Better

I actually managed to get some sleep last night.  I went to bed about 9:30, which was about 2 hours later than I wanted to but I like to wait up for Bill when he works b(oring)oard meetings.  Last night's meeting started 1/2 hour earlier and ended 2 hours earlier than normal, so he was home about 8:30.  I was thinking I'd probably not wait up for him like I usually do, but I probably should have still gone to bed earlier than I did.  But, I did sleep.  All night long, I didn't even wake up for a midnight bathroom trip.  Bill said he didn't thnk I moved all night long.  I was very rested this morning and felt better but I'm still sick.

I slogged my way through work today but it was tiring.  I came home and got Otter at lunch because I was pretty much ordered by her unofficial grandfather that he needed to see her.  He was so happy that she was coming in, he went and got his precious wife and brought her up to see Otter.

After work, we ran by Grandpa & Sweetie's to visit them for a few minutes and then we went to the college so Otter could buy her books for the next semester.  $308.00 this time, which is a little better than the $375.00 we had to shell out last Fall.  Classes start Monday.  She's going to need a new bag to carry them in, they won't fit in the backpack we were hoping would work.  We'll probably hit the Army Surplus store this weekend about that.  The laptop was supposed to be delivered tomorrow - so we planned our errands for today.  We got home to a FedEx sticker on the door and it's going to be re-delivered tomorrow.  Otter will be here to sign for it.  I'm glad it's FedEx and not UPS because the UPS guy tends to leave the boxes on the porch, ring the doorbell and run as fast as he can back to his truck.  Even when he is supposed to physically hand it to us, he usually doesn't.  FedEx seems to have their act together a little better, and Otter should have her laptop tomorrow.  Of course, the carrying case won't be here until Monday or Tuesday.

After getting the books, we went to Wallyworld and then to the dollar store since they seem to be the only people anymore who have the shampoo Otter can use.  They were the only place I could find mine, but I think that White Rain has quit making the plain, non-scented kind.  Not sure what I'm going to do when I run out, I guess I'll figure something out.

Anyway, after all that running around, I am t.i.r.e.d.!  We had tuna caserolle for dinner and I nearly forgot to put the tuna in it.  I'm chalking it up to being exhausted and not feeling the best.  Once we finally got all the ingredients in, it was pretty good.

On that note, I'm going to post this and call it a night.

I'm So Tired of This Cold!

And I'm just plain tired in general, mostly due to the stupid cold.

I think I might have gotten about 3 hours of sleep last night, all spaced out over the several hours of nighttime.

I'm grumpy.

I'm tired.

And I'm so beyond ready for this stupid cold to be gone!

Revolutions

Mom always got the word "resolution" confused with "revolution" and as a result, she always made New Year's Revolutions.  That's been on my mind today.

I don't really do the resolutions thing, I think it's kind of silly and pointless because most of the time people either a) come up with wildly impossible things, b) last about a week and then quit or c)  all of the above.  I have general goals of things I'd like to get accomplished, but they aren't really resolutions.  Or, perhaps I should say reVolutions instead! :)

I'm still not feeling the best, I still feel like I've been run over by a truck.  But, only by one truck today and not two like yesterday.  I slept so-so last night.  I woke up a couple of times because I was stuffy and had a dry mouth, and one time was because Bill woke me up and told me to roll over because I was snoring.  Which I'm sure I was, and he was doing what he was supposed to.  Since we both have to go back to work tomorrow, and he has a b(oring)oard meeting to work tomorrow evening, I'm thinking about sleeping on the couch tonight.  That way, at least one of us can get some sleep.  Frasier will be very happy, if I do sleep in there.  He'll spend all night letting me know how happy he is that I'm in there!

I did get out earlier.  I needed to get some stuff mailed, so Otter and I went to the post office.  I stayed in the car and she ran in and also checked the box for me.  We went to Hobby Lobby for a specific thing, which they didn't have, but I enjoyed talking to another crocheter.  We went to Michael's and they had what I wanted (more in another paragraph), and we also ran into Goodwill.  Goodwill was a run-in, run-out trip and we didn't buy anything.  We probably could have skipped it.  We did need to stop at Wallyworld (so I could stock up on kleenex!).  I was really tired when we got home.  We had dinner early (my birthday steaks a few days late) and I'm thinking that I'll probably spend the rest of the evening in front of the tv.

The specific thing I wanted is a specially shaped "handle" for my crochet hooks.  I've been having some pain in the muscle on my right arm, near the elbow.  A couple of weeks back, I kind of sprained it - I don't remember how I did it now, but at the time I thought that it was probably sprained.  It's pretty much healed up, but now I've noticed that after (and during) crochet time, it's started hurting and sometimes it hurts B.A.D.  I'd seen the handle before and remembered it, it's an ergonomic handle and is supposed to help with muscle pain, etc. so I figured it was worth the cost.  I think it's going to work, I put one of my hooks in it and did a few stitches on the scrap scarf I'm working on.  I don't think it's necessarily going to completely cure the problem, but it did seem to help.  Also, using a computer mouse really bothers my elbow if I have to use it for a long time - which I frequently do, and there are a couple of other times I've noticed it bothering me so it's not just crochet.  Which is a good thing!  But crochet does bother it.  It's the muscle, not the joint.  I usually sleep on my right side and that doesn't help it either.

Otter's spoiled.  HP made a special trip out today, just to bring her a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.  And it even had fresh strawberries and cream!  AND he even brought her a bag of candy that he got in Pennsylvania when his family went "home" for Thanksgiving.  I told her that she needs to hang on to this one.  Bill's jealous - of the cheesecake!  :)

I think we're going to get Otter's textbooks for the 2nd semester sometime this week.  She might get a new messenger bag to hold them all in, but she might use her Army Surplus backpack instead.  We're getting her a laptop to use, and it's going to depend on how heavy it is as well as how big the carrying case is.  The one we've ordered is supposed to be lighter weight than a lot of them, which is specifically for students and people who carry them for work.

Also, the dogsters need to get their heartworm pills refilled soon.  I order them in 3-month increments because that is about how long Maggie goes before she needs to get her rear end squashed and it's easy to remember that way.  Although Maggie Moo would probably prefer that I forget about that...

OK, I think I'm going to either go take a motrin and hold the couch down so it won't fly into the ceiling or skip the motrin and get a glass of wine.  Either way, the couch is calling me and I'm going to answer it!

Now Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

Or blog entry, if you prefer.

No funny title today.  That will resume next Sunday.  When I'm feeling better because right now, I feel pretty cruddy.  Otter tried to come down with a cold while we were in SA, which she probably picked up from JediMom's kids but could also have gotten from her cousin that we saw briefly on the day we arrived - and she thoughtfully shared the cold bug with me.  I started to be a little sneezish on the way home, but it didn't really hit me until yesterday.  I felt like it was coming on while we were running errands Friday, because I was starting to get a particular tickle in my throat that always means a cold.  I spent most of yesterday parked on the couch, we'd have been taking it easy anyway but I was taking it even easier.  I didn't even crochet!

