Just Friday

And a pretty busy one at that.

I've been catching up on laundry, Otter and I did several loads yesterday and I've got one going now.  I still have a couple of loads to do Sunday.  I'm amazed by the amount of dirty laundry we had, considering that we were gone for nearly a week!  There weren't a lot of other household chores to be done, I like to leave a clean house so that I'll come back to a clean house.

We went to Michael's & Hobby Lobby today, Otter needed something from both stores.  We also went to Wallyworld for a couple of misc grocery items we forgot yesterday and to a thrift where we found nothing.  We went to a craft mall and Otter found something there.  There were a few other errands but they were just normal stuff like going to the Post Office and so forth.

Yesterday's grocery trip was the one I started out to do on Wednesday but realized I'd forgotten the list.  Which is probably just as well, considering how tired I was Wednesday and just how much we actually needed because we'd more or less run out of everything prior to our vacation.

I took my car in for an oil change yesterday and it was about $12.00 less that the "other" place that we don't go to anymore.  The power steering fluid still checks out as ok, so I'm thinking that we are ok as far as it's concerned.  But we'll still watch it for a while.

Also, Bill got another pachinko machine yesterday.  There was a machine advertised in a small town not too far from us and we met the seller yesterday.  That makes 3 he's gotten in the last week.

I realized today that I think I've probably got all the Fenton I want.  Except for the occasional piece, I'm thinking that I'm probably not going to buy much of it anymore.  I really like what I have, but I don't have a lot of room for it.  Also, the ones I'm interested in are the older pieces and they are getting very hard to find.  Especially for what I want to pay for them!

I also took the several weeks' worth of recycling that had been piling up in the garage to the recycle place this morning.  I was out right before the sun rose and got to see it.  The sky was so pretty, lots of reds and pinks.  It's a pretty day, just a little breezy and slightly cool but nice.  We have a cold front heading our way, it should get here about the same time as 2012 does.  Well, we'll be home and probably asleep then anyway!

Since we were not home on Christmas Eve, we're having our traditional Christmas Eve Living Room Picnic tonight.  I guess that makes it a Not Quite New Year's Eve Living Room Picnic instead.  Also, it's in the kitchen on the table because the dogsters are NOT invited.  We'll be having Christmas on Monday with Grandpa and Sweetie, since were were in SA over Christmas.  So the Annual Bill Breakfast which we normally have on Christmas is a New Year's Breakfast instead.  (And we might not eat for days after that, it's a huge breakfast and lots of fun).

Those are my thoughts today, just normal stuff I guess.

It's Been a Loooooooooooooooooooooooong Day!

It started at 4:00 this morning.  Actually, I think it started earlier than that, but that is when I looked at the clock.  I think Bill's day started a couple of hours before that.

We've been out of town.  We went to TEXAS for Christmas.  We left at 4:50 last Friday morning and drove to San Antonio.  We spent the next several days with assorted family and had a wonderful Christmas.  And I turned 50.  My birthday was spent having puffy tacos and shopping.  It was worth the 500 mile drive for the puffy tacos alone!  But we had a lot of visiting time in there as well, it wasn't all about food.

The dogsters had a vacation, they went to stay with "Beckymom" at her boarding kennel.  We took them last Thursday and we picked them up this afternoon.  They were crazy excited to see us!  When we left them there last week, Frasier was quite happy to get there but Maggie was practicing her sad puppy expression - until we got out of her sight, then she was bouncy & ready to play with the other doggies.  We could see her as Becky took them to the play yard, and it was pretty obvious that Maggie was happy the second we were out of her sight.  Frasier is always easier to leave anywhere, and they were well looked after so we weren't worried about them.

We left a little early this morning, about 4:45.  We hit Austin and Dallas well before the traffic normally starts and we made it home in record time.  8 hours, 45 minutes.  We've never made it that fast before.  We didn't actually stop to eat, we had beef jerky & snack food as well as cokes and bottled water.  Since we were making such good time, we decided that we'd just head straight and eat when we got home.  We had Digorno's pizzas waiting in the freezer at home for us, and they were delicious.

Among other things on our trip, Otter and I met Froggy at the yarn store I like so much and I stocked up on the good yarn that is hard to find.  We also went to a couple of thrift stores and I saw the exact match of my wedding gown.  I didn't think about it until later, but my dress was made for me and it's very possible that it actually was my gown.

Bill acquired two pachinko machines on the trip, one of them in Dallas and one in San Antonio.  The Dallas machine was picked up for him a few weeks back by JediMom and she held it for ransom for a visit from us - she even sent him a ransom note with letters cut out from a magazine.  Bill's brother picked up the other machine for him.  There was another one in the Waco area, he'd made arrangements to look at it on the way back today but the seller forgot to put it in her car and was at work.  She wouldn't have been able to get off work until 5:00 and it was around 9:00 when we were in the area, so we had to skip that stop.  Still, he got two new machines so he's happy.

We are off the rest of the week and don't have to go back to work until Tuesday.  Tomorrow, I'm taking the car in for an oil change and then going to the grocery store.  I was going to the grocery store today, but realized as I was walking in the door that I'd left the (long) list at home.  So, I just grabbed milk & orange juice and I'll hit it tomorrow.  I'm pretty tired anyway.

The couch is calling me, so I'm going to post this and then take it easy until bedtime.  Which will probably be very early tonight!  But we had a great trip and I'm so glad we went.  However, it will be good to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Run, Bill! I'm about to catch up with you!

Tomorrow marks the start of the 6-month period where Bill and I will be the same age.

Also known as Motorcycle Day.  At least as far as Toadles is concerned.  :)

One King Holds the Hope of the World

One King

(Written by Jeff Borders, Gayla Borders, Lowell Alexander )


Kings of earth on a course unknown
Bearing gifts from afar
Hoping praying
Following yonder star


Silhouette of a caravan
Painted against the sky
Wise men searching
For the holy child


(chorus)


One king held the frankincense
One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold
One King held the hope of the world


A star hangs over bethlehem
A journey ends in the night
Three kings trembling
Behold the glorious sight

Heaven's treasure emmanuel

Drawing men to bow down

Tiny baby born to wear a crown

One king held the frankincense

One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold
One King held the hope of the world

And that one King still holds the Hope of the world.  He is the Hope of the world!  Our eternal Hope and we would be so lost without Him.

Merry Christmas!

Just Stuff on a Cold & Wet Tuesday (and I'm On My Soapbox Tonight)

Actually, it's more cool than cold.  But it has been wet off & on today.  Mostly this morning, when it was also very foggy.  Yesterday was very wet, which was expected but was still an inconvenience.  Otter and HP were running around between a mall and several stores in the general area of the mall, they had to deal with it more than I did but it was still messy and not a fun drive.  Bill was lucky, or smart, he stayed home all day yesterday.  Except for a brief run (or 2) to the hardware store, because he was fixing a couple of things.

