Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone gets lots of candy and no tricks this year!

 

(If you are in my neck of the woods, better wear your long undies underneath your costume!)

It's a Sweet Day!!!

It's Candy Corn Day!!!!!

I think that people either love candy corn, or hate it.  I don't think that there is much of a middle ground.  I happen to like it, but I hardly ever eat it and only in small doses!

 

Froggy, I don't know what blogger's problem is.  I have checked several times and it is set for not having the word verification on commenting.  I've redone it several times and it still shows that it's not on there, but then I had Otter check it from her computer and it still showed that the word verification was necessary so I'm thinking that blogger might have just started putting it on all blogs.

 

We are supposed to get our first freeze Saturday morning.  And it's a hard freeze.  It is supposed to be in the mid- to high-20's early Saturday morning.  I plucked all the available jalepenos off Otter's two plants yesterday and brought in the three plants that were outside.  One of them was my begonia, it gets brought inside every Fall and by the time Spring rolls around it looks pretty scraggily!  But then it goes back out for the Spring and Summer, and usually turns into a mass of pink blossoms.  It did wonderfully this summer.  The other two plants are the mint and rosemary that were Otter's.  She gave them to me, she wanted the rosemary but it is in the strawberry pot that Bill gave me a few years ago so I told her I'll get her one next Spring.  Besides, it would need to be brought inside anyway and she doesn't really have a place for it that would get enough light inside.  Her patio faces west and gets good sun in the afternoon, so she is planning on a few plants next year.

 

Otter brought the car back this afternoon and got her laundry done while she was here.  She also ran the dishwasher for me.  When she and Roomie were here the other day, they washed the dog's blankets for me.  I took her home and we stopped at Walgreen's because she was out of Claritan.  I tried to get her some at lunch, but the Walgreen's I went to was out of the kind she uses.  The pharmacist said that it's very popular this time of year.  Well, if it does freeze it might just be enough to take out the ragweed!

 

Speaking of cars, I took mine to Chevy this morning.  For the oil change and the recall.  And I left almost immediately, WITH my car.  The service manager was helping someone else and one of the "guys" came over to me.  And then he told me that I had to have both keys with me because the part that is actually fixed is apparently the part that holds the key in place and they can't fix the ignition with one key?  Then he said that they could only fix the key I had on me, but that the other key couldn't be fixed later.  I thought it was the ignition and not the key itself?  AND he told me that the only keys they can fix are official Chevy keys.  AND that if it doesn't have a specific type of black plastic covering, it's not an official Chevy key.  Even though the keys that came with the car ARE official Chevy keys and only one of them has the plastic covering - the 2nd one is a slightly different shape but it is still an official Chevy key.  However, that meant that the 02 Impala key (which Bill has and it is also an official Chevy key) won't be fixed because it doesn't have the black stuff on it.  The other key to the 02 is the one I had, which might have had the plastic on it but it was NOT chipped although the guy tried to claim that it was (not in that model year) and the fact that I had to get new keys because the first key I had was basically smooth and wouldn't work - which means that we are S.O.L. as far as the 02 goes.  And apparently Bill's key to the 08 won't be fixed either.  I told them that I would bring the car and keys back later for the recall and get the oil change then - except that I an NEVER going back to this dealer.  I called the service manager after I left and left him a message to confirm what I'd been told.  He called me right back and first told me that the guy told me right, then he tried to back up a bit.  And then he told me that tomorrow is his last day, he's going to work for another auto repair shop and that it will mean he'll have to deal with less stress - and I think he knew a few months back that he was going to leave Chevy, and that it coincides with exactly when he suddenly stopped caring about his customers.  As far as the key issue, we're firmly convinced that Chevy is trying to same themselves a few bucks because the recalls have cost them plenty.  I am going to get at least my car/key recall taken care of and it has to be at a Chevy shop.  But it doesn't have to be the one I've been dealing with.  After that, I'm not sure what we're going to do when work is needed.  It will probably still be a Chevy shop.  Just not the one in Tulsa that is now on *RHTW's list.

 

Tomorrow is Halloween.  That means that it's also 50-cent corndog day at Sonic.  Bill's already placed his order!  I'm Otter's transportation to/from work tomorrow, I told her that I'll spring for dinner for her as well.  She immediately took me up on that offer!  She'll get the car tomorrow after that so she can get herself to work early on Saturday.  I'm thinking I'll let her take mine, it has the remote start to warm up the heater and she'll certainly need it Saturday morning!

 

I bought filters for the humidifiers today.  We'll use the fan tonight, but then the humidifiers will be up and running tomorrow night.  I don't think it's really going to be cold enough or cold long enough for a fire Saturday morning.  But it will at least be blanket weather!

 

Blankets mean beagles, and I'm sure that Saturday will be no exception.  The beagle will be ready at a moment's notice!

 

*RHTW:  Just run.  Fast!

71 and 2,024 **(EDITED)

Bill got my email working again!  He had tried to reload Office and a couple of other things that were supposed to fix it but none of them worked.  He talked to the IT guys at work again today and they suggested a couple of things to reload Office since it hadn't worked before, he was able to reload it this afternoon and I can get my email again.  I had 71 to wade through!  Most of them were crochet related but there were a few "real" emails in there as well.

 

Otter saw the dentist this afternoon.  It's not a cavity.  She needs a root canal!  $2,024.00 is the probably cost for the root canal and crown.  It's one of the very front teeth and she has a slight infection in it as well, so she's on an antibiotic.  Specifically, penicillin.  I think she took it before and was not allergic but I'm not positive that she has actually taken it before.  The pharmacist told her what to look for in case of an allergy and he suggested we get some Benadryl so we got her some of that as well.  It will be done over 3 appointments, the first one is next Monday morning.  I'll probably pick her up on my way to work that morning, then after the appointment she'll either come back to work with me and crash out on one of the sofas we have, or she'll come back to our house.  She thinks she'll want to go back to the office with me.  We arranged a payment plan with the dentist, Otter will probably only have to pay for about half of it and we'll take care of the rest.  She really is trying to be an adult, but sometimes things happen that can't be predicted and she hasn't really had time to build up much of an emergency fund so we're going to help her with it.  This is a new dentist, she liked him.  She gave him the "redhead lesson" and he seemed to listen.  She and Roomie are coming over here tomorrow afternoon for the brakes in Roomie's car to be fixed, I'm going to get her some yogurt and bring it home for her to take back with her.  She decided to wait until tomorrow morning to start the penicillin since Roomie had to work this evening, in case she has a reaction.  I don't think she'll have any problems with it.  **EDIT:  I forgot to mention that there were yogurt coupons in the paper insert last week.  Guess I shouldn't have been surprised!

 

The dentist and the assistant did insist that she can't be 22!

Not Yet.

My email issues are still not fixed.  Not for lack of trying, but it's still not working.  Bill tried a couple of things the IT guys at work told him about, one of them gave him a cd with the program to reload - only the cd didn't have the right program on it.  So, he tried downloading it from Windows - two or three times, and it still won't work.  I think it's time to get someone to fix it for us, but Bill's a typical Engineer.  That means that he doesn't trust anyone else to do it right!

