I Just Realized Something!

I just realized that today is February 28. And on February 28, 1993 we left TEXAS and moved to Oklahoma! 15 years ago. It's easy to figure out the number of years even when it's a hard number to come up with (I'm math challenged), because Otter was just about to turn one when we moved. So all I have to do is remember her age.

I've posted before about the trip, how hard it was and a lot of memories. so I'm not going to get into that much, but I can never, ever see a UHaul truck without remembering ours and how it had trouble in Dallas. I also can't pass a truck stop without remembering how fortunate we were that the trouble was discovered when we stopped for gas at a truck stop, and how nice everyone there was to us. The other big thing that we remember from the trip itself was Otter's reaction. She hadn't seen her daddy in about 2 months, as he'd already come to OK to look for a job. She was so excited and so happy to see him again, she spent most of the trip reaching over the side of her car seat to pat his arm and smile at him. When we got to OK, we went straight to Bill's dad's house since it was about 3:00 a.m. or thereabouts and we wouldn't be able to get the key to our apartment. We parked the truck in the driveway, then we went straight to the guest room and collapsed. And here we are 15 years later, in the same house! Only this time we aren't visiting.

Otter might be playing the asthma game today. Or she might just be coming down with the flu. Can't tell yet! Bill probably had the flu, he had all the symptoms but since he absolutely refused to go to the doctor we don't know for sure. I'm not certain that I had the same thing he did, my symptoms were all lung & asthma related without the fever, body aches, head congestion, etc. that he had. Otter seems to have what I had, she's started out the same way anyway. I hope that it is not flu, she was extremely sick when she had it about 3 years ago. I kept her home from school today. For most illnesses now, she can stay home by herself - she's nearly 16 after all! But for anything even remotely connected with her lungs, I stay with her. Her asthma is traditionally well-controlled but when it shows up, it is usually extremely fast and extremely severe. She's bummed because one of her friends is having a sleepover birthday party tomorrow night and at this point, her chances of going do not look too good.

Since I'm home, I am going to get a few more of those housekeeping chores done. There really isn't anything big, I just have been putting off a couple of things. Like cleaning the shower! I've already tackled the shower door, it was really gross at the bottom - I never thought about checking on that area for mold. Not just at the lower part of the door, I mean the actual bottom of the door where it connects with the shower frame. So if any of you have doors on your bath tubs or showers, check there!

Among other things, I managed to get Otter's room dusted. That is always a big problem, she's extremely allergic to dust so I have to do it when she's not in the room. She's on the couch with 2 blankets and the remote control, so she's safely out of the way! I'm on my 3rd load of laundry and I've cleaned the kitchen, including the stove. I even washed the cookie jar! (Bill's threatening to make cookies, they are very good but they are also lethal as they are loaded with real butter!) I have a little patching to do on a pair of Bill's jeans and a few of his work shirts to iron, I'll get that done in a bit. Also I have 4 curtains still waiting to be hemmed! I also ran the vacuum, but that happens 3 or 4 times a week anyway so I don't think that's really an extra.

(Later on)

I started this post this morning, but I've had a few breaks. For one thing, I had to run to the grocery store. I've also managed to get the curtains hemmed and they are back in the dining room windows. Finally! I've also ironed Bill's shirts (there were only two) and patched his jeans.

Otter has been parked on the couch most of the day, she isn't really watching tv much but has one of the satellite music channels on - no videos, just music. She had lunch and took a long bath, she just emerged from the bathroom and said she doesn't feel very good at all. I think it's about time for her to call her friend and back out of the sleep over party. I wish she could go, but I don't think she's going to be up to it. Now, if she wakes up tomorrow and is 100% then she'll go. But I'll be surprised if that happens.

Ok, I just checked on Otter and she is now asleep. I'm letting her sleep, even though it's nearly 4:00. She called her friend a little while ago and told her that she wouldn't be at the party in all probability. Poor thing, she's really disappointed and I am too but it can't be helped.

Funny story from the grocery store this morning: I was rounding a corner on my way to the produce area when a little grey mouse scooted out from under a display. It came to a complete stop in the middle of the aisle, then ran under another display but it was still visible. The people who work there were almost hysterical! I finally spoke up and said that it was just a mouse and was probably more scared of them then they were of it! One of them kept trying to apologize to me, as a customer facing a rodent, and I do appreciate what she was trying to do - but mice are a fact of life and they will go to where they can find food and/or shelter. What I found the most amusing is that the most terrified employee was the MAN who worked there! The store in question is always very clean and I'm sure that it's a one-time thing so I'm not worried about the cleanliness and I'll continue to shop there. But it was pretty funny, it was almost like a Godzilla movie in the way that those people were acting!

(Later Update Again!)

I'm pretty sure that Otter has the flu. She's got the symptoms, she feels worse and went to bed early. After spending time in the bathroom because she was nauseous (sp?), she never did throw up but she still feels pretty bad. So she went to bed, and Maggie beagle is right next to her. Maggie was very concerned, she came into the bathroom and had a very worried expression on her face when she saw Otter laying in the floor with her head on my lap. Maggie hasn't left her side since.

