Blind as Bats! Dog Stuff Mostly

Yeah, I know. Bats aren't really blind. But I think my dogs might be. We were mowing the yard a couple of days ago and both dogs had access to the back. They'd been running around and playing but then they stopped to sniff grassy spots. All of a sudden, the resident rabbit ran out from the iris plants, straight to the shed and underneath. RIGHT IN FRONT OF BOTH DOGS AND NEITHER ONE SAW IT!

Maggie beagle is still looking for Otter, but not as much. She mostly mopes around when she's ready to go to bed.

Frasier heard the White Lightning when Bill was pulling into the driveway today. Frasier immediately jumped up and bounced all the way to the front door. When Bill came in the door, the dog was overjoyed. Which was strange, because Frasier is not normally a bouncy dog! But today he was. I guess that Frasier feels like Bill needed to be greeted with excitement, since Otter's not here to do it.

(By the way, the latest excuse for driving the White Lightning is because he has to check the gas mileage.)

And Maggie is now baiting Frasier. We bought them some chewbones today. Frasier immediately took his outside and ate it. Maggie hid hers on Otter's bed, then she carried it to the fleece where she sometimes sleeps in our room. Then she unearthed it from the fleece and brought it into the office. She plopped it down on the floor and parked herself down, then sat and watched to see if Frasier might come in after it. When she heard him, she got up and pushed it closer to the door and then backed off. He never came back here, so she got up and repositioned it again. Eventually, she'll get tired of it and either eat the chewbone or go put it back in Otter's bed. She is trying to get Frasier to grab it, then she will get furious with him. She's a true little sister, that's for sure!

A Day Late!

Happy Birthday Froggy!

I meant to get this posted yesterday, but Billyboy wanted to get the lawn mowed between rain storms and I figured I'd better help him. So, better late than never I guess!

So Many Titles!

The first choice for a title is Pat the Ottermom. Remember the kid's book, Pat the Bunny? Well, I know exactly how that bunny feels. I was "radomly selected" at the airport this morning to be checked a little closer going through security. I don't buy the "random" part of it, because it's happened to me a lot. Like nearly every time! I was going to be put through the full-body scanner, but they were having a problem resetting it after having to scan the guy ahead of me more than once. The officer running the machine told him that his clothing had a reflection and that it might have been residue from the detergent they were laundered in. In my case, it almost always happens that I have to be screened closer after I go through the metal detector.

Another title choice would have been Because It's a Nice Day. Which was Bill's excuse for driving the El Camino today! Yesterday's reason was because it needed to be test driven after the shock replacement. Except that it got the test drive on Sunday! I'm not sure what his reason will be for tomorrow, but there will be one. I would be willing to bet money on that. :)

Otter's in TEXAS. Like I mentioned earlier, I took her to the airport this morning. We got there just after 6:00 a.m., and they let me go to the gate with her. I was surprised, I really didn't think that they would let me. But they did, and I was glad because otherwise I would have had about an hour to kill and no idea what to do! She called me after she got to her final destination and she said that she had a good flight. She had no trouble with her plane change, she's done it a few times now. Otter was very excited to get there and I know she will have a good time.

Nana asked me what Bill and I are going to do this week. Usually we have something planned, movies or dinners out, etc. But this time, we are just going to enjoy the quiet house! We have had so much company (which we really did enjoy) this summer that we think it's time to just relax. By quiet house, I don't mean that we'll be enjoying an Otter-free house. We already miss her and so do the poochies. The fuzzbutts (hamsters) haven't commented yet, but they were very glad to see me just now. Of course, that might have been because I was refilling their food bowl!

We're Shocked!

Well, at least the White Lightning is. As in new shocks. Because when Bill brought home a load of free firewood on Thursday, one of the rear shock absorbers went out. The car had air shocks on it, and they are normally pretty good for carrying a load. But the one that went out had probably been going bad for a while and the load was just enough that it quit. Bill (and me by association) has run all over the place, trying to find air shocks that are medium, as opposed to to light duty or heavy duty. And it's just about impossible to find the right type. So he finally went with a lighter duty than he preferred, and they are regular shocks (not air shocks) so they can't be adjusted for a heavier load. But they will do the job and the car is driveable. Bill has spent several hours underneath the car today. He had it jacked up, but he is Bill and we all know what that means! No injuries today, though. He had a few other things he worked on, while he was at it. He's having a good time with that car.

