Amy n Andy - ants and apples

Who knew that ants and apples might be dog food!

Amy and Andy continue to make progress. Sit, come, doing well! Putting on weight - Amy is up to 39 lbs, Andy is at 44, down a couple from 47. Now we need to put on some muscle weight for Amy. Andy is pretty optimal.


They steal from each other at the first opportunity - food, attention, whatever. But they don't fight over it. If it a particularly good thing? Like a beef bone? One might growl a little at the other - and that is the end of it. Very nice. But guaranteed either one is watching for what the other gets and they are in their face trying to steal!

Noticed a while back they were smelling the ground in the yard, and then digging the spot. Seemed to be interested in something in the ground - so who knows - moles, voles, bugs, whatever. The other day, I thought I caught Amy chewing on roots she found in the hole.

But they are definitely smelling whatever it is that is interesting. Then today, Amy does the same thing, in a new spot. Sniff, sniff, sniff, dig a little, stick nose deep in the hole, sniff. Then she started licking at the dirt. Wtf, ok then? And I look closer, to see a couple of large ants on the ground. Could it be they are smelling the ANTS? It seems Amy might be looking at the ants as food.

I suppose that would fit with being starving and contained outdoors in a yard.

Then later, Amy picks up an apple that fell from our tree, and begins rolling it downhill and playing with it! Wow. We have been trying every which way to get them to play with dog toys or balls - with zero luck. So she picks up an apple on her own, and starts playing with it! Well, OK! Let me get you some more apples! Which I did - and they played. And between playing with them chewed on them. I think Andy thought them a bit tart!

Watch:

A requiem, a new start.

Dogs. Napoleon wondered how one dog could give him such heartache, when Napoleon himself had knowingly sent thousands of men to their deaths.

Sara was 14. She had been diagnosed with cancer months ago. We were looking for new dogs to join our family even as we helped her enjoy her last days.

Klinger was 7. He was a great dog. The best trained dog we have ever had. He was devoted to us. He started having problems, like a spider bite that went necrotic - like a brown recluse type thing. But he kept having other issues - and we could find nothing wrong. This went on for a couple of months. It always seemed like this was something that he could recover from. Except Klinger kept getting worse. Not eating. Painful joints. This went on about 2 months, and he slowly kept getting a little worse. But never really really sick, you know? Finally we decided to up the ante, and went to a specialist. Did an ultrasound, found lots of cancer, but small, and distributed all over. Which was why we did not find anything by feeling for lumps and painful spots. Klinger was dead 4 days later. And that was hard. Very, very hard.

Ok, that is done.

We'd been looking, right? We had found a couple great candidates. One had a strong prey reaction to cats - nogo. Another had 12 people in front of us on an adoption list. We saw a LOT of marginal candidates for us. I mean, sure, and I'd like to save all the dogs, but I don't have 100's of acres for them and I can't pay a staff to care for them. We've got to be a little selective and pick the best dogs that we can care for and that will fit best into how we live. A few days after Klinger passed, Suzanne looked at the Saveadog site. There were three excellent candidates there. So on Saturday, we went visiting. I wasn't much into it, but I knew I should go.

Well, turned out all three were super dogs. And two were a brother and sister act. And that was our intro to Amy and Andy. And that was how it went.

Amy and Andy. Ok - we have already had LOTS of adventures - and it has only been a week? No, a week + 1/2. First, Amy got sick - some sort of GI infection - and would not eat. Passed it to Andy, of course! But it was like a human 2 day "flu" thingy - sick as a dog for a short time - then better. Huh. The wordplay was unintentional, but I left it in - realized how bad it was as soon as I wrote it!

Anyway, after a week they are both eating MUCH better and are VERY vigorous and energetic. They got TWO daily runs yesterday and today and that still was not enough. Thank heavens they love to play with each other! Suzanne has posted a couple of vids of them playing on her page.
https://www.facebook.com/zanbuell
Past 3 days they've been eating well - about 150% of what they need to maintain their weight. At this point, that is A-Ok - as they still need to add some weight. Amy is still awfully bony. Andy is better - looks more like he has filled out to an optimal weight - but Amy needs to add some flesh.

