Sunday Elevators

(Garter snake, also known as a grass snake.  Harmless and very pretty.)

Today's kind of a slow day.  We went to church, and were late.  We made it, just a little late is all.  But we weren't the last people to walk in at least!  I hate to be late anywhere, but especially to church.

Otter and I ran a couple of errands.  She needed a new swim suit this year, so we went to Target.  We didn't find anything there but I don't know why we actually thought that we would since we haven't found anything there in months.  Except dog food, which was on sale so we got it there instead of at Wally.  So we headed up the street to the mall and she found a cute suit at Sears.  Which was also on sale, so that was an unexpected bonus.

We did have a Wally trip in there, but it was just to get Tide and a couple of things that I needed.  I am not a Walmart fan, but I do have to shop there at times.  It's just cheaper, but sometimes you get what you pay for.  But I needed Ridex (septic treatment) and it's cheaper enough at Wally (along with the Tide) that it was worth it to put up with Wally's usual ridiculousness.

Otter's down to 2 days left, then she's no longer a college freshman.  Her sophmore year won't start until mid-August, but as I've already mentioned she decided to take her math courses in the summer term so that she won't have a huge course load and can concentrate on math.  Math is not her strong suit!  She's obviously her mother's daughter...

It's been cool the last couple of days, after a few warm days.  It was trying to rain earlier, the rain followed us home from the mall but it meandered off somewhere else and didn't quite get this far.  It wasn't a hard rain anyway.  We've had the house open with the fan in the window, we decided the fact that the house was humid and stuffy was worse than the potential allergy issues that may be caused by the house being open.  But when you break into a sweat just walking in the door, it's time to open up!

When  we were leaving Sears, we decided to take the elevator down instead of the escalator.  My stupidleftknee was starting to hurt and the elevator was closer.  It was also dirty, I don't think that the cleaning crew had been in it for days.  It smelled really bad and there was trash all over it.  Otter commented about how bad it was and I reminded her about my family history with elevators at Sears.  But it turned out that she didn't know the story.

(Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake - the kind we were always on the watch for.  Gorgeous!)

Froggy, you might remember this although you weren't with us at the time.  When I was about 15 or so, Mom and I went to Sears.  There had been a few incidents involving people getting bitten by snakes at stores, one of them was a place similar to Lowe's and was probably just coincidence that a snake happened to be there, but there was another place which might have been Dillard's where someone was bitten by a rattlesnake and he was hurt badly.  He sued the store, but then it turned out that he actually brought the snake in and let it bite him with the intention of suing.  He wasn't very smart!  So, this day in Sears, Mom and I got in the elevator (which was dirty then too) and noticed a small paper bag sitting on the ash tray that was attached to the wall - remember how everyone used to smoke and it wasn't an issue for anybody?  Mom was thinking that someone must have bought something and then left it behind, so she looked in the bag to see if it was actually trash or maybe something that she needed to turn in as lost. 

Mom was part Cherokee, she had naturaly "tan" skin - but she turned as white as a sheet in an instant.  I'm not sure what I thought was wrong with her, but she did not look very good.  In a voice I could just barely hear, she told me to hurry and go get someone who worked at the store and she was going to stay to keep anyone else from getting on the elevator - because there was a snake in the bag.  I did as she told me to, but it took me a few minutes to convince the first clerk that I found that I was really telling the truth and that there really was a snake in a bag in the elevator!  Well, I can understand why they thought I was joking.  So, we go back to the elevator and Mom is still standing in the doorway so nobody else can get in and the bag is back on the ashtray.  And that's when I saw the second snake - the one that had been behind us in the elevator the entire time.  Since we could see the second one easily, it was obvious that it was just a grass snake but the one in the bag wasn't visible enough to see that it was also a harmless grass (garter) snake.  Mom was never afraid of snakes or just about any other animal although she wasn't a fan of alligators (another mom encounter story for another time).

As I recall, it was a very looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time before she would get back in that particular elevator.

We Made it to Friday, Finally!

Urg, what a week it's been.

At least it's finally Friday.  I don't have to do anything tomorrow.  That's a good thing.

(Just because I thought it was cute!)  (RIF, Y'all!)

Otter's just about through with her freshman year at college.  I was thinking that she would have to go most of next week, but it turns out that Tuesday will be her last day.  It's also the day she's going to see what books she can sell back.  Then I'm going to pick her up for our Girls Lunch (Cici's Pizza!) and then she'll spend the afternoon at the library.  Then she has about a month off before the summer term where she'll get the first part of the math requirements out of the way.

I managed to get her an appointment with the dentist in the middle of May.  While I'd love the dentist to say that the last two wisdom teeth are ready now and that she can get it scheduled for the next week, I really don't expect that.  Mid-May or sometime after the Fall semester starts, since her summer is booked up, are the two windows for the next oral surgery.

