Thursday Thoughts

I'm probably re-using the title, but whatever!  It's been a long day and I'm tired.

It's been a busy week, not necessarily long but just busy.  Next week looks like it will be more of the same, busy!

We close on the refinance next week, happy happy!

Otter's finally found a pair of rain boots.  We have a store that we really like, Atwood's Farm & Ranch.  It's kind of a combination western/ranch, automotive, hardware, grocery, clothing & pet supply store.  Way "Back When", there weren't convenience stores on every corner and grocery stores were also not as many as there are today, if you lived out in the country or were a farmer then you generally would try to combine trips to town into one-stop shopping whenever possible.  Atwood's is still that type of store and it's a fun place.  They had a fairly big sale this week, and we (as usual) found things in their ad that we wanted and/or needed.  Most of it was need, but there were a few wants - we buy roasted peanuts in bulk there.  Bill likes the brand of blue jeans they carry and I generally always find something there as well.  This week, they had rain boots on sale and Otter found some that she liked.  We've seen them at Wallyworld, but they were frankly U.G.L.Y.  These are cute, blue with polka dots and they were actually a little cheaper than Wally.  I'm happy because they had coffee on sale so I bought 2 cans and am stocked on coffee for quite a while.  They also had baby chicks, but we decided that Frasier has enough to play with and/or eat at the moment.

The State Fair started this afternoon.  We're going this year, but not yet.  We're going on the last day because we'll be busy this weekend and also Otter's BF was able to get that specific day off from work because we invited him along.  I took the two of them out to the fairgrounds Tuesday after work and they got their ride passes.  I don't really do rides for the most part, I was very happy when Otter got big enough to go on most of them by herself.  I just don't particularly enjoy or care for rides, they don't scare me but I just don't like them.  However, there will still be plenty to keep me occupied!  The Fair is always a lot of fun.

I think Maggie's having a moment.  I heard her in the hallway just now, sounded like she was talking to herself.  Then she barked.  The next sound I heard was Otter yelling "MAGGIE!"  I think Maginator probably heard a dog barking outside or something, and she was just making sure that her opinion was heard.  Fraiser is out in the back yard, probably holding court on the deck.  Although I might hear him barking, I'm not sure.  It's kind of hard to hear him, out in the back of the yard and over the sound of the dryer because I'm also doing laundry.

Have I mentioned how much I hate doing laundry?

I have had a little crochet time this week, not as much as I'd have liked but at least some.  I finished the main part of the surprise item I've been working on and I have a few other projects I'm thinking about.  Well, I'm going to make them - I'm just not sure which one I'll start with is all.

I can't believe that it's almost October already!

October really only means one thing to us: 

HOOK 'EM HORNS! 

(the Game is this Saturday).

Sunday Chill

Chill as in cool weather, although Chilly would have been appropriate.  So would Chili!  Especially since we just had some for dinner.

It was in the 50's last night.  We've had several cooler nights but last night seems to have been the coldest so far.  It was chilly and crisp this morning, really felt nice especially after the summer of extended heat that we just had.  Today is the first day I've needed my jacket.  Otter's worn hers a few times already, some of her classes are cold and the bus can be drafty if the windows are open.

Bill's been working on his newest pachinko cabinet.  He's making a double cabinet this time.  We had to go to Lowe's earlier, he ran out of screws and I wanted to see if the tulip bulbs were in yet.  The bulbs were in, so Otter picked out the rest that she wanted and while we were there I bought two packs of filters for the humidifiers.  Because we'll probably have to make the switch from fan to humidifier soon.  Bill found a few other things he wanted and then we headed home.  We were nearly home when he realized that he'd gotten all sorts of things he wanted, but not what he originally went for - the wood screws.  So we went to another hardware store that we were closer to, he found the screws and a few other toys and then we hit a thrift store on the way home.

Otter needed a new coat, we didn't think that they would be out yet but while we were at the thrift we checked.  They had quite a few, in very good shape and fairly cheap.  Otter found one for $13.00.  It's nice, warm and she said it's comfortable.  I also found one for the same price.  I have a suede coat I bought at the same thrift 2 years ago for about $16.00 and it's warm, but it's bulky and is now a little too big.  I hadn't actually planed on replacing it yet, but I found one today so the suede one is going to be re-donated.  The new one has a hood, which is what I really wanted.  Otter also found a pair of really cool velour pants and a belt, and we ran into one of our friends while we were there.

I did some crochet done yesterday.  Big surprise there, I know!  :)  I'm enjoying the pillow project and I'm also managing to de-stash at least a little bit.  I started a surprise project for someone (Froggy - ask me and I'll tell you!).  Now that it's getting cooler, I'll probably be working on Bill's blanket more.  It's so big that I really don't want to work on it if the weather is warm.

Speaking of Bill, blankets and weather turning, we'll probably be switching quilts soon.  I like my quilt and it would be nice & warm in the winter, but Bill wants equal time for his camo quilt.  Not yet, but soon.

