My Dog, the Gopher Slayer

Imagine my surprise when I returned home from shopping, and found my five-year old golden retriever outside digging a hole. 

Koa is normally a pretty calm dog as exemplified to the right pictured with a little two-week old chick atop her head.  She has been "trained" not to dig.  But we have a mole or gopher in our backyard that has been giving her hours of something to do besides sleep.  Her daily routine usually consists of getting up around 7 am along with my middle daughter who she tends to retire with for the night.  Then she looks around for my youngest daughter who feeds her breakfast.  That's one of the main highlights of her day.  Then, after she sees everyone off to school or work, she finds a nice place to lie around and take a nap.  When it is sunny, she's often outside sunbathing.  Then, it's her job to greet everyone enthusiastically when they return home from school or work, giving them loads of tail waggings and love.  She loves to take long walks when the weather is nice, but when it's raining, we can barely manage to get her outside to do her thing.  At night, when the kids are done with homework and baths, she gets to relax while we watch TV and get a nice brushing with her Furminator.  She LOVES that.  Then, it's time to go to bed and start the routine all over again.

It's been raining quite a bit these past few weeks.  Today was a relatively dry day compared to the many days of pelting rain we've been getting in Northern California.  So Koa must have needed some outside time because when I came home from my errands, she was not in her usual napping spot.  That's when I found her, digging away like a long lost bone must have been rediscovered!

When I went out to inspect the damage, to my utter horror was a dead -- something!  It did not have a long tail, so I'm ruling out a mouse or rat.  It did not have those weird, two-inch long teeth that moles have.  So my guess is she got a gopher.  The rain must have driven it out of its underground hole, and there were mounds of dirt where the gopher residence was. 

To celebrate, we're giving Koa a nice spa treatment at PetSmart.  Nails and all.  Good job, Koa!

ICE App for iPhone

Are you familiar with the ICE concept? I wasn't until last week.  

I learned that ICE stands for In Case of Emergency and was conceived in the mid-2000s by a British  paramedic Bob Brotchie.  The program encourages people to enter emergency contacts in their cell phones contacts lists under the name ICE.  

The concept has now crossed over to iPhone Apps.  LegalZoom,  recently partnered with Donate Life America to launch a new, FREE iPhone app—the ICE App.  

The ICE App provides first responders -- paramedics, firefighters, police officers, emergency room personnel, doctors and nurses -- with access to critical information that can potentially save a life in the event of an emergency. 

Information stored on the iPhone through ICE App includes the patient's name, photograph, date of birth, height and weight; emergency contact names and numbers; medical conditions, blood type, food allergies, medication allergies, and current medications; plus the patient's organ donation preference.

It is recommended that you place the ICE App icon in the upper right hand corner on the first page of your iPhone.

While I think this is a terrific idea, the issue with this app (and others like it) is that should your phone be locked, emergency personnel will not have access to this critical information.  Hopefully, the developers will find a way to bypass the lock function.

In general this app was created as part of a greater movement to encourage people to be prepared for the unthinkable.  Overall, I think the idea of having emergency information in your cell phone (and wallet)  is a smart one.  It might save your life.

We are curious to know if you have ever heard of the ICE concept.  Leave us a comment, letting us know and we will give one reader an ICE app t-shirt.  Contest ends, February 2nd.

Brotherly Love

I'm still cleaning up my Christmas decorations.  Yes, I know it has been nearly a month since we celebrated Christmas.  I have a few more ornaments to put away (they looked lovely in my big glass hurricane vase) and my reindeer candle holders, but I'm almost there.

As I was cleaning, I found this gift tag that I thought I'd share because even a month later, it cracks me up.  This year my kids did a Secret Santa gift exchange (which did not end up being much of a secret).  Anyway, this was the gift tag that my older son put on the present that he gave his Secret Santa recipient.

Evidently, his brother must have done something to tick him off and the Christmas cheer went out the window, as you can see by the backside of this tag.

Yes, this is one gift tag that I'll save.  So much for brotherly love!

A Tale of Two Sisters: Wicked - at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco

If you're looking for a great Girls Night Out, a date night with your beloved, or fun family event, take advantage of the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco and the musical "Wicked".  My blogging partner and I received a very generous gift of tickets from our SVMOMS  Holiday Swag which we took advantage of this past week.  We went on a blustery and rainy Tuesday, and the theater was jam packed. 

First, we had a scrumptous dinner at a great restaurant find by KR, Heaven's Dog.  This is a relatively new restaurant founded by chef Charles Phan, of the Slanted Door.  While the Slanted Door is famous for its Vietnamese cuisine, Heaven's Dog had other Asian influences and delights which are more reminiscent of northern China including a wonderful fish and egg plant clay pot in a brown sauce which we devoured like starving students.   We also had a spicy chicken and cashew dish, a must get salt and pepper calamari appetizer, Shanghai dumplings and pea shoots with garlic.  Everything was mouth watering and there wasn't a single dish left, we ate it all up.  We deifnitely want to go there again.  We were also lucky to get metered parking just outside Heaven's Dog, and after 6 pm, it's free!  Gotta love that.  From there it was a quick two-block walk from the restaurant to the theater.

A little bit about the theater:  The Orpheum Theater is  named after Orpheus, the son of Apollo and Calliope.  Orpheus was gifted with the power of poetry and song.  A very appropriate name for a theater which was built after the San Francisco earthquake in 1926 for vaudeville shows.  The theater was recently renovated and has a comfortable capacity of 2000 poeple.