And Bill came home with a video game! Remember the large arcade games? We used to have a couple, we sold them many years ago. Well, we saw one in a neighbor's garage when we were taking a walk a couple of weeks ago. That particular house was on the market and it's now sold, the owners were cleaning out prior to moving and today the game was sitting out at the curb. With the trash. So Bill went to ask about it, and they gave it to him. It needs work, but he's an electronics engineer so it's right up his alley. Bill's got a new toy!

Karate Class Update

And probably a few other things as well!

Otter had her first adult level karate class last night. Aside from being absolutely exhausted by the end of class, she loved it. It's a lot harder than the previous levels but she knew that and she's not afraid of it. She is her parent's daughter, so she is not afraid of hard work! She will go the the late class for about 2 weeks, then she'll start attending an earlier class on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Earlier means 6:00 p.m. instead of 8:00 p.m. She is going to need a new Gi, which is the outfit they wear. Her current one is black & red and she can still use it, but it is the official Gi for the junior level. Since the pants legs are starting to get a little short (happens fast!) and she's still got several months to go, I think we'd better get her a new one! Adult level doesn't have a specific Gi, they can be the traditional white or black, and there are a few other choices as well. Otter probably wants a black one, which is a better choice because they get really dirty. I will see what they have available tomorrow evening, but I don't have to buy it there. The black & red one was only available at the karate school, it's a trademarked item. Until we get her a new one, she can continue to wear the old one.

On to the other stuff...

As much cleaning as I posted about, there were still quite a few things that we did but I didn't mention. I'm on a roll now, so there will be more! If Billyboy is smart, he'll find a good hiding place because I will put him to work. Quite a bit of what we did Sunday happened to be things that would raise dust and we took advantage of Otter's absence to get it done.

It was cold and windy today. It was in the 20's this morning, then it got up to the low 40's. It was a pretty day, just cold because of the strong north wind. We almost expected to see the beagle flying!

Maggie and Frasier have several toys, he's not the most playful dog in the world but she is like a puppy. Frasier will occasionally play tug but he simply refuses to fetch. Not Mags, she'll play until the cows come home! (Froggy, remember mom saying that?) At the moment, the favorite toy is an old, ragged pink washcloth I found in my quilting scraps. They played tug with it this morning for a few minutes, until Frasier lost interest. Frasier's habit is to take all the toys and chewbones outside. He doesn't seem to mind that Maggie plays with them, I don't think he's jealous. He just doesn't want them inside for some reason. We have to make regular trips outside to find all their toys and bones, and eventually they make their way outside again. I found the pink washcloth in the garage, I think Frasier must have dropped it on his way out the door. He's a good dog, but he is kind of strange!

Froggy, I actually got a little work done on my quilt over the weekend! Not much, but at least I did get a little bit accomplished. There is no way it will be done by the time you visit us this summer, but I will put a few more squares together. I went through a few boxes of stuff from Mom and Dad's in the last few weeks, I have quite a bit of clothing that was theirs and also stuff from our childhood and it will (eventually, someday when I get around to it) become quilt fabric. I will probably sew a little more on Saturday, because I won't have time before that. I still have 4 curtains to hem, the ones from the dining room window. It's so much fun to try to pin things together, I had so much help from the poochies!

I'm thinking that the Presidential election will be between Obama and McCain. I would have preferred Huckabee, but I just don't see any way at this point that he can win the nomination. I will be overjoyed that Hitlary will not be the Democratic candidate, but I'm not too thrilled with Obama. (Remember Froggy, this is my blog and you get my opinions!). But even though I'm not a big fan of his, I have to say that this recent controversy over him and the picture in African dress is really stupid. I think that most people, when they go to a different country will try on at least some part of the native dress. I do think that the picture is being deliberately misinterpreted, but I guess that's typical in election politics.

Ok, I think I'm off of my soapbox for now. But I'll be back on it again, I'm sure - and probably soon!

Cleaning Fit. Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

I have what we call Cleaning Fits. I don't like clutter and I can't stand things to be dirty. Bill and Otter have learned to get out of my way, when they see the signs of a Cleaning Fit. Which is very smart on their part. I'm having one today. Otter is at her friend's house, where she's been since about 5:00 yesterday afternoon and she won't be home until probably several hours from now. So she's safely out of my way. Bill wasn't so lucky. I've put him to work, he just didn't move fast enough and I caught him!

I've washed most of the curtains and the entire kitchen has been detail dusted - think close details and every little nook, cranny and corner. I've finished with our room - the window sill and all sorts of little corners have now been vacuumed and de-cob webbed. I'm moving to the living room next. The curtains are still in the dryer, so I'm going to tackle the window first. The living room gets dusted on a regular basis, but I'll probably hit it again today. Just because! I might even get Bill to pull out the couch and loveseat so we can get the baseboards. Well, there's no might to it - that will also get done today. I also will get the dining room curtains hemmed, they have been too long since I bought them and I never got around to hemming them. I'm going to get around to it today.