The dogs have been really crazy today.  Very playful and fun.  Magginator especially, she seems to really enjoy the cooler weather and will play with one of her assorted tug toys until kingdom come as Mom used to say.  She even gets Fraiser to play with her.  He's not particularly playful, but when they both start - watch out!  Feet are not safe, they run over anything and anyone in their path and they are so noisy.  But they have a very good time, so we just try to stay out of the way or play with them.  They are nutso.

I forgot about something that I learned at the vet's office last week.  The clerk told me that she thought our neighbor had gotten another cat.  Another hairless cat, I think they are called Sphinx Cats but I can't remember for sure.  She thinks it's the same lady, and I get the distinct feeling that the vet clerk is not impressed with her.  She said that this one is a young cat and that it's mean.  It took several people to hold it down for the vet to check it and it also bit one of the girls pretty badly.  The neighbor had to order this cat from wherever it came from and they are not cheap.  When I get an animal, I like to go see it and it's parents, people and surroundings.  I like to watch it a while and see what kind of personality it has.  Especially if there is money involved.  But this cat was ordered and paid for, then delivered and from what the vet said it's mean and not just because it was in new surroundings.  Bill said that he saw several dogs running across the yard earlier today, he thinks that it might have been the 5 that this same neighbor has.  We hope that she keeps the cat in!

I've been cooking today.  Along with the chili, I made Beanie Weenie Surprise for Bill, it's in the freezer for a couple of his lunches.  Along with some of the chili & pasta.  I also made a pineapple upside down cake.  I really enjoyed having the time to cook today.  I haven't had much time lately.  This coming week looks like a busy one as well.

Back to my laundry now.

First Friday of Fall!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons, I like Fall the best and then spring.  Winter and then summer.  Usually in that order!  Fall in this part of the country is pretty, lots of maples trees here.  I've heard natives say that the seasons don't change here, but trust me - they do.  In South TEXAS, there are 4 seasons:  summer summer summer & Christmas.

We had the septic inspection this afternoon.  Basically, she walked around the yard and looked for seepage spots.  There weren't any, and everything looks fine.  This is the last inspection as far as we know - we didn't know we had to have the survey done until the surveyor called me to set it up.  But I can't think of anything else that would need to be inspected.

Maggie's had a confusing day.  First, somebody came to the door (septic inspector) that wasn't her Otter so she was a little disappointed.  Then, I thought I heard the bus so I said "bus" to the dogs which means that it's time to go stand in front of the door - only it wasn't the bus, so strike # 2 for Maggie.  Then when the bus really did come and her Otter got off, Maggie was beside herself with joy.  Poor dog could hardly stand up, she was wiggling so hard!

Maggie got into a little disgrace yesterday.  She got out.  Bill got home before I did, Otter and I had a billion errands and went to the grocery store.  He didn't see the dogs anywhere, they were still out in their yard, and he opened the garage door so he could have some light and ventilation when he got to work with his power tools.  Somewhere in there, Maggie apparently came back into the garage and figured out that the door was open.  She went over the block at some point, probably after a while of not seeing any of her people, and apparently didn't see Bill on the other side of the garage with his noisy tools.  Bill didn't realize that she was out until he saw a woman walking up the street who asked him if he'd seen her dog - a rottweiler.  He hadn't, but then he saw that there was a beagle more or less following her and he said he thought to himself that the lady had a beagle that looked a lot like Maggie.  Then he realized that it WAS Maggie.  She came to him and he put her back in the yard, and then put stuff in front of the block so she couldn't get back over it.  But she could have very easily gotten lost, beagles start following that nose and they can go for miles.

Otter had an unanticipated day off of school yesterday.  When we got up, we noticed that we had very little water pressure.  But that sometimes happens out here in the middle of almost-nowhere, so we weren't overly concerned.  I keep a few gallons of distilled water on hand because it's happened often enough.  Then while we were eating breakfast, the phone rang and it was an automated message but it was just ending and we didn't know what it was.  The last time we got one of those, it was the phone company informing us that A T & T's phone service in the area was out - but A T & T isn't in this area.  Fast forward until 7:00, Otter gets on the bus and then a few minutes later I get another automated call on my cell phone and home phone at the same time - apparently the first call was the city, telling us that there was a major water main break and the city would be without water for at least a few hours and the second two calls were the automated call from the school district.  Informing us that school was cancelled.  This is after the bus picked up.  I called the school office and they confirmed the closure and said that they were trying to get al lthe buses turned around.  I left a voice mail for Otter on her cell phone and she called me back shortly, because the bus driver was turning around and bringing them all back.  I'm not sure if he told the riders what was going on or not.  Anyway, she got home about 10 minutes later.  She decided she wanted to go to work with me, she would have been fine at home but we didn't know if/when we'd have water again so I would have suggested she go with me anyway.  The water main was repaired or at least the water was re-routed by late morning/early afternoon.  Since Otter was with me, we decided that we needed to go out to lunch.  She chose Mexican food.  It was delicious!  Otter said she'd been wanting chips & salsa served on a table by someone other than herself for a long time.  So we had extra chips!  And they were so, so good.  But it was back to school for her today.  No more non-snow snow days this week.