When we started running a week or so ago - they would not break into a run. Dog trot was their fastest speed. Couple days ago was a red-letter day, when Amy was willing to break into a run. Today they went 2.5 miles in the aft, and then came home and chased each other around the house and yard at top speed. MAN, I am glad they can entertain each other! If they didn't, the boredom for them would be hazardous to us.

So let me tell you about the mischief! And they are mischievous! They get along with the cats 110% A-ok. But they WILL tease the cats. Today, both cats came indoors around lunchtime to munch on their kibble. Amy knows where that kibble is (on top of a buffet), and she has stolen it a couple of times already. But she knows she is not supposed to steal it. The cats come in and start munchiing, and Amy jumps up and pops her head up right next to them for the startle effect! "GOTCHYA!" Oy, the cats jumped and hissed, and Amy looked pleased. Mind you, the cats do not regard Amy or Andy as a particular threat - or this would have been a problem.

I've resorted to what I think of as shutzhund type training for these two - a treat within a few seconds - for excellent results. I know it isn't just shutzhund trainers that use this - it seems to be popular amongst trainers these days. But I've always regarded the offering of food at every performance as a sub-par method. Anyway, WHAT-ever, eh? Today I need what works.

Remember, Amy and Andy are adult dogs, and, hmmmm . . ., let me think . . . what mischief they might get into?  So far . . .they have opened a covered trash can . . . dug into the can recyling bin (for empty cat food cans) . . .picked up a number of shoes and socks as personal chew toys . . . pee'ed inside the house (in full view of us!) . . . jumped the fence . . . and I forget what else!

On the other hand, they are a dream on leash. On our afternoon run today, we startled live turkeys.  Andy in particular, but both were VERY interested! And they started to chase. But, they only pulled slightly and then settled down. Since I run them while riding a bike, this is important! Our last dogs - Sara and Klinger - pulled me head over tea-kettle more than once when we were working on running together. And, when A&A jumped the fence, they did not take off for parts unkown. They've stayed pretty much in our larger yard. When Sara used to get out - she was gone a mile before you could shout. And Klinger just followed right along!

When A & A run with me - they can run shoulder to shoulder - actually touching, no problem. They often look like they are in lockstep and it is beautiful. They already show understanding of come, sit, stay, down, get right, get left (very useful with me on the bicycle!), and more. We still have a lot of problem spots to work on. The indoor urination, the attraction to our shoes and socks, the jumping the fence, for instance.

And we have a number of lesser quirks. For instance, they seem afraid to get close to the pond that marks the midway spot on our long runs! Won't drink the water, won't go close to the water's edge.

They are smart enough, and clever enough, that training these guys is different from training Klinger or Sara. I can't quite tell what they are thinking or how they see a situation. Unlike Sara and Klinger. Well, we are working it, tho!

Smart, they are. Energetic. Yup. Playful, cheerful, a bit timid and cautious, great dogs. I hope we can continue to provide them with sufficient activity. I think leaving these two alone for 8 hours a day would not work very well. But they are obviously glad to have a home where they get some good feedback! And we are glad to have the company!

Klinger, singin' a song for you. Just tryin' to say goodbye.

Well, fudge . Had the dog in for xrays and a new battery of bloods on Tue. Wed he was not just worse - but much worse - losing mobility in rear legs. Xrays and bloods showed mostly nothing. Two vets found no internal masses, neither by palpating nor by looking at the xrays. Thinking was, can't find anything wrong - maybe neurological disease?

Today we went to a high-priced specialist. They did ultrasound and found a lot of small masses everywhere. So, from two active dogs to none, in short order. No telling how much time this boy has left.