The dogs are currently outside and they are staying there for a while. I looked out the window earlier and saw that about 1/3 of Maggie Beagle was underground, and the remaining 2/3 would be gone soon - she looked just like one of those plastic yard ornaments of a beagle behind where it looks like it's digging. She was really moving some dirt, too - there was a big cloud of dirt being rapidly flung up behind her. Frasier was standing around, watching her but that's what usually happens. Maggie does the main part of the digging, Frasier kills the moles they unearth. Then he seems to think that he is the only one who did any work! (Typical male). I didn't see any sign of an actual mole this time, but I did have Bill go block them out. Also on my list is to mop the kitchen floor, because of their earth moving activities yesterday.

We have really got to get their area fenced off soon. If the weather will cooperate, that is! Also, I think I saw a bird going into one of the birdhouses that are on the dining room window sill, I'd love baby birds but so would Frasier so that's another reason to get their fence soon!

I saw blackheaded grosbeaks in the yard the other day. They are a type of sparrow, but they have black and white feathers on their backs. Very pretty birds. This is the first time I've seen them, although we've had a large variety of birds at different times. I did see the first Robin of spring about a week ago, it was in the front yard and I haven't seen any since. We also have seen hawks lately. Usually we see red-tailed hawks. Bill saw what might have been an eagle last week, it was out in the field behind the house and flew from the ground to the top of a light pole. I couldn't tell, but it was pretty big to be a hawk. Somebody he works with saw a bald eagle in the last couple of weeks, they have a nesting area west of Tulsa but do occasionally get to this area. I haven't seen one in the wild, I would love to. They are magnificent birds.

I might update this post later. So check back!

Ok, it's later now! Among other things, we rearranged the living room. The sofa table and loveseat have now switched places. I moved a couple of my plants from the dining room window to the sofa table and we put all the games in the hall closet. The games were on the bottom shelf of the sofa table. Bill got up on the ladder and used the vacuum attachment to get all the cobwebs and dog hair (of all things!) that was on the ceiling. He also cleaned the ceiling fans.

Then he cleaned the fireplace, and I dumped the ashes in the big hole the dogs were working on. Frasier immediately went to the other side of the yard and refused to even look at me! He must have forgiven me, because he's now parked on the floor at my side. Snoring.

All the curtains are now washed, and so are the dog blankets. I still need to hem the curtains from the dining room window, but I'm going to do that in a few minutes. I was going to get new curtains for the living room window, a tan shade instead of the cream color that's there now. But now that the sofa table is there instead of the brown love seat I think that it looks good so I'm going to stick with the original curtains.

We've raised a lot of dust today, but it needed to be dealt with. Now it's done for a while. Hopefully, a long while!

Later update:

I didn't get the curtains hemmed. I didn't have the right color of thread, so Otter and I made a trip to Wallyworld. I got the thread, and also the "cardboard pizza" Bill requested. Which was a mistake, it did not agree with me! Too much fat, most likely. It tasted good, it's just not sitting well. So the curtains didn't quite get finished, but they will in the next day or so. Otter got the job of sweeping and mopping the kitchen & dining room floor. She said that she fully expects it to rain tomorrow, since she was down on her hands and knees with a damp washcloth!

We got so much done today!

Cold Friday, Warm Dogs

The title specifically refers to Frasier. He's been parked in front of the fireplace most of the day. Along with me! Bill so thoughtfully shared his "cold" with me, and I've been home the last two days. He was home yesterday but went back to work today, although he came home about 2:00. Just as I was about to leave to get the Otter from school! I've spent most of the day parked in the living room with a nice fire going, and Frasier spent most of his time sleeping in front of it. Maggie was in and out, she preferred to spend her time sleeping in the middle of Otter's bed. But every so often, she'd come in and get warm and then go back to bed.

I did manage to get my laundry done today, but it's still waiting to be put up. I might get around to that tonight, but I'm not making a promise. However, Otter did get hers put away so I probably should at least make an effort.

We were supposed to be able to see the space shuttle, space station, and a satellite one evening this week. I think it was Tuesday. We were out in the yard at the appointed time, looking in the right direction. But we never saw anything. Well, we did see one probable satellite but not the one we were supposed to see since it was in a different part of the sky. We didn't even attempt to see Wednesday evening's moon eclipse because it was cloudy. So that one happened without us.

We had some sleet yesterday, not much but just enough that it was visible on the cars. We woke up to a dusting of snow this morning, but it was a very light dusting. Mostly, it's just been cold the last few days. Bill brought in a lot more firewood when he got home.

I see that John McCain has been accused of adultery. He's denying, and I'm taking him at his word for it at this point. Considering the source of the story, I'm not in a hurry to believe it. But it's backfiring, instead of discrediting McCain it seems to be having the opposite effect - people are lining up in support of him. I am amused, and not at all unhappy about that! I'm sure that this won't be the only attack on him, since the opposition plays dirty politics. He's still not my first choice, but I will vote for him if he is the nominee.

