June 29.  My last day, unofficially, at work; said "goodbye" to all.  It was a bittersweet time.  Kathy and I went to lunch for her birthday.  Everything in the house is packed; tomorrow we pack the rental truck and I will start driving.

June 27.  More packing and moving stuff around. 

I bought a really cool thing.  Since we got the Econoline Van, it's been almost impossible to see where the back end of it is.  I haven't hit anything yet, but I've probably kept five miles between me and the next car and made parking and unparking a spectator sport.  Now, we got a backup sensor installed.  It tweedles when you get about four feet away from something, then gives a steady tone when you get within 18 inches.  So last night I had to go into work, and I practiced backing into the wall of a building.  It was 18 inches, all right.  Pretty neat.

Mark Olson brought his camera to the going-away party.  He and Kathy sent me photos from the going-away party held in my honor.  One is at right.

June 26.  Nothing better today.  Maybe Rosemary will have better luck with her in two weeks, when I am gone.

June 25.  Today was a "commuter trial" in Monroe, Lousiana.  It's a two-hour drive each way, so we got up at the usual time, drove out there and showed, and drove back in time for an evening barbecue. 

Roxy's Agility Ditzy, Happy Dingbat (ADHD) continues.  Her practices were going so good, I became convinced she was ready to polish off those NA and NAJ titles.  Well, she just wasn't into it today.  She did what she wanted, I didn't push her too hard, and another $30 was contributed from my bank account back to the US economy.

June 24. Another six miles for Roxy, who is looking thin.  We've upped her food to match her new activity level.  This weekend will be our last agility trial for a while; we will be commuting to Monroe for the trial there.

Roxy is blowing coat, too, which according to Grandma Denise means she will go into season in four months, that is, mid- to late October.  That's what we were expecting, since she seems to have settled in to a seven-month cycle.

Last night was my "going away party" at work, which Kathy was kind enough to set up.  What a nice thing, but as always, a bittersweet occasion.  Even the dogs got gifts, though they were not allowed in to the restaurant.

I got Pioneer Annie strapped in to the van and we ran some errands this morning.  She is really enjoying her seat belt harness.  She likes the ear-scratching and face-massaging part.

Some of you have been following the travels of the Société de Canard de Chien de Troupeau.  Right now, it's at Christy Warthling's, where you know something zany will happen.  Sure enough, here is Mr. Duck doing chores on Christy and Paul's farm.

June 23. Roxy made it eight miles walking with me today, a new record for her.  My personal record is 10 miles (at least since I was a teenager). 

June 22.  Picked up Annie's photograph at the frame shop, and her vet records at Dr. Adams'.  I transferred Kodiak's ashes to the urn that was custom-made for him. 

One good thing about moving is getting to read through all sorts of stored personal papers I have laying around.  To wit: my diary from 1967 (age 9).  Entry for December 25, 1967: "I drank champane tonight.  Played with Lost in Space [new Viewmaster reel] most of the time.  Like champane a little bit."   January 6, 1968: "Terrible day."  January 6, 1968: "Watched movie - 'The Birds'.  Was sickening.  No nightmares."

June 21.  Longest day of the year.  Happy Summer Solstice to all.

Yesterday, I had to go downtown to the Federal Building to get a new social security card — the old one has gone missing and the State of Utah has decreed that I need it in order to get a drivers' license.  I guess they ignore the part that says "Not to be used for identification" right there on the front.  I don't know why a SS card is better than a passport, but there you go.  Here was what made the trip worthwhile: I parallel-parked the van.  A Ford Econoline.  On a one-way street, parking on the left.  I am so cool.

This morning, Roxy and I took our walk.  I like to sing to her to get her attention, and no one in the park has complained yet.  It's easier to do if you only have to change one word.  Today's shuffle on my iPod (see below) came up with: "Addicted to Love" so we changed that to "Addicted to Squirrels".  "Might as well face it / You're addicted to squirrels"...like that.  The next song was Joan Baez' version of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" which became "Where Have All the Squirrels Gone".  

My iPod has been skipping.  So, I spent a good part of the day on the phone with HP tech support (it's an HP-version iPod) trying to get things fixed.  They were very nice and helpful, but the end result is, my iPod is terminally ill.  They will ship me a new one by Friday, they say.  I am having serious iPod withdrawal and I don't even know how I can exercise without one.  Ecch.

June 13.  My sister's birthday.  Happy Birthday!

This weekend was a busy one.  I logged 32 miles walking this past week, and have come close to getting my weight under 200 lbs.  I was 201 at weigh-in tonight.   I got the compost heap moved over to our neighbor's yard.  She wanted it, and Rosemary wanted it gone before I left town.  I cleared my stuff out of the attic and went through my rock collection.  Most of it was donated to some kid tonight.  There is a guy coming to look over my antique radios on Wednesday.  I'm hoping that he will fix one (a 1936 Grunow Teledial, my favorite) in return for taking the others off my hands.  The termite inspector came today and checked over the house — no evidence of any termites, and it was free.  That was a nice surprise.  I finished packing up my office this weekend.

