Happy Independence Day!

Let's all remember that this day is about way more than just a fireworks show or a picnic. I think people tend to forget that it really is the birthday of this wonderful country, America, that God has blessed us with. I am very thankful that He put me here and not somewhere else.

Our celebration was last night, and it was a lot of fun. Scott & Angela with their two kids, and Robin with her two kids are here from Texas before going on to New Mexico. Everyone came over to our house yesterday, Bill grilled burgers & dogs and then when it got dark we set off the arsenal we bought at the fireworks stand.

Broken Arrow has a permit for $20.00 that allows you to legally shoot them off. It has to be posted in the yard where it is visible if any police drive by, and there is also paperwork that has to be shown if requested - that is probably so that people won't be inclined to steal the sign, I guess. We really enjoyed having everyone over, and the dogs loved the company.

Both of Scott's kids are just precious, but Frasier was especially taken with his little girl. At one point, she put her hands on both sides of Frasier's head and kissed him on the nose. After that, the dog was just in love with her! Scott's little boy is going to be a real lady killer in a few years, no doubt about it.

We blocked both dogs in the house last night while we were shooting off the fireworks. They aren't scared of them, Frasier went inside once we started but he wasn't concerned. But we had to open the gate a lot and I was afraid that smart dog would sieze the opportunity to get out! And Magginator isn't afraid of anything (except bubbles for some reason and she doesn't like cows), knowing her she probably would have gone over to see what everyone was doing and run off with something flaming in her mouth!

The plan for today was to go over to Don & Darlene's house this afternoon, but Bill has been in bed with a fever most of the day. He decided to lie down for a while and rest about 11:00 this morning. I went in there about 30 minutes later and he had a fever of 101. I took it again later, it was 102. He doesn't have any flu symptoms or anything, he just has a fever and doesn't feel too good. So he's stayed in bed all day. I called Don and told him, he understood.

Otter still has some sparklers left, she'll probably light them up after dark. We did all the big stuff last night, and I'm really glad we did now that Bill is under the weather.

I think we might finally be finished with constant rain. But I'm not sure if I should say that out loud or not! It was clear last night but it is partly cloudy today. Except for getting the paper this morning, I haven't been out of the house so I'm not really sure how warm it is. But I think it's probably pretty warm.

Sunday Again and Still Raining!

I'm bummed. I haven't been able to sit out on my deck for several days, because it's always raining when I head out there! I think we're between showers at the moment, but the deck & chairs are too wet. I've drained the plants more times than I can count.

Yesterday, a little brown frog hopped up onto the deck and sat there while it rained. After the rain quit, the little brown frog hopped off. I guess he was enjoying it.

The plan for today included yard work. I don't think we'll be able to get much done out there, so housework it is! We will be able to do a little bit outside, just probably not mowing. The yard is in bad need of a mowing, it looks like a jungle from all the rain and it's only been a week since Bill mowed it!

I really won't be surprised to see animals in pairs the next time I go outside.


LATER UPDATE:

It finally quit raining! The sun came out and Bill mowed the lawn. He had to keep stopping and waiting for the horde of frogs to move on. I had to move a few of them for him. We are hoping that they will start eating the millions of mosquitos we have to deal with lately.

Bill also trimmed the last tree in the back yard. Now the front ones are moved up on the list. The front trees will be harder and they are in bad shape with lots of dead limbs in them. He also cleaned out a blockage in one of the front rain gutters.

We're officially on VACATION!!!!!

And it was a pretty good Friday. I just paid off my car! Now it's all ours. The warrenty is still in effect for a few more miles/months, so it's not going to fall apart yet. Hopefully not at all. I don't seriously expect any problems with it, it's been well maintained and never a real problem. I took it in to Firestone a few weeks back and asked them to check it "from stem to stern" as Mom used to say, so that if there were any issues I could take care of them while I still had the warranty. The mechanic said that everything looks fine. It's such a change from the last car I had, the Taurus that I paid for about 3 times with all the work it constantly needed. Never, ever want another Ford! I'd prefer to stick with Chevy now, thank you very much.

We're having a home vacation this year. We haven't had one of these in a while, so it's time for one. We do enjoy going to TEXAS and seeing family, but sometimes we just need some down time at home. And with everything that's happened this year - my illness & surgery being a big thing - we want to just chill out and not go anywhere. We will probably do stuff around the house, there are always craft projects I have and stuff like that so we won't be bored.

Still rainy, although we've had a dry day. But there is a good possibility of more in the forecast. Hopefully, it won't last too much longer. Tuesday and the next few days are supposed to be dry. But warm. The only problem is that now there will be even more mosquitos to deal with!

I think we all need to say a prayer of Thanks that London wasn't hit today. It sounds like they really came close, the loss of life would have been bad.

Gather the Animals!

Two by two. I think I'm going to build an ark. That is, if it ever stops raining long enough. Although at this point, I'm about ready to grab the raincoat and get started.

But even as wet and dreary as it is here, it's so much worse in Texas.

The forecast for next week looks better. Mostly dry days. Which is good, except that then it will be humid. And mosquito season will be upon us with a vengance.

Tuesday's Installment & Froggy Report!

Yesterday, Monday, was a great day for Otter. She got her wish! We found a turtle in the yard and Froggy was still here! Froggy and I were sitting out on the deck, and Otter found a turtle crawling around the back yard. I picked it up and held it in my hand from a long distance away from Froggy and asked her if it brought back any memories. Of course it did, but this time I was not chasing her with it. The dogs had been barking at something in the weeds near the fence the day before and we were actually thinking they found a snake but now I think they must have seen the turtle. Otter took the turtle back to the cow field and let her go. That is the 4th one in about a month.

We had a nice dinner at Golden Corral, I think everyone ate too much. I actually had dessert this time, something I have not done since before my illness. But since that was probably the last time I'll eat out or eat big for a while, I decided it was a good time for dessert. It was banana pudding! Wonderful stuff.

After we got home, it was time to torture (bathe) Maggie Beagle. She had apparently rolled in something out in the yard and she was a very fragrant doggie. She was not a happy doggie, as soon as she saw the hose in my hand and the soap in the other she knew what she was in for. Otter and I both got soaked, but Maggie at least got clean! Frasier was not getting a bath, but he didn't take any chances and he stayed way out of reach for a long time. He wouldn't even come to Otter when she offered him his favorite treat - he actually ran away from a treat! Crazy dog.

This morning we got up early and had breakfast, then we took Froggy to the airport. Traffic was bad, there was a major accident on the highway and it delayed us but we still got there in plenty of time. We left Froggy and her heavy suitcase at the airport about 7:30, then Otter went to work with me for the day. She made $16.00, all from my bosses & one of their wives! Guess they were still in a generous mood, since yesterday they gave me a raise.

It's been rainy off & on this afternoon but not bad. At least not in our area, but there are flood watches all over NE Oklahoma and will be for the next few days. But we had mostly good weather for Froggy's visit and I am glad of that.

Froggy, I hope you meant it when you said you want to come back next year! I'm holding you to that by the way. And I hope you enjoyed your vacation as much as we did, it was so much fun. Hopefully your house wasn't too much of a disaster area when you got home!

Sunday Happenings & Saturday Report

I forgot to post a blog yesterday (Saturday). I was too tired! We ran all over the place. Sore feet!

We went to a flea market at the Tulsa fairgrounds yesterday. Found all sorts of things, did a lot of people watching as well. I found a wooden butter churn for $5.00, which is the 2nd churn I have now. Not a clue what I'll do with them! But they are still really cool. Otter bought another Stephen King book, IT. Froggy found a few things, including a tiny carved piece of marble in the shape of a butterfly.

Then we went to Braum's, which was the 2nd visit to Braum's for Froggy. This time we had lunch there, not ice cream. They have pretty good salads.

Then we hit another, huge flea market and just about walked our feet off. Otter found a skate board for $1.00. Which is great, that way we might still have money for the doctor bill when she falls off and breaks something!

Then as if that were not enough, we went to a thrift store! I found another decorative jack-0-lantern, this one is ceramic and will join the clay-pot style jack-o-lantern I bought a few weeks back when Halloween rolls around this year. I think they will both go outside on the front porch by the door. They both could be candle covers but I think I'll just use them without any illumination. Froggy spotted it for me, but I found a really cute Bevo bell-type ornament, it will have a prominent spot on the tree at Christmas. We sometimes find Texas Longhorn related stuff up here and I usually buy it.

This took all day long, we left the house around 9:00 and didn't get back until sometime after 5:00. Probably closer to 6:00. Talk about tired! We were all too tired to cook, so I called Pizza Hut.

Then today, Sunday, we went to the zoo. They opened at 9:00 and we were there just after. We were not the first people there, but we were pretty close. We saw the animals, spent a lot of time in the butterfly exhibit which is really cool and we had lunch at one of the restaurants. Froggy wanted to go into both gift shops, Otter didn't mind that at all! But she wasn't happy that we didn't go see the elephants. We were tired and we go to the zoo several times a year so we'll see them next time. We did get Froggy to the tortoise exhibit, but she didn't stay long!

We rode the zoo train and then spent a lot of time admiring the baby chimp. She's cute, and she looks just like Toadly's baby pictures! :) This time the otters were out, they are really funny and such hams. The last time we went to the zoo, the otters were inside their den and not interested in coming out and performing. But this time, they were very silly. They seemed as interested in the people as the people were interested in them.

After the zoo, we went back to the big flea market so Froggy could get something she saw yesterday. Then we went to Braum's for ice cream, visit # 3 for Froggy. We stopped at Albertson's on the way home. Now we are home and our feet probably won't let us go anywhere!

We have had a great visit, and are spending a lot of time reminiscing. A lot of the stories we tell involve Toadly and something he did or trouble he got into. Notice a theme? Toadly, your ears must be burning off of your head!