I see that Castro has finally, officially stepped down. But his brother is now the ruling party so things might not change much in Cuba. Not for a while, anyway.

We've been going through a couple of boxes of old photographs lately. We have thrown out a bunch, like numerous pictures of shows at SeaWorld and about a million shots of grassy field areas that we don't even remember! We've also come across quite a few that are bringing back lots of memories. And a couple of future blackmail pictures of Otter! She's not amused, by the way. They are well hidden, Otter, in case you get any ideas.

Gotta go, I think the lasagne in the oven is calling me!

Same Old Boring Tuesday Stuff!

This is an article I saw on the San Antonio paper's website:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA021108.02B.Texarcana_Shape_Texas.3ad48c9.html

It kind of explains a little about why Texans are like we are. Not the tattoo part itself about the article, but the other stuff! Like I told Froggy one time, we take Texas with us wherever we go.

I've been fighting a sore throat off and on today. I've also had a slight headache at times. I told Billyboy that I thought a beating might be in order (for him!) but he is denying responsibility. He said that since he never had a sore throat, I didn't catch the creeping crud from him. However, since he's the only person I've been around that has been sick... With any luck, I won't come down with it any worse than what I've had today, the sore throat and sometimes headache. Bill's a lot better today, he went to work. But he still has the cough and sneeze, he said that he thinks he has fever off and on. But he's over the worst of the symptoms.

It's been nice today, I think it was in the low-60's. Beautiful day, blue sky and not too windy. But it's not going to last. Otter said she wants to go sit outside and soak up all the sunshine she can, since this is probably our last pretty day for a while. It's supposed to get cold tonight, then tomorrow's high temperature is 32 degrees. We could get winter weather starting tomorrow afternoon(ish), and that could last through Friday. But even if we don't get any precipitation, it will still be pretty cold for the next few days.

The forecaster made a comment about how everybody needs to take their big coat with them on Wednesday. Sounds great - except for the fact that I donated mine to the Salvation Army last week! It fit me 50 pounds ago, but it kind of swallowed me now. So I guess I'll just have to be cold! I prefer to wear my leather jacket anyway. I've been looking for a full-length leather coat, but I haven't found one I like yet. Considering that it took me about 3 years to find the jacket, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I'm very picky about coats and jackets. I don't really like coats, I only wear one if I absolutely have to. Bill has a warm coat that belonged to his grandfather (Gort) and I wore it when I was pregnant all those years ago, maybe I can talk him into letting me wear it again! :)

But I do think that Spring is just about here. I saw 4 deer this morning, 2 does and 2 that I think might have been yearlings. They were just coming out of a wooded area I drove by after dropping Otter off at school. I also saw a robin last week, which is very early. The tulip bed looks like it's sprouting, but it might only be the daffodils that are also planted over there.

And my half whiskey barrel that holds my mailbox also has a nice surprise - the bluebonnets I planted last year apparently self-seeded! Just a tiny little leaf set coming up through the ground and it might not survive the coming cold weather, but it was still a nice surprise. Lowe's doesn't quite have their spring flowers out yet, but I'll grab bluebonnets as soon as I see them. I've noticed that each year they have more available. Not that I'm complaining! I can never have enough bluebonnets. The neighbors probably think that we're nuts, because when we have bluebonnets planted the first thing we do when we get home is go bury our faces in them! They smell heavenly, like Home. They are one of the things we missed the most, when we moved to Oklahoma. But now we are able to find them and it's always a good thing.

Quick Sunday Update

Otter has new glasses! She can see again! Actually, she could see before but those glasses were a couple of years old and there were a few minor changes in her vision. So we got her eyes examined this afternoon and she got a new pair of glasses. She chose plastic ones this time, she was tired of metal frames. I think she's had metal frames from when she first had to start wearing glasses in 4th grade. The place we went to did have the flexible ones, but they didn't have any that looked good on her (in her opinion). But she chose a nice pair. They are a dark greyish color.

Her eyes were dilated, which she hates but it's necessary. The doctor said that her eyes look very healthy, so she isn't complaining about the dilation. Well, not too much anyway! While the glasses were being made, we walked around the mall for about an hour. We also stopped at the food court for a pretzel. Then we only had about a 10 minute wait when we went back for the glasses.

I think that Bill might have a case of bronchitis. He's coughing his head off. I've been giving him benadryl, but it's not really working. It's more for allergies anyway. I am going to suggest a doctor visit to him, but we all know that he won't go willingly. He was already off tomorrow for President's Day.

Otter originally had tomorrow off as well, but school will be in session to make up for the 2nd ice day that went over their built-in days. The first make-up day was in January.

It rained all day yesterday and part of today, then the sun came out mid-afternoon. It is still kind of cool but not cold. I hope that we are past all the winter weather, but you never know. We could still get hit with it, I just don't want anymore of it.

She's Nearly There!

