Some Slow Tuesday Thoughts

It's a slow Tuesday. Or I should say that I am slow today. Comes from hardly sleeping last night. I don't know what the problem was, but I woke up several times and a lot of it involved waking up with a stiff neck. I've been getting a crick in my neck on the right side a few times lately. I have tried changing my pillows around and sleeping in a different position. But it hasn't helped all that much. I am going to try something else tonight: I'm leaving my dentures in. At least the upper. I have a problem with my jaw that used to be known as TMJ Disorder but I think now has another name. It hasn't bothered me in years, I had a couple of years of treatment and it's pretty much gone away, except for the very occasional soreness or episode of jaw popping. But the way my neck is, and with the fact that nothing is working, I'm wondering if my jaw might be the cause of the problem or at least an aggravating factor. It's the jaw joint that is involved, but it also can affect the muscles surrounding the area and it seems like I did have neck problems when it was at it's worst. So I'll try leaving the upper in, because that way my jaw will be held in place better. It's worth a try anyway. I'll still brush the denture like normal when I get ready for bed and then since it won't be soaking in efferdent tonight, I'll brush it again in the morning when I get up. Hopefully, that will help. I'm really not supposed to sleep in them, but I have on accident a couple of times. I don't think that one or two nights will hurt.

We donated the tv, dvd player and stereo system to the Salvation Army, the equipment that used to be in our bedroom but we never used. I also took the prom dress to them at the same time. But I didn't shop there this time. Which is rare, I usually drop stuff off and then go park so I can go shop. Next time, probably. I am in desperate need of blouses, I've gotten rid of a few lately and one that I bought in the last few months got torn in the dryer somehow. I have several skirts, but I really need a few more blouses. Maybe Sunday Otter and I will go shopping!

Frasier has now taken to sleeping in the office most nights. Occasionally, he'll still sleep on his blanket in the living room but he seems to treat the blanket as his daytime spot. He also will move to the doorway of our bedroom, causing me to literally run into him this morning! He saw me coming, I could tell that he was watching me. I thought that surely he would move out of the way, I was not moving very fast so he had plenty of warning. But no, he just stayed parked there. And I walked right into him, at which time he looked very surprised and then got up and left. Silly boy! Somewhere in the same general time period, Maggie came into our room. I discovered this when I put my feet down on the floor and she licked one of my feet. It was a surprising experience, to say the least!

I have been thinking about Lent. Ash Wednesday is tomorrow. The Baptist church doesn't really do a lot with Lent observances, but we usually do. We used to belong to the Methodist church and they observe it. I have always thought that it should be observed. I haven't come to any decisions yet, but I am thinking about a few of them. One thing I'm thinking about is chocolate. As in giving it up for Lent. But I'm not sure yet. Traditionally, Sunday is a day off from Lent observances so you can have whatever it is that you gave up IF you want to. I'd like to give up housework...

I need a nap! Or at least an early bedtime tonight. Or both.

Last Monday of February Already!

It seems like it should still be early January, and February is nearly over already. This year is shaping up to be a fast one, like last year. I don't particularly want it to be fast but it looks like it's going to be. At least the first two months have been.

I see that Maggie has been busy. She seems to like everything. We took her and Frasier for a short walk, it was getting colder and the wind was picking up so it wasn't a long walk. And my lungs are strange, which probably means that the walk was a bad idea but we (and the dogs) needed the excercise.

After Otter and I talked about it, we've decided to donate the prom dress instead of putting it on eBay. She really likes the idea that maybe some other girl can enjoy it, who might not be able to afford a nice dress. So I'll take it in the next couple of days. Otter did look beautiful in it. But then, she always looks beautiful.

We have officially decided to have a home vacation this summer. We had discussed a Texas trip, but have decided against it. So, if anybody wants to come see us - the road runs both ways, you know!

And FutureJediMom has finally admitted that yes, they are Star Wars inspired when it comes to naming their children! The newest one is Benjamin. (Ben Kenobi, Obi-Wan). But we still think it should have been Chewbacca! Although I think Toadly said that he wanted Jar-Jar Binks.

I think I'm finally finished with the bedroom/bathroom redecorating. I still have to finish up the trash can for the bathroom, but part of the reason it's taking so long is that the decals are not sticking very well. They are coming loose on the edges and curling up. I have had to resort to glue to keep them on in places. But that's all I have to do, really. I bought new curtains for the bedroom, they are sheer white with floral details and are very pretty. I moved the existing green ones to the inside of the window since the sheers don't give any privacy at all and wouldn't block out the street light that shines right into our window. I'm pleased with the way the curtains look with the green ones behind them. I just have to remember to open the green ones in the mornings so the plants get enough light. Bill thinks I'll forget, but I'm going to prove him wrong on that one! I'm also happy with the way we've arranged the bedroom now. Frasier figured out pretty quickly which side of the bed is Bill's. He goes to Bill's side and "talks" until Bill gets up. This morning, I heard him making noises from the floor on Bill's side. Oops, I just remembered - I am not finished with the bathroom yet! I still need to find a drinking glass. I know what I want, Fenton of course (what else is there, really?), but it's hard to find. I have seen a couple of them on eBay and will probably buy it there. But I don't want to pay more than a certain amount, including shipping.

Now I am going to get the kitchen finished up. It's just about done, I just have a few things I'm thinking about with my decorations. I have an idea for the coookie cutters that used to be Mom's and Aunt Jessie's, but I need a few more first to make it work. I'm not sure if I have enough antique gadgets or not, I need to attach the rest of the ones I do have to the walls and then see where I stand. Then, when it's all finished, I'm going to see about replacing my dishes. I still like the set I have, but over the years some of them have gotten broken and we really do need more plates.

The set I have is by Corelle, it's the ivy pattern and is very pretty. But it was discontinued a few years ago so I'm probably going to have to go with something else entirely. But I'm not there yet. However, if I do get a new set(s) I think I will probably skip the salt & pepper shakers since I have the Fenton set. I might just go with a solid color that goes with lots of different things, but like I said - I'm not there yet. If I do go with a solid color, I might just get one set and use it with the ivy plates. But I still intend to use my Fenton salt shaker set. Although Otter probably hopes that I don't, considering how many things she's broken! :)

Busy Sunday!