I'm just really, really, really glad that it's Friday!

Busy As A...

Bee!  (Isn't the bee lovely?  She's just gorgeous. No, I am not being sarcastic.)

It's not just me.  Otter's in the thick of things as far as college goes, finals and the end of her first year are looming.  Actually, she's already had one final.  It was in the form of a research paper and she finished hers up Monday so it's been submitted and she's through with that particular class.  The rest are next week.

She'll have about 3 weeks off, before starting the summer semester.  She's not a math whiz, she is very much her mother's daughter in that regard.  So she's decided to take her math class in the summer when she won't have any other classes to worry about.  She'll be in school all of June and July, then she'll have about 3 weeks off before the fall semester will start.  Somewhere in there, she's going to spend a week in TEXAS with Bill's mom.  We had originally planned on the final two wisdom teeth being removed during the summer break, but I don't think that's going to be possible so we'll have to figure something out about that.

I'm going to try to get her in to the dentist for a cleaning & x-ray to get the judgement on the wisdom teeth, sometime between the end of this term and the start of the summer term.  When she had the oral surgery last August, the dentist thought that we were looking at about a year before the top two would be ready.  Which would put it right at the beginning of the fall semester.  The dentist wasn't really sure that they would be ready by then anyway, that's something that is different for everyone and I didn't expect her to be able to tell last year anyway.  If they are going to be ready, we will probably wind up waiting until just a little later like after the semester starts and then she might have to miss a day or two but we won't know yet until she sees the dentist and also gets her fall semester enrollment finished.  Fall enrollment has just opened, she's going to get it done soon but probably not until after finals.  So we can't really plan anything anyway.

Also, on the winged things with stingers front:  One of my birdhouses that sit on the back window had a colony of wasps starting a nest in it.  Early Tuesday morning, before it got light out, Bill put the birdhouse in a paper sack and then we wrapped it in a heavy, black trash bag along with a few other birdhouses that were falling apart and we put it out with the trash.  If it had been actual bees and not wasps, we would have slowly moved it to a better spot besides right outside the back door.  But wasps, hornets (we've had a few) and yellow jackets are not allowed.

Otter's jalepeno seeds have decided to sprout!  I think that most of them are up now, some of them are two plants in one spot.  We're going to transplant them into pots in the next couple of days.  I was beginning to think that it had been too long, but Bill didn't think it had been long enough so we waited a few more days.  I'm glad we did.

Hope that they survive and produce fruit.  It looks to be another S. TEXAS summer on the way.  Oh, joy!

And Otter will be in S. TEXAS in early August.  When it's at it's worst there.

Tuesday. Mom Thoughts

Thoughts both as a mom and about mine.

We lost Mom on this date in 2001.  Froggy was thinking about having peach cobbler tonight, we're having apple pie.  Froggy makes her cobbler from scratch, but I'm not a pie cook so I cheat and buy a frozen one.  But it still counts.

Froggy commented on my last entry, the one that shows Otter's hands involved in crochet.  She said that it was great to pass things on to our children, and I have to agree.  Froggy is a quilter, and her daughter (KN3) loves to sew.  My passion/obsession is crochet, and Otter seems to be a natural at it.  We're both crafty, Froggy and myself, and we got it from Mom.  Mom was always doing something, usually it involved sewing or paint but she had varied interests.  But I didn't get the crochet from her - I taught her actually, after I learned in 6th grade.  But there are a lot of other crafty things that she passed down to me.

And I'm grateful.

The list includes the fact that Froggy and I are both avid readers and so are our daughters.

My rock garden is directly inspired by Mom's, and so it the fact that Otter loves rocks.

Mom always had a soft spot for babies and animals.  They always liked her back.  Dad was the big "dog whisperer" of the family and he loved babies just as much, but Mom had something special when it came to babies.  Otter shares that trait.

Family.  Our most important earthly treasure.

Sunday Monsters

I've created a monster.

Details to follow.

Well, it's Sunday again.  It's been a busy one, too.  We went to church and were home just after 10:00.  Bill needed something from Radio Shack, so Otter and I went with him.  We also went to a flea market/craft store/antique/junk store that someone he works with saw a pachinko machine at.  The machine was there, but it turned out to be one we'd already seen on Craigslist.  It was in very rough shape, which we (nicely) told the original seller on Craigslist but he insisted that it was a) rare and b) worth a whole lot of money.  Instead, it was a) in terrible shape and what is known as a parts machine because it only has worth as being something parts can be taken from to repair other machines, and b) maybe worth $30.00 IF the buyer was in a generous mood.

