Just A Nice Sunday

Today I have really noticed the lack of the crushing stress we've been dealing with for the last 2+ years.  Sunday evenings are usually when I would start thinking about what I was sending in Bill's lunches for the coming week and also I made sure that his shirts were ironed along with making sure he had clean jeans for the week.  I did iron his shirts, because there may be times when he wants a nice golf shirt to wear and they are hanging in the closet where they usually do.  But they will probably be hanging there for a while as opposed to needing to be washed, ironed and hung up again for the work week.

I still need to do meal planning, but that's the normal "what are we eating for dinner this week" thing that always happens!

We had a nice Easter dinner.  Otter had to work until 5:00 today, so she came over when she got off work.  We had ham, rice, brown gravy, rolls and green bean casserole.  And Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream pie that I picked up at Braums on Friday - Froggy, you didn't get on me about it when we were talking on the phone!  You must be slipping.  :)

Maggie Moo has had a nice day herself - she's spent most of the last few hours snoozing.  I did try to get her out in the back yard earlier, but she wouldn't even move off the deck.  She was very happy when Otter got here.  That is about the only time the little fluffbutt actually got out of her bed!

Now that things are so much calmer around here, I am thinking I'll probably be blogging more.  There was just so much stress to deal with.  It was constant and never seemed to get any better.  Until suddenly, without warning, it went away.

And it's really nice.

Easter 2016

Easter Sunday 2015

Happy Easter!  It's been a wet one for us.  Church was enjoyable, it was a really nice change to have a sermon that actually dealt with the specific holiday and didn't feel like just another not very important day.  We really enjoyed it.

We went to Church at 8:00 a.m. and got a little wet, it was raining pretty good when we got up and it rained until early afternoon.  Just in time for Bill to get the grill out and get started on the steaks we had tonight.  He also grilled lemon spiced chicken, fajita chicken and barbequed chicken.  Along with 6 beef hamburger patties.  I won't have to do a lot of cooking this week, that's for sure.  :)

Last Friday's blog entry was done on my lunch hour and I hadn't heard back from the insurance company yet.  I finally called them about 2:15 and eventually managed to get connected to an actual person.  And she spent the next 40 minutes telling me that my account had been "credited" and pretending that she couldn't understand when I asked her exactly what "credited" meant (although I knew, but I wanted her to tell me) and then she acted like she just couldn't understand what I meant when I told her that I wanted the money returned to me ASAP.  I absolutely hate people who pretend ignorance and she knows that now.  Let's just say it was a M.A.J.O.R. *RHTW moment!  In fact, *RHTW was out of the fence and did all the talking.  The upshot is that they wanted to keep the 2nd payment and apply it to May, which is what "credited" meant and I basically told them that this was there one and only strike, that the next screw up on their part might well mean that we'd no longer be there customers.  I told her flat-out that I had cancelled the automatic withdraw for payments because I didn't trust them to a) do their job and b) do it right.  After putting me on hold for a very long time, and obviously sounding like she did it on purpose in hopes that I would hang up based on how she came back to the phone, she finally admitted that the money would be returned to me - but it took me telling her (not threatening them or bluffing them, because I would have done it) that if it was not back in my hands by the 15th I would tell the IRS to call them and ask them where the income tax money went since that is what was in the savings account.  They claim that they can not refund the money back to my account except by check - and she told me that it was going out right then, to expect it by 7 business days.  It was well after 3:00 when I got off the phone.  I had a couple of errands after work and I was just about to walk out of the post office when the person I spoke to Thursday evening called me back - she was not who I spoke to Friday afternoon, and I told her that I appreciated her calling me back and also what I'd been told by the other c/s rep that afternoon.  And I told her also that I'd tell the IRS to call them if I don't have the premium returned to me by the promised date.  I know the IRS wouldn't really care, they would still expect me to pay them but I wanted to let the insurance company know how serious we are about this.

The cable company got a touch of *RHTW as well.  The line burying crew still hadn't shown up and I called them in the afternoon - they were running behind, which is what I was told.  But they called me when I was in the grocery store after the post office and wanted to know if it was ok if they didn't come out until Saturday - NO.  I told their rep that Bill had taken the day off from work and had been home waiting all day, that there was no excuse accepable.  I gave her Bill's cell phone number and she said she would make sure the crew got there right away.  I got home about 5:00 and the crew consisting of exactly ONE person was just getting there.  He got a lot done but he ran out of time and asked if he could come back Saturday morning to finish, which was ok with us.  He did exactly what he said, came back on Saturday and finished up.