We've been busy. I guess that's obvious by the title, right? :)

Bill finally agreed with me that we needed to rearrange our bedroom. So that's what we've been doing today. Part of the rearranging included cleaning out a few things, such as the tv and stereo that were in there but hardly ever get used. I think they'll be donated. Also, the two overflowing bookshelves have been cleaned off a little bit. Since the bed is no longer in front of the window, I brought my butler's cart from the dining room with the two plants it has on it and also two plant stands with peace lillies that are on either side of the cart. It looks great, and there is more room to walk in there. The bed is pretty big, so it's going to stick out far any way we arrange it. But this way, we have more room and a place for some of the plants. I also dusted and vacuumed the entire room, it gets vacuumed on a regular basis but some things don't get dusted very often because I can't reach them.

Since the butler's cart and two plant stands are out of the dining room window, it is less crowded in there as well. We moved the table closer to the window, which will make it easier to walk through the dining room to the kitchen.

Of course, we did have to work around a beagle! Frasier is smart, he went outside and has been outside pretty much all day. But Maggie is very curious, whatever is going she thinks she needs to be part of. Usually, she is in the middle of it. Today was no exception.

Hemming the prom dress took a lot longer than I expected. The bobbin case on my machine kept messing up. I finally got that fixed, but I had to loosen it up quite a bit and the stitches showed more than I wanted them to because they were not quite as tight due to the case being loosened. But it worked out great. I am not posting a picture of Otter on here, but I have already emailed them out to assorted family. She looked absolutely lovely. And I think Bill had a heartbreaking moment when he saw her in the dress, with her hair & makeup done. He had a strange look on his face - the same look I saw on my dad's face when he was about to walk me down the aisle and saw me in my wedding gown. You know, the look that dad's get when they realize that their little girls are grown up. And that they can't do anything about it. Then he said he was going to lock her in the bathroom and never, ever let her out. It was a hard moment for him. I'm going to get the dress on eBay, possibly today but more likely tomorrow.

New baby in the family! FutureJediMom has another future Jedi. He was born yesterday, I don't think he's been named yet - or at least they haven't announced his name. But considering that their first two are named Luke and Leah (Star Wars, get it?), we think that C3P0 would be a good name. Toadles, you are now even older! You seem to have quite a collection of grandchildren now. But Froggy and I will always be younger than you are!

We raised a lot of dust with our rearranging activities this morning. I already had a sinus headache and it didn't help, and I've also been sneezing a lot. I discovered something. I think the parakeet has learned to say "bless you". I sneezed, and the bird immediately chirped at me. It was the right rythm, I think he's heard us sneeze and somebody say "bless you" enough times to make the connection. (We all have allergies so we sneeze a lot). It takes him a while, but the parakeet is capable of learning and repeating. He also makes a squeek that is the same sound as Bill's tape gun and he has echoed some of the birds that we hear outside. The little blue featherbrain is fun, that's for sure.

Fast Friday

I only have about 40 minutes until sundown as I type, so I'm typing fast! Which is normal for me. My younger boss needed me to type a letter for him yesterday. He had part of it written out, but he was stuck on composing it. So I typed it up for him, I fixed what he'd done already and then he stood beside my desk and dictated. And then he told me that I needed to stop typing so he could catch up, because he said he couldn't even think that fast. I'm quick.

Anyway...

The prom dress did and did not get hemmed last night. I hemmed quite a bit of it, by hand. But then I stopped and looked at it and it looked really bad. So I pulled it all out, and I'm going to get my sewing machine out in the morning. It won't take me that long to do it, but I am going to recheck my measurements at least on the part that I did by hand last night. The reason I wanted to do this job by hand is that the fabric is stretchy, and the skirt gets fuller towards the bottom. I'll just sew slowly! And yes, I will take pictures once she's ready to go. I took her for the manicure today after school, her nails look great and they should last well past tomorrow evening. When we get manicures at the place we went to today, I think they must use industrial strength polish because it lasts and lasts and lasts.

It was in the low 70's today, very nice day. Which will make tomorrow's cold feel even colder. Well, I brought in firewood and we have plenty of blankets so I'm not worried!

We took advantage of Subway's $5.00 Footlongs today. Otter and I stopped after the manicure. A footlong sub is a lot of sandwich, so they will probably be two meals. Well, Otter's will and mine probably will. But Bill's won't last that long, he'll polish it off in one sitting!

I'm out of time. I want to get my shoes off and find my comfy pj's, then I think I'm going to go read the paper and keep the couch from flying to the ceiling until it's time for Battlestar Galactica to come on. Which I think is 9:00. I am tired, I hope I make it that long! :)

Warm Thursday!

It's in the 50's or thereabouts today. Which is nice, although probably not warm. But very warm for this time of year in NE OK. I think the groundhog must have seen someone else's shadow and mistaken it for his own.

But this is Oklahoma, after all. So it will change fast. And without warning. But then, TEXAS weather has that characteristic as well. Just maybe not quite as fast at changing as OK is, and it doesn't generally get quite as cold as it gets here. It will be nice tomorrow, then a cold front should hit tomorrow evening and if we are lucky then Saturday might get as high as 40 degrees. Which I think is how last weekend was. Whatever, I brought in plenty of firewood this morning. I might go get a little more later on.

I could also have titled this post as "Dog Day Thursday" because the hounds went to the vet. Frasier needed his rabies shot, and the vet looked him all over while he was there. His ears look pretty good, which for any other dog would probably be bad but with Frasier's ears we have learned to take what we can get and not complain. I think it's been about a week since the last time I had to treat them. The vet also checked the cyst spot on Frasier's leg. It's still there and probably always will be, but it did shrink up quite a bit. It has gotten as small as it is probably going to get, but like his ears - I'm happy with that because the other option is that it grows again. And we don't want that! He weighs 60 pounds today. Which means that he's gained a little weight.

Magginator also went to the vet. She was originally just going to go for moral support, but she has been dragging her rear a lot the last couple of days so guess what she got to do?! That's right, butt-squishing time for her. She was not pleased. I don't blame her, but it was necessary. It's been 2 1/2 months since the last time, and the vet said that it was a lot worse this time than it has been. I wouldn't say Maggie is exactly happy now, but she was very, VERY glad to leave the vet's office and come home. She could not get out of the door fast enough. Maggie weighed 30 pounds, she's down about 4 or 5. Which is a good thing, but she's still a fat beagle.

The White Lightning has a radio now. Bill put in a radio and speakers this week. I think he is planning on taking it tomorrow, he had a rock fly into the window of his Impala today and now there is a nice chip. I will probably take his Impala tomorrow and see if the repair place can come out and fix it while I'm at work. His old El Camino, the red one, had major chips that became major cracks in it's windshield. He didn't seem to mind, but I do! So I'll see if I can take care of it tomorrow. It is a safety hazard, after all, if the windshield cracks. FYI, the White Lightning is possibly not the final name, although I think it might be. But I'm not going to get his decorative license plate for a while yet. He could still change his mind!