I had given orders which brought death to thousands. Yet here I was stirred, profoundly stirred, stirred to tears. And by what? By the grief of one dog. -- Napoleon Bonaparte

Klinger has been my buddy. I could walk into a room, and he would look at me. And I could see that looking at me made his day better. Looking at me literally made him happy. He would just look at me and smile. I don't think I've ever had a dog do that before. Spencer Quinn writes, in his Chet and Bernie mystery series, of Chet (the dog) as looking at Bernie (the dog's human) that way. He has Chet describe Bernie as beautiful and nice to look at. It is a heck of a compliment, ya know! Made me feel good in turn.

Klinger hasn't been a one-person dog, but not far off, either. He has pretty much been my shadow the past couple years. And I've found myself attached to him, as well. So when it comes time, I'll put him down myself, and cry like a baby. I won't have it done somewhere other than home, and not by somebody else. I'll miss this one. So I may cry between now and that next time, too.

He has gone downhill very rapidly. So quickly, that it has been more than a little confusing. We only started to notice anything wrong about two months back. And, even then, it all got confused with the other problems that he had simultaneously.

I took him to the vet 'cause he had not eaten for 3 days. And he had a modest fever, and was going through panting sessions.

At the same time, he had a hard cyst growing in his groin area. I pointed this out to the vet - and he figured it looked like a spider bite. Which could cause all the symptoms we had. The cyst got large, and hard, and it eventually became a dermonecrotic lesion. Which is a fancy word for a big hole in his gut - and a very dramatic time.

At the same time, he was having digestive issues, and neurotic issues over flies and other buzzing and flying insects, and eating issues. I figured that the fly issues stemmed from the bug bite. It all got very confusing, and very dramatic.

And up until we got the ultrasound done - there was nothing that could be found that pointed to any reason for him to be going downhill. No lumps, no localized pain, no pain sensitivity at any point, no growths. For all intents and purposes, he looked healthy. Which made his distress all the more confusing and painful to us.

But, although he appeared healthy, he wasn't. The ultrasound showed small distributed masses growing throughout many parts of his body.

And I guess he was telling us he was sick by not eating. I had been thinking that the fly neuroses was affecting his appetite. He has always been affected by outside things that hurt, like bees and wasps and biting flies. He learned quickly (too quickly) to avoid whatever he was doing when they stung or bit. So that idea seemed rational. But it was wrong. Looking back, I will say he just wasn't very hungry, which is what happens when cancer is eating you up inside. 

I like to use some of the ancient traditions for the passage to the next world. I know these motions - giving those who are passing something to go over with - are mostly for us who are still here. I gave my Dad a maple leaf when he went - trees were his life. And that kind of started it for me.


Sara - the old one who passed a few weeks ago - got a bunch of treats to carry her over the river. Sara loved food, and running, and sniffing, and barking. People and doing things with them (like obedience!) were somewhere lower on the priority list. Often much lower. But she was a happy, and game dog. People naturally took to her friendly, open, and smiling face.

For Klinger? This one will need a vigil. I'll probably do a fireside vigil for him. Being touched was the path to motivate Klinger. Treats were a secondary motivation. When he got distracted by other dogs or critters, treats were completely useless. But scratch his ears? Good any time!
 
For Klinger, dropping some food into the grave with him won't hold much meaning. Things, and food, didn't mean much to Klinger. He loved going out in the field to run - he was very happy then - always with a big smile on his face. And he liked being touched. Whether grooming or scratching his head and ears, he was a fool for that.

And he was my buddy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS90xx3RMd4


Oft I sing for my friends
When death's cold hand I see
When I reach my journey's end
Who will sing one song for me

I wonder (I wonder) who
Will sing (will sing) for me
When I'm called to cross that silent sea
Who will sing for me

When friends shall gather round
And look down on me
Will they turn and walk away
Or will they sing one song for me

So I'll sing til the end
Contented I will be
Assured that some friends
Will sing one song for me

Don't weep for me when I am gone,
Just keep sweet song still rolling on;
Until from earth you are set free,
Remember, friends to sing for me. 

"Who will sing for me". Authored maybe by the Stanley brothers, or maybe by Thomas J. Farris. Last chorus from another version.

I'll sing for ya, buddy.

