Sunday Chili (or Chilly Sunday!)

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

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

Our official family answer:  YES.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, But Not a T & T Thursday

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tomorrow's Friday!  Happy Happy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

But then, he usually is.  :)

Tuesday's Thoughts

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

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

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

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

Fourth thought:  I seriously need some crochet time tonight.

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

RHTW

Guess who got to come out and play today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*RedHeadTexasWoman

Sunday Stillness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THANKS & GRATITUDE

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

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

THANKS DAD.

Thanks Grandpa/Opa.

Also, grateful thanks to Uncle Crazy and Toadles.

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

Just Wednesday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another one!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Shakes!

(Alternate title:  Shaken Not Stirred!)

There are shakes:

And there are SHAKES:

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

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

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

# 3

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

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

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

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

OK, on to other stuff now.

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

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

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

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

Shake, Rattle & Roll Part 2!

Read this:

Wiggly & Jiggly

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

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

Soup's On!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teeiiired!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*RedHedTexasWoman.

Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Sunday Noses & Toeses

Specifically, Beagle noses & toeses!  Well, she's only got one nose.  But she has multiple toes!  This picture looks like it's upside down, but it's from the perpective of a beagle asleep at my feet when I was sitting on the couch.  This is how Maggie Moo spent most of Saturday.

This is from the front, and is about the most that we saw of her.  Note the smile!  (Later on, the dog got up and went into the kitchen.  The entire blanket went with her!).

Part of the "toeses & noses" has to do with Otter:  her foot is doing great, and she's now able to wear fun shoes and not just her tennis shoes.  Also, she had a nosebleed this morning  and one this afternoon, but that's not unusual this time of year.  Dry air and cold air, along with the fact that we had to turn the heater on, all contribute.  She's probably going to set up one of the humidifiers in her room in the next couple of days.  Or tonight!

This should keep the rest of the noses & toeses in the family from getting cold this winter.  Bill bought our firewood on Friday.  He got two ricks, which equal one cord and it's all cut & stacked.  Part of it is against the wooden fence next to lovely neighbor's yard, the rest is under the lean-to he built a few years back.  When I look at this year's woodpile, I don't see firewood.  I see 'smores and roasted marshmallows!  Otter said that she sees hot dogs cooked over an open fire in the fireplace.

I started working on the tulip bed this afternoon.  This little guy was camped out on the side of the house, I might have accidentally destroyed his web but he'll build another one.  He's pretty big and very pretty.  The tulip bed won't be planted for a week or so, we need to "stir up" the dirt and treat it to avoid moles & voles & gophers, then it needs to sit for a few days and might get a 2nd treatment.  After that, we'll get the tulips planted.

Otter and I went thrifting this afternoon.  We didn't find much, she got a nice dressy vest but that's all we found.  It was still fun.

We also went to Wallyworld, we went to a specific store because HP works there and she surprised him, but we bought stuff for sub sandwiches while we were there.  Along with a bag or two of Halloween candy for Otter to take to school with her tomorrow!  She's always taken candy on Halloween, and her friends haven't forgotten.  She said she's not about to let them down now, so she's got two bags of Nerds candy.  I also got a bag of peanut butter kisses.  We don't do the candy thing anymore, although that might change in the near future as there seem to be more little ones in the neighborhood now than there used to be, but since it's on a Monday I won't be surprised if there are a few early trick or treaters.  If not, Bill & Otter keep the candy from going to waste!  I like peanut butter kisses, but they are probably not something that would work with dentures.  That's ok, I have my chocolate!

Movie Review:  Captain America.  It was better than I expected.  It was very over-the-top, but it was fairly close to the original comic book which was:  over-the-top and American propoganda from the WWII era.  For someone who is not familiar with the original story, it might seem silly but it was actually pretty good.  I think it's the last of the "Avengers" character movies before the movie which ties them all together and is simply called "The Avengers."