Roxy and Dylan take their tug games very seriously. 

Looks like Roxy is going to be an aunt pretty soon.  Luckily, we keep all our watermelons locked up.

June 8. We realized that Annie is truly our pioneer dog.

Annie will be traveling to Ogden with me.  Roxy will stay with Rosemary for a month or two (maybe longer), and Dylan will stay with Rosemary until we all move out to Ogden at year's end.  So, Annie is the first dog to cross the Continental Divide and show the other dogs the Way West.  I tried to find her a Conestoga Wagon to sit in while she wore her pioneer sunbonnet, but to no avail, so it is the pioneer bonnet only.

I got Roxy plum tuckered out today.  We went for a long, long walk (did 7 miles in all) and it was later in the day than usual, so she was really worn out.  She also got mentally tired, since we walked by a day care's play area and all the kids had to reach through the fence and touch her.  She was not too keen on so many little hands clutching at her fur, but it was a good thing for her to learn.

Blueberries are ripening in the backyard, and Roxy likes to eat them before their time.  Did you know that unripe blueberries pass through a dog virtually unchanged?  I discovered that fact on our walk today.

June 7.  Word has reached the RoxyLog that Roxy's sisters have been earning titles.  Why not Roxy?  It might be an OBM (Optional Brain Module) thing.

Thorn got her PT herding title this last weekend, while Rivet got her CD obedience title.  And Roxy has never been past the match stage in obedience.  I guess I better get on the stick and get some titles on my little ditz.

June 6.  As long as we're making fun of the way dogs sleep, let's talk about Dylan.  His legs appeared mysteriously the other day.  Luckily, the rest of him was connected, but it's disconcerting to look over to the door to the study and see a pair of disembodied legs sitting there.  Maybe these belong to the elf Leg-o-less?  Some dogs sleep, but Dylan slumbers.  He finds the strangest sleeping positions.

Many of you know of my obsession with Pseudonyms of the Poseurs.  One of the women on the WW message board uses the screen name "ILUVAXLROSE".  I suppose she likes Guns 'n' Roses.  Given that "Axl Rose" is an anagram, what are we to make of this?  Somehow, "ILUVWILLIAMBRUCEBAILEY" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

While we're on the subject of music (yes, that's the subject), I really like one song on the Brazilian Girls' "Lazy Lover" EP, whose name I cannot (and will not) post here.  I found myself whistling it after class today, which would be dangerous, except none of the Occupational Therapy students is a Brazilian Girls fan.  (I checked.)

Not much training in this rain.  Maybe tomorrow morning.

June 3.  I have actually been practicing with Roxy and exercising.  Her weave poles and A-frame are pretty good, and she's even able to negotiate some pretty tough sequences I set up this morning. 

I used My Virtual Model to show what I used to look like, what I look like now, and what I will look like, since very few of you will actually see me in my underwear.  Before you let your imaginations run wild, just know that I don't look nearly as good as this dude.

Annie sleeps with her tongue out.

June 1 .  Getting ready to cross the Great Divide.  I spent a good bit of Memorial Day weekend packing boxes and cleaning out my office.  I've been asked to do a lecture today to the Occupational Therapy students, so I guess I still have my uses. 

Betty, Diana and Chersti have been doing a great job of making me feel welcome in my new job.  Betty got me a GroupWise account, so I have email and a calendar, and then Diana went and filled it up.

It keeps raining here.  I am in a mood where I don't even want to go outside and train, even though I know I can, and should. 

Good news on the diet front.  I hit 202. 5 at this week's weigh-in, so that puts me within 10 lbs of my goal of 194, which would be a BMI of 23.  Time to take some more pants in to be altered.  I am hoping to be at goal by the time I climb in the truck to take Annie and me Across the Great Divide.

Agility practice tonight, and Roxy was a little star.  She did the tunnel — weave combo with me at a distance of about 8 feet.  She made it look like the easiest Gamble in the world.   Offside weaves are doing well, also.  The A-frame performance is back, too.  I'm not expecting to see it in a trial, but it's always nice to see in practice.

Going-Away Photo:

Jim with Co-Workers and Friends

Going-Away Photo: Jim with the

Professional Portal Students

Tug is a Serious Game

Pioneer Annie

No Mas, Popi!

Dylan Slumbers

Legs of Mystery

Annie Sleeps with Her Tongue Out

Why I Joined Weight Watchers

before, now, if I reach goal

Roxy contemplates the distance between Mississippi and Utah.

Across the Great Divide

Kate Wolf

I've been walking in my sleep

Counting troubles instead of counting sheep

Where the years went, I can't say

I just turned around and they've gone away

I've been sifting through the layers
Of dusty books and faded papers
They tell a story I used to know
And it was one that happened so long ago

It's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide