And it was a pretty good Friday. I just paid off my car! Now it's all ours. The warrenty is still in effect for a few more miles/months, so it's not going to fall apart yet. Hopefully not at all. I don't seriously expect any problems with it, it's been well maintained and never a real problem. I took it in to Firestone a few weeks back and asked them to check it "from stem to stern" as Mom used to say, so that if there were any issues I could take care of them while I still had the warranty. The mechanic said that everything looks fine. It's such a change from the last car I had, the Taurus that I paid for about 3 times with all the work it constantly needed. Never, ever want another Ford! I'd prefer to stick with Chevy now, thank you very much.
We're having a home vacation this year. We haven't had one of these in a while, so it's time for one. We do enjoy going to TEXAS and seeing family, but sometimes we just need some down time at home. And with everything that's happened this year - my illness & surgery being a big thing - we want to just chill out and not go anywhere. We will probably do stuff around the house, there are always craft projects I have and stuff like that so we won't be bored.
Still rainy, although we've had a dry day. But there is a good possibility of more in the forecast. Hopefully, it won't last too much longer. Tuesday and the next few days are supposed to be dry. But warm. The only problem is that now there will be even more mosquitos to deal with!
I think we all need to say a prayer of Thanks that London wasn't hit today. It sounds like they really came close, the loss of life would have been bad.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Gather the Animals!
Two by two. I think I'm going to build an ark. That is, if it ever stops raining long enough. Although at this point, I'm about ready to grab the raincoat and get started.
But even as wet and dreary as it is here, it's so much worse in Texas.
The forecast for next week looks better. Mostly dry days. Which is good, except that then it will be humid. And mosquito season will be upon us with a vengance.
But even as wet and dreary as it is here, it's so much worse in Texas.
The forecast for next week looks better. Mostly dry days. Which is good, except that then it will be humid. And mosquito season will be upon us with a vengance.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tuesday's Installment & Froggy Report!
Yesterday, Monday, was a great day for Otter. She got her wish! We found a turtle in the yard and Froggy was still here! Froggy and I were sitting out on the deck, and Otter found a turtle crawling around the back yard. I picked it up and held it in my hand from a long distance away from Froggy and asked her if it brought back any memories. Of course it did, but this time I was not chasing her with it. The dogs had been barking at something in the weeds near the fence the day before and we were actually thinking they found a snake but now I think they must have seen the turtle. Otter took the turtle back to the cow field and let her go. That is the 4th one in about a month.
We had a nice dinner at Golden Corral, I think everyone ate too much. I actually had dessert this time, something I have not done since before my illness. But since that was probably the last time I'll eat out or eat big for a while, I decided it was a good time for dessert. It was banana pudding! Wonderful stuff.
After we got home, it was time to torture (bathe) Maggie Beagle. She had apparently rolled in something out in the yard and she was a very fragrant doggie. She was not a happy doggie, as soon as she saw the hose in my hand and the soap in the other she knew what she was in for. Otter and I both got soaked, but Maggie at least got clean! Frasier was not getting a bath, but he didn't take any chances and he stayed way out of reach for a long time. He wouldn't even come to Otter when she offered him his favorite treat - he actually ran away from a treat! Crazy dog.
This morning we got up early and had breakfast, then we took Froggy to the airport. Traffic was bad, there was a major accident on the highway and it delayed us but we still got there in plenty of time. We left Froggy and her heavy suitcase at the airport about 7:30, then Otter went to work with me for the day. She made $16.00, all from my bosses & one of their wives! Guess they were still in a generous mood, since yesterday they gave me a raise.
It's been rainy off & on this afternoon but not bad. At least not in our area, but there are flood watches all over NE Oklahoma and will be for the next few days. But we had mostly good weather for Froggy's visit and I am glad of that.
Froggy, I hope you meant it when you said you want to come back next year! I'm holding you to that by the way. And I hope you enjoyed your vacation as much as we did, it was so much fun. Hopefully your house wasn't too much of a disaster area when you got home!
We had a nice dinner at Golden Corral, I think everyone ate too much. I actually had dessert this time, something I have not done since before my illness. But since that was probably the last time I'll eat out or eat big for a while, I decided it was a good time for dessert. It was banana pudding! Wonderful stuff.
After we got home, it was time to torture (bathe) Maggie Beagle. She had apparently rolled in something out in the yard and she was a very fragrant doggie. She was not a happy doggie, as soon as she saw the hose in my hand and the soap in the other she knew what she was in for. Otter and I both got soaked, but Maggie at least got clean! Frasier was not getting a bath, but he didn't take any chances and he stayed way out of reach for a long time. He wouldn't even come to Otter when she offered him his favorite treat - he actually ran away from a treat! Crazy dog.
This morning we got up early and had breakfast, then we took Froggy to the airport. Traffic was bad, there was a major accident on the highway and it delayed us but we still got there in plenty of time. We left Froggy and her heavy suitcase at the airport about 7:30, then Otter went to work with me for the day. She made $16.00, all from my bosses & one of their wives! Guess they were still in a generous mood, since yesterday they gave me a raise.
It's been rainy off & on this afternoon but not bad. At least not in our area, but there are flood watches all over NE Oklahoma and will be for the next few days. But we had mostly good weather for Froggy's visit and I am glad of that.
Froggy, I hope you meant it when you said you want to come back next year! I'm holding you to that by the way. And I hope you enjoyed your vacation as much as we did, it was so much fun. Hopefully your house wasn't too much of a disaster area when you got home!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday Happenings & Saturday Report
I forgot to post a blog yesterday (Saturday). I was too tired! We ran all over the place. Sore feet!
We went to a flea market at the Tulsa fairgrounds yesterday. Found all sorts of things, did a lot of people watching as well. I found a wooden butter churn for $5.00, which is the 2nd churn I have now. Not a clue what I'll do with them! But they are still really cool. Otter bought another Stephen King book, IT. Froggy found a few things, including a tiny carved piece of marble in the shape of a butterfly.
Then we went to Braum's, which was the 2nd visit to Braum's for Froggy. This time we had lunch there, not ice cream. They have pretty good salads.
Then we hit another, huge flea market and just about walked our feet off. Otter found a skate board for $1.00. Which is great, that way we might still have money for the doctor bill when she falls off and breaks something!
Then as if that were not enough, we went to a thrift store! I found another decorative jack-0-lantern, this one is ceramic and will join the clay-pot style jack-o-lantern I bought a few weeks back when Halloween rolls around this year. I think they will both go outside on the front porch by the door. They both could be candle covers but I think I'll just use them without any illumination. Froggy spotted it for me, but I found a really cute Bevo bell-type ornament, it will have a prominent spot on the tree at Christmas. We sometimes find Texas Longhorn related stuff up here and I usually buy it.
This took all day long, we left the house around 9:00 and didn't get back until sometime after 5:00. Probably closer to 6:00. Talk about tired! We were all too tired to cook, so I called Pizza Hut.
Then today, Sunday, we went to the zoo. They opened at 9:00 and we were there just after. We were not the first people there, but we were pretty close. We saw the animals, spent a lot of time in the butterfly exhibit which is really cool and we had lunch at one of the restaurants. Froggy wanted to go into both gift shops, Otter didn't mind that at all! But she wasn't happy that we didn't go see the elephants. We were tired and we go to the zoo several times a year so we'll see them next time. We did get Froggy to the tortoise exhibit, but she didn't stay long!
We rode the zoo train and then spent a lot of time admiring the baby chimp. She's cute, and she looks just like Toadly's baby pictures! :) This time the otters were out, they are really funny and such hams. The last time we went to the zoo, the otters were inside their den and not interested in coming out and performing. But this time, they were very silly. They seemed as interested in the people as the people were interested in them.
After the zoo, we went back to the big flea market so Froggy could get something she saw yesterday. Then we went to Braum's for ice cream, visit # 3 for Froggy. We stopped at Albertson's on the way home. Now we are home and our feet probably won't let us go anywhere!
We have had a great visit, and are spending a lot of time reminiscing. A lot of the stories we tell involve Toadly and something he did or trouble he got into. Notice a theme? Toadly, your ears must be burning off of your head!
I have managed to do a couple of loads of laundry today, but not much and I will probably be spending most of the week doing a load after work. Oh well, a little laundry never hurt anyone. Although if you happen to be standing next to mine and it falls over, you might be stuck in there for hours before we could dig you out!
Tomorrow (Monday) Froggy is going to spend the day with Otter, she's going to tell Otter what a bad little sister I was and about all the horrible things I did. Then we are going to the "hog trough" as Dad used to call it, also known as Golden Corral, for the buffet for dinner.
Otter is thinking about redecorating her room. She's really getting heavily into Japanese anime, and she likes some things about the Japanese culture. She has some ideas, and when she's gotten her thoughts more organized we are going to sit down and see what we can do. Sounds like a fun project, actually. She's been wanting to rearrange her room anyway, so as soon as we get a mattress set for her new double bed she is going to get busy. Bill said no to painting the walls, however! But that isn't really going to limit her ideas, and I'm going to enjoy re-doing her room as much as she will.
We went to a flea market at the Tulsa fairgrounds yesterday. Found all sorts of things, did a lot of people watching as well. I found a wooden butter churn for $5.00, which is the 2nd churn I have now. Not a clue what I'll do with them! But they are still really cool. Otter bought another Stephen King book, IT. Froggy found a few things, including a tiny carved piece of marble in the shape of a butterfly.
Then we went to Braum's, which was the 2nd visit to Braum's for Froggy. This time we had lunch there, not ice cream. They have pretty good salads.
Then we hit another, huge flea market and just about walked our feet off. Otter found a skate board for $1.00. Which is great, that way we might still have money for the doctor bill when she falls off and breaks something!
Then as if that were not enough, we went to a thrift store! I found another decorative jack-0-lantern, this one is ceramic and will join the clay-pot style jack-o-lantern I bought a few weeks back when Halloween rolls around this year. I think they will both go outside on the front porch by the door. They both could be candle covers but I think I'll just use them without any illumination. Froggy spotted it for me, but I found a really cute Bevo bell-type ornament, it will have a prominent spot on the tree at Christmas. We sometimes find Texas Longhorn related stuff up here and I usually buy it.
This took all day long, we left the house around 9:00 and didn't get back until sometime after 5:00. Probably closer to 6:00. Talk about tired! We were all too tired to cook, so I called Pizza Hut.
Then today, Sunday, we went to the zoo. They opened at 9:00 and we were there just after. We were not the first people there, but we were pretty close. We saw the animals, spent a lot of time in the butterfly exhibit which is really cool and we had lunch at one of the restaurants. Froggy wanted to go into both gift shops, Otter didn't mind that at all! But she wasn't happy that we didn't go see the elephants. We were tired and we go to the zoo several times a year so we'll see them next time. We did get Froggy to the tortoise exhibit, but she didn't stay long!
We rode the zoo train and then spent a lot of time admiring the baby chimp. She's cute, and she looks just like Toadly's baby pictures! :) This time the otters were out, they are really funny and such hams. The last time we went to the zoo, the otters were inside their den and not interested in coming out and performing. But this time, they were very silly. They seemed as interested in the people as the people were interested in them.
After the zoo, we went back to the big flea market so Froggy could get something she saw yesterday. Then we went to Braum's for ice cream, visit # 3 for Froggy. We stopped at Albertson's on the way home. Now we are home and our feet probably won't let us go anywhere!
We have had a great visit, and are spending a lot of time reminiscing. A lot of the stories we tell involve Toadly and something he did or trouble he got into. Notice a theme? Toadly, your ears must be burning off of your head!
I have managed to do a couple of loads of laundry today, but not much and I will probably be spending most of the week doing a load after work. Oh well, a little laundry never hurt anyone. Although if you happen to be standing next to mine and it falls over, you might be stuck in there for hours before we could dig you out!
Tomorrow (Monday) Froggy is going to spend the day with Otter, she's going to tell Otter what a bad little sister I was and about all the horrible things I did. Then we are going to the "hog trough" as Dad used to call it, also known as Golden Corral, for the buffet for dinner.
Otter is thinking about redecorating her room. She's really getting heavily into Japanese anime, and she likes some things about the Japanese culture. She has some ideas, and when she's gotten her thoughts more organized we are going to sit down and see what we can do. Sounds like a fun project, actually. She's been wanting to rearrange her room anyway, so as soon as we get a mattress set for her new double bed she is going to get busy. Bill said no to painting the walls, however! But that isn't really going to limit her ideas, and I'm going to enjoy re-doing her room as much as she will.
Friday, June 22, 2007
TGIF! Busy Day
Yesterday (Thursday), Froggy & I went to Hominy, which is about 65 miles from home. We went to the cemetery and after much searching, finally found our grandparent's graves. We put flowers out. We looked for our aunt & uncle's graves but never found them. It's an old, country cemetery and is well-maintained, but there has been an immense amount of rain lately and several of the gravel roads through the cemetery were washed out. We did spend a lot of time there, and looked at quite a few of the Indian graves. Most of the Indian graves are Osage, as Hominy is in the Osage Nation. We also drove around Hominy, which takes maybe 5 minutes from end to end. We found our aunt & uncles's house and where we think the house is that Dad grew up in.
On the way back, we stopped at an interesting store, the kind I call "junktique stores", in Skiatook which is a town only slightly bigger than Hominy. It was a fun stop, I had been thinking about a cast-iron pot to plant cactus in so that I could take them out but still carry them inside in the winter. There was one there that I liked, but I realized it would be too heavy to move. However, I found a tall cooking pot that is pink. It's not new, and some of the pink enamel is chipped off but it gives it character. I was considering a chamber pot for the cactus, but I didn't see any that I liked.
Today (Friday), we went to Wallyworld (I know, she came 500 miles and I take her to WalMart!) then we went to the mall for a while. We stopped at Braum's so Froggy could get her Braum's ice cream fix and then we went to Atwood's. Atwood's is a farm and ranch store but they have so much more. It's kind of like the WalMart of ranch supply stores. Froggy wants to go back there if we have time, maybe tomorrow. The original plan for today was to go swimming, but it was pretty overcast and too cool so we decided on shopping instead.
We took Froggy out for Chinese food, which was delicious but of course we ate too much. Then we took her to Goodwill and found all sorts of things.
Bill had the doctor appointment to follow up on his ear infection. It's better but now the left ear is bothering him. He has to continue with the antibiotic but he's developed a rash on his arms which might be from it, so we have to keep an eye on it. And the drops need to be used in both ears now. But he's lost about 30 pounds or maybe even more. I weighed while I was there, and I'm down close to 30 myself.
Tomorrow we are going to at least one flea market, and then we'll see what else we decide to do. Sunday we are going to the zoo.
It rained a little bit today, but not anything bad like we had earlier in the week. Mosquitos are getting to be pretty bad. And with the rain we've had and the cooler weather, even though we had a hard & cold winter we still will probably have problems with ticks & fleas this summer.
On the way back, we stopped at an interesting store, the kind I call "junktique stores", in Skiatook which is a town only slightly bigger than Hominy. It was a fun stop, I had been thinking about a cast-iron pot to plant cactus in so that I could take them out but still carry them inside in the winter. There was one there that I liked, but I realized it would be too heavy to move. However, I found a tall cooking pot that is pink. It's not new, and some of the pink enamel is chipped off but it gives it character. I was considering a chamber pot for the cactus, but I didn't see any that I liked.
Today (Friday), we went to Wallyworld (I know, she came 500 miles and I take her to WalMart!) then we went to the mall for a while. We stopped at Braum's so Froggy could get her Braum's ice cream fix and then we went to Atwood's. Atwood's is a farm and ranch store but they have so much more. It's kind of like the WalMart of ranch supply stores. Froggy wants to go back there if we have time, maybe tomorrow. The original plan for today was to go swimming, but it was pretty overcast and too cool so we decided on shopping instead.
We took Froggy out for Chinese food, which was delicious but of course we ate too much. Then we took her to Goodwill and found all sorts of things.
Bill had the doctor appointment to follow up on his ear infection. It's better but now the left ear is bothering him. He has to continue with the antibiotic but he's developed a rash on his arms which might be from it, so we have to keep an eye on it. And the drops need to be used in both ears now. But he's lost about 30 pounds or maybe even more. I weighed while I was there, and I'm down close to 30 myself.
Tomorrow we are going to at least one flea market, and then we'll see what else we decide to do. Sunday we are going to the zoo.
It rained a little bit today, but not anything bad like we had earlier in the week. Mosquitos are getting to be pretty bad. And with the rain we've had and the cooler weather, even though we had a hard & cold winter we still will probably have problems with ticks & fleas this summer.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wet Tulsa!
Froggy is here! And it's raining. Or at least it was most of the day. We had some really loud thunderstorms and parts of the state as well as north TEXAS got a huge amount of rain.
My day actuall started very early. At about 3:30 this morning, I woke up because Bill was awake and he was watching tv. He was watching tv to keep his mind off the intense pain from the ear infection he'd been fighting off for days. At 4:00 a.m., he gave in and we went to the ER. He was given a pain pill, ear drops and an antibiotic. He has to follow up with a regular doctor on Friday. Since he doesn't think he needs a regular doctor, he doesn't have one. So I made an appointment with mine for him.
I was exhausted by the time I left work. I made it to the airport in plenty of time to get a pass to go to the gate and collect Otter and also Froggy. At about 5 minutes before the plane was to land, there was an announcement made that the plane hadn't even left Dallas yet! It was delayed because of weather. Instead of 3:30, the plane didn't land until close to 4:15. Otter had a great time but she was tired & hungry! By the time we got their luggage and got home, it was after 5:00.
The dogs are very happy, they have someone else to play with and be spoiled by. Pet Maggie and you have a friend for life. Froggy now has a friend for life!
Otter spent about 30 minutes at one of her friend's houses, then she came home because she was too tired. Imagine that, a teenager to tired to talk! That'll never happen again.
Tomorrow Froggy and I are going to Hominy, which is a tiny town about an hour or so west of Tulsa. It's where our father was born. Our grandparents, aunt & uncle are buried in the cemetery there and we are going to put flowers out. And we are going to drive around Hominy, which won't take long but I think that they have a few junky antique stores that I would like to check out. Then I think we'll get an Arby's "hamburger" as Dad used to call them, and we'll have some peanut M & M's in Dad's memory.
My day actuall started very early. At about 3:30 this morning, I woke up because Bill was awake and he was watching tv. He was watching tv to keep his mind off the intense pain from the ear infection he'd been fighting off for days. At 4:00 a.m., he gave in and we went to the ER. He was given a pain pill, ear drops and an antibiotic. He has to follow up with a regular doctor on Friday. Since he doesn't think he needs a regular doctor, he doesn't have one. So I made an appointment with mine for him.
I was exhausted by the time I left work. I made it to the airport in plenty of time to get a pass to go to the gate and collect Otter and also Froggy. At about 5 minutes before the plane was to land, there was an announcement made that the plane hadn't even left Dallas yet! It was delayed because of weather. Instead of 3:30, the plane didn't land until close to 4:15. Otter had a great time but she was tired & hungry! By the time we got their luggage and got home, it was after 5:00.
The dogs are very happy, they have someone else to play with and be spoiled by. Pet Maggie and you have a friend for life. Froggy now has a friend for life!
Otter spent about 30 minutes at one of her friend's houses, then she came home because she was too tired. Imagine that, a teenager to tired to talk! That'll never happen again.
Tomorrow Froggy and I are going to Hominy, which is a tiny town about an hour or so west of Tulsa. It's where our father was born. Our grandparents, aunt & uncle are buried in the cemetery there and we are going to put flowers out. And we are going to drive around Hominy, which won't take long but I think that they have a few junky antique stores that I would like to check out. Then I think we'll get an Arby's "hamburger" as Dad used to call them, and we'll have some peanut M & M's in Dad's memory.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Oh No! Bill's Old!
Or at least he's 21 with 25 years' experience today. (For those of you that are math impaired like me, that means he's 46).
I bought him a small German Chocolate cake and some ice cream, and I'm going to broil some steaks and make baked potatoes for him. That's the extent of the celebrating he wants to do. Guess when you get old, you get stuffy! :)
I bought him a small German Chocolate cake and some ice cream, and I'm going to broil some steaks and make baked potatoes for him. That's the extent of the celebrating he wants to do. Guess when you get old, you get stuffy! :)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Otter's on Vacation!
And I'm still stuck at home. I'm jealous!
Actually, I'm glad she got to go to Nana's house for a week. I think it is very good for her to be able to do things like that, to develop her independence and also to get to see her family that she doesn't see often because of the 500 mile difference. I told her not to spoil Nana too much.
But I am tired, I've been up since 4:00 this morning and it's now after 8:00 p.m. Otter got up shortly after we did, and she got dressed & ready to go in record time. I ran her through McDonald's for breakfast, which she never gets, and then we got to the airport right around 6:00. We got her checked in, found her gate and then hit a gift shop. The plane left just after the scheduled time of 7:15, as soon as they announced that it was time to board all I saw was a blur of red hair heading towards the door! She was in such a hurry to get on the plane that I had to tell her to slow down, come back and hug me. Think she was excited? Oh yeah, big time. I still made it to work on time. But I had lots of coffee today to keep me awake! Then the caffiene wore off about 1:00. I've been in slow-motion ever since.
We had a Date Night tonight. We went to a Chinese buffet (Froggy, we're taking you there next week!), and then we walked to the dollar store next to the restaurant. Ok, so it was a cheap date. And I ate too much. I'll pay for it tonight and/or tomorrow, my stomach will probably be a tad bit upset. But I'm not going to complain (well, not much anyway) because I haven't had much of that type of food in a long time. It was really good. I'll just have to be extremely strict for the next several days.