Speaking of Halloween, which I was a paragraph back, Otter and I were discussing all the costumes she's worn over the years.  She's been:  Pebbles (Flintstones), a clown, a pumpkin, bride, princess, yellow power ranger, Harry Potter-ish wizard, beanie baby calico cat, a skeleton, Jessie the Cowgirl (from Disney and anybody that knows us will know exactly why we think Disney owes us!), a vampire, a black & white kitty (for a church party), pirate (friend's costume party), cheshire cat (friend's costume party), Harley Quinn (batman character and also for a friend's costume party), a scarecrow.  There might have been more, I can't remember.

Halloween has always been a fun day, and we always had a lot of fun coming up with her costumes.  We made most of them.  We bought the yellow power rangers costume, the clown & pumpkin were made by Mom and I think all her grandkids wore them.  The bride & princess costumes were basically the same dress, but we augmented with lace & so forth the 2nd year she wore it (princess) so it didn't look like the same costume.

The other thing about Halloween is that she's mildly allergic to chocolate.  So we made a deal with her:  we would buy all the chocolate she got in her basket and then she could go get a bag of what she really wanted.  It's a shame she's too old for trick or treating now!  The chocolate negotiations were always a lot of fun.  And we got to eat it!  Oh well, guess I'll have to go buy my own.

This & That Thursday

Read this:  (Warning, it's bad and pretty terrible).

I thought "we" made it legal so that this wouldn't happen

Or at least that is what the pro-DEATH people say.

Any way you name it, it's still MURDER.  And obviously, making it legal didn't make it "better".

Frostbite!

Otter has had a spot on the bottom of her left foot that she thought was a callus, but it kept growing and developed a spot in the middle that looked llike a wart.  So, a trip to the dermatologist was in order.  She had a plantar's wart, which is what we thought, and today she learned just how (not) wonderful it feels to have something frozen off!  Bill's had skin cancer spots frozen off before, he said that it feels like a cigarette burn.  Otter's experience was probably worse at the time, because it was longer and there were several spots that the doctor treated.

She's got her foot propped up, which is what she's supposed to do tonight.  She has classes tomorrow, but she's got gauze & neosporin ointment, and the doctor also recommended foam corn patches because they will pad the area on her foot some.  Also, she can use perioxide.  Ideally, she would be able to stay off her feet tomorrow but since she can't, she'll have to be careful and the best thing for her to wear would be sandles tomorrow.  But, as a cold front is on the way in and it will be in the low 50's tomorrow, sandles are not practicle.  She goes back in 3 weeks for a follow-up.

Plantar's warts are caused by a virus and are fairly common.  There is a chance that it could recur, but it won't automatically.  She'll have to keep an eye on things, and if she does think she's getting another one then it'll need to be taken care of at the time.

We did get to instruct another non-redhead on the joys of the Redhead Curse.  The nurse was familiar with it, but the doctor wasn't.  We'd already mentioned the bleeding to the nurse, and she knew about it.  But we forgot to tell the doctor when he started the procedure.  The "callus" area had to be scraped/cut off prior to the freezing process, and Otter did what most redhead do:  she bled, fast and more than the doctor expected to see.  I saw his head jerk back and his eyes get big, and I realized that he was unfamiliar with redheads.  So, he got the lesson.  Then after the cutting part, he was surprised that it took longer than "normal" time to hold pressure on the spot to stop the bleeding.

We had our standard "recovery meal" tonight. DiGorno's pizza! I'm probably going to make strawberry ice cream later on, but that's just because we want it. It's always good.

Anyway, weather.  We will be in the 50's the next couple of days, but I'm not sure what the end of the week and weekend is supposed to be.  I think we might get rain tomorrow night.  Today was in the 70's or thereabouts, and it was pretty breezy.  As the day got later, the wind got stronger and now it's at the Rocks-in-the-Pocket stage.  (Rocks = weight so you don't get blown away).

Dogs are next up to discuss.  The last couple of mornings, they've been running around the deck like they were tracking something so we thought that we'd had an animal visitor.  Then yesterday afternoon, they started running like crazy in circles around the shed.  After a while, they stopped running and started looking underneath the shed.  At one point, Maggie Moo crawled underneath the shed and that's when I brought them back inside.  I don't think it was a skunk, but just in case it was, they had go to back inside.  I'm leaning towards one of the neighborhood cats, and Frasier's been raked down the top of his snout by something with claws.  I let them out while ago and they seemed uninterested in the shed, so whatever it is has moved on already.