And now, my yarn stash is calling me.

Not Whining Wednsday

Just Wednesday.  And I couldn't think of a good title, although I did try!

I've been walking around the yard.  The surveyor just left.  He basically measured the house, the lot and where the house sits on the lot.  It's part of the refinancing process, just not one we've ever had to have done before so it was kind of surprising when he called yesterday to set the appointment up.  We are still waiting to hear from the septic inspection, but that one should be fairly easy.  All he has to do basically is look around the back yard for any seepage.

The dogs survived the vet check yesterday.  Maggie Moo has lost about 2 pounds, which is a good thing.  But she's still pretty fluffy!  Frasier might be a couple of pounds lighter as well, but he wasn't really still when he was on the scale so we're not sure.  He's still around 70 lbs, and Maggie Moo was (I think) 28.  Everybody is in good health, the vet checked Frasier's foot & ears, a couple of things on Maggie we have noticed and they got assorted shots.  Which they didn't like but they tolerated.  And Maggie got the butt squishing that she usually has to get.  Which did not please her, but it's a necessary thing for her on a regular basis.  I also had heart worm tests done, which is a blood test.  They've been on preventive medication for a few years (ever since we got them) but it's a good idea to get the test done every so often.  They were happy to go for a ride in the car, and very happy to leave the vet so that they could get another ride in the car and go home.  Maggie Moo sat in Otter's lap all the way home.  Frasier was chilling out in the backseat, he takes up the entire back seat in fact.

Billyboy gave blood today.  He does that on a regular basis.  Otter is not big enough, she doesn't weigh enough but that's not a bad thing.  She's where she needs to be.  I'm not a candidate to give blood, I've heard numerous times from various doctors how it's not a good idea for me, because I'd probably give them a whole lot more blood than they wanted!  Bill is a redhead, and he does bleed a little more than average, but he doesn't have the Redhead Curse as bad as I have.  Otter's got it, but she's in the middle between us.  She bleeds more than he does but not as much as I do.  My dad had a serious case of Redhead Curse, I'm just glad that I don't have it as bad as he did.  It's not fun.

The State Fair is in a couple of weeks.  We haven't been in 4 or 5 years.  We're going this year.  We'll go on a Sunday.  Otter and BF will have ride passes, which are available at a discounted rate for the next several days.  I'm not into the rides, I never have been.  My official job will be the Holder of Things while they are on the rides.  Things like billfolds, glasses, cell phones, shoes - stuff that we don't want to go flying over the fairgrounds.  I'm anxious to see some of the award displays, they are always fun.  Especially the needlework section - crochet, of course!  There is always a carving exhibit.  Each year, there is something big and frequently strange on display - carved out of butter.  This year, the fair is breaking with traditon.  Whatever it is this year will be carved out of cheese.  It's usually one of those "you gotta see it to believe it" things and it's always fun.

I think I'm about to have a creative explosion.  I can feel a strong crafting urge coming, it's not here yet but it is definitely on the way.  While I'm sure it will be mostly crochet, I think that I'm going to be getting some other projects done as well.  I haven't had a creative fit in a while, they are always fun.  Run now while you still can, Bill!  :)

Miscellaneous Monday

Just so Froggy can't tell me I haven't blogged lately!

Monday was busy, but then it generally is.

Willie Boy went to a small town nearby and came home with another pachinko machine.  I asked him how many this makes and he can't remember.  Which means that he's got too many!  Although I'm sure he disagrees...  Well, my stash is fairly large as well so I guess I'd better not complain.  Much.  :)

Froggy - he went to the town where we found the antique store that had the train cars and was next to the concrete place with the gorilla.

I'm not really worried about Maggie Moo, after I posted last night's blog I thought maybe it sounded worse than it is with her.  We don't really have any serious concerns about her regarding what the first Tagalong was like, but having been through that experience once we are a little more observant of things.  Maggie is her normally, silly self today.  She was very happy when she heard the school bus go by, and just about jumping out of her own skin by the time that her Otter got to the door.  Maggie gets to go outside and greet her Otter, I wait until Otter is up on the porch and nearly to the door then I open the door just a little bit and Maggie goes outside to meet her then Maggie comes right back inside.  Maggie knows that she has to have her leash on to go very far and she is very happy to see Otter but she seems to be very careful when she is going out the door, almost timid.  Frasier has to be held back, I don't trust him not to run off just because he thinks he can get by with it.  So he has to wait until Otter gets inside before he gets to greet her.

My dog, on the other hand, was calm to the point of oblivion when I got home.  He was asleep and I had to go wake him up!  My own dog, more interested in a nap in the sunshine than greeting me.  But he was happy when Otter got home a little while ago.