Grandpa said it would be like this

Grandpa told me about how it was. His brothers and sisters - all his family - were gone. Passed. His friends were gone. Passed. He, and Prilly, his 2nd wife, were the only ones left. Prilly was a bridesmaid at his first wedding - to Dorothea. Dorothea Bristol - my grandmother. But Grandpa was the last. It didn't take but a couple of sentences for him to say it. His friends had passed. His family had passed. The people of his generation - all passed.

So, I knew it would come to my life, someday. Of course, back then, when G-pa said it, it WAS "someday". Someday in the unknown and unknowable future. But, in the FUTURE.

I'd had a friend or two who passed away young - an auto accident - cancer - but they were very much the exception. I knew, someday, this would change.

And, today, it is changing. High school classmates are passing at an increasing rate. Famous people my age - many are passing. Which brings me to the reason for this post. I mean, life goes on - we all know that. When you get old you die, sooner or later.

But a few days ago Terry Pratchett died. He was 3 years older than me. He had a true gift for words - the like of which we only see less than a dozen in any generation. He was a genius for wisdom packed into fantasy and humor. His obit page on Yahoo linked to an animated movie of Wyrd Sisters - but I tell ya - it was pretty poor. They put all kinds of stereotypes on the words and characters Pratchett created, and asfaic, they didn't catch the characters much.

Pratchett managed to capture true wisdom in comedic characters. He had a viciously clear eye for the truth of human relations.

Note: I saved this as a draft when I wrote it, shortly after Terry Pratchett's death. I wasn't sure it would stand up to time, so I set it aside. But Pratchett was an exceptional mind for his vision of the human condition and the human spirit. We have lost a great man. I wrote this post in grief over Pratchett's passing, and never finished the thoughts here. 

To tie up the loose ends then: Terry Pratchett was a great man and a great thinker. Now, granted, he did his thinking in some novels that were typically light-hearted. But it was still some pretty deep commentary on humans and what being a member of that group called humanity meant. Some very pithy stuff buried at a rather shallow level - but buried enough that you could ignore the depth and just pay attention to the fun on the surface. 

The other loose end was the message Grandpa imparted. In short: we pass. Hang around long enough and everybody you knew will pass. And after many years of youth, when you might lose a few, a time will come when all those remaining will pass in quick step. And not a day will go by but what you are hit by what has passed. 

And my message is that, for my generation, that time has begun. 

More Spring - and reflections on hand-made

Thursday, March 12, 2015 9:24:21 PM

Addendum to the whole spring thing: We can see more of our roads and even some ground off the side of the road now. I swear, it felt for a while like we were going to be like the MacKenzie Pass in Oregon - the roads might open in late May but surely by June! So much has melted, I can see stuff I haven't seen in it feels like months! We still have giant heaps on the roadsides and at the edges of parking lots. And it is still very much in the way - blocking visibility when entering the local highways.


On home-made stuff. The past few winters have seen me using the same mittens Mom knitted for me some 45 years ago. Inside their buckskin outer mitts, they are still the warmest handwear I have in the winter - better than fancy modern insulated ski gloves. There is something special for me in hand-made stuff, especially when it was made as a gift. In the case of these mittens, tho, in spite of their age, they are still the best thing going. In addition to being beautiful. It helps that they spent most of the intervening years in storage - they weren't much needed in most of the places I've lived since leaving home so many years ago. It is really rather amazing, I think, that I even still have them. I don't think most people would have held on to these that long - and I even lost track of them more than once. Fortunately they always turned up again.

The mittens are not the only hand-made thing I've been enjoying the past couple years. There is my "Thank You" coffee travel mug. It is an obviously hand painted ceramic travel mug, with stars, flowers and a large "Thank You!, Thank You!" hand painted on the handle. It wasn't made for me - and whoever was the intended recipient never used it. I "inherited" it via the recycling table at our transfer station (recycling and garbage depot). I love the obvious effort that went into this mug - and it cheers me to use it!