Soapbox alert:  I did want to address something that has me concerned.  And it probably means that we won't shop at Macy's anymore - we don't shop there often, but we do shop there on occasion but won't anymore.  Macy's has changed their policy regarding dressing rooms.  Basically, if a man who cross dresses (as in pretends to be a woman) wants to try on clothing, he is allowed to go into the women's changing room.  Apparently, there have been a couple of complaints by women in the dressing room at the time and Macy's has basically told them to shut up about it and that they have to put up with it.  That is so wrong, on so many levels.  As Bill commented, all it's going to take is one pedophile or predator taking advantage of Macy's ERROR and we can all figure out from there what is going to happen.  This issue was raised on a web board I'm a member of (maybe not for much longer), and the gay members were pretty upset because anyone would complain - I don't care what someone chooses to do with their personal life (and it IS a choice) as that is between them and God.  I don't think that some choices are right, but that's not the issue here.  The issue is privacy and security, and Macy's will pay for this one, one way or another.  Starting with loss of sales, and if there is an incident then they'll probably wind up in court.  Although if we were ever in that position and someone did cross the line, they might have to scrape him off the floor when we (any one of us) were done with him.

OK, I'm stepping off of the soapbox for the moment.  At least, that particular one.

Otter has her foot check up tomorrow, but we're thinking that she's cured.  The wart is gone and the skin looks new where it's been peeled due to the freezing process.  She says that it's not painful anymore and we expect that the doctor will say she's through.

My birthday is one week from today!  I expect Fifty to be good, I really enjoyed turning 40 and now it's time to turn the page on decades.  Otter and Bill have both asked me what I want, but I haven't come up with anything yet.  In church on Sunday, Pastor Dave was talking about husbands buying Christmas gifts for their wives and how they should stay away from appliances.  But my last two Christmas & birthday gifts have been appliances at my own request.  I just don't need any at the moment.  Well, the dishwasher is going to have to be replaced sooner or late but not yet.  I just can not come up with anything.

Anybody got any suggestions?

Sunday Ducks

My chickens are no longer free-ranging, and my ducks are all back in a row now.  I like my ducks to be in a row, waddling in step and quacking in unison.  Unlike Bill, who prefers his geese to be all over the place!

Interesting article:  Redheads & Dentists

We now have our Christmas trees up!  Two of the three ceramic trees, they are on top of the entertainment center on one side.  I still haven't found the stockings, so we're probably just going to have to make do with plastic grocery bags this year.  I'm not inclined to get back up in the attic at the moment.

I don't know why the picture is so dark, the flash was on and it's a bright enough corner.  But anyway, there are two of the three ceramic trees we have.  The big one is one that Mom gave us the first Christmas we were in Oklahoma, so it's about 19 years old.  There were 3, one was Froggy's and one was Toadle's.  Mine is the only one still intact and it's always a "hold your breath" moment when we unpack it each year.  The smaller one is one I picked up at a thrift store or yard sale a couple of years ago.

This is one of the reasons that we don't have the big tree up this year:

She was looking up at me in hopes of being let out in the back yard, but as soon as I pushed the button on the camera she looked down and that's the picture that I took.  The other furry clown was nowhere to be seen, he leaves as soon as he sees the camera.  No idea why.

This is the reason we don't have one of the (many) tabletop trees that we have up:

That is the sofa table, which is in front of the back window in the living room.  Part of Billyboy's arm is visible in the top, left corner.  The trash can is sitting on top of the bookshelf he made for us, because the aforementioned furry clowns tend to take things out of it if we leave it on the floor.  The pink socks that are beside the trash can are old ones that Otter outgrew, and now they are Frasier's.  He wore them for a while last night, when he started chewing on his leg again.

We're through Christmas shopping!  We don't have a lot to buy, since we are out of the gift exchange whirl for the most part.  There were just a couple of things we wanted to get, and we also needed to do some "us" shopping so we hit the mall as soon as we got home from church.  We got there just before the crowd and were able to get what we wanted, then get out without too much trouble.  When we left, it was getting really crowded.  We also went to Wally and a couple of other places and they were very crowded.

Since the weather was cooperative, and it needed to be done, Otter and I got the vacuum out while ago and de-furred the inside of my car.  She also cleaned the inside of the front windshield for me, and the two back windows while she was at it because they had lots and lots of doggy nose prints.  When we got through, I loaded the trunk full with stuff to donate.  I'll take it to Goodwill tomorrow, then I'll load the trunk up again but this time it will be recycling stuff.

Now, if I could just get Bill to get the garage organized...

The Chickens Have Not Quite All Come Home to Roost Yet!

I just re-read yesterday's post.  Most of my chickens have come back to where they belong, but there are still a few stray ones out there.  I did notice that I referred to HP as BF, BF was the previous boyfriend and frankly, we're all glad he's out of the picture.  But I guess I forgot what abbreviation I use for HP.  From here on out, I'll try to remember to say HP and not BF!  But, if I do slip and say BF please realize that I mean HP.

Some of the chickens are still running around as far as work goes.  I got a lot done today, but it was another day of dealing with the 95-year old teenager and progress has a tendency to stop at those times.

Otter is offically done with her first semester.  She had her last Final today, she said it was easy.  She wanted to stay at school today after the test, she got to spend several hours involved in serious Girl Talk with one of her friends.  So I picked her up when I got off work, and we went to run a couple of errands.

We went to the library, which means arm loads of books.  Then we went to Target and realized that we probably should have just skipped it.  Total waste of time!  I think that we've probably had that experience almost every time we've gone lately.  I did find a pair of boots that I really liked, and I need some desperately - some that have actual tread on the soles so I don't break something on the ice this winter.  But they didn't work with my stupidtoes.  I have to wear a size to a size and a half bigger, because of my stupidtoes which are not to be confused with my stupidleftknee.  I didn't buy the boots, because the bigger size was too big and my feet slid around but the actual size I really should wear hit wrong on my foot.

The stupidtoes came about because I once tried to put the couch into orbit with my foot.  It was the couch's fault!  The stupidtoes keep me from wearing all sorts of shoes, because of where the shoe "bends" as I walk - when I kicked the couch, the toes weren't the only things to break.  (This is the same couch that also tried to kill Bill, starting with the toes.)  (We don't have that couch anymore, by the way).

Anyway, I refer to them as my weather toes at times and they have been living up to that name a lot lately, but today they are just stupidtoes.  I guess I'm going to have to hit the Army Surplus store and get some combat boots.  Otter has a pair that her Grandpa gave her and she wears them very often.  Especially in the winter when it's icy.  I have seen them at the Army Surplus store but they didn't have my size the last time we were there.

We might be back there soon, Otter's bag that she's used for over 3 years to carry school books in split down the side Friday.  We got it, as well as her camo backpack, there and I think that we'll probably look there for a replacement.  She's got a few weeks off, so we're in no hurry but will get there before she starts school again.

And, with any luck, I'll find a pair of boots there and they'll work with my stupidtoes!  And also with my stupidleftknee.  The stupidtoes are on my right side, the stupidleftknee is (obviously) on my left side.  Which makes life really fun at times!

