Spring has Sprung!

I'm happy that it's officially Spring. It was a cold winter, we had more than enough ice & snow and I'm glad it's done. Of course, we could still get a freak snow storm. That has been known to happen. But I'm hoping that we don't.

Especially because I got my bluebonnets last week and they are starting to bloom! They are in the whiskey barrel that the mailbox is in, I usually put them there. The neighbors probably think we're crazy, because the first thing we do when we get home is go stick our faces in the bluebonnets! They have such a delightful scent. Makes me homesick!

Also the tulips are up and one has started to bloom. Several of them have buds and will be blooming in the next few days. The daffodils look great, too. And I have several things in pots out on the deck, including 6 strawberry plants. I had them last year, too. It was so nice to be able to go pick a couple of fresh berries when we wanted them.

Dental visit today, Otter's teeth look great and the dentist sees no problems with my dentures. Back in 6 months.

Prayer request: Our friend Larry has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and he had surgery last week. When he had the biopsy, his lung collapsed and he was hospitalized for several days. This surgery was to remove the cancer and to do that the doctor had to take a good portion of the lung in question. I think that the cancer was pretty advanced when it was discovered. Any prayers would help, Larry and his wife Lin are really nice people and I think they have "adopted" Bill as one of theirs.

And before I forget - I have a message for a certain sister of mine: YOU HAD BETTER NOT BACK OUT ON COMING TO SEE ME THIS SUMMER!!

Puppy Dog Tails and other stuff

Yesterday was very interesting. I got to get into full Texan Woman mode and the electric company was the lucky party that got the full treatment. There is a power line that has been laying on the ground since it was installed - over 5 years ago - behind my house. It's outside of my fence except for a very small corner area, it runs from the next door neighbor's one one side to the next door neighbor's on the other side. We've called numerous times about it, finally yesterday they decided that yes, they really should have buried the line when they originally put it in. So they turned in the order and the technician called me to get the details. He called on my cell, so he has no excuse for his later failure to contact me. I gave him directions and very specific instructions regarding my yard, my dogs and the gates. I picked Otter up at school and we ran errands, then got home to an open front gate and no beagle. We immediately started looking outside for her, the neighbors across the street were about to take a walk and I asked them but they hadn't seen her. However, they said they would keep an eye out for her on their walk. I went the opposite direction from them, and since we live pretty close to a very busy street I told Otter that she needed to stay home. I was seriously afraid that I would find a run over dog and did not want her to see it. I asked a couple of people in the neighborhood, but nobody had seen the dog. I was about to the busy street when Bill called me because the neighbors from across the street found a sign on the next street: "Found Beagle". I called the phone number, and it was our Maggie. She was on the next street over from ours, the lady who lives there was not at home but she'd left the dog in her garage since her dogs don't like other dogs. When she got home, she called me and I don't think I've ever seen anyone run quite as fast as Otter did on her way over to get her dog.

After I called the phone number on the sign, I went in and called PSO - the local electric company. I politely said that I was wondering if the service guy had actually come out regarding my service call and when the customer service rep said that he had, I then told her that I wanted his name, his supervisor's name, and the reason. She couldn't give me his name, but she was almost as furious as I was. She emailed him and his supervisor. She asked me how I wanted this to be resolved - Bill and Otter both wanted the guy fired, but I didn't think that would be fair to his family if he's got one to feed, so I said I wanted his employee file to be noted, I wanted him counselled about following through and about doing his job correctly, and that I wanted an iron-clad guarantee that this would never happen again. Then we went to PetsMart for new name tags for them, since Maggie's fell off sometime prior to her adventure. We didn't know that they were missing or we would have already gotten her new ones. Now both dogs have 2 tags with their names & ours, our address & phone number. No sign of Magginator's old tags in the yard, so I will probably have to get a new city license tag and rabies tag for her.

I must have put the fear of Mom into PSO, because they called me about 4 times today just to make sure that I was aware that they had to send someone else out today to check the logistics of actually burying the line and that the work will actually be done Tuesday morning. The service guy (a different one, smart on their part), called me after he'd been out today to let me know that he did not have to get into the yard and gave me the name of the person who will be in charge on Tuesday. Bill will be home on Tuesday, and he and probably Otter as well will be out there watching them. I went to Wallyworld at 6:00 this morning for padlocks. My gates will not be opened anymore unless we do it! And PSO is well aware of that! I definitely put the Fear of Mom into them.

Oh, and the gate in question - there is absolutely no way it could have been opened accidentally. There are about 4 steps to open it, and it is extremely obvious to anyone at all - except yesterday's sorry excuse for a service tech - that there is no way AT ALL that it can be shut from the outside.

Otter's cell phone has been replaced. Same number as before.

Otter's doctor visit was today, she's extremely healthy and has grown 4 1/2" in a year. Which I already knew, because I am the one who buys her clothes! She's all leg. She got a tetnus shot since it's been several years and also the doctor gave her the menningitis shot she would eventually be required to have. Then Otter demanded ice cream, so we had to go to Braums and they had double dip cones on sale so I bought her a double vanilla cone. And a strawberry cheesecake ice cream pie for us!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm curious though. Why did what was originally a religous day turn into an excuse to drink yourself stupid? And not just Irish, either!

Darkthirty

I don't like the time change! It's still dark when I leave for work around 7:00. When Otter gets the school bus, it's before 7:00 and she can hardly see to get to the bus stop. Hope the driver has good vision and doesn't leave the kids there because she can't see them waiting!