 

Mans smart, but sometimes...

My migraine spell finally ended.  But it took a while.  I woke up Friday with a slight headache still but it got worse as I got more active.  I left work about 11:00, the original plan was that I was going to get Otter at her apartment after work and she was going to bring me home so she could have the car for the weekend since she was scheduled to work both days.  I went ahead and picked her up when I left work, she had a slight headache and wasn't feeling the best.  We stopped at the post office so she could run in for me, but as soon as she started to open the car door she was suddenly hit with a strong wave of nausea and her headache got worse quickly.  Which could have been a migraine, that's sometimes how hers start.  I took her back home to her apartment, then I came home (with her dirty laundry) and parked myself on the couch.  I did go ahead and do her laundry, the original plan included her getting it done after I brought her back home with me.

 

Saturday morning, I woke up feeling pretty good.  After breakfast, I was going to check the booth and then go get Otter to take her to work.  She wanted to go to the booth with me and felt better, but she had a slight stiff neck from the way she slept.  We went to the booth then I took her to work, I picked her up when she got off work.  She stayed at the house for a while, she hadn't gotten to see her dad in a few days.  Then she headed back to her apartment.  She was going to take her/Bill's impala, but we never got the tire checked so I let her take my car.

 

She was going to bring it back this afternoon, she was scheduled to get off work at 5:00 (it's 2:00 p.m. now) but she texted me about 9:30 (she went in at 9:00) to tell me that she was feeling really bad and wasn't sure she would make the day. Bill needed something from her store, so we headed up there about 10:30.  She was working the cash register and I could tell just by looking at her that she was feeling awful.  Bill got what he needed and headed home, I stayed so I could take Otter home - she was waiting for the next cashier to come in at 11:00.  She felt like she might have a little fever and she was very pale.  I dropped her at her apartment, but first we stopped at Walgreen's so I could get her a thermometer.  She also wanted Gatorade and I got her a couple of sprites.  About this time, Roomie texted Otter to let her know that she was also sick.  Otter has a spot that might be a cavity, her dentist appointment is tomorrow at 4:00 but that might have to be rescheduled.  She's going to let me know how she feels in the morning.  She was already scheduled for Monday and Tuesday as her days off for the week.

 

Otter had a little more laundry in the car, she was going to wash it when she brought the car back this afternoon so I went ahead and tossed it in with mine.

 

I stopped at Subway and got lunch for us, today is the final Sunday of the month and we usually do something fun.  But there was so much else going on, including Bill still working on my computer, that I decided I'd just bring lunch home and we'd consider that our Last Sunday fun stuff.

 

Bill's going to talk to the IT guy at work again tomorrow, hopefully then he'll be able to fix whatever the issue is that the last Windows update broke!

I Think I've Set a New Record

2, two, TWO migraines in one day.  (I didn't say it was a good record.)  The first one was late morning and the flashing lights didn't last long at all.  The headache was not horrible, but it was there and I knew it.  Caffiene to the rescue!  I went to Hobby Lobby at lunch for the other skein of yarn for Otter's blanket and yarn did help, but not enough because I still had the headache until about 4:00.  About 4:30, I started seeing flashers again and this time it lasted.  Bill made me go lie down, I was down for about an hour and the flashers finally went away.  The headache is always after the flashers, and tonight's headache is actually worse than the earlier one.  Usually, small flashers = longer, more intense pain but tonight's headache is worse that the morning.  Which could be because it's my 2nd one of the day.  Or, it could be that the first one never really developed until 4:30 when I started seeing the 2nd set of flashers because the first set was just barely there before it went away.

 

Whatever, I don't like it!

It's Just Wednesday. That's All. Just Wednesday.

Middle of the week and nothing much has happened that was exciting, but I haven't blogged since Monday and I don't want Froggy getting after me!

 

Otter had the car today, Wednesday is Truck Day at work and she has to be in at 5:00 or 5:30 - ain't nobody willing to get up that early to take her to work!  So, she came over yesterday afternoon and got the car.  She brought it back this afternoon, she's off tomorrow and Friday plus Bill needed the car for something he has to do tomorrow.  When I took her home, I made a side-trip to Hobby Lobby.  I needed another skein of yarn for the blanket I'm making for her so I got that but I might actually need another.  I think I've mentioned that before.

 

Maggie Moo was overjoyed to see Otter.  We were in the office/pachinko room when we saw her pulling into the driveway.  Bill yelled "who's at the door" and Maggie answered him - literally, she was talking and running at full speed to the door to greet her Otter.  As soon as Otter was parked, I let Maggie Moo out the door and she slinkywalked all the way to Otter.  Maggie greeted her and then turned back around and headed in the general direction of the front door - she took a short side trip off the porch into the dirt but she got back on task immediately and went back in the front door.  Frasier was happy to see her, he's just a little more reserved than silly Maggie Moo.

 

I heard a report on the local news this morning.  Firewood sellers are stocking up on their supply and have also raised prices from what they were charging last year.  The general forecast is that we'll have a cold winter, similar to last year although maybe not quite as much snow/ice as last winter.  I don't mind the cold weather, but I can do without the ice!  Snow is fun, as long as it's not accompanied by ice.  We are probably ok on firewood, since Bill got so much as the lumberyard when they were giving it away.  He might get another load or two, he hasn't decided yet.

Otter didn't go through any of the craft stuff today, but she's been cleaning out/consolidating/donating stuff each time.  We had been planning on putting it in the attic when she gets through, but I'm rethinking that idea.  I am probably going to clean off the shelves by my workbench in the garage and put her craft stuff there.  A lot of it is stuff that I use, and we know that as soon as it gets packed away it will turn out that somebody needs something out of it!  So, I'm going to turn my craft shelves in the garage back into craft shelves.  The shelves have a few plant items on them and my birdfeeders.  But the main problem is that Bill's junk is still all over my workbench.  I'm going to remedy that situation soon!  AGAIN!!

Funny Monday Stuff

Well, funny stuff is funny.  But Monday is not!

Love this one!

Not a major fan of the 11th Dr.  (His tagline is that ______ are Cool and he fills in the blank with just about everything he sees.)   Not sure about the 12th, considering the "secret doctor" storyline which I guess would make the current one 13?   I've lost count.  But the point is, # 4 is THE BEST ONE.  # 1 was good, obviously because he was the first.  But 4 is the best!

Enlarge this one if you need to, it's worth the read!

 

As far the Monday stuff, it's just that:  Monday.  I picked Otter up at her apartment at 7:00 this morning and got her at work at 6:00 p.m to take her home.  I will also get her to work tomorrow, then she'll have the car for Wednesday.  Bill needs it Thursday and Friday, but I think she's off those two days.  She'll get the car Friday evening and bring it back after work Sunday.