Which means that I felt really bad.  I was thinking I might get the hook and yarn out today, but I haven't gotten there yet.  Otter's just about over the bug she had, but I'm in about the middle of it.  Good thing that tomorrow is a holiday from work.

Anyway.  We've spent the day watching parts of the Twilight Zone marathon that the Sci-Fi channel does on New Year's.  It's always good.  We're also having a pj day, although that was not intentional.  We didn't go to church, obviously, because I wasn't up to it this morning and nobody ever got around to getting dressed.  I have managed to get some laundry done but that's about it.

It's a pretty day today, at least it looks like it from the window!  We had a really strong wind most of yesterday afternoon and there was supposed to be a cold front hitting about midnight last night.  I don't think it was nearly as strong as it was expected to be.  I think it's cool but not as cool as was forecasted.

OK, now I think I'm finally hungry.  It's after 3:00 and I haven't had lunch.  We did have breakfast, Bill made us sausage and scrambled eggs which was delicious.  But I haven't been hungry today.  We are, along with having a pj day, having what we refer to as F & F as far as meals are concerned today.  Nobody is going to starve, we just are eating whatever whenever.  We didn't actually have our living room picnic Friday night - nobody was hungry since we had a late lunch.  So we had it for lunch yesterday, and it was good but we still have a lot of it left.  I might get into it and see what I can come up with.

Other than that, we are not doing much today.  I'm feeling better than I did earlier, I just hope that my supply of kleenex holds out and I don't have to go buy more today.  Tomorrow, I'm defintely going to have to get out - to buy kleenex!  And another toothbrush for Bill, since I accidentally used his last night and the last thing I want to deal with right now is a sick Bill!  (He's got a spare, from our travel kit). :)

Happy New Year! 2011 Review

Hard to believe another year has come and gone, but it's now 2012.  So I guess I have to get used to writing "12" and not "11" on my checks.  :)

2011 was a pretty good year, all things considered.  No major trauma that I can remember, and it had a couple of milestones.

Here goes:

January

Bill bought a couple of power tools.  That can be scary!

I had a cold.  Seems to be my thing for January because I have one now, in Jan. 2012!

I crocheted a lot.  And discovered that my alpaca yarn made me itch.  But since it's usually mixed with wool, as I discovered later on, I don't think it was the alpaca but was probably the wool mixed in.

I finally finished the blanket I started for Bill, it was made with scrap pieces of yarn and I'm happy with it.

We came very close to a head-on accident, in the dark one morning, when somebody crossed into our lane and was speeding.  I nearly hit a fence way off the side of the road trying to get out of his way and he still only missed us by inches.

We had a little snow.

February

This was the cold month!  We had a major blizzard and were essentially housebound for over a week.  There were a couple of breaks where we could get out, but we spent a lot of time home and were pretty stir crazy by the time the weather cleared up.  I still have the scar on my chin from when the car rolled backwards in the driveway and the door hit me.  I crocheted so much during that time that I was actually tired of it, and that is saying something!

I finally finished the quilt I started for Otter when she was in kindergarten!

Otter's Happy Accident with the picante/spaghetti sauce.  It was fun.

The tulips started coming up.

March

The redbud tree started budding out.

The bluebonnet that just showed up started to bud  as well.

We saw the movie Rango.  Which was fantastic!

Bill sold two pachinko machines on eBay.  They sold really well.

March is International Crochet Month, which I participated in every chance I got. :)

The country of Japan was rocked by a huge earthquake and tsunami.

The power steering leak in my car was discovered.

Otter saw her allergy/asthma doctor and he was amazed at how well she's doing.

The last Borders store in our area closed.  That was a bad thing.

Otter had an existential crises.  Her graduation stuff arrived!

Blockbuster closed, we bought a lot f dvd's.

A certain favorite Otter of ours turned 19!

April

The a/c drain in the garage clogged up.  Which caused a big mess, and we had to move more pachinko machines out of the way than I can count!

I had my worst hot flash to date.  I hope I don't have another one llike it.

April means spring storms and we had a couple.

Otter had what we suspected was strep throat, but it turned out to be "just" a virus.

The bluebonnet had a second bloom.  Then some heathen stole it right out of our yard!

May

After 10 years, vengence/justice was served!

Our PayPal account was hacked.  We caught it and the bank filled out the paperwork to freeze the account so no money would be transferred, but then the bank let it go anyway and they learned just how fun RHTW* is to deal with.  She got results, and the bank refunded us the money.  PayPal eventually got their act together, but it was a nightmare dealing with it.

Otter took me to the zoo for Mother's Day. It was really nice.

A wren started a nest in the planter that was Mom's and I have it on my front porch.

I made my soap pump from a mason jar, it's on the craft blog. It turned out well.

Otter was recognized at Church as a graduate.

Bill learned how to make molds & cast pieces in plastic for the pachinko machines.

The Big Thing happed on the 19th - OTTER GRADUATED!  She worked very hard to get to this point and we are so proud of her.

Nana came to visit!

I found another bluebonnet and promptly transplanted it.

Joplin had a major tornado, F5 and many, many deaths.  They are stil recovering.

We had a couple of close calls ourselves.

The last day of high school!  Otter celebrated with donut holes for breakfast.

We finally convinced Bill that he needed his own cell phone.

June

The baby birds on the front porch (4) flew off.  It was so much fun, we hope that we get another bird family to "raise". And the nest was built with lots of yarn scraps!

Otter picked up her diploma!

Spring Stoms continued, but June was a better month than May as far as storms go. We had a lot of rain, which was an issue at the time but also something we looked back on fondly later on in the summer!

Billyboy turned 50.

Bill finished up the 4 adirondack chairs for the back deck.  We enjoyed them a lot, until it got too hot to even breathe!

Discovered that the peace lily plant I've had since 2001 (Mom's funeral) actually knew how to bloom. I didn't think it was a blooming plant, but then it surprised me and started blooming.  A lot!

Found a coach purse at Goodwill!

We spent the last week of June on vacation, we stayed home but had a couple of our rambling trips.

July

Bill and Otter managed to use up most of the fireworks that Bill's had stored for several years.

It was H.O.T.

Robin built a nest in the redbud.

We saw the last Harry Potter movie and it was very good.

Fenton announced that they are closing. :(

Otter enrolled at college!

Otter had to get a filling.  The first one she's ever needed, 19 years without a cavity is pretty good. The dentist also officially decided that her wisdom teeth would need to come out. That was not a surprise, we'd been watching them for a while.

August

Otter had a really strange job interview at Build-a-Bear. The actually told her that their part-time job was more important than college!

Still H.O.T.  We hit records!

All the little robins flew off.

Sales tax free weekend!  We shopped.  A lot.

I crocheted the first sock monkey hat.  It was fun.

Bill replaced the brakes in my car.

We were without our internet for a few days, it was an area-wide outage.

The a/c in the car started acting up.  Again.

Somebody poured coke on Bill's car when I was driving it one day.  I know who did it, and they were in a truck with ou stickers all over the place.  So we're pretty sure it was because of the TEXAS Longhorns emblem we have.

The weather finally started cooling off.  A Little.  High 90's as opposed to low 100's.