I've put off hemming a certain green formal dress for long enough. Time to get busy with my needle and thread!

Discoveries

This is what I discovered this afternoon:

Daffodils! We are going to have a lot of them, they tend to spread. Which is fine with me, they are among my favorite flowers. They really multiply.

Tulips! The tulips are up! About a dozen of them, this is one of the bigger ones. Most are just barely poking through the dirt. There should be several more, which should break through the dirt over the next few days. Once one starts, they all start.

The full shot of the tulip/daffodil bed. Not visible are the several earthworms I accidentally uncovered while I was pulling weeds. The worms got buried back again, where they are happily doing what they do.

But this is the biggest discovery of the afternoon. It might look small, but it's huge.

It's a BLUEBONNET! It's in the whiskey barrel and is tiny still, that is Otter's finger holding the leaves up for a size comparison. Sorry it's not a clearer picture, the camera that I was using is the older one and it's losing a lot of close-up focus. But the point is that last year's naturalized bluebonnets have sucessfully seeded. Or it could be from a seed I planted, but the seeds were off of last year's naturalized plants. Happy, happy!

There was another picture, but the disk decided it didn't want to cooperate with me. At the end of the tulip bed is a gate, which leads to our back yard. The picture had a dog nose sticking through, Frasier was watching me the entire time I was weeding the tulip bed. Guess he wanted to help me play in the mud.

I left him alone for about 15 minutes this morning, in the living room without picking up the small trash can we have in there. And that was long enough! I discovered a trail of candy wrappers and peanut shells, from the knocked over can to his blanket. And he was nowhere in sight. Shortly after that, Otter went outside and discovered that he'd also left us a trail of pretzel bag pieces to follow. Frasier stayed way out of my reach while we were picking up, but he watched us closely. He probably knew he was in trouble, because he avoided me for a while. Dog's too smart for his own good sometimes.

Since I had the day off, Otter and I went thrifting. We didn't find a lot, but she did find a pair of jeans that she needed. I saw several Fenton pieces at one particular thrift, the Salvation Army on the expensive side of town. And they were all way overpriced, so they are still there. One piece was a rarer piece, but it was still more than I wanted to pay. The other stuff was reasonably common, but still overpriced!

We also hit the fabric store, Otter chose a dark blue fabric for the back of her quilt. Then we went to Michael's, she has a craft she wants to make, and we bought yarn while we were there for the tie-offs on her quilt. It's a brightly variegated yarn and will look very pretty.

I also finished pinning up the hem of her prom dress. I am going to get the hem actually sewn in the next couple of days, but I'm thinking about how I want to do it. The material is stretchy and the skirt is designed to be fuller towards the bottom. Otter is getting her hair cut after school tomorrow, then Friday when I pick her up I am taking her for a manicure.

Frasier just came to the door of the office, smiled at me and wagged his tail. Then he turned around and left. I probably should go see what he's gotten into this time!

I'M FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the quilt that I started years and years ago. At least, I'm finished with the top. I have to go buy batting and the backing fabric, but I'm done with the main part of the quilt. We might get to the fabric place tomorrow when we go to the library and probably thrift stores, but soon anyway. Then it won't take that long to completely finish up. Otter likes it, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. We spread it out on her bed and it will actually work for a bigger bed as well. She says that she does want dark blue fabric for the backing. Then I think I'll use blue yarn on the front. Yes, I will post pictures. But it's not at that stage yet.

It was a nice Valentine's Day. Bill loved the roast, but then he generally does. He liked the chocolate I got him and the video game. Otter loved the video games and non-chocolate candy we got her. And I really liked my surprise present from Bill. Besides the chocolate, he got me something I've wanted for a while - an MP3 player! It's not an Ipod, but it's the same thing. Just a different brand. And a lot cheaper. I've been busy uploading all my cd's to it. My car stereo is equipped with an input jack so I can plug it in there and listen to my music through the car's speakers. Happy, happy! But I need to get a few more cd's, I don't have anything within the last few years since I didn't have a cd player in the car. So I think I need to take a page from Otter's book and go get more music! And a headset, the ear buds that came with it are not the easiest things on the ears.

We rented a movie, The Miracle of St. Anna. It was not exactly what we expected. The basic story was good, but it could have been told in a lot less time. It was edited choppily and the acting wasn't that good. It was ok, rated R because of a couple of brief adult scenes and the language. And one I think we would have been very disappointed with at theater price.

The prom is next Saturday. Otter is going to get a haircut Tuesday or Wednesday. Then she's getting a manicure, which we will probably go get on Friday after school/work. We thought about going on Saturday, but sometimes there is a line and we decided not to wait until the last minute. I have her dress pinned up part of the way, I will finish that and get it hemmed up probably tomorrow.

Froggy, the box is packed & ready for shipping. I think that UPS is open on Monday, that is probably how I'll send it to you. I think you'll enjoy all the hummers, hopefully Uncle Crazy will enjoy the surprise of coming home to redecorating! :)

After All These Years...

I'm nearly finished with my quilt! The one I started when Otter was in kindergarten. She's now in 10th grade, with 7th being two years due to the district/curiculum (sp?) change when we moved, so I think that means I started it 12 years ago. Anyway, I got it out this morning and discovered that I have more than enough squares cut to finish it and actually just need to sew a few more pieces together. Otter said she likes it, and she think she wants to get dark blue for the backing color. I worked on it for a while today, and I will get back to it in the next day or so. Possibly tomorrow, while Otter's friend is over and they work on a school project. But very soon.

I also need to hem Otter's dress for the prom. It needs about 5 inches taken up, and the prom is in two weeks so I'd better get busy! Actually, the dress will only take me a few minutes and I'll probably get it done tomorrow.

Froggy, don't worry about Frasier! He's very spoiled. He just does not have any interest in wearing anything, and he's usually the first one in the kitchen if there is even the slightest chance of food being aimed his way. All one of us has to do is walk in the general direction of the kitchen and he's there. Especially if he thinks somebody might be opening the refrigerator. Frasier's day today has consisted of most of his time being spent out on the deck, snoozing in the sun. Except for the one time I caught him digging, his entire head and most of his shoulders were underground so I'd say I have a landscaping chore tomorrow.