 

On Monday, she is probably going to have the day off.  Which is because she requested it, due to the dentist appointment she has for a possible cavity that needs to be checked out.  Our dentist retired a few months ago so we need to find a new one, we're going to try a new one on Monday and see how he is.

 

Still no email.  Saturday night, the computer had a notation about "restarting in 2 days to finish installing updates."  Which is never true, it always does it the next time it's turned on.  I had to turn it back on to look something up after checking my email Saturday evening, and  the updates installed.  And I haven't been able to access my email since then.  Turns out, some of those "needed" updates included updating my not-broken-and-should-not-have-been-fixed email program!  There is a way to reset back to before the update, we tried that yesterday but it wouldn't take.  Probably because of the anti-virus program we have.  Bill talked to the computer geeks at work and they all told him the same thing:  Reload Office.  Which we will probably do this week.  Hopefully, that will a) work and b) I haven't lost all my emails.  I'm thinking we need to do a back up before we attempt to reload anything.  I did discover that there is a way to not have the updates install automatically, but we aren't making any changes until we're sure we've gotten everything working again.  Stupid Windows!

 

Maggie is snoozing at my feet, on the pillow I was going to use as a foot rest.  Frasier is probably curled up on their blankets, since that is what he usually does about this time of evening.

 

I think they both have the right idea:  frequent naps!

Gone to Sleep **EDITED**

**EDIT:  (My email is temporarily not working.  It worked fine, but then Windows did one of it's unneeded updates yesterday and now my email isn't working.  We are trying to fix it, but so far none of the fixes have worked.  I'm so tired of people who don't even know me thinking that they know what is best for me!)

My "Mom Ears" have gone to sleep.  After 22+ years of listening in my sleep for Otter, I've realized that the Mom Ears have quit listening.  I realized this a few days ago, after waking up several morning in a row without waking up in the night and not waking early when she had to be in to work early.  I'm sure that they are simply resting, if grandchildren are ever in the picture for us I think the Mom Ears will wake up.  Along with the Eyes in the Back of My Head that all moms seem to develop upon the birth of their children.  :)

 

We didn't actually make it to church today.  We had planned to, but Otter called me yesterday before she went to work because she was concerned about a specific tire that was low (we've been watching it).  She went to get air in it, but the pump wasn't working right and she thought she actually caused the tire to lose air.  So I took her my car and got the one she'd been driving, the 02 Impala that she and Bill share.  The car is about to need new tires and we will put them on it when it officially becomes her car, unless we have to do it sooner.  I took the car to another air pump and thought it took some air, but the gauge told me it was lower still.  So, I drove it on home and Bill said he'd check it this morning - he was fighting off a mild case of the stomach bug that I shared with him so he wasn't really inclined to mess with the car yesterday.  We decided against church in case the tire was bad and actually got flat, since Bill didn't have enough time to check it before we would have had to leave anyway.  Bill did check the tire later on and it seemed to be holding air.  However, he thinks the tire gauge is broken!!!  He fired up the compressor and put a little air in it, along with the other three tires.

 

Otter brought my car back this morning, along with her laundry.  She went through about 4 boxes.  She repacked them into less boxes, and some stuff is to be donated as well as some that could be thrown away.  Then she and I went to a thrift store while her laundry was in the machine.  She found a cute dress, a couple of large t-shirts to sleep in and a lace poncho-type shawl.  I found a sweater I really need.  We also ran into a friend of hers at the thrift store that she hadn't seen in a while.  After we got back, the last of her laundry was ready for the dryer.  I took her home after it was done, along with two boxes of stuff and some of my drinking glasses that I don't need any longer.  And her laundry!

 

I started on the lap blanket she wanted yesterday.  I bought 4 skeins of yarn for it, but I was thinking I wanted to get one more.  Which I was going to do yesterday, but I never quite got there when she called me about the car tire - I was looking at yard sales (no luck) and had been to the booth store with my next planned stop being Hobby Lobby for the yarn.  But after I looked at how much yarn I've already used for the size it's at, I think I actually need to get two more skeins.  It's a fall color and the winter colors will be out soon, so I need to get it as soon as I can.  Probably tomorrow.

 

Bill got the grill out this afternoon.  We had steaks tonight along with baked potatos.  We have barbecued chicken and fajita chicken for the next couple of night's dinners.  The dogs were very interested in what we were having for dinner, they sat where they could see us and stared at us the entire time we were eating.  They each got a small bite of steak, and they were happy with it.

They are easily entertained, and food is always a fun thing!  But their favorite activity? NAPS!!!

Blah Friday

Kind of a Blah! day.  I thought yesterday that I might have the tummy bug but that was before Otter told me she had it.  I'm pretty sure I got it from someone else, not Otter.  But I still woke up feeling icky and with a painful tummy so I called in.  Mostly, I've been parked on the couch,

 

We are most likely going to visit another church this Sunday, probably United Methodist.  But it will not be the one we previously belonged to.  It's no secret that we are not in favor of legalizing g ay marr iage.  The United Methodist official position is against it.  There is a group of UM pastors who have created a webpage and taken out a full-page ad in the paper where they state that they are against everything the church they belong to & minister in teaches - which may well be enough to get them fired in fact, and one of the names signing it is the minister at that particular church.  So, we are probably going to look at our other UM choice.  We'll eventually find the church we belong at, but we are not going to be in a hurry.

 

The dogs seem happy that I'm home.  They've shown their happiness by napping!  One on each side of me, and they were snoring in tandem earlier.  Froggy, it brought back memories!

 

Otter is feeling better, she worked this morning but about 11:00 she texted me to tell me that her boss told her to leave about noon, which is a couple of hours earlier than she was scheduled for.  He knew she wasn't feeling 100% and I think he was surprised that she came in today.  She works a later shift tomorrow, she intends to sleep in tomorrow morning.  She'll be here Sunday with her laundry basket!

 

Frasier is calling me, I think it's time to go play with the dog.  He's talking up a storm!  Maggie Moogie Moo just ran over to him, I think she's trying to get a game of Puppy War started.  Guess I'd better go pay attention to them now.

Squids and Sloths and Stalk-Eyed Flies

No particular meaning to the title, other than the fact that we're watching something about "misfit" animals and how they survive.  Specific species, not just animals that don't quite fit their type!  At the moment, it's talking about Nautilus and how they manage to survive (for millions of years) when they pretty much always swim backwards!

 

I know the feeling, some days. :)

 

Maggie Moo seems to be fine, she's very playful and bouncy.  She very much wanted me to play with her, so we had a session of Chase the Beagle, then she got her tennis balls and we played fetch for a while.  Then Frasier decided to get in on the game and they had Puppy War for a few minutes.  When he got tired, he turned it into a grooming session and she was quite content.