We also went to Big Lots while we were out.  I have a really nice desk that I really like, it's just the right size.  But I needed something in the way of storage for misc. stuff that I'm tired of hunting for or moving out of my way when I need to sit at my desk.  We bought some plastic drawer units at Big Lots a while back (some of them are visible in the Sunday S.A.B.L.E. post and are holding part of my yarn stash).  I realized that one would fit perfectly in the corner between my desk and the wall, and that it would be perfect for what we need.  They still had a few of them, so we bought one.  Then, Otter had to ride home with part of it in her lap because it's too long to fit in the trunk.  She didn't mind, which was fortunate - but she wouldn't have had a choice anyway! :)

Plastic Storage Drawers

We had a really nice Saturday as well.  I never quite got my usual Saturday Afternoon nap, but that's because I had pizza dough in the bread machine and then it had to go through the rise cycle which meant that I had to keep getting up to check it and prep it for the next stage.  But it was still a nice day, for one thing the weather was absolutely beautiful.  It was sunny but cool, very little breeze and the birds were everywhere.  We sat out on the deck and watched/listened to them for a while in the afternoon.  Bill got a little bit pink because he was in the sun just a little too long.

Today's cooking adverntures were fairly low-key.  I made a (huge) pot of pinto beans and two pans of cornbread.  Always good!  I have a pretty big bowl in the fridge for us to eat during the week, 6 containers in the freezer for Bill's eventual lunches and a larger container in the freezer to take to Grandpa and Sweetie sometime this week.

Oh yeah - that monster I mentioned earlier?

Look:

Then look closely at the next picture:

Those aren't my hands.

And I'm delighted!

Bill's Not a Golfer

But he got a birdie!  Actually, it nearly got him.  And it was probably an eagle.  Yesterday morning as he was stepping off the front porch to go to his car, he heard something rustling right above his head and he looked up just in time to see a very large, feathery shape flying away rapidly.  He thinks it was a 4-foot plus wingspan and that it had taken off from sitting on top of the roof over the porch.  Bald Eagles are in this area, they nest west of Tulsa and have been spotted in our area before.  We've all seen them in different spots.  There are a lot of red-tailed hawks, but this was bigger and was in all probability a bald eagle.

We had rapturously happy doggies last night.  Among other things, Otter and bought several bags of pasta at the grocery store.  We keep thinks like pasta, rice, sugar, flours, etc. in plastic containers with lids.  Comes from having had to deal with bugs in the first apartment we had in Tulsa because they didn't treat for them.  We've continued to keep things like this because it also keeps stuff fresher.  Well, not all of the pasta made it to the container.  I spilled about 3/4 of one bag and the dogs were on it like lightning.  I have seen them move fast on occasion, but this time was probalby their fastest time.  Otter had to fight through them to get it swept up, but they still managed to eat quite a bit of it.  They were very quiet last night, probably too full to do anything but sleep!  When I was washing dishes this evening, I noticed that Maggie was trying her hardest to get underneath the china cabinet and I think she might at least have gotten her tongue underneath because I heard crunching noises coming from her general direction, so I don't think that Otter got it all with the broom.  I think I'll take the yard stick and run it underneath the china cabinet, I don't want rodents OR bugs!

We were supposed to get thunderstorms last night but all we got was some rain and not much or hard rain.  It was cloudy and cool today, I think it was in the high 50's most of the day.  It was actually nice, once the sun came out late in the afternoon.  Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and then I think we have a stretch of several days with no rain in the forecast.

Otter planted jalepeno seeds several days ago.  She wanted to start them indoors, since it does get cool and sometimes too wet this time of year.  She used two cardboard-ish egg cartons and potting soil, along with the seeds (obviously!).  As of this evening, there are no signs of anything growing.  I'm not sure how long it takes for them to sprout, but I'm beginning to wonder if they are going to.  She planted them lastl Saturday or Sunday.  We've been putting them in front of the dining room window so they are getting light, and watering them.  We'll keep watching for a while.

Hope they work, fresh jalepenos are delicious!

Not Quite Friday

For some reason, I haven't been able to come up with a really good title for a while now.  No idea why, but the fact that this has been a wild week and I'm teeeiiiired might have something to do with it!

Today is April 19.  It's an important day in the history of Oklahoma, and the US.  Here's my post I wrote after we visited the Memorial in Oklahoma City:

April 19, 1995

I actually thought that tomorrow was the 19th, until we were watching the news this morning and they were talking about the bombing.  I was a day off, today is not the 18th but is in fact the 17th anniversary.