Otter came over after work today and brought her laundry.  She came for Easter dinner, but the laundry basket generally comes to visit my washing machine once a week anyway.  :)  Her laundry wasn't quite dry but she was tired, she had one of those exhausting days today, so I took her home when she was ready (Bill's going to keep her car and see about a few things on it tomorrow) and I'll take her laundry to her tomorrow when I get her to take her to the allergist for her annual lung/asthma recheck.  She wants me to go with her and we're also going to see about getting her eyes examined and then she'll probably need new glasses.  She wants new ones anyway, not Oakley brand this time because their earpieces are basically straight and slide right off.  She will probably decide not to have her eyes dilated since they can take the retina photographs now.  We are going to have lunch at a specific steak house that we don't get to very often and we might go to our favorite garden store to see about a few pepper plants.

*RHTW:  Whatever you do, do not make Her mad!  She will make you regret it.

It's Taco Day!!!

That means that tomorrow is Otter's birthday.  She'll be 23.

Taco Night was still celebrated, even though she is now living on her own.  We just didn't have it at home.  We wanted to have her birthday dinner when J and Roomie could go, and that was tonight.  She gets to pick where/what her birthday meal is, and this year she chose El Chico.  So, Taco Night With A Twist!  I think I'm the only one that actually ordered tacos, although Roomie did have the fajitas.  Bill and J both had burritos and Otter had tamales.  The waitress was a little unorganized but when she heard one of us say that it was Otter's birthday, she brought her a free sopapilla and then she also brought her a free fried ice cream.  Yes, fried ice cream is real - it's an ice cream ball in a hard shell batter which is how it survives being fried.  It's topped with chocolate sauce and a little whipped cream type topping.  Otter, J and Roomie shared the ice cream.  She took the sopapilla in a "to go" container and will probably have it for breakfast tomorrow - if it survives that long!  Roomie's fajitas were a lot bigger than she thought so she also had a "to go" container and she was planning on making quesadillas tomorrow with her leftovers.  It was a lot of fun and the food was really good.

I made her a certificate for her workbench, although she already knew about it.  I put it in the card we gave her and she thought that was fun.  I'm not sure when we'll actually get the workbench, it depends on her schedule and also Bill's since he and the El Camino will be needed to pick it up.  She wants to put it together herself, but she also requests that Dad be there in case she needs help.  Possibly this next weekend.

We had an appointment scheduled with the associate pastor at the church we've been attending, but Bill had a lady who wanted a pachinko repair and she was going to be in town today.  We were going to meet at 4:00 and then pick up the Birthday Girl and crew but we rescheduled the church meeting.  Which was fine with the associate pastor, this is a very busy week for her.  I told her I'll call her one day next week and we'll see what works for a meeting to talk with her.  We have a few questions.

Our Easter dinner plans have changed.  Originally, I was going to pick up a small ham.  We were going to make either rice or mashed potatos and gravy.  But we decided to "go a different direction."  Bill's going to grill steaks!  We'll also have baked potatos and something to be determined later for dessert.  Otter is 100% in favor of steaks!  She'd have been happy with ham & mashed potatos but she is very much a steak fan as well.  I'll pick up a a few steaks and the assorted fixins when I hit the grocery store this week.

Bill shaved his winter beard last night, so I think that winter is officially over now.  Otter remarked when she saw him at the restaurant this afternoon that he no longer looks like Santa Claus!

This Monday night is very different from another Monday night in late March 1992!  But we had the taco celebration, so the tradition continues.  :)

Hope Eternal

And we are freed.

Darkness. Grief. Pain. Fear. HOPE.

Reprieve?

Maybe.

 

We are supposed to get a hard freeze tonight.  Well, technically it will be at 2:00 in the morning.  Yes, it is April.

 

First order of business is to hunt down that dang groundhog!  Then we're going to eat him.  I have an industrial-sized container of picante sauce and several shish-ka-bob sticks ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.  It snowed today!  I saw it and so did a lot of other people.  It was rainy and misty, in the 30's most of the day and then the flurries around noon.