 

I went by Otter's apartment this afternoon.  She wasn't feeling the best, she had tummy troubles, and she wanted rice.  Only problem is that she didn't have any on hand, so I went by Wally and got some to take to her.  She knows how to make rice, but she's always used my gas stove to cook it so I cooked it for her and showed her a few tricks to using an electric stove.  She's cooked some on her electric stove, but she wasn't sure about timing the heat increase/decrease on an electric stove with rice.  I also took her some bananas, gatorade and a half-gallon of milk.  She was feeling better and was going to take it easy for the rest of the day.  She did work today, her boss noticed that she wasn't feeling too good so he told her to leave a little early.  She should be able to go in tomorrow for her shift.  Even though she wasn't feeling 100%, we had a nice visit and I enjoyed getting to see her.  Roomie was at work when I was there, so I didn't see her this time.

 

It was 46 degrees yesterday morning!  This morning was slightly warmer but not by much.  The days have been 70's to low 80's, but Winter is very obviously on it's way.  I've been restocking our Winter storm supplies, since it's just the two of us now I'm cut down the amount a bit.  Otter will have her own stock, she and Roomie are both familiar with the need for it.  Bill thinks we probably have enough firewood, so we most likely won't get any more.  At least, not at this point.

 

And, since I never need an excuse for Trek!

(Actually, it's not around the corner any longer.  It's already here!)

The RedShirt prayer.  Very appropriate, but Scotty is the Immune RedShirt!

I just liked this one.  But the word Squirrel should probably be changed to Tribbles!

Baroo! Baroooo! BAROOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Hi Hi, it's meeeee Maggie!  I have not talkded to youse in a looooong time.

 

I'ze beed a sick puppy.  My firstest mommeee lives in anudder denn now, I dunt knows where it iss but shee comes to seeeee meee sometimeses and it's funn when sheee comes to seee mee.  My anudder mommee, shee is my firstests mommee's mommee, is nowz my mommee.  I likes zat, now I gots two mommeess.  My anudder mommee is also my big brudder Frasier's mommee too!  I'ze gonna calls her my mommee nows.

 

I been feeling sicky latelies.  I dudn't knows how to tell my mommees.  I been havings accidents lots latelies but I'ze a goooood girrrl and accidents are badd but I'ze a goooood girrl. But I figurrred out how to show my dadd, I accidented where hee could seeee mee.

 

My mommee taked me to the vett.  I dun't like the vett but I was happee to go thiss time.  The vett squasheded my bellie and looked att all my parts.  The vett saided I has a 'fection.  I gotts medicies I gotta take.  I likes one of them but I dun't likes the other one.  My mommee gived me the yucky medicies in cheeeeese today!  I likes cheeeese!

 

I feelz all betterz now, I wants to play play play agains.  Frasier playded withs me until he gots tired.  I keeps playing now!

 

The vett gived me bunches of treatts!  I even let them do that rude thing to my behind parts that they haves to do sometimeses and cutts offs my toe nailses.  My toe nailses gonna grows backs again though.

Maggie Update, Tuesday Things

Maggie Moogie Moo probably has a urinary tract or bladder infection.  The vet does not think that she has kidney stones or anything like that, she is probably not diabetic and he saw no signs of anything worse.  There is a possibility that she's just getting a little incontinent with age, but we're trying an antibiotic for a few days to see if that works.  She is also on a very mild pain pill, because uti's can be painful.  I've had one before, and they really hurt.  She also got her behind squashed and her claws trimmed while she was there.

 

She came in the door from the yard playful and terrorized Frasier into playing with her.  After they calmed down, I put him back out and she immediately headed to the closet where the leashes are kept.  I guess she figured out that he was being blocked out but she wasn't, so that must mean that she was going somewhere.  She was happy to get into the car and seemed very happy to get to the vet's.  She wasn't too thrilled when we were taken into an exam room, but she got better once we were in there.  She was happy to see the tech, and Maggie learned a new trick:  she watched the girl open the sliding door and close it again when she went out.  Then Maggie, the dumbest dog on the planet without exception, figured out that she could open the door again by pushing against the edge and getting her nose through!  She did it a couple of times, so it wasn't an accident.  Scary when the beagle acts smart!!!  She didn't want to go with the tech when it was time to get the butt squash, I think she knew what she was in for.  But she was very happy to come back to me and even happier when she realized we were heading for the door.

 

Otter was here when we got home, the beagle just erupted in happiness when she realized that.  Both dogs were happy to see Otter, Frasier saw here when she got here and then Maggie got to have some one-on-one time with Otter.

 

Otter went through a few boxes and condensed three into one box.  She added a couple of things to the donate pile and added several things to the trash bag.  She'll be back in a few days, she has the car the rest of the week and will bring it back Sunday morning.  And she'll probably bring her laundry as well, I told her that she can use my machines as long as she wants to so she's taking advantage of our offer.  Not that we mind!  She's going to go through several boxes on Sunday and we might even get to the closet.  That's going to be the fun part - NOT!  :)

Cold & Misty Sunday (Probably A Long Post)

I can't come up with an imaginative title today, but it is Sunday.  And it is Cold.  And it is Misty.  And this is going to be Long.

 

We were going to church today, but we had a bunch of stuff to do and decided to get it done today with the plan of going to a UM church next Sunday.  And it may well be the one we attended immediately before switching to Southern Baptist.  The minister from the time we attended was reassigned so we aren't familiar with the new one.  The previous minister was ok, but he wasn't spectacular.  The main reason we left is what the children's leader was telling them about the Bible not being right on a few really big subjects, but she's not there any longer.  Also, we don't have a need for a youth program anymore - not that that is an acceptable excuse, if she was still there we would not even consider that church.  But we had a lot of friends there and it was an active church - still is, as far as I can tell.  We were planning on visiting another UM church in our area, but we've decided to visit our previous church and see how the current minister is.  I have a good feeling about it, in the sense that we need to go into any church visits with the idea of seriously considering any that we visit.  Not that we are going to rush, but to be very thoughtful about it.

 

The car that Bill/Otter drive has had an issue for a while.  Several months back, the "check engine" light came on.  I took it in for an oil change and asked the Chevy guy about it.  There were a few scenarios, but Chevy charges a considerable amount to put it on whatever machine they use to check things.  If you get the recommended work done there, the machine is free.  But since the light went out again and the car seemed to be running ok, Chevy didn't think it was one of the big, bad issues and they suggested we just watch it for a while and see what happened.  Several days ago, the light came on again when Bill as driving it.  He took it to an auto parts store and turns out that they have the equipment to plug into it and check it - and they don't charge, even if you don't get the parts there.  The probe the auto parts stores used said that it was one of the two oxygen sensors, and the part was about $50.00.  Bill got online and found out where the part is and how to replace it.  Because the part is right at the engine, the car needed to be absolutely cold before he could work on it.  Otter had the car most of last week (it was safe to be drivien), she brought it back after work yesterday and it sat in the driveway with the plan of Bill working on it today.  Of course, it was cold & misty this morning!  Bill checked with the auto parts store website, which said that a) the stores opened at 8:00 a.m. today and b) the part was in stock at a store in the next small town over.  We were at the auto parts store at 8:05, and the sign on the door said 9:00!  So, we went up the street (literally) to the grocery store and bought groceries.  Yes, Bill actually went grocery shopping with me!  We got through just right at 9:00, the store was open but they did not have the part in stock.  Not sure why we were surprised, they weren't open when they were supposed to be so why should they have the part?  Anyway, the clerk checked and the store in our small town did have the part so we headed that way - along with a written offer of 10% off since we had to drive to a store that didn't have it.