Otter is ready for her trip. She packed her suitcase today and all we'll have to do is print out her boarding pass tomorrow morning. And then get up at 5:00 on Tuesday to be at the airport by 6:00. Then I'll either be allowed to go to the gate with her which means I'll be there until her flight leaves at 7:30, or I'll have to come up with something to do until 8:00 which is when I need to be at work. I don't particularly want to drive all the way home and then turn around and head back to work but that might be what I wind up doing. I will worry about that Tuesday!

OK, back to my laundry now.

Ostriches Part 2

http://fredthompsonshow.com/premiumstream?dispid=320&headerDest=L3BnL2pzcC9tZWRpYS9mbGFzaHdlbGNvbWUuanNwP3BpZD03MzUxJnBsYXlsaXN0PXRydWUmY2hhcnR0eXBlPWNoYXJ0JmNoYXJ0SUQ9MzIwJnBsYXlsaXN0U2l6ZT01


I hope the link works.

The more I hear, the more I am reminded of the Nazis.

Ostriches

We are a bunch of them. At least, those of us who do NOT think that this country is well on it's way to socalism. Especially with the possible change concerning health care.

Well, I guess people are getting what they asked for: Change.

Happy! Monday! Monday! Monday!

OTTER PASSED!! Her final grade is a B and we could not be happier. She does not have to take the final, so today was her last day. She gets to sleep in tomorrow, which is the one thing she really wanted to do and has missed being able to over the last few weeks.

And we also went to BRAUM'S to celebrate. She chose a strawberry cheesecake ice cream pie which we'll attack after dinner tonight. And I predict that there won't be any left for tomorrow. Those things just seem to disappear almost immediately, can't imagine why.

It's a mystery.

Sunday Ketchup

Well, I'm more of an A1 type of person but I do like ketchup on some things!

Anyway.

First things first: Movie review. We saw the new Harry Potter movie this afternoon. It was very good. It left out a few things from the book, but the books are huge so they have to leave things out or the movies would be weeks long. There were a few changes, but they were relatively minor and did not detract from the story. There is one scene where Dumbledore mentions to Harry that he (Harry) needs to shave - I wonder if the writers threw that line in as a reference to the fact that the actors are all growing up and are in fact older than the characters they play? But one thing - if you're going to see the movie, you want to visit the bathroom first and then only get a small drink! It's over 2 hours. But it's very good.

Otter's last day of summer school is probably tomorrow. If the students have above a certain grade level and have no tardies or absences then they don't have to take the final exam. The final is on Tuesday. If they don't have to take the final, then they don't even have to go in on Tuesday. Otter is probably one of the few who are exempt, judging on the teacher's note and her grades. She'll find out for sure tomorrow. If she does have to go in on Tuesday, it'll only be for about 45 minutes for the test. But I don't think she's going to have to. Froggy, in case you are interested, I'm taking Otter to BRAUM'S for ice cream tomorrow afternoon. We're celebrating the end of summer school and her passing grade. Just thought you might want to know that.

I have posted another recipe, Monkey Bread. It was about 10:00 last night and I was so tired my eyes were crossing but I think I got everything right. I basically copied it from when I posted on this blog way back when and just made a couple of small changes.

I guess that's it!

Quick Update!

I just added a new blog to my list. Like I really need anything else to occupy my time, I have decided to start a second blog which will deal with cooking. It's accessible through the links on the left-hand side of the screen.

Any recipe suggestions will be welcome, but if you are going to suggest I add a recipe then please email me instead of leaving it as a comment. Comments will be accepted, it will just be easier to have recipe suggestions emailed to me.

Just Some Stuff on Sunday Morning

This is Frasier.

This is not.

Frasier has a twin out there somewhere! When we first saw this, we thought it WAS Frasier. Except for the white fur on his front chest area. And the cat, of course.

It's Sunday morning. It's warm and humid and it will be hot later but it's going to be a nice day. Bill and I had coffee out on the deck this morning, which is how we generally start the day. But then the skeeters showed up and brought their buddies the flies, so we decided it was time to come inside.

I've discovered something. Well, actually Bill discovered it. The hummingbird feeders are being visited by honeybees. Lots of them. The hummers are still showing up, the birds & the bees don't seem to bother one another. I just thought it was odd, we've seen the occasional wasp on the feeders but never honeybees. We have a lot of bumblebees, they like the sunflowers.

