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!

Sunday Shakes!

(Alternate title:  Shaken Not Stirred!)

There are shakes:

And there are SHAKES:

And we've had both kinds in the last 24 hours.

Actually, we've had two of the last one in the last 48 hours.  As I mentioned last night, Friday night/early Saturday morning there was one that I slept through but Bill was awake for.

But it wasn't the last one.  Last night, sometime before midnight, we were sound asleep and were awakened by an odd noise (it was the house shaking) and the feeling of the bed trying to jump out from under us.  It probably lasted less than a minute, but at the time it did not feel like it!

# 3

My first thought was that someone had hit the house with a car, because of the noise & impact feel at the same time and I think I yelled for Bill to wake up, but I might have actually reached over and woke him up.  Or both, I'm not sure.  Then we realized what it was.  It didn't stop suddenly, it tapered off and then it was quiet.  But it took me hours to go back to sleep, which is what usually happens when I'm deeply asleep and then awakened.  I've never been able to go back to sleep easily like that, and last night was no exception.

Otter said that it woke her up as well.  I don't remember hearing any noise from the dogs, Bill said that they were moving around and seemed restless quite a bit during and after Friday evening's quake, but last night's earthquake was nosier.  As well as larger on the Richter scale and longer-lasting.  He thought he heard a couple of things falling, but none of the pictures came off the wall or anything.  Two Fenton pieces did slide pretty far from where they were originally but not far enough to fall off, some of the kitchen drawers were opened and a couple of sun catchers came off the kitchen window.  The cans we keep dog treats & birdseed in were moved slightly in the garage.  Bill walked around the house this morning and everything looks ok.  He talked to our next door neighbor (the nice one) and he said that he was upstairs in his house at the time, so he actually felt more movement than we did.  The higher structurally, the more wiggling.  At church, Pastor Dave said that they had a lot of things come off of walls.  We did see a few news reports that showed minor structural damage in the general area we live in, things like bricks coming off and so forth.  That was a national news report, by the way.

Froggy, I wonder what Dad would say?  He never mentioned earthquakes, it was always about spring storms and tornados.  I'm sure he would have an imaginative comment, which would end with telling me to come home!  :)

Anyway, Otter suggested that we get milk shakes today since it's "shake day" and we agreed.  So we went to Braums!  They were very good, she had a great idea.

OK, on to other stuff now.

Movie Review:  Cars 2.  It was ok but not very spectacular and it was extremely "political" and biased.  But we had already heard that, so we weren't surprised.  It was just not a very good movie, it had the feel of being thrown together as a money grab and that's probably exactly what it was.  Not one we'll be buying, that's for sure.  The final Harry Potter movie comes out Friday, that one is definitely on the "to buy" list.

We made pizza yesterday, and had leftovers for breakfast.  We're going to broil some steaks for dinner tonight and bake potatos.  I also have several containers of my beef/vegetable soup in the freezer and will probably make a couple of other things to freeze such as Bachelor Stew.  I like to keep a variety of things in the freezer, Bill takes his lunch most days and that way I can ensure that he has a healthy lunch.

I got some crochet done yesterday.  I didn't work on the afghan, I found a pattern for a really cute scarf that looks like a snake and Otter wants one.  The pattern was a solid green snake, but Otter's snake is going to be multi-colored.  Because it's different from the other scarf styles I've made, it will get put on the craft blog when I get it finished.  Which might be a couple of days.

OK, back to my laundry now!  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate doing laundry?

Shake, Rattle & Roll Part 2!

Read this:

Wiggly & Jiggly

This time, we felt it.  Or at least Bill did as he was up for a bathroom trip, and when he came back to bed he felt the bed jerking.  He thought I was just restless at first, then he realized that I was sound asleep and still but that the bed itself was moving.  He said it just lasted a few seconds, then gradually stopped.

Now, we've been through two of them.  I heard the first one and slept through the second one.

Soup's On!