Otter's oral surgery, the two lower wisdom teeth came out.  She was not a happy camper!

Otter started college 4 days after the wisdom teeth surgery.  That was a Big Day!

5.8 earthquake in Washington DC.  Odd place for one, we thought.  But we discovered a couple of months later that they were happening in odd places all over!

September

It got H.O.T. again!

We got flu shots.  As early as we can each year.

Lovely Neighbor started calling the cops on our dogs.  Even when they weren't barking!  Even when she was out in her back yard talking loudly, probably to make them bark.

Mailed off my scarves/hats for Troops.  I can't remember the exact name of the group that I mailed them to, but they were received and I got a very nice letter back.

The Future Librarian lost her library card and had to get a new one.  Anybody besides me see the irony in that?

10 years since our national nightmare.  But Justice was served in May.

One of my crowns came off but it was a tooth that needed a filling, so the dentist did the filling and then we able to replace the crown which bought me a few more years before I have to replace it.

The weather got better, cooler and we actually had some 50's mornings!

But we did have some rough weather mid-month.

Racoon tracks on the hood of the El Camino!

Got the car aligned and bought tires.  Also got the power steering leak fixed.  Froggy, I put an easter egg in the blog about being able to ramble farther and you missed it!  Because this is when we decided to go Home for Christmas. :)

It was also when RHTW* was officially introduced to the car mechanic place we were using.

October

A certain football game was in early October.  We got tailgated a lot in the days leading up to it and honked at a few times.  Which usually caused us to flash the Hook 'Em sign.

RHTW* made a couple of trips back to the mechanic.  They do not like her!  And She doesn't care.

28th anniversary of when we met!

Bill had an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis.

I had a sinus infection.

Otter's Adventures in Plantar's Warts started this month!  And it continued until December, so she was not a happy camper for a while.  I don't blame her, by the way.

Bill bought firewood.

November

Guess who took the car back to the mechanic?  RHTW* in full flow and with both barrels loaded, that's who. :)  They got more than one visit this month.  And no more after that.

Otter enrolled for the second semester at college.

It got Bouncy!  5.6.

Thanksgiving, we ate too much but it was a nice day.  It was a quiet day.

Frasier had an expensive snack, in the form of a library book.

Chevy became our official mechanic, and we're happy with them.

We finally got the tulips planted!

December

It was an interesting month, among other things there was an itrude on Otter's college campus.  It turned out to be minor, someone trying to run from the cops instead of pulling over when they wanted him to and he attempted to hide by leaving his car in the parking lot and running into the school library.  Where he was caught promptly!  But it was kind of nerve-wracking.

Bill had to get a filling.  And he nearly had to get a route canal.  Which may still be in his future.

Otter's first semester of college ended.  The finals were not hard, and she passed everything.

We went to TEXAS for Christmas!

I celebrated my 50th birthday with puffy tacos in San Antonio.

I'm half way done with the afghan I started in November of 2010.  I hope to finish it sometime in 2012. :)

We saw JediMom on our way to San Antonio.

The dogs got a vacation at the same time that we did.

We made the trip back to OK in record time.

It was a good year and an interesting one.  A lot of things happened and most of them were actually good.  We're looking forward to 2012.  And no, we don't expect the world to end on 12/21/12!  Although that is the day my notary commission expires. :)

*RHTW  See my many posts with the label Red Hair.  It's self-explanatory!

Just Friday

And a pretty busy one at that.

I've been catching up on laundry, Otter and I did several loads yesterday and I've got one going now.  I still have a couple of loads to do Sunday.  I'm amazed by the amount of dirty laundry we had, considering that we were gone for nearly a week!  There weren't a lot of other household chores to be done, I like to leave a clean house so that I'll come back to a clean house.

We went to Michael's & Hobby Lobby today, Otter needed something from both stores.  We also went to Wallyworld for a couple of misc grocery items we forgot yesterday and to a thrift where we found nothing.  We went to a craft mall and Otter found something there.  There were a few other errands but they were just normal stuff like going to the Post Office and so forth.

Yesterday's grocery trip was the one I started out to do on Wednesday but realized I'd forgotten the list.  Which is probably just as well, considering how tired I was Wednesday and just how much we actually needed because we'd more or less run out of everything prior to our vacation.

I took my car in for an oil change yesterday and it was about $12.00 less that the "other" place that we don't go to anymore.  The power steering fluid still checks out as ok, so I'm thinking that we are ok as far as it's concerned.  But we'll still watch it for a while.

Also, Bill got another pachinko machine yesterday.  There was a machine advertised in a small town not too far from us and we met the seller yesterday.  That makes 3 he's gotten in the last week.

I realized today that I think I've probably got all the Fenton I want.  Except for the occasional piece, I'm thinking that I'm probably not going to buy much of it anymore.  I really like what I have, but I don't have a lot of room for it.  Also, the ones I'm interested in are the older pieces and they are getting very hard to find.  Especially for what I want to pay for them!

I also took the several weeks' worth of recycling that had been piling up in the garage to the recycle place this morning.  I was out right before the sun rose and got to see it.  The sky was so pretty, lots of reds and pinks.  It's a pretty day, just a little breezy and slightly cool but nice.  We have a cold front heading our way, it should get here about the same time as 2012 does.  Well, we'll be home and probably asleep then anyway!

Since we were not home on Christmas Eve, we're having our traditional Christmas Eve Living Room Picnic tonight.  I guess that makes it a Not Quite New Year's Eve Living Room Picnic instead.  Also, it's in the kitchen on the table because the dogsters are NOT invited.  We'll be having Christmas on Monday with Grandpa and Sweetie, since were were in SA over Christmas.  So the Annual Bill Breakfast which we normally have on Christmas is a New Year's Breakfast instead.  (And we might not eat for days after that, it's a huge breakfast and lots of fun).

Those are my thoughts today, just normal stuff I guess.

It's Been a Loooooooooooooooooooooooong Day!

It started at 4:00 this morning.  Actually, I think it started earlier than that, but that is when I looked at the clock.  I think Bill's day started a couple of hours before that.

We've been out of town.  We went to TEXAS for Christmas.  We left at 4:50 last Friday morning and drove to San Antonio.  We spent the next several days with assorted family and had a wonderful Christmas.  And I turned 50.  My birthday was spent having puffy tacos and shopping.  It was worth the 500 mile drive for the puffy tacos alone!  But we had a lot of visiting time in there as well, it wasn't all about food.

The dogsters had a vacation, they went to stay with "Beckymom" at her boarding kennel.  We took them last Thursday and we picked them up this afternoon.  They were crazy excited to see us!  When we left them there last week, Frasier was quite happy to get there but Maggie was practicing her sad puppy expression - until we got out of her sight, then she was bouncy & ready to play with the other doggies.  We could see her as Becky took them to the play yard, and it was pretty obvious that Maggie was happy the second we were out of her sight.  Frasier is always easier to leave anywhere, and they were well looked after so we weren't worried about them.