I had a pretty busy day at work, but I did manage to get a few things accomplished.  Unlike most other days this week!  I met Bill for lunch at Schlotzky's.  We don't eat there very often but it's always good.  After work, I picked Otter up and we ran several errands.  She needed something from Hobby Lobby, so we went by there for her.  We also went to Wallyworld for groceries, which seemed to take forever.  After we got home and got the trunkful of groceries shifted to the kitchen, I had to make a quick run back there to return the ground turkey meat that was obviously rancid as we discovered by the smell when the package was opened.  They gave me my money back, I didn't expect a problem.  But the clerk said that she was just going to take my word for it and not open the ziploc package I put it in.  Then she laughed because the computerized readout on her register told her (in capital letters I think) not to restock the item!  We both thought that was amazing, the thought that anyone would restock something like that.  I usually buy the larger 3-lb package of the ground turkey, then we split it into one pound packages in ziploc bags and put it in the freezer until we need it.  I haven't been able to find the 3-lb packages lately, the company apparently has decided to change their packaging up and they are now in a 3-lb roll (or chubb).  This was the first and probably last one I'll buy, if I can't see the actual meat I won't buy it.  I'll go back to buying the smaller packages, even though they will cost more.  In the long run, I think it's worth it.

For the record, we are firmly on Ted Nugent's side.  His comments were not threats at the president, but they were very much Free Speech.  We've always liked him, his music is probably not the most spectactular - although I did listen to a lot of it in high school, but his general attitude fits right in with our family.

I posted about Otter's pony that she refurbished, here's the link to the craft blog posting:

Otter's My Little Pony Project

She sold it today.  For $10.00.  Pretty good for a small plastic pony!

She's going to work on a couple more, she had started a couple but has not had much time this week.  She's going to get back to work as soon as she can, but she's not going to make a huge inventory.  Just a few, and as they sell she'll decide about making more.

We think she did pretty good, considering that she paid hardly anything for the supplies she used.

This Early Spring Has Us Ticked Off!

We found the first tick of the year today.  It was on Otter.  She felt something crawling under her arm, and there it was.  It hadn't actually bitten her yet.  She'd just come in from cleaning the dog yard up and that's probably where it came from.  The tick has gone for a swim in the septic tank, and the dogs have now been treated.  I still had some of the Frontline left from last summer, it was actually Maggie's size but there were two doses so both dogs got treated.  I checked with the vet about using the stuff on Frasier since he has that spot on his leg, but the vet said it should be ok.

We have hardly ever had a serious problem with ticks, but since Lovely Neighbor's animal count has increased we've seen more things like ticks and fleas.  Bill was mowing the lawn at the time, so when he came in I made him disrobe and his clothes immediately went into the washer.  Bill immediately went in to the shower, but other than the tick Otter found we haven't found any.  We did a thorough tick search, but it seems to have been a loner.

Although every time I even think about them or type the word "tick", I start itching!

The pollen count is inching upwards.  Mold is high and so is pecan tree pollen.  Otter should be reacting all over the place, but she's actually doing well.  Her allergies are pretty mild at the moment, but I won't be surprised if that changes in the next several days.  She is not allergic to the pecan nut, just the pollen.

Froggy and I were talking about allergies today.  She's allergic to bananas and pineapples.  Banana is my favorite fruit and I eat them often.  Pineapple doesn't bother me a bit.  But kiwi?  I have to avoid it like the plague, because if I do eat any of it I will be scratching my skin off in a matter of seconds.  I think it also affects my skin if I touch it.  Peaches are another issue for Froggy - she can eat them, but the peach fuzz will set her skin off.  Otter can't eat canteloup, honey dew melon or blueberries.  Possibly not watermelon, but we're not sure on that.  She is allergic to carrots and mushrooms, although it's a mild allergy like her chocolate and egg issues and she has a very slight sensitivity to milk.  Mom was allergic to milk and sometimes it will bother me, so I think I might have the same slight issues with it as Otter.

There are other allergies for Otter, it's actually a very long list and not all of it is food related.  But it's pretty long.  We had the allergy testing done on her when she was about 3, not too long after the asthma diagnoses.  At the time, I really didn't want to put her through it but realized that it was a good idea to know her triggers because she seemed to have so many.  She had to get allergy shots for several years, but they really helped.  As a result, shots are no big deal for her.  I guess when you get a shot once or twice weekly for years and years it kind of becomes routine.

We've also killed two mosquitos today.  One of them was on the outside of the front glass door, Otter noticed it as we were leaving this morning.  I squashed it, but should have used something other than my hand because it had apparently just had a meal!  Gross gross gross.  I'm not squeamish about blood, but who knows whose it was?  Or if it was human, it could have been an animal that the skeeter had snacked on.  Otter got the 2nd mosquito, it was on the door handle of the car as she was getting in this afternoon.

Just thinking about skeeters makes me itch as well.

Tuesday Stuff

Yesterday was National Librarian's Day.  I meant to post something about it, but I had one of those days that the orange cat picture was a perfect example.