Otter earned her Recommended Black Belt today. It is a Black Belt, just not the final one. But it represents quite a bit. Recommended Black says a great deal about the person who wears it. It means that a lot of hard work and effort has happened over the last few years, and it also means that the hardest part is just beginning. As aggresive as she is in karate, and she's not the least bit timid, her coach kept encouraging her to be even more aggresive today. She's about to start the adult class, and he wanted her to be as prepared as she could be. It's going to be a different world for her, come Monday night. But she'll be fine. She will have to adjust to being the newcomer, instead of the top belt in her level. But she has a very strong drive to succeed, she wants it pretty bad and it will happen. In time, it takes several months at this point. But she'll get there. And we will be just as proud of her as we are now, we know how hard she works and she's willing to do what it takes to reach her goal.

All the parents are supportive, everybody applauds everyone else's kids but I noticed today that she seemed to have everyone's support, much more than what normally happens. Several of the parents were cheering her on during the last sparring matches, she was paired with a very tough boy and it was a true battle. And she definetely had the crowd on her side. Which is not to say anything bad about the boy, he was very good and I think he'll get there as well when it's his turn. But it was a nice moment for her. The boy's little sister was also cheering Otter on, but being a little sister myself I can kind of understand why she might have wanted her big brother to lose! Especially to a girl. :) The boy's father commented to me about how he, as a father of a daughter himself, was glad she was so strong and able to protect herself. I think his daughter is probably going to be enrolled soon!

It's rained most of the day. Not a hard rain or anything, just constant. It was very messy when we were out in it today. But it's been above freezing so it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I think it's supposed to stay above freezing tonight but I'm not positive. The kitchen floor is decorated with puppy paws again. Thoughtful doggies that they are, they want to make sure I have something to do so they decorate the floor for me. Although most of their day has been spent snoozing.

Bill's been coughing and sneezing for a couple of days. He might have fever, but I'm not going to take his temperature. It's like dealing with an angry bear! I don't think he's feeling too good but he won't admit it.

We watched The 300 today. It was Bill's turn to pick the movie. It was not the best movie we've ever seen. It was not historically correct and it was hard to follow. The way it was shot was also distracting. The acting was not really good, either. Hopefully, when it's my turn next weekend I'll come up with something good! Or at least one that doesn't give me a headache just from watching it.

I'm So Ready for Friday!

But it's still only Thursday. Sigh. But at least tomorrow IS Friday.

Froggy, I did not know that Uno the Beagle is a Texan. But since he won Best of Show, it's obvious now! Uno also looks like a typical beagle, they are noisy dogs. And also very cute. Maggie's evening activities included staring at us while we were making dinner, then she moved her food dish away from the plastic placement it usually sits on and she parked her behind on the placemat instead. We think maybe she was hoping for "roadkill" (dropped food) that might fall into her mouth. Frasier spent most of his time snoozing, except for when he hear lettuce being torn. He absolutely loves lettuce.

Today was Otter's last karate class at the junior level. The coach had her help him teach today. She's very good. She also told him about the boy at school that called her an obscene name a couple of weeks back - the boy who she grabbed by the collar and dragged to the teacher! (She told the teacher to take care of it, or that she would take care of it herself. The boy in question was suspended for a while, and so were his friends who were also in on it. It was not the first instance.) Her coach was impressed, he told her that she handled it very well and then he grinned at her and asked if the boy was dead yet! (No, he's just gone from school for a while - he got suspended. But if Bill had been there...)

You'd think that they would know her reputation for being tough and not taking garbage from anybody is well deserved by now. Especially after the bus incident a few years back. The one where a boy decided to take his pants down and sit his bare butt on her lap - the end result of that one was that he was suspended and a police report was filed, he and his parents actually had to go to court, and the bus driver was also disciplined for getting on Otter because she stood up for herself! She's her mother's daughter, by the way.

Maybe some of the boys see her as a challenge. I don't know. And it's not like all the boys in school are horrible, it's just a select few. She's restrained herself so far, but one of these days she just might have to give someone an unscheduled karate demonstration. I think it's the Texan in her.

We might get winter weather starting tomorrow. It's supposed to be in the 30's tomorrow and the next few days. After being in the 60's today, it's going to feel even colder. There is a possibility of ice. So I decided not to wait until the last moment, I went to the grocery store last night. I don't expect to be iced in, but I've learned not to wait if there is even the slightest chance of icy weather because everybody else and their brother will make a last-minute run to the store. So I got it over with early, and so did a lot of other people. It was very crowded. But now I don't have to worry that they'll be out of milk, eggs, bread or any other essentials. Especially chocolate!

I think we're going to take Otter to get her eyes checked on Sunday. She's been complaining that her glasses don't seem to be quite right lately and she's also had a couple of headaches that I think might be eye strain. I wish that they still made the bendable glasses we bought for her a few years back, they were great with karate. But I don't think that they are made anymore, at least Lenscrafters doesn't carry them anymore. We're going somewhere else this time, I'll ask them about the bendables but I don't think I've seen a commercial for them in a couple of years even. She said she might want plastic frames this time, but I'm thinking she might still get metal ones since they seem to hold up better.