We left a little early this morning, about 4:45.  We hit Austin and Dallas well before the traffic normally starts and we made it home in record time.  8 hours, 45 minutes.  We've never made it that fast before.  We didn't actually stop to eat, we had beef jerky & snack food as well as cokes and bottled water.  Since we were making such good time, we decided that we'd just head straight and eat when we got home.  We had Digorno's pizzas waiting in the freezer at home for us, and they were delicious.

Among other things on our trip, Otter and I met Froggy at the yarn store I like so much and I stocked up on the good yarn that is hard to find.  We also went to a couple of thrift stores and I saw the exact match of my wedding gown.  I didn't think about it until later, but my dress was made for me and it's very possible that it actually was my gown.

Bill acquired two pachinko machines on the trip, one of them in Dallas and one in San Antonio.  The Dallas machine was picked up for him a few weeks back by JediMom and she held it for ransom for a visit from us - she even sent him a ransom note with letters cut out from a magazine.  Bill's brother picked up the other machine for him.  There was another one in the Waco area, he'd made arrangements to look at it on the way back today but the seller forgot to put it in her car and was at work.  She wouldn't have been able to get off work until 5:00 and it was around 9:00 when we were in the area, so we had to skip that stop.  Still, he got two new machines so he's happy.

We are off the rest of the week and don't have to go back to work until Tuesday.  Tomorrow, I'm taking the car in for an oil change and then going to the grocery store.  I was going to the grocery store today, but realized as I was walking in the door that I'd left the (long) list at home.  So, I just grabbed milk & orange juice and I'll hit it tomorrow.  I'm pretty tired anyway.

The couch is calling me, so I'm going to post this and then take it easy until bedtime.  Which will probably be very early tonight!  But we had a great trip and I'm so glad we went.  However, it will be good to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Run, Bill! I'm about to catch up with you!

Tomorrow marks the start of the 6-month period where Bill and I will be the same age.

Also known as Motorcycle Day.  At least as far as Toadles is concerned.  :)

One King Holds the Hope of the World

One King

(Written by Jeff Borders, Gayla Borders, Lowell Alexander )


Kings of earth on a course unknown
Bearing gifts from afar
Hoping praying
Following yonder star


Silhouette of a caravan
Painted against the sky
Wise men searching
For the holy child


(chorus)


One king held the frankincense
One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold
One King held the hope of the world


A star hangs over bethlehem
A journey ends in the night
Three kings trembling
Behold the glorious sight

Heaven's treasure emmanuel

Drawing men to bow down

Tiny baby born to wear a crown

One king held the frankincense

One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold
One King held the hope of the world

And that one King still holds the Hope of the world.  He is the Hope of the world!  Our eternal Hope and we would be so lost without Him.

Merry Christmas!

Just Stuff on a Cold & Wet Tuesday (and I'm On My Soapbox Tonight)

Actually, it's more cool than cold.  But it has been wet off & on today.  Mostly this morning, when it was also very foggy.  Yesterday was very wet, which was expected but was still an inconvenience.  Otter and HP were running around between a mall and several stores in the general area of the mall, they had to deal with it more than I did but it was still messy and not a fun drive.  Bill was lucky, or smart, he stayed home all day yesterday.  Except for a brief run (or 2) to the hardware store, because he was fixing a couple of things.

Soapbox alert:  I did want to address something that has me concerned.  And it probably means that we won't shop at Macy's anymore - we don't shop there often, but we do shop there on occasion but won't anymore.  Macy's has changed their policy regarding dressing rooms.  Basically, if a man who cross dresses (as in pretends to be a woman) wants to try on clothing, he is allowed to go into the women's changing room.  Apparently, there have been a couple of complaints by women in the dressing room at the time and Macy's has basically told them to shut up about it and that they have to put up with it.  That is so wrong, on so many levels.  As Bill commented, all it's going to take is one pedophile or predator taking advantage of Macy's ERROR and we can all figure out from there what is going to happen.  This issue was raised on a web board I'm a member of (maybe not for much longer), and the gay members were pretty upset because anyone would complain - I don't care what someone chooses to do with their personal life (and it IS a choice) as that is between them and God.  I don't think that some choices are right, but that's not the issue here.  The issue is privacy and security, and Macy's will pay for this one, one way or another.  Starting with loss of sales, and if there is an incident then they'll probably wind up in court.  Although if we were ever in that position and someone did cross the line, they might have to scrape him off the floor when we (any one of us) were done with him.

OK, I'm stepping off of the soapbox for the moment.  At least, that particular one.

Otter has her foot check up tomorrow, but we're thinking that she's cured.  The wart is gone and the skin looks new where it's been peeled due to the freezing process.  She says that it's not painful anymore and we expect that the doctor will say she's through.

My birthday is one week from today!  I expect Fifty to be good, I really enjoyed turning 40 and now it's time to turn the page on decades.  Otter and Bill have both asked me what I want, but I haven't come up with anything yet.  In church on Sunday, Pastor Dave was talking about husbands buying Christmas gifts for their wives and how they should stay away from appliances.  But my last two Christmas & birthday gifts have been appliances at my own request.  I just don't need any at the moment.  Well, the dishwasher is going to have to be replaced sooner or late but not yet.  I just can not come up with anything.

Anybody got any suggestions?

Sunday Ducks

My chickens are no longer free-ranging, and my ducks are all back in a row now.  I like my ducks to be in a row, waddling in step and quacking in unison.  Unlike Bill, who prefers his geese to be all over the place!

Interesting article:  Redheads & Dentists

We now have our Christmas trees up!  Two of the three ceramic trees, they are on top of the entertainment center on one side.  I still haven't found the stockings, so we're probably just going to have to make do with plastic grocery bags this year.  I'm not inclined to get back up in the attic at the moment.

I don't know why the picture is so dark, the flash was on and it's a bright enough corner.  But anyway, there are two of the three ceramic trees we have.  The big one is one that Mom gave us the first Christmas we were in Oklahoma, so it's about 19 years old.  There were 3, one was Froggy's and one was Toadle's.  Mine is the only one still intact and it's always a "hold your breath" moment when we unpack it each year.  The smaller one is one I picked up at a thrift store or yard sale a couple of years ago.

This is one of the reasons that we don't have the big tree up this year:

She was looking up at me in hopes of being let out in the back yard, but as soon as I pushed the button on the camera she looked down and that's the picture that I took.  The other furry clown was nowhere to be seen, he leaves as soon as he sees the camera.  No idea why.

This is the reason we don't have one of the (many) tabletop trees that we have up:

That is the sofa table, which is in front of the back window in the living room.  Part of Billyboy's arm is visible in the top, left corner.  The trash can is sitting on top of the bookshelf he made for us, because the aforementioned furry clowns tend to take things out of it if we leave it on the floor.  The pink socks that are beside the trash can are old ones that Otter outgrew, and now they are Frasier's.  He wore them for a while last night, when he started chewing on his leg again.

We're through Christmas shopping!  We don't have a lot to buy, since we are out of the gift exchange whirl for the most part.  There were just a couple of things we wanted to get, and we also needed to do some "us" shopping so we hit the mall as soon as we got home from church.  We got there just before the crowd and were able to get what we wanted, then get out without too much trouble.  When we left, it was getting really crowded.  We also went to Wally and a couple of other places and they were very crowded.