 

We also got new windshield wiper blades for the car, since it's just about winter we got ones that are rated for winter weather although they are also fine for all year use.  The clerk at that store gave us 10% off on everything, not just the part.  Bill was able to get the part replaced, the mist stopped but it was still pretty cool.  It took him a little while to get the old part off, it was firmly attached.  He put the new part on, and the Check Engine light was still on so we drove the car to the auto parts store and they got the probe again - turned out that the car just needed the system to be reset, and the light went out when that was done.  We stopped at Arby's for lunch on the way home, which we haven't done in a long time.  Bill's going to drive the car tomorrow to see if there are any issues, but I think it's probably fixed.  It really did need the new wiper blades.  Otter will probably get the car mid-week and then have it for a few days.

 

When Otter brought the car home yesterday, she also brought her laundry.  Which was fine, she asked if it was ok and I told her to.  She got her laundry going and we cleaned out/sorted a few of the boxes in her room.  We went to one of our favorite junk/antique stores and found a couple of things, including a very small but real cast-iron sadiron for my collection of cast-iron things that is by the fireplace.  We then went to the small store next to it, which is one of Otter's favorite stores and she found a couple of really good things.  I found a $4.00 Fenton piece, it's a small hobnail vase in blue (Froggy, it is very similar to the small pink one you got me a few years back.)  This is where it gets interesting!!  TEXAS was not victorious in the TEXAS/ou game yesterday.  It was a close game, but it just wasn't our year.  We were shopping 2 or 3 hours after the game was over.  When we came out of the store, there was a woman standing between my car and the building - I was parked next to the building.  She commented on how she was looking at the giant sunflowers that were planted next to the building.  Which is what it looked like.  But, when Otter and I got back to the house and as we were loading her laundry and boxes into the car - I discovered a fairly long scratch on that side of my car.  It definitely was NOT there before that trip.  After we had a minute to think about it, we both realized that the woman was actually standing facing my car and might have been straightening up as we came out of the store door and came to the car.  I honestly think she scratched the car, and it might have been with her car keys or (and this is what we really think happened) she was leaning over and attempting to take the longhorn sticker off the back windshield and maybe her purse or jacket might have scratched the car because it's not really deep enough to be a car key scratch.  The sticker does look like someone tried to chip it off on the very edge of one of the horns.  It's infuriating, but we can't do anything about it at this point.  However, it will have the opposite affect of what she was probably thinking:  TEXANS GENERALLY DON'T GET INTIMIDATED.  We get angry, but then we get more determined.  Determined can be bad, very bad, for the person who makes us angry.  I probably won't even attempt to keep *RHTW in the fenced the next time I get crossed by someone!

 

I think I'm going to have to check with the vet.  Maggie Moo had some problems earlier with leaking while she was in the house.  She quit it, so we stopped worrying about it.  But she's doing it again and this time, it's not just accidental.  Bill caught her peeing in the living room when he came back in to get something while he was working on the car.  I "tossed" her outside and blocked her for a while, then I got towels and then the spot cleaner.  Then, she did it again!  Although I think the second time was an actual leak and not on purpose.  She was walking to me at the time and she didn't even seem aware of it.  I put her out in the back yard for a bit so she could have some play time with Frasier and be out of my way while I cleaned the spot.  I'm waiting on it to dry enough to vacuum it, I've already vacuumed the first place but I'll probably hit it again with the vacuum.  I did some research on bladder infections in dogs and she could well have one.  I'll call the vet in the morning, Maggie Moo (also known as Moogie lately!) is probably ready for a butt-squash anyway.  Frasier, who does not like the vacuum at all, is currently snoozing in the living room and his head is right next to the vacuum cleaner!

 

I tackled the bathroom while ago, the one in the hall that used to be Otter's.  She got her shampoo, make up, misc. stuff when she moved.  But there was a huge amount of "stuff" that was hers that got left.  Some of it was old toys that were stuck in a drawer years and ago and never cleaned out, some of it is craft stuff, and there is also quite a bit of cosplay make up.  A lot of purse-sized packs of Kleenex, a bunch of misc. stuff that she probably won't want but she still has to go through it first.  She probably isn't going to enjoy that, but it's got to be done.  Her nebulizer is still here, she really doesn't need it anymore and hasn't in years but I want to hang on it to it.  Her jewelry boxes are still here, she has a lot of costume jewelry.  I've been toying with the idea of re-doing that bathroom, but I'm going to hold off on it.  The shower curtain is a kind of rusty-ruby red color and it's very pretty.  The decorative stuff is jewel tones and I like it, but I might change it up a bit.  Maybe!  I do want to take the wallpaper down and paint but that might be next year's project.  The cabinet over the toilet was pretty much empty already, Otter did have a few things still there but I took it all out and boxed it up.

 

It's windy at the moment.  I think it's stopped misting, it had started again, and the sky was blue for about a minute.  Then it got cloudy again, and it looks like the wind is really blowing.  Bi-polar weather for sure!

 

*RHTW.  Run away.  Just run.  As fast as you can.  Don't bother to look back, just GO.

Adjustments, Changes, Stuff

I just had to ask Bill if today is Wednesday!  It's been that kind of a day today.  All day long!

 

I do miss Otter and seeing her on a daily basis, so does Bill.  But it's actually easier than I expected it to be.  I was really dreading her moving out, but it was time and she was ready.  Mom wasn't ready, but then are Moms ever ready?  Otter went in to work at 5:30 this morning, which is her usual time on Wednesday mornings.  She texted me about 5 minutes before her shift started, to remind me about the lunar eclipse.  We went out on the back deck and looked but the moon was hidden behind various trees so we went to the front yard and could see it very well.

 

Anyway, back to Otter!  I told her I'd bring her a frozen lasagna and garlic toast, I decided to do that today.  She worked a few hours longer than she was scheduled for, I told her I could bring the lasagna tomorrow but it's one of her favorite foods so she said today was fine.  She was tired when I got there after work, but she was happy to see me and to see the food!  She also asked me to stop and get her some Gatorade so I did that on the way to her apartment.  She and Roomie were attempting to hang some stuff on the walls.  Otter's been using adhesive hooks, I can't remember the name but they are supposed to not leave any marks or adhesive on the wall.  Roomie was trying to keep a couple of framed posters on the wall with stickytac, but it didn't hold.  She said she would get more hooks tomorrow.  They have gotten a lot more stuff unpacked.  They might have the lasagna for dinner Friday.  I couldn't get the smallest size in the variety I wanted, so I had to get them a larger one than I wanted.  They'll have a few meals off of it.