Billyboy might be coming down with something. He's been coughing a lot and he went to bed early tonight. He said he doesn't feel too good. I told him that we are not going there! He is not allowed to be sick! He's a typical man - gripy and whiny when he's sick and I told him NO. But I don't think he's listening to me, unfortunately.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Run of the Mill Tuesday Stuff

Let's see, what has happened since Sunday when I blogged last? Not much!

Otter will test on Saturday, for the next belt level. Which is the recommended Black. We were under the impression that it would be about 6 months from this point until the final Black Belt but it turns out that it will probably be longer. I checked with the coach, he said that it's normally anywhere from 8 months to a year. Which means that even if Otter had not had breaks for asthma, flu, Texas trips and oh yeah - that broken arm, there is no way that she would have been able to finish the course in the 3 years I was told it would take when we signed up. Not that I'm complaining, I just think that they should have been a little more honest. We finished paying it off several months ago, so now she goes for free (except for testing fees).

Also, she will be switching to the adult class next week. She should have already been bridged into that class, but Mr. John (the coach) didn't realize her age. She is 15, nearly 16, and should have moved classes a few months ago. But again, I am not complaining! The class she'll be going to is mixed adults and teenagers. She'll start out with the teenagers that are bridging, then after a while she'll move up the the actual Adult class. Which means that there is the potential for more injuries. The Adult class she'll be in is what is called Young Adult, so they'll mostly be older teens to very early 20's as the age range and all will be at close ability levels. And instead of Tuesday & Thursday from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m., the classes will be Monday & Wednesday from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m., and then when she changes to the 2nd level she'll go to the 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. classes on the same days. It will actually be good for her to be with the older kids, she loves the challenge it will present.

Anybody following the Dog Show? We don't follow it extremely closely, but we've always been interested in it because we like dogs. This year, we are watching it much closer than we usually do. Read this article, it will probably be self-explanatory!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23096596/

I think we will probably always have a beagle, I had no idea how much fun the breed is until we got the Magginator.

Bill came home with a ball cap today that the HR department gave him. It has an interesting slogan: "Safety Starts With Me." Otter and I were amused. I think I might just insist he wear it the next time we have to make a trip to the ER as a result of one of his adventures! There will be another, there always is.

Trina, I understand completely! Just email me whenever you want to go thrifting.

Froggy, I hope you get to feeling better soon. Flu is not fun. Also, it's kind of hard to give Toadly a hard time by myself!

Ever Have One of Those Busy Days...

where you don't actually get anything done? I had one today. I did manage to do the laundry and take Otter to the library. But not much else on the "to-do" list actually got crossed off. There were plenty of things on the list, I guess they'll just have to wait!

We did manage to get through with the taxes and get them sent off, so that's good. But that wasn't even on the list! Bill also had to make an unscheduled trip to the rent house for a minor repair this afternoon. I also had a cactus plant that died - not quite sure how that happened, and it got tossed out into one of the dog holes in the back yard. But that wasn't on my list, either. Neither was making bread, but I did manage that at least.

I think Bill's baptism is going to be on the 24th of this month, the minister said that the next one is scheduled for the last Sunday of February.

We are finally, officially through with our business. I got the confirmation from the state tax commission, it was in the mailbox when we went to the post office this afternoon. As Otter used to say when she was little and had finished her meal, All Done!

Bill found a few boxes of pictures several days ago, they were put in the closet when we moved in - over 3 years ago - and we never went through them. He just took them to the living room, I think that we are going to start looking through them tonight. (He's probably hoping to find pictures he can blackmail Otter with!) If we manage to finish the job, then I'll be able to take at least one thing off of my list. We've cleaned out a lot of stuff lately, but most of it has been to donate or throw away.

We should have cleaned out BEFORE we moved, instead of waiting 3+ years to do it!

If You Are Easily Offended, Then You'd Better Stop Reading This Right Now!!

Because I am fixin to get real political! (Yes, fixin is a word and it is a verb - Texan is my first language after all, yall!)

I think the wrong person dropped out of the race for the Presidency today. Romney would have been my second choice. I respect his decision and why he dropped out, I think it was a smart move on his part for both his political future and the Republican nomination process. I just wish that it had been McCain who dropped out! It looks pretty certain that McCain will be the nominee, unless he does something really stupid and I think he's too smart for that. As much as I would like Huckabee to win the nomination, I don't think that he can. He's far enough behind right now that it will be very hard for him to pull ahead enough to get the nomination. I will most likely vote for McCain if he's the Republican nominee, but I honestly do not think that he can beat either of the Democrat front runners.

Politics is not a clean game, it's a very dirty one. I've heard quite a bit about McCain's age and I think it will be used against him. I don't think he's necessarily too old for the job, but the liberals will use any and all weapons they have. Similarly, Huckabee's Christian faith & experience have been used against him - which I think is just plain wrong, but it happens. Huckabee's faith is one of the big things I like about him, and the fact that he seems to genuinely live his faith. But since Christians aren't politically correct, he has had an uphill battle the entire campaign.