Since the weather was cooperative, and it needed to be done, Otter and I got the vacuum out while ago and de-furred the inside of my car.  She also cleaned the inside of the front windshield for me, and the two back windows while she was at it because they had lots and lots of doggy nose prints.  When we got through, I loaded the trunk full with stuff to donate.  I'll take it to Goodwill tomorrow, then I'll load the trunk up again but this time it will be recycling stuff.

Now, if I could just get Bill to get the garage organized...

The Chickens Have Not Quite All Come Home to Roost Yet!

I just re-read yesterday's post.  Most of my chickens have come back to where they belong, but there are still a few stray ones out there.  I did notice that I referred to HP as BF, BF was the previous boyfriend and frankly, we're all glad he's out of the picture.  But I guess I forgot what abbreviation I use for HP.  From here on out, I'll try to remember to say HP and not BF!  But, if I do slip and say BF please realize that I mean HP.

Some of the chickens are still running around as far as work goes.  I got a lot done today, but it was another day of dealing with the 95-year old teenager and progress has a tendency to stop at those times.

Otter is offically done with her first semester.  She had her last Final today, she said it was easy.  She wanted to stay at school today after the test, she got to spend several hours involved in serious Girl Talk with one of her friends.  So I picked her up when I got off work, and we went to run a couple of errands.

We went to the library, which means arm loads of books.  Then we went to Target and realized that we probably should have just skipped it.  Total waste of time!  I think that we've probably had that experience almost every time we've gone lately.  I did find a pair of boots that I really liked, and I need some desperately - some that have actual tread on the soles so I don't break something on the ice this winter.  But they didn't work with my stupidtoes.  I have to wear a size to a size and a half bigger, because of my stupidtoes which are not to be confused with my stupidleftknee.  I didn't buy the boots, because the bigger size was too big and my feet slid around but the actual size I really should wear hit wrong on my foot.

The stupidtoes came about because I once tried to put the couch into orbit with my foot.  It was the couch's fault!  The stupidtoes keep me from wearing all sorts of shoes, because of where the shoe "bends" as I walk - when I kicked the couch, the toes weren't the only things to break.  (This is the same couch that also tried to kill Bill, starting with the toes.)  (We don't have that couch anymore, by the way).

Anyway, I refer to them as my weather toes at times and they have been living up to that name a lot lately, but today they are just stupidtoes.  I guess I'm going to have to hit the Army Surplus store and get some combat boots.  Otter has a pair that her Grandpa gave her and she wears them very often.  Especially in the winter when it's icy.  I have seen them at the Army Surplus store but they didn't have my size the last time we were there.

We might be back there soon, Otter's bag that she's used for over 3 years to carry school books in split down the side Friday.  We got it, as well as her camo backpack, there and I think that we'll probably look there for a replacement.  She's got a few weeks off, so we're in no hurry but will get there before she starts school again.

And, with any luck, I'll find a pair of boots there and they'll work with my stupidtoes!  And also with my stupidleftknee.  The stupidtoes are on my right side, the stupidleftknee is (obviously) on my left side.  Which makes life really fun at times!

Free Range Chickens

I've kind of been all over the place today, figuratively (sp?), so my thoughts are like Free Range Chickens this afternoon.  It was a crazy day at work, so was yesterday.  I have a couple of things that have to be done on a specific schedule, and the 95-year old 2 year old decided that he had to help me today - which means that it took me all day to do what should have just taken a couple of hours.  He's still fun, it's just that there are times when I really need to do what he pays me for!  Today was one of those days.

I've also been fighting a headache all day, and Otter has had a migraine all day.  She's currently taking a looooooooooooooooooooong shower, which always helps.  Bill's probably going to regret coming home from work today, both his wimmins are grumpy!

It was warmer today, but not by much.  It was misty, not rainy but just yucky.  But, since we have a possibility of "winterish" weather in the next few days, I'm not complaining.  Much.

I am just about through with my commissioned crochet project.  I don't like to sell much of it, I prefer that it stay fun and not become "work" but the occasional piece is fine.  I made a few swiffer covers for someone a couple of months ago, that was one I enjoyed.  I have made the odd piece here and there, when someone wants it.  I don't mind making a few items to sell.  The current project is two scarf/hat sets for someone Bill works with, and since he's got more time to take off before it vanishes at the end of the year, he's off next week so I've been attempting to get them done in a hurry.  I've taking it to work with me the last two days and I should be able to finish it tonight.  I had some issues with the hats, I think it was "pilot error" because I'm using the same pattern I always do, but I figured out what I needed to change so it's been fixed - however, I have had to frog more than one hat lately and it's not fun!  These are blue & white striped and look good, but I will still be glad to be done with them.  The scarves are going easier than the hats did, at least.

I also made quite a few hats and scarf/hat sets for gifts, several of Otter's friends are now wearing them.  Apparently, BF was overjoyed with his set.  But that might have had something to do with who actually gave it to him!  :)

Bill went to the dentist yesterday.  He's not a fan of medical practicioners, as we all know.  He tends to put things off until he has no choice and the dentist visit was no exception.  He got a major, honking filling.  It's big.  It was very nearly a root canal, and there is still a possibility that it will eventually need one.  But for now, it's filled.  The dentist we use is very no-nonsense and is very thorough.  So, if she thinks Bill needs something, we will listen.  She did convince him that he needs a cleaning and an exam with x-ray, so he's got an appointment in early January.  I wasn't able to go with him yesterday, so I guess I should just be glad he actually went!  :)  But, I will go when he has the next appointment.

The reason I wasn't able to go with him yesterday is because Otter's last class got out early - which we knew was going to happen.  Actually, she just had to turn in an essay which was the Final for that class and then she was free to go.  She had two other Finals yesterday, one was an in-class essay and one was an essay due yesterday like the last class of the day.  So, she actually only had one class yesterday and it didn't involve a test.  The rest of the day was spent hanging out with friends.  When I got there, we went to the college bookstore and sold one of her books back.  She had two that we were hoping they would buy, but they only bought one.  We'll possibly put the remaining one on Craigslist.  She has one more class, tomorrow, which is the one "real" class she had on Monday.  Then, she's officially through with her first semester of college and is free for close to a month.

Bill said the tamale guy called him today, I guess he still has my old number on file but that's Bill's number now.  I'm thinking I'll order a few dozen.  I like to keep them in the freezer, and we usually eat them on New Year's Eve.  With homemade chili.

I'm making myself hungry!

Sunday Eh?

(First things first, I'd like to thank Alexandra for the picture on my sidebar.  The picture of the lovely, precious little girl who is just as entitled to life as the rest of us.)

Eh? is one of those all-purpose words, it can mean whatever it needs to in a non-commital way.  It also means that I can't think of an appropriate title today!