And then, there is the "rescue" blanket project I recently did. For many years I have had a handmade woolen poncho/blanket I bought in Guatemala on a long-ago vacation. It is not all that beautiful or anything - and it is standard tourist purchase stuff. But the yarn is quite obviously hand spun, and the poncho was obviously hand woven, and it is wool. Which all means it is a lovely bit of fabric, if you can appreciate it for what it is. The problem, for me, is that it is poncho-sized - about 5 feet square. Meaning it wasn't much good for anything I could use it for. It is overly light in weight for a rug. It is too small to use as a blanket. It is not attractive enough to use as a wall-hanging. So it has hung around for years, only occasionally getting used as a tv blanket - or sometimes as a coverlet.

But recently, at that same transfer station recycling table, I saw a light weight woolen blanket, made of mostly a natural white, undyed wool. It had seen some use, and had some spots that were unraveling from wear. And it had pastel borders - not colors that would recommend  the thing to me. However, I thought maybe I could use the good fabric, and 'rescue' the Guatemalan poncho! I tossed the blanket in the freezer for a couple of weeks to kill any moth larvae, should it have any. Then I cut it into large sections, which I pieced on to the Guatemalan poncho, and voila! I have a regular blanket sized thing now! So it is getting used on a regular basis. Blanket rescue!

I taste the air, and it feels like spring.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015 6:45:34 AM

I taste the air, and it feels like spring.

I open the kitchen door to let a dog out. It is cold outside, but it feels - different. It is not like the feeling of impending snow, or of winter's colder temperatures. It is filled with promise, and comfort. And I leave the door open to let in fresh air for the first time in, oh, I don't know, it feels like it has been months!

I've been opening the door only far enough for the dog or cat to get outside. And if they did not move fast enough, I either closed the door, or scooted them along with my foot to hurry them up. I love fresh air, and our windows usually stay partly open, even in cold weather. Just a crack when it gets cold, but just a little for fresh air. Not this winter. We've closed them up tight this year.

But spring is the topic! I opened the door, and tasted the air, and felt the air, and looked around, and I could feel the beginnings of comfortable! It is a magical, exciting, promising feeling. I love spring. It is my favorite season. Now, spring is nice everywhere, but in most sections of the country it is nice, whilst the magic is not so strong. In New England, though, spring is especially exciting and promising. And it was experiencing spring, up here, that gave spring the special meaning it has to me. Most folks would pick summer, fall, or winter as their favorite season. My pick is spring.

I do not know exactly what it is that creates the feeling of spring. Whether it is the quality of the light, the humidity levels, the temperature, a scent on the air, the sounds of the wild critters moving about, or the sound of water, I do not know. It might be it is all of them together.

It could be longer days. Except the days have been getting longer for more than two months, and we've yet been deep in the grips of winter. I knew the promise was there - every morning the light came a little earlier - and I love that. I love waking up with the light.

It could be that there was humidity in the air, except it gets more humid when snow is coming, also, and that does not signify spring! The temperatures has gone up a bit, and that certainly contributes to the feeling of the air! I don't think it is the scent of anything yet, there is nothing I can see quickening and greening, and the sap is not yet flowing in the trees - although it should be soon.

The sounds of the wild critters definitely ups the mood ante. The birds are singing more. I heard the hoot owls getting all crazy just a couple of nights ago: "whoo-ho, hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo". I could hear at least a half dozen "whoo"-ing at each other near our house. The squirrels are back raiding the bird feeders - and looking scrawny, too. I'll be giving them a little extra discouragement soon enough.

But there is one more thing that adds to the feeling in the air - that creates the intuitive knowledge in my body that spring has begun: the sound of water. In winter there is silence. Yes, the birds sing, footsteps on the snow squeak and crunch, but otherwise, the world is muffled and silent. There is no rustling of leaves, no scurrying of creatures, not tiny, small, medium, nor large. But now the creatures are sometimes about, and I can hear water.