(Bill just told me that he's got 29 pachinko, but it's about to be 28 because he's going to tear one apart for parts.  And he said that he's got a few ready to sell, so we'll be down to 25 in no time.  Not sure if I really believe him or not!)

The pollen counts are high.  Ragweed especially, mold is high but ragweed is about as high as it's ever been.  It's really difficult to deal with, it's starting to really affect me today.  Otter and I are taking turns sneezing and Bill is even reacting lately.  And he's about the most non-allergic person there is, so it's really bad.

Achoo!

Sunday Blues

Not blues as in depressed or sad, just blue!  For a couple of reasons.  Here's the first one:

We still have some morning glories, the ones that were originally there have survived and are blooming.  But there aren't very many of them.  The ones that grew really full and then died were probably the new seeds I planted this year.  It's the same story against the back fence, the new ones died and the old ones have come back.  I don't think we'll be planting any more seeds, the blue ones are very pretty and seem to be healthy.  Because we do have blooms, they will reseed like they have always done.

This is a closer shot of Otter's trellis.  By this time, it's usually so full that you can't even see the trellis underneath all the vines.

This shade of blue is my favorite color, so I'm not unhappy that it's the only color we'll have.  I'm just glad we still have them at all.

This is a stair-step plant stand that I didn't use this year, so it's on the side of the deck by the dining room window.  The morning glories apparently liked it, since they have climbed it.

Here's the other reason for the title.  The real reason, actually.

Baby Blues!  And it's not alone, there are four other bluebonnets coming up in the whiskey barrel.  When they get a little bigger, they will be transplanted into pots and brought inside.  They have shallow root systems and I have transplanted them before without a problem, but that was in the spring.  Which is when that are supposed to sprout!  We think that these are just confused because they are not in their Native Element.

Movie review:  Prince of Persia.  We rented it.  It was ok, it wasn't exactly oscar quality but it was a decent movie.  But it was just too "busy."  Too much happened in too short a time!  The acting was ok, not the best but not the worst either.  It was just too long and too busy.  But it wasn't horrible.  It would have been a disappointment if we'd paid theater price, however.

I got some crochet done yesterday.  I'm just about finished with the second pillow cover.  Then I am going to make the one Otter wants, which will just leave me two more for the living room.  I didn't get as much crochet done yesterday as I wanted, but I did at least get some done.  I'm trying to de-stash and the pillow covers are helping quite a bit.  Of course, I still have plenty of yarn in the stash.  :)

Doggieboos go to the vet Tuesday.  Shots, heart worm tests and behind squishing for Maggie Moo.

As I answered Froggy in an earlier comment, we've been slowly bringing the dogs back inside at night.  Winter is coming, after all.  They've been doing ok, but Friday night was really a strange night for the Maggsters.  She tracks flies when she sees them, if she can she'll catch them.  There was one that was all over the living room, it wasn't flying very high and kept landing on the floor.  Every time it would land, she would try to get it but it always got away.  After that, Maggie acted really strange.  Well, she acts strange anyway but really strange this time.  She acted like she was scared of something.  Really scared.  We never could figure out if she was seeing the fly and not realizing what it was since we'd turned out the living room light already (Otter was staying up watching Dr. Who and turned out the light when Bill and I were heading off to bed).  After we'd been in bed for a while, I heard a noisy dog collar jingle in the hallway and thought that something was wrong so I got up.  And nearly ran into Otter in the hallway, with the flashlight.  Seems the noise I heard was Maggie jumping the baby gate we use to keep them out of the hallway & bedrooms.  We looked in Otter's room and the office, no sign of the beagle.  Which meant that she was probably under my bed - and that's exactly where she was.  Acting scared!  We pulled her out, which she did not want, and I carried her back to the living room.  I wound up sitting there with Otter watching the show, and Maggie would not let me out of her sight the entire time.  When the show was over and we decided to go to bed (again in my case!), Maggie kept trying to jump the block again so we finally just put them outside.  She's been fine since then, but it has us all concerned.  There have been a couple of times when she's been having doggie dreams that almost looked like siezures, but we're not really sure.

We've been through a dog literally going schizo on us.  The first Tagalong.  It's not a fun thing, schizophrenia is rare in dogs but it is very bad.  In the first Tagalong's case, he was perfectly fine and literally in the blink of an eye he was wild.  To the point that he attacked me.  He didn't know me or seem to know anything, he was just a solid mass of anger.  And teeth.  He was about Maggie's size, not very big, so I was able to keep him from doing any real damage although I did have bruises.  I wound up tossing him in the bathroom and shutting the door.  He was still angry, he sounded like he was going to tear down the door and I finally just left him in there and went to my parent's house for the night - this was during the time that Bill and I were divorced so he wasn't around at that point.  The next morning, Dad comes over with me and there is no noise from the bathroom.  I opened the door slowly and the dog was fine, happy to see me and acted like normal.  I talked to our vet and described what happened, he said that it was classic schizo symptoms and that I didn't have a lot of options.  It could be a one-time occurance, but it usually wasn't.  I had to keep a close eye on the dog in case it happened again.  Unfortunately, it did.  At that point, I had no choice.  I had to have him put down.  He was one of the best dogs we've ever had and it nearly killed me to do it, but there was nothing else I could do because it would have continued and would in all probability have escalated.  I'd been lucky the first time, but he could have seriously hurt me.  We loved that dog so much that when Otter was very young and we got her a dog, we named him Tagalong the Second.