 

The benefit to the unusual cold and the freeze is that we will have at least 24 hours, possibly as long as 48 hours, WITH NO POLLEN.  Because it will all be deaddeaddead.  Nobody is going to complain about that, I hope.  Otter certainly won't be griping.

 

Of course, the first bluebonnet bud picked Saturday to start developing.  But they are hardier than we thought, so maybe it will make it.  The plants have frozen before and have come through unscathed so I'm hopeful.  The tulips will be fine - they are absolutely gorgeous this year.  All our hard work in bed prep and digging to bury the bulbs has paid off.  They are spectacular.  We have pictures, but I keep forgetting to get them from Otter's camera to post.

 

We're going to be on our own for Easter this year.  We're going to have the "traditional" meal **fixins:  ham, Bill's world-famous mashed potatoes, brown gravy (yes, I use Pioneer brand instant - I didn't get the gravy making gene from Mom), green bean casserole, rolls or possibly I might make bread, and apple pie (Mrs. Smith's brand frozen but it's one of the good ones and I bought cool whip!)**

 

Texan language translation:  Cool Whip is what it's all called, no matter the brand. Just like all tissues are Kleenex, all sodas are Coke, and we should all know by now what Fixins means!

Twenty First and Stuff

Twenty First:  Otter's 21!  Her birthday was actually on Sunday, but that was Easter and I didn't want to do another post aside from my Easter one.  I was going to post something yesterday, but I was too busy. 

Otter's birthday was firmly celebrated, I'm the last person in the world to let a birthday be overshadowed by a holiday!  Both the holiday and the birthday are observed, I'm just not going to let the birthday be ignored.  Let's just say that I've Been There, Done That (or had it done to me) and leave it at that.  We went to the early service at Church and it was nice.  Lots of music, which I always love.  In the afternoon, the weather was absolutely perfect over the weekend, Bill got the grill out and cooked the burgers and hot dogs as Otter requested.  We also had birthday cake, and it was well worth the $$ at the well-known bakery.  I'm not posting a picture because the only ones I have show her name, but it was a three layer round cake, the icing was a pretty pale green color and it was decorated on the sides with tulips in pinks and purples like they were growing up the side.  The candles (she picked out at her store) were "21" and then letters that spell out her name - her "real" name, not Otter!  Although we call her Otter just as much as we call her by her "real" name.  Grandpa and Sweetie came over and we had a nice visit.  And ate too much!

She also had one other request.  Because she is 21 now, she is of legal drinking age.  We've always made it a point to try to take the mystery out of alchohol, she's had the occasional taste of wine, etc. over the years and she's paid attention to our talks and examples.  As a result, she's not inclined to want to go drink herself into oblivion, which so many younger people do.  So when she asked for champagne, we didn't have any problem at all with buying a bottle.  I got a smaller sized bottle at the liquor store last week, and Otter had about a half a glass Sunday evening.  She liked it, but she said that she doesn't think she's going to make a regular thing out of drinking.  That message/lesson has obviously been well received by her.

Stuff:  Among other things yesterday, I needed to go to Hobby Lobby and I know better than to go without Otter.  So, after I picked her up, we went to Hobby Lobby and a few other places.  Otter's camera died recently, she thought it was just the battery reaching the limits of it's recharging but then discovered that the camera wouldn't work at all, even when plugged in.  So we went to Best Buy after Hobby Lobby and she found a new one that she likes.  Of course, they didn't have it in-store and had to order it but it should be here in a few days.  The old camera was her gift from us on her 18th birthday and it has had a lot of use.  We also had to go back to Teavana, because they missed putting something we bought in the bag when we got her tea set.

By the time we got home and had dinner plus got a bunch of stuff done around that house that needed to be done, I was just too tired to even think about blogging.

There has been a lot on the news the last few days regarding a dentist in Tulsa.  Specifically, unsafe & unsanitary practices have resulted in several thousand people potentially being exposed to HIV and the two bad strains of hepatitis.  For the record, we think he should be jailed, at the very least.  Also, he is NOT a dentist/oral surgeon that we have ever seen.  His office is down the street from the dentist we currently use and he might be the one that she said was taking her emergency calls when I lost my crown a year or so back but I was able to wait until she got back so I never saw him.