I did manage to get started on painting the trash can for the bathroom. I was toying with the idea of just painting it white, but I think it will need to have a little color to it. I don't think it's going to be anything bright. I'm just not quite sure what color it will be yet. We had some frames, so I was able to frame the 4th flower picture I got yesterday. It's now hanging where the clock was in the bathroom, we really do need the clock in there so I'm going to have to figure out where to put it. I'll come up with something, I'm not too concerned.

And Froggy, here is my final answer: The hummingbird Beanie Baby is NOT included in the hummingbirds I'm about to send you! But I do look for one for you whenever we are anyplace that might have them. Otter can get through a pile or box of beanie babies at a thrift store in record time!

It's a Bird! It's a Plane!

It's a white El Camino flying by!

Bill "let" me drive the El Camino to work today. And it really, I mean REALLY wants to fly! I just love V8 engines. I asked him if I could keep it, but he said that he might let me sit in it sometimes. I didn't think that was fair, he gets to have all the fun! :)

This next picture is just for you, Froggy. (Aggie Moms fix their shoes with duct tape).

The picture is from the Red Green show, which is a hilarious show out of Canada. It hasn't been on in several years, but we catch old episodes on PBS on Friday nights. It's so funny, and they use duct tape for everything - I think they refer to it as the Man's Secret Weapon. Seeing as how I am married to an Engineer, we use a lot of duct tape in our house! Otter even has two or three rolls of her own, in different colors of course.

Maggie Moo is wearing her new bandana this afternoon. I put it on her when I got home, she saw it and ducked her head so I could reach to get it over her head. Then she purred.

Frasier is being himself this afternoon. In other words, lazy. Otter said that she actually had to check and see if he was breathing just now.

I've already emailed out the pictures of Otter in her prom dress, so the answer is now out there. It's green. When Otter was trying it on, she actually said she wasn't sure about the color working with her red hair. Hello? Otter, we are IRISH REDHEADS. Of course we can wear green!

Redecorating update: I'm nearly through with the bathroom. I need a drinking glass and I think I want to get a couple of pictures of flowers to put in there. I found a poster of roses at Hobby Lobby yesterday, it's now in the frame and back above the mirror. It looks great. The roses have a little pink to them, but not bright. I also bought a stem of silk dogwood blossoms, which will be put in the Fenton perfume as a vase. I bought a wooden trash can while we were at Hobby Lobby, I'm going to paint it off-white and then I have some floral decals to put on it. There is not one particular color, there will be a touch of pink, some rusty or dusty rose colors but not anything very bright. I told Bill that he'd had fair warning, the bathroom was going girly and he'd better get used to it! :) I'll probably get a couple of hand towels in a complimentary color, once I get finished with the floral pictures. Oh, I also bought a small, square paper box with a lid which I will paint the same off-white as the trash can. Then I have a rose decal to put on the top of it. It's going to be beside the bed on my nightstand - to hold my super strength earplugs! Bill doesn't snore all that often, but when he does...

Whine Wednesday?

I'm whining because I don't really have anything to say! It's been a busy day and the weather is nice, we could possibly get winter weather including white stuff by Sunday evening into the first few days of next week. So I could gripe about that. But I had to think hard to even come up with that. I'm not looking forward to cold, but we probably need a little more of it. Otherwise, we will have bug problems this summer. We might have them anyway, since we haven't had all that much cold yet.

I have had to treat Frasier's ears twice this week, he acts like he's got another ear infection. Which is a common thing with him. He's so good-natured, he tolerates me rinsing out his ears and never tries to get away or anything. Then he gets his treat, and he's happy. He always comes back to me for affection after that. Maggie gets a treat as well, even though she didn't have to put up with anything unpleasant. Are they spoiled, or what! (Yes).

Any more guesses on Otter's dress? (Hint - it goes well with our Irish heritage).

We watched a funny movie tonight, Moonstruck with Cher and Nicholas Cage. I haven't seen it in years, we forgot how funny it is. It's a good movie, I recommend it highly.

Th-th-that's all, fffolks!

Some Tuesday Stuff to Think About

I have come to the conclusion that there is not a vacuum in the world that can keep up with furry Frasier! I just ran the vacuum through the entire house. I emptied the cannister before I started. And then I realized that the entire house meant the cannister was filled up again when I was finished. And there are a few places I didn't get completely, such as the office and under the beds. Most of it was dog fur, brown in color and long. No wonder the old vacuum croaked! Well, it was old and had been used heavily before we got Frasier but I'm sure that all that dog hair didn't help. Oh well, at least the vacuuming is done for the day. It won't be done again until Thursday or Friday.

Maggie was my helper with the vacuum cleaning. She stayed right beside me the entire time, she would sit or lie down a few feet away from me and she stayed with me in each room. She wasn't wanting to play with the vacuum, and she's never been afraid of it. She just seems to like to watch it. Frasier, on the other hand, was outside and as far as he could get from it! I think he's back inside now, he sometimes will stay in the kitchen until we get through in the living room but today he went outside.

Back to school for Otter today, but Bill is still off through tomorrow. He had Monday as a holiday and he took two vacation days for today and tomorrow. He is still helping his dad at the rent house, although I think they should be winding down pretty soon.

I finally found a shade for my new lamp, the one with the glass piece. The shade is new, Walmart was about the cheapest and also seemed to have the biggest selection. The lamp is in the middle of the sofa table, but I think I'm going to move it to one end.

No photograph of Otter in her dress yet, we didn't have time yesterday and haven't gotten around to it today. Eventually! It's a really nice dress and the perfect color for her red hair.

Also, I don't know if I mentioned this or not but Otter has decided not to go to camp this year. She has been for 4 years, two at one camp the Methodist church sponsors and the last two at the camp the Baptist church sponsors. She's enjoyed it, but she said that she thinks she's done everything she wanted to do and she is getting to the age where most kids stop going. It is up to her, if she wanted to go then she certainly could. But she really wants to get a job next summer.

It's been warm the last couple of days. Warm for January in NE OK, that is. But it could be pretty cold by the weekend. Saturday might find up camped out in front of the fireplace all day. But the nicer weather the last couple of days has got me to thinking about spring. And spring storms. I'm not in a hurry for them, last year was bad enough and I don't want to go through that again (or anything worse).

Bill thinks he's changing the name of the El Camino. Stay tuned for updates, he's got a couple of ideas but nothing is decided yet. But the nose art won't involve an ice cube! (Although it will still most likely involve a nekkid lady).