I am going to talk to the vet, but I really don't think we're dealing with the same thing with Maggie Moo.  It's just that, having been through it once, I know what to look for.  Mostly, I really do think that Maggie was scared because she was pretty good up until the light was turned off and then she probably wasn't able to see the fly until it zoomed by her.  Which it was doing, I think it was probably not healthy because it didn't seem to be able to fly very high.

Something we believe in strongly.

I am going to post pictures on the craft blog, possibly I'll get it done this week, of the bookshelf that Bill built.  It's getting regular use, since it's for our library books and we make regular trips to the library.  He's been building a wall-mounted double case for his pachinko machines today.  He has a bunch of wood that was given to him and he's using it.  It's the same wood he used for the bookshelf.  He might be getting another pachinko machine tomorrow.

I think he's got close to 30 now!

OK! OK!

Froggy's been on me about not posting in a few days.

It's just been a busy week.  Lots of stuff going on, none of it of any particular importance.  Just stuff.

Otter went to a teen program at the library one evening, it might have been Tuesday.  It was 2 hours of game playing, Wii games.  She got books, then went to the conference room for the games.  I walked around the library and found several books, then I took my crochet and sat in the conference room working on pillows while she was playing games.  That was one evening.

But other than that, it's just been business as usual around the house.

Well, there was the one night that we were awakened in the middle of.  By the police.  It seems that our wonderful (not) neighbor called them on us because she said the dogs were barking.  Well, yeah, they were - at the cops!  But after the cops left, they shut up.  However, I could still hear barking.  But it wasn't coming from my yard.  Any guesses whose dog was actually barking?  :)  The police didn't do anything, just told Bill that someone complained about the dogs and by process of elimination it could only be one person.  The neighbors on the other side are a really nice family, he and Bill have male bonding time over their cars often and we knew it wasn't him.  Bill told him about it, he was very surprised because his dog will bark a lot but he hardly ever hears ours.

What else has been going on?  Not much, actually.

I have no idea what is going on in the living room, but I have a suspicion that a beagle may have just tried to get on the couch.  Based on hearing Otter yelling at her!

OK, Froggy.  I posted.  Happy now? :)

Sunday Spuds

Spuds, as in potatos.  As in potato soup, because I think I'm going to make it for dinner tonight.  Probably.  Spud is also an oilfield related term.  But the kind I'm referring to is kind you eat.  Not what happens when the drill bit hits the dirt to start the drilling process.  Spud, when referring to drilling a well, is one of those words that is singular and plural at the same time.

Yesterday was a very quiet day.  Saturdays are normally relaxed days for us that we really enjoy.  But yesterday was quieter than normal.  I've lost count of how many naps happened around my house yesterday, but the first one was at 9:00 a.m.  It was a very quiet day!

Otter and I had a couple of errands today, and we made sure that our route took us past a couple of thrift stores.  She found a couple of things, I didn't find anything but it was still fun.  We went to WalMart to look for something and didn't find what we were looking for, but we did find tulip bulbs.  We bought a package of an unusual pink tulip.  We'll still get more, Otter likes a variety and a lot in her tulip bed.  We didn't want to forget them like we did last year, so even though it's early we bought some.

I'm also beginning to see mums in the stores.  I'm not sure if I want to put them in the whiskey barrel or not.  I might decide not to, so I'm not getting any at this point.

Part of my Sunday activities included tieing up my sunflower plant in the back yard.  It's up close to the house and it is very top heavy, it's full of blooms and buds.  It fell over in the last day or so, Otter and I were going to cut all the blooms off this morning but we discovered that the plant stalk wasn't actually broken.  So I got out my small nylon rope (which is actually for a crochet project eventually) and tied it to a hook that used to hold a birdfeeder up under the eave (eve?).  Then we looped it around the stalk a few times and stood the plant up, slowly and gently.  We didn't want to break the stalk or damage the plant so it's still a little crooked but it's at least not laying on the grass now.  The other end of the nylon rope is looped and tied around a protruding sandstone on the house.  There were billions of bumblebees on the sunflower blooms, they left when we were standing the plant back up but they probably came right back after we finished.  There were lots of them, and some of them were fairly big.  Bumblebees are fun to watch.  They were not aggressive at all, they usually aren't, but I wasn't sure how they would react since we were moving the flowers.  They were pretty laid back, one almost flew into my forehead but it was not aggressive - just buzzing by and I walked into it's flight path.  It looked kind of surprised, then it went on around me and continued on it's way.