I have managed to do a couple of loads of laundry today, but not much and I will probably be spending most of the week doing a load after work. Oh well, a little laundry never hurt anyone. Although if you happen to be standing next to mine and it falls over, you might be stuck in there for hours before we could dig you out!

Tomorrow (Monday) Froggy is going to spend the day with Otter, she's going to tell Otter what a bad little sister I was and about all the horrible things I did. Then we are going to the "hog trough" as Dad used to call it, also known as Golden Corral, for the buffet for dinner.

Otter is thinking about redecorating her room. She's really getting heavily into Japanese anime, and she likes some things about the Japanese culture. She has some ideas, and when she's gotten her thoughts more organized we are going to sit down and see what we can do. Sounds like a fun project, actually. She's been wanting to rearrange her room anyway, so as soon as we get a mattress set for her new double bed she is going to get busy. Bill said no to painting the walls, however! But that isn't really going to limit her ideas, and I'm going to enjoy re-doing her room as much as she will.

TGIF! Busy Day

Yesterday (Thursday), Froggy & I went to Hominy, which is about 65 miles from home. We went to the cemetery and after much searching, finally found our grandparent's graves. We put flowers out. We looked for our aunt & uncle's graves but never found them. It's an old, country cemetery and is well-maintained, but there has been an immense amount of rain lately and several of the gravel roads through the cemetery were washed out. We did spend a lot of time there, and looked at quite a few of the Indian graves. Most of the Indian graves are Osage, as Hominy is in the Osage Nation. We also drove around Hominy, which takes maybe 5 minutes from end to end. We found our aunt & uncles's house and where we think the house is that Dad grew up in.

On the way back, we stopped at an interesting store, the kind I call "junktique stores", in Skiatook which is a town only slightly bigger than Hominy. It was a fun stop, I had been thinking about a cast-iron pot to plant cactus in so that I could take them out but still carry them inside in the winter. There was one there that I liked, but I realized it would be too heavy to move. However, I found a tall cooking pot that is pink. It's not new, and some of the pink enamel is chipped off but it gives it character. I was considering a chamber pot for the cactus, but I didn't see any that I liked.

Today (Friday), we went to Wallyworld (I know, she came 500 miles and I take her to WalMart!) then we went to the mall for a while. We stopped at Braum's so Froggy could get her Braum's ice cream fix and then we went to Atwood's. Atwood's is a farm and ranch store but they have so much more. It's kind of like the WalMart of ranch supply stores. Froggy wants to go back there if we have time, maybe tomorrow. The original plan for today was to go swimming, but it was pretty overcast and too cool so we decided on shopping instead.

We took Froggy out for Chinese food, which was delicious but of course we ate too much. Then we took her to Goodwill and found all sorts of things.

Bill had the doctor appointment to follow up on his ear infection. It's better but now the left ear is bothering him. He has to continue with the antibiotic but he's developed a rash on his arms which might be from it, so we have to keep an eye on it. And the drops need to be used in both ears now. But he's lost about 30 pounds or maybe even more. I weighed while I was there, and I'm down close to 30 myself.

Tomorrow we are going to at least one flea market, and then we'll see what else we decide to do. Sunday we are going to the zoo.

It rained a little bit today, but not anything bad like we had earlier in the week. Mosquitos are getting to be pretty bad. And with the rain we've had and the cooler weather, even though we had a hard & cold winter we still will probably have problems with ticks & fleas this summer.

Wet Tulsa!

Froggy is here! And it's raining. Or at least it was most of the day. We had some really loud thunderstorms and parts of the state as well as north TEXAS got a huge amount of rain.

My day actuall started very early. At about 3:30 this morning, I woke up because Bill was awake and he was watching tv. He was watching tv to keep his mind off the intense pain from the ear infection he'd been fighting off for days. At 4:00 a.m., he gave in and we went to the ER. He was given a pain pill, ear drops and an antibiotic. He has to follow up with a regular doctor on Friday. Since he doesn't think he needs a regular doctor, he doesn't have one. So I made an appointment with mine for him.

I was exhausted by the time I left work. I made it to the airport in plenty of time to get a pass to go to the gate and collect Otter and also Froggy. At about 5 minutes before the plane was to land, there was an announcement made that the plane hadn't even left Dallas yet! It was delayed because of weather. Instead of 3:30, the plane didn't land until close to 4:15. Otter had a great time but she was tired & hungry! By the time we got their luggage and got home, it was after 5:00.

The dogs are very happy, they have someone else to play with and be spoiled by. Pet Maggie and you have a friend for life. Froggy now has a friend for life!

Otter spent about 30 minutes at one of her friend's houses, then she came home because she was too tired. Imagine that, a teenager to tired to talk! That'll never happen again.

Tomorrow Froggy and I are going to Hominy, which is a tiny town about an hour or so west of Tulsa. It's where our father was born. Our grandparents, aunt & uncle are buried in the cemetery there and we are going to put flowers out. And we are going to drive around Hominy, which won't take long but I think that they have a few junky antique stores that I would like to check out. Then I think we'll get an Arby's "hamburger" as Dad used to call them, and we'll have some peanut M & M's in Dad's memory.

Oh No! Bill's Old!

Or at least he's 21 with 25 years' experience today. (For those of you that are math impaired like me, that means he's 46).

I bought him a small German Chocolate cake and some ice cream, and I'm going to broil some steaks and make baked potatoes for him. That's the extent of the celebrating he wants to do. Guess when you get old, you get stuffy! :)

Dad

My Dad hung the moon.

Otter's on Vacation!

And I'm still stuck at home. I'm jealous!

Actually, I'm glad she got to go to Nana's house for a week. I think it is very good for her to be able to do things like that, to develop her independence and also to get to see her family that she doesn't see often because of the 500 mile difference. I told her not to spoil Nana too much.
But I am tired, I've been up since 4:00 this morning and it's now after 8:00 p.m. Otter got up shortly after we did, and she got dressed & ready to go in record time. I ran her through McDonald's for breakfast, which she never gets, and then we got to the airport right around 6:00. We got her checked in, found her gate and then hit a gift shop. The plane left just after the scheduled time of 7:15, as soon as they announced that it was time to board all I saw was a blur of red hair heading towards the door! She was in such a hurry to get on the plane that I had to tell her to slow down, come back and hug me. Think she was excited? Oh yeah, big time. I still made it to work on time. But I had lots of coffee today to keep me awake! Then the caffiene wore off about 1:00. I've been in slow-motion ever since.

We had a Date Night tonight. We went to a Chinese buffet (Froggy, we're taking you there next week!), and then we walked to the dollar store next to the restaurant. Ok, so it was a cheap date. And I ate too much. I'll pay for it tonight and/or tomorrow, my stomach will probably be a tad bit upset. But I'm not going to complain (well, not much anyway) because I haven't had much of that type of food in a long time. It was really good. I'll just have to be extremely strict for the next several days.

Bill brought home a whole bunch of clothing yesterday that he literally got out of a dumpster. It had been thrown away, even though it is all in pretty good to new condition. It's Army surplus clothing, and all maternity. AND ALL HAD BEEN THROWN OUT BY A SO-CALLED SCHOOL FOR UNWED TEENAGERS! Your tax dollars at work, folks - they didn't want it, so they threw it away. Bill was told to take as much as he wanted, so he filled up his van. We washed it all, I think it was 6 or 7 big loads. Otter picked out one of the shirts to use as a jacket with her camo pants. We are possibly going to eBay some of it, I may use some of the fabric for some craft projects and we might donate some of it - to Birthright, a local place that really does help the teenagers - unlike the place Bill got the clothing from. When that particular place (that threw out the clothing) came out to Otter's school for a presentation, the message she took away from it was that it was OK for teenagers to get pregnant, because after all the government would take care of them! She was not amused, to say the least. I guess everybody knows by now that we are Pro-Life, no exceptions. (Don't say you weren't warned, I'm not politically correct!).

Ok, off the soapbox. For now anyway. But probably not for long.

Dad-isms!

Froggy reminded me of these few:

"Possesion is nine tenths of the law." He said that just about anytime he had something someone else wanted - and it was generally about food! He had a huge sweet tooth. He loved peanut M & M's, or blues & greens as he called them.

His favorite thing about presents was getting the receipt and returning them for the money. (I remember buying him something in the Atlanta airport on the way home to Texas from Florida, just so he couldn't return it! Remember that, Froggy?)

Watermelons: Dad would always find an excuse to eat the heart of the melon first, before anybody else could get to it. Then he'd usually grin at us. And the seed fights! He could shoot watermelon seeds pretty far, and he would bean anybody within reach, then try to look innocent.

I remembered these on my own:

I have my own watermelon memory of Dad. One time he brought home several melons, probably about 3. It was hot summer, and our pool was up so he put the watermelons in the pool to cool them off. Or at least that is the story he told us. In reality, I think he put them in there because he knew how hard they would be to grab and then we got to be the ones to go fish them out. The expression "greased hog" comes to mind!

Dad would also get the first bite of Mom's peach cobbler, usually from a corner. Dad loved to try to steal food from our plates, he usually managed but I recall more than a few times that we tried to protect our meals with our forks. And when I was a kid, if I had a candy bar or anything sweet Dad would tell me that he'd have to taste it first, to make sure it was safe for me to eat. Then he would try to convince me that it wasn't good enough for me to eat, and that he would have to eat it instead.

And then there was the time he taught me to eat cherry tomatoes. The way you eat cherry tomatoes is to hold one between your palms. Then he slapped my hands together! It was a mess, but it was fun at the time. He tried to talk me into holding a cherry tomato between my front teeth, with the idea of squishing my cheeks together and smashing the tomato but I didn't fall for that one, as it was after the holding lesson!

And he frequently would tell me that he would give me all the money I could catch, but I had to hold my thumb and forfinger out and catch the dollar bills as he dropped them. Try it, it's nearly impossible! I don't think I ever managed to catch one.