Free Range Chickens

I've kind of been all over the place today, figuratively (sp?), so my thoughts are like Free Range Chickens this afternoon.  It was a crazy day at work, so was yesterday.  I have a couple of things that have to be done on a specific schedule, and the 95-year old 2 year old decided that he had to help me today - which means that it took me all day to do what should have just taken a couple of hours.  He's still fun, it's just that there are times when I really need to do what he pays me for!  Today was one of those days.

I've also been fighting a headache all day, and Otter has had a migraine all day.  She's currently taking a looooooooooooooooooooong shower, which always helps.  Bill's probably going to regret coming home from work today, both his wimmins are grumpy!

It was warmer today, but not by much.  It was misty, not rainy but just yucky.  But, since we have a possibility of "winterish" weather in the next few days, I'm not complaining.  Much.

I am just about through with my commissioned crochet project.  I don't like to sell much of it, I prefer that it stay fun and not become "work" but the occasional piece is fine.  I made a few swiffer covers for someone a couple of months ago, that was one I enjoyed.  I have made the odd piece here and there, when someone wants it.  I don't mind making a few items to sell.  The current project is two scarf/hat sets for someone Bill works with, and since he's got more time to take off before it vanishes at the end of the year, he's off next week so I've been attempting to get them done in a hurry.  I've taking it to work with me the last two days and I should be able to finish it tonight.  I had some issues with the hats, I think it was "pilot error" because I'm using the same pattern I always do, but I figured out what I needed to change so it's been fixed - however, I have had to frog more than one hat lately and it's not fun!  These are blue & white striped and look good, but I will still be glad to be done with them.  The scarves are going easier than the hats did, at least.

I also made quite a few hats and scarf/hat sets for gifts, several of Otter's friends are now wearing them.  Apparently, BF was overjoyed with his set.  But that might have had something to do with who actually gave it to him!  :)

Bill went to the dentist yesterday.  He's not a fan of medical practicioners, as we all know.  He tends to put things off until he has no choice and the dentist visit was no exception.  He got a major, honking filling.  It's big.  It was very nearly a root canal, and there is still a possibility that it will eventually need one.  But for now, it's filled.  The dentist we use is very no-nonsense and is very thorough.  So, if she thinks Bill needs something, we will listen.  She did convince him that he needs a cleaning and an exam with x-ray, so he's got an appointment in early January.  I wasn't able to go with him yesterday, so I guess I should just be glad he actually went!  :)  But, I will go when he has the next appointment.

The reason I wasn't able to go with him yesterday is because Otter's last class got out early - which we knew was going to happen.  Actually, she just had to turn in an essay which was the Final for that class and then she was free to go.  She had two other Finals yesterday, one was an in-class essay and one was an essay due yesterday like the last class of the day.  So, she actually only had one class yesterday and it didn't involve a test.  The rest of the day was spent hanging out with friends.  When I got there, we went to the college bookstore and sold one of her books back.  She had two that we were hoping they would buy, but they only bought one.  We'll possibly put the remaining one on Craigslist.  She has one more class, tomorrow, which is the one "real" class she had on Monday.  Then, she's officially through with her first semester of college and is free for close to a month.

Bill said the tamale guy called him today, I guess he still has my old number on file but that's Bill's number now.  I'm thinking I'll order a few dozen.  I like to keep them in the freezer, and we usually eat them on New Year's Eve.  With homemade chili.

I'm making myself hungry!

Sunday Eh?

(First things first, I'd like to thank Alexandra for the picture on my sidebar.  The picture of the lovely, precious little girl who is just as entitled to life as the rest of us.)

Eh? is one of those all-purpose words, it can mean whatever it needs to in a non-commital way.  It also means that I can't think of an appropriate title today!

It's been a busy week, and also a little slow at the same time.  Bill was back at work, he used up all his comp time before it went away for ever the week before.  Otter has just about finished her first semester at College, she still has one or two days this coming week and then she's done for close to a month.  The last day is uncertain, each of her four teachers has changed their finals dates at least once.  She thinks that tomorrow is the last day for at least one of her classes, but she won't know for sure until tomorrow.  The book buy-back is this coming week, she's probably got two that are eligible and will take them in tomorrow.  She's not expecting much, but one of them turned out to not be used at all - although it was required that she have it - and it's still in the shrink wrap it was in when she bought it.  She's going to ask about that, since it was also a new book when she bought it.

One of her class assignments was to come up with a skit to show what the class was about, they were divided into two groups.  That class also had a homework project that had to be done on posterboard.  The poster was due Friday and that was also when the skits were presented.  Otter didn't want to carry her posterboard and clothes for the skit, so I took them to her when I got off work.  The instructor told me to stay, so I got to observe.  Otter's group involved being bums or protestors, none of them actually looked the part (too clean!) but they did try and they had a lot of fun.  Froggy, that's what I texted you pictures of.  They had a good time with it and they did a good job.

It was cold this week, mostly at night and we've had a few excuses to use some of that firewood we bought.  Friday night, we roasted marshmallows.  It was fun and they were good.  Also, the dogsters did not forget where their spots were and they spent a lot of time napping in front of the fireplace.  Especially Maggie Moo.  Frasier likes the warmth, but he prefers to snooze on their blankets.  It could be rainy mid-week.

I've been crocheting a lot.  I have a pay job, and it never fails:  I make headway destashing and then I get a pay job - and I never have the particular color in my stash so I have to go buy it!  I'm in the middle of the latest one and should be able to finish it tomorrow.  Possibly tonight, but I'm not really sure I want to try.  Then there may be another job, which Bill will find out for sure about tomorrow since it's for someone he works with.  I've also made two scarf/hat sets for Otter to give as Christmas gifts to her friends.  I had a few other hats already made and she's been in that as well, so several of her friends will be wearing my crochet.  I actually like "selling" them to her, because she works off anything she owes me! :)

Otter had a fun day, we went to Wallyworld and got there just as her favorite cashier was getting his lunch break.  So, they walked to a pizza place next door to Wallyworld and I ran a couple of other errands I had.  Then by the time I got done, they were just heading back to the store so he could clock back in.  Otter and I got our small shopping done and then we had to go through a specific check stand.  HP's going to be getting one of the scarf/hat sets, incidentally.  His set is forest green and I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

We rented the movie Cowboys & Aliens yesterday.  It was surprisingly good.  Not exactly your standard sci-fi, but that's part of what made it so enjoyable.  We'll probably buy it.

It doesn't seem possible that Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and also that the end of this year is right behind that.  It should still be only about June or July.

This & That Thursday

YOU CAN KEEP THE CHANGE!  I'll keep my God and my guns and my Constitution.

70

May we never forget.

May we never stop remembering.

May we always honor the memory of the Lost.

The Foot Book

That's the title of one of the wonderful Dr. Suess books, specifically it's the one that Otter wanted read over and over and over and over and over and...  We still have most of it memorized!

But the title today reflects the fact that I could just about write a book myself, and it would all deal with Otter's foot.  Her left one.

She saw the dermatologist today, and the majority of the crop is gone.  The big plantar's wart is dead & bye-bye now, the last of it was cut off and most of the other spots have also died.  But there were still two, they were tiny and were more or less hidden by the big one.  So, she got another freeze treatment.  But it was not nearly as bad as the previous ones, although it wasn't pleasant.  She goes back in two weeks, and since it's the week before Christmas her list probably includes "no more frozen feet!"  I took pity on the girl, I bought her ice cream.