Now, they are back to their usual occupation:  sleep!

Sunday Giraffes

Today's title brought to you courtesy of Otter!

Otter had a homework assignment for one of her classes, Biology class I think.  Among other things, it involved a trip to the zoo.  This is one homework assignment I insisted on helping with!  She usually just does her homework assignments when she gets home or possibly the next day, but this one was a little different.  And, since I am my mother's daughter, I never pass up an opportunity to go to the zoo.  The day we went was really nice and it was very crowded.  We hadn't been out there yet to see the two new giraffe girls, so it was a welcome assignment.  The picture is one of the two girls, I can't remember their names, but the idea is to give the male giraffe some companionship that will hopefully result in baby giraffes.  The otters were asleep or at least inside their dens, but then they have been every time we've been lately.  But we did see lots of turtles, and the chimpanzees were very active.

There are two baby chimps and they are so much fun to watch.  They seem to have no end of energy and there are times when it looks like the adults would gladly ship them off somewhere!  But they are really cute.  Watching them, it's obvious why some people think we are related to or descended from them.  (We don't believe that, by the way).

It's a nice day today as well, although it was very foggy this morning.  Yesterday was cool and a little breezy, then we had a rather long-lived thunderstorm last night.  There might have been some rough weather south of us, I'm not sure, but we didn't have anything bad.  Just bright & noisy!

Movie Review:  Rio.  This is another one of those "Don't Bother" movies.  Bad writing, stupid story.  Not one we will rent again.

I'm feeling a lot better.  I don't have much sinus pressure and no sinus pain.  I haven't had a headache since sometime yesterday.  I'm through with my antibiotics now.  Bill's a lot better but he's still coughing some.  Back to work for both of us tomorrow.

Dog Tired

This is how I feel today!  (Our dogsters aren't allowed on the furniture, so I had to go find a picture of a dog on a couch).

I went to work and made it until 11:30.  I got quite a bit done and am actually caught up.  It's not a really busy office. :)  I was aiming for noon, so 11:30 is close.  I still had to go to the post office & buy groceries since I wasn't up to shopping earlier in the week.  But I was home by 1:30, actually I think it was earlier than that.  I've been resting since then and still have a little over an hour before I have to head in the direction of Otter's college to get her.  We're going to stop at Subway for a take-home dinner tonight.  Tonight is all about making it easy on ourselves!

I am a lot better, I'm just mostly feeling really tired at the moment.  I've had a little sinus pressure, but not bad and not pain like earlier in the week.  Bill's much better, he's not coughing very often at all now.

The dogs got their vet check yesterday.  Both are healthy, Maggie is 30 pounds (down 2) and Frasier is just under 70 pounds.  They got shots and Maggie got her butt squashed.  Frasier spent a lot of the visit looking out of the window at the vet's office, Maggie spent most of her time standing in the corner (I think she thought she was hidden from the vet).  They were very happy to get home!

TGIF!

Thursday!

This is the best description of my week that I can find!

I went to work this morning but left at 10:00.  I was hoping to make it to at least noon, but not today.

It was really cold when I left the house this morning.  It got to 28 degrees last night.  That is cold!  I was very thankful for the remote start feature on my car, because it was nice & toasty when I got in it.  The downside to that is that when I got to work, it felt even colder when I got out of the car!

I'm actually a lot better, but I am not well yet.  I hate sinus infections.  I haven't had one in so long that I kind of forgot how hard they can be - at least on me.  They might be hard on everybody, but that's not something I can judge.

Bill's home today as well, I'm not sure if he's going to attempt work tomorrow or not.  I am going to attempt it, and we'll just see what happens.

I do have to get back out later on.  We put off the dog's vet visit from Tuesday until today.  I don't want to put it off any longer, Maggie really needs to get her rear squished soon.

I might attempt to hit the grocery store after the dog's trip out, but I might not.  It just depends on how I feel.  I hate to wait until Friday, but that might be what I do this week.

Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired

I didn't even attempt to go in to work today, I knew I wouldn't make the day.  I do feel a little better this evening, but I felt pretty cruddy this morning.  Bill did go in, but he only lasted about an hour and his boss actually started telling him to leave about as soon as he showed up.  He's probably taking tomorrow and Friday off.  I think I'll be back at work tomorrow, how long I stay there will be determined tomorrow. 

I had a quiet day, mostly spent on the couch.  I had a short nap, crocheted some and watched NCIS reruns because there is very little interesting stuff on daytime tv!  I did manage to watch 2 episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, and they were actually ones I had not seen before.  But mostly, I was lazy and so were the pups.  Bill was a little more active than I was, but not much.  He just didn't get the nap in until later in the afternoon.  He's coughing less than he was Sunday but more today than he has been.  He's still on his mega cough suppressing medicine.

We had Hamburger Helper for dinner.  We hardly ever eat it, but once in a while it's good.  It's loaded with bad stuff, but it makes an easy meal when I need one.  We have a freezer full of chicken soup, we've had it every day since Monday and we like it but I'm tired of it.  I told Otter that she needs to bake something tomorrow.

It could freeze tonight.  It was pretty cold last night, but I'm not sure exactly how cold.  I think it was in the 40's.  We still had the fan on in the bedroom, the house was warmer than the outside was and probably will be tonight as well.  We aren't turning the heater on yet, tonight is supposed to be the coldest night this week and the days are forecast for 60's.  But soon enough, it will be time to put the fan away and get the humidifiers out.

That's it for tonight!

Spoke Too Soon!

Well, I thought I was on the mend.  But I woke up with a really B.A.D. sinus headache this morning.  I took motrin and went in to work.  The motrin helped, but only to a point.  When my younger boss got there, he took one look at me and ordered me home.  But first, he put his hand on my forehead and told me I had fever.  So, I went to the walk-in clinic and it turns out that I have a sinus infection.  Which I really wasn't surprised about.  So I'm on an antibiotic, along with Willieboy.  Not the same one, however.  Mine is a little stronger, after I told the doctor about my sinus infection history he felt that the slightly stronger one was the best.

I used to get sinus infections pretty often, I had them quite a bit when I was a kid and young teen.  When I was 16 (the doctor didn't want to do the surgery before then because I was still growing), I had what is basically plastic surgery to get my septum (cartlidge piece in the middle of the nose) rebuilt.  The inner parts of my nose & sinus cavity aren't quite "normal" and as a result, I had the frequent sinus infections.  After the surgery, it got a lot better but it didn't really get completely fixed.  So I still tend to get them, just not anywhere nearly as often and I think it's been a few years since I've had one.

My nose isn't quite straight anymore, due to having it broken at least twice since the surgery.  I collided with Bill one time, and about a year ago I ran into the back of Otter's head when we were getting out of a car.  I know it broke the first time, but I'm not positive about the 2nd time.  But there is at least one other time when I'm pretty sure it was broken.  At the time of the surgery, the doctor told me that it would probably not be possible for me to have any more rhinoplasty (the actual name of the plastic surgery on noses) due to the way it had to be repaired - the bridge of my nose is much narrower than most people's because of the surgery.  I'm not too concerned about the fact that it has a small bump and isn't quite straight - it still works and it still looks much better than my "original" nose ever was.

I'm actually not feeling the best at the moment.  I spent a few of hours curled up on the couch and that's about as active as I've been.  I feel a little better, I just don't feel the best.  I'll decide about tomorrow and work in the morning.

Frasier has hardly left my side today.  He's a very affectionate doggie normally, but he seems to be very sensitive and he's a Klingon today.  (Star Trek reference, the dog is extra clingy).  When I was laying on the couch, he got as close to the couch as he could before he stretched out on the floor and periodically he would put his head up over the edge and look at me.  I think he was checking on me.  He's a good boy.

We put the dog's vet appointment off until Thursday.  I'm sure that Maggie's not too upset about that!