Dad had more fun than just about anybody I've ever known. He enjoyed life to the fullest. I really miss him.

And he taught my then about 3-year old daughter to say a special word, while they were sitting out on the tailgate of his El Camino - he told her to say her new word to me, she grinned and said "FART" as loud as she could. He cackled so hard I really didn't think he could breathe! I must admit, I laughed along with him. I'm sure he had something else that he taught Froggy's kids and probably the Monkey's Aunt's daughter.

He brought me turtles. Most trips to Oklahoma, we went along. And sometimes the turtles came home with us. But one time I remember that he and Mom went to Oklahoma and we stayed home with Aunt Jessie. When they got home, the were two boxes in the floor board of the back seat of the car. And they were full of turtles! He built a raised area in one corner of the back yard, it had short wooden sides but the sides were tall enough so that the turtles couldn't get over them. They had access to water, food and places to dig. I think he liked the turtles as much as I did. Froggy, I know you don't particularly care for turtles and that I am the reason for that because I used to chase you. But to me, turtles mean Dad and some really good memories. (But all you had to do was stop running, then the fun would have been gone and I wouldn't have chased you with them!)

Friday the 15th will be 3 years since we lost him. And I still find myself waiting for his Wednesday evening phone call, reaching for the phone on Sunday evenings to call him & mom, and when the phone rings and we are eating dinner I still expect it to be him. "What do you know" was his catchphrase when I answered the phone. Wish I could hear it now!

Busy Sunday! And yet another tortoise rescued!

The tortoise was actually outside the fence, but Frasier & Maggie were barking at it and Frasier was trying to get to it. So Otter went out through the gate and brought her back in, then we drove around to take her out to the cow field where we let the last one go. This one might possibly have been the same one Bill moved out of the back yard a couple of weeks back. It was not the same one that I relocated that same day, though. Otter really hopes to find one in the yard when Froggy is here!

Otter is home from camp. She got back yesterday, we carried her stuff in, she went straight to the shower and then even though it was only about 4:00 she got ready for bed. She said she was tired! She didn't actually go to bed until around 9:00 or so, but she didn't do much of anything beyond park on the couch and watch a movie on tv. She had a great time at camp. Wednesday morning is the next summer trip! We will probably leave the house about 5:30 in the morning to get her to the airport by 6:15. We have to be there one hour before her flight. I'm thinking we'll just run her through McDonalds or somewhere for breakfast, or possibly we'll hit a donut place for her. She wants to get her stuff packed tonight so that it's done and we don't have to do it tomorrow. I think waiting until the last minute for camp packing taught her a lesson about procrastinating - that it's better not to!

I'm still thinking about Dad-isms to post here. If anybody has any, please email me! I'll have more in the next few days.

Long Week!! But it's Friday and I'm Glad.

It's been a looooooooooooooooooooong week, without the Otter around the house. Maggie Beagle is still moping, but she's better. She'll probably be so excited tomorrow to see her kid that she won't be able to stand still.

When Bill was mowing the lawn just now, I brought all the dog toys up to the deck. And the dogs took them right back out to the yard. I brought them up to the deck again. And the dogs took them right back out again. We played that game about 5 times. Then I finally just brought the dogs in, bribed them to stay inside with ice cubes (their favorite treat) and belly rubs. They've got me well trained, don't you agree!?

Otter will only be home a few days. Then I put her on a plane Wednesday morning for her next summer trip. She's pretty excited about that one, too.

We finally have the final tally on the hospital bills, we are getting off "lightly" which is actually one of those open to individual interpretation comments! But for the hospital, doctor, surgeon, lab work, emergency room charges, anesthesia - all of it, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Before the bills were submitted to the insurance, they totaled up about $20,000.00. So I'm not complaining! However, since I have now met my deductible for the year if I have anything at all needing medical attention, I'm going to make sure it's taken care of before Dec. 31 so it will be covered.

Froggy - when you come see me in 2 weeks, we have to drive by/through the ORU campus. Oral Roberts University, also known as Oral's momument to HIMSELF although he says God told him to build it and he pretends that it's a monument to God. But it really isn't. It's something to see, alright. It looks like it's straight out of a 1960's sci-fi B movie!

Rescued another small frog from the dog's water dish this afternoon. Bill's rescued a couple of them as well lately. They are not always the same frog, although I'm sure that some of them are repeats.

I bought a new hummingbird feeder the other day - found it at Salvation Army of all places, but it was unopened. This one has bee guards. It makes 5 that I have now, they were all washed out and refilled yesterday and are hanging all over the place on the house. Everytime I go outside, seems like I get buzzed by a hummer! They are funny little birds, I love to watch them. So far we still only have a couple this year. But they are still managing to keep my feeders empty quickly.

Thank a veteran if you can! I do, on a regular basis. Something else I learned from Dad.

Dad-isms start now! His favorite name for people who got on his nerves was Knothead. He used to sit and watch Bugs Bunny cartoons with me on Saturday morning, we especially loved the Roadrunner. More Dad-isms as I think of them. Anybody else got any? Email me or leave a comment.

Today is D-Day, June 6

GENERATION TO GENERATION: Only through preserving our past can we guarantee a future where the lessons and legacy of D-Day will be remembered.

That is from the following link: http://www.dday.org/ This particular museum is in Virginia.

There is also one in New Orleans, it survived Katrina and had very little damage from the water. Here is a link to it: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/

Sometimes, ok a lot of times, I think we forget about things like D-Day. I don't, Dad made sure of that!

I just want to make sure we all remember.

Thanks Dad. And all of the rest of them, we owe them everything.

It's Sunday (Again!) and Maybe Finally Past Rainy Season

Well, hopefully the rainy season is over. But you never know, up here the weather changes faster than even Texas!

Otter is off to camp tomorrow. She's excited about it. Can't imagine why, but being away from the parental units for a whole week apparently sounds like fun to her. :)

If anyone wants to send her mail, here's the address:

(6/6/07 - I took the address out, any mail sent this late won't get to her before she leaves.)

She will be there all week, coming home on Saturday. So the mail has to be received by Friday at the latest. Plan on about 3 days for mailing time, at least from Texas. She won't have her cell ph0ne, they are not allowed. And neither are gameboys, ipods, etc. Those kids are going to have to exist for a whole week without those things, they are so deprived! And because it is a church camp, specifically Baptist, they are very strict about clothing. Otter doesn't like anything that is too short or revealing anyway, but it was nearly impossible to find shorts that she could wear. Very little that is sold currently is long enough. We finally hit a thrift store and managed to find her 2 pair but it was last minute. And she also has to have a dress or skirt, or nice slacks, for the evening church services at camp.

We just got back from the rent house. There were a couple of minor things that Bill needed to fix. As we were leaving, the tenant said that the ceiling fan/light in the dining room was not working right so Bill went back in and checked it. It's going to need to be replaced, but that's not a big job. Bill will get it sometime in the next several days. We might take the light from our dining room and put it up over there, then buy a new one for us. We have been wanting to get a newer one, we just haven't gotten around to it yet, the one we have works but we just don't really like it.

And as we were talking to the tenant, he said that he's not sure yet if he wants to buy the house or not. Last time we talked, he was certain. But now he's not sure. I have a feeling that he's changed his mind completely but didn't want to admit it. I told him that he needs to decide soon and to let us know. He told me he will call me, I told him that I really would like to hear from him - either way - by the end of the week. It's really kind of frustrating!

Froggy, Otter wants to know what your opinion is on snakes. As in, are you afraid of them? Or is it just turtles, frogs and lizards? I'm not sure about the lizard part, it just seems like they are also something you don't like!

Memorial Day

I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that Memorial Day is not merely the first day of summer break, an excuse to grill or a day stores have big sales. It's something much bigger than that and infinitely more important.

In Flanders Fields By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

A few links I'd like to share:

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
I registered Dad with the Memorial while it was still under construction, this is how he's listed:

James E. McCann
BRANCH OF SERVICE U.S. Army
HOMETOWN Hominy, OK HONORED BYMs. Mary Ann Mccann-Cardwell, Daughter

ACTIVITY DURING WWII F COMPANY, 23RD INFANTRY. SERVED AT OMAHA BEACH, JUNE 6, 1944. INJURED JUNE 30, 1944 AT ST. LO, FRANCE.

More links:
http://thewall-usa.com/
http://www.bluestarmothers.org/

We went to a Memorial Day service yesterday at one of the main cemeteries in the Tulsa area, it has the largest number of veterans buried there and always has ceremonies on Memorial Day, July 4th and Veteran's Day. It was a wonderful, touching, moving and very emotional ceremony. Our friend Larry who passed away in March was a veteran, Army, and he is buried there. Part of the ceremony includes a flag raising ceremony for each veteran who has passed away in the last year. The families Larry's flag was raised by his wife, Lin.

There was a flyover by two Vietnam era helicopters - they are huge! A little boy was seated a couple of aisles in front of us, he might have been about 5 years old. He was so cute, he was so amazed at the site of those two big choppers and even over the roar I think everyone in the audience heard him say "AWESOME!"

There was also a reenactment of the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - the Broken Arrow Civil Air Patrol is the ONLY group in the country that has the official approval of Arlington National Cemetary and has been trained by the actual guards. Most of the Civil Air Patrol group are teenagers. They were absolutely perfect. They also will reenact the changing of the guard, round the clock - every hour - from yesterday morning (Saturday) until tomorrow evening.

Let's all pause for a moment tomorrow and think about what it means. 3:00 p.m. Monday is the official Moment of Silence to remember & pray for the Heroes who've gone on, whether in battle or not.

I miss you Dad.

Busy Sunday

We've been running almost from the moment we got up this morning! We've gotten a lot done though, so I'm not complaining.

Bill mowed the yard, he cut a bunch of wood for some stuff he needs to do at the rent house, aired up the tires on our bikes and then he decided it was time to paint the porch swing. Otter got to learn how to sandpaper & prep for painting! She was not amused. But she did a good job.