It's cold.  It's rainy.  It's supposed to be Spring!  Where did that groundhog get to, I need a new pair of houseshoes and his fur should be nice & warm.  Probably soft, too.

The Stone Has Been Rolled Away!

Amen.

Good Friday

It is Finished

By Bill & Gloria Gaither

There's a line that is drawn through the ages

On that line stands an old rugged cross

On that cross, a battle is raging

To gain a man's soul or it's loss

On one side, march the forces of evil

All the demons, all the devils of hell

On the other, the angels of glory

And they meet on Golgotha's hill

The earth shakes with the force of the conflict

And the sun refuses to shine

For there hangs God's Son, in the balance

And then through the darkness he cries

It is finished, the battle is over

It is finished, there'll be no more war

It is finished, the end of the conflict

It is finished and Jesus is Lord

Yet in my heart, the battle was still raging

Not all prisoners of war had come home

These were battlefields of my own making

I didn't know that the war had been won

Oh, but then I heard the king of the ages

Had fought all the battles for me

And that victory was mine for the claiming

And now praise His name, I am free.

Monday After Easter...

Known as Easter Monday in some cultures.

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

OK, now everybody's warned.

Check this out:

Source # 4

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

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

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

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

Easter-Resurrection Sunday

The tomb is empty.  He is risen. Halelujah!

He's Alive
(Don Francisco)

The gates and doors were barred

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sweet Jesus

Good Friday

Because He Lives
(Bill and Gloria Gaither)


God sent His son, they called Him Jesus

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


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

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

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

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

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

Palm Sunday

Mark 11:1-11

King James Version (KJV)

(Permission given by the Author)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Halelujah!

For He is risen just as He said.

Sunday Peeps (2nd post of the day)

(I didn't want my Easter message to be missed, so it's seperate from this.)

Peeps, as in Easter candy. You know, these:

Wonderful, sugary, sweetness mixed with air! They are probably not all that healthy, but they are better than a lot of things. They are mostly just sugar and air, they are pretty much non-fat and they are just good! And, thanks to Grandpa & Sweetie, Otter now has plenty of them. Which I hope that she'll share with me (hint hint).

It's a lovely day. Sunny & warm, slightly breezy and just nice. Lots of birds about, I heard the woodpecker & a rooster when I was outside getting the paper this morning about 6:00 a.m. We've also seen robins and other assorted feathered creatures.

I planted my Gerbera daisies in the whiskey barrel when we got home from church. I also managed to get my strawberry pot planted and the extra plants are now in the water fountain turned planter.

We went to the early service at Church this morning, there was a special 8:30 service since last year there was an overflow crowd. I wish that we had an 8:30 service every Sunday, but I don't see that happening any time soon. But we did enjoy the service, the music was wonderful and the message was probably one of the best we've heard from Pastor David. My shawl came in very handy, even Otter was huddled under part of it at one point. I noticed that since I've started taking mine, there were several other women who had them. I don't know if it's because they like the idea of a shawl or just because they get cold like I do, but at least one of the women I saw today usually has a jacket on. I think I'm just going to start calling it a prayer shawl, although it's not strictly that.

We went to Sweetie & Grandpa's for Easter lunch. It was wonderful, great food (we ate too much) and we had a really nice visit. Sweetie's birthday is towards the end of the month and we don't know if we'll see her before then or not, so we gave her her birthday present a little early. (See craft blog for pictures and details).

The dogsters got some back yard time while I was planting the strawberry pot. They ran around for a few minutes, then Maggie Moo went and stood by the back door when she was ready to go inside. Frasier followed her, then they came back out the dog door and played some more. They are back inside now, both asleep. Frasier is in his spot in the living room and Maggie Moo is beside me on the floor.

I also discovered that the shed is full of something unpleasant. Yellow jackets. I found that out because I was standing by the shed when Otter opened it to get the shovel and one flew into her forehead. It bounced off of her, no stinger involved, but it was an unpleasant surprise for her. I got the shovel out for her and looked inside, there are quite a few of them in there. They seem to be trapped and can't get out, but they got in somehow. Probably through the vented spot above the window but they can't quite figure out how to get back out so they are smashing into the window repeatedly and getting angry. There is probably a nest in there somewhere. I looked at them from the outside, and one of them was trying to sting the window - I guess since it was the reason he couldn't get out. Bill will take care of the problem soon.