We still have hummingbirds.  We will have them for a while, not not too much longer.  I had to refill one of my feeders yesterday and possibly will have to refill another one in the next day or so.  But they won't be here much longer.  The locusts or cicadas are pretty much gone, once we get a few cool nights they disappear.  I haven't heard any tree frogs lately, but the bullfrogs are still here because we've seen a couple.  But it won't be too much longer, then they'll all be gone for the fall/winter.

I added a few rows to the Dr. Who scarf yesterday.  I measured it a little under 20".  I also finished up the second side of the first throw pillow cover.  I did a little miscellaneous crochet.  In between naps!

I think I'd better go check on William.  I keep hearing suspicious noises from the living room, followed by Bill noises!  He's probably working on a pachinko machine, hopefully there aren't pieces of it all over the place in the living room because he might have just dropped something or had one fall over!

9/11/01 To Remember

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)"
by Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

The End of a Long Week

I'm so glad that it's finally Friday.  Even though we had a 3-day weekend last week and a shorter work week, it still seems like years and years since last Friday.  Who knows why!  It just does.

We had rain earlier in the week.  Along with most of anyone south of us and east to northeast.  Thanks to TS Hermine.  But we didn't get all that much in our area, something like just under 3".  Texas was really hit bad, and the southern part of Oklahoma.

It came through this area on Wednesday.  Just as the termite inspector and appraiser were here for their inspections.  No termite evidence, which is what we expected, by the way.  We're still waiting on the septic inspection, I have to call the bank on Monday and see why we haven't heard from whomever they hire for that.  The septic inspection is basically a walk around the yard to see if there are any yucky spots where water is coming up.  It's basically just a formality, but it's required because we have a septic tank and are not on a sewer line.

I haven't had much time to crochet this week, I did get the prayer shawl shipped off yesterday and I did a couple of rows on the throw pillow covers.  I have one half of one finished and most of the second side.  Then I have three more to do, I'm not sure if they will all be granny squares or a different pattern, but I'll figure it out.  It's kind of a work-in-progress thing.  I'm hoping to get some crochet time in tomorrow, which shouldn't be a problem at all!

My knees are killing me today.  The open house at Otter's school was last night, and her classes this year are mostly in different buildings for each class and most of them are upstairs.  It was not a fun experience, following her schedule.  I enjoyed meeting her teachers, I just didn't enjoy the process of getting to/from the classrooms.  I'm paying for it today.

We're having chicken fajitas tonight.  I'm going to head in the general direction of the kitchen in a few minutes and get started cooking.  And then I'm either going to get a motrin or a glass of wine.  I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning in the direction of the wine.  And probably opening one of the many books that Otter and I got at the library this afternoon.  We might make strawberry ice cream, too.

Happy Labor Day!

We had this:

Made from this:

But it was too windy to actually grill, so we made them on this:

And it was a pretty good meal.  We also had potato salad & macaroni salad and Otter had nacho flavored doritos because she's not a macaroni salad or potato salad fan.  Well, that just meant that there was more for Bill and I. :)

Anyway.

The rest of our Labor Day has been spent alternating between working around the house and goofing off.  Bill's been cleaning out stuff in the garage (wow!) and he's managed to come up with two or three trash bags full of stuff to throw out, a good size box of stuff to donate and possibly some stuff to eBay.  He's still got a whole lot of things out there to go through, but anything that will help to reduce the clutter out there is good.  Otter and I got the vacuuming done and we've had a few minor housecleaning items we attended to.  But we've also spent a lot of time on the couch in front of the tv, reading and quickly running up to Wallyworld this morning.  For potato salad, since the potatos I just bought less than a week ago had already gone bad so no homemade potato salad today.

It's warm and pretty windy today.  I don't think it's really hot, probably around 90.  But the weather is probably going to change radically tomorrow through about Thursday, thanks to the tropical storm that has popped up in the gulf near Brownsville (deep South Texas).  It's not extremely common for tropical storms and/or hurricanes to get this far inland, but it's been known to happen.

Of course, it's probably all going to hit us on Wednesday afternoon/evening, which is when we have all our inspections scheduled!  (We're refinancing the house).

My rain barrel will be happy, it does have some rain water in it now but Otter reports that it's bright green again.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that this time, I did research it awhile back and the most common suggestion was to paint the barrel a dark color so that sunlight can't get through as easily.  OK, we painted it dark green.  And the water still gets green, just as much as it did before.  I guess the next step is going to see what we can add to the water, since the green is caused by algae and possibly mold.  We are having better luck with skeeters this year, the mosquito dunks really do work.  They don't affect the water color and algae/mold issues.  Just wrigglers!

I gave up on my sewing projects yesterday.  The thread kept breaking and at one point, I pulled the spool off of the machine and threw it across the dining room (the thread, not the machine!).  But Otter brought it back to me, so I tried it again.  I adjusted the tension on the machine.  And the thread promptly broke again.  Which is when I pulled it off and told Otter to throw it away (the thread!).  And then I seriously considered putting the machine itself into the donate pile.  Then I put it all away with intentions of getting back on it today, but I haven't had a chance yet.  I have had issues with this machine before.  I have had it about 5 years, and I really haven't used it that much.  But it's been troublesome just about every time I've used it lately.