This week is National Library Week.  It's always good to highlight libraries and reading.  Been to the library lately?  If not, well you should!  As soon as possible.  My future librarian college student recommends regular library visits.  They are good for you!  We went this afternoon, but we usually go at least once a week anyway.  I also bought 4 books at a thrift store on my lunch hour today, so I'm set for a few days.

Books and reading in general are good, not just at the library.  Although libraries are a very valuable resource and they need all the help/funding we can give them.  I have always said that, even before Otter was ever around and it's definetely not just because she wants to be a librarian.  But I'm even more aware of it now.

I think the dogs have been taking shark lessons.  Maggie is a carpet shark, but now they have a new shark trait.  They love pasta, as soon as the see it they will start the sad puppy face and won't leave us alone until they get a bite.  We had spaghetti tonight (big surprise, I know) and both dogs were absolutely nutso while I was cooking.  I gave them both a piece (they like it cooked or uncooked, they aren't picky) and they did a pretty good imitation of the shark from Jaws.  You know, the scene where the people are chumming the water and the shark pops up with his mouth open just as the guy is tossing the chum overboard, and it goes right into the hungry shark's mouth.  That's exactly what they looked like, although with fur.  Frasier never quite looks tame, he is as spoiled as it gets and very lazy, but he's got enough coyote that he doesn't quite look like a "dog" and he really looked like a coyote tonight.

Frasier also looks sleek today.  We took the dogs out in the back and had a brush session.  Frasier was turning into quite a tribble machine, and the yard now looks like a tribble factory.  He loves to get brushed, except that it apparently invigorates him because he'd run off and run in circles around the yard every so often.  Then he'd come right back and get in front of the brush again.  Maggie likes it as well, but she doesn't shed very much.  Most beagles are smooth coated, but Frasier is a fluffball.  As it gets warm, he gets fuzzier and everything is covered in a coating of dog fur.

I did have to wash the dog blankets yesterday, Frasier ignored them for a while but Maggie was quite happy to park her furry little behind on them.  Especially when they were freshly out of the dryer and were still warm.  She looked very content.

Maggie may not be a smart dog, but she does know what she likes!

It's National Stress Awareness Day

Which just about sums up my day today!

This is also a good depiction of my day!

The next one is for Otter and Bill:

Just thought it was appropriate!

Stormy Sunday

It has been a little stormy today.  Not bad, but still wet & noisy.  Fortunately, yesterday and last night were not stormy for us.  We did not get the expected/forecasted tornadic storms that were to hit yesterday afternoon or overnight.  However, the northwestern part of the state did and it was bad.  5 deaths in one small town.  While we are thankful that we were spared, we feel bad for the people who were hit.

Our forecast kept changing, the storms were first expected to hit Friday evening and then it was Saturday afternoon.  Then it got pushed back to Saturday evening, then Saturday night and then this morning.  They got the final time right, we got thunderstorms about 6:30 this morning and they lasted for a while.  But there were not bad.  Just noisy.

We decided not to attempt church, since were were afraid we'd get caught in a storm.  It was pretty windy, at one point this morning it looked like the rain was going sideways.

Since we were home, we had pancakes.  Otter and her friends never quite made it to IHOP on Friday but I'd been wanting pancakes ever since then so we had them this morning.

It cleared up for a while, so Otter and I ran a couple of errands.  We went to two thrift stores while we were out.  She found a cute skirt & blouse at one, and I found yarn at the other.  I've totally fallen off of the de-stash wagon.  But I'm not complaining, $1.00 per skein of unused, clean yarn is practically free.  I bought 8 skeins and one other that was 50 cents but is probably hardly used.  Of the ones I bought today, 3 of them are purple with flecks of another color and are a few years old - vintage yarn is always a good find - and will probably be used for a project for Otter.  Some of the others are a softer yarn in turquoise color that I have some of already but needed more for the project I have in mind for it.

Bill & I got out in the garage this morning and he did a little bit of cleaning/decluttering.  We didn't stay out there nearly as long as we wanted to because the humidity was so high.  Humidity and my lungs don't get along, it's one of my bigger asthma triggers.  He got a little bit cleaned out though.

The rain barrel is empty.  I was getting water out of it yesterday so I could water my indoor plants, and it was grody.  Grey/black in color and it smelled really bad.  So we opened the spigot and let it all drain out.  Bill thinks that the filter needs to be replaced, since it was probably decomposing leaves and so forth.  It was really horrible.  We closed the spigot after it was completely emptied, but we did get a lot of rain today so it might have more water in it.

Froggy, hang in there.  You'll find a house!  Sooner or later.  We just hope it's sooner.

It's Just Friday

And not a moment too soon!

