Yes, I realize all the freebies I've posted so far have been for junk food, but what can I say: I like what I like.
(Speaking of, did anyone have better luck than I did finding the free Blue Bunny frozen yogurt over the Memorial Day weekend? At least I have coupons for free candy bars from www.realchocolate.com on the way...)
Anywho, back to the latest nutritionally challenged freebie:
On Wednesday, June 3, between 8:00 p.m. and midnight, Sonic Drive-ins will be giving away free 10-ounce root beer floats while supplies last. Maybe that's not worth your time. Or maybe you'll drive 20 minutes one-way for it. No judgments either way.
For more information or to locate your nearest Sonic (as if you don't already know), visit www.sonicdrivein.com.
Happy sipping!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Shredder Strikes Back
The newly mended ducks had barely landed in the toy bin last night when Sherman plucked one from the pile, plopped down on it... and promptly ripped it open. And like a Lay's potato chip, he couldn't eat just one; I found the remains of another later on and today awoke to this art installment:
Annye may look guilty sitting amid the fluff, but trust me, Sherm's the culprit; he just had the sense to flee when he saw the camera this time.
Annye may look guilty sitting amid the fluff, but trust me, Sherm's the culprit; he just had the sense to flee when he saw the camera this time.
Friday, May 22, 2009
In This Corner: Sherman the Shredder
Not much to report on behalf of the dogs this week; they've been surprisingly quiet. I can't decide whether it's the sudden increase in temperature — we went from low 50s F to mid-70s and rising — or Sherman's having yet another growth spurt and the other three are taking advantage of the brief calm.
Which is not to say the week has been without incident. A few bicyclists have been lunged, a few plants have been broken, a few saucers punctured — but all outside, thankfully. (We don't get many bicyclists indoors.) And of course, we've had the weekly Repairing of the Plush ritual.
Sherman has several plush toys — some purchased for him, some commandeered from his siblings — but his favorites are a flock of ducks and one no-longer-recognizable hedgehog.
Actually, maybe "favorites" is the wrong term; maybe they're really the ones he likes the least, because apparently Sherm has decided it's his mission to disembowel each and every one of them. Repeatedly. It usually goes something like this:
Cary: "Sherman, what are you doing? Sherman. Don't you shred that duck; don't you —"
(sound of fabric ripping)
Cary: "Sherman, goddamnit! Look at the mess your mother has to clean up!"
After he's shredded three or four plush, I restuff and stitch them up as best as I care to, then return them to the dogs' toy bin. But within minutes, Sherman's ripped one open again and is happily frolicking in the fluffy white goodness he's liberated.
I would get mad at him, but they ARE dog toys and we DID give them to him, and if they keep him from shredding my Teddy bears, well, I guess they're worth the extra effort. Now if I can just hold that thought as I tackle the next round of mending...
Which is not to say the week has been without incident. A few bicyclists have been lunged, a few plants have been broken, a few saucers punctured — but all outside, thankfully. (We don't get many bicyclists indoors.) And of course, we've had the weekly Repairing of the Plush ritual.
Sherman has several plush toys — some purchased for him, some commandeered from his siblings — but his favorites are a flock of ducks and one no-longer-recognizable hedgehog.Actually, maybe "favorites" is the wrong term; maybe they're really the ones he likes the least, because apparently Sherm has decided it's his mission to disembowel each and every one of them. Repeatedly. It usually goes something like this:Cary: "Sherman, what are you doing? Sherman. Don't you shred that duck; don't you —"
(sound of fabric ripping)
Cary: "Sherman, goddamnit! Look at the mess your mother has to clean up!"
After he's shredded three or four plush, I restuff and stitch them up as best as I care to, then return them to the dogs' toy bin. But within minutes, Sherman's ripped one open again and is happily frolicking in the fluffy white goodness he's liberated.