Finals start tomorrow, then her last class days are staggered through next week.  I think that Wednesday will be her last class, then she's done with the first semester.  She will have about 3 1/2 weeks off, before the 2nd semester starts.  She's looking forward to sleeping in the first day.

Can't say I really blame her!

(It's been in the 30's the last two days, last night was really cold but tonight is going to be even colder.  We're looking at mid-teens.  Now, I'm going to post this and go back to the living room where I will re-join Bill and Otter, in front of the roaring fireplace.  I might have to shove a dog or two aside.)

Sunday Waiting

What are we wating for?

For the weather to decide what it's going to do, that's what.  The forecast has changed daily since about Thursday, but there is a good possibility of white stuff sometime over the next couple of days.  But, as we all know, the forecasters really are just guessing so anything can happen at this point.  What we do know is that it's cold and going to be for a few days.  We did get the expected rain yesterday, so they at least got that right, although I don't think that the nearly hurricane force winds were in the forecast!  I'm so glad that we got the tulip bed planted last weekend.

So, we're prepared for anything at this point.  But Bill has to work a b(oring)oard meeting tomorrow evening, so we hope that it holds off.  The normal plan for meeting days is that I get off work, go get whatever he decides he wants for dinner and bring it to him.  Then, I go back to Otter's college and get her and we go to/through whatever fast food place she & I decide upon for dinner.  Then, Bill gets home whenever the school board members stop talking - which might not be early, one time he didn't get home until nearly 2:00 a.m.  And he had to go to work the next morning at 7:00!  But the night of the 4th earthquake was an early one, he said that as soon as they felt the floor shimmer it was amazing how quickly they finished up!

Otter and I did some Christmas shopping today.  We always pick an Angel from the Angel tree our church sponsors, and we got an 8-year old girl this time.  It's been a while since I had one of those (an 8 year old girl) and we really aren't sure what toys are popular with that age range anymore.  We finally decided on a mix of toys instead of one specific toy.  Always included are things like coloring books & crayons, stickers and that sort of thing.  This year's package includes My Little Pony, as well as a couple of craft-oriented things, a jump rope, sock monkey and a pair of cute socks.  There are a couple of other things, I just can't remember what they are.  The church sponsors a women's/children's shelter and the Angel tags don't really have a lot of information beyond the child's gender, age and "toy" for the wish.  I asked about that and apparently, that is all the information that the shelter will give them.  I can understand not giving out anything in the way of identification, but "toy" doesn't help much!  We went to Toys R Us and wandered around until we found several things.  When Otter was little, we always tried to pick a child that was close to her age since that way we knew what the popular things were.  But we are having to wing it now.

(OK, I'm back.  I just had to go stop the washing machine from dancing!).

We had chili tonight.  So we're happy campers.  It was good and it was hot.  Rotel is now making a "hot" variety of their tomatos, so that's what I use know.  Along with a boatload of chili seasoning and chili beans, and then Bill usually adds at least one jalepeno and lots of picante sauce to his.

We also got up into the attic today.  I brought down the wreath and the small, ceramic Christmas tree.  I was going to get the stockings and a few other things, but I didn't want to have to go through all the boxes since they are all sealed.  Also, it was cold and dusty up there.  So, our stockings will probably be Wallyworld bags this year!  We weren't going to use the big tree this year anyway, the ceramic tree is small (tabletop size) but it's got a lot of sentimental value.  Also, since it's going to be on top of the entertainment center, there is no chance of a certain pair of dogs playing with the ornaments this year!  They've done that before and they are not trustworthy at the moment.

Speaking of dogs, they are very happy this evening.  I was putting pasta on to boil and I dropped about a handful of it before it got to the pan of water.  I'm pretty sure that the dogs teleported into the kitchen, and they cleaned up every single piece of pasta from the floor in a matter of milliseconds.  I guess you could say that we have Pasta Dogs for real?!

Just a Thursday

Not a T & T Thursday.  There will be another one, I'm just kind of tired tonight and don't want to come up with any serious thoughts.  Although I do have some ideas for one.  And it is political, FYI.

I figured that I probably should at least post something,  since the last installment was Monday.

Today's excitement has been that Otter and I went to the grocery store.  Such a thrilling life we lead! :)  Also, she and Billyboy met me for lunch at a Chinese place and we enjoyed the buffet.  Then she and Bill went to meet someone and buy a pachinko machine from him.  They met him just up the street from where I work, so they came by to show me the machine and then Otter wound up staying with me for the afternoon.  Which made a certain 95-year old oilman very happy!

We went to the post office before the grocery store.  We had to mail something for Bill and I was out of stamps.  Otter found us some really cute ones:  Pixar!  They have a Toy Story character (Buzz Lightyear), but not our favorite cowgirl!  (I still say that Disney owes us major royalties for that one!).

Bill said that the dogsters were waiting for us to get home, about an hour before we did actually arrive, which is the time I/we normally roll in the door on non-college days.  I guess that they've figured out that the bus doesn't bring Otter home anymore, but they do seem to know when we/I usually get home on the other days.

OK, all I can think of for now!

The Tulip Has Landed!

OK, so "the eagle has landed" is the actual quote.  But the point is that the tulip bed has been planted!  And I have the sore muscles to prove it.  Comes from being on the business end of a post-hole digger.  Everytime I use the thing, I remember Dad calling it an "idiot stick" and I know what he meant!

I talked to the Chevy mechanic today.  He said that if their paperwork says that they added power steering fluid last week, then it was low.  Which is what I was afraid of.  I'm going to watch it very closely for the next several days, and if I have to add any fluid to it then RHTW* is going to take the car back to the first place and let them have it.  "It" as in the Temper in full flow.

It was C.O.L.D. today.  Low 20's when we headed out this morning.  Which was not unexpected, especially given the fact that I had a car load of stuff to take to the recycle center on the way in.  Otter got a run through Sonic for tater tots out of the deal, so she didn't complain.  Much.  But it does seem to me that when we plan something like that, it either rains or gets really cold.  I don't think we got beyond the mid-40's all day.  Tonight will be cold again and tomorrow will be slightly warmer, but not warm by any stretch of the imagination.

Billyboy took an allergy pill last night.  He was loopy, with a capital Loop!  He dozed off on the couch, went to bed early and slept most of the night through.  He might have had fever last night, it's just about impossible to take his temperature if he doesn't want me to - he's kind of like a kid at times - but I think his fever broke in the middle of the night.  He had multiple blankets when he went to bed, he said he was cold.  He's much better today but still stuffy.  He's gone through one box of kleenex since yesterday.  Something about planning time off, he has gotten sick nearly every time the last couple of years.  He might take another allergy pill tonight, he hasn't decided, but I think he needs one.  I set the humidifier up in our room this evening, maybe it will help.  It will help me, anyway!

I'm having major winter skin issues and it's only the beginning of the season.  It's going to be an uncomfortable winter for my hands, I'm afraid.