I ran several errands, took a trunk load to the recycling center, hit 2 yard sales (rare on Sunday), the grocery store, finished painting the shelf Bill made me for Mother's Day, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, finished cleaning out and re-organizing my desk and took a long bike ride with Otter. She still had energy, but I ran out. Oh, I also gave her another driving lesson. She did pretty good, we worked on turning today.

We also relocated two turtles this afternoon or possibly the same one twice. Bill found one in the back yard when he was mowing, he put it out of the yard behind the fence. Then I saw Frasier nosing something that didn't quite look like a rock, so I figured I'd better go save it before one of the dogs decided it might be food. Frasier lost interest in it pretty quickly, but Maggie was mystified by it. She followed it around the yard for a few minutes and looked confused. Maggie frequently looks confused! I picked it up, we discovered that it was a she turtle then we found a box to put her in so we could drive back to the cow field and let her go there. Otter enjoyed playing with her in the car, she's her mother's daughter so turtles & related animals are not something to be scared of - right, Froggy?!?!?! The only reason the turtle was in a box is because they have 2 defenses: one is that long neck and the other one involves leaking bodily fluid! I had no desire to get the car or Otter baptised by a turtle. Anyway, the turtle got released and she was happily booking it away from us into the field the last time we saw her. The cows were nowhere to be seen, otherwise they would have had to come see what we were up to. They are about the nosiest animals on the planet! (And yes, I know that tortoise is the correct term - turtles are the water version!)

I was wrong about the last day of school. It's actually May 30, not the 31st. So Otter will have two days to be lazy before she goes to camp. But the rest of the June/early July schedule has not changed and is still crazy.

Friday Again. Finally.

It's been a long week. And very tiring, for some reason. Of course, housecleaning to make up for not be able to do any while I was sick might have something to do with it!!!!! I rearranged my spices last night, they were in a cabinet but are now on the door of my pantry. This morning between 7:00 and 7:30 I rearranged most of my kitchen cabinets, took a few plants out to the compost pile, washed dishes and did general pick up of clutter. Then I went to work to rest! :) After we got home, I ran the vacuum. Sunday I am going to tackle my bathroom, laundry as usual, and possibly get the last part of my desk cleaned out and re-organized. I think that Otter is very glad I'm able to do housework again! Although she was a tremendous help to me while I was sick and I do appreciate everything she did and continues to do.

Our tenant is very interested in buying the rent house from us, so please keep your fingers crossed that it works out and he is able to buy it. Any prayers would be appreciated, I'm not asking for prayers for money but just that things will work out according to God's plan for us.

Someone (Froggy) asked me if I'd ever heard a song she liked. It's called Me & God, and it's by Josh Tucker. If you don't listen to country stations, you probably won't have heard it or of him. It's wonderful. Just a simple song with a heart-felt message. Go listen to it. I think you'll agree.

When I picked Otter up from school, we hit 6 yard sales in less than 2 hours. We had a blast! Several things destined for eBay, but also a larger George Foreman grill to replace the one we've had for years and years - since they first came out, thanks Jane for giving it to us way back when. The first one gets regular use, and I've just about worn it out. The new one was $10.00 and looks hardly used, the lady who was selling it told me that it does work but she doesn't like to cook. I think it works, if it doesn't I'm not out a whole lot of $$ on it. It has removable plates, so it's easier to clean. We use it for just about everything, burgers - chicken - pork chops - steaks and it makes killer grilled cheese sandwiches.

One lady at a yard sale gave Otter 3 stuffed animals - two are part of the Wallyworld Christmas bears that she didn't have in her collection and one is a stuffed Candy Corn. I know, it sounds strange, but it's cute! The bears were started by Yaya and I've continued the tradition of getting her one each year. They are part of our Christmas decorations, but the ones from Yaya always get the best spot to be displayed.

2 weeks of school left! School ends on Thursday May 31st, and then that Friday and weekend is the only time Otter will have before heading to camp on Monday. She'll be at camp for a week, back the next Saturday afternoon. Then she has 3 days to recover before I put her on a plane to Nana's house. She'll be gone for another week, then she'll bring home with her my gift from Texas - Froggy!! Then Otter gets a cousin visit the first couple of days of July 4th week, and she's excited about that, too. June is going to be a busy month, at least for Otter. She'll probably need all of July to catch up on her sleep!

I'm probably going to post a poll sometime in the near future, as soon as I decide on a topic. Any suggestions? All will be considered, some will be ignored, some will be chosen. SO GET BUSY AND PUT YOUR THINKING CAPS ON! Toadles - don't put your thinking cap on backwards, you are confused enough already.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone is enjoying Mother's Day. I've had a good one, Otter & I went to the zoo this morning and had a great time. Of course my feet are now killing me... But it was a lot of fun, we rode the zoo train and the butterfly exhibit is back so we go to go through it. It just opened yesterday and there are not a lot of butterflies in it yet but it's always fun. Lots of people there, the zoo had a 1/2 price special today for Mother's Day and a lot of people took advantage of it.

Toadles, your relatives (the chimps) now have a new baby. She's very small and so cute. She was playing with her mom's foot and mom didn't seem to mind in the least that the baby was biting her foot. Just like human moms with teething little ones! I remember those days myself, I think I probably still have scars on my fingers from when Otter was tiny and just getting teeth - and I was usually the first thing she could find to chew on!

It's a nice day today, I hope that everyone else has good weather like ours. Go out and enjoy it!

Forgot What The Sky & Sun look like!!

We've had so much rain lately that it was actually a surprise to see blue sky instead of grey! And the sunshine was nice, although I think we've nearly forgottten what it feels like.

We have had a lot of water from the sky the last few days. Not any bad, twisty, scary stuff in our area thankfully. Just lots and lots of rain! The back yard looked like a swamp in places yesterday, and we are not in a low spot.

Frasier has had a new experience. We bought an electric fence kit! On Friday, StupidDog was out and about when I got home and I couldn't find him. When Otter got home, we had an errand to run so we drove around the neighborhood on our way out. No sign of him. When we got home, we saw someone else walking his dog and he said he'd seen a big shepard-type dog in the last few minutes and he pointed us in the right direction. So we drive on a little further, and there is Frasier - happily playing in a mud puddle. Otter gets out of the car and opens the back door for him to jump in. So what does StupidDog decide to do? He decides to jump in the open passenger window! No idea why he did that, he's never even been allowed to look out the window while riding in the car! Otter pulled him back out, and he jumped in the backseat through the open door. And he stunk to high heaven! Like maybe he'd been rolling in "something" in the cow field before he found the mud puddle. We drove home with the windows down all the way, and Otter was hanging her head out of the open window. She put the dog in the back yard when we got home and I had to wipe down the inside and outside of the door where he'd tried to get in the window. And discovered that he managed to scratch the side of the car while he was hanging out of it in his window climbing attempt.

Shortly after that, we took the hose to Frasier and he was not happy. (Maggie thought that she was going to get a bath too, and she got out of reach fast!) But at least he didn't smell anymore! However, today my car has developed an unpleasant odor and I might have to steam-clean the back seat.

When Bill got home a few minutes later, he was carrying an electric fence kit. And we were overjoyed! We installed it on Sunday. The whole time we were removing the chicken wire, Frasier (also known as Poophead lately - and he does answer to that name) watched us the entire time. I could just about see the wheels turning in that furry head. We turned the fence on and watched him for a while, but he knew we were watching him so he didn't perform. After a while, I headed for the shower and Bill went to work on something in the garage. When I got out of the shower, Frasier was laying in the floor of the dining room and he would not look at me. All he did was sigh heavily. Sunday we sat out on the deck and watched him, several times he acted like he wanted to climb the fence but he never quite did. We think he must have had a rude awakening, also known as his learning experience, when I was in the shower. Hopefully he won't decide it's worth the pain of being shocked to go travelling! We'll leave it on for a while, but thereotically once a dog has been shocked a couple of times they will remember and you don't have to leave it on. But with Frasier, there is no telling. Dumb dogs are so much easier! And no, I don't feel like we are being mean to him. It would be mean to continue to let him roam and possibly get run over, shot for a coyote because we have them in the area, into a fight with a coyote or other dog, or lost for good and possibly starved to death.

I have a prayer request. My friend Virginia's daughter Sara was diagnosed several months ago with cancer that is in her muscles of her abdomen. There is a name for this type of cancer but I can't recall it. It's rare, though and is uncurable but the doctor said that it is very slow growing and they have had good results in slowing it even more with very strong medication. They thought that they could buy her several years possibly. Then Sara found out that she was pregnant. She already had two young ones. The oncologist sent her to a special ob doctor who worked out a plan and she was able to go off of the medication until the baby had grown to a certain point. The baby was born yesterday by c-section and everything appears normal with the baby, she's been named Marisol. The concern is with the baby having problems that don't show up now, and also with Sara because the doctor was really afraid that the surgery and exposing the cancerous area to air could speed it's growth up. So any prayers would help.

3 1/2 weeks of school left for the Otter! Then she goes off to camp the first week in June. She's excited, for some reason she wants to be away from the Parental Units for a week. Can't imagine why! :)

Here's my opinion from the posting about May Day, the article I linked was regarding guns being allowed in all sorts of places at the suggestion of the Texas governer: I don't think that guns need to be in bars (kind of a no-brainer there) and probably not schools, but I don't see what is wrong with being allowed to carry one in most other places. Probably not a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I am not in favor of gun control in the slightest! Don't want to shoot anyone if I don't have to, but if I have to defende my home, family or life - then I would not hesitate. Otter is going to get lessons in the near future.