I would get mad at him, but they ARE dog toys and we DID give them to him, and if they keep him from shredding my Teddy bears, well, I guess they're worth the extra effort. Now if I can just hold that thought as I tackle the next round of mending...
Free Chocolate Fridays
Yes, you read that correctly: Free Chocolate!
Every Friday through the end of September, M&M/Mars is giving away 250,000 coupons for free, full-size candy bars such as Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, 3 Musketeers, Dove, and of course M&M's. There's a limit of one coupon request per e-mail address per Friday, but — and here's the best part — you may return on a following Friday and request another coupon, up to four per household!
Just visit:
www.realchocolate.com
... each Friday after 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to request your coupon. Those of us on the West Coast needn't fret; I requested mine this morning at 11:00 a.m. local time and was still "one of the lucky people eligible to register." Woo hoo! If you do happen to miss out, however, you can ask to be reminded the following Friday. Who says big corporations don't care?
Every Friday through the end of September, M&M/Mars is giving away 250,000 coupons for free, full-size candy bars such as Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, 3 Musketeers, Dove, and of course M&M's. There's a limit of one coupon request per e-mail address per Friday, but — and here's the best part — you may return on a following Friday and request another coupon, up to four per household!
Just visit:
www.realchocolate.com
... each Friday after 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to request your coupon. Those of us on the West Coast needn't fret; I requested mine this morning at 11:00 a.m. local time and was still "one of the lucky people eligible to register." Woo hoo! If you do happen to miss out, however, you can ask to be reminded the following Friday. Who says big corporations don't care?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Free Ice Cream for Memorial Day
I admit it: I love free stuff.
I'm not talking about the 1/8 of a teaspoon lotion samples or the small cubes of Tempurpedic mattress (although that one came in handy when my cousins' dog bit a chunk out of their foam mattress); I'm talking honest-to-goodness, full-size, stuff-I'll-actually-use free stuff.
In case any of you, like me, aren't jetting off to some fabulous locale this Memorial Day weekend and will instead be doing glamorous things like work in the yard and go to the grocery store, you can at least treat yourself to some free ice cream. Okay, so it's not completely free – it'll cost you a stamp and an envelope to claim your rebate – and it's really a "frozen yogurt granola novelty"... but that almost sounds like health food!
Just visit:
www.bluebunnyfrozenyogurt.com
... to print the form. Make sure you purchase either treat this Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, and then get your rebate submission in the mail by June 10. It's a short turn-around time but, hey: it's also less time to lose your receipt.
Enjoy your holiday weekend - and please let me know if you want me to post more worth-your-time freebies in the future!
I'm not talking about the 1/8 of a teaspoon lotion samples or the small cubes of Tempurpedic mattress (although that one came in handy when my cousins' dog bit a chunk out of their foam mattress); I'm talking honest-to-goodness, full-size, stuff-I'll-actually-use free stuff.
In case any of you, like me, aren't jetting off to some fabulous locale this Memorial Day weekend and will instead be doing glamorous things like work in the yard and go to the grocery store, you can at least treat yourself to some free ice cream. Okay, so it's not completely free – it'll cost you a stamp and an envelope to claim your rebate – and it's really a "frozen yogurt granola novelty"... but that almost sounds like health food!
Just visit:
www.bluebunnyfrozenyogurt.com
... to print the form. Make sure you purchase either treat this Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, and then get your rebate submission in the mail by June 10. It's a short turn-around time but, hey: it's also less time to lose your receipt.
Enjoy your holiday weekend - and please let me know if you want me to post more worth-your-time freebies in the future!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
A Not-So-Serene Sunday
If only we could harness Sherman's energy, we could reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil – hell, on oil, period. We might even curb global warming (unless like my brother, you think that's a myth). Ah, if only. If only...
Sadly we can't harness it yet, so the best we can do it try to run it off – which is what we attempted to do on a recent Sunday:
We loaded up all four dogs and took them to the forest. We hadn't been there since Sherman was a pup and went scuba diving without the SCUBA, so we thought, hey, it'll be a big treat for them.
