Laminating Machine Finds Me



GBC Heat Seal H-4325 Laminator

Sometimes just when I feel beat down and underappreciated, in this case underfunded by those I'm trying to help the most and unnecessarily overworked by that woeful underfunding, the Goddess rewards me with a fabulous gift - in this case a brand new laminating machine!

Here's how it happened:
Doing my very best to weather'n'wear proof everything in the new Publicity Booth I'm building for my dog club, I found it essential to laminate every single piece of signage, protecting many color photos and newsletters that would otherwise be subject to staining and water damage and almost worthless within a use or two.

I started laminating everything at Kinkos, but even at just $2 a sheet for 8.5"x11", and $4 a sheet for 11"x17", and arranging everything as close together as possible for maximum value per sheet, I quickly ran up an $80 bill!  Almost half my allotted budget!  And I wasn't even finished.  An impossible situation!  Very discouraging!

Has put me way over budget, and out of pocket.

Mercifully, a clubmate came over to see the booth-in-progress and offered to laminate the last 15 pieces for free, using her employer's machine.  I hate mooching off of employers, but I need them QUICK, so last Tuesday I headed across town to her office to get this job finished.  Alas, the first sheet we fed into her barely used, still under warranty laminator got jammed in there and never came out.  Project aborted.

Next day she called the company, they said throw the unit away and they'd send her a new one.  Not worth fixing, they said!  So, she tossed it off to me.  John took it apart, removed the jammed paper, and now it works perfectly fine. So I have a $220 GBC Heat Seal H-4325 Laminator, practically brand new, for free!

Of course, I still don't have any laminating paper, so I shopped around this entire morning and discovered Office Depot prices are outrageous!  Amazon.com has the best prices, so I spent $55 with them and now must wait 5 days for a lifetime supply to arrive (have to order in quantities of 100 sheets/box).  Meanwhile, I need about 15 sheets TODAY if I want to complete my project in time for the booth's debut on September 24th, but my friend is out of the office.  Waiting for mine to come in, I'll be cutting things mighty close.

All this running around, scrimping, saving, canniving, begging, repairing damaged discounted items, just to save my club a few bucks they can well afford to spend, takes much of the fun out of the project and makes me question why I put myself in this situation?


Which is why I think the divine hand graced me with my free laminator -- to lift my spirits and remind me to be ever-joyful. Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  And I just found out, my friend has mailed me the 15 sheets I need.  I should receive them tomorrow by Priority Mail . . . . . another unexpected gift, and I feel so much better!

. . . . . . . Now, dear Goddess, can you also please send me a servicable professional copy machine that enlarges, reduces, does legal size, and multiple pages?  Mine has been broken for months and is unfixable, I can't find another one I can afford that does all I want, and not having it handy really cramps my style. I've made so many free copies for all my friends and clubs for so many years, surely I deserve a free copy machine by now!

Upwards and onward!

Publicity Committee

After 3 years of coaxing, I've finally convinced my dog club we need to promote, i.e., create a public presence beyond our website (which I built 3 years ago).  What actually turned the tables, I think, is the Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks Commission's (BREC) new Obedience classes, their plans to create an agility course at their Burbank dog park, and some new teachers in town who are advertising their classes.

So last April the club officially activated a Publicity Committee and named me Chairman.  But it took until August to announce it to the membership and approve $200 toward the creation of a Publicity Booth we can take to parades, dog park openings, and other public events.  I asked for $300 but got less, so the club is borrowing my canopy and many other items until I can submit a budget next year. The wheels of progress grind exceedingly slow, and apparently my enthusiasm isn't shared by all.

I've been working on the booth (pictured above in my back yard) for a month now, trying to make it attractive, informative, interesting, weather impervious, easy to set up and take down, comfortable, and fun.  The whole thing (canopy, 2 tables, 2 bins, ring gates,  display board, 2 posts) has to fit in one car (a large car).  With the weather turning cooler, I pretty much live in the booth these days, tweaking its features every day.

The biggest task has been the tri-fold display board, with collages depicting our club's activities, a few of our best newsletters, signage, etc.  I've taken so many photos of our club's activities over the years, I had plenty to draw from - trials, matches, seminars, classes, demos, and of course, dogs.  The problem is, photo paper and color ink aren't cheap, and laminating adds up quickly and for now, all this is out of my own pocket!  I'm not real happy about that, but what else can I do?  The point of the booth is to show what our club does, attract new students to our classes and members to our club!  Can't do that without props.