I heard Rush Limbaugh say something that I disagree with strongly. He said that if McCain is the nominee, then he will boycott the election and not vote for him. Real smart - that will ensure at least one Democratic vote more than the Republican will get! I couldn't believe he said that, but I heard it when I listened to his show. I think possibly that a few other conservatives have said similar things. They sound like a bunch of spoiled kids and they are really doing a disservice to themselves as well as the party and other concerned conservatives.

Ok, I might be off my soapbox. But not for long!

We've decided to change things around in the back yard, at least as far as the dogs are concerned. Many years ago, Don and Darlene had a dog run fenced off in one area of the back yard. I think we're going to resurrect it. For anyone that's seen my house, the side door from the garage leads out to the back yard. There is a square area that then opens up into the larger part of the back yard. They had a fence line run to separate the square area off. The fence line was taken down a long time ago. We're going to invest in a section of chain link and a gate, and then put it up in the same place as it was before. I'm sure that Frasier and Maggie will be unhappy, but they'll learn to live with it. When we are home and at night they'll have access to the rest of the yard. But I'm really tired of coming home and finding another crater in my yard that reaches nearly to China! I don't mind a little digging, it's their natural instinct after all. But with the increased mole activity lately, my yard looks like the aftermath of a meteor storm! We will have to extend the electric fence wire on the new part, otherwise Frasier will be over it immediately. When the construction really gets going behind us - if it ever does, which we hope not - then they will probably be allowed out of their area all day for security reasons.

I think that's all for tonight!

Bigfoot Lives!!!!

And his name is Frasier! Bill got home shortly before I did. He let the dogs in. And within 30 seconds, there were huge dirty prints all over the floor! I can see where the dogs slid all around the kitchen floor, and it's very easy to follow their path in the rest of the house. The living room seems to have gotten the most of it. Otter found a spare blanket to spread over her bed so that Maggie wouldn't mess up her bedspread. Both dogs are about to get attacked with wet towels, Frasier first because if we do Maggie first and he sees it we'll never catch him. (Froggy, remember Maggie's bath last year and Frasier running?). Or maybe I'll just send both of them to the taxidermist! Later on when it's had time to dry, I'll drag out the vacuum. Which will send Frasier back outside, probably to go find more mud to play with. And as big as that dog is, and he's not small, he should have been even larger judging on his foot prints! (Actually, foot size doesn't really have much to do with final size of dogs).

I went to vote this morning. The polls opened at 7:00, I was there about 7:02 and I was already # 27. The man running the poll handed me my ballot, I went to the first station, marked my choice and turned the ballot back in. All in less than a minute. He remarked that I must have known my choice already, I said I did and he gave me my "I Voted" sticker which I've had on all day. My political leanings are never secret - I don't see any reason for them to be. I voted for Huckabee. If he does not win the nomination, then I've still voted my conscience and it's not a wasted vote.

It was in the 70's yesterday. We actually had to turn on the a/c last night for a few minutes, it was so stuffy inside the house. Then I had to turn the heater back on this morning and it's been in the 30's all day. And rainy, which is probably obvious because of the bigfoot prints. It could snow tonight, but it's not supposed to be much. However, the forecasters in this area couldn't predict a hole in the ground if they dug it themselves! (That's a quote from Bill).

Otter will test for her next belt in karate on Feb. 16th. The January test was put off because she was sick. So her instructor rescheduled her and it's in a week and a half. She has to work really hard between now and then, but she always works hard in karate. There was a small class today, only about 11 kids and most of them were younger and smaller. For some reason, all the bigger kids & teenagers skipped class. Which probably made the instructor happy - it was his birthday on Sunday and the class tradition is that the birthday kid gets "bootie kicks" at the end of class. Even when the birthday kid is the teacher!

Otter had an interesting day at school today. In Oklahoma History class, the boy that sits behind her apparently did something to attract the teacher's attention because the teacher asked him what was in his hands - of course the boy said that he didn't have anything in his hands. Very shortly, the teacher left the class and went to the attendence office which is across the hall. Then when the teacher came back, he sent the boy out into the hall. Then an attendence person AND A POLICE OFFICER showed up, the teacher pointed out the boy out in the hall and they hauled him off. A couple of the kids in the class said they thought they smelled "something" that maybe the kid had smoked just prior to coming to class, they noticed it shortly before the teacher was checking the boy's hands. Since he was behind her, Otter said she didn't see anything but she really couldn't anyway because she was sitting in front of him. But she said it was a surprising thing to happen.

