cats and Dogs Rain Boots



Great for rainy days, walking on the beach, or helping mom and dad in the garden!…


DLL Rainwear - Kid's Raining Cats and Dogs Rubber Rain Boots


DLL Rainwear – Kid’s Raining Cats and Dogs Rubber Rain Boots



How can you go wrong with these super cute Raining Cats and Dogs rain boots from DLL Rainwear’s Private Collection? Colorful puppies and kitties fall from the sky amidst rain drops on a navy boot….



Ant & Bee Art Fonts Raining Cats & Dogs


Ant & Bee Art Fonts Raining Cats & Dogs


$32


Download the Ant & Bee Art Fonts Raining Cats & Dogs font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

Raining on the Moon


Raining on the Moon


$13.58


William Parker continues to go beyond the status quo on Raining on the Moon, his second offering in labelmate Matthew Shipp’s Blue Series. Known mostly to a coterie of specialists in a niche field of avant-garde bass players, Parker’s discography represents his enormous value to the new avant-garde movement of the 21st century. His works of progression get better with each offering, and this time around Parker departs from his previous solo albums and collaborations to team with vocalist Leena Conquest. As lead singer on six songs, Conquest reflects the avant-garde black folk art that Parker emanates from a bassist’s perspective. She applies her splendid vocal colorings to his spirituality and musical visions and freely melds with the ensemble’s riveting stretches. Along with Rob Brown on alto and flute, Lewis Barnes playing a very cool trumpet on “Old Tears,” and Hamid Drake on drums, Parker’s basslines exchange and transform the compositions into textured applications of free jazz, loaded with unfamiliar improvisations and shifting between crisp and blunt and through blues, bop, and free. Raining on the Moon further reveals Parker’s aurally taut and riveting art in beguiling chromatic abstractions whose radical simplicity articulated the fundamentals of avant-garde bass playing back in 1972, when he became the bass player of choice among such free jazz icons as Ed Blackwell, Don Cherry, Sunny Murray, and Milford Graves and later with the amazing pianist Cecil Taylor. With this recording, Parker continues to offer appealing new perspectives on the free style of jazz and exceeds the harmonic ingenuity of his Blue Series debut, Painter’s Spring. ~ Paula Edelstein, Rovi Performers: Rob Brown – Alto, Flute; Hamid Drake – Drums; Leena Conquest – Vocals; Lewis Barnes – Trumpet; William Parker – Bass

A Raining Sun of Light and Love


A Raining Sun of Light and Love


$13.58


Brooklyn-based, semi-instrumental quartet Titan have been unleashing their unholy blend of neo-psychedelic rock and progressive stoner metal on homemade EPs (CD-R basement freakouts) for some time now, so the arrival of a full-length studio album is a cause for celebration. Like Boris, Comets on Fire, and Blue Cheer, Titan don’t concern themselves with genre boundaries. Heavily improvised cacophony can often become the audio equivalent of a traffic jam, but in the right hands it can transcend the endless line of cars and take the listener home by unforeseen paths. A Raining Sun of Light and Love achieves this through the twisted hands and minds of its creators (these guys can actually play), and once you get past the Comus-inspired acoustic intro that’s oddly reminiscent of Ween’s “Squelch the Weasel,” the 45 minutes that follow traverse the annals of rock history like a roller coaster car with a grenade in it. Fat ELP organ runs explode into heavy Sabbath riffing while Rush-inspired time signatures signal the arrival of “Careful with That Axe Eugene”-era Pink Floyd. Feedback washes over Tuvan throat singing, roadside noise morphs into crickets, and bluesy slide guitar and wall upon wall of distortion fall on each of the four tracks like a monsoon, signaling the arrival of one of the most promising metal acts of 2007. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

Dog Dachshund Doggie

Posted in Pets | No Comments »

Dog Dachshund Doggie
Dog Smells Like Fritos (corn chips)?

i have a dachshund/beagle mix, shes about 17 pounds, and she has a strong smell of fritos, its weird.
Why is this? I know its caused by the waterproof oil dogs carry, but even after we give her a bath, after about an hour and a half, she smells like this again.
Why?

we also bathe her about once every three weeks or when her ‘doggie smell’ gets too strong.

Yeah I know, it’s cause you are feeding a corn based dog kibble.

Better Fritos than Cheetos!


Dachshund Salt and Peper Shakers


Dachshund Salt and Peper Shakers


$4.48


These whimsical salt and pepper shakers bring humor to every dining set….

Dachshund Tempered Cutting Board


Dachshund Tempered Cutting Board


$29.99


Spice up your kitchen with a fabulous cutting board! These cutting boards are perfect for home chef’s and restaurant owner’s alike. This is a specially coated glass cutting board that is durable and dishwasher-safe….