Froggy, I'm rethinking the crochet project I mentioned to you. I haven't given you details yet! I have been thinking about a specific thing I want to make and I'm still going to do it, I just have decided to go a slightly different direction with it. I made a couple of them yesterday and they look good, but I want to try a couple of other things. So it will be a little longer, I'll let you know, before I get "it" sent on the way to you. But it's the reason I asked you for your favorite color. I wanted to get Sweetie's present finished up first, but I've had it in mind for several weeks.

Movie Review: We saw Planet 51 yesterday. It was cute, funnier than we expected. It was a little predictible but it was good. We weren't expecting much so we were pleasantly surprised.

OK, Maggie Moo is awake now. She was just looking out the window, but now she's wandered off with her nose to the ground. No idea what she thinks she smells, but she's probably gone to one of two places: 1) to instigate war with Frasier or 2) to Otter's bed for another nap. I'm leaning towards choice # 2!

Act Two

By itself, this doesn't mean much beyond wood.

But because of This,

and this,


we are all His children.

And that is what Easter is about.

Happy Easter, everybody. We have the most wonderful, unspeakable Gift to celebrate today.

What Is It?

This?

No, it's not this.

It is this?

Definetely not.

What about This?

Or maybe This?

What Easter is, is up to each of us.

For me and my family, it's not about the candy.

Monday's Weather, Tulips & Doggies

The pictures are in no particular order today.

Sorry this is blurry, the old camera has good moments and then it has not-so-good moments. Guess which kind it was having today! Anyway, these are the daffys I planted a couple of years ago. I had forgotten that I had planted any daffodils, I was thinking that they were all the ones that Sweetie planted but those are the standard yellow and I planted a different kind for variety. I just forgot about it. There are a few of the yellow ones in the tulip bed, but so far the only ones blooming are these.

Heavy Duty Grooming Session In Progress. Disturb at your peril.

Spooky dog!

Begging is so much more effective when your ear is folded! This is her attempt at sad puppy eyes. And it's much more effective when that fat belly isn't visible! I was surprised she sat still for so long, she was in this pose while I took Frasier's picture and then she stayed sitting like that until I was finished taking hers.

This one is a little blurry as well, but mostly because I was just too close as is indicated by the sharp focus behind the blossom!

The majority of the tulips that are already blooming are this type. But there are still several yet to bloom, lots of buds just forming.

Standing in front of the tulip bed.

Standing at the side, facing the gate to the back yard. The daffodils are all clumped in the middle this year, which was not deliberate.

For years, probably ever since we moved here 4 years ago, the violets have refused to bloom and I usually get disgusted with not having any blossoms, which results in all of them being ripped out of the bed. But this year, they have decided to cooperate. I guess they got smart this year, otherwise it would be curtains for them! There are actually a lot of them blooming. I love violets, I always have. Mom and Aunt Jessie had them planted, either in the flower bed outside of Aunt Jessie's apartment or beside the garage outside the gate to Aunt Jessie's apartment.

OK, that's dogs & tulips taken care of. Now I guess it's time to discuss weather. We might get the noisy kind tonight, probably after midnight. The bullseye of the firing line is well north of us (Froggy, think north of Hominy), but we could still get thunderstorms. Have I mentioned how much I don't like spring weather? Just in case you haven't figured that out yet, I DON'T LIKE SPRING STORMS. I like thunderstorms. I like rain. I just don't like what are referred to as spring storms in this part of the country!

Regarding that spectacular news I mentioned a couple of days ago, it's probably going to be about 2 weeks before I'm able to discuss it. But it's really good. Froggy, you already know about it.

Otter went back to school today, after a week off for spring break. She seems to have survived.

The other thing I realized today is tomorrow is 2 years to the day since I got sick - the time that put me in the hospital. I'm just happy that it is behind me now, it was not a fun experience and it was scary at times.