Futurejedimom, enjoy Disney! I'm sure your critters will make sure you have a good time. And also that you get plenty of excercise. :)

Sunday Shopping Sucess!

We have a prom dress! Otter and I went to J. C. Penney's this afternoon in search of a dress for the prom, excuse me Spring Formal! They had several, she found 4 to try on and she picked one of them. The first one she tried on was a long formal, with rhinestone straps and a train-style skirt. It was a very pretty dress. But it was backless, which she thought might be just a little bit past the dress code. The school relaxes the dress code slightly for the prom, but only slightly. It was a good color for her, sapphire blue, and it looked good on her although the train could have been a problem. She tried on two short formals next, one was sapphire blue with a black "cummerbund" middle and was pretty, but it was a balloon-style skirt and didn't look like it was constructed quite like it should have been but it could also have been tried on roughly before and maybe a stitch or two pulled out. It was strapless with a corset-style back. The next one she tried on was also a strapless, short formal and was black with a white area on the skirt, the skirt was full with a layered effect which is where the white area was. It was nice and looked really good on her. She had one more to try on, it was a long formal with spaghetti straps. It was green, more of a grass green than emerald green. It had a spangled sequin-ish area at the high waist and hung in small pleats to the floor. She seriously considered this one as well. Well, I guess you could say she seriously considered all for of them! There were several other styles & colors, but these are the four she liked the best.

So, which one did she pick? (Froggy, I've already told you, if you'll check your text messages today). J. C. Penney's had all their formal dresses on sale, so the $90.00 dress wound up costing us $69.00 plus tax. It was a good buy. And Bill likes it, which is always a good thing.

She's decided to wear her shoes from last year, since the school won't allow most shoes and they have to be barefoot. We went to another store and she found a necklace and earring set. She's not sure yet about her hair, but she has a little time to figure that one out.

Maggie was acting really strangely yesterday. Otter put a few rawhide chips in the dog's toy basket and Maggie pulled one out. Frasier was not interested in it at that point in time, I was sitting with him on the other side of the room scratching his ears and spoiling him. Maggie suddenly ran and jumped up at him and I think she tried to bite him. I pulled her away and told her NO as loud as I could, then the little brat did it again but she snapped at him a couple of times this time. At which point Otter grabbed her by the collar and put her out in their small yard. Frasier never reacted, he never even growled at her (although she did at him), and he never even bared his teeth at her. Otter gave Maggie her rawhide and then we let Frasier go out into the back yard with a rawhide. Then we gathered up the rawhide chips from their basket and I put them away. Later, I went out and opened up the gate to their small yard. They acted like best buddies and chased each other around the yard. Maggie has never shown any signs of aggression before this, and Frasier was definitely not trying to take her treat outside - he was on the opposite side of the room and had zero interest in the rawhide. She seems to be in a good mood today, but we are going to watch her the next time they get rawhide. In fact, they will probably not even be allowed to be in the same room with each other when they get them the next time.

Otter rented the movie Sleepy Hollow yesterday. I didn't realize that she'd never seen it before. She enjoyed it. But then it had Johnny Depp, so she pretty much was guaranteed to like it. It's a good movie, I saw it years ago and enjoyed it.

I made soup in the crock pot. I started it last night, then let it cook all night and part of this morning. We had it for lunch and dinner today and will have it for the next couple of days. It's good and I enjoy making it. I don't make it too often, though. I also think my crock pot might be going out. It didn't seem to be as warm when I checked the soup after the first hour on high. I've had the crock pot since right after we moved to Tulsa, the one I had before that wore out because I used it so much. I have certainly gotten a lot of use out of this one, I just haven't used it much lately. But it is something that I will replace, and I'll get another large one like the one I have now.

So, any guesses on the dress yet?

Some Thoughts on a Cold Friday

It's still pretty cold, but not nearly as raw and bitter as yesterday was. It might get up to about freezing, but probably not over. But the sun is shining and the wind is very light. It was 16 degrees at 6:00 this morning.

However, I'm still having to deal with my asthma as a result of yesterday so I decided to stay home today. I did have to take Otter to school, we didn't want her to stand outside in it waiting for the bus this morning but that was a short trip. I also went to the post office later to mail something, but again that was a quick trip and I didn't have to be out much.

As far as wearing jeans goes, I decided to only wear dresses and skirts to work and church and I am going to try to stick with that. I have occasionally worn my jeans to work, such as the day I wanted to clean up the atrium in the office. But I might not wear them the next time. I have several heavy weight skirts that are actually pretty warm, the problem yesterday was that I had to be out in the weather a lot which is not normally what happens. Then I had several errands after work, which only compounded the problem. I'm very glad I have a good heater in the car, I just had to get in and out of it a lot of times.

Among other things, my boss had someone move out from one of his rent houses and they left a bunch of stuff behind. Like lots of clothing, quite a bit of their kitchen stuff and some furniture. This is not the same one I got the vacuum from, this is another one. He gave them until a certain date to get their stuff out before he had it hauled off, but they said that they didn't want anything else and he could do what he wanted with it. So I went over there with him yesterday. And left with a trunk full of canned food, 3 bottles of champagne, some assorted kitchen ware and a very good size wooden jewelry amoire - which still contained a lot of jewelry. Most of it is costume, but good quality costume. There are several rings that are the real thing and a few watches I might put on eBay. Otter has already scored one necklace and she'll go through it tonight. I'm sure she'll find several other things she wants. The amoire is pretty big, I'm not sure exactly where I'll put it. But I'll find a place! I found a place for all the canned food, that wasn't a problem. I just had to rearrange my pantry a little bit.

I left the dogs inside both times when I was gone this morning. Tempting fate, I know, but they did fine. Maggie probably slept the entire time, curled up on Otter's bed where she was when we left to take Otter to school. Frasier was parked on his blanket when we left, when I came back he was still there but he looked worried and then extremely glad to see me. Not like he was guilty, just like he was glad I was home. I think maybe he just didn't know where I was and he is very much a mamma's boy. When I got back the second time, they both greeted me at the door and then they went back to their naps.