Fraiser is not talking to me lately.  Well, he is tonight.  But he was ignoring me this morning.  Because I socked him.  As in, socks on his feet not punching!  He keeps chewing on the spot on his leg and it's been a battle to get him to stop.  This is the same spot that the vet thought was cancerous a couple of years back.  The vet checks it everytime I take him in, many dogs will chew on themselves in spots because they apparently like the way it feels.  Frasier is one of those dogs, and I've been resorting to putting a sock on his leg when I catch him at it.  Which causes him to immediately pout, for lack of a better word.  He will pretty much just fall over and lie there, for a long time.  He's now started to try to hide his leg underneath himself.  He's also starting to chew on the other leg when I put the sock on him.  So this morning, he got socks on both back legs.  He was not amused!  He made a point of looking the other way, and he ignored me for a long time.  He was still wearing his socks when Otter and I left this morning.  When we go thome, I noticed that both socks are sitting by their blankets, and it almost looks like the dog took them off & folded them.  Which he could have done, he's that smart!  He was also happy to see me.  He's happy that I'm home and has not ignored me, but that will change if I have to sock him again.  I've heard of other dogs that have chewed on themselves before, and it seems like they are usually shephards or mixed breeds with shephard.  Dog keeps life interesting, that's for sure!

Bill was teasing the dogs and also Otter (mostly Otter), when we got home today.  He was holding the door open and acting like he was going to let them out - mostly Maggie Moo.  I noticed something.  Frasier literally ran up behind Maggie and tried to head-butt her out the door!  She didn't fall out, but she did bounce a little.

Upshot to Bill being home today is that we are officially out of Thanksgiving leftovers!  He had the last turkey leg today.  We got several meals off of the bird & side dishes.

Now, I'm just trying to talk myself into Christmas decorations.  I like it, but it becomes "clutter" in a matter of days.  We might skip the tree this year and just have some of the misc. stuff up.  I'll probably get up into the attic in the next few days and at least get the stockings and wreath out.  But the tree might be left in the attic this year.  I'm actually thinking that we might just use the light-up ceramic tree by itself.  It will fit on top of the entertainment center.

And, no matter how little decorating I actually do, it will still be coming down as soon as Christmas is over!  Clutter is clutter, after all.  And the Borg Queen hates clutter!  When the BQ and RHTW both get out of the fence at the same time, nothing is safe.

*RHTW:  RedHeadTexasWoman.  Run for the hills, she's on the rampage!

Chilly Sunday (Not Chili Sunday!)

Although chili is always a possibility! :)  (Actually, we're having steaks tonight).

Really, it's just kind of cold today.  It's in the 40's at the moment, but it was below freezing this morning when we went to church.  It was sunny and still is, so it looks like it's warm.  But it's breezy and that makes it feel colder.

Otter and I ran a couple of errands after church.  We went to a fabric store, but that was a browse trip and not a buying trip.  The dollar store and Wallyworld were buying trips, however.  Not a lot at either of them, but Otter requested to go to a specific Wallyworld for some reason.  (I think it had to do with a certain cashier she wanted to see.  One who looks like Harry Potter!)

I've been listing stuff on Craigslist and I am also doing laundry.  I'm going to get out to the tulip bed shortly and get those bulbs planted!

Movie Review:  Super 8.  It was really good, surprisingly so.  It takes place in 1979 and there were a few continuity issues such as a couple of things possibly out of time (like a later model El Camino for example), but it was good and fun.  No political agenda, which was a very nice change.  I think we'll probably buy this one, it was a rental.

Bill's been fighting off what I sincerely hope is "only" allergies.  He's been sniffly for a couple of days and has had some congestion.  I bought him some allergy medicine when we were at Wally.  He's the least allergic person I know, which is why I am a little concerned.

I got some crochet time in yesterday.  I finished up two UFO's.  There are still a couple more, but one of them is the afghan and one is a robe I'm making for myself that consists of bunches of granny squares so it's a long-term project and not one I work on very often.

We're finally just about out of Thanksgiving left overs.  Bill finished the potatos and gravy today, along with one turkey leg.  I think the only thing we have left is the other turkey leg and some of the cranberry.  We got several meals off of it.

I realized earlier that my birthday is one month from today.  It's the "big one."  I'll be caught up with Billyboy, and we'll be the same age for 6 months.

Then, he'll be married to a younger woman for the next 6 months.  Although he still only claims to be 21!

Black Friday

Not a shopping day for us!  I hardly ever do any actual Black Friday shopping.  This year was no exception.  We did run to the grocery store for about 3 things, then I took Otter to a local museum.  We went to two thrift stores, one was to donate a load that filled the back of the El Camino and since we were there we did look but didn't find anything.  Otter and I went to another thrift after that, she found a skirt.

When we went to donate, the guy taking the donations was just about in rapture over the car itself.  He'd have happily taken it, I think!  It was a little close in the car, all three of us in the El Camino is like playing sardines.

The only other trip we made was to the video store to rent a movie to watch tomorrow.  That's a normal Friday occurance, as is the run into the grocery store for misc. stuff.  Usually, it's milk or orange juice but today's list had fresh mushrooms and a jar of olives on it.  Also wrap tortillas for the turkey wrap sandwiches we're having for dinner.  Which is why I bought fresh mushrooms also.

I also went to the gas station but I don't think buying gasoline counts as Black Friday shopping!

Too Much!

We ate too much today.  But, as Otter said, it's Thanksgiving!

Actually, we didn't over indulge too much.  But we did eat a little more than we should have.  I'm blaming the dessert for pushing me over the edge, but I really think that it was the mashed potatos! :)

Bill made his famous mashed potatos, Otter made the gravy (a mix), I handled the turkey, dressing, green bean casserole and Otter was in charge of dessert.  It seems like I'm leaving something out, but I can't remember what it was.  Well, cranberry sauce from a can but that's not what I'm thinking I forgot about.  Maybe it's just because there was (and still is) so much food, because I can't think of anything else.

Bill almost had one of his "moments."  He was cutting the potatos up to be boiled and he cut his thumb.  Pretty deep, but not run-to-the-ER-stitches deep.  But he is a redhead, so it was a little messy!  I sent him to the couch at that point, and he wasn't allowed back in the kitchen until it was time to drain the potatos and mash them.

I think Otter's in a turkey coma at the moment.  I don't blame her!  She got up at about 10:00, watched the last half of the parade and then we got busy in the kitchen.

The dogsters even got a small taste, they got a little bit of turkey, potato and gravy.  Probably just enough to get the taste of the food, but they seemed very happy with it.

We have plenty of leftovers, which was the point of buying a big turkey.  We're going to have turkey wrap sandwiches tomorrow, and probably will be eating today's meal for a few days.

I think the turkey sleepy is beginning to get me as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Vindication?