Water and I have developed a special relationship in my life. You could say I have an affinity with running, living waters. Being close to these waters has always done something extra for my soul. It very much like having enough daylight - too many grey days seriously depress me. And, of course, now science tells us that the sound of running water DOES do good things for us psychologically. Whatever, I learned it was an important and special thing as a youngster, when I was living with the ocean on one side, and the intracoastal waterway (a series of estuaries on the Atlantic coast of Florida, for those who've not lived there) on the other. A few years later, when I moved to New England, there was springtime, and the return of the sounds of water.

It is dripping from the eaves. The icicles are melting, and falling off the roof. Roads, paths and driveways are clearing. There are streams and rivulets on every hill. Which is everywhere around here. And you can hear them all. Spring in the Columbia River basin has this effect in spades - with waterfalls everywhere and rainbows and mist to go along with it. But the sounds of running water helps make spring in our northeast special.

There you have it. Springtime is special. Some people get flowers, some get rain. Some people get a cessation of rain (think Pacific Northwest)! Here, it starts with the melting of the snow, the singing of the birds, and a feeling of the air.

I left the door open, until it got quite chilly inside the kitchen. It felt good.

The bullshit of e-books

Comments on my recent adventures into the world of tablet computers and ebooks.

I still use a flip phone. Flip phones have become a public target of jokes. As in "you're so old . . .". But you know something? I've always been an early adopter. I have a whole lifetime of history on this to point to. But I am usually of the 2nd generation of early adopters. I don't like to geek out in zones where I'm always having to tinker. That's not early adopting - that is following fads. And then you can call yourself an early adopter if your fad actually becomes useful, popular, and used.

Seriously, a few years ago, they came up with names for the stages of early adoption for tech devices:  "innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority,  . . ."(Wikipedia). Regardless, for me, a smart phone and a tablet have, until recently, seemed more like fancy toys than serious tech. There was no essential function they filled for me - and they were way too problem-ridden. Too problem-ridden, and too brand dominated. Nobody's stuff works with anybody else's stuff, know what I mean? At least with the prior generation of tech - Palm devices - I could get synchronization between my computers and device with a little effort. But, in this new world, there is no dominant device. If I go with a Mac device, I have to figure out how to make it talk to my linux boxes. Windows, Android, whatever, ETC. Ad nauseum. So, I had no need for them, and they looked to be more like a drag on my time.

Ditto e-book readers. Everybody wants their format on the market, and nobody is standardizing. Hey, anybody remember the magnetic tape market? Reel-to-reel? Cassetes? 8-track? How about video! Betamax! VHS! Sheesh. You'd think people would learn. Nope. Can't happen. Kindle. Adobe. Microsoft must have something in there - I don't know. Whatever. Make the story short - I didn't bother. Precisely because it was a bother. No advantage to it for me.

Until this spring. When I thought I had an expat contract, and was looking at going overseas? All of a sudden an e-book reader makes sense. So, I do what everybody does now - I googled it. Turns out the Nexus (Asus), current version, not early, was getting very good reviews and comments. It used Android instead of MS. It was supposed to be able to read pretty much any e-book format. AND, it was a tablet, meaning I could use it for more than just an e-book reader. So maybe I can finally find a replacement for my last, and long dead, Palm.

Went down to the store, checked it out. Looks pretty sharp. Nice attachments available. Sales person assures me that I had read correctly - it could read any e-book. And I bought it.

And it works pretty good. Except I am QUICKLY reminded of why I HATE touch screens. They are a major pain in the ass. They are extremely inaccurate and unresponsive. Oh - the pictures you see on tv, swish here, swipe there and VOILA! Ending in some graphically wondrous enchantment? All true enough - when it works. But, unfortunately, it often does not work. Typing is more than a p.i.t.a. It is MAJOR pita. Try to get the cursor into a text box? Oh yeah, sure - I have to tap it so many times and so hard I'm afraid I'm going to break the goddam screen! Palm's stylus was a very minor pita in comparison. Make a typing error? Need to go back to the middle of the word and delete one letter and insert a new one? Good luck with that! Tip! Tap. TAP. TAP! TAP!!!!  And still no joy - but eventually I get the cursor inserted. Sheesh. My world for a set of arrow buttons.