Yes, Froggy. We will look for shoes on Sunday. That's kind of a requirement for us, we look for shoes in just about every store we happen to be in. And Sunday will be no different, don't worry. :) But the dress is our main focus, along with jewelry if we do find her a dress. However, since we are starting out at Penney's at the mall, I'm sure I can talk her into going to the shoe store as well. Shouldn't be too hard at all. Imagine that, a teenage girl who loves shoe shopping! What is the world coming to? :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Like really cold. As in we barely made it into the 20's, and it's the very low 20's at that. We could get as low as 6 degrees tonight. It's so cold that just going from the front door to the car is a problem for me, since I have cold-induced asthma. I've had to be outside a lot more than I wanted to today, and I am paying for it now. Froggy suggested I wear a mask when I'm outside, but they don't fit right because of where they hit on the bridge of my nose. I broke it several years ago. I have a very warm coat, so glad I bought it, lots of gloves and a nice, long scarf I made - Otter calls it my Dr. Who scarf. But I'm really regretting my dress/skirt only decision as far as work clothing! I have tights & hose, and socks as well as several pairs of boots. But this is the bitter cold that gets past all that. I don't like it! Yes, Froggy - I can already hear Dad. He usually recited his "move back home to TEXAS where you belong" speech in the spring time, but winter weather could occasionally get the speech. Although when it was snowing here, he usually said I was lucky.

We had snow this morning, but the wind blew it all away. So now it it just cold, but it doesn't really look like it. It's miserable outside. Frasier and Maggie were probably curled up in the garage all day, they didn't feel cold when I got home. But Maggie was absolutely crazed, when she saw me coming into the garage. She was manic. I let them in immediately and they have been inside ever since. Frasier is curled up at my feet and Maggie is probably back on Otter's bed, she is getting pretty good at arranging the blankets to where she gets covered up.

One other side-effect of the cold, dry weather. Lizard skin! I probably should buy stock in a company that makes lotion or chapstick. I seem to be using a lot of it lately.

On a lighter note, Otter and I are going prom dress shopping Sunday afternoon. I called around, a couple of places said that they only have a few but they do have them. Penney's said that they actually have quite a few, so we are going there first. Then, depending on our luck there, most likely to Otter's favorite jewelry & accessory store to use up her gift card on jewelry, etc. to go with the dress. Shoes aren't a big problem, since they have to take them off at the dance anyway. She's got several pairs of dressy shoes but I'm sure she won't mind if she "has" to go shop for more! She's her mother's daughter, after all. :)

My Turn Monday

Maggie can wait until next Monday to blog! She's probably more interested in a nap anyway, the last time I saw her she was curled up in the middle of Otter's bed having a snooze. Which is pretty much her normal position anyway! :) The reason Otter was yelling at her yesterday evening is because the dog was trying to drag stuff out from under Otter's bed. She'd already eaten her rawhide chip, so there is no telling what she was after. Otter doesn't have a lot of stuff under her bed, but it's big things like her typewriter and not really anything the silly dog would have any interest in. Unless we have another mouse, which is always a possibility. I don't think so, I have not seen any signs of one but you never know.

I checked with the school office today, the Spring Formal is in February. Which seems way early to me, but apparently they normally have it around Valentine's Day and last year's end of March was just later than normal. So we are going to go dress shopping pretty quick. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday after work/school, or we might wait until Sunday afternoon because we would have more time and not have to be rushed. We are hoping that we will be able to find a dress at a "regular" store, since the consignment didn't have much to choose from in Otter's size. It's still early for prom season, but I'm thinking we will be able to find something.

It was a typical Monday at work. I got very little done, because both of my bosses were in early and they kept having emergencies for me to deal with. None were really emergencies, but they were like a couple of kids that needed Mom to come straighten things out! I was very glad to see 2:30 roll around today so I could leave. Bill and I were able to meet for lunch today, we had Schlotzky's, so it wasn't all wild and crazy today.

Among other things we discussed at lunch, we are planning a Texas trip this summer. We are thinking the last week in June which leads up to July 4, but it's not written in stone yet - Bill still has to get the vacation days approved at work. My vacation is already approved, but I can also be a lot more flexible than he can. However, that is the plan for now.

I have several prayer requests. 1) My friend Virginia - the 1st anniversary of her daughter Sara's death is this Thursday, January 15. They are having a very hard time dealing with the loss of their daughter, they have legal custody of their grandchildren now but their son-in-law has still basically abandoned the kids, and now the first anniversary is coming up. 2) My friend Jan also needs prayers as her father is very ill and is hospitalized. 3) Froggy has a prayer concern which I might address later but I forgot to ask her about putting it on here, so for right now it's a general concern but a very important one.

I think that's all for today!

Sunday Randomness

Is Randomness even a word? I don't know, but it works. So there! :)

Maggie Beagle managed to hide her rawhide chip from Frasier. I don't know where she hid it, but she brought it out of Otter's room this afternoon. Then she carried it around for a while. When Frasier came in, he circled her like the way a buzzard circles food on the ground. The whole time, Maggie was turning away from him so that he could not get her chip. He went outside finally, and she promptly parked her furry little behind down in the sun and ate the rawhide. She was very happy with herself, but Frasier is still coming in and going right back outside. Although since Otter opened their gate and they can get into the rest of the yard, he might stay outside for a while.

It's nice today, sunny and cool. It was very cold this morning, we went to BRAUM'S in case you are interested Froggy. Then we went over to Grandpa's rent house and pulled carpet tacks up out of the floor so that the new carpet can be installed in the next few days. As Otter says, OH JOY! But it wasn't nearly as bad as our rent house, and it was just one room and the hallway.

Otter and I decided to go to Goodwill, but we didn't find anything. We did try, however. I tried on two blouses that are the size I've been wearing for a while. But I didn't buy either one of them. They didn't fit. In a good way, they were both TOO BIG!!!! Happy, Happy. We also decided to go do a little dress shopping for Otter, as the Prom (oh excuse me, the Formal) is at the end of February. The problem with the dance being so early is that most formal dresses are not really on sale or even in the stores until a little later on. We went back to the consignment store where we found her dress last year and she tried on 3 or 4. There was one that she would have bought but it was a size too small. It was a very pretty shade of blue, what I would call sapphire. Strapless & long, just a beautiful dress. That is probably what she will be looking for, the next time we go. There was another one she really liked but it was red and was a major clash with the hair - however, it was one of those very expensive "gotta try on" dresses. Strapless, very VERY full skirt with a train and it was a nice dress, once we got past the color. But it was not her size, either. We looked at another consignment store, but they didn't have too many. I'm thinking that possibly one day this week I'll pick her up after school and we'll go look, and maybe next Sunday as well. One of her friends wants to go with us, we'll see if we can arrange that.

We've been cleaning this afternoon. Otter wasn't particularly pleased, but it still needed to be done. We also made cookies, so it wasn't all work this afternoon. At the moment, my second load of laundry is in the washer. It's the dog blankets, so Frasier will probably be unhappy with me for a while - I don't think he likes the fact that his blanket gets washed, it probably doesn't smell right to him for a few days.