It's been a busy week, and also a little slow at the same time.  Bill was back at work, he used up all his comp time before it went away for ever the week before.  Otter has just about finished her first semester at College, she still has one or two days this coming week and then she's done for close to a month.  The last day is uncertain, each of her four teachers has changed their finals dates at least once.  She thinks that tomorrow is the last day for at least one of her classes, but she won't know for sure until tomorrow.  The book buy-back is this coming week, she's probably got two that are eligible and will take them in tomorrow.  She's not expecting much, but one of them turned out to not be used at all - although it was required that she have it - and it's still in the shrink wrap it was in when she bought it.  She's going to ask about that, since it was also a new book when she bought it.

One of her class assignments was to come up with a skit to show what the class was about, they were divided into two groups.  That class also had a homework project that had to be done on posterboard.  The poster was due Friday and that was also when the skits were presented.  Otter didn't want to carry her posterboard and clothes for the skit, so I took them to her when I got off work.  The instructor told me to stay, so I got to observe.  Otter's group involved being bums or protestors, none of them actually looked the part (too clean!) but they did try and they had a lot of fun.  Froggy, that's what I texted you pictures of.  They had a good time with it and they did a good job.

It was cold this week, mostly at night and we've had a few excuses to use some of that firewood we bought.  Friday night, we roasted marshmallows.  It was fun and they were good.  Also, the dogsters did not forget where their spots were and they spent a lot of time napping in front of the fireplace.  Especially Maggie Moo.  Frasier likes the warmth, but he prefers to snooze on their blankets.  It could be rainy mid-week.

I've been crocheting a lot.  I have a pay job, and it never fails:  I make headway destashing and then I get a pay job - and I never have the particular color in my stash so I have to go buy it!  I'm in the middle of the latest one and should be able to finish it tomorrow.  Possibly tonight, but I'm not really sure I want to try.  Then there may be another job, which Bill will find out for sure about tomorrow since it's for someone he works with.  I've also made two scarf/hat sets for Otter to give as Christmas gifts to her friends.  I had a few other hats already made and she's been in that as well, so several of her friends will be wearing my crochet.  I actually like "selling" them to her, because she works off anything she owes me! :)

Otter had a fun day, we went to Wallyworld and got there just as her favorite cashier was getting his lunch break.  So, they walked to a pizza place next door to Wallyworld and I ran a couple of other errands I had.  Then by the time I got done, they were just heading back to the store so he could clock back in.  Otter and I got our small shopping done and then we had to go through a specific check stand.  HP's going to be getting one of the scarf/hat sets, incidentally.  His set is forest green and I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

We rented the movie Cowboys & Aliens yesterday.  It was surprisingly good.  Not exactly your standard sci-fi, but that's part of what made it so enjoyable.  We'll probably buy it.

It doesn't seem possible that Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and also that the end of this year is right behind that.  It should still be only about June or July.

This & That Thursday

YOU CAN KEEP THE CHANGE!  I'll keep my God and my guns and my Constitution.

70

May we never forget.

May we never stop remembering.

May we always honor the memory of the Lost.

The Foot Book

That's the title of one of the wonderful Dr. Suess books, specifically it's the one that Otter wanted read over and over and over and over and over and...  We still have most of it memorized!

But the title today reflects the fact that I could just about write a book myself, and it would all deal with Otter's foot.  Her left one.

She saw the dermatologist today, and the majority of the crop is gone.  The big plantar's wart is dead & bye-bye now, the last of it was cut off and most of the other spots have also died.  But there were still two, they were tiny and were more or less hidden by the big one.  So, she got another freeze treatment.  But it was not nearly as bad as the previous ones, although it wasn't pleasant.  She goes back in two weeks, and since it's the week before Christmas her list probably includes "no more frozen feet!"  I took pity on the girl, I bought her ice cream.

Finals start tomorrow, then her last class days are staggered through next week.  I think that Wednesday will be her last class, then she's done with the first semester.  She will have about 3 1/2 weeks off, before the 2nd semester starts.  She's looking forward to sleeping in the first day.

Can't say I really blame her!

(It's been in the 30's the last two days, last night was really cold but tonight is going to be even colder.  We're looking at mid-teens.  Now, I'm going to post this and go back to the living room where I will re-join Bill and Otter, in front of the roaring fireplace.  I might have to shove a dog or two aside.)

Sunday Waiting

What are we wating for?

For the weather to decide what it's going to do, that's what.  The forecast has changed daily since about Thursday, but there is a good possibility of white stuff sometime over the next couple of days.  But, as we all know, the forecasters really are just guessing so anything can happen at this point.  What we do know is that it's cold and going to be for a few days.  We did get the expected rain yesterday, so they at least got that right, although I don't think that the nearly hurricane force winds were in the forecast!  I'm so glad that we got the tulip bed planted last weekend.

So, we're prepared for anything at this point.  But Bill has to work a b(oring)oard meeting tomorrow evening, so we hope that it holds off.  The normal plan for meeting days is that I get off work, go get whatever he decides he wants for dinner and bring it to him.  Then, I go back to Otter's college and get her and we go to/through whatever fast food place she & I decide upon for dinner.  Then, Bill gets home whenever the school board members stop talking - which might not be early, one time he didn't get home until nearly 2:00 a.m.  And he had to go to work the next morning at 7:00!  But the night of the 4th earthquake was an early one, he said that as soon as they felt the floor shimmer it was amazing how quickly they finished up!

Otter and I did some Christmas shopping today.  We always pick an Angel from the Angel tree our church sponsors, and we got an 8-year old girl this time.  It's been a while since I had one of those (an 8 year old girl) and we really aren't sure what toys are popular with that age range anymore.  We finally decided on a mix of toys instead of one specific toy.  Always included are things like coloring books & crayons, stickers and that sort of thing.  This year's package includes My Little Pony, as well as a couple of craft-oriented things, a jump rope, sock monkey and a pair of cute socks.  There are a couple of other things, I just can't remember what they are.  The church sponsors a women's/children's shelter and the Angel tags don't really have a lot of information beyond the child's gender, age and "toy" for the wish.  I asked about that and apparently, that is all the information that the shelter will give them.  I can understand not giving out anything in the way of identification, but "toy" doesn't help much!  We went to Toys R Us and wandered around until we found several things.  When Otter was little, we always tried to pick a child that was close to her age since that way we knew what the popular things were.  But we are having to wing it now.

(OK, I'm back.  I just had to go stop the washing machine from dancing!).

We had chili tonight.  So we're happy campers.  It was good and it was hot.  Rotel is now making a "hot" variety of their tomatos, so that's what I use know.  Along with a boatload of chili seasoning and chili beans, and then Bill usually adds at least one jalepeno and lots of picante sauce to his.

We also got up into the attic today.  I brought down the wreath and the small, ceramic Christmas tree.  I was going to get the stockings and a few other things, but I didn't want to have to go through all the boxes since they are all sealed.  Also, it was cold and dusty up there.  So, our stockings will probably be Wallyworld bags this year!  We weren't going to use the big tree this year anyway, the ceramic tree is small (tabletop size) but it's got a lot of sentimental value.  Also, since it's going to be on top of the entertainment center, there is no chance of a certain pair of dogs playing with the ornaments this year!  They've done that before and they are not trustworthy at the moment.