Monday Sickies

Well, we're still sick.  I didn't sleep the best last night, but Bill was even more restless than I was.  Neither of us felt very good this morning, although Otter felt great.  She had a long nap yesterday afternoon, then went to bed early with a bad headache.  She was fine this morning.  I didn't really feel up to going in to work, and neither did Bill.  I did feel better than I have been, but not really good.  Bill was starting to cough more than he had been, so I decided he needed to go to the doctor.

So, after breakfast, we tossed Otter in the car (ok, she got in the car under her own power!) and dropped her off at college.  Then, we went across the street to a **walk-in clinic we like and were the first ones in the door.  I was thinking that if Bill turned out to have something seriously contagious, that I'd be checked out as well.  But Bill doesn't have anything spectacularly bad, "just" an upper respiratory infection.  However, it's becoming bronchitis.  So, he's on antibiotics and a cough medicine.  Since I'm actually getting better, I decided against being examined.  If I start feeling worse, I'll go in.  But I'm actually a lot better so I think I'm on the mend.  The doctor agreed with me, by the way.

Otter and I started treating the symptoms as soon as we noticed them.  Bill kept thinking that he was having an allergy problem, and tried to tough it out.  As a result, Otter is fine and I'm much better but Billyboy is not.  Major denial on his part, since he's the most un-allergic person I know, but that's his typical thing to do when it comes to things medical. :)  I really think it's just a guy thing.  Bill has an excuse for today and tomorrow.  Also, he'll have Doctor Otter at home with him tomorrow.  She'll keep him in line!

(**We have a family phyisician, but it's getting harder & harder to get a same-day appointment with her and we are actually considering changing.  Also, she doesn't use the hospital we prefer and the clinic we went to is a satellite clinic of that hospital.)

I brought Billyboy back home, then I went to Walgreen's and got his prescriptions filled.  I also ran into Wallyworld and got chicken soup supplies.  But mostly we've just been home taking it easy.  I did a little crochet for a commissioned project which I'm about 1/2 way done with.  And I made chili for lunch.  I guess it was hot, I put plenty of chili seasoning in it, but I'm kind of stuffy and my sense of taste isn't exactly 100%.  But, it did help with the stuffiness and chili is just plain good at anytime.

While I was on the way to Walgreen's, I saw a coyote.  It was casually walking across the road, and it really looked like Frasier.  He's got the size and body shape, along with most of the coloration and the fur.  And the tail!  While I was waiting in the drive-through line to pick up the prescriptions, I watched a squirrel burying something for winter.  They are funny, squirrels are kind of crazy and comical.  I guess it was an animal day today, because we also saw two or three large flocks of geese while waiting for the clinic to open.  Most likely, they were pond-hopping and part of the resident flock at Otter's school.

I have to pick up the Otter in a couple of hours, and the doggies might get to go with me.  They got a short ride yesterday, when we took the movie back to the video store.  Tomorrow, they get a ride as well.  But they probably won't enjoy that one as much.  Since it's to the vet for shots & Maggie's butt-squish!

It's not really warm today, but it's not really cool either.  We are supposed to have a cold front hit tonight and we could get lots of wind and rain when it does.  The next few days should be in the 70's and 60's.  We could possibly get our first frost sometime this week, I forget which evening but it's not supposed to be a hard freeze.  Just a frost.  So it might not even be enough to affect the ragweed, but it does mean that winter is on it's way.  Not a moment too soon, as far as the ragweed goes.  Hate the stuff!

A Thought For The Day

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

- A. Lincoln
1862

Sunday Sickies

I'm no longer convinced that we "just" have allergies.  We (Bill & I) might be coming down with a bug of some sort, but it could still be allergies.  Even though he almost neveer has them.  We both feel cruddy, but no fever as of now.  Just coughing, sneezing, headaches, sore throats, etc.  So far, Otter has not joined this party and we don't want her to!  I'm realitively certain that we are not dealing with the flu.  We really just feel bad enough to know that we don't feel good.

We're mostly just hanging around the house today, although one of us does need to go return the movie we rented to watch yesterday.  Green Lantern, which was actually better than I expected.  It wasn't the most spectacular movie we've ever seen, but it was ok.  It helps to have read some of the comic books it was based on.  Otherwise, I'm not sure if it would have made sense.