Although it really hasn't been a bad week.  I just needed it to be Friday from about the second I got out of bed on Monday morning.

I heard tree frogs this afternoon, they were in the front yard somewhere and they were actually pretty loud.  It was just barely sprinkling, but apparently that was enough to start them singing.

We're having chili tonight.  No reason, other than we're TEXAN and eat it a lot.  We haven't had it in a couple of weeks actually, so we're overdue for it.

Otter's off with her girlfriends, running around somewhere.  She'll be home this evening.  I met her at college on my lunch hour and got her laptop, she also loaded me up with all her books and a lot of other misc. stuff which were in a grocery bag and I think included the clothes she started out in this morning because she was wearing something else entirely when I got there.  Part of their activities this afternoon including going to IHOP to eat.  So, I've been wanting pancakes all afternoon!

Maybe I'll make them this weekend, because I need chili more.

We could get bad weather this weekend.  Yes, the stuff referred to as "Springlike Storms" that we don't like.  Maybe rain tonight and thunder storms, but tomorrow night is the really bad chance.  It's not comforting, when they start the warnings this far in advance.  So, please think good non-twisty/windy/bad weather thoughts for us!

Wednesday Ribbets

I saw a quote that I have to share:  Star Trek fans are not a sleeping dragon that you want to poke!  I should say not.  In fact, the unwise person doing the poking usually gets beheaded!  (Or Assimilated.)  We can be a rabid bunch, at times.  OK, most of the time.

Anyway.  The title is for this:

Froggy, this is for you.  It's a happy frog.  I think it's really cute.

Is it Friday yet?

Just Thinking About Stuff

Such as the fact that I'm really tired and I want to go to bed early.  But I probably won't, because then I will wake up early and be tired again tomorrow...  Neverending theme there.  :)

It's just Tuesday, I guess.  Well, at least it's not Monday anymore!

Rick Santorum dropped out of the race today.  Not really sure what that means for us, as far as who we vote for.  I will not, under any circumstances, vote for the incumbent.  I'm not a fan of Romney by any stretch of the imagination and I don't see myself voting for him, either.  I don't think that Gingrich has a snowball's chance, but he probably hasn't ever had one.  This is going to be a very difficult election for all three of us in this household.  We are all having the same problem, and the probable answer to our conundrum is not one we particularly like.  More on that later, I'm sure!

Froggy, Otter is glad that you liked her pony redo.  She was in the middle of another one, but her allergies and school stuff due this week have prevented her from working on it much over the last couple of days.  But she'll get back to it asap and I'll probably post pictures on the craft blog.

Until then, this one's for Otter:

It's kind of for me as well.  RIF, after all!  (Yes, I meant RIF, Y'all).

Monday After Easter...

Known as Easter Monday in some cultures.

Otter and I kind of have a Soapbox Gripe Whine session planned, so be warned.  It will have to do with things like holidays that are faith-based, Christian holy days which have been corrupted by society and frankly, should not be observed in any way, shape, form or fashion by non-Christians.

OK, now everybody's warned.

Check this out:

Source # 4

Otter is her parent's daughter, and that means that she's crafty.  She's creative and very much a "think outside of the box" kind of girl.  (Well, I should probably say woman insted of girl, but I'm her mother and she'll always be my little girl!)  Anyway.  Among other things, she has been refurbishing My Little Pony toys for a while.  They are very popular, with both genders and with all ages.  The refurbishing thing is pretty popular as well, and some of the people that make these things are absolutely amazing artists.  Otter decided to submit one of hers to the site that the llink goes to, and Source # 4 is hers!  It was featured on their main page.  She said that she's now famous on the internet.  And she's already working on another pony refurbish.  She's also been offered more than a few dollars for the ponies, specifically the one in the pictures.

I have been crocheting a little bit lately.  I've mostly confined it to short sessions on Saturday afternoons.  I had been wanting a regular shawl, mostly for those (many) days in Church when I freeze because the a/c is turned down to Artic temperature.  I had a prayer shawl, Green Prayer Shawl, but it was really too big - because I listened to Bill's advice on size - and I didn't use it much.  I actually donated it to Goodwill or Salvation Army a while back and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it was being used as a table runner or something because it was just so darn long!  Anyway.  I wanted a regular, triangular shaped shawl for myself.  I finally found a pattern I liked and realized that I have exactly twice the amount of yarn I need for the afghan, Under Construction Still!, so I decided to use the excess green yarn.  It's coming along well but I'm not at the point of taking pictures yet.  I'm not doing much crochet at a time, but I am able to do it and it's not really hurting my arm(s) much.  When my arms start to get sore, I put the hook down and quit.  I'm finding that I'm able to work longer each time I attempt it.