May 15th Gas Boycott

Reasons why I will not participate in this type of ill-conceived, misguided boycott include the following:

Oil companies are not the enemy. The price of gas, as well as other petroleum products, is a result of the refinery action - not the producer. Refineries are handicapped by government regulations regarding pollution - ideas that started out with good intentions but turned into something else. Each time someone gets an idea about reducing greenhouse gases, auto emissions, etc., there is another rule which has an effect on the way gasoline is refined. Most of the current rules have no basis in reality and make very little sense. Most of the rules are the reason that very few companies refine oil in the US. Most of them have been driven overseas now, and that trend is not going to stop anytime soon. Because of that, we are even more at the mercy of other countries and OPEC.

We need rules to govern the industry, but we need smart rules, rules that make sense. We need more refining to be done in the US but that won't happen any time soon.

For a boycott to have even a miniscule effect, nearly the entire population of this country would have to stop buying gas for a period of several months or even over a year. Still sound like a good idea? Think about it.

Oil feeds my family and keeps a roof over my head. And I still have to pay just as much for gasoline as everyone else. The oil industry is not the bad guy here. But this type of a boycott would have an affect on everyone, including the clerk at the gas station who is just trying to make enough money to live on, the mechanic who fixes the car you won't be driving for months and who will not be able to eat or feed him family, the pumper who goes out and works on the wells to keep them pumping so that a purchaser can tell the oil company what it will pay for that oil - which is generally not even enough to justify producing that oil in the first place, and just about everyone else.

I intend to go fill up my car on the 15th.

A fun one for Tuesday, May 1.

I read this somewhere and it just was so funny. And so true!

Things Mom Taught Me...

My Mother taught me LOGIC..."If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."
My Mother taught me MEDICINE..."If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to freeze that way."
My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD..."If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job!"
My Mother taught me ESP..."Put your sweater on; don't you think that I know when you're cold?"
My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE..."What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"
My Mother taught me HUMOR..."When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT..."If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.
My mother taught me about GENETICS..."You are just like your father!"
My mother taught me about my ROOTS..."Do you think you were born in a barn?"
My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE..."When you get to be my age, you will understand."
My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION..."Just wait until your father gets home."
My mother taught me about RECEIVING..."You are going to get it when we get home."
And, my all-time favorite - JUSTICE..."One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU -- then you'll see what it's like!"

And I think I heard more than a few of those things from both my parents!

May Day!

How did a day to recognize the workers (ok, so it's mostly in communist countries) become a day to celebrate being an illegal alien? Just by being here, they are breaking the law and that trumps everything else! Geesh. If someone wants to come here and work, then as long as they do it legally I will welcome them with open arms. But the key is to be legal.

I'd like your opinions on this interesting story from the SA paper website: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA050107.07A.perry_guns.30eddd5.html
I'll post my opinion later on, although it's probably already known to everybody that I am not in favor of gun control!

I've been thinking of Clara-isms today. Mom always had some good comments. Why buy the cow when the milk is free? That's the way to skin the cat. Not for all the tea in china! Yeah, and people in he__ want ice water! Anybody else got any they remember? I did find my recipe for peach cobbler the other day, I might make one in the near future. It's been a while since I made one and I think it's about time. And I think I'll eat a corner first, in honor of Dad and his sweet tooth.

It's been a year today since I had the last tooth extractions for the dentures. I got them a couple of days after the extractions. Should have done it sooner! But I think I've had enough health issues to last a lifetime now.

It's Officially Spring

Because the hummingbirds are here! We were sitting on the deck yesterday afternoon enjoying the nice day. Something buzzed by me and it was a hummer. It must have been one of last year's crowd because it went to all 4 of the places I had feeders last year and then I swear this bird gave me a dirty look! I immediately jumped up and ran inside, found the feeders, washed them and filled them. Then I got them up and within 5 minutes the bird returned. There were as many as 15 at any one time last year, it was tricky to go out in the back yard and dodge them! There are now 2 here, one is a male ruby throat but the other one has not been still long enough for me to decide on breed or gender. But the first one was not happy to have competition for the food! It was not a mating flight, either - they were chasing each other away from the food and nearly ran into me. This is the earliest I've ever seen them. One of them was all over my iris plants.

It's been a month today since my surgery and I feel really good. Better than I have for a very long time in fact.

Otter and I cornered the dogs and bathed them this afternoon. We managed to get Frasier mostly dry before he got away from us, then he spent about 10 minutes running up and down the yard rubbing his wet fur on the neighbor's fence. Maggie was hard to catch, she saw what happened to him and she was having no part of it! We eventually got her and bathed her but she got away from us before we could get her really dry. Of course the first thing she did was roll in the grass that was mowed this morning, so she was covered, then the second thing she did was find some dirt! After about 30 minutes of staying away from us, she came back to us and I took the towel to her to get as much of the grass off of her as possible but she was dry enough that I couldn't get much dirt off. But at least she doesn't smell like she did before the torture session!

Another one for Thursday!

Froggy got the right answer from the joke a few days ago: The horse's name was Friday!

Another comment I'd like to post:

Boy her dumplings were bad. But dad always said that they were good. Every time we went somewhere we had to stop and talk to the babies, Dad was just as bad as Mom was about this. Remember the meal we called slumgullon (?). It was good, but what was in it? Fo you remember the Halloween she made stew in the hollowed out pumpkin shell? It was not a hit. Maybe the secret to her cooking was she was not afraid to try new things. I miss her too.Froggy

Slumgullion was made with okra and that was why I did not like it. The pumpkin stew in a shell did not turn out too good, but she followed the recipe she was given so I don't think that was her fault!

More Clara-isms!

Froggy left these comments on the previous posting, but I thought that they should be repeated and posted for everyone to see!

Remember the time that she made hamburgers, took one out to Jessie, in her apt, came in and we all ate. Them Mom discovered a piece of meat that was left over. She had forgotten to put the meat in Jessie's hamburger. Jessie ate a bun with tomatos, pickles, lettuce, and always laughed about it.When we moved, Dad was sick so you, me, and Mom moved all the rocks. I don't think we left even one tiny pebble behind.I remember she used to save empty veg. cans,cut out the ends and then we could use these to make tunnels in the mud.She never had many plants when we were little, because the flower beds were always where we played and built tunnels, mud pies, etc. She did always grow violets, so we could take the flowers to our teachers.

I do remember the meatless hamburger that Aunt Jessie had. And I remember the violets. I think we did move the rocks, but I remember the movers being amused by it so we must have been loading them when they were there, or possibly unloading them at the new house as they were bringing the furniture.

I also remember the dumplings! Mom was a wonderful cook. She could cook anything she put her mind to. EXCEPT DUMPLINGS! They were like rocks, no other word for it. It became a family joke, but I think she was as amused by it as everyone else was. However, she had another talent that I wish I had: Mom could take any left overs she had and no matter how strange they might sound, she always made a meal that was satisfying and tasted great. I remember some strange things together, but they were always good at the time!

And she never met a baby she didn't have to hold and cuddle.

I really miss her.

Clara-isms and Things She Taught Me

We lost her 6 years ago tomorrow. I've really missed her a lot more lately, mostly since I was sick. I guess we are never really too old to need our mommies when we are sick. There are a lot of things I remember, some of them became family legends. Like Uncle Dave daring Mom to get on my pogo stick and she took the dare. Which was followed shortly thereafter with a run to the ER and I think she had to have surgery to repair the torn hamstring muscle. That one definitely became a legend! And the story was told frequently, I think that is one for the ages.

Then there was the time we moved. And Mom moved her rocks, which had been in a rock garden and various places around the yard. I remember the moving guys being amused by it. But we've all inherited that from her, I moved my rocks when I moved and Otter has quite a collection of her own - some of which she got from her Grammy, who was thrilled that Otter liked rocks as much as she did. And there are at least a few rocks that we share custody of - speaking of which Froggy, it's my turn now!

And the marbles! Who can forget how she always used to say she'd lost her marbles. And then a certain neice of mine (Kimberly, this means you) who was pretty young at the time when she first heard that comment from Grammy. And Kimberly told her that they weren't lost, they were out in the back yard in the rock garden!

Mom told me a story once, she was very young and heard her father refer to a woman in the neighborhood who was a streetwalker. When asked, he told his young daughter that meant she made her money on the street but he didn't elaborate. So then the young Clara decided that she wanted to be a streetwalker when she grew up - after all, all the lady had to do was walk up and down the street and she'd find money!

She taught me to cook and to this day I still make beans and Spanish rice like she did. Lots of good memories there. I'm carrying on the tradition with Otter. She taught me at a very young and that there was nothing I could not do, I was capable of anything, and that girls could do anything they wanted to. And I've always been very grateful to her for that lesson. She taught us to love animals, and she let me adopt nearly every stray I brought home. And there were plenty! We used to go to the zoo more times than I could count, and Mom enjoyed it as much as we did. She made the best hamburgers in the world. There were times when money must have been tight, but we never realized it - pickle sandwiches were a treat, and I never realized that it was probably because of a tight financial situation. To this day, when I am tired or not feeling good it's a pickle sandwich that makes me feel better. I remember mashed bean sandwiches, which might have been for the same reason or might have just been because they were good. And then there was the time she made tamales. They were wonderful, and fun & messy to make but I seem to recall she only made them a few times because they were a lot of work.

One of my best memories is of being Baptized with Mom. It made a special moment even more special.

She was one of the most loving people I've ever known or ever will know. She took in her sister who had been crippled with polio as a teenager and I don't remember her ever complaining.

When Bill & I got back together after our troubles, she was the first one to welcome him back and I know how much he appreciated it.

Coffee in the afternoon! And I think I was usually allowed to have a cup, even though I must have been in about 3rd grade when I first started drinking it.

For many years, Mom never went anywhere without her glass of iced tea. She used a plastic Pearl Beer stein most of the time. It's now sitting on my desk holding pens. One time Dad got on her for the fact that it was a beer glass, she was on her way to a tupperware party at the time and she told him that if she had a wreck they'd be able to tell it was not beer!

She made the best peach cobbler ever. And Dad usually would eat as much of them as he could as I recall! Wish I had one of them now.