In the past few days some club members have come by to see the booth (Polly, Nedra, Linda, Joy, Sheryl, Noel), and their reactions have been favorable.  Now I've got to call more members, one at a time, and invite them to see it.  John and I don't mind working the booth, we think it's fun, but we won't always be available.  For instance, the first event coming up is September 24th for AKC's Responsible Dog Ownership Day, but I'll be in Kiln at an agility trial, and so will many of my club mates.  A perfect time to tap into LCCOC's newer members, who are looking for volunteer hours.  They'll need training in booth setup, take down, how to run it, what to say, etc.

Burbank Dog Park Entrance - side view,
possible booth location

I met with BREC's events planner last week and mapped out a schedule of dog-related events we can participate in thru next March.  They are investing heavily in their dog parks and seeking ways to promote them.  Last Friday, John and I drove out to the Zachary Park, then  the Burbank Park.  Both have beautiful new dog parks with expansive lawns, wrought iron fencing all around, double gates, separate small and large dog yards, lots of green grass, water fountains, wading pools, poop bag dispensaries along expansive sidewalks, new shrubs planted here and there.  Unfortunately, neither one has a single tree . . . . . so there is no shade.  It's so hot, only a few dogs were out there and they didn't stay long.  We had to leave quickly not to faint!  Trees all around the perimeter, but none in the dog parks!  What were they thinking?????

Also unfortunate, no night lighting, and no electricity.  No place to take your dog at night, and no fan in our booth!  Bummer!

Willow and Lucky at Zachary Dog Park

One thing I discovered -- Willow loves water!  We don't have a pool at home so how could I know, but she jumped right in and started snapping at the bubbles she made when prancing around.  She got in over and over.  I coaxed Lucky in as well for a few minutes, but Maxie wanted nothing to do with the pool.

Also, my dogs went crazy barking at the other dog running loose in the big dog yard.  Lucky was growling and lunging at the fence, Max and Willow barking their heads off, while the Siberian Husky just stood around quietly.  Not sure I could let my dogs loose at a dog park.  I presume they would settle down after awhile.

Always more to learn!

Upwards and onward!

Surprise Visit From Monique!

Madalyn and Monique

Today I got a surprise visit from Madalyn M. and Monique, aka Mikki, formerly Jitsu, the female Papillon puppy I sold back in March. I had urged Madalyn to take lots of puppy pictures (they're only puppies for a short while) so she bought a disposable camera, and brought me the disk of pictures today, 6 months later! She doesn't even have a computer! John had just gotten home from work, around 4:30 and we all visited 'til around 8. A nice long visit. Snapped lots of pictures.

L to R Willow, Maxie, Mikki

Mikki's coat is filling out nicely, soft straight snow white hair, culottes and tail feathers coming in, lively eyes, bouncy and friendly, fearless, curious, and definitely agile.  Not very obedient, though!  She rip snorted all over the place, but did fair recalls when she figured out my pocket was full of treats.  I can't actually remember if Maxie was obedient at 9 months of age. I wasn't keeping a blog or a journal back then.

I was outside working on the new LCCOC Publicity Booth I'm putting together for my dog club, so we hung out in the back yard mostly. We had some fun posing them for pictures.  Maxie and Willow seemed to remember Monique, they just fell in and played together the whole time.  I put Maxie thru the weaves and over a few jumps at one point, and Mikki made a few attempts too. I know she'd get the hang of it quickly with just a bit of training.



L to R Madalyn, Mikki, Willow, Michele, Maxie


All 3 dogs are so alike in color, build and markings one would swear they are related, but they aren't. I also brought her in to see the videos I took of her and her other papillon, Merlin, at the Obedience Match last year.  Despite all the obedience trials she goes to, she had never seen a video of her dog performing! She was amazed.

I weighed Mikki, who at 9.5 months is 5.5 lbs, a little smaller than Maxie at 7 lbs.  We both wonder if she'll grow much more, maybe a little bit.  Madalyn does conformation and obedience, not agility, and is adding something called Super Fuel  to Mikki's diet. I'll have to check that out as it is supposed to increase the dog's stamina, focus, etc.  Something for Lucky's speed, maybe?

Of all the photos she took with her disposable camera, she liked this one the best because it shows Mikki's "stack". I wonder if she is thinking of doing conformation with this dog?

Mikki, at about 5 months. She has a lot more hair now.

Monique (Mikki) apparently loves to tear up the camellias on Madalyn's bushes, hence the flower petals at her feet.  I can attest she also loves tearing up little branches with leaves on them, and digging up acorns in my yard.  I'm thinking I know now how a breeder feels when one of their pups comes back for a visit!  It is very satisfying, like when your nieces or nephews come to see you, hug your neck, catch you up on their news!  I feel like a proud auntie and thrilled that Madalyn is including me in Mikki's life.  I'd take her back in a heartbeat!

Upwards and onward!