It's cool weather lately, so I made soup!  I assembled it this morning, tossed it in the crockpot and turned it on about 6:45.  Then, I got Otter up (I let her sleep until 7:00) and I went to work.  She stirred it for me a couple of times, but mostly she had to spend the day with the delicious aroma and not be able to get into it.  However, she was first in line when we had it for dinner tonight and she made sure she had a full bowl.

Soup is like chili, in the sense that we eat it all year long.  But my beef/vegetable soup is really good for winter food.  And also for cool Fall days, like today.

We went to the library this evening.  I found about 3 books, two of which I've read before but they're good so I'll still enjoy them.  The third one was a crochet book I haven't seen yet.  Otter got her usual armload plus, and she'll probably spend most of Saturday (when she's not napping, that is) in her usual spot on the loveseat, with several books.

I'll probably spend most of my time on Saturday working on the afghan.  I'm really excited about it being cool enough to work on it, because it is really warm.  It's been put up since last spring, and I really do want to get it finished sometime this year. :)

Otter got her schedule arranged for next semester.  She'll be taking 12 hours, she's taking 13 now.  The school has several campus locations, she'll be going to the same one.  Her days will be spread out a bit differently.  Term will start January 9, she'll have about 3 weeks between the end of this semester and the start of the next one.

I'm still not sure when she got old enough to be in college!

Teeiiired!

There's a joke about how certain words in the Texan language (we have our own, you know) have multiple sylables when they are single-sylable words in non-Texan.  (One in particular has 3, it's not a polite word and is usually refered to as "poop" in the family.)  It has to do with stretching out the existing sounds and inserting a couple of extra vowels.

Tonight, I'm tired.  Which, in Texan, is teeeiired!

(It's a Texan thing, you don't have to understand.)  :)  But when I'm this tired, my Texan tends to come out and play.

It's been a full day, but I feel led to blog for some reason.  Not about anything in particular, just to blog.  Also, it keeps Froggy off my back! (Sorry, Froggy).

We had a few kids at the door yesterday, the first one was before it got dark and then there were a few others just as it was getting dark.  After that, we turned out the light and shut the door.  But we could hear kids going up and down the street, there are several houses now in the area behind us and it looks like there are more families than the last couple of years.  So we might have a little more candy next year.

Otter is in the process of registering for next semester at College.  I'm still amazed that she's even old enough!  I am still on middle-school time, but Froggy reports that she's still on high-school time and her youngest is in her last year at college.  I guess it's just a mom thing?

We dropped off a trunk full of recycling, then I took Otter to the school this morning (it's a non-class day) so she could get the process started, then I picked her up at lunch and we had Arby's.  Curly fries!  After that, I took her back to the office for me because I'd been more or less ordered to by a certain 95-year old man we all know and love.  And he was overjoyed to see her, by the way.  After work, we went to a Halloween store that stays open until November 1st and always has everything 50% off.  I bought a few more squishy animals/bugs to add to my collection.  They live in the general vicinity of my desk and frequently migrate to Otter's desk.  Otter found a few things as well.  We also went by the post office and then to the grocery store.  Which is the really tiring part, it was an "out of everything" grocery trip and we filled up the trunk of my car - which is NOT easy to do.  We splurged tonight and picked up a roasted chicken at the grocery store's deli.  It was really good!

The car is going back to the shop in the morning.  It's been making a noise on occasion lately that Bill thinks is indicative of low power-steering fluid.  We checked it yesterday and it was a little low.  This is what we just spend mucho buckos on a month ago.  I called the shop today, the mechanic said that it's very possible that there was an air bubble in the line which would have made the fluid look full when they topped it off after the work but that the bubble could have worked it's way out.  Since I'm not seeing any evidence of an actual leak, that's the most plausible scenario.  But they want to see it, which is good because I was taking it in anyway, and I'm going to take it tomorrow.  I'll drop Otter off at college, then go next door which is where the repair shop is.  They'll take me in to work and then hopefully the car won't need any actual work done, because they just might get the RHTW* treatment if I feel it's necessary.  But it probably won't be.  Which is good, because sometimes it's hard to get Her back in the corrall!  Once She's out, She likes to stay out and play.

*RedHedTexasWoman.