Bill brought home a whole bunch of clothing yesterday that he literally got out of a dumpster. It had been thrown away, even though it is all in pretty good to new condition. It's Army surplus clothing, and all maternity. AND ALL HAD BEEN THROWN OUT BY A SO-CALLED SCHOOL FOR UNWED TEENAGERS! Your tax dollars at work, folks - they didn't want it, so they threw it away. Bill was told to take as much as he wanted, so he filled up his van. We washed it all, I think it was 6 or 7 big loads. Otter picked out one of the shirts to use as a jacket with her camo pants. We are possibly going to eBay some of it, I may use some of the fabric for some craft projects and we might donate some of it - to Birthright, a local place that really does help the teenagers - unlike the place Bill got the clothing from. When that particular place (that threw out the clothing) came out to Otter's school for a presentation, the message she took away from it was that it was OK for teenagers to get pregnant, because after all the government would take care of them! She was not amused, to say the least. I guess everybody knows by now that we are Pro-Life, no exceptions. (Don't say you weren't warned, I'm not politically correct!).
Ok, off the soapbox. For now anyway. But probably not for long.
Actually, I'm glad she got to go to Nana's house for a week. I think it is very good for her to be able to do things like that, to develop her independence and also to get to see her family that she doesn't see often because of the 500 mile difference. I told her not to spoil Nana too much.
But I am tired, I've been up since 4:00 this morning and it's now after 8:00 p.m. Otter got up shortly after we did, and she got dressed & ready to go in record time. I ran her through McDonald's for breakfast, which she never gets, and then we got to the airport right around 6:00. We got her checked in, found her gate and then hit a gift shop. The plane left just after the scheduled time of 7:15, as soon as they announced that it was time to board all I saw was a blur of red hair heading towards the door! She was in such a hurry to get on the plane that I had to tell her to slow down, come back and hug me. Think she was excited? Oh yeah, big time. I still made it to work on time. But I had lots of coffee today to keep me awake! Then the caffiene wore off about 1:00. I've been in slow-motion ever since.
We had a Date Night tonight. We went to a Chinese buffet (Froggy, we're taking you there next week!), and then we walked to the dollar store next to the restaurant. Ok, so it was a cheap date. And I ate too much. I'll pay for it tonight and/or tomorrow, my stomach will probably be a tad bit upset. But I'm not going to complain (well, not much anyway) because I haven't had much of that type of food in a long time. It was really good. I'll just have to be extremely strict for the next several days.
Bill brought home a whole bunch of clothing yesterday that he literally got out of a dumpster. It had been thrown away, even though it is all in pretty good to new condition. It's Army surplus clothing, and all maternity. AND ALL HAD BEEN THROWN OUT BY A SO-CALLED SCHOOL FOR UNWED TEENAGERS! Your tax dollars at work, folks - they didn't want it, so they threw it away. Bill was told to take as much as he wanted, so he filled up his van. We washed it all, I think it was 6 or 7 big loads. Otter picked out one of the shirts to use as a jacket with her camo pants. We are possibly going to eBay some of it, I may use some of the fabric for some craft projects and we might donate some of it - to Birthright, a local place that really does help the teenagers - unlike the place Bill got the clothing from. When that particular place (that threw out the clothing) came out to Otter's school for a presentation, the message she took away from it was that it was OK for teenagers to get pregnant, because after all the government would take care of them! She was not amused, to say the least. I guess everybody knows by now that we are Pro-Life, no exceptions. (Don't say you weren't warned, I'm not politically correct!).
Ok, off the soapbox. For now anyway. But probably not for long.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Dad-isms!
Froggy reminded me of these few:
"Possesion is nine tenths of the law." He said that just about anytime he had something someone else wanted - and it was generally about food! He had a huge sweet tooth. He loved peanut M & M's, or blues & greens as he called them.
His favorite thing about presents was getting the receipt and returning them for the money. (I remember buying him something in the Atlanta airport on the way home to Texas from Florida, just so he couldn't return it! Remember that, Froggy?)
Watermelons: Dad would always find an excuse to eat the heart of the melon first, before anybody else could get to it. Then he'd usually grin at us. And the seed fights! He could shoot watermelon seeds pretty far, and he would bean anybody within reach, then try to look innocent.
I remembered these on my own:
I have my own watermelon memory of Dad. One time he brought home several melons, probably about 3. It was hot summer, and our pool was up so he put the watermelons in the pool to cool them off. Or at least that is the story he told us. In reality, I think he put them in there because he knew how hard they would be to grab and then we got to be the ones to go fish them out. The expression "greased hog" comes to mind!
Dad would also get the first bite of Mom's peach cobbler, usually from a corner. Dad loved to try to steal food from our plates, he usually managed but I recall more than a few times that we tried to protect our meals with our forks. And when I was a kid, if I had a candy bar or anything sweet Dad would tell me that he'd have to taste it first, to make sure it was safe for me to eat. Then he would try to convince me that it wasn't good enough for me to eat, and that he would have to eat it instead.
And then there was the time he taught me to eat cherry tomatoes. The way you eat cherry tomatoes is to hold one between your palms. Then he slapped my hands together! It was a mess, but it was fun at the time. He tried to talk me into holding a cherry tomato between my front teeth, with the idea of squishing my cheeks together and smashing the tomato but I didn't fall for that one, as it was after the holding lesson!