Still nearly 3 weeks until Easter. I've been resisting chocolate, except on Sundays and then I've tried to show restraint. But it's been hard at times, especially while I had Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies calling my name from the freezer! They are gone now, they were my chocolate indulgence yesterday. But the end of Lent is in sight. Lent is meant to be a time of self-denial, a chance to let go of some of the things that weigh us down and keep our focus off of where it really should be, which is on God. By letting go of whatever it is, a habit - good or bad, a particular food, whatever it is, we can grow closer to God and learn a lot about ourselves in the process. It is only as difficult as we chose to make it. I think that we bring a lot of our problems on ourselves sometimes. Observing Lent is not "just" for one particular brand of Christianity, it is for all of us and so are the lessons we can learn as we experience self-denial by letting go of our own selfish desires. It can be an amazing experience. And one I look forward to every year, as strange as that sounds to look forward to a time of denial. Because waiting at the end of the long, dark days of Lent is the most special Reward we could ever hope for, the One that makes it all worth it.

Doggie Jail!

Bill brought home 22' of 4' tall chain link fence on Monday. And we promptly attached it to the posts we installed several days ago. We only had to go to Lowe's once yesterday, for the special U-shaped nails Bill needed to attach the fence to the posts. He made a top rail of round wooden posts and we also made a partial bottom rail out of the same round posts, to hold the bottom of the fence down since Frasier is smart enough to try to get out underneath the fence. The entire time, Frasier parked himself out in the yard and watched us. Intently. He knew exactly what we were doing and he was not happy about it. Unlike the Magginator, who thinks that everything is fun. She ran in and out of the gate while we were working, and she frequently had her head between Bill's hammer and the nails! After we got finished, I called them to me and Frasier took his sweet time. But once we got them in, I shut the gate and we went inside. Frasier followed us, but he ignored us for a couple of hours - even when we had a snack of peanuts (which he loves). Not Maggie, she was right there begging for peanuts while her big brother was pouting. We will start opening up the gate and giving them access to the entire yard at night, but we left the gate shut last night. Eventually, we also might have to electrify the new fence. It depends entirely on Fraiser!

Today when we get home from work, we're going to see about dirt to fill in at least some of those holes. Some of them are pretty deep. Bill's going to get the wheelbarrow and a shovel, and head outside of the yard to the field area behind us that will eventually be built up with houses. I told him I'd help him with the dirt work, I might regret saying that later on! The back yard needs to be mowed already, but until we get it smoothed out some it's not a good idea. There are so many holes and they are so deep, plus a lot of them are actually trenches because the dogs were following mole trails. It would probably be impossible to mow the yard like it is. But we are getting it back into shape. The area where the dog run is has not had much mole activity, or at least we haven't seen any evidence there. But I'm sure that they'll dig some, they are dogs and digging comes naturally. But I'm not too concerned about it, they have plenty of toys to play with and all the firewood they want to eat! Not really, but Frasier does like to drag the logs around and sometimes chew on them.

(OK, it's later now!)

I first started this post in the morning before work. But now it's early evening and we've just come in from getting dirty. Playing in the dirt so the doggies won't have to! We filled in a few holes, we've started with the really big ones and the first thing I actually did was repair my rock garden. It's probably a good thing that I don't know for sure which dog was digging over there, because I would have had sudden need for a taxidermist! But the rock garden is repaired, although there are a few spots outside of it that we'll get to soon. Otter's trellis where she always plants climbing Black-eyed Susans needs a little attention, and it will be the first thing we work on the next time we get out there. Which might be tomorrow, but it might not actually be until Sunday. She needs to get her seeds planted soon.

This is what the Black-eyed Susan vine looks like. Otter really likes it, she's had it on her trellis ever since Bill built it for her.

I think I've changed my mind about moving my fountain and using it as a planter. I think I'm just going to leave it where it is, in the middle of the rock garden. It might still become a planter, though. That is to be determined later! It suddenly seems like too much work to move it.

Bill's baptism went well on Sunday, he was the last of three that were dunked, as Mom used to call it. I told him that now he has no excuses left, he has to be a good boy! But I don't think he listened very well...

We had a nice Easter, we spent the day with Don and Darlene and it was a lot of fun. Otter enjoyed playing the Wii. Imagine that, a teenager that enjoyed a video game! We had a nice visit and the meal was wonderful, although we did eat too much. We brought leftovers home so I didn't have to cook last night. The ham bone is in the freezer, I'll use it the next time I make beans. Which probably won't be right away, but I'll be sure to send you some, Don!