Dachshund Collectible Wiener Dog Cup Porcelain Coffee Mug Figure Model


Dachshund Collectible Wiener Dog Cup Porcelain Coffee Mug Figure Model


$15.99


This gorgeous Dachshund Collectible Wiener Dog Cup Porcelain Coffee Mug Figure Model has the finest details and highest quality you will find anywhere! Dachshund Collectible Wiener Dog Cup Porcelain Coffee Mug Figure Model is truly remarkable.Dachshund Collectible Wiener Dog Cup Porcelain Coffee Mug Figure Model Details:Condition: Brand NewItem SKU: SS-D-DC206Dimensions: H: 5 x W: 4.5 x D: 4 (inch…

Offi MyPetLamp Dachshund Accent Lamp in Mellow Yellow


Offi MyPetLamp Dachshund Accent Lamp in Mellow Yellow


$79.00


The playful MyPetLamp-Dachshund from Offi is made of non-toxic, odorless plastic with a low voltage (12v) replaceable bulb that bathes a room in soft light. Available in six colors: Soft White, Mellow Yellow, Sky Blue, Sunset Orange, Hot Pink and Misty Green.SPECIFICATIONS: Rotationally molded plastic is non-toxic and odorless. Replaceable bulb is 12 volts, and available at hardware and general me…

Offi MyPetLamp Dachshund Accent Lamp


Offi MyPetLamp Dachshund Accent Lamp



The playful MyPetLamp-Dachshund from Offi is made of non-toxic, odorless plastic with a low voltage (12v) replaceable bulb that bathes a room in soft light. Available in six colors: Soft White, Mellow Yellow, Sky Blue, Sunset Orange, Hot Pink and Misty Green.SPECIFICATIONS: Rotationally molded plastic is non-toxic and odorless. Replaceable bulb is 12 volts, and available at hardware and general me…


Dachshund Dog Bathroom Toilet Paper Holder


Dachshund Dog Bathroom Toilet Paper Holder


$19.99


This awesome dog toilet paper holder is a great gift for any dog lover. It is sturdy and useful both at the same time. Unique detail and coloring….

Doggie Dreams Women's Shirt: Available In Multiple Breeds


Doggie Dreams Women’s Shirt: Available In Multiple Breeds



Does your day begin and end with doggie dreams? Now you can celebrate the canine that has captured your heart with this artistic apparel exclusive from The Bradford Exchange. Whether you’re looking for a Pomeranian shirt, a Pug shirt, or a Schnauzer shirt, you’re completely covered with this fashionable women’s apparel featuring the delightful images of wildlife artist and dog lover, Linda Picken….


DACHSHUND - MY LITTLE WIENER - Dog - Oval Pet Decal - Weiner Dog Bumper Sticker - Can be used for Cars, Trucks, Notebooks etc.


DACHSHUND – MY LITTLE WIENER – Dog – Oval Pet Decal – Weiner Dog Bumper Sticker – Can be used for Cars, Trucks, Notebooks etc.


$3.99


This is a High Quality vinyl Decal you can apply to any flat surface, such as Cars, Trucks, Notebooks, and Windows etc. Customer satisfaction is on top or our list and we guarantee our product. Many other DOG-, CAT, COUNTRY & WESTERN -, MOTORCYCLE- DECALS are available as well. Any Decals purchased from us will be shipped immediately after payment. If you have any questions email us….

Knit Your Own Dog: Easy-to-Follow Patterns for 25 Pedigree Pooches


Knit Your Own Dog: Easy-to-Follow Patterns for 25 Pedigree Pooches


$8.48


The knitted dog is indeed the ideal companion. There’s no feeding, barking, shedding, or vet’s bills, and he’ll live forever! Knit Your Own Dog is the irresistible guide to knitting the perfect pup. By authors Sally Muir & Joanna Osborne…

Knitting for Dogs: Irresistible Patterns for Your Favorite Pup -- and You!


Knitting for Dogs: Irresistible Patterns for Your Favorite Pup — and You!


$8.00


Who loves you, baby? Your dog does, that’s who, and there’s no creature more deserving of a hand-knit expression of that love. Plus, he’ll look darn cute in any number of the more than twenty easy-to-follow patterns in Knitting for Dogs. It’s the perfect way to spoil the pet that spoils you with affection. You’ll find designs here for every kind of dog, from sequined sweaters for your toy dog …


Melissa & Doug Dachshund Plush Stuffed Animal


Melissa & Doug Dachshund Plush Stuffed Animal


$21.94


Melissa & Doug – Stuffed Animals – 4854 – This lovable, plush dachshund is one of the new additions to the plush family! This dog looks so realistic it’s surprising it doesn’t bark! So soft and cuddly, the Dachshund Plush Stuffed Animal is sure to generate excited squeals from its recipient. Premium quality and so incredibly low-priced that nearly anyone can start their own personal doggie day care! Ages 3+ Dimensions: 16 H x 12 W x 12 D

Doggie Doo


Doggie Doo


$2.69


Doggie Doo Doo Fake Dog Poop Includes: Soft brown rubber doggie poop. Looks like the real thing and will fool anyone.

DOG DACHSHUND


DOG DACHSHUND


$28.5


SOLID 3D, Sterling Silver, 1/2 x 3/4 in

Custom Wood DACHSHUND Dog Ornament


Custom Wood DACHSHUND Dog Ornament


$9.99


Custom Wood DACHSHUND Dog Ornament Holiday Dog Oranment. Personalize this Ornament with your pet’s name. Personalized Dog Ornaments. Masterfully created wood cut ornaments to cherish your pet during the holidays. A perfect gift for any dog lover. Holiday Dog Gift Idea. Each ornament can be personalized with up to 15 characters. Please Enter Text or Wording in space provided above. Personalized Dog Ornament. Engravalbe Gifts