Is it Monday again?

Realized about an hour ago that we missed Sweetie's birthday! It was last Friday. I called her already and apologized. The thing is that I know 3 people who have 4/20 as a birthday and I think I missed them all this year! URGH!

Website to check out: http://www.cuteoverload.com/ It's fun, very cute and family friendly.

This one's funny too: http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

Here's a fun way to waste time: http://chir.ag/stuff/sand/

Something a friend sent me: At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be 02:03:04 05/06/07. I remember 12:34 p.m. on May 6, 1978 - on a digital clock it was 12345678.

Well, since no one else has submitted any jokes I've been forced to post one of my own!

If a cowboy rode into town on Friday and left three days later on Friday. How the heck did it happen?

(I never said it was a particularly good joke, just the first one I came up with.) Check back later for the answer, unless anyone actually wants to guess. It's not hard! However, since the Aggie Mom never gave me a joke she should be warned: Aggie jokes are no longer off-limits!!!

Wonderful, Fantastic Thursday!

Someone, I won't name her but it ryhmes with Doggie, told me that I needed to come up with a better title after Wednesday's boring one. Happy now?!

I saw this poem on a web board I belong to and I though it was really nice:

When the week is finally over,
It is wonderful to go
And putter in my garden
Where I watch the flowers grow.
It is pleasant in my garden
As I cultivate my seeds;
I plant and hoe and water
And I clear away the weeds.
Though it's frantic at the theater,
Here I leave that all behind,
And the calm within my garden
Gives this frog some peace of mind.
--Kermit the Frog

I think we could all learn a lesson or two from Kermit the Frog. Even if it's just a rock garden as in my case, since we decided not to put in a vegetable garden after all this year. We were going to, but my illness and recovery kind of put a crimp in any plans that involved physical work. But I'm probably going to get a couple of jalepeno plants and maybe a tomato plant or two and put those in pots. Last year we had bell peppers planted in the back flower bed. And we discovered that Maggie thought they were irrisistable, she ate most of them and the ones she didn't eat she carried inside and played with! Like I said before, she's insane.

Today is the 12th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing and the 14th anniversary of Waco. Two things that happened that are "where were you" moments, unforgettable. The shootings in Virginia were just horrible, really heartbreaking. Makes me even more convinced that I should just lock the front door and never let the Otter leave!

So, Froggy - when are you coming to see me? Bring my rocks with you.

Boring Wednesday Middle of the Week

Ok, so I couldn't think of a good title for today!

I'm doing pretty good, I managed to work all day Monday and then I didn't feel too good Tuesday so I came home at noon. Then today I managed to stay all day. I am over most of the effects of the pancreatitis, I just get tired easily still and I can't really lift anything. There are a few things I can't do, but I'm much better than I was.

Still waiting on jokes I can post here! What do I have to do, come up with a prize??!! I know you have funny jokes. And probably even some family friendly ones, too. :)

Mom's been on my mind lately. I know it's because we lost her in April, the anniversary is next week. So siblings of mine, and neices & nephews as well, how about some memories? I have a bunch, I know you do as well. One in particular is the trip to Hominy, OK and the pogo stick. And then Dad rushing her to the hospital because she'd torn a hamstring muscle since she was crazy enough to take Uncle Dave's dare and actually get on the thing! Oh and we can't forget the rocks that she moved from one house to another. Anybody else got any they care to share? One thing that I always remember is knowing that she was always going to be there for us and she was always involved with school, pta, choir, whatever we had going on and I am thankful for that.

Otter's birthday party was a sucess. She had a great time and so did her guests. The cake was good, they had ice cream cups & cokes and they made regular trips to the snack bar. Mostly for candy! But all that sugar was put to good use, they spent several hours zipping around the skating rink and they were all pretty tired when the party was over. She got a lot of presents and she enjoyed the entire party. Considering that her birthday was the day after I came home from the hospital and we had to put off her birthday dinner, I am really glad that we gave her a party this year. Her birthday dinner was fun, too. It was at Golden Corral, or as Dad used to call it the Hog Trough.

So that's it for today!

Sunday again!

Party Day for Otter! She's been on the phone for a while, I've lost count of how many times the phone rang but they've all been for her. Typical teenage girl! Bill is still amazed at how much teenage girls can talk and they never seem to stop to take a breath. What's really fun is when she has sleepovers, Bill kind of loses his mind.

I'm feeling much better today, yesterday was better than I have been in the recent past but still not as good a day as I've been having. But I am getting there, I just realized that I have been sick for weeks and frankly I'm tired of it! I didn't realize that I'd been unwell for some time, until I started to feel better the last few days. I would like to encourage anyone with symptoms similar to the ones I had to please not wait - call the doctor immediately! Pancreatits can be fatal if left untreated. And it takes forever to get over. My back is not bothering me nearly as much as it was, it was mostly muscles reacting and the surgeon's office said that I can take Advil which does seem to work. But it is very hard for me not to be able to do things.

We think that Maggie Beagle is literally insane. She is just crazy. No other word for it, the dog is nutso! And she hardly ever runs out of speed. She's so much fun and she drives Frasier nuts, too.

Froggy, I'm not sure how you are going to manage it but you'd better find room in your suitcase for the rocks when you come see me this summer. You know which rocks I mean.

Still waiting on jokes! I might have to come up with some of my own at this rate. And one of these days I'm going to learn how to post pictures here, too. When I get around to it, it's not hard to add things on here.

Middle of the week already!

I managed to make it to noon today before I gave up and left work. I have been in a lot of pain, but it's mostly the muscles in my mid-back. I took a pain pill last night and slept well, until 4:15 a.m. when one of my suncatchers fell out of the window and scared Frasier! I heard him running out the dog door, and then he snuck back in a few minutes later. Poor goosey dog! Anyway, I woke up better than last night but it's been hard today because my back is being so strange!

Bill got home from the auction with a loaded van. He did buy a bed frame & headboard for Otter after all. It's for a double bed, the headboard is wood and it's nice. It's not huge, but it's one that she saw at the auction and really liked. And since he only paid $5.00 for it, it's perfect! We'll get a new mattress and box springs in the near future - the headboard needs a good cleaning and polishing, which I'm not up to yet. She's going to have to rearrange her room a little bit, the bed is quite a bit bigger but we'll figure it out.

He bought a bunch of other stuff, but I have no idea what is in the majority of the boxes. I might get into them a little later, but I still can't lift or do anything strenuous so I might have to wait for him to get home from work. Hopefully, there is something in there I can eBay!

Froggy, I agree with you regarding Imus and his comments. I'm just tired of hearing about Anna Nicole Smith all the time, especially some of the reports that sound like they are worshipping her and with what I've been told by someone who knew her, they are so far off the mark it's ridiculous. But Imus really put his foot in it, I'm not sure which is worse - the racial comment about nappy hair or the fact that he essentially called them all whores! I guess that they are both about the same, just plain despicable.

I'm still waiting for jokes! I know you must all have them. So bring them on!

Exhausting Week! And it's only Tuesday...

I managed to go to work yesterday, Monday. I made it until 10:00 before giving up and going home. After I got home, I took a nice long 2+ hour nap and felt much better.

Today I made it to 11:30 before I ran out of steam. I was also in a little pain, so I decided I'd better head home. I didn't nap today, but I did rest until it was time to get Otter from school. There was an auction tonight that I met Bill at because it had furniture and we are looking for a bigger bed for Otter. The furniture was not what we are looking for, but I stayed at the auction because of a specific item I wanted - which we didn't get because it went for way more than I wanted to pay - and so I wound up staying way, way too long. I sat down as much as I could, but it was pretty cold and I probably should have left at least an hour before I did. I got home ok, but I will probably take a pain pill tonight. Before you all start yelling at me, I already know that I overdid it today! And I will probably pay for it tomorrow. But I really am doing a lot better, and I'm much better than I was at this time last week. But I promise to take it easy as much as I can for the next few days!

I have stayed away from the Anna Nicole Smith story, but I'd like to put my 2 cents worth in. The woman was "plain ole white trash" and nothing but. Nobody murdered her, it was an accidental overdose, and the paternity question has now been answered. So can "we" (the media) all go on to the next story now? My 90 year old boss was very good friends with the rich old man she married, he met her several times and he said that it was extremely obvious to everyone except her husband that she was a gold-digger and nothing else. She didn't even try to hide it, and she used her physical attributes to blind Mr. Marshall to what she was really after. So I am kind of tired of all the stories about her! Just my opinion, folks.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. For now at least!

In case you can't tell, I'm tired and a little grouchy tonight. I guess I'd better work on that!

I'm thinking I need to have a contest. Not for a prize, just for fun. Anybody got any jokes that they'd like me to post? Email them to me, please - family friendly only. And nothing disrespectful to our President. French jokes are fine, however! Even Texan jokes will be considered. However, I will try to restrain myself from posting Aggie jokes even though I am a loyal Longhorn fan - I'm actually very proud of my nephew Paul who's off at A & M. As long as he didn't pick OU and the Sooners as a school, I am happy! Although my father would probably disagree with me about OU, we always just agreed to disagree one particular weekend in October.

Easter Sunday

Halelujah! He is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

That's the greeting at church as soon as everyone is seated, we always say it and since this is Easter I felt led to post it here. Sometimes I think that the emphasis on Easter has changed, it seems like people are more interested in a rabbit and chocolate candy instead of what Easter really means and is about.

We went to church this morning, it was nice to get up and actually get dressed for a change. For the most part, I've been living in my pj's the last 2 weeks. Church was not as crowded as I expected it to be for some reason. But I still enjoyed it. After we got home, I attempted to take a nap but I never could fall asleep but I did get a nice, hour-long rest.

We had a nice meal at the local in-law's house, and Otter got more candy over there so she was happy. Peeps, peeps and more peeps! When she was little, just a couple of those things would set her up for a sugar high that would last for hours! They should carry warning labels! But they are good.

