That's Just Weird

[MarkInTx]

So... we have this German Shepherd now who has become my wife's pride and joy.

He follows her around joyfully and puts up with almost anything, because he's absolutely crazy about her.

The other day, he was seated at her feet, while she was doing something on the computer. She was eating some treat she whipped up for herself... this time consisting of Yogurt, Bananas and Strawberries.

He came to attention, watching her eat, so she -- sort of absently without taking her eyes off of the screen -- drops a piece of banana for him.

He licks it, takes it in his mouth and then spits it out and stares at her again.

After a moment, she looks down and sees the banana slice.

"Mozart," she tells him, "you didn't eat your banana? That's just weird!"

I have been watching this whole scene with interest, and now I start laughing. She wants to know what I find so funny.

"You think its weird that a dog doesn't eat bananas? Are you kidding me? It would be weird if he did eat it."

"You think so?" she asks me, her eyes twinkling.

"Yes! Why would you think it was weird that he didn't eat a banana?"

"Because..." she said "...Yesterday, he ate the grapefruit."

I looked at the dog. "Mozart, that's just weird..."

[Haroshij]

... in response to That's Just Weird, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 14, 2004

Some years ago I had a crossbreed dog. I liked very much to go skiing together with the dog. Usually we only brought with us an orange. When we reached the top of the mountain, we rested and ate half of the orange each. Both of us with great pleasure. Now we have  a collie. He eats everything, bananas, orange and he even doesn't say no too a little glass of wine ;-) together with us. However sometimes he doesn't want to eat the good dinner Elena prepares for him. Then I call for the cat  and if that doesn't make him change his mind, I bend down and pretend to eat the food myself. Then he gets very keen on eating everything not leaving anything for me or for our cats. So you  see, good company makes the food taste better.

Haroshij

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: That's Just Weird, posted by Haroshij on Jun 15, 2004

Hehehe... yeah... good company always makes food taste better...

I remember something I heard a comedian say once.

He was complaining about the fact that his cat wouldn't eat the expensive canned cat food he bought it.

"He turns up his nose at the cat food... and then goes over into the corner... and LICKS HIS BUTT! What kind of a Connoisseur is he, anyway???"

[Haroshij]

... in response to Re: Re: That's Just Weird, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 15, 2004

I must admitt. Your story really caused me problems. My knowledge of your language is not the best, and I wondered, how could he licks his butt!!!I mean physically, how could he manage to do it. I thought about it thinking this comedian had to be something like a contortionist. Then I realized in English you sometimes uses the personal pronomen about pets, and then the light came on :-)

Haroshij

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: That's Just Weird, posted by Haroshij on Jun 16, 2004

Hehehehe!

Yeah... sorry about that... The pronouns in English are very important...

That's pretty funny, now that I think about it...

[Haroshij]

... in response to English Pronouns, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 17, 2004

Yes, the thought about who did what made me laugh also.

I haven't been here much lately. How are things going with you? How is your wife adapting (Victoria, was it?) to a life in Texas?

Haroshij

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: English Pronouns, posted by Haroshij on Jun 17, 2004

Well, I guess it's like anything else... some things she likes about Texas, and some things she doesn't.

Overall, she likes it. One thing that is a plus is that she doesn't mind hot weather. In some ways, I think she has adapted to Texas better than I have!

I posted this elsewhere... but here is a quick rundown:

There are things she misses about home -- mostly family. But she tells me she has begun to think of this as her home now. (It took about 6 months for that start to happen...)

A quick rundown of things she has told me...

* She hates how Americans (as a whole) dress.
* She misses fresh food. (The stuff in Supermarkets doesn't taste the same)
* There is a better of selection of Ice Cream in Ukraine (believe it or not)
* She is still looking for that close friend here in whom she can confide (besides me)
* She thinks doctors are crazy here because they only prescribe pills and never natural things like Tea, or Herbal Medicine.
* She misses the Sea. (This isn't an American thing as much as a Texas thing...)

Things she loves is a much longer list, but in part:

*American Friendliness
*Feeling safe while walking in our neighborhood
*HOT WATER on demand
*Air Conditioning (though not in Public Places... since they usually crank it waaay up and freeze her out)
* Schools
*Dentist (she was amazed at how much he worked to make sure she wasn't in pain.)

There are more, but that's a few things I can recall her mentioning...

In general... she prefers living here to there...except that she misses her friends and family. One thing that was interesting... when she returned to Kherson, she said that the people there seem "Gray."

In America, she says, you can meet a person in the park, and the person has an expression of expectation... like they expect that life will be better. In Ukraine, the people have stoically accepted their life, and expect each day to be the same as the next.

But -- even with all of that -- she wouldn't have come here just for America, and can't understand why any woman would...

FWIW

[Haroshij]

... in response to Life In Texas, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 17, 2004

Thank you for telling me. About the heat. I wish you could send us a little of it. This June have so far been terrible cold up here. I sometimes tease Elena that if we are lucky we  can get enough snow to go skiing at the height of summer :-(. Like he said the man from a warmer country who moved to Norway. In Norway they have to winters, and the green one is the worst because then they don't heat their houses!! However, when summer comes, it's so wonderful that we forget winter and snow and rainy days.

Elena also appreciate the safety in Norway. In the place we are living we even leave our cars outside open with the keys in and don't lock the houses when we leave it. In fact we lost the key some weeks ago, and we can't find it. Some years ago I had holiday in Lesbos i Greece, and they told me they could do the same. Elena loves the nature here, and since she comes from Northern Russia she is used of cold weather. The first thing that stroke her when she came here, was that the snow was so white and nature so clean. I understood her better when we travelled together to Russia, and I'm a little shameful to say that Russian people threw all kind of garbage in nature.

She also thinks people are very nice and friendly here. Probably because she mainly knows my friends. Now she gets some experiences by herself that there are all kind of people her also.

She is very satiesfied that it is so easy for her to visit her friends and family back in Russia. She makes a good salary and can pay the tickets herself. In fact our common economy is much better than when I was living here alone. We will soon celebrate our 5th. anniversary together.

Haroshij

[LP]

... in response to Re: Life In Texas, posted by Haroshij on Jun 18, 2004

I said no text!

[Frank O]

... in response to That's Just Weird, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 14, 2004

I've heard that is poison to dogs.

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Just don't give him chocolate..., posted by Frank O on Jun 15, 2004

I've heard that, too.

Actually, with a German Shepherd, you're playing with fire giving them ANY different food. I've never known a breed with such a gentle stomach... Almost any change in feed and the poor thing gets the runs.

Grapefruit didn't seem to affect him, though.

Hmmmmm.... :-)