For us, not so much.
The fun started before the dogs were even out of the truck. The people who live in a nearby house were out in their yard, letting their kids and their two Huskies run around, so we decided to leash the dogs until we were down the road a ways. Cary pops the top of the canopy and four black dogs rush us. I'm pushing with all I have to keep Sherman in as he drags his claws back and forth on the tailgate, leaving lovely white tracks in the dark gray paint. Fabulous.
Somehow we get Tripper, Sherm, and Annye clipped to their leashes. Cary decides to trust Miele and drops the tailgate. Tripp and Miele sail past our heads. Sherm follows suit, with the unlucky difference of being tied to me. I do an oh-so-graceful pirouette, yelling "Sherman, no!" as my free arm whips around and smacks Cary.
Unfazed, Cary holds Annye back while putting the ramp in place. Luckily Annye is smart enough to realize she needs the ramp if she wants to avoid breaking her leg again. Needs the ramp or needs to be lifted but – sorry, fat dog – I think your being lifted days are over.
Then, tragedy strikes: Cary's grip on the ramp slips. It starts to fall, he grabs for it... and royally tweaks his back. As he howls and slowly straightens, I'm whipping in all directions, tethered to a wild animal intent on breaking free.
Ah, Sundays with our clan. So serene. So Norman Rockwellian.
Annye surveyed the two-ring circus for a moment, then romped down the ramp as if to say "Not my problem!" before bounding to join her siblings. I decided Sherman would do the same and managed to reel him in just long enough to unclip his leash. (I haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure my right arm is now an inch longer than the left.)
But the fun didn't stop there. Oh no, sirs and madams.
We managed to stay together and on the logging road until we got to a place where we let the dogs swim. The creek was still high, so the bank and the rocks we normally walk on were smaller – not to mention slicker – than usual. Cary wisely chose to stay up closer to the road but not I; I dared to climb down to the creek with four spastic dogs whirling around me, hip-checking my knees along the way.
The girls waded in to get a drink but then returned to hang with Daddy. I pretended to throw rocks for Tripp so he'd jump in and swim. He prefers real rocks, of course, but he'll pretend if it's his only option. Sherm ran along the rocks, wanting to chase Tripp but not quite willing to belly-flop into the cold water. He ended up swimming – okay, falling in – once, then swiped up and down my legs as if my jeans were his personal towel.
All's going relatively well until Cary announces it's time to go. The boys blow past and fly up the path, dripping all the way. That's when I realize the slab of rock I'm standing on is drenched and extra-slick. If I hadn't noticed, maybe I would have been okay... but I did notice, and on my second step, my feet shot out from under me. Butt and rock met as they have so many times before.
I looked up to find Cary hadn't even noticed; he was busy storing his camera.
"Ow," I called.
"Ya fall down?" he asked.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a Master of The Obvious.
"Yes, I fell down," I said as I tried to regain my footing.
"Why'd ya do that?"
All I can say is he's lucky I was only pretending to throw rocks for Tripp.
This Sunday – as in today – we're off to our nephew’s first birthday bash, but the coming Memorial Day weekend's weather is supposed to be just as beautiful. Maybe the six of us will go visit friends in eastern or southern Oregon. Maybe we'll try another forest outing. Or maybe we'll come to our senses, and just let the animals run around in the backyard while we lounge on the deck.
After recounting our last adventure, the backyard is looking pretty good.
Sadly we can't harness it yet, so the best we can do it try to run it off – which is what we attempted to do on a recent Sunday:
We loaded up all four dogs and took them to the forest. We hadn't been there since Sherman was a pup and went scuba diving without the SCUBA, so we thought, hey, it'll be a big treat for them.
For us, not so much.