Today's activities include moving some trellis pieces (from the wooden fence inside the dog's yard) to the new privacy fence. Bill hung up two of my fence mountable planters and my butterfly houses Friday evening. We've discovered that the morning glories are starting to sprout like crazy against the fence, so we're going to give it something to grow on. There were always morning glories on the chain link fence, we just had to keep them pulled down when Frasier's electric fence needed to be turned on. But now, they can grow all they want to! We probably will need to get a few mor trellis pieces and I'd like another planter, if I can find one, like the first two.

Still no pool! We've pretty much given up on finding a new one, they are mostly all sold out this time of year. So we've been looking for a used one on Craigslist but they seem to go fast. We did look at one last week, but it was a smaller pool so we passed on it. Otter's gone over to her grandparent's a few times, so she at least has gotten some swim time in this summer.

Bill's brother and his family were here this weekend. We had a really nice visit with them yesterday. We've had a lot of company this summer and we have enjoyed all of it. It's been a whirlwind, but a fun one.

Otter has one week and two days left of summer school. As of last week, her grade was a B!!!!!! Then she has about a week of down time before she goes to Texas to spend a week with her grandparents. Then about a week before school starts again. 11th grade already! I don't think I'm ready for that.

A Few Odd Thoughts on a Tuesday Afternoon

Well, I guess evening is more appropriate than afternoon. It's about 6:45, so it's not exactly afternoon anymore.

Maggie is crazy. As in certifiably insane. She got a bath today. Which has made her more nutso than usual. Which is really saying something! She was suddenly filthy, we thought that she'd found something to roll in out in the back yard. Or maybe her black spots were leaking. So Otter and I grabbed the dog, several towels, the garden hose and the dish soap and headed out to the back yard. Maggie was not happy! But she only tried to escape once, and that was after the bath and during the drying process. I think she actually crawled under the Redneck Joke, also known as the parts car, because it was more of a greasy dirt than a rolled in dirt. After we brought her back in and finished drying her off, she started running around the house and basically beating Frasier up until he played with her. She's now clean and hopefully she'll stay that way for a while. Frasier isn't quite in need of a bath yet, which is a good thing because he is much harder to handle.

I haven't said anything about Michael Jackson but I'm about to. Anyone who knows me will know how important music is to me. I have always felt that Michael Jackson was a talented, but not super talented, singer and a gifted dancer. What he was actually was more of a showman than a gifted singer. It's not a bad thing, to be a showman. HOWEVER, and this is a big one, there are certain things that trump any talent a person has. And I think he was in that position. I do believe that he was a pedophile. And that, my friends, overshadows everything he ever did or could have done in terms of his talent. I read a lot, no surprise there, and I have read a couple of biographies of his family. I don't think that he ever had a chance, they were denied a normal childhood experience because of their father's greed and I think that had a huge impact on how Michael Jackson became as an adult. It might have also had a lot to do with the pedophilia (sp?), I don't know. But I do know that I am really tired of people worshipping him. He was a deviant. End of story.

OK, subject change!

Vacation is over and we are back at work. I've been gone from my office one week. 5 business days. And the boys have managed to make it look like a pigsty! Actually, I think the pig would be embarassed. I spent today cleaning the office. And lecturing the two of them about it. I do occasional cleaning in the office, it's not normally a problem and since they treat me so good I don't mind it. But really, how much damage can two adult men do in one week? Especially when one of them wasn't even there on Friday!

Sunday was a fun day. Fun in a sarcastic sense. The air conditioner suddenly stopped cooling. It was still blowing, just not blowing cold air. It was warm, but not extremely hot so we just got the fans out and used them Sunday night. Monday was a cool day, in the 80's, so Otter was fine at home with the fans. Bill's friend he works with who is an a/c guy came out after work and it was a minor repair, so we weren't out a lot of $$ and did not have to deal with it any longer than the one day.

I did something today. I sold my class ring! There is a place in town that buys gold, they have been around for many years and have a very good reputation. Bill had some gold chains that were from an auction several years ago. We sold some on eBay and made back what we spent, I got one and so did Otter. But the ones that were left were too small for either of us. So Bill took them down on Friday and sold them. Then I got to thinking about my ring. Which I haven't worn in years and don't see myself ever wearing again. I showed it to Otter, she wanted to see it but she didn't want it because she'll have her own in a couple of years. So I took it down today. When I was filling out the paperwork, one of the questions was how long I had owned the piece. Talk about feeling old! 29 Years!