 

We've been discussing switching churches.  For many years, we belonged to the United Methodist church and were very happy with it.  Then the minister was reassigned, he is the type of pastor that everyone needs and he was sent to a church that was having problems because he could probably solve them.  After that happened, we tried a couple of other UM churches in the Tulsa area and then went back to the original UM church in Tulsa.  After we moved to our small town, we found a UM church and attended there but we were never as happy with it.  The minister just wasn't that good, although he did try.  Otter was pretty active with the youth group.  But then we discovered that the youth leader was literally telling them that the Bible was not true in many areas and that's when we decided it was time to leave.  We didn't find another UM church we liked and it also really looked like the UM church organization was going to become "politically correct" and we were very uncomfortable with what we thought was about to happen.  At this point, Otter had a lot of friends at school that were going to a specific Southern Baptist church so we started attending there.  We joined that church, although we never really felt like it was the right one for us.  Otter wasn't enjoying the youth activities, even though she had a lot of friends there.  We stayed there for quite a while, Otter went to summer camp with that church one year.  We decided to look around and see what we could find.  We looked at a couple of SB churches in the area and found the one we ultimately joined by accident - we were heading to another one but I was confused about what street it was on and we wound up at a different SB church entirely.  We liked it, the people were nice and the minister was very literal as far as interpretation of the Bible.  Otter was baptized as a baby in the UM church and then again (by choice, the one that counts) in the UM church at Conformation when she was 12.   The SB church only recognized baptism by immersion, so Otter decided to be baptized at the first SB church we were attending.  Bill hadn't been baptized by immersion so when we joined the 2nd SB church, he was baptized there.  The church was fine, we enjoyed it, it was active and did a lot of outreach.  But over the last few years, something changed.  Pretty much ALL outreach and activities has simply stopped, with no explanation - and it's not because of lack of funds or people who are willing.  Sunday School still happens, but I haven't attended it a long while.  Otter didn't really enjoy the youth programs, she might have if they'd continued but they seemed to stop along with everything else.  I think we've had communion/Lord's supper a grand total of THREE times in 7 or 8 years (I'm not sure exactly how long we've attended there).  The pastor, who seemed to be so good and his job and so correct, obviously does not want to be there and I don't think he cares who knows it.  He did have a major health issue, he had cancer shortly after we started attending there but he's fine now and we don't think that it is a problem for him.  We think he's either having marriage issues or there is a problem with his (grown) son - or possibly both, one may well be caused by the other.  The music minister was one of those people who thinks that everyone is there just to see him and that he could do no wrong, and the pastor was letting him act that way.  The music minister moved out of state a few months back and things improved almost immediately.  The music leader's daughter is Otter's age and Otter knew her from high school - and she's exactly like her father in attitude and actions, everyone is supposed to worship her (Otter didn't, by the way).  But although it was better, it didn't last, and now the early service has been cancelled due to lack of attendance.  He's had a substitute a few times, pastors are allowed vacation time so that's not a problem - but the sub that he seems to always use is awful.  As in profanity from the pulpit and he's insulting as well as rude.  Also, we seem to be getting the same few sermons over and over and over and over ...  Major holidays, such as Christmas and Easter - the big ones - the sermons don't even sound like they are about the day.  I make notes in my Bible including the date and sermon title and it seems like the same sermon the last three Christmas services.  Easter?  Well, the last couple of years you wouldn't have even known that it was anything other than a "regular" Sunday and not a good one at that.  We're thinking that it's time to change.  And we are seriously considering returning to the UM church.  I've been doing some research, our fears about the UM church becoming politically correct (I'm being polite here) did not come true by the way.  Because Otter has moved out, and she's an adult now anyway, the need for a good youth group is no longer a consideration for us.  So, we are going to visit a local UM church this Sunday or possibly next Sunday.  Then we'll see what happens.  We have been discussing this for a while, but we wanted to wait until Otter moved and all that was done.  Froggy, I told you a little about this when I visited you last June but it's been a problem for a very long time.

 

IF it doesn't rain too much, or if there are enough breaks in the rain, Bill's going to work on his/Otter's impala Sunday afternoon.  The part he has to replace is near the engine, so it needs to be cold for him to work on it.  Otter has the car today and will have it until Saturday.  She's going to bring it back when she gets off work, then she and I are going to see about going through some of her craft stuff.  We'll probably repack most of it, but it will be a little more organized.  She might have a lot to donate and there is probably stuff that will be thrown out.  The closet will be the next thing we attempt, she's not looking forward to it and neither an I, but it has to be done and it needs to be done fairly soon.  I have painting to do in there!

Last Warm Day of The Fall?

It was around 90 today, the forecasters are saying that this is the last day of the warm weather for the season.  We'll see, they don't have a good track record!

 

Otter got the car tonight.  I picked her up at her apartment after work, she brought me 3 boxes that she emptied.  We're going to get her closet and craft desk emptied up, then the boxes will probably be stacked back in the closet.  Hopefully, some of the boxes that are stacked in that room as well.  She might need to go through them first, though.  Anyway, I told her I'd make her a pitcher of iced tea but that she'd need to bring one of her pitchers since I seem to be down to one now - I used to have several, but they have vanished over the years and I'm down to one.  She will probably be able to make sun tea on her patio, it faces the west and she will get good afternoon sun.  She might need to start with slightly warm water but I think it will work.

 

Maggie was happy to see Otter, but she wasn't as crazed as she was at first.  I think she's beginning to realize that Otter doesn't live here anymore, but that she'll still visit like other people do who are in what the beagle views as family - such as Grandpa and Sweetie.  It took a little while, but I think Maggie is realizing that she's now my dog and Otter is her friend who comes over to see her sometimes.  Frasier was happy to see Otter, too.

 

She called me after she got home.  She wanted to tell me about another Texas Longhorn Sticker moment, as well as letting me know that the tea made it home intact and not running all over the car.  She said that a car was not exactly tailgating her, but she was afraid he was about to start.  Then he pulled around her and was waving as hard as he could to get her attention, so she looked over just in case it was someone trying to alert her to car trouble.  They were at a stoplight by that point.  He was trying to get her attention, all right.  So he could wave his TEXAS Longhorns cap at her!  She gave him the Horn wave and he waved it right back at her, obviously happy to be among others of his (our) kind.  We tend to congregate together, especially at this time of year.  I was tailgated one time today, and since the other driver changed lanes just to get behind me it was pretty obvious.  He didn't get the reaction he obviously wanted, and he eventually changed lanes again but he didn't go past me because he was only tailgating me for one reason.

 

We had chicken salad for dinner tonight.  I bought a rotisserie chicken at Wallyworld last night with the idea of turning it into salad tonight.  It was buttery garlic flavored and really good as salad sandwiches.  Bill likes chicken salad, although it's probably not his favorite meal.  But he really must have liked it tonight, because I noticed the he was going back for seconds.  It was pretty good.  I don't like a whole lot of stuff in my chicken salad.  I use mayo (not a lot), a little bit of olive oil, a small amount of chopped (dill) pickles, onion and celery, a small sprinkling of garlic powder and parsley and sometimes a chopped tomato.  I also like cranberries in mine, but Bill doesn't so they get added on mine as I put my sandwich together.  I don't like chicken salad when it's dripping mayo and it's usually over salted.  Same thing with tuna salad, although I might use a little more mayo in it.  But not much!  Although tuna salad does generally get lots of pickles.