And the afghan will eventually be finished.  I haven't worked on it in months because it's big enough that it covers me like a blanket and it's warm!  I would have probably already finished it, except that as wel all know, we never really had winter and cold weather.

At this point, I'm just hoping that I'll be able to drag the afghan back out and get it finished some time this year!

Easter-Resurrection Sunday

The tomb is empty.  He is risen. Halelujah!

He's Alive
(Don Francisco)

The gates and doors were barred

And all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness
And rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow
And half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' through
To drag us all away

And just before the sunrise
I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle
And a voice began to call
I hurried to the window
Looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches
And the sound of soldiers' feet

But there was no one there but Mary
So I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me
As she told me where she'd been
She said they might have moved Him in the night
And none of us knows where
The stone's been rolled away
And now His body isn't there

We both ran toward the garden
Then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and empty tomb
Just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in
Was just an empty shell
And how or where they'd taken Him
Was more than I could tell

Oh something strange had happened there
Just what I did not know
John believed a miracle
But I just turned to go
Circumstance and speculation
Couldn't lift me very high
'Cause I'd seen them crucify him
Then I saw him die

Back inside the house again
The guilt and anguish came
Everything I'd promised Him
Just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices
I denied I knew His name
And even if He was alive
It wouldn't be the same

But suddenly the air was filled
With a strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere
Drove the shadows from the room
And Jesus stood before me
With his arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And I just clung to Him and cried

Then He raised me to my feet
And as I looked into His eyes
The love was shining out from Him
Like sunlight from the skies
Guilt in my confusion
Dissappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had
Just melted into peace

He's alive yes He's alive
Yes He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive yes He's alive
Oh He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive yes He's alive
Hallelujah He's alive

He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive He's alive He's alive
I believe it He's alive

Sweet Jesus

Good Friday

Because He Lives
(Bill and Gloria Gaither)


God sent His son, they called Him Jesus

He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.


Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Frasier Update and Other Stuff

Frasier went to the vet today, and he's probably ok.  The vet thinks that it's what I suspected:  he licked a new spot and it grew exponentially.  He was already licking that spot, but when I put socks on him and he can't lick his preferred places on his legs, he goes looking for other spots.  This one is just huge, and the vet thinks it may rupture.  Which is what I was afraid of.  He gave me a medicated spray to use on the dog, 3 times a day.  I have to spray it and then keep him occupied for about 10 minutes to give it time to absorb.  The thought is that it will shrink the spot down a bit.  If it does rupture, it's going to be messy and a possibly vector for infection.  He can operate, but it's an expensive operation and the dog is getting old (although he's still a puppy at heart) so he might have some serious problems with anesthesia.  We're going to avoid that if possible.  The vet said that he might be able to remove the spot with a "doggie downer" type shot that would make Frasier drowsy and then use a local anesthetic, but we'll wait and see on that.  He wants to give the spray a chance to work and it might not need to be removed if it does shrink up.  He said that it is not unusual at all for a "lick granuloma" as it's called to suddenly enlarge like this one has.  The vet did suggest that I keep putting socks on Frasier, since they are keeping him from licking the spots on his leg so much.

More confirmation that Friaser is part of the family, because we are very much "Go Big or Go Home" and he's just following the tradition.  :)

Maggie's part of the vet visit was for her quarterly butt squash.  Which she did not appreciate!  Maggie was happy to get a car ride, as was Frasier, but when we got there and she realized it is when the game of Drag the Dog started.  Otter got Maggie in the door, but then Maggie stood with her nose up against the glass door in hopes that someone would let her out.  Friaser was excited to get there, he literally ran and dragged me through the doorway.  Maggie had to be pulled into the exam room, then the tech had to drag her out of there for her procedure.  When they brought her back, Maggie ran into the room and turned her behind away from everybody.  Then she wedged herself between Otter and the exam table, and smooshed her rear up to the wall so nobody could reach it.

After we got home with the dogs, Otter and I went to buy groceries.  Wally was not as crowded as I expected when we got there, but they were starting to get busy by the time we were finishing up and checking out.  I'm glad we did not wait until tomorrow, even though I was tired before we went and more tired after.  They were starting to run out of eggs, which happens often the week before Easter.

One for Otter:

Also, the last post was a Star Trek reference (obviously!).  But one correction:  RIF, Y'all!  The Borg Queen is a TEXAN, after all.

Happy First Contact Day

You will be assimilated.

RIF

Wednesday Rambles

I can't think of a good title today.  It's not a Whine Wednesday, just Wednesday.

Also, Blogger is making some changes so my blog may look totally different.  I'm not impressed with what I've seen so far, but it's not something I have any control over.  It's supposed to take effect sometime in April.  As I type this, the screen is totally different from what I'm used to but I'm not sure if the screen to read on is going to be changed.  When or if!