I just heard Otter yell "MARGARET!" I wonder what Maggie's up to now? There is no telling, with that fat little sausage we call a beagle. And on that note, I'd better go check on Frasier. They were digging up a storm yesterday and he's been outside for a very long time!

Misty Messy Sunday

It's not exactly been raining this morning, but it was a little stronger than a mist. Just enough to make the dirt stick to the dog's feet and allow them to leave tracks. All over the kitchen and living room! I've cleaned the kitchen floor up twice already, but I've decided to just wait until later on in the evening when they aren't going out every few seconds to bark at nothing.

Bill's mowing the weeds, I mean yard. Once he's finished, we'll be able to tell where we still need to do some filling in of holes. I'm sure that there are still plenty, although I think we've gotten most of them. Or at least most of the big ones.

We skipped church this morning, there were a bunch of little things I wanted to get done around the house so we have been busy most of the day. I talked Bill into re-caulking around the toilet in Otter's bathroom and he decided to do the one in our bathroom as well. There were two windows that needed to be cleaned on the outside, thanks to birds that visited the suet feeders, so I hit them with windex while ago. Now we can see out again! We had several other small jobs and we're just about through with them. Until I come up with something else for Willy Boy to do!

Bill just got through mowing. He said that there are more holes out there than we've already filled, and we've filled a boatload already! So I guess we won't be bored for a while. Anybody need something to do? I have plenty of holes to fill and a couple of shovels you can use!

Otter will be 16 tomorrow. For some reason, she's excited about it. Can't imagine why... Her birthday dinner is at her favorite Mexican restaurant, her local grandparents are meeting us there. I've also ordered a small cake, which I'll pick up after work and then we'll have it after the restaurant. Otter's decided that she wants a Wii game system and she's saving her money for one. She is pretty determined, when she makes up her mind to save for something, she does exactly what she says she's going to do. She gets her stubborn streak for her father, of course! :)

Since we've started seeing frogs again, the bricks are back in the dog's outside water dish. I hope that this year isn't quite as wet as last year was, but I did enjoy the frogs because they eat a lot of skeeters.

The prom was last night. I took Otter and all of her supplies to her friend's house about 5:00. She had dinner at her friend's house and then another of their friends came over and they all got ready together. Her friend's dad emailed me some pictures which I sent out to several of you last night. Otter said it was fun. She had a great time, and she is looking forward to going next year. She's thinking about a long formal for next year, and probably strapless. Beyond that, she's got a year to decide on the details. But if it's long, she can wear shorter shoes - she said that her feet hurt from the shoes she wore last night. Price of beauty! (The picture might not be up for long, my normal paranoia will insist I take it down!)

I tried another recipe from my bread machine book. This time, it's Honey Whole Wheat bread and it's pretty good. I made a loaf yesterday and it's already gone so I have another one in the machine now. It takes over 4 hours to make, but it is very good. I tried whole wheat bread once before and it didn't turn out very good, but as I recall I just used whole wheat flour in place of the bread flour I usually use and it doesn't work to substitute without some adjustments. Whole wheat flour usually needs wheat gluten, which I don't have, but you can substitute 1/4 to 1/3 of the whole wheat flour with bread flour if you don't have gluten on hand so I've been doing that. The honey makes it very sweet and it is really good. I'm sure that the loaf I have going now will probably disappear just as quick as yesterday's did. Smells so good right about now!

The Weatherman Finally Got It Right!

We got snow. They hardly ever manage to come close, I guess that the law of averages caught up with them. Or the dart hit the right spot on the target! It has been snowing since mid-morning. At times it's been pretty heavy. We probably have a couple of inches and it is sticking to the yards, some streets have sticking snow also. We decided against karate today, the roads were beginning to get slick and Tulsa drivers are dangerous on a good, clear, dry day so I decided not to chance it.

Otter and I had a snowball fight in the back yard when we got home. Probably not the best place to be picking snow up out of the yard, considering that we have two doggies... She bent over to pick up snow and was complaining that falling snow went down the back of her jeans, so as soon as I could I got behind her and put more in her pants! Of course, she paid me back in kind so we both had cold, wet rears for a while. But we had a good time. She started a snowman, but it turned into our snowball fight so we might go out in the front yard later and see about making a snowman. We did manage to get the birdfeeders refilled while we were out there, but we are now out of bird food! We stopped at the grocery store on the way home yesterday and bought groceries, but I didn't realize that we were so low or I'd have bought another 25 pound bag. Tomorrow probably. If they actually have any left, that is.

We went shopping yesterday after work/school and she found everything she needed to complete her spring formal outfit. She chose a purple (what other color is there, really?) scarf drape, a silver crystal earring and necklace set, black high heeled sandles and she also found some purple eye shadow. She already has plenty of eye shadow and several purple, but apparently there was a shade she didn't already have! She is still thinking about how she wants to do her hair. Her friend Lizzy wants to "experiment" with her new curling iron - on Otter's hair. We said no to that one! I'll get pictures soon of the entire outfit. She made some great choices and it all looks really good.

The dogs were running around with us out in the back yard, but I noticed that as soon as we came in both hounds followed and they both immediately took naps. Lazy babies! I guess all that excavation they did today must have exhausted them. Frasier is parked in the floor by my desk, he's a big obstacle to walk around. Maggie is back in her usual spot - curled up in the middle of Otter's bed and probably on the blanket I washed this morning! There is one fleecy blanket of Otter's that Maggie just loves, I have to wash it frequently to get all the dog hair off of it and lately the Magginator has taken to licking it for some strange reason. But then she's a strange dog!

I read an article on the internet just now. Apparently, some scientist has made a discovery that all people who have blue eyes share a common ancestor. Well, duh! We all share a common ancestor (two, really), no matter what color our eyes are!

Oh, before I forget: The official count is now Otter 5, glassware 0.

Tuesday's Meandering Thoughts

I ate too much today. Actually, I've had too much fat in my diet the last couple of days - not that I've eaten too much in terms of quantity, just fat quantity. And not just today. But it was all self-inflicted, so I can't blame anyone else! Although I might try to blame Bill. There is a particular Mexican place he likes to eat at, I like it just as much but I try to restrain myself. But it's quick to get in and out of in the limited time Bill has for lunch, so when we can meet for lunch that is generally where we end up at. Friday of last week, yesterday and then today. And I'm paying for it now. I have got to get serious about it again and get back to being strict on the amount of fat I eat. I have done better since the first of the year, I didn't worry too much in December. But the last few days I've fallen off the wagon big-time. So, it's going to be rabbit food for me for the rest of the week.