I'm not sure if vindication is the best word or not, but I took the car to the Chevy place today to get the noise checked.  The first mechanic was right in one thing:  it was the wheel bearing.  But, and this is the fun part, he was wrong about something else:  IT WAS PART OF CHEVY'S WELL-KNOWN DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY and I didn't have to pay a penny.  Not one cent.  I dropped the car off at 7:00, they took me to work and promised to call me with the result of the diagnostic.  But, since it turned out to be Chevy's nickle and not mine, they went ahead and fixed it before they called me.  Which took about 1/2 the time that the first shop had inferred, by the way.  The driver was back to pick me up exactly when he said he would be, which is a welcome change.

Needless to say, we are not going back to that shop again.  Unless there is a warranty issue with something that they've already done.  From now on, it's Chevy's shop for everything.

We did think about the fact that the other work might well have been Chevy warranty as well, but it's done and not worth worrying about.  Not the alignment or the tires, but the repeated a/c problems I had with the car earlier and possibly the power-steering system which was covered by our warranty so we are "only" out $200 on that.  Water under the bridge, as mom used to say.

I'm undecided about talking to the first shop.  I feel like I should, and probably will, but RHTW* wants to be the one to actually do the talking and I'm afraid to let Her out of the fence!   :)

Otter's foot is much better today, or at least it was this morning.  I haven't seen her since I left for work, she's off with HP today and they were going to see the Muppet movie this afternoon.  She said it was the only one that they could agree on.  I hope it's good, because she's probably going to have to see it again with Billyboy and me!  She'll eventually be home and I'll ask her about the movie then.

I'm so glad that we have the next 4 days off.  Actually, Bill has more days off because he's burning time next week so he won't lose it.  He has ambitions of cleaning up some of the pachinko mess in the living room, but I'm not holding my breath.

On Friday, Otter and I are probably going to a local museum that has a really interesting Christmas tradition.  It's Christmas trees, but they aren't exactly "traditional."  In fact, some of them aren't even trees.  But it's a fun local tradition and we haven't been in a couple of years.  Also, they have a gingerbread house exhibit that is really fun.  All the houses are made by school, church, scout, etc. children's groups and some of them are absolutely wild.

We're ready for Thanksgiving, I stopped by Braum's on the way home this afternoon and got french vanilla ice cream.  Gotta have ice cream on pie!

*RedHeadTexasWoman.  If she gets out, nobody is safe!

One More Time!

For Otter's foot to be frostbitten, that is.  She had her follow up at the dermatologist today, and the dr. felt that the large plantar's wart was still "alive" down towards the bottom of it.  She snipped some of it off, and said it looked like most of it was dead but not all of it.  So, out came the freezing stuff again!  She was pretty aggressive with it, she wants it gone as much as Otter does.  She also put medication on it and Otter will have a prescription ointment to put on it, but that has to wait about a week.  She goes back in two weeks.

I told her she earned pizza, so we stopped for DiGorno's on the way home.  She had a motrin appetizer, her foot is still feeling numb but the numbness will wear off soon enough.

She was griping because HP is taller than she is and she can finally wear heels without towering over her boyfriend (previous BF was the same height), but she hasn't been able to wear anything other than a couple of pairs of flat shoes since the first time she saw the dermatologist!

Frasier's snack cost me $21.00 at the library today.  Not sure exactly how I'm going to get it out of him, but the dog owes me!

I am so glad that we just have one more work day this week.  The turkey is happily thawing out in the fridge, and we're ready for the meal.  And the nap afterward!

We got boatloads of rain last night, today was warmer (40's) but it's still cloudy and overcast.  Well, it is Fall after all.  Nearly Winter, in fact.

Answer's Still YES!

Yes, we would eat the dog.  And Frasier just might be the main course!

Although he'd probably taste like paper. And book binding glue.  And ink.  And coardboard-ish material that makes book covers.

Because I get to go to the library and explain why I have to pay for a book that Otter checked out.

Somehow, "the coyote ate the book" sounds about as believable as "the dog ate my homework."

Anybody got a cone of shame they don't need?

Sunday Chili (or Chilly Sunday!)

It's Sunday.  It's chilly.  We're having chili for dinner tonight.

We saw the p e t a ad recently, the one that asks about eating a turkey if it looked like a dog:

Our official family answer:  YES.

Actually, we are of the thought that p e t a stands for something else:  People (for the) Eating (of) Tasty Animals.

OK, on to other stuff.  Otter and I went to a couple of thrift stores today.  We were looking for something for Bill, but we also looked for fun stuff.  Otter found a pair of jeans, which she always needs.  I didn't find much but it was still a fun trip.

It's pretty cool today.  It was in the high 30's until after noon.  I think it's maybe in the high 40's now, but it's misty & grey.  My plan is to plant tulip bulbs, but that might wait a couple of days.

Otter has one day of classes this week, Monday.  And she only has 3 of the 4 classes because one of them won't be in session tomorrow.  It's a short work week for Bill and myself, and I'm really glad.  We're going to eat ourselves into a stupor on Thursday.

I think that Otter and I are probably going to a local museum on Friday and maybe a quick run to the dollar store but not much in the way of shopping.  We'll probably need a couple of things at the grocery store, but I'm not planning on doing any Black Friday shopping.  Well, the yarn store has a special sale and Otter is enabling my addiction so that's a possiblity.  But we aren't going to be out before dawn or any of the insane stuff that people do.  That's never been my thing.

Also, Otter has to go back to the dermatologist on Tuesday to get her foot checked.  It's looking pretty good, she said it's been itching like crazy but that is normal when healing occurs.

OK, time to head to the kitchen and make chili!  I'm starving!

Thursday, But Not a T & T Thursday

This & That Thursday is probably going to be a couple of weeks away before it shows up again.  I had one I was working on, but I'm just too tired to think about it tonight.  Next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so my T & T gripe will probably wait until a better time.  I have no shortage of things to gripe about.

Froggy, the heat thing is basically a tube sock filled with rice.  It has a specific name, but we haven't remembered it since shortly after we bought the thing.  Which was around 20 years ago, or thereabouts.  Anyway, it gets microwaved for a minute or two and then it's flexible so it can be used wherever heat is needed.  The dogs always come running, I think that they smell it and think it's food.

We finally got to sit down and watch the show about the family that hunts hogs in Texas.  It's a pretty good show, but I do have a couple of gripes.  First of all, there is no reason to subtitle somebody just because he's Texan!  We could understand the older man very well, but then Texan is our native tongue after all.  The second gripe also has to do with speaking Texas and also is part of the subtitle issue:  THE WORD IS FIXIN, NOT FIXING!  He pronounced it the correct way, but the person who was in charge of the subtitles is obviously not one of Us.  We'll try not to hold that against him/her.

There is another show, about two women from Texas (or so they say) that claim to be hog hunters.  It was very obviously staged, and they might be from Texas but they are not hog hunters.  If they are from Texas, then they are the part of the family that "no one talks about."  We were less than impressed, to say the least.  The show about the family is a much better representation of Texans, especially Texan Women.

Otter and I went to the grocery store tonight.  We bought all the fixins (no G!) for Thanksgiving.  We bought a good-sized bird, somewhere over 12 pounds but I don't remember the exact weight.  But I wanted a "big bird" (Sesame Street pun intended) because I'd like to have at least a couple of meals out of it.  We got everything else while we were at it, with the exception of vanilla ice cream to have on the apple pie that Otter chose for dessert.  We'll get the ice cream at Froggy's favorite ice cream place.