And he frequently would tell me that he would give me all the money I could catch, but I had to hold my thumb and forfinger out and catch the dollar bills as he dropped them. Try it, it's nearly impossible! I don't think I ever managed to catch one.
Dad had more fun than just about anybody I've ever known. He enjoyed life to the fullest. I really miss him.
And he taught my then about 3-year old daughter to say a special word, while they were sitting out on the tailgate of his El Camino - he told her to say her new word to me, she grinned and said "FART" as loud as she could. He cackled so hard I really didn't think he could breathe! I must admit, I laughed along with him. I'm sure he had something else that he taught Froggy's kids and probably the Monkey's Aunt's daughter.
He brought me turtles. Most trips to Oklahoma, we went along. And sometimes the turtles came home with us. But one time I remember that he and Mom went to Oklahoma and we stayed home with Aunt Jessie. When they got home, the were two boxes in the floor board of the back seat of the car. And they were full of turtles! He built a raised area in one corner of the back yard, it had short wooden sides but the sides were tall enough so that the turtles couldn't get over them. They had access to water, food and places to dig. I think he liked the turtles as much as I did. Froggy, I know you don't particularly care for turtles and that I am the reason for that because I used to chase you. But to me, turtles mean Dad and some really good memories. (But all you had to do was stop running, then the fun would have been gone and I wouldn't have chased you with them!)
Friday the 15th will be 3 years since we lost him. And I still find myself waiting for his Wednesday evening phone call, reaching for the phone on Sunday evenings to call him & mom, and when the phone rings and we are eating dinner I still expect it to be him. "What do you know" was his catchphrase when I answered the phone. Wish I could hear it now!
"Possesion is nine tenths of the law." He said that just about anytime he had something someone else wanted - and it was generally about food! He had a huge sweet tooth. He loved peanut M & M's, or blues & greens as he called them.
His favorite thing about presents was getting the receipt and returning them for the money. (I remember buying him something in the Atlanta airport on the way home to Texas from Florida, just so he couldn't return it! Remember that, Froggy?)
Watermelons: Dad would always find an excuse to eat the heart of the melon first, before anybody else could get to it. Then he'd usually grin at us. And the seed fights! He could shoot watermelon seeds pretty far, and he would bean anybody within reach, then try to look innocent.
I remembered these on my own:
I have my own watermelon memory of Dad. One time he brought home several melons, probably about 3. It was hot summer, and our pool was up so he put the watermelons in the pool to cool them off. Or at least that is the story he told us. In reality, I think he put them in there because he knew how hard they would be to grab and then we got to be the ones to go fish them out. The expression "greased hog" comes to mind!
Dad would also get the first bite of Mom's peach cobbler, usually from a corner. Dad loved to try to steal food from our plates, he usually managed but I recall more than a few times that we tried to protect our meals with our forks. And when I was a kid, if I had a candy bar or anything sweet Dad would tell me that he'd have to taste it first, to make sure it was safe for me to eat. Then he would try to convince me that it wasn't good enough for me to eat, and that he would have to eat it instead.
And then there was the time he taught me to eat cherry tomatoes. The way you eat cherry tomatoes is to hold one between your palms. Then he slapped my hands together! It was a mess, but it was fun at the time. He tried to talk me into holding a cherry tomato between my front teeth, with the idea of squishing my cheeks together and smashing the tomato but I didn't fall for that one, as it was after the holding lesson!
And he frequently would tell me that he would give me all the money I could catch, but I had to hold my thumb and forfinger out and catch the dollar bills as he dropped them. Try it, it's nearly impossible! I don't think I ever managed to catch one.
Dad had more fun than just about anybody I've ever known. He enjoyed life to the fullest. I really miss him.
And he taught my then about 3-year old daughter to say a special word, while they were sitting out on the tailgate of his El Camino - he told her to say her new word to me, she grinned and said "FART" as loud as she could. He cackled so hard I really didn't think he could breathe! I must admit, I laughed along with him. I'm sure he had something else that he taught Froggy's kids and probably the Monkey's Aunt's daughter.
He brought me turtles. Most trips to Oklahoma, we went along. And sometimes the turtles came home with us. But one time I remember that he and Mom went to Oklahoma and we stayed home with Aunt Jessie. When they got home, the were two boxes in the floor board of the back seat of the car. And they were full of turtles! He built a raised area in one corner of the back yard, it had short wooden sides but the sides were tall enough so that the turtles couldn't get over them. They had access to water, food and places to dig. I think he liked the turtles as much as I did. Froggy, I know you don't particularly care for turtles and that I am the reason for that because I used to chase you. But to me, turtles mean Dad and some really good memories. (But all you had to do was stop running, then the fun would have been gone and I wouldn't have chased you with them!)
Friday the 15th will be 3 years since we lost him. And I still find myself waiting for his Wednesday evening phone call, reaching for the phone on Sunday evenings to call him & mom, and when the phone rings and we are eating dinner I still expect it to be him. "What do you know" was his catchphrase when I answered the phone. Wish I could hear it now!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Busy Sunday! And yet another tortoise rescued!
The tortoise was actually outside the fence, but Frasier & Maggie were barking at it and Frasier was trying to get to it. So Otter went out through the gate and brought her back in, then we drove around to take her out to the cow field where we let the last one go. This one might possibly have been the same one Bill moved out of the back yard a couple of weeks back. It was not the same one that I relocated that same day, though. Otter really hopes to find one in the yard when Froggy is here!