Lent starts tomorrow. Even though the Baptist church doesn't recognize it in the same way that the Catholic and Methodist churches do, we observe it. I'm giving up chocolate, coke (which is Texan for soda) and alchohol. The last two won't be hard, I was never a big drinker anyway but since my gall bladder removal I drink even less and I've pretty much cut out cokes since I started my weight loss. But chocolate is going to be very hard! I had a pack of M & M's after lunch today and a cup of hot chocolate this afternoon. I had several small chocolate pieces yesterday, I had to clean it all out of the freezer and I just couldn't let it go to waste now, could I? Of course not! So I ate it. The Methodist church observation included Sunday's off from the restrictions but I'm going to try to skip Sundays as well. I've given up different things for Lent, cokes are frequently what I choose and sometimes alchohol. But giving up alchohol is for me a no-brainer - almost like giving up cigarettes would be because I don't smoke! So I chose a hard one this year. I told Bill that I really feel sorry for him, since he'll have to put up with me not having chocolate for 6 weeks! I briefly considered giving up coffee, but that would be tantamount to a death sentence for me and I'm not quite willing to go that far! :) Actually, it would probably be a death sentence for Billyboy, if I had to go without my caffiene...

If you post a comment and don't see it immediately, it's because I'm testing an option where I have to approve comments before they post. I don't think I like that option and probably won't leave it on there, but it's going to be there for a while. I am also considering adding music to the blog, so if you read my blog and your speakers are normally turned up all the way, consider yourself warned in case I do add music.

Be Glad That This Blog is Not in Smell-o-Vision!

Because our day started with having to get the septic tank emptied. It was not pleasant to hang around our back yard this morning! We were eating breakfast when Bill suddenly announced that he just had a feeling he should go check on the septic tank. He said that he just felt like it might be getting close to being full. So as soon as he finished eating, he checked and sure enough, it was on the verge of being too full. So instead of going to church today, we waited for the honey wagon to come out. Bill got the access uncovered, it would have been a $25.00 charge for the guy to do that himself. $25.00 for a few minutes with a shovel! Anyway, the tank was full to the point of almost overflowing. Which would have been bad. Really bad. Because the city has installed sewer lines in our area (ours runs right outside our back yard fence), we will eventually have to be put on the sewer. Existing septic tanks are grandfathered into the city statutes, as long as work is not needed on the tank. If the tank were to rupture for example, we would have no choice - we would have to attach to the sewer and that would be several thousand dollars. Emptying the tanks out is not considered to be work, it's actually maintenance. Recommended cleaning time is 3 to 5 years, we've been here just over 3 years and now we should be good for a few more years before we have to worry about it. I hope so, because it was not a pleasant smell around my house for a while! Otter and I left, we went to run a short errand so we were away from the worst of the smell. But Bill was out in the yard with the guy, so he couldn't escape. The dogs were blocked inside, they spent the entire time whining and wanting to go out. That would have been really fun, I'm sure that they would have been more than happy to help!

Exciting life we lead, isn't it? :)

Otter cleaned out her desk while ago. Not by her choice, by the way! Among other things, she found a waterproof disposable camera that has an expiration date of last September. I think maybe we bought it for her when she went to camp a couple of years ago! It was like a black hole in her desk, she found all sorts of junk and filled up her trash can. There is still a lot more organizing to be done on the desk, but she'll eventually get it finished. The Borg Queen will make sure of that!

Super Tuesday is this coming Tuesday. We're included in it. I'm voting for Huckabee, although I think that McCain has a better chance of winning the primary. Bill can't vote, he's an independent and we live in a state that is backwards at times. But I intend to be there just after 7:00 a.m., when the polls open.

Another Saturday Has Come and Gone!

It's been a good one, by the way. We made pizza and ice cream, watched a movie, I read a book, crocheted some, Otter slept until nearly noon, Bill had at least one nap and we took the dogs for a walk. Beyond that, we spent a lot of time keeping the couch from flying up to the ceiling and played with the dogs.

The dogs have done a real job on the backyard, they have uncovered a series of mole trails and we have a lot of work ahead of us to fix it. They've been very busy, in just a few days they've managed to do some real damage out there. But I don't think we can stop them, they are chasing moles and there are plenty of them around. If they were just digging for fun, I would probably be mad. I'm not happy about it, but they are just doing what comes naturally - and in this case, it's being predators.

But we've decided to hold off on a garden this year. The mole activity has increased exponentially since the streets were put in behind us and now that there is one house under construction, the moles have gotten even worse. We figure that they are leaving the noisy areas, but I wish that they weren't all coming to our yard!

When we were taking our walk today, we went inside the house that is being built. It's a 4-bedroom house, and it's not as big as my 3-bedroom house. The rooms are tiny! That seems to be the trend these days.

The snow from Thursday was gone by Friday afternoon. Which is about what we expected to happen. Now it's just muddy everywhere. I checked on the tulip bed this afternoon, the daffodils are starting to push up through the dirt and they seem to have multiplied. I hope so! No sign of the tulips yet, but it's a little early. They usually show up in March or thereabouts.

I finally got around to linking Otter's blog on mine. She's known as Insane Kitten on her blog, which fits her well. Warning: she's as politically incorrect as her mother is! Also just as conservative as both of her parents. And she's also a typical Texan Woman, combine that with red hair and she's terrifying! Just ask her about the boy in class that made one too many obscene comments to her last week. Let's just say that he's been taught a lesson he won't soon forget about not messing with Texas Women! (Don't Mess With Texas!).