Yesterday was one of those days with wild weather.  Although we don't live there anymore, Texas is still our Home.  It always will be.  Tornados are bad anywhere and we have had our fair share of rough weather here over the years, including a couple of somewhat close calls.  We hate to hear of anyone being affected by that type of storm.  So I'm not trying to minimize anyone's trials of having to go through it.  But when it's the place we come from and will always belong to, it's a little more difficult.

We are so thankful that there were no fatalities.  We know people who live in the area, and some of them are family.  We give our thanks to our Heavenly Father for protecting all of them, and for the fact that it wasn't any worse than it was.  It could have been so much worse.

I'm hoping that it's not going to be a bad spring as far as storms are concerned.  It's not looking too promising, at the moment.

We are taking the poochsters to the vet tomorrow.  Maggie is going to get her regularly-scheduled butt squish.  She's not going to be happy.  But it is necessary!  Both dogs need more heartworm pills, so I'll pick those up while we are there.  Frasier is going to get the spot on his leg that I might have mentioned before, but I can't remember.  He started out chewing another spot a while back, but it's suddenly gotten very big.  Like bigger than a large grape.  It's also mottled black & reddish.  It could well be a tumor, but I think it's probably what mom used to call a blood blister.  However, given the fact that he's had a tumor-like growth before, there is no telling.  So, a visit to the vet is in order.  Hopefully, it's not anything serious.  If it is serious, and there is only one thing that I mean by serious, we'll "cross that bridge when we come to it", which is also something mom used to say.

Otter and I let the dogs out in the back yard when we got home and since it was so nice, we decided to stay out there ourselves.  We played with them for a while, Otter ran around with them for a while and then she remembered that she was given a bottle of bubble mix at her friend's party a few weeks back.  Maggie was scared of them the first time she saw them, so we really weren't sure what to expect this time, but Maggie was pretty good.  She was a little goosey at first, but then she realized that there weren't going to hurt her and when a few popped on her, she didn't even react.  It was fairly breezy, so Otter held the loaded bubble wand out and let the breeze do the work.  It was a lot of fun.  We could hear doves, and saw several.

Of course, we're both paying for it now with allergy symptoms!  Otter will probably take an allergy pill tonight.  But it was so worth it, we really need our outside time on a regular basis and we haven't had much the last couple of days.

And since I still haven't come up with a good title, I guess Wednesday Rambles is it!

Some Miscellaneous Monday Stuff

Before I forget, Froggy - you are working too hard!  Don't over do it, it won't do anyone any good if you exhaust yourself or make yourself sick.  Like I said before, it's time for a Guilt Trip - you need to send both of those strong sons of yours on one and the road they follow on the Guilt Trip needs to lead them straight to your house.  Yes, I know that # 2 was there over the weekend, which was good.  But # 1 needs to help!

We found one of these lovelies building a nest on the overhang on our front porch yesterday.  We forgot about it, so it's still there.  It's right over the front door and there might have been two of them on it - I was in a hurry to get in before I dropped what I was carrying and Otter was just in a hurry to get in because she hates those things!  She's very much her mother's daughter and bugs are no problem for her, but aggressive ones with stingers are not anything we want to mess with.  The nest won't be there long, Bill's going to take care of it after he mows the front yard this evening.  Most bugs, we leave alone.  But not yellow jackets.  We get the occasional hornet as well, they usually get a fast meeting with something such as the bottom of a shoe.

We've seen a few honey bees lately and a couple of bumble bees.  I leave those alone!  They were all over the redbud tree while it was blooming.

We found a total of 7 naturalized Bluebonnets in the front yard.  Seven!  That includes the one that Bill mowed the other day, and one that came up in the whiskey barrel.  We transplanted three into the whiskey barrel, but I think only one has survived.  The other two were small and one of them had probably been trampled a few times.  The remaining two are left alone, they are outside of the whiskey barrel but are close to it and I've got some plastic edging around them.  Bill's been warned within an inch or his life!  He normally won't mess with them, seeing how he is a TEXAN.  But the ones we transplanted were actually several feet from the whiskey barrel.  I'm not surprised that two of them died, since they were really a little big to transplant.  We'll start looking earlier next year.  Otter did get some pictures for me, but I haven't gotten them uploaded yet.

She also got a few pictures of the tulip bed, it's doing wonderfully.  We planted three or four different kinds, with different bloom times so we've had tulips for a lot longer than normal.  I think the original daffodils are probably at the end of their life span, they came up but didn't even put on buds.  The frilly daffys we planted last fall are happily blooming.

Tulips & daffodils do make us happy.  But not as much as bluebonnets!

Palm Sunday

Mark 11:1-11

King James Version (KJV)

(Permission given by the Author)

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.