Frasier's got a new trick.  Not sure why, but he will stand in the kitchen and lick the flap that covers their door.  Which makes it flap back & forth and make clicking sounds.  Who knows why that dog does anything?  He's too smart for his own good, but every so often he'll do something dumb.  Although it probably makes perfect sense to him!

Maggie has no comment on Frasier's actions, at the moment she's more concerned with keeping their blankets from getting lonely.  I actually had to watch her to see if she was breathing this morning, dog naps hard!  (She was breathing, by the way).

It's a nice day today, although it might be a little warm.  I have only been outside for a few minutes this morning, when I went as far as the end of the driveway to get the paper.  It was not quite light then and was still chilly, but the forecast for today is 90's.  However, it should be in the 70's and possibly rainy tomorrow.  Today is probably going to be the last really warm day we have for the year - although nothing is certain with Oklahoma weather!

Satuday, Mid-October Evening

Can't think of a good title tonight!

Anyway, I just re-read my last week's worth of posting and I have to say that it was a boring week!  I'm glad it's a new week, but it's kind of hard to believe that the year is coming to an end rapidly.  It's been a busy year.

We're all fighting allergies.  Bill has it the worst, which is unusual.  Also, the fact that he even has allergy problems is unusual.  He's spent the last two nights coughing, restless and snoring LOUDLY since he's stuffy.  Which means that I have had little sleep the last two nights, and have been resorting to using my ear plugs.  He doesn't snore much, but when he does...

I started a new crochet project today.  Otter likes arm warmers and we finally found a pattern that she likes.  I had started a pair for her a while back, making the pattern myself, but I didn't like the way it was turning out.  So, we've been looking for patterns for a while and finally found one.  She picked out the yarn a few weeks ago, but I had a couple of other projects to work on and also wanted to work on it when I had the time to really concentrate on it with few interruptions.  I've only done about 5 rows on it, but they are not big and it's going fast.  It's basically a miniature version of the same stitch pattern I'm using on my afghan, with a few differences.

I didn't put anything on last Sunday's blog (because I was tired and in a hurry), but we had company last Saturday.  Both of Billyboys's sisters were in town and were over Saturday afternoon.  Bill got to use his grill (first time all year, I think, due to the burn ban we had with the hot weather and no rain), and we served burgers & dogs.  Hot dogs, not beagles & chupas!  We had a really nice visit and enjoyed getting to see them.

Guess that's it for tonight!  I'm going to go chase Bill down now and force him to take an allergy pill. :)

Thursday Stuff, Leaks and Clutter Among Other Things

The leak story actually started yesterday, last night I think.  I noticed an odd smell in the garage, but there are all sorts of things (Bill's junk) as well as the deep freeze, tools, my work bench, (more of Bill's junk), lots of dust and (lots more of Bill's junk).  So, I wasn't too worried.  Until this morning, when it smelled more like a chemical and it was strong.  Bill couldn't find anything, but we did open the garage door and air it out for a while before he went to work.  When we got home, it was strong again so we knew it was something we had to find.  Otter and I took all the recycling stuff and loaded it in the car, and Bill started Searching.  (Searching with a capital S for a reason:  Bill!).  He finally found it.

We moved into this house just over 6 years ago.  A few years before that, probably around 3 to 5 years, we had to replace the sewer line at the old house.  (Lot of work, and one of the many MANY times I wished that Bill weren't an engineer so we could actually get someone else to do the work!).  We used PVC pipe to replace the old, cracked sewer lines.  When you use PVC pipe, it's necessary to use a special glue or sealant between the pipe pieces to seal them correctly so that they don't leak or allow tree roots acess.  Bill still had some left, it's just been sitting on (the very top) shelf in the garage, for all these years.  Guess what developed a leak?

The fumes can be explosive, so it wasn't something that could wait.  After my chauffer (Otter) and I got back from the library, we had dinner (spaghetti!) and then got busy cleaning out the middle shelf unit of the garage.  All that, just to get to one small can that leaked!  It wasn't a big leak, and probably not enough to have even been dangerous.  But it did have a very strong odor.  Problem's solved now.

But it gave me an excuse to start back on getting Billyboy motivated to clean/de-clutter the garage.  And, believe me, I'm going to use it!