We also picked up a rotisserie chicken for dinner.  We had two very attentive doggies, they were very eager to get a taste of it.  They were just about dancing, and when Otter picked up their bowls so I could put their tiny bites in, they were just about in orbit.

Tomorrow's Friday!  Happy Happy.

Busy Wednesday. Gonna Get C.O.L.D.!

It was in the 50's today, I think.  Maybe.  Very low 50's.  I don't think it ever really got as warm as it was supposed to.  Fortunately, I grabbed my leather jacket on the way out the door this morning so I was prepared.  Being 49 years old and female, I'm not always a good judge of outside temperatures and have a strong tendency to think it's warmer than it actually is.  :)

It is supposed to freeze tonight, we could get a hard freeze.  In the 20's.  I hope so, there's still so much stuff floating around that is causing allergies.

I spent a lot of time in the atrium at work today, rearranging plants and decorations.  My back's a little stiff!  Also, my knee is hurting some tonight but that might not have anything to do with today.  I'm probably going to use the heat thing (which is NOT a heating pad, Froggy) tonight.  And possibly toss back a couple of motrin while I'm at it.

I got quite a bit of crochet done this afternoon, while I was waiting for Otter at college.  Lately, the only time I've had to read or crochet has been in the car when I'm waiting for her.  It's just been crazy busy lately.  But next week is a short work week, and then we get a couple of days off.  Good thing!

Now, I think I'm going in search of some chocolate.  I put a bag of chocolate kisses in the freezer yesterday, but then Bill discovered it so I'm not honestly sure if there are any left.  So, Billyboy just might be in trouble.

But then, he usually is.  :)

Tuesday's Thoughts

Well, the first thought is that I'm still not sure if the car is fixed or not.  I think it probably is, but the noise that I've been hearing (which is probably the bearing) is getting worse.  I'm going to give it a few days, then I think we're going to go to the Chevy place and get a 2nd opinion.  A blind opinion, which means that all I'm going to tell them is that it's making a noise, which I will describe, but not that it's been seen or recently worked on by anybody.  I'm sure that they'll figure it out, but we want an honest opinion and not an influenced one.  Also, the place we'll take it is somewhere I'm familiar with and the service manager is a good friend of my bosses so we're more inclined to trust them.

So, for the moment, RHTW* is quiet.  But she's ready to be deployed at a moment's notice! :)

The second thought is that we just had a very good dinner.  Otter made her caserole (sp?) and she is still tweaking it.  I'll eventually get over to the cooking blog and edit the recipe.

Third thought:  Maggie is a goosey dog!  I had my hands full when I got home, so I rang the doorbell for Otter to come open the door for me.  She said that Maggie Moo was snoozing (under a blanket as usual) and that the dog jumped a couple of feet when the doorbell rang.  Silly baby doggie!

Fourth thought:  I seriously need some crochet time tonight.

*RHTW:  RedHeadTexasWoman.  She's possibly your worst nightmare, when she gets riled!

RHTW

Guess who got to come out and play today?

If you guessed RHTW*, you'd be right.

Specifically, she got to come out and play when I was at the car repair place.

Pretty much as soon as I walked in the door, in fact.  And especially when the mechanic who was at the front tried to tell me that roads are made with a slight rise (crowning) at the center which means the left of everyone who is driving and that would make the car veer to the left (as in, uphill basically).  That's when I let her out all the way.

I told the mechanic that I'd previously owned a construction-related business that had to do with roads and that I knew exactly how roads are made.  He didn't like my answer, because then he had to switch tactics - I do NOT play the dumb female role, and he should have already learned that but I guess he needed a refresher course.  Which he got, by the way.  Upshot is that he grudgingly agreed that maybe, just maybe, there "might" be a problem and that they should probably check it out.

Then he tried to tell me that they were short handed and I might not be able to get a ride to work.  It was 7:20 at this point.  I told him that he had exactly 40 minutes to get me to work and that I was going to wait for a ride, then I sat down in the waiting room.  At that exact moment, another person came in the door to get something done and the other mechanic greeted him.  Their conversation ended with the other mechanic asking if the man needed a ride, and he stated that the owner's wife was on her way and should be there shortly since she always gives rides to people that need them.  Cue first mechanic (mine) to look extremely sheepish and suddenly get the expression on his face which is known as "deer in the headlight" because he realized that I'd just head the 2nd mechanic say the opposite of what he'd just told me.  I just smiled and picked up a magazine.

About 11:45, "my" mechanic called me back and guess what?  I was 100% right and he did not even refer to the fact that he was wrong.  He told me what had been done, although he had to tell me that he wasn't sure I would understand what he was saying.   You probably already know that it was RHTW* who answered him at that point, and informed him that I knew exactly what he was telling me, and that I understood it completely.

After work, I called the shop to get them to come get me and I noticed when the owner's wife got me back to the shop that he was nowhere in sight.  I think he was making a point of avoiding me, which might have been better for his health in all honesty.

And, after all that, I'm not really sure if the car if completely fixed or not.  It's definitely better, but I'm not sure yet.  I did drive it home obviously, but I need to spend a little time driving it and not on the curvy roads I had to take to get home.  So, I'm not sure if there will be another chapter to this or not.

But one thing we do know - except for anything connected with the alignment and their warranty - we are not planning on going back to them again.  It's going to be straight to the Chevy company from now on.  Yes, it will cost more.  But this is honestly one of those "you get what you pay for" situations.  And we've paid a lot.

*RedHeadTexasWoman

Sunday Stillness

Stillness as opposed to shaking like we had to deal with last weekend & Monday.  Stillness is good.

It's also a still day in the sense that it's quiet and calm, not too breezy and just still.  Yesterday, the wind would probably have blown small children away because it was so strong.  But today is quiet.

Otter and I went to a couple of thrifts and another store today, we are in search of a hoodie type jacket for her but apparently nobody has them!  Her college bookstore has a few, but she doesn't really like them that much.  She prefers plain ones, the ones at the school are not over the top with decorations, but she wants a solid one.  Which is hard to find, but since we have hardly seen any at all I really don't think it's because she doesn't want a fancy one.  But she did find a skirt and a belt, so it wasn't a totally wasted trip.  Also, the regular store we went to had free popcorn today so she got a snack that she enjoyed.  (Froggy, the regular store was the one where you got the bird suet and it had all the neat planters).

When we had the sales tax free weekend, Otter got 3 belts but they were too big.  They needed a couple more holes punched in them, but she kept forgetting to ask Bill to help her.  She finally remembered today, and they are now in the living room happily hammering.  Bill was teasing her about it being such hard work, but he's a typical boy - he couldn't get the hammer & nail fast enough!

Froggy, do you remember the magnet you gave me with Texas stuff?  Specifically, the line about the family pet having a ring in it's nose and long horns?  We drove by a house on the way to the last thrift store, which was right next door to the high school Otter graduated from, and guess what was in their front yard?!  3 of them, and they were beauties.  Especially the big bull, the horns on him were perfect.  The 2 girlies were georgeous as well.  We want some!