Speaking of dogs, they are very happy this evening.  I was putting pasta on to boil and I dropped about a handful of it before it got to the pan of water.  I'm pretty sure that the dogs teleported into the kitchen, and they cleaned up every single piece of pasta from the floor in a matter of milliseconds.  I guess you could say that we have Pasta Dogs for real?!

Just a Thursday

Not a T & T Thursday.  There will be another one, I'm just kind of tired tonight and don't want to come up with any serious thoughts.  Although I do have some ideas for one.  And it is political, FYI.

I figured that I probably should at least post something,  since the last installment was Monday.

Today's excitement has been that Otter and I went to the grocery store.  Such a thrilling life we lead! :)  Also, she and Billyboy met me for lunch at a Chinese place and we enjoyed the buffet.  Then she and Bill went to meet someone and buy a pachinko machine from him.  They met him just up the street from where I work, so they came by to show me the machine and then Otter wound up staying with me for the afternoon.  Which made a certain 95-year old oilman very happy!

We went to the post office before the grocery store.  We had to mail something for Bill and I was out of stamps.  Otter found us some really cute ones:  Pixar!  They have a Toy Story character (Buzz Lightyear), but not our favorite cowgirl!  (I still say that Disney owes us major royalties for that one!).

Bill said that the dogsters were waiting for us to get home, about an hour before we did actually arrive, which is the time I/we normally roll in the door on non-college days.  I guess that they've figured out that the bus doesn't bring Otter home anymore, but they do seem to know when we/I usually get home on the other days.

OK, all I can think of for now!

The Tulip Has Landed!

OK, so "the eagle has landed" is the actual quote.  But the point is that the tulip bed has been planted!  And I have the sore muscles to prove it.  Comes from being on the business end of a post-hole digger.  Everytime I use the thing, I remember Dad calling it an "idiot stick" and I know what he meant!

I talked to the Chevy mechanic today.  He said that if their paperwork says that they added power steering fluid last week, then it was low.  Which is what I was afraid of.  I'm going to watch it very closely for the next several days, and if I have to add any fluid to it then RHTW* is going to take the car back to the first place and let them have it.  "It" as in the Temper in full flow.

It was C.O.L.D. today.  Low 20's when we headed out this morning.  Which was not unexpected, especially given the fact that I had a car load of stuff to take to the recycle center on the way in.  Otter got a run through Sonic for tater tots out of the deal, so she didn't complain.  Much.  But it does seem to me that when we plan something like that, it either rains or gets really cold.  I don't think we got beyond the mid-40's all day.  Tonight will be cold again and tomorrow will be slightly warmer, but not warm by any stretch of the imagination.

Billyboy took an allergy pill last night.  He was loopy, with a capital Loop!  He dozed off on the couch, went to bed early and slept most of the night through.  He might have had fever last night, it's just about impossible to take his temperature if he doesn't want me to - he's kind of like a kid at times - but I think his fever broke in the middle of the night.  He had multiple blankets when he went to bed, he said he was cold.  He's much better today but still stuffy.  He's gone through one box of kleenex since yesterday.  Something about planning time off, he has gotten sick nearly every time the last couple of years.  He might take another allergy pill tonight, he hasn't decided, but I think he needs one.  I set the humidifier up in our room this evening, maybe it will help.  It will help me, anyway!

I'm having major winter skin issues and it's only the beginning of the season.  It's going to be an uncomfortable winter for my hands, I'm afraid.

Fraiser is not talking to me lately.  Well, he is tonight.  But he was ignoring me this morning.  Because I socked him.  As in, socks on his feet not punching!  He keeps chewing on the spot on his leg and it's been a battle to get him to stop.  This is the same spot that the vet thought was cancerous a couple of years back.  The vet checks it everytime I take him in, many dogs will chew on themselves in spots because they apparently like the way it feels.  Frasier is one of those dogs, and I've been resorting to putting a sock on his leg when I catch him at it.  Which causes him to immediately pout, for lack of a better word.  He will pretty much just fall over and lie there, for a long time.  He's now started to try to hide his leg underneath himself.  He's also starting to chew on the other leg when I put the sock on him.  So this morning, he got socks on both back legs.  He was not amused!  He made a point of looking the other way, and he ignored me for a long time.  He was still wearing his socks when Otter and I left this morning.  When we go thome, I noticed that both socks are sitting by their blankets, and it almost looks like the dog took them off & folded them.  Which he could have done, he's that smart!  He was also happy to see me.  He's happy that I'm home and has not ignored me, but that will change if I have to sock him again.  I've heard of other dogs that have chewed on themselves before, and it seems like they are usually shephards or mixed breeds with shephard.  Dog keeps life interesting, that's for sure!

Bill was teasing the dogs and also Otter (mostly Otter), when we got home today.  He was holding the door open and acting like he was going to let them out - mostly Maggie Moo.  I noticed something.  Frasier literally ran up behind Maggie and tried to head-butt her out the door!  She didn't fall out, but she did bounce a little.

Upshot to Bill being home today is that we are officially out of Thanksgiving leftovers!  He had the last turkey leg today.  We got several meals off of the bird & side dishes.

Now, I'm just trying to talk myself into Christmas decorations.  I like it, but it becomes "clutter" in a matter of days.  We might skip the tree this year and just have some of the misc. stuff up.  I'll probably get up into the attic in the next few days and at least get the stockings and wreath out.  But the tree might be left in the attic this year.  I'm actually thinking that we might just use the light-up ceramic tree by itself.  It will fit on top of the entertainment center.

And, no matter how little decorating I actually do, it will still be coming down as soon as Christmas is over!  Clutter is clutter, after all.  And the Borg Queen hates clutter!  When the BQ and RHTW both get out of the fence at the same time, nothing is safe.

*RHTW:  RedHeadTexasWoman.  Run for the hills, she's on the rampage!

Chilly Sunday (Not Chili Sunday!)

Although chili is always a possibility! :)  (Actually, we're having steaks tonight).

Really, it's just kind of cold today.  It's in the 40's at the moment, but it was below freezing this morning when we went to church.  It was sunny and still is, so it looks like it's warm.  But it's breezy and that makes it feel colder.

Otter and I ran a couple of errands after church.  We went to a fabric store, but that was a browse trip and not a buying trip.  The dollar store and Wallyworld were buying trips, however.  Not a lot at either of them, but Otter requested to go to a specific Wallyworld for some reason.  (I think it had to do with a certain cashier she wanted to see.  One who looks like Harry Potter!)

I've been listing stuff on Craigslist and I am also doing laundry.  I'm going to get out to the tulip bed shortly and get those bulbs planted!

Movie Review:  Super 8.  It was really good, surprisingly so.  It takes place in 1979 and there were a few continuity issues such as a couple of things possibly out of time (like a later model El Camino for example), but it was good and fun.  No political agenda, which was a very nice change.  I think we'll probably buy this one, it was a rental.

Bill's been fighting off what I sincerely hope is "only" allergies.  He's been sniffly for a couple of days and has had some congestion.  I bought him some allergy medicine when we were at Wally.  He's the least allergic person I know, which is why I am a little concerned.