Froggy, when we talked earlier you mentioned your trip this summer to see me. I just want you to know that I am going to hold you to that promise, you have to come see me! No excuses will be accepted if you try to wiggle out of it! :) And Toadles, you should find a reason to head my direction this year too! Nobody, nobody at all from my side of the family has seen my house and we've been here nearly 3 years. I think it's about time that one of you come to see me. Past time in fact.

Good Friday

I forgot about it being Good Friday until just a little while ago. Last Good Friday, we went to church but this year we are staying home. I'm feeling much better but I still get tired easily. I did manage to get some laundry done, so I wasn't totally lazy today.

However, I did get out all by myself today! I went to the post office to check the box and I stopped at Wallyworld to get the dvd that Otter wanted for her birthday. She knew about it, I just was unable to get it before her birthday since I was in the hospital that week. She saw it when he got home from school just now, she was happy about it. Of course, I've got her doing chores at the moment so she's probably not so happy anymore!

I miss Easter Eggs! Otter is too old for them now, I think we quit that when she turned 12. But I always enjoyed dyeing them, and we always turned them into deviled eggs and I think that's what I miss. I might boil about 6 eggs so I can make deviled eggs for Sunday. Now that I think about it, that sounds like a good idea.

I found a depression glass vase at a thrift store, the week before I got sick. I posted it on eBay on Wednesday. Last time I checked, it was up to $30.00. I only paid $1.50 for it! I'm kind of amazed, I knew it would sell but I didn't think it would be that much of a profit margin. WOW!!

I think it's Thursday

I have lost track of the days this week, but I think it's Thursday!

I saw the surgeon today. 30 minutes after my appointment time, someone else who was there asked me what time my appointment was. We discovered that we both had the same time, and so did another person who was waiting. I don't like doctors who stack patients like that! I asked the clerk how much longer, since my appointment was closer to 45 minutes late by that point and she said that the doctor wasn't even there. She called the hospital and apparently he had decided to assist in a procedure, knowing that he had people waiting in his office. I informed her that I DO NOT WAIT (Bill was ready to walk out and I have been known to myself) and that I didn't appreciate being stacked, and that I wasn't waiting much longer. All of a sudden the doctor shows up and he spent about 30 seconds looking at my incisions, then took the bandaids off, told me everything looks good and that I don't have to come back to see him unless I have problems. He did tell me that I can start eating regular food and that I might have to watch out for a few tummy problems in the near future.

We stopped at Wallyworld to get a couple of things so that Otter will get something for Easter (she reads this so I'm not telling), and I picked up a cooked chicken from their deli. It was delicious! Finally, real food! I noticed that I got full very fast.

I am going to stay home tomorrow, I am much better and enjoyed getting out of the house today but I am pretty tired now. I will go back to work on Monday and then see how it goes. With any luck I will be able to work the entire day, but my work days are short already since I'm part-time. I'm wondering if the top of my desk is even visible, since I will have been gone for 2 weeks.

I'd also like to know what happened to Spring! It was just about freezing last night and very cool today. Tonight and the next few nights are supposed to be cold, we could get a hard freeze tomorrow and Saturday nights. All the plants are now inside, the tulips should be ok but they are nearly done with blooms anyway, and I hope that my bluebonnets survive! They are full of blooms, and I have enjoyed them but I'd like to have them a little longer!

Tuesday's Doctor Visit

I saw the doctor today, she said that everything looks good. She also said that the weakness I have is normal, because along with the surgery I also have to get over a pretty bad case of pancreatitis. And she suggested that I not even attempt to go in to work this week, which was what I was already considering. I think I am going to take her advice and not even try to go in to work. I was absolutely exhausted just from the doctor trip today. We did stop at the grocery store but only for milk and that was a run-in, run-out trip. Ok, so I shuffled-in, shuffled-out but you get the picture! Anyway, I could not get back to my couch fast enough after we got home! I see the surgeon on Thursday and I am considering taking myself, since it's just a few miles from home. I am going to see how I do tomorrow and then decide.

I've lost 7 pounds since I was admitted to the hospital, which means that I have lost a total of 22 pounds since mid-January. I'm sure that some of the original weight loss was affected by the pancreatitis, but I'm not going to complain about that. I'm trying to find a silver lining here. 7 pounds in a week is extreme, and not anything I want to continue with but I'm not really surprised given the fact that I've been living on jello and broth for several days! However, I am beginning to be able to eat normal food now and I am going to be careful but not too extreme. I branched out today, I had vegetarian vegetable soup. Yes, the alphabet kind!

The electric company left a hanger on my door. They will be out Thursday to replace the transformer box that is in my back yard. I've already called and talked to the guy, since he left his cell phone on the hanger, and he assured me that the dogs will not be let out. They will have the power off from noon until 4:00, I will be here until at least 2:00 and then the doctor appointment is at 2:30. If they haven't gotten finished, I'm going to block the dogs in the garage where they can't get out at all since it will just be about 1 1/2 hours until the Otter gets home from school and can let them back into the house. I don't trust the electric company too much right now, considering the last incident with the beagle! And since Frasier the big dog can get out of just about anything, I don't trust them to get all the blocks back in the right place either!

Sister of mine, you are right - we had better get busy planning our summer visit. But you are the only one who has to plan, I just have to be at the airport to pick you up and then take you back there in a few days! SO GET BUSY GIRL!

A Lot Has Happened Lately!

On Sunday, March 25, I was hospitalized for what turned out to be pancreatitis and I had surgery on Thursday, March 29. My gall bladder was removed. I'm told it was very full of gall stones.

I've been having stomach related health problems for several weeks, but we kept thinking it was either a bug or something I'd eaten. I've had several instances where I would throw up and then not really be any better and frequently I was in a lot of pain. On Saturday the 24th, shortly after I went to bed, I was up in the bathroom throwing up and stayed there most of the night. Literally every hour, sometimes 2 or 3 times per hour. About 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning, I realized that it was not "normal" and I told Bill we needed to get me to the doctor. I really had no concept of time, I didn't realize it had been so many hours until he told me what time it really was. He took me to the emergency room, I was thinking that they would give me a shot to relax my stomach muscles or something like that. Instead, they hooked me up to an IV and gave me at least 2 bags of fluids quickly - I was pretty dehydrated - and then they started blood work. The blood work showed pancreatitis, which the doctor explained is an inflammation of the pancreas usually caused by it being blocked by something. He thought it was my gall bladder, so he sent me to get a sonogram and they also gave me a pain shot which helped a lot. The sonogram showed what they suspected.

From that point until Wednesday, I had nothing at all by mouth but I was so drugged up that I really didn't care! I had the IV's, so I really did not notice it anyway. At one point on Wednesday, my blood sugar got dangerously low so the IV bags were changed to the type with glucose in them and then my blood sugar got back to where it needed to be. I am not diabetic, but one of the side effects of a blocked pancreas is that blood sugar levels go crazy. After the surgery, I had to have 2 insulin shots because that also caused it to rise. Starting on Wednesday, they started feeding me again - jello & clear broth! Which actually was like a gourmet meal since I'd had nothing for several days.

The surgery was on Thursday, I'm told it's normally performed as outpatient which is surprising. Because of the massive pancreatitis I had, outpatient was never an option but I wasn't complaining! The surgery went well, I had ice packs to keep on the 4 incision sites until Friday morning. The surgery was laparoscopic, so the incicisions are not big sliced spots but rather are small areas where the camera and instruments were inserted, and then one larger one where the gall bladder was removed. They are not that bad actually, I'll probably have some scarring but it's a price I'll gladly pay!

I came home on Friday afternoon, and I will probably not go back to work for several days. The doctor said that normal recovery from this type of surgery is 3 days to a week, but that because I also have to recover from the pancreatitis that it will probably be closer to a week. I see my doctor on Tuesday and the surgeon on Thursday. I'm unable to drive so Bill will take me on Tuesday and then I'll decide about the rest of the week. But I'm not in a hurry to go back to work, I have a well-earned reputation for doing too much too soon!

In the meantime, Otter is probably feeling like slave labor! She's done a lot for me, and I do appreciate all the work. It might sound like a fun thing, to stay in bed all day and do nothing but I suggest you try it and then you will see that it is not nearly as fun as it sounds! I can't even unload the dishwasher, I can't lift anything over 15 pounds and I am not supposed to do much of anything. I get tired from just walking down the hall so I'm not in a hurry to do anything anyway. But it does get frustrating at times!

Otter turned 15 on Saturday, Bill brought her a small cake from Wallyworld so we were able to at least acknowledge her birthday. Her presents will have to wait, we told her what we intended to get her and her party is not until the 15th anyway. Her birthday dinner has been temporarily postponed.

Also, our friend Larry passed away last week. He was a good friend and we will miss him. His death was not unexpected, it was advanced cancer but it was a lot sooner than we thought. His funeral was Wednesday.

The dogs seem glad that I'm home. Maggie was bouncy and silly, Frasier came in and immediately put his head in my lap. He stayed that way for about 30 minutes, just making sighing sounds and not moving away from me. I think maybe he was happy!

Spring has Sprung!

I'm happy that it's officially Spring. It was a cold winter, we had more than enough ice & snow and I'm glad it's done. Of course, we could still get a freak snow storm. That has been known to happen. But I'm hoping that we don't.

Especially because I got my bluebonnets last week and they are starting to bloom! They are in the whiskey barrel that the mailbox is in, I usually put them there. The neighbors probably think we're crazy, because the first thing we do when we get home is go stick our faces in the bluebonnets! They have such a delightful scent. Makes me homesick!

Also the tulips are up and one has started to bloom. Several of them have buds and will be blooming in the next few days. The daffodils look great, too. And I have several things in pots out on the deck, including 6 strawberry plants. I had them last year, too. It was so nice to be able to go pick a couple of fresh berries when we wanted them.