Otter's phone will be operational in the next day or so. We bought her a replacement 0n eBay (where else?!) and it's gone to be programmed now. It should be the same number. I'll let everyone know when it's been turned on.

And because Otter is related to me, she's now taken over my role as nosebleed queen. We had to run her to the ER Friday evening when she started gushing and we couldn't get it stopped - they cauterized. Then she had a small one yesterday morning and another one this morning. I had a "talk" with the school nurse today about the fact that she didn't call me yesterday, even though she was supposed to - and Otter did tell her about Friday's experience. She sees her pediatrician for her annual check-up on Friday, I'm going to make sure the doctor is aware of this. No karate this week, she can't take any chances of her nose being bumped.

I'm taking an eBay break since anything I post this week will be ending during Spring Break. But I'll be posting again next Wednesday. Which will still be ending during Spring Break since nobody has it the same week, but I don't want to stay off too long.

Welcome to the world & the family, Madelyn! Congratulations, Les & Jacque. The adventure is just beginning for you.

March 12

I'm sure we all wish we could have some peach cobbler today, made by the master cook.

Rocks In My Head

I recall Mom using that expression. Along with having lost her marbles! Although Kimberly knew were they were...

Mom's been on my mind a lot, I know because of her birthday tomorrow. So today I decided to work on my rock garden in her memory. We moved the fountain back a bit, and then we moved all the little rocks from the small area that was originally Otter's rock garden, it took 3 wheelbarrow loads but now the rocks have a new home in the big rock garden. Otter decided her rock garden wasn't big enough, which is wasn't, so we combined it with mine and now we share it. Otter can not pass a rock up, she either has to touch it, pick it up, or talk about it if it's too big. She comes by it honestly! Remember Mom moving her rocks?

Speaking of Mom's rocks, when is it going to be my turn for the ones we share custody of? :)

Rental House Odysey Update and other stuff

The tenant called me this afternoon. He wanted to ask if he could stay another month, since he'd already told us he would be out by the end of March or maybe by the 15th. He went back to NY last week to drive one of his cars back and he was surprised it was so cold! I think he got up there and realized that maybe it wasn't so bad in OK after all. I told him that was fine with us, since he was still under the lease terms for a while anyway. As long as the rent is paid, we don't have any reason - or even any desire - to ask him to leave. He's going to look for a job here, he came here for a job that then turned out to not be what he was told when he was hired. Which I can understand as a reason to be unhappy, but he quit by choice. He said that he's still not sure if he wants to stay here or go back, so there is still a possibility that he will move out. But at least he'll be there through April. We may still put it on the market, that will be determined later after we talk about it.

Otter will have a new cell phone in a few days. We bought her a new one - on eBay, of course! It should be delivered sometime next week and I will let everyone know. I think it will be the same number but I don't know for sure. Since there is a possibility that her phone will be changing to our cell phone provider & plan towards the end of the year, we did not want to buy an expensive phone and then be told by Sprint that it's not compatible and that we would have to buy her a new one. They might tell us that, but we won't be out a huge amount of $$ on the phone we just bought. Sometimes I think we shop on eBay as much as we sell there...

It's been on my mind that this coming Monday is the 12th, Mom's birthday. She's been on my mind quite a bit lately, more so this year than last year leading up to her birthday. Otter's beagle, Maggie the Spoiled, came to us shortly before Mom's birthday last year and since we don't know her exact birthdate, Otter decided that Maggie's birthday should be March 12th in honor & memory of her grandmother. So the Magginator officially will turn 3 on Monday. No, we aren't going to have a party for a dog!!!!! But the Otter turns 15 on the 31st and she will have a party this year. As soon as she decides where, she's got 3 or 4 choices and she's having a hard time deciding.

Moonies!

At the moment their is a lunar eclipse occuring. Otter is out on the back deck with the telescope, I get cold so I only go out there for a few minutes. The dogs usually go out with me but they don't have any interest in staying out there in the dark. Smart puppies!

I've been having difficulties with my cell phone the last few days. Friday it decided that I did not need to talk to anyone. I could hear them but they could not hear me. I went to the Sprint store and they sent me to the store down the street where the repair techs are at. The phone had a mechanical failure of some sort and I had to get a new one. I had to BUY a new one, because when I replaced my previous phone they told me there was an insurance policy for $4.00/month and I told them I wanted it. But they never added it on to my plan, so I wound up spending $60.00 to get a new phone! Because I'm an existing customer, it was a lot less than if I was just walking in the door to get service. But I was still pretty pissed, but there was nothing I could do. My number is the same, I just have a slightly upgraded cell phone. However, the first one they sold me failed as they were turning it on and they had to void that sale and go get another one! Frustrating! I had stress fairies visiting me all week, but yesterday with the phone was the worst.

We are about to lose the tenant in our rent house. He's moving back to New York, the job was not what he was told when he moved here and he said he's had enough. I don't blame him, after I talked to him I would probably do the same in his position regarding quitting the job. We do appreciate his calling us to tell us instead of just moving out. However, he is still breaking the lease. He's taken care of the house and we won't have to do much to get it ready again. Except that we might be getting it ready for sale instead of for rent. To be decided later!

One other thing - my boss and his wife both turned 90 years old last year. A week ago they celebrated their 70th Anniversary! And they are still very obviously very much in love. Great people, and a cute couple.