Otter is home from camp. She got back yesterday, we carried her stuff in, she went straight to the shower and then even though it was only about 4:00 she got ready for bed. She said she was tired! She didn't actually go to bed until around 9:00 or so, but she didn't do much of anything beyond park on the couch and watch a movie on tv. She had a great time at camp. Wednesday morning is the next summer trip! We will probably leave the house about 5:30 in the morning to get her to the airport by 6:15. We have to be there one hour before her flight. I'm thinking we'll just run her through McDonalds or somewhere for breakfast, or possibly we'll hit a donut place for her. She wants to get her stuff packed tonight so that it's done and we don't have to do it tomorrow. I think waiting until the last minute for camp packing taught her a lesson about procrastinating - that it's better not to!
I'm still thinking about Dad-isms to post here. If anybody has any, please email me! I'll have more in the next few days.
Otter is home from camp. She got back yesterday, we carried her stuff in, she went straight to the shower and then even though it was only about 4:00 she got ready for bed. She said she was tired! She didn't actually go to bed until around 9:00 or so, but she didn't do much of anything beyond park on the couch and watch a movie on tv. She had a great time at camp. Wednesday morning is the next summer trip! We will probably leave the house about 5:30 in the morning to get her to the airport by 6:15. We have to be there one hour before her flight. I'm thinking we'll just run her through McDonalds or somewhere for breakfast, or possibly we'll hit a donut place for her. She wants to get her stuff packed tonight so that it's done and we don't have to do it tomorrow. I think waiting until the last minute for camp packing taught her a lesson about procrastinating - that it's better not to!
I'm still thinking about Dad-isms to post here. If anybody has any, please email me! I'll have more in the next few days.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Long Week!! But it's Friday and I'm Glad.
It's been a looooooooooooooooooooong week, without the Otter around the house. Maggie Beagle is still moping, but she's better. She'll probably be so excited tomorrow to see her kid that she won't be able to stand still.
When Bill was mowing the lawn just now, I brought all the dog toys up to the deck. And the dogs took them right back out to the yard. I brought them up to the deck again. And the dogs took them right back out again. We played that game about 5 times. Then I finally just brought the dogs in, bribed them to stay inside with ice cubes (their favorite treat) and belly rubs. They've got me well trained, don't you agree!?
Otter will only be home a few days. Then I put her on a plane Wednesday morning for her next summer trip. She's pretty excited about that one, too.
We finally have the final tally on the hospital bills, we are getting off "lightly" which is actually one of those open to individual interpretation comments! But for the hospital, doctor, surgeon, lab work, emergency room charges, anesthesia - all of it, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Before the bills were submitted to the insurance, they totaled up about $20,000.00. So I'm not complaining! However, since I have now met my deductible for the year if I have anything at all needing medical attention, I'm going to make sure it's taken care of before Dec. 31 so it will be covered.
Froggy - when you come see me in 2 weeks, we have to drive by/through the ORU campus. Oral Roberts University, also known as Oral's momument to HIMSELF although he says God told him to build it and he pretends that it's a monument to God. But it really isn't. It's something to see, alright. It looks like it's straight out of a 1960's sci-fi B movie!
Rescued another small frog from the dog's water dish this afternoon. Bill's rescued a couple of them as well lately. They are not always the same frog, although I'm sure that some of them are repeats.
I bought a new hummingbird feeder the other day - found it at Salvation Army of all places, but it was unopened. This one has bee guards. It makes 5 that I have now, they were all washed out and refilled yesterday and are hanging all over the place on the house. Everytime I go outside, seems like I get buzzed by a hummer! They are funny little birds, I love to watch them. So far we still only have a couple this year. But they are still managing to keep my feeders empty quickly.
Thank a veteran if you can! I do, on a regular basis. Something else I learned from Dad.
Dad-isms start now! His favorite name for people who got on his nerves was Knothead. He used to sit and watch Bugs Bunny cartoons with me on Saturday morning, we especially loved the Roadrunner. More Dad-isms as I think of them. Anybody else got any? Email me or leave a comment.
When Bill was mowing the lawn just now, I brought all the dog toys up to the deck. And the dogs took them right back out to the yard. I brought them up to the deck again. And the dogs took them right back out again. We played that game about 5 times. Then I finally just brought the dogs in, bribed them to stay inside with ice cubes (their favorite treat) and belly rubs. They've got me well trained, don't you agree!?
Otter will only be home a few days. Then I put her on a plane Wednesday morning for her next summer trip. She's pretty excited about that one, too.
We finally have the final tally on the hospital bills, we are getting off "lightly" which is actually one of those open to individual interpretation comments! But for the hospital, doctor, surgeon, lab work, emergency room charges, anesthesia - all of it, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Before the bills were submitted to the insurance, they totaled up about $20,000.00. So I'm not complaining! However, since I have now met my deductible for the year if I have anything at all needing medical attention, I'm going to make sure it's taken care of before Dec. 31 so it will be covered.
Froggy - when you come see me in 2 weeks, we have to drive by/through the ORU campus. Oral Roberts University, also known as Oral's momument to HIMSELF although he says God told him to build it and he pretends that it's a monument to God. But it really isn't. It's something to see, alright. It looks like it's straight out of a 1960's sci-fi B movie!
Rescued another small frog from the dog's water dish this afternoon. Bill's rescued a couple of them as well lately. They are not always the same frog, although I'm sure that some of them are repeats.