 

But only dill pickles.  Sweet pickles are disgusting!  Of course, Bill disagrees with me.  So I buy him a small jar of sweet pickles every so often and he's happy.  Just don't expect me to eat any of them!

It's "THAT Time of Year" Again (and Other Stuff, Too!)

By "THAT Time of Year", I mean this time:

I can say that honestly this year, because what we refer to as the annual Persecution started early this year and has been more intense than usual.

However, we still say:

We won last year.  The result of that is that we are even more of a target than usual.  I've been tailgated closerthanthis multiple times for the last two or three weeks.  Which makes me hit my brakes just enough to make the lights light - that's always fun, because a)  Okies look so funny when they are surprised like that and b) if I do get hit - it is not my fault and I will not accept blame.  :)  But this year is the first time that Otter's really had to deal with it, at least as far as driving goes.  She and Roomie went to Michael's Craft Store on Saturday afternoon.  Otter called me when this happened, but she and Roomie came out of the store and there was a note stuck underneath the windshield wiper.  It basically said "I know what you did, you hit my car, I have witnesses, you didn't even apologize, I have your license number" and a woman's name was signed - however, she did not leave a phone number of any identifying information.  AND, Otter did have a witness that she a)  didn't hit a car, b) neither one of them dinged a car door or c)  didn't do anything at all.  AT ALL.  Since the person didn't leave a phone number, email address, anything at all, it's pretty obvious why the note was left.  I think that Otter said that the cars she was parked between were the same cars that were there when they came out of the store.  Roomie was floored that this sort of thing happens, and it's not just to us.  There are actually quite a few of Us here, and the majority of us have some type of emblem on our cars and wear hats/shirts/burnt orange on a regular basis - and a huge amount of it this time of year.  I've seen several times the normal amount this year.  Otter will have the car for the next several days including Saturday, she will bring it back Saturday afternoon well after the Game is over.  She originally expressed some concern about it, but now that she's had to deal with it she is angry about it and she's developing the Texas Attitude that we all seem to have increase upon moving to OklaBACKWARDShoma.  However, she is minding her P's and Q's when she's driving, since we have been pulled over by various police-type agencies before (once when my Okie Dad was in the car, and he was incensed!).  We're not the only ones, it has happened to several other ex-patriot TEXANS here.

 

 

Because we are, and will always be:

HOOK 'EM!

Other stuff now:

Froggy, blogger didn't tell me about your comment on the Taking Flight post.  I've signed in several times and it still didn't tell me that I had a comment waiting.  I'm kind of surprised that it actually told me today.

 

As I mentioned, Otter had the car on Saturday.  She actually had it from Friday afternoon until Sunday when she got off work.  She brought it back on Sunday and while her laundry was in the washer/dryer (she brought it but she also did the washing herself), we got the remaining stuff in her room boxed up.  Most of it is craft stuff or misc. stuff that she might eventually want but doesn't have a place for in her apartment.  It's boxed and stacked against the wall in her old room.  I'm going to go through some of the boxes and label them better, some of my craft stuff was with hers and I need to find mine.  She is willing to let me do that, that way she doesn't have to.  But I'm not going to get rid of anything, she has to do that.  Her closet still has some stuff in it, a few of her spring/summer clothes and probably more craft stuff.  She's bringing the car back on Saturday after she gets off work and we're going to box the closet contents up.  The clothes that she'll need in the spring will be labeled clearly, then I'm probably going to see how much of the box stacks I can get back into the closet.  Her bathroom still has a few things, she left some stuff like misc. earrings and that sort of thing.  Her nebulizer is still in the bathroom, I think it's going to stay here but I'm not sure.  I'm thinking that  lot of the stuff in the bathroom is actually stuff I can get rid of, rearrange or just put elsewhere.  Oh yeah, her desk is still in there and it's loaded with craft stuff - which she said I can box up and label.  She isn't taking the desk with her, it's going to become mine again unless she eventually has a place with room for it.

 

I have the door to the extra bedroom/Otter's old room/My playroom closed while the boxes are stacked in there.  I let Maggie Moo in there last night, she followed me in and was unsure why we were there - she kept staring up at me and was waiting to be petted.  Later on, I let her back in there again and that time I think she figured it out.  She was a little confused, she sniffed a few boxes and looked around a little bit but then she was fine.  Otter and I had been working with her over the last several weeks, getting her used to me being the main caretaker/feeder/spoiler of beagle with Otter's move in mind.  The beagle is now officially mine, although Otter retains ownership of the wiggly, cold nose and the very tip of her waggy tail.  Maggie was clingy at first, but she seems to be better.  Frasier was a little clingy as well, but he was "my" dog from the first second we met him.

 

It's still strange, not having Otter here.  But, along with the dog being gradually acclimated to the idea, Otter is a young woman and she's been more active out of the house with friends, etc., over the last couple of years and in some ways it doesn't feel that much different - however, she always came home from those outings!  Now, she's not here.  But she's home.  Just not at our home.

Empty Feeling

As of this afternoon, we really do have an Empty Nest.  Otter brought the car back and we took her to her apartment, along with the last of the stuff she's taking for now.  While she was here, we boxed up the remaining stuff that was in her room and it is now stacked against the wall in "her" room, along with the craft items which ere already boxed.  There is still a little bit in the closet, but I'm not sure if it's anything she'll take now or at all.  Her winter clothes are still here, but she'll need them soon.  She took the rest of her blankets and towels, her nicer clothes (the ones she paid major $$ for) and a few other things including a Swiffer I found at a yard sale for her for 50 cents.  We vacuumed her room while she and I were packing up the last of the boxes and there was definitely a mousie or several nesting under her bed last winter.  She had some dirty clothes in the laundry basket, I washed that for her last night and she brought her dirty laundry with her to do so she could wash it while we packed the last stuff up.

 

We took her back home (that sounds so strange!) after all the packing and laundry was done.  Both Otter and Roomie/Other Daughter have televisions, but they don't have cable or satellite service yet.  They might not get that for a while, they don't have internet either but that will probably be more important to them than cable tv.  We bought them each a wall-mounted antennae for their tv sets, Bill installed them for them today and they can now get the local stations.  There are over 30 local stations in the Tulsa area, so they have a lot of options.  They wanted to be able to see local stations and were going to get antennaes later on, but we wanted them to have access to weather warnings immediately.  We do get some really B.A.D. weather, and they needed to be able to access any warnings.