Now, on with the show.  Wicked is the story behind the story of the Wizard of Oz.  We are all familiar with the movie The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland possibly more than the classic book that inspired it.  What I did not know before seeing Wicked is this wonderfully told tale is based on the book Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.  It is the first in the trilogy of Oz book by Gregory McGuire, which includes Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men.  Gregory's talent is to spin an often told tale and take them a step further, or perhaps shall we say, a step backwards and go in depth into the characters history.  He is able to wrap the characters and story cleverly around what the audience already knows of the classic story and then shine a new bubble and new perspective on it. 

Wicked is the tale of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.  Their story unfolds where we discover they were once friends, and how their their viewpoints and upbringing affect who they become.
Wicked, the musical, is more whimsical than the book, and full of fun "Oz-Speak" words which children and adults will love including "confusifying" and "disrespectation".   To say more than that would spill the beans.

The entire family will love the music and costumes, and the adults will appreciate the new twist on a old tale.  It shows ultimately that things can always be seen in a new perspective and history is whatever the person writing about decides to state.  There are some very memorable quotes, but to list them here would give so much away. Be prepared to enjoy yourself, it definitely defies what you know about the Wizard.  And lastly, there's no place like home (San Francisco) for Wicked, where this show first premiered in 2003.  Enjoy!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

This rain is getting to me.  I'm tired, I'm crabby and I'm going to blame it on the weather.  I need some sunshine!

Today I felt like I was in the Midwest.   Thunder, lighting and even a tornado warning.  What is up with this wacky weather?

My backyard is turning into a flood zone and my pool looks like it about to runneth over.  It is a swamp out there.

As I walked outside to survey the gigantic mud puddle forming in my yard, I noticed I still had a tomato hanging on a tomato plant.  You'd never see that in Illinois in January! 

I left it there.  It's my reminder of summer.  Plus,  I don't want to eat it--even though it looks all red and shiny.  It's almost like it has an invisible expiration date on it.  And I'm not one to eat ANYTHING past its expiration date.

Help for Haiti

The news reports on the crisis in Haiti are heartbreaking.  Every time that I see or hear a report, I am moved to tears.   This country is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere and is now suffering even more due to the devastating earthquake that took place last week.  

If you want to help but do not know where to start, here are a just a few legitimate organizations that need your donations:

Global Giving 
Save the Children
Planting Peace
Partners in Health
American Red Cross

Text to Make a Donation to Haiti

As you all know, the 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti has caused major, catastrophic damage and sadly the loss of numerous lives.  If you would like to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross relief for Haiti,  text the word Haiti to 90999 (it will appear as a line item on your bill).  So far over $5.2 million dollars has been raised through this text messaging contribution program.  This effort was set up through the U.S. State Department and mGive.

A Day of Volunteering

"The Wonderful World of Disney" - how often have we heard that phrase?  Well, they've taken it a huge step forward by developing a new program to encourage volunteerism, and really making it a wonderful world for those in need.  In return for a day of volunteering, a free, one-day park ticket to the Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, will be given, free, to that volunteer. 

With the new year in full swing, and moreso the new decade, why wait - do some volunteering and benefit by joining.  Check out the Disney site here to learn more. 

My Babies are 9 Today!

My twins are 9 years old today!! Where did the time go?  They are just one year away from double digits.  I can't believe it.

Anyway, as promised my little blondie got his birthday wish--a cup of coffee.  Did he like it, you ask?  He LOVED it!  He slurped down his cinnamon cappuccino with extra sugar and foam in no time and professed "That was one tasty cup of coffee!"

I need to ask him what he'll want to drink when he turns 10.  Let's just hope it's not champagne!

Christmas Clean-up

The holidays have come and gone and as usual went by too quickly.  We had a fantastic time with my family who were visiting from the Midwest.

In total we had 14 people under our roof and 16 when we stayed in a cabin in Tahoe.  Lots of people and lots of fun.

Now that everyone has headed back to their sub-zero temperatures, I've been trying to get my house in order.  Needless to say, it is no easy task.  Laundry is everywhere, toy instructions are strewn about the house, and the decorations need to come down.  Not to mention, I keep finding items that my sister's family left behind (I see a trip to the post office in my near future).

Today, I FINALLY took down our brown Christmas tree.  I'm not kidding when I say it dropped needles when I breathed on it (o.k. maybe I am exaggerating a bit).  Why is it that taking down the tree is much faster and easier than putting it up?

Anyway, I've  un-decked most of the halls and stuffed the holiday cheer back into the red and green Rubbermaid tubs (now I need to haul them out to the garage--that will happen tomorrow).

I'm almost there.......just need to get the outdoor lights off our front bushes.  Although I kinda like being the only house in the neighborhood that still shines (at least on the outside).

On the Vine--What's On Your Mind

What topics would you like to see discussed on our Grapevine? Whether it is topics that make you pucker (sour grapes anyone??) or those that are more sweet, we are eager to write about it or feature you as a guest writer! 


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Contact us at blog.tina@yahoo.com.

About

About the Vine
We are two moms, Tina and Kristina.  Tina has 3 wonderful, Harry Potter fanatic daughters and Kristina has 3 skateboarding sons (two of which are fraternal twins) and one American Girl loving daughter.  We started this blog in November 2008 and we've been busy blogging about the successes and struggles of parenting ever since.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about our sweet and sometimes sour lives!