I got some crochet time in yesterday.  I finished up two UFO's.  There are still a couple more, but one of them is the afghan and one is a robe I'm making for myself that consists of bunches of granny squares so it's a long-term project and not one I work on very often.

We're finally just about out of Thanksgiving left overs.  Bill finished the potatos and gravy today, along with one turkey leg.  I think the only thing we have left is the other turkey leg and some of the cranberry.  We got several meals off of it.

I realized earlier that my birthday is one month from today.  It's the "big one."  I'll be caught up with Billyboy, and we'll be the same age for 6 months.

Then, he'll be married to a younger woman for the next 6 months.  Although he still only claims to be 21!

Black Friday

Not a shopping day for us!  I hardly ever do any actual Black Friday shopping.  This year was no exception.  We did run to the grocery store for about 3 things, then I took Otter to a local museum.  We went to two thrift stores, one was to donate a load that filled the back of the El Camino and since we were there we did look but didn't find anything.  Otter and I went to another thrift after that, she found a skirt.

When we went to donate, the guy taking the donations was just about in rapture over the car itself.  He'd have happily taken it, I think!  It was a little close in the car, all three of us in the El Camino is like playing sardines.

The only other trip we made was to the video store to rent a movie to watch tomorrow.  That's a normal Friday occurance, as is the run into the grocery store for misc. stuff.  Usually, it's milk or orange juice but today's list had fresh mushrooms and a jar of olives on it.  Also wrap tortillas for the turkey wrap sandwiches we're having for dinner.  Which is why I bought fresh mushrooms also.

I also went to the gas station but I don't think buying gasoline counts as Black Friday shopping!

Too Much!

We ate too much today.  But, as Otter said, it's Thanksgiving!

Actually, we didn't over indulge too much.  But we did eat a little more than we should have.  I'm blaming the dessert for pushing me over the edge, but I really think that it was the mashed potatos! :)

Bill made his famous mashed potatos, Otter made the gravy (a mix), I handled the turkey, dressing, green bean casserole and Otter was in charge of dessert.  It seems like I'm leaving something out, but I can't remember what it was.  Well, cranberry sauce from a can but that's not what I'm thinking I forgot about.  Maybe it's just because there was (and still is) so much food, because I can't think of anything else.

Bill almost had one of his "moments."  He was cutting the potatos up to be boiled and he cut his thumb.  Pretty deep, but not run-to-the-ER-stitches deep.  But he is a redhead, so it was a little messy!  I sent him to the couch at that point, and he wasn't allowed back in the kitchen until it was time to drain the potatos and mash them.

I think Otter's in a turkey coma at the moment.  I don't blame her!  She got up at about 10:00, watched the last half of the parade and then we got busy in the kitchen.

The dogsters even got a small taste, they got a little bit of turkey, potato and gravy.  Probably just enough to get the taste of the food, but they seemed very happy with it.

We have plenty of leftovers, which was the point of buying a big turkey.  We're going to have turkey wrap sandwiches tomorrow, and probably will be eating today's meal for a few days.

I think the turkey sleepy is beginning to get me as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Vindication?

I'm not sure if vindication is the best word or not, but I took the car to the Chevy place today to get the noise checked.  The first mechanic was right in one thing:  it was the wheel bearing.  But, and this is the fun part, he was wrong about something else:  IT WAS PART OF CHEVY'S WELL-KNOWN DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY and I didn't have to pay a penny.  Not one cent.  I dropped the car off at 7:00, they took me to work and promised to call me with the result of the diagnostic.  But, since it turned out to be Chevy's nickle and not mine, they went ahead and fixed it before they called me.  Which took about 1/2 the time that the first shop had inferred, by the way.  The driver was back to pick me up exactly when he said he would be, which is a welcome change.

Needless to say, we are not going back to that shop again.  Unless there is a warranty issue with something that they've already done.  From now on, it's Chevy's shop for everything.

We did think about the fact that the other work might well have been Chevy warranty as well, but it's done and not worth worrying about.  Not the alignment or the tires, but the repeated a/c problems I had with the car earlier and possibly the power-steering system which was covered by our warranty so we are "only" out $200 on that.  Water under the bridge, as mom used to say.

I'm undecided about talking to the first shop.  I feel like I should, and probably will, but RHTW* wants to be the one to actually do the talking and I'm afraid to let Her out of the fence!   :)

Otter's foot is much better today, or at least it was this morning.  I haven't seen her since I left for work, she's off with HP today and they were going to see the Muppet movie this afternoon.  She said it was the only one that they could agree on.  I hope it's good, because she's probably going to have to see it again with Billyboy and me!  She'll eventually be home and I'll ask her about the movie then.

I'm so glad that we have the next 4 days off.  Actually, Bill has more days off because he's burning time next week so he won't lose it.  He has ambitions of cleaning up some of the pachinko mess in the living room, but I'm not holding my breath.

On Friday, Otter and I are probably going to a local museum that has a really interesting Christmas tradition.  It's Christmas trees, but they aren't exactly "traditional."  In fact, some of them aren't even trees.  But it's a fun local tradition and we haven't been in a couple of years.  Also, they have a gingerbread house exhibit that is really fun.  All the houses are made by school, church, scout, etc. children's groups and some of them are absolutely wild.

We're ready for Thanksgiving, I stopped by Braum's on the way home this afternoon and got french vanilla ice cream.  Gotta have ice cream on pie!

*RedHeadTexasWoman.  If she gets out, nobody is safe!

One More Time!

For Otter's foot to be frostbitten, that is.  She had her follow up at the dermatologist today, and the dr. felt that the large plantar's wart was still "alive" down towards the bottom of it.  She snipped some of it off, and said it looked like most of it was dead but not all of it.  So, out came the freezing stuff again!  She was pretty aggressive with it, she wants it gone as much as Otter does.  She also put medication on it and Otter will have a prescription ointment to put on it, but that has to wait about a week.  She goes back in two weeks.

I told her she earned pizza, so we stopped for DiGorno's on the way home.  She had a motrin appetizer, her foot is still feeling numb but the numbness will wear off soon enough.

She was griping because HP is taller than she is and she can finally wear heels without towering over her boyfriend (previous BF was the same height), but she hasn't been able to wear anything other than a couple of pairs of flat shoes since the first time she saw the dermatologist!

Frasier's snack cost me $21.00 at the library today.  Not sure exactly how I'm going to get it out of him, but the dog owes me!

I am so glad that we just have one more work day this week.  The turkey is happily thawing out in the fridge, and we're ready for the meal.  And the nap afterward!

We got boatloads of rain last night, today was warmer (40's) but it's still cloudy and overcast.  Well, it is Fall after all.  Nearly Winter, in fact.

Answer's Still YES!

Yes, we would eat the dog.  And Frasier just might be the main course!

Although he'd probably taste like paper. And book binding glue.  And ink.  And coardboard-ish material that makes book covers.

Because I get to go to the library and explain why I have to pay for a book that Otter checked out.

Somehow, "the coyote ate the book" sounds about as believable as "the dog ate my homework."

Anybody got a cone of shame they don't need?