Well, as Scarlett O'Hara says:  I'll worry about that tomorrow!  Or several tomorrows away, anyway.

I think I'll go get into my Blue Bell Rocky Road now.  Chocolate cures everything. :)

Sunday Sewing

And other stuff.

The other stuff first:

If you were driving down the interstate on the NE side of Tulsa a week or so ago, this is what you would have seen by the side of the highway.

Today, this is what you would see.

Otter took these from the window of my car as we were driving past where the theater used to be.

We drove up to the gate, there were a lot of people there.  And even more driving past & in the driveway.  The screen used to be right behind the marquee in the center of this picture, which Otter got out of the car to take.  Not visible is the fund raising that has already started.  A local company is selling t-shirts with 100% of the profit going towards the rebuilding and there are several other people/companies taking donations as well.  On Friday, it didn't look like it would be possible.  The structure was uninsured but that was because it's impossible to get fire insurance on a double sided, 9-story tall structure that is basically made of wood.  The owner was pretty distraught.  But there are so many people now that are helping him financially that it does look like the Admiral Twin will rise again.  Possibly as early as next Spring.  We really hope it happens.  Tulsa needs it.  Even though drive-in movies are pretty much gone, this one was nearly always full.

Froggy, I'd like to hear more about that date you had at a drive-in!

The sewing in the title refers to the fact that Otter and I decided to get some sewing projects out of the way today.  And we would probably be finished already, if the sewing machine had cooperated.  Actually, it was the thread.  It kept getting caught on the bottom of the spool and breaking.  I finally figured out what the problem was with that, fixed it and got back to work.  Only to have the bobbin run out!  I got that taken care of and then discovered that I didn't have any thread in the right color for the next projects.  So we ran off to the fabric store, which is Hancock's and they happened to be having a huge, HUGE sale for Labor Day and they were very crowded.  I don't know if I'm going to get back to sewing tonight, or if I'm just going to wait and start again in the morning.  Right now, I'm leaning in the direction of starting again tomorrow.

We were without internet service from last night until this afternoon.  We've been having problems with it lately, when it was out last night and didn't come back we realized that it was probably not the carrier.  Bill called them and they said that they'd send someone out Monday.  But when Otter and I got back from our errands, the truck was in front of the house and he was nearly finished.  It turned out to be a bad cable, which was replaced and he also gave us a new modem since the other one was a few years old.

Otter and I went to the fabric store as I mentioned before, drove by the drive-in and went to a thrift store.  I found a few kitchen glasses and she got a couple of books.  It was fun, we haven't been to this one in a while.

I finished the prayer shawl yesterday.  I'm so glad to be through with it, it's a fun project but it seemed to take me a long time to finish.  I'm going to get pictures and post them on the craft blog and then mail it to the person I made it for on Tuesday.  I'm needing some small projects, and I may have already mentioned that I'm going to make throw pillows for the living room.  I'm going to make granny square covers, I've started that already.  But the pillow forms are while and will show through the granny squares.  So I bought two different colors of brown fabric to make covers out of, which is why I needed to go get thread today, and the squares will be attached on the outside.  Like the camo throw pillow that is on the craft blog with the other pillows I made.

I'm not in the market for a book shelf anymore!  Bill was given a bunch of scrap lumber last week, so he decided to make us one.  I'll post pictures of it on the craft blog, but it won't be finished for a couple of days.  He's finished with the construction, it's just a matter of finishing the varnishing process which can take a couple of days due to drying time.

We had an early dinner tonight.  Spaghetti!  Spaghetti is one of my favorite foods.  There are very few weeks that go by without it being dinner at least once a week, sometimes twice a week.  We haven't had it for two or three weeks, which almost never happens, so it was time for it today.  Nothing fancy, just spaghetti & ragu sauce.  Bill and Otter are not big meatball fans, so I almost never make meatballs or even meat sauce.  But it's good anyway.

Back to my laundry now. :(

Sad Day for Tulsa

There are not too many drive-in theaters left anymore.  When I was a kid, it was a fun treat to go to the drive-in.  I don't think we went too many times, but the times we did go stick out in my memory.  As an adult, there was one left in San Antonio and we saw Ghostbusters there.

Over time, they went the way of the dinosaur.  Replaced by indoor, air-conditioned theaters.  Which are still fun, but they've lost something.  It was always fun to go see a movie while sitting in your car.  Or on a lawn chair outside of the car.

Then we moved to Tulsa.  And there was still a drive-in!  Otter saw Men in Black there, when she was fairly young.  She enjoyed it and so did we.  Our previous house was not too far from the theater, the Admiral Twin Drive In.