I'm not a happy camper as far as my car is concerned.  It's been making a noise that we thought was the right front bearing going out, based on what the mechanic told me.  The bearing might be starting to act up, that might be true based on observation.  But, what we are hearing (and also feeling) is probably the alignment.  As in the tire is not straight.  The alignment I just spent about $700.00 on and the tires that were about $550.00.  It's definitely related to the tire and where it's at, and it's getting worse.  Guess where I'm going tomorrow?  I'm going to be on their doorstep, bright and early.  And they will know why I'm less than happy.  If we don't get the response we think we should, I'm going straight to the Chevy place and have their mechanic look at it.

We have been using this shop for a few years and have not had many problems.  Until about a year ago, when the manager bought it from the franchise.  I can almost tell you the exact day, because things changed and not for the better.  I really don't want to go RHTW* on them, but Bill thinks I should just start out that way tomorrow.  We'll see, if I think I need to then I will.

The tulip bed is now ready for planting!  I hit it again with the rake and got any little straggling weeds out, then I turned the dirt with the shovel.  The next step was to actually treat it, which involves about 1/2 a bottle of mineral oil (baby oil actually, same thing but has scent added), a few squirts of liquid dish soap and water.  That gets poured over the dirt and then in a few days we'll decide if it needs another treatment.  If not, we'll even out the dirt a bit and then plant the tulips.  If it does need another treatment, it can still be planted then or we might wait a day or so.  The mineral oil & soap is to keep certain 4-legged critters away, and I don't mean the above ground kind.  After I got through treating the tulip bed, there was still a residue of soap & oil, so I went back to the rain barrel and put a little water in the bucket and rinsed it around a bit.  Then I poured it over the newest gopher bump that appeared in the back yard yesterday.  The gophers don't like it anymore than the moles do.  I don't feel a bit sorry for them, either.

*RHTW:  RedHeadTexanWoman.  Also known as "run for the hills, she's loose!"  And She takes no prisoners.

THANKS & GRATITUDE

Today is the day we officially remember all of our Veterans.  But we should do that every day, not just today.  Memorial Day is set aside to honor & remember those who have gone on.  But today is to remember & honor all of them, living or dead.

It's impossible to name all the Veterans in the family, but as always first and foremost:

THANKS DAD.

Thanks Grandpa/Opa.

Also, grateful thanks to Uncle Crazy and Toadles.

If you get a chance, thank a Veteran.  All it takes is a simple phrase "Thank you for your service."  They'll know what you mean.  And it will mean a great deal to them, possibly even more than you might realize.

Just Wednesday

Nothing particularly exciting going on, but we did manage to get through last night without any trembling!  Except for the fact that Billyboy had "kicky feet" several times in his sleep, which caused the bed to shake, which caused me to wake up and wonder why the bed was jiggling!

As a result, I didn't wake up feeling very well-rested this morning.  I might go to bed early, or I might not.  Whatever.

It's been that kind of a day today.  Whatever!

Otter's foot is doing well, all things considered.  But she's having some sore muscles in her legs which actually started yesterday, after she'd been tortured at the dermatologist's office.  She had to hold her legs in an odd position while the doctor was working on her foot, and I'm sure she was tensed up.  I warmed up the "heat thing" (we can't remember the name of it) for her while ago and she said it helped.  Along with a couple of motrin.

I just looked at my calendar and realized something.  Thanksgiving is two weeks from tomorrow!  We're going to be on our own this year, but we'll still have a traditional meal and enjoy the family time.  But I'm going to cheat and buy a smoked turkey this year.  I have cooked a couple of turkeys in the past, but I'm not inclined to spend several hours cooking one item.  Even if it is the main course!  We had a smoked turkey a couple of years ago and it was really good, so that's the plan for this year.  Along with the turkey, we'll have the usual fixins.**  Bill's famous mashed potatoes, gravy (I only use Pioneer brand since my homemade gravy is actually glue), green bean casserole (which Otter is not a fan of but doesn't have to eat it anyway - mushroom allergy and I use lots and lots of mushrooms), salad, cranberry sauce, either rolls or I'll make bread, and what ever Otter finally decides on for dessert.  And then we'll probably all have a nice long nap, even the dogsters!

**Fixin, with or without an S on the end, is an official word in the Texas Language.  In this case, it means components of something such as a meal.

Remember that old song "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet"?

Well, we sure did last night.  Monday night.  3rd one since Friday!

Another one!

The article is from one of the Tulsa news stations, and it's by the weatherman.  We were expecting windy & potentially bad t-storms, there had been tornadic stuff in the western part of the state.  So we were already keeping an eye on things, but the 4.7 shimmy was not what we expected!  I was sitting at the table, Otter was in the living room and Bill was having to work late so he wasn't home.  It was windy, so when I first heard the window behind me shaking I thought that it was because of the wind.  Then, when I felt the floor "ripple", I realized that it was not the weather.  I commented to Otter that the house was moving, and we were running for the doorway in about half a heartbeat.  It didn't last long, and it was not anywhere near as strong as Saturday night's event, but it was strong enough.

Bill was working the audio/visual for a school board meeting, he didn't actually feel it but he was in the truck with all the equipment and not on solid ground.  Apparently, some of the school board members felt it and I think that was what got them busy and the meeting got finished quickly.  I called Bill about 9:20, since the weather front was getting close and it was packing some heavy winds.  He got home about 10:15, just ahead of the storm.  We didn't get that much wind or lightning, but we got an ocean's worth of rain.  It finally quit raining late this morning.

All in all, I think I'd prefer bad weather to earthquakes.  Although HP seems to disagree, he's studying to become a geologist and apparently this has given the students a lot to study.

Before I forget, I have to mention my big, brave dog.  Maggie was snoozing on their blankets when the quake hit last night.  She never even stirred.  Where was Frasier?  Well, he was outside.  And as soon as the tremble started, he came running inside to me.  But not in a protective way.  In a SCARED OUT OF HIS FUR AND NEEDING MOMMA way.  That's my big baby dog.

I keep trying to imagine what Dad would be saying, he'd probably be flabbergasted but I'm sure he'd have something to say.  Which would end with telling me to come home, but he would have had an imaginative comment I'm sure.

Otter's foot was beginning to bother her again, it did seem to be healing but it looked like a couple more little spots were trying to come up so I called the dermatologist and took her in this afternoon.  The large wart area was "eroding" like it was supposed to, but not really very fast so the doctor cut it off down to skin level.  Then, it was time for more freezing!  There were several spots that were frozen, and the large wart area got it again as well.  Then, the nurse put some type of a liquid medication on the spots and covered the bottom of Otter's foot with bandaids.  Otter has to leave it on until about bedtime, then she can wash it off.  We'll use the peroxide & neosporin for a while still, and she goes back in two weeks.  She's also got a prescription, it's for a medication that is normally used to treat heartburn but has also shown quite a bit of evidence towards beating down the warts.

I've spent more time looking at the bottom of my daughter's feet in the last few weeks than I have all her life!