It's been a crazy week at work.  My wonderful boss, E.L., turned 95 on Monday.  He's been celebrating all week, and he's certainly entitled to.  Among other things, he had multiple pieces of chocolate birthday cake Monday and was like a sugared up toddler all afternoon!  He also thinks that Monday's holiday (not one we observe, given the Cherokee heritage) should be renamed to EL day.  I agreed with him, by the way.

I mentioned the library earlier.  Otter and I made our weekly trip today, we only had a few things that hadn't been turned in but we were desperately in need of more things to read.  We're stocked up now, although we both read fast so the books might not last quite as long as it looks like if you were to look at our bookshelf.

I've been reading some stuff about color blindness.  Dad had it, although he could see really bright colors like red.  Which is unusual, men usually have problems seeing red or green.  One of the rather interesting things I found was that the color problems I have, as do Froggy and Toadly, is very common with children of fathers who are colorblilnd.  I always thought that there was a connection, and it turns out that I was right.  It's usually passed from father to daughter, but not always.  Otter will have to watch for it when she has children, and so will Froggy's kids.  I'm not sure if JediMom or her kiddos have any issues with it.

I'm also wondering if the distance/depth perception problem I have might be related?  It's not an extremely bad depth perception problem, but there are times when it bothers me more than others.  When I'm driving, I tend to wait way longer than I have to when turning left - there is a distance where oncoming cars look like they are right in front of me but then they get to where they really are right in front of me, then I realize that they were pretty far away to start with.  I've suspected that Otter might have inherited it, and she thinks she has as well.  She notices it when driving, the same way I do but hers might not be as "bad" as mine is.  Froggy?  What about you?  I don't think Toadles has it.

Doggies go to the v.e.t. next week.  It's time for most shots.  And Maggie is in for a butt squishing!  (Don't tell her).

Tuesday Funny Stuff

First off: 

Zombie Preparedness

We saw this on the news this morning, and I found a link for it online.  It's absolutely brilliant on Ace's part.  And it's really funny.

Just because I think it's cute:

And one more:

Redheads Rule!

Also, just because it's funny:

I found my favorite, did you?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEDIMOM!  Although I think maybe I'm a day late.

Fall Sunday

It's officially been Fall for a few weeks now, but until today it didn't really feel like it.  It's been breezy, downright windy yesterday, and we've had some rain as well as a few cool days here and there.  But today is the first day that it's really felt like Fall to me.

We have rain on the way, which is always welcome.  And needed!  S. Texas got some rain overnight and this morning, from what my sisterfriend Virginia said they've actually had quite a bit in a short time.  We are in line for the same storm system, but it's slow moving so it might not be here for a while.  Well, the rain barrel still has quite a bit of water in it but it could use a top-off.

I got a lot of crochet done yesterday, and my arms are still tired!  But it was worth it and I really enjoyed it.  I have a few requested items to make, so I have projects this week to keep me busy.

This is a short post, but we've been busy all day and I'm tired.

HOOK 'EM!!!! (Posted Friday for Saturday)

Tired Thursday

I'm tired.  Mostly, because my allergies are beating me up.  I'm feeling foggy brained and sneezing frequently.  When I'm not sneezing, I'm coughing.  And wheezing, since the asthma is waking up due to the allergies.  I can't take allergy medicine, I have never found ANY at all that work for me.  They just make me dull & listless, and they keep me awake.  All of them.

So, I mostly just have to suffer.  I take motrin for the sinus pressure and/or headache, and try to keep the liquids pouring down for the irritated throat.

Actually, the allergy attack isn't extremely bad, it's just that it's "just enough" that I know it's there.  And that it's only going to get worse for the near future.

Fun!

I managed to get some crochet done today, I'm finished with the hat & scarf I was making but I still need to finish weaving in the tails on the hat.  And the scarf needs to be fringed.  But they are easy to do.  If I can find the time, that is.

I went to the grocery store after work today and it was kind of busy.  I don't like to wait until Thursday, but it just worked out that way.  I would have gone yesterday, but I had to take the car back in for something (the steering wheel was crooked) so I put it off to today.  We filled up the trunk, it was one of those "we're out of everything" trips.