It was the setting for a movie made a few years ago, The Outsiders.  I've never been a big fan of the story, but it's still a pretty big thing around here since it was filmed there and the original story was written by a local author.  It's still a popular place, first-run movies and lots of attendance.

Today, this happened.

End of an Era? Tulsa Landmark

Bad news for everybody.  Tulsa has had a lot of issues lately, most of them have been negative.  This is just one more bad thing to happen, I guess.

August Books Better Late Than Never

So it's September 1st.  Already.  And it rained off & on all day.  But it was still pretty warm and the humidity was horrific.  Can't-Breathe-Horrific.

Anyway.  Here's the book list:

1.  Vending Machines, Coined Consumerism by Christopher D. Salyers.  Fun!  In Japan, you can get just about anything from a vending machine.  I mean that in the most literal sense, everything.

2.  Jackets to Knit or Crochet - Same Style, You Choose, 14 Designs by Darla Sims.  Not much.

3.  The New Crochet, 40 Wonderful Wearables by Terry Taylor.  Ditto # 2.

4.  Sawdusted, notes from a Post-Boom Mill by Raymond Goodwin.  Barbara Bush rule in effect:  I tried to read 100 pages but gave up.

5.  Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen.  Supposed to be an autobiography, but it was just not very good and I didn't get very far.  She's not a very talented writer, it could have been a good book but it simply wasn't.

6.  Asleep, the Forgotton Epidemic that Remains One of Medicin's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby.  This was very interesting.  It wasn't the best-written book but it was very educational.  About the meningitis epidemic that followed the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

7.  She Wanted it All, a True Story of Sex, Murder & a Texas Millionare by Cathryn Casey.  This book was recommended to me by Ann Rule and it was good.  It was well-researched and well-written.  But I'm biased, and I think that Ann could have done a better job.  But it was very good.

8.  Wrecked by Carol Higgins Clark.  Fluff, predictable, but a good one to kill time with.

9.  The ARt of Toy Story 3 by Charles Soloman.  Excellent!

10.  Depression Era Dimestore Glass by C. L. Miller.  Research, but I didn't learn anything.

11.  Quick Crochet Huge Hooks by Sally Harding.  Not impressed.

12.  Hip to Crochet by Judith L. Swartz.  I don't really remember this one, but I think it was ok.  It seems like I got a couple of patterns out of it.

13.  Knitters Lib, Learn to Knit, Crochet and Free Yourself from Pattern Dependency by Lena Maikos.  This one was fun.

14.  Easy to Crochet Pot Holders by Cornelis Dobiarsh.  OK, but not my type.  It's pattern based, but the patterns are basically a line picture with areas colored in.  Similar in appearance to a counted-cross pattern but not very well explained.  Patterns should be one of two ways:  Words, which I actually prefer or should use what are called International Symbols and are good because they are an international language.  This book just wasn't that good or easy to follow, at any stage of ability or experience.  I did get a couple of ideas from it and copied a few patterns.  Charts just don't work!

15.  Crocheted Socks!  16 Fun to Stitch Patterns by Janet Rohfeldt & Mary Jane Wood.  Lots of possibilities here.

16.  Wrapped in Crochet - Scarves, Wraps & Shawls by Kristin Omdahl.  She's a well-known crochet artist who makes patterns for some absolutely georgeous scarves and other wearables.  This one was filled with some really nice shawls, but probably not anything I'm going to make.

17.  Crochet so Fine, Exquisite Designs with Fine Yarns by Kristin Omdahl.  Her patterns are very well done, the detail is amazing, but I didn't see anything here that I wanted to make.  But she is an excellent designer.

18.  Dewey, The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Brett Witten.  A charming story of a library cat.  Otter would love to have one, if she becomes a librarian (which is most likely what she will do) but it's going to have to be another animal that she's not allergic to!

19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.  All Batman books.  We're still trying to read them all, every time we think we might be close we discover another one.

26.  The Art of Planet 51 by Denny Grayden.  Planet 51 is an animated movie from a year or so ago, it was ok but not spectacular.  But fun.

27.  It's Not Easy Being Me by Rodney Dangerfield.  Autobiography and I enjoyed it.

28.  Pop Goes Crochet, 50 Projects Inspired by Icons of Popular Culture by Vicie Howell.  A few ideas.

29.  Crochet Sweaters, Simple Stitches, Great Designs by Susan Husley.  Not much in this one.

30.  Geometrics, a New Way to Crochet by Ruthie Marks.  This one was actually surprising, even though I didn't find anything in it.  It's written for left-handers by a left-handed crochet artist.  99% of crochet is done with the right hand, I was really glad to see that someone has taken the time to make patterns for left handed people.  The patterns were done welll and easily explained.

31.  Prarie Tale by Melissa Gilbert. Autobiography and I knew most of it already.

32.  Notes from the Underwire by Quin Cummings.  She is a "former child actress" by her own admission and this is a complation of her columns.  It was interesting, but I skimmed past a lot of it.

It's always a good thing when I read more books than there are days in the month!