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Me, Hamish and Monday night TV Monday night is a special TV night. As The Sidekick works late, it's always just me and Hamish, the border collie. Hamish usually joins me for the evening, after putting in an exhausting day, checking the sheep, circling the outside of the pen, checking the sheep again, grabbing a drink from the water bowl, then checking the sheep, grabbing a mouthful of kibble, checking the sheep, and so on. There is a pattern there. By 10 or 11 p.m., he returns to the barn, to take over night shift duties, which includes checking the sheep, circling the pen and flopping in his bed (under the bench) where he nods off until the early morning hours, when I once again open up the barn to do chores. Hamish is quite routine-driven. And so am I. Back to the story here, Monday night Hamish and I were watching TV. I generally pick the channel and he sits back and watches, sometimes sitting up, intently watching the images on the screen. Other times, he lays his head down, and watches for a few minutes, until his eyes drop shut and he starts his light snoring. Somewhat like The Sidekick. Now Hamish has certain likes and dislikes about what he and I watch on the TV, when The Sidekick ain't around. We watch a fair bit of History Television, especially programs with lots of action, like tank battles, or aerial dogfights. (I think he might have misconstrued what an `aerial dogfight' might be, and I'm not about to burst his bubble. He's still waiting patiently to see Snoopy and The Red Baron squaring off against each other.) In addition to watching the dogfights, he also seems to like the crime shows, like any of the CSI series or NCIS. I think it may have something to do with the bloody crime scenes-- maybe they make him think of dog food in his dish. But there is one part of watching TV 7 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, June 24, 2010 Ted Brown that the poor little dog simply can't get enough of. He loves commercials. I do know, for obvious reasons, the Iams and Cesar's dog food commercials are among his favourites. He salivates a bit when the people on TV fill the dog food bowl with kibble or wet dog food. (Come to think about it, I salivate a bit too when I see the girl who owns the little Maggie dog in the Cesar's commercial. You know, the one with the long legs and high heels....) Hamish even enjoys fast food commercials, like the McDonald's and KFC ads that run about 25 times a night. Personally, I just wanna scream when I see yet another ad, (especially the A&W one, with the boss and his nerdy employee who simply CANNOT eat his sirloin burger with HIS MOUTH CLOSED!) Now as a co-TV viewer, Hamish is pretty good. He doesn't talk during the tense moments, and gets up to stretch and rub against my leg when there's a lull on the action. But there is one thing he does which can be somewhat annoying. And invariably, it happens about 5 to 10 minutes before the hour, the most critical time in any show, especially a crime show. He starts to pace. He walks to the door, then back again. He gets a worried look on his face, and then lays his chin on my lap and looks up with those mournful, brown eyes. Hamish and I are on the same wavelength-- I can read his mind at that precise moment. And it comes through loud and clear. "Take me out to go pee in the next 10 seconds, or you're gonna be cleaning up a mess..." ON SITE AUCTION SALE Wednesday, June 30th at 1 pm For John and Debra Dack 9405 Sideroad 5, Erin Township (Located on the N.E. Corner of Trafalgar Road & Sideroad 5, Flashing Lights) North of Ballinafad Sale consists of nearly all antiques. Lots of quality pieces of furniture and some as found. Crocks, Oil Lamps, Glass & China, Primitives and Misc. Items. Very large and interesting sale. Preview & Registration 2 Hours prior to Sale Terms are Cash or known Cheque with proper I.D. only For more complete listing - www.auctionsfind.com/doncolling Auctioneer ­ Don Colling - 905-877-0117 $ NEED MONEY? $ YES! We can help get up to 5 MILLION business or mortgage loan and up to $300,000 personal loan, with interest rate starting at 3.9% APR offer. Bad credit okay. Apply now at WWW.TRUSTCANADALOAN.COM FREE DELIVERY $ 1-888-560-6764 Saturday, June 26, 2010, 11:00 AM Country Heritage Park - Milton $ L Largest tS Selection l ti of f Patio Furniture in Halton Hills Since 1998 INDOOR & OUTDOOR FURNITURE 136 Guelph St., Georgetown Across the road from Christ the King School O P E N 7 DAY S A W E E K 905-873-9791 Fundraising Auction Sale The auction will include: · Household Antiques · Collectibles · Tools · Books · Vintage Automotive Parts & Garage Tools · Cast Iron Implement Seats · Horse Drawn Plows & Plow Shears · Vintage Farm Tractors & Implements · Vintage Farm Machinery Operator & Service Manuals & Miscellaneous equipment including Commercial/ Cafeteria Equipment. Proceeds will go to support Country Heritage Park's educational programs. Contact us for more information. Furniture Hut 2 fore 1 Canada Day Special Green Fees Thursday, July 1st to Sunday, July 4th, 2010 Scenic Challenging 9 Hole Course Call for starting times Erin Heights Golf Course Just 20 minutes north of Brampton Dundas St. W. in the VILLAGE OF ERIN 8560 Tremaine Rd., Milton 905-878-8151 (519) 833-9702 Check out our website for all our summer events! www.countryheritagepark.com Daily admission: Adults $7, Children $4, Family Package: $20 (Some events differ) Programs subject to change.