The fun started before the dogs were even out of the truck. The people who live in a nearby house were out in their yard, letting their kids and their two Huskies run around, so we decided to leash the dogs until we were down the road a ways. Cary pops the top of the canopy and four black dogs rush us. I'm pushing with all I have to keep Sherman in as he drags his claws back and forth on the tailgate, leaving lovely white tracks in the dark gray paint. Fabulous.
Somehow we get Tripper, Sherm, and Annye clipped to their leashes. Cary decides to trust Miele and drops the tailgate. Tripp and Miele sail past our heads. Sherm follows suit, with the unlucky difference of being tied to me. I do an oh-so-graceful pirouette, yelling "Sherman, no!" as my free arm whips around and smacks Cary.
Unfazed, Cary holds Annye back while putting the ramp in place. Luckily Annye is smart enough to realize she needs the ramp if she wants to avoid breaking her leg again. Needs the ramp or needs to be lifted but – sorry, fat dog – I think your being lifted days are over.
Then, tragedy strikes: Cary's grip on the ramp slips. It starts to fall, he grabs for it... and royally tweaks his back. As he howls and slowly straightens, I'm whipping in all directions, tethered to a wild animal intent on breaking free.
Ah, Sundays with our clan. So serene. So Norman Rockwellian.
Annye surveyed the two-ring circus for a moment, then romped down the ramp as if to say "Not my problem!" before bounding to join her siblings. I decided Sherman would do the same and managed to reel him in just long enough to unclip his leash. (I haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure my right arm is now an inch longer than the left.)
But the fun didn't stop there. Oh no, sirs and madams.
We managed to stay together and on the logging road until we got to a place where we let the dogs swim. The creek was still high, so the bank and the rocks we normally walk on were smaller – not to mention slicker – than usual. Cary wisely chose to stay up closer to the road but not I; I dared to climb down to the creek with four spastic dogs whirling around me, hip-checking my knees along the way.
The girls waded in to get a drink but then returned to hang with Daddy. I pretended to throw rocks for Tripp so he'd jump in and swim. He prefers real rocks, of course, but he'll pretend if it's his only option. Sherm ran along the rocks, wanting to chase Tripp but not quite willing to belly-flop into the cold water. He ended up swimming – okay, falling in – once, then swiped up and down my legs as if my jeans were his personal towel.All's going relatively well until Cary announces it's time to go. The boys blow past and fly up the path, dripping all the way. That's when I realize the slab of rock I'm standing on is drenched and extra-slick. If I hadn't noticed, maybe I would have been okay... but I did notice, and on my second step, my feet shot out from under me. Butt and rock met as they have so many times before.
I looked up to find Cary hadn't even noticed; he was busy storing his camera.
"Ow," I called.
"Ya fall down?" he asked.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a Master of The Obvious.
"Yes, I fell down," I said as I tried to regain my footing.
"Why'd ya do that?"
All I can say is he's lucky I was only pretending to throw rocks for Tripp.
This Sunday – as in today – we're off to our nephew’s first birthday bash, but the coming Memorial Day weekend's weather is supposed to be just as beautiful. Maybe the six of us will go visit friends in eastern or southern Oregon. Maybe we'll try another forest outing. Or maybe we'll come to our senses, and just let the animals run around in the backyard while we lounge on the deck.
After recounting our last adventure, the backyard is looking pretty good.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A Sherman Short
So I went into the master bathroom a few minutes ago and noticed something dark in the shower. What the...?
I pushed the glass door a little wider and saw this:
This isn’t the first time Sherman’s been in the shower – he likes to lap up the water after I’ve used it, so much so he's almost knocked me over a few times – but this is the first time I’ve found him sleeping in there.
I know Labs are water dogs, but really....
I pushed the glass door a little wider and saw this:
This isn’t the first time Sherman’s been in the shower – he likes to lap up the water after I’ve used it, so much so he's almost knocked me over a few times – but this is the first time I’ve found him sleeping in there.I know Labs are water dogs, but really....
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