Another trip to the store. No more of this. I get a mouse. A mouse makes life much better with the tablet. It works. And later I make ANOTHER trip to the store, to pick out a keyboard. From my Palm experience, I am pretty sure that will go much better if I can do a LIVE test and make sure the keyboard WORKS as advertised. Oh - yeah - and I can't use any sort of thumb drive or flash card - unless I get a USB dongle. So I get a dongle.

Ok, so all should be cool now, right? Wrong. Can't read the USB memory sticks. Wft I say? Turns out I have to download an app. Ok, Learning Curve! I'm not smiling, but perhaps I am becoming operational. Turns out I have to download apps for everything, including e-books. But at least I'm getting used to it.

~~~~

So. I'm busy with other stuff for a while, and the tablet sits in its drawer. Then its a couple of weeks later, and I figure I'll get something to read. I'm tired, and I'd like a nice break. A good book would do the trick. So, I look up my library's web site. And, it doesn't work with the tablet. Oh, it works - but not really. I can't get to the forms to login, can't navigate, etc. It isn't really functional. I can see it, but not much better. I manage to use mouse and keyboard to login. So I go to the search page. Whoops. This is even worse.

Ok, nvm, . I take the tablet, put it on the desk, and open my regular computer. This is when I WANT to take a hammer to the damn thing. But I exercise my patience! Login to my library account on my desktop, and run a search for some likely reading material in ebook form. Find some stuff, ok. Download? Hmmmm - manage to figure out how to get it to download onto the tablet. It only takes about 5 screens, and signing up for some new account with somebody the library works through. And I have to eventually figure out how to get to the download screen from the tablet, once I get through all the other junk. Ok. Got some downloads!

A few days go by. I try to open an ebook. Can't. No app. So, download an app. It doesn't work very well. Download another app (and I don't have the faintest idea what is any good, the rating schemes are not very helpful). Ok - this one at least I can FIND the ebooks and "import" them. Except - whoops - it wants some kind of password for some Adobe account. Which I don't have.

And it takes a few more days before I have time to figure this section out. I have to go to Adobe while online and register. Just ANOTHER online entity who wants more info about me than they need or should have. You know, Adobe systems has been a perennial disappointment for many years. Adobe - such a fine, grand name. With a name like that, you would have to expect them to be salt of the earth, good neighbors, and downright good steady people, right? I mean adobe - the word for a simple clay, natural, earth-friendly, traditional,  for building simple, down-to-earth buildings. Got to be good, right? But Adobe Flash is a security abomination that has spent as much time not working as working, and should be banned from every computer. Adobe reader, and pdf file ("Portable Document Format") should be righteous standards, right? Weyelll - partly, eh? Except they charge a monstrous big price for a full version of Acrobat - their software to write to pdf files. And Reader is always more crippled than not. But you can gripe with my griping about Reader. They do pretty well on that score, even if they haven't always done. And it is free. Although, frankly, I think they should charge less for Acrobat, and charge a little for Reader.

Anyway, now my library has Adobe E-pub books. I checked them out from the library. Should have been simple enough.  Wasn't, not quite, but got that done. Now, should be able to read them, yes? Noooooo - got to register with Adobe first! Piffle. But I get that done, too. Should be able to read the books now, right? I've had them for five days, they are due back in just over a week.

But can I open them? NOOOOOO! Can't do that! "Download has expired!" Got to re-download!

You have ephing got to be kidding me. This is ephing ridiculous. I checked the books out.  WHY SHOULD THE CHECK-OUT SYSTEM CARE WHETHER I'VE OPENED THE EPHING BOOKS OR NOT!

So guess who's going to get an earful from me. This is ridiculous, and I'm going to hand some of this shit back to somebody in the system.

Oh, and btw, remember that download? Ooops. I should have written down how I got it to work - because now I want to do it again - and I can't! Poop. Which means, more of my time, devoted to making something work, that it seems like SHOULD have worked without all this bullshit.