 

When we got home, we both felt very strange.  Empty is the word that fits.  While we are glad that she/they were able to make the move, it's still hard for the parental units and it's going to take us a while to adjust.  Maggie was overjoyed when Otter got here, but she has been adjusting better the last few days.  We've been working with her to get used to me doing most of her care/feeding/belly rubs/etc., over the last few weeks and it seems to have worked.  After we got home, I let her in Otter's old room and she was fine.  We weren't sure how the beagle would act, she used to sleep in Otter's bed but that ended a couple of years ago because Maggie licks everything and Otter got tired of getting into bed and discovering that the pillow was wet!  I pulled the door to that room shut and moved the dog block back into the hallway so that we can get into the hall bathroom from the living room without having to climb over the thing.  The hall bathroom door is being left open, at least for now.  There are still a few things in that bathroom that Otter left, but most of it is stuff that she doesn't really want/need although she'll probably get her earrings later on.  She took all the important stuff - hair stuff and asthma meds - when she moved on Wednesday.

 

There is still one quilt, the 12-year quilt needed a patch and I did that this morning.  But I gave Otter a quilt that my mom gave me, Mom and our special Aunt (referred to as AJ) made it and I helped with it.  Otter was overjoyed to get it, she nearly started crying - Froggy, that is the picture I texted you and I think she was actually crying when I took the picture.  But it needs several repairs, mostly just thread that has biodegraded on seams and hems.  I'm about half way through with that.  But there are a few spots where the fabric has worn through and some small tears, Froggy is going to send me some fabric she has that will work.  This particular quilt is made with fabric that came from clothes we all wore so it has a lot of meaning.  I discovered that it doesn't have a lining or any batting - but then in S. TEXAS, we didn't really need super warm quilts!  We also switched our bed quilt today while I was getting Otter's blankets organized, we now have the camo quilt on our bed.

 

I'm not going to be in a hurry to paint, I have several projects in the works at the moment and Bill's got several pachinko machines in line to be refurbished.  I'm going to move the desk to where I want it and start putting the Yarn Stash in there, and we're going to get a ceiling fan soon.  I also want to put miniblinds in the window.  Otter's bedroom in her apartment has miniblinds so she didn't need to take the curtains, so the miniblinds can wait a little while until we have time to install them.  But the painting will wait a while, we wanted to get it done soon but we don't really have time right now so it might wait until Spring.  We're not going to get the pull-out couch/loveseat now anyway, winter is not really the time we have guests so it can wait a few months.  Unless we come across a really good deal.

 

Otter could still use a floor lamp, Roomie has one so she has enough light in her room (she has the living room) but Otter needs more light.  I was looking for one yesterday when I hit yardsales and a thrift store but I didn't find any.  I did find the Swiffer I mentioned, I crocheted a cover for it today and I'm going to make at least one more for her.  Roomie's mom bought them a microwave, so that's one less thing they need.  Really, about the only thing they need now is a vacuum but they can probably get a carpet sweeper instead.  I told them that they can borrow my vacuum if they need it, but they'll probably see about a carpet sweeper pretty soon.

Tired and Kind of Ouchy

Specifically, my calves are ouchy.  My left knee isn't happy but it is better than it was yesterday.  But my calves are screeching at me every time I take a step.  Otter's apartment is up 2 flights of stairs and I made several up & down trips yesterday.  I was able to make the steps pretty easily, but it was getting to my knee by the end of the day.

 

The actual move was fairly easy.  Bill had already taken her bed apart the night before, all he had to do was load the truck.  Otter had to work a few hours yesterday morning, so she was gone at the time.  Bill backed the El Camino up to the front porch and I helped him get a few things loaded and then I ran to Wallyworld for shelf liner since I forgot it the day before.  I also got a few more gatordes.  We got my car loaded before I left, then when I got home I got the cold food out of the fridge and put it in my car.  We headed out shortly before 7:00 a.m. and got to the apartment easily, considering that we looked a lot like the Beverly Hillbillies!  All we needed was Granny in her rocker in the back of the truck.

 

We got most of the furniture unloaded, when Grandpa got there he helped with what was left and then he put the table together for the girls.  Otter got off work a little early, she went to get J from college and then they came to the apartment.  Yes, Bill finally met J.  They've been dating for something like a year and a half, and it's just never worked out that he could meet J.  J and Otter unloaded the car with what she had packed in it, Roomie brought a carload over and Bill headed home at that point - he had put her bed together and she'd already shown me where she wanted her furniture so it was in place mostly.  Otter's friend who lives in the complex came over with her fiancé (and their truck!) and they all headed over to Roomie's house for her furniture.

 

At that point, I was putting things away (Otter told me where she wanted her kitchen stuff) and since they don't have a pantry Otter's plastic shelf is where they are storing all their non-perishable food.  I got it organized a bit so they could see just what they had.  Then I went to Wallyworld for a few things I noticed they needed.  Including a broom and a few things such as milk.  I got back shortly before they did, so I put the food away and then they showed up with Roomie's furniture.  I waited until they were nearly finished, then I went and got pizza for everybody.  At that point, I was absolutely exhausted and it was late in the afternoon so I headed home -with two pizzas for us.

 

Otter called me this morning and asked me to transport her to the insurance office so she could get her renter's policy and she also realized that she'd left the box at the house that contained her alarm clock, lamp and all the charge cords for her electronics.  Major disaster, that one.  :)  So I brought her back to the house with me after the insurance office and she got that, along with a few other things I had ready for her.  I took her home but she wanted to get something from Wallyworld and I needed to get groceries so she said she'd go with me.  I helped her carry her couple of boxes up to her apartment and I also got several empty boxes out of her way.  I took them to the recycle center on the way home.  Roomie was at work, but they went to the grocery store this morning and got perishable stuff.

 

She's still feeling a bit overwhelmed and she said it was odd still.  It is an odd feeling, both to be "home" somewhere else and also to come back to the house you've lived in for several years.  But she'll adjust, and getting things unpacked and in place will help.  And so will we.

 

I went shopping at lunch today, it was cloudy but not raining when I was on the way to the store.  Just after I went inside, it started thundering and it was so loud the walls were shaking!  It was pouring so I killed time until I had to go back to work, the rain quit by then but the skies opened up right before I got back to work.  I sat in the car in the driveway until it lessened up a bit, but I still got pretty wet going from the car to the office.  Today was the day we originally thought we were going to move Otter, I'm so glad that the plan got changed to yesterday as it would not have been possible at all today.

 

Hopefully, my calves won't be so bad tomorrow.  It kind of hurts to walk!

Taking Flight

My fledgling has left the nest.

I posted the following Dr. Suess poetry when she started college, it was appropriate then but it's even more appropriate now.

How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
~Dr. Seuss


Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

by the incomparable and brilliant Dr. Seuss


Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets.
Look’em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town.
It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do
to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry.
Don’t stew. Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.
But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?
Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose?
How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters?
Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,
or a plane to go or the mail to come,
or the rain to go or the phone to ring,
or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls,
or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go!
There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.
There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame!
You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world
watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul.
On you will go though your enemies prowl.
On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms
may get sore and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike.
And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. A
nd never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
 or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!