Yes, I wore one of my Longhorn shirts.  No tailgating today, but tomorrow is the day that could be bad - since the Game is the next day.  I did compliment a teenage boy in the convenience store this morning, since he was wearing a Longhorn jacket.  He appreciated it, and I know how he feels!

We'll have company this weekend, so Bill's going to get out the grill.  I don't think we've used it at all this year.  I guess I'd better ask him if he checked the propane level!  It would not do at all to run out of propane in the middle of grilling burgers & dogs.

That would be a Bad Thing.

It's Taco Day!

Today is a fun day!  I'm not sure if it's a National Day or an International Day.  But either way is fine with us!  (The picture is from my trip to TEXAS last year).

Of course, we had tacos for dinner.  I forgot to take the ground turkey meat out of the freezer this morning, so we stopped at the grocery store on the way home and grabbed some.  I also picked up a container of Wholly Guacamole, but I forgot to put it out so no whack-a-mole for us tonight.  (It'll probably not survive long,  possibly tomorrow's snack style supper will be nachos and it will be gone quickly).  And, since I was later than I wanted to be and starving, I picked up a package of Spanish Rice mix.  Which I almost never do, but I didn't want to wait for Nuclear Spanish Rice to cook.  The mix was good, considering that it was actually Spanish Rice flavored vermicelli (think spaghetti).  At least the refried beans were actual beans, even if they were from a can and the fat-free variety.  We're stuffed.  But it was so good!

Did you have tacos today?  If not, you should have.

Sunday Sneezes

Achoo!

We've been doing a lot of that lately.  Today, especially.  But that might be because Otter gave the living room and Fenton a good dusting.  Which it needed, by the way. Bill's also been raising dust, as he is (finally) (begining to) getting the pachinko clutter in the living room under control.

The ragweed is still bad here, but it pretty much is everywhere this time of year.  Until we get a good freeze, we'll have to deal with it.  Also, goldenrod is blooming and it's nearly as bad as ragweed.  We still have morning glories, but they are pretty to look at without being an allergy factor.

Bill mowed the back yard after we got home from church today.  The front looks ok, so he's leaving it for a few days.  I brought in my humming bird feeders today, they are going to get a good cleaning and then be put away until next Spring.  It's still too early yet to put the seed feeders out.

We went to the dollar store today.  We do that fairly often, but we haven't been up there in a couple of weeks.  We made up for our absence today!  The cookie jar is now full, for one thing.

Otter is busy typing away at the moment, school work.  Is it still called homework at the college level?  That's what I'm calling it anyway.  She seems to be really enjoying college, and she also seems to be doing well with the workload.  She's taking 13 hours this semester.  Our music minister at church just sent his last kiddo off to school, she's away at college so they have a really empty nest.  I asked him today how they are doing, and he said that he and his wife have scheduled a bunch of things to do so they keep busy and don't have time to dwell on the fact that they have no more kids at home.  We still have about 2 years before Otter will most likely be heading off to dorm life.  I say "most likely" just for Bill's sake - he's not dealing well with the idea!  Suddenly, it's not so abstract anymore and Dad is having difficulties - he's going to be really bad when she's actually off somewhere.  I'm not looking forward to it, I think it will be good for her but I am going to be the one who has to deal with SadDad!  (Froggy, I bet you know what I'm talking about.)  Also, for reference:  Otter's new boyfriend will be referred to on here as HP because I think he looks like Harry Potter.

I put several rows on my afghan yesterday.  It's coming along nicely, but it's back in the tote bag I keep it in for a while.  Yesterday was cooler than it has been, but the afghan is really warm and getting to the stage where it's like a blanket on me as I work on it.  But I'm really pleased with it.

Movie Review:  Transformers Dark Side of the Moon.  Too long!  Not well written, not well acted and just not really very good.

I think it's time to go wake up a dog or two, they could probably use some backyard play time.  Or a snooze in the sunshine, which is what Maggie usually does after they run!  Frasier usually finds a spot to nap, but Maggie has her spot she prefers:  right in front of the back door.