Dental visit today, Otter's teeth look great and the dentist sees no problems with my dentures. Back in 6 months.

Prayer request: Our friend Larry has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and he had surgery last week. When he had the biopsy, his lung collapsed and he was hospitalized for several days. This surgery was to remove the cancer and to do that the doctor had to take a good portion of the lung in question. I think that the cancer was pretty advanced when it was discovered. Any prayers would help, Larry and his wife Lin are really nice people and I think they have "adopted" Bill as one of theirs.

And before I forget - I have a message for a certain sister of mine: YOU HAD BETTER NOT BACK OUT ON COMING TO SEE ME THIS SUMMER!!

Puppy Dog Tails and other stuff

Yesterday was very interesting. I got to get into full Texan Woman mode and the electric company was the lucky party that got the full treatment. There is a power line that has been laying on the ground since it was installed - over 5 years ago - behind my house. It's outside of my fence except for a very small corner area, it runs from the next door neighbor's one one side to the next door neighbor's on the other side. We've called numerous times about it, finally yesterday they decided that yes, they really should have buried the line when they originally put it in. So they turned in the order and the technician called me to get the details. He called on my cell, so he has no excuse for his later failure to contact me. I gave him directions and very specific instructions regarding my yard, my dogs and the gates. I picked Otter up at school and we ran errands, then got home to an open front gate and no beagle. We immediately started looking outside for her, the neighbors across the street were about to take a walk and I asked them but they hadn't seen her. However, they said they would keep an eye out for her on their walk. I went the opposite direction from them, and since we live pretty close to a very busy street I told Otter that she needed to stay home. I was seriously afraid that I would find a run over dog and did not want her to see it. I asked a couple of people in the neighborhood, but nobody had seen the dog. I was about to the busy street when Bill called me because the neighbors from across the street found a sign on the next street: "Found Beagle". I called the phone number, and it was our Maggie. She was on the next street over from ours, the lady who lives there was not at home but she'd left the dog in her garage since her dogs don't like other dogs. When she got home, she called me and I don't think I've ever seen anyone run quite as fast as Otter did on her way over to get her dog.

After I called the phone number on the sign, I went in and called PSO - the local electric company. I politely said that I was wondering if the service guy had actually come out regarding my service call and when the customer service rep said that he had, I then told her that I wanted his name, his supervisor's name, and the reason. She couldn't give me his name, but she was almost as furious as I was. She emailed him and his supervisor. She asked me how I wanted this to be resolved - Bill and Otter both wanted the guy fired, but I didn't think that would be fair to his family if he's got one to feed, so I said I wanted his employee file to be noted, I wanted him counselled about following through and about doing his job correctly, and that I wanted an iron-clad guarantee that this would never happen again. Then we went to PetsMart for new name tags for them, since Maggie's fell off sometime prior to her adventure. We didn't know that they were missing or we would have already gotten her new ones. Now both dogs have 2 tags with their names & ours, our address & phone number. No sign of Magginator's old tags in the yard, so I will probably have to get a new city license tag and rabies tag for her.

I must have put the fear of Mom into PSO, because they called me about 4 times today just to make sure that I was aware that they had to send someone else out today to check the logistics of actually burying the line and that the work will actually be done Tuesday morning. The service guy (a different one, smart on their part), called me after he'd been out today to let me know that he did not have to get into the yard and gave me the name of the person who will be in charge on Tuesday. Bill will be home on Tuesday, and he and probably Otter as well will be out there watching them. I went to Wallyworld at 6:00 this morning for padlocks. My gates will not be opened anymore unless we do it! And PSO is well aware of that! I definitely put the Fear of Mom into them.

Oh, and the gate in question - there is absolutely no way it could have been opened accidentally. There are about 4 steps to open it, and it is extremely obvious to anyone at all - except yesterday's sorry excuse for a service tech - that there is no way AT ALL that it can be shut from the outside.

Otter's cell phone has been replaced. Same number as before.

Otter's doctor visit was today, she's extremely healthy and has grown 4 1/2" in a year. Which I already knew, because I am the one who buys her clothes! She's all leg. She got a tetnus shot since it's been several years and also the doctor gave her the menningitis shot she would eventually be required to have. Then Otter demanded ice cream, so we had to go to Braums and they had double dip cones on sale so I bought her a double vanilla cone. And a strawberry cheesecake ice cream pie for us!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm curious though. Why did what was originally a religous day turn into an excuse to drink yourself stupid? And not just Irish, either!

Darkthirty

I don't like the time change! It's still dark when I leave for work around 7:00. When Otter gets the school bus, it's before 7:00 and she can hardly see to get to the bus stop. Hope the driver has good vision and doesn't leave the kids there because she can't see them waiting!

Otter's phone will be operational in the next day or so. We bought her a replacement 0n eBay (where else?!) and it's gone to be programmed now. It should be the same number. I'll let everyone know when it's been turned on.

And because Otter is related to me, she's now taken over my role as nosebleed queen. We had to run her to the ER Friday evening when she started gushing and we couldn't get it stopped - they cauterized. Then she had a small one yesterday morning and another one this morning. I had a "talk" with the school nurse today about the fact that she didn't call me yesterday, even though she was supposed to - and Otter did tell her about Friday's experience. She sees her pediatrician for her annual check-up on Friday, I'm going to make sure the doctor is aware of this. No karate this week, she can't take any chances of her nose being bumped.

I'm taking an eBay break since anything I post this week will be ending during Spring Break. But I'll be posting again next Wednesday. Which will still be ending during Spring Break since nobody has it the same week, but I don't want to stay off too long.

Welcome to the world & the family, Madelyn! Congratulations, Les & Jacque. The adventure is just beginning for you.

March 12

I'm sure we all wish we could have some peach cobbler today, made by the master cook.

Rocks In My Head

I recall Mom using that expression. Along with having lost her marbles! Although Kimberly knew were they were...

Mom's been on my mind a lot, I know because of her birthday tomorrow. So today I decided to work on my rock garden in her memory. We moved the fountain back a bit, and then we moved all the little rocks from the small area that was originally Otter's rock garden, it took 3 wheelbarrow loads but now the rocks have a new home in the big rock garden. Otter decided her rock garden wasn't big enough, which is wasn't, so we combined it with mine and now we share it. Otter can not pass a rock up, she either has to touch it, pick it up, or talk about it if it's too big. She comes by it honestly! Remember Mom moving her rocks?

Speaking of Mom's rocks, when is it going to be my turn for the ones we share custody of? :)

Rental House Odysey Update and other stuff

The tenant called me this afternoon. He wanted to ask if he could stay another month, since he'd already told us he would be out by the end of March or maybe by the 15th. He went back to NY last week to drive one of his cars back and he was surprised it was so cold! I think he got up there and realized that maybe it wasn't so bad in OK after all. I told him that was fine with us, since he was still under the lease terms for a while anyway. As long as the rent is paid, we don't have any reason - or even any desire - to ask him to leave. He's going to look for a job here, he came here for a job that then turned out to not be what he was told when he was hired. Which I can understand as a reason to be unhappy, but he quit by choice. He said that he's still not sure if he wants to stay here or go back, so there is still a possibility that he will move out. But at least he'll be there through April. We may still put it on the market, that will be determined later after we talk about it.

Otter will have a new cell phone in a few days. We bought her a new one - on eBay, of course! It should be delivered sometime next week and I will let everyone know. I think it will be the same number but I don't know for sure. Since there is a possibility that her phone will be changing to our cell phone provider & plan towards the end of the year, we did not want to buy an expensive phone and then be told by Sprint that it's not compatible and that we would have to buy her a new one. They might tell us that, but we won't be out a huge amount of $$ on the phone we just bought. Sometimes I think we shop on eBay as much as we sell there...

It's been on my mind that this coming Monday is the 12th, Mom's birthday. She's been on my mind quite a bit lately, more so this year than last year leading up to her birthday. Otter's beagle, Maggie the Spoiled, came to us shortly before Mom's birthday last year and since we don't know her exact birthdate, Otter decided that Maggie's birthday should be March 12th in honor & memory of her grandmother. So the Magginator officially will turn 3 on Monday. No, we aren't going to have a party for a dog!!!!! But the Otter turns 15 on the 31st and she will have a party this year. As soon as she decides where, she's got 3 or 4 choices and she's having a hard time deciding.

Moonies!

At the moment their is a lunar eclipse occuring. Otter is out on the back deck with the telescope, I get cold so I only go out there for a few minutes. The dogs usually go out with me but they don't have any interest in staying out there in the dark. Smart puppies!

I've been having difficulties with my cell phone the last few days. Friday it decided that I did not need to talk to anyone. I could hear them but they could not hear me. I went to the Sprint store and they sent me to the store down the street where the repair techs are at. The phone had a mechanical failure of some sort and I had to get a new one. I had to BUY a new one, because when I replaced my previous phone they told me there was an insurance policy for $4.00/month and I told them I wanted it. But they never added it on to my plan, so I wound up spending $60.00 to get a new phone! Because I'm an existing customer, it was a lot less than if I was just walking in the door to get service. But I was still pretty pissed, but there was nothing I could do. My number is the same, I just have a slightly upgraded cell phone. However, the first one they sold me failed as they were turning it on and they had to void that sale and go get another one! Frustrating! I had stress fairies visiting me all week, but yesterday with the phone was the worst.

We are about to lose the tenant in our rent house. He's moving back to New York, the job was not what he was told when he moved here and he said he's had enough. I don't blame him, after I talked to him I would probably do the same in his position regarding quitting the job. We do appreciate his calling us to tell us instead of just moving out. However, he is still breaking the lease. He's taken care of the house and we won't have to do much to get it ready again. Except that we might be getting it ready for sale instead of for rent. To be decided later!

One other thing - my boss and his wife both turned 90 years old last year. A week ago they celebrated their 70th Anniversary! And they are still very obviously very much in love. Great people, and a cute couple.