I bought a new hummingbird feeder the other day - found it at Salvation Army of all places, but it was unopened. This one has bee guards. It makes 5 that I have now, they were all washed out and refilled yesterday and are hanging all over the place on the house. Everytime I go outside, seems like I get buzzed by a hummer! They are funny little birds, I love to watch them. So far we still only have a couple this year. But they are still managing to keep my feeders empty quickly.
Thank a veteran if you can! I do, on a regular basis. Something else I learned from Dad.
Dad-isms start now! His favorite name for people who got on his nerves was Knothead. He used to sit and watch Bugs Bunny cartoons with me on Saturday morning, we especially loved the Roadrunner. More Dad-isms as I think of them. Anybody else got any? Email me or leave a comment.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Today is D-Day, June 6
GENERATION TO GENERATION: Only through preserving our past can we guarantee a future where the lessons and legacy of D-Day will be remembered.
That is from the following link: http://www.dday.org/ This particular museum is in Virginia.
There is also one in New Orleans, it survived Katrina and had very little damage from the water. Here is a link to it: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/
Sometimes, ok a lot of times, I think we forget about things like D-Day. I don't, Dad made sure of that!
I just want to make sure we all remember.
Thanks Dad. And all of the rest of them, we owe them everything.
That is from the following link: http://www.dday.org/ This particular museum is in Virginia.
There is also one in New Orleans, it survived Katrina and had very little damage from the water. Here is a link to it: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/
Sometimes, ok a lot of times, I think we forget about things like D-Day. I don't, Dad made sure of that!
I just want to make sure we all remember.
Thanks Dad. And all of the rest of them, we owe them everything.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
It's Sunday (Again!) and Maybe Finally Past Rainy Season
Well, hopefully the rainy season is over. But you never know, up here the weather changes faster than even Texas!
Otter is off to camp tomorrow. She's excited about it. Can't imagine why, but being away from the parental units for a whole week apparently sounds like fun to her. :)
If anyone wants to send her mail, here's the address:
(6/6/07 - I took the address out, any mail sent this late won't get to her before she leaves.)
She will be there all week, coming home on Saturday. So the mail has to be received by Friday at the latest. Plan on about 3 days for mailing time, at least from Texas. She won't have her cell ph0ne, they are not allowed. And neither are gameboys, ipods, etc. Those kids are going to have to exist for a whole week without those things, they are so deprived! And because it is a church camp, specifically Baptist, they are very strict about clothing. Otter doesn't like anything that is too short or revealing anyway, but it was nearly impossible to find shorts that she could wear. Very little that is sold currently is long enough. We finally hit a thrift store and managed to find her 2 pair but it was last minute. And she also has to have a dress or skirt, or nice slacks, for the evening church services at camp.
We just got back from the rent house. There were a couple of minor things that Bill needed to fix. As we were leaving, the tenant said that the ceiling fan/light in the dining room was not working right so Bill went back in and checked it. It's going to need to be replaced, but that's not a big job. Bill will get it sometime in the next several days. We might take the light from our dining room and put it up over there, then buy a new one for us. We have been wanting to get a newer one, we just haven't gotten around to it yet, the one we have works but we just don't really like it.
And as we were talking to the tenant, he said that he's not sure yet if he wants to buy the house or not. Last time we talked, he was certain. But now he's not sure. I have a feeling that he's changed his mind completely but didn't want to admit it. I told him that he needs to decide soon and to let us know. He told me he will call me, I told him that I really would like to hear from him - either way - by the end of the week. It's really kind of frustrating!
Froggy, Otter wants to know what your opinion is on snakes. As in, are you afraid of them? Or is it just turtles, frogs and lizards? I'm not sure about the lizard part, it just seems like they are also something you don't like!
Otter is off to camp tomorrow. She's excited about it. Can't imagine why, but being away from the parental units for a whole week apparently sounds like fun to her. :)
If anyone wants to send her mail, here's the address:
(6/6/07 - I took the address out, any mail sent this late won't get to her before she leaves.)
She will be there all week, coming home on Saturday. So the mail has to be received by Friday at the latest. Plan on about 3 days for mailing time, at least from Texas. She won't have her cell ph0ne, they are not allowed. And neither are gameboys, ipods, etc. Those kids are going to have to exist for a whole week without those things, they are so deprived! And because it is a church camp, specifically Baptist, they are very strict about clothing. Otter doesn't like anything that is too short or revealing anyway, but it was nearly impossible to find shorts that she could wear. Very little that is sold currently is long enough. We finally hit a thrift store and managed to find her 2 pair but it was last minute. And she also has to have a dress or skirt, or nice slacks, for the evening church services at camp.
We just got back from the rent house. There were a couple of minor things that Bill needed to fix. As we were leaving, the tenant said that the ceiling fan/light in the dining room was not working right so Bill went back in and checked it. It's going to need to be replaced, but that's not a big job. Bill will get it sometime in the next several days. We might take the light from our dining room and put it up over there, then buy a new one for us. We have been wanting to get a newer one, we just haven't gotten around to it yet, the one we have works but we just don't really like it.
And as we were talking to the tenant, he said that he's not sure yet if he wants to buy the house or not. Last time we talked, he was certain. But now he's not sure. I have a feeling that he's changed his mind completely but didn't want to admit it. I told him that he needs to decide soon and to let us know. He told me he will call me, I told him that I really would like to hear from him - either way - by the end of the week. It's really kind of frustrating!
Froggy, Otter wants to know what your opinion is on snakes. As in, are you afraid of them? Or is it just turtles, frogs and lizards? I'm not sure about the lizard part, it just seems like they are also something you don't like!
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