Otter made it through the entire karate class this afternoon, she didn't need her inhaler once. Although she was pretty tired when class was over. This is the first time in two weeks. She will test in the next testing class which is at the end of February.

I have another Clara remembrance! When I was a kid, the Waltons was a very popular tv show. We always watched it. Two of the characters were spinster sisters, their father had made moonshine and the two ladies apparently never realized that it was a) alchohol and b) illegal. It was a recurring joke in the show. The sisters called their product "Recipe." Somewhere along the line, my mother was given a start of a product that she and Aunt Jessie decided to call Recipe - it was made with mixed fruit, sugar and a few other things. They made up a good sized batch, and kept it going by adding fresh ingredients to it when it ran low. It became an afternoon snack, we had it on cake, ice cream - just about anything. Keep in mind that I was in elementary school at the time or possibly in middle school, so I was in no way of legal age! As a recall, we all consumed it and we enjoyed it. Then one day, it suddenly disappeared with no real explanation. In talking with Froggy, we think that it might have vanished about the time that Mom realized it was actually FERMENTED fruit and therefore, alchoholic and that she'd been feeding it to her two daughters! For anyone that knew my mom, that would have been the absolute LAST thing she would EVER have given us. For some reason, I was trying to tell Bill about it this morning but I don't think he believed me - he just can't quite imagine my mother letting us have something like that. It's a funny story now, although at the time I'm sure mom was scandalized when she realized what it really was, and just how close she was when she jokingly called it Recipe after the moonshine on the Waltons tv show.

Jan/Bax, I will eventually post a picture of Otter's dress. I will probably take a picture of her in it, although I don't intend to show her face. Kind of like the camo quilt pictures. But I think I'll wait until she has the shoes to go with it. We're going shopping for accessories tomorrow afternoon, at least for jewelry and possibly hair stuff. Then we might look at shoes after that. This is one of those times when it's fun being the mother of a daughter! Especially now that she's turned into a girly-girl. A girly-girl who can break bones and take down anyone who crosses her! And she'll have the black belt to prove it in just a few months.

Groundhog day is next Saturday. And if he sees his shadow, we'll have 6 more weeks of winter. But if you look at a calendar, there will still be 6 weeks left of winter even if he doesn't see his shadow! Because the first day of Spring is 6 weeks after February 2nd!

It's Monday! A New Day!

Just miscellaneous ramblings today.


Yesterday was a momentous day in Otter's life. We bought her first formal dress! She's going to the spring formal at school, all the girls in her "group" are going together since none of them are allowed to date yet. Otter wanted a long, purple formal with spaghetti straps and we did look but the only ones in purple she could find were either "old lady" style, way too big for her or too "adult" in style. So she branched out. She finally settled on a short formal after trying on a few, but it's very pretty. It's black satin, has spaghetti straps and has a chiffon-type drape at the top which goes around the entire dress and flows down the back a little bit. There is just a hint of tulle netting that shows at the hem, it's just to her knees. She is thinking about a sheer scarf type wrap to drape over her shoulders. Shoes, jewelry, hairstyle and make up to be determined later but the shoes will have heels. It's funny watching Bill realize that his little girl is growing up! I didn't think we'd find a dress this soon, but we were lucky and it came from a consignment store so it was a very good deal. I think I'm going to take it to the cleaners pretty soon, so I won't have to worry about that later.


I see that Teddy Kennedy has endorsed Obama. Frankly, I think that is hilarious! Although he's really disgusting, Teddy is very powerful in his party and his endorsement means a great deal. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at Hitlary's house when she heard about it! Bill made a comment that Hitlary is campaigning as if she's running against George W. Bush. I have to say I agree with him, and I've heard a few other people make similar comments. I guess that's easier than campaigning against her real rivals? Kind of reminds me of her husband's tactics.


It's no longer Limbsville in my neighborhood! The piles of tree limbs that have been decorating everybody's yards were here this morning when I left for work, but they vanished sometime today. Hooray! It will be nice to not have to worry about not be able to see when I pull out of the driveway now. The city said that they would post signs at the entrance to each neighborhood informing the residents when they would be out, and according to their published shedule we shouldn't have been on their route until March. But I'm not complaining! My yard looks so strange now that all those limbs are gone, and with the trees gone it really looks different. Well, at least we'll have grass in the front yard now!


Poetic justice: Frasier was running around the yard and as he was picking up speed for his final dash into the house, he tripped in one of his own holes! He popped right back up again and ran inside, but it was funny. Of course, now I can't tell that I ever ran the vacuum today because he left me a trail of doggy prints across the carpet. He's currently curled up on his blanket having a snooze.


It was supposed to rain this afternoon, and it might but nothing yet. It's been very windy today, I half way expected to see the Magginator flying off with those long ears of hers! Today was forecast to be in the 60's, but with the wind it felt much cooler. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold, and I think we have a good chance of snow by Thursday. Well, we have plenty of firewood!


The people who sell firewood are having a lean year, there is so much of it piled up at the place where we've bought it from before that it almost looks as if Bubba and Bubba are building themselves a fort! They've also dropped their price considerably. Bill thinks that we should buy a load from them, to have so it can age over the summer since the green wood we have is burning so quickly and also because they don't seem to be selling much - if any.


I think I'm going to make some changes to my rock garden. We're going to take the fountain out of it, the fountain is going to be moved around, somewhere out in the yard most lilkely and it will be turned into a planter. I'm thinking something like moss rose maybe, I want something that will drape and be colorful. Then I'm going to get a large rock to put where the fountain used to be. I'm thinking a very LARGE rock. Maybe a limestone, I'll decide on the actual rock later on. Of course, if a certain sister of mine would admit that the rocks are MINE or at least that it's my turn per the shared rock custody agreement, I wouldn't have to go to the expense & trouble of finding a rock! Bill seems to think that he has a voice in the rock choice, don't know where he gets that idea from! :) I'll eventually post pictures, but this is a summer project so it's going to be a while. For one thing, we'll have to get all those dog craters filled in first.


I've also noticed that the daffodils are beginning to break through, they are in the tulip bed and they always come up about this time. No sign of the tulips yet, but I kind of expect them to be early this year since we haven't had a lot of real cold weather. If the ground is warm, they will come up sooner. We've had cold weather, just not consistent or long-lasting.