I guess Maggie must have finally worn Frasier out. Because he just came in here and collapsed on the floor. I heard one long sigh and the dog is now out!

No Longer Bamboozled! And June Books

First things first:

1. A Good Dog, the Story of Orson who Changed My Life by Jon Katz. This one is a little sad, so be warned! I've read other books by this author and they are very good.

2. The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith. This one was interesting, it's written as if it's letters and post cards between family members.

3. Life is Good, Lessons in Joyful Living by Trixie Koontz, a dog and Dean Koontz. Life lessons from a labrador! Really fun.

4. Grasses & Bamboos, a Practical Guide by Ian Cooke. Not too much in the way of a practical guide!

5. Hamster Care. General info and a lot we already knew, but we did learn a little bit.

6. The Shack by someone whose name I forgot. This one is controversial and I see why. There were some things I didn't really agree with but it also had some things that I thought were good.

7. Quintons by Maeve Binchy. Rerun, always good.

8. Between Good and Evil, a Master Profiler's Hunt for Society's Most Violent Predators by Roger L. Depue with Susan Schindehette. Good, but could have been much better. But maybe that's not fair, I tend to compare true crime books to anything written by Ann Rule and she's pretty much the best there is. But I did enjoy this one.

9. The Joker's Last Laugh. Batman comics. What more can you ask for? :)

10. So Simple Crochet by Melody Griffiths.

11. Say it With Stitches, Embroidery Designs by Sharon & Kristin Jancowicz.

12. South Park Guide to Life.

13. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. The movie was ok, the book was pretty good.

14. XMen 3, Making of the Movie.

The bamboo is gone! The fence is finished! We have privacy! And we didn't have to put up the fence ourselves. Bill dug up all the bamboo, some of it is planted in 3 pots on the deck but most of it is pulled, dead and tossed. As an experiment, it was working. But I'm glad that we don't have to deal with it anymore. The fence was finished in about 5 days. Bill pulled the chain link up and took out the posts. Then he used the gate to block the one side where there was a 4' gap so the poochies can't get out.

And now, I'm going to concentrate on slowing down again. It's been a whirlwind few weeks. We have had a lot of company and enjoyed all of it, but we're tired! Of course, we ran all over the place today so that might have something to do with it.

Bill took my rain barrel down today so we could clean it. The water was suddenly green. I painted it a couple of weeks ago, to keep the sunlight from allowing mildew/mold to grow, but it was too late. So Bill took it down today and I cleaned it out. Then he removed the paint, at least what was left after the cleaning. We bought some special paint for it and it's now been repainted. Green! But hopefully the water won't be. However, it might not have any water in it for a while. We need a good rain.

Movie review: Monsters vs. Aliens. We saw it today at the dollar theater. It was pretty good, very funny and we really enjoyed it. But it was also short so we're glad we saw it at the cheapo theater. But it was a good movie.

Frasier is demanding my undivided attention now.

Whew! Wednesday

It's Wednesday. It's Wine Wednesday, but not Whine Wednesday.

Froggy left this afternoon. After a very fast week of nearly non-stop shopping with the occasional Braum's visit thrown in. And a trip to the post office this morning, so Froggy could ship her box home. It's full of stuff she bought.

We had a great time. We hit several thrift stores and quite a few flea markets & antique stores. And of course the aforementioned Braum's! My Fenton collection has increased exponentially. I'm not sure how many new pieces I have, but I think it's around 7 or 8. Not that I'm complaining!

The privacy fence is complete. Bill sprayed our side with water seal. There is a 4' gap on one end, so he put the old gate there and it fits just perfectly. He's been pulling the chain link fence down and taking the fence posts out, then he's been leveling off the area by the fence. The dirt he is removing to level is being put up against the wooden fence since it has a gap of a few inches between the bottom of the fence and the ground. He has done half of the chain link removal. When he gets the other half finished, which will probably be tomorrow, there will be a gap of several inches at the other end and I think he's going to use one of the old fence posts there so that the dogsters won't be able to get out.

Otter started summer school on Monday. I think it's going to go well. It's a smaller class, less than 15 students. It's 5 hours a day and she said that the teacher spends time with them to make sure that they understand. Which is what she needed. I'm sure she would prefer not to have to go, but she admits that it's helping.

I'm just glad that there is no homework. Because I could not do algebra if you paid me!