Politics

I haven't posted much lately and I have not been political when I did post.  It was a really bad political season and it seemed to go on forever.  It should be over today, but I don't think it is. Not by a long shot.

I did the one thing I said I would never do.  I voted for Hilary Clinton.  I absolutely can not stand her and there is very little that she stood for that I agreed with.  But I dislike and distrust Trump even more.

I was surprised when he won and not surprised at the same time.  I'm not quite sure where to go from here, I guess we'll have to figure that out as we go along.

Just Wolves

We got almost no bad weather last night OR today.  Which is good, I'm not complaining about that.  But the forecasters did their normal thing, which is to:  chase something that isn't there and report it to people who don't care!

 

We did have some weather today, but it was very short-lived.  It hailed in a couple of spots and there was some rain, but that was about it.

 

Oh, well.  On to other things.

 

We had a local election on Tuesday.  It was county-wide, so there were a whole lot of registered voters who were eligible to cast a vote.  However, a whole lot of them didn't!  Bill went in the middle of the day, he was number 18.  Otter and I went after we hit the grocery store, we knew that there wouldn't be a long line and that the colder stuff would be fine in the car.  It was just after 6:00 when we got there.  We were number 32 & 33.  It was like that all over, talk about people that don't care what happens and are quite willing to give up their freedoms because they just can't be bothered!

 

Otter and I went to the booth today.  We went by on Tuesday, paid April's rent and collected March's sales.  On Monday, my large cookie jar crock was still there but it sold on Tuesday and it wasn't on the sales list we got for the month so I know we at least sold one thing so far this month.  Today, it didn't look like anything had sold but I had a couple of things to put in it and we neatened up a bit.  We were originally going to keep it until the end of the 3-month period, which would be this month as out last.  But we've decided to try a bit longer.  Not sure how much longer, we might just keep it through the end of May (we have to give 30 days notice).

 

I hit a thrift store at lunch today.  I found two blouses, I don't think that they have been worn.  I'll wash them anyway.  I also found a small container with some Christmas ornaments that might be plastic.  But they are bound for the ornament wreath I'm going to make, so I don't care if they are plastic or not.  I'm thinking I'm going to use a Styrofoam wreath form as a base for it.  I was originally going to use vintage ornaments, then it became candy shaped ornaments but now I'm just planning on using ornaments that I like and not a particular theme.  It's also not a project that I'm going to work on very soon.

 

We're watching Captain America on FX channel at the moment.  The sequel movie comes out on Friday.  I think Otter and J are going to see it Sunday.  I'm jealous!  I'm thinking we'll probably see this one at the theater, I don't want to wait for the Blu-ray.  But I am wondering about Stan Lee's cameo, I hope he has one.  It's become a fun game for his fans (we are legion) to spot him in the movies based on his characters.  He's usually very funny.  He'll be in Tulsa for a major convention in November, Otter's already planning on attending.  Not that I blame her!  He's pretty much the Big Dog of them all.

 

Yes, Star Trek is my first love and always will be.  But Stan Lee is supremely gifted and we love just about anything he touches.

2012 Start to Finish!

2012 is just about over, although since Blogger is being so slow it might actually BE over before I get through typing this!  Anyway.  I think we'll be glad to see this year end.  It hasn't been horrible, but frankly we have had better.  We've had worse as well, so I'm not really complaining.  Just stating a fact is all.

January

Well, I brought back a cold from our TEXAS trip in December 2011 and then spent at least half the month fighting it.  It turned into bronchitis and I was very sick.  Otter had a touch of the cold, but she was over most of it early in the month.  I made it into a marathon!

I did manage to get quite a bit of crochet done, mostly because I was home sick so much.

Bill's pachinko collection increased (this happens a lot).

There was a Friday the 13th this month.

Otter got new glasses.  We decided that we don't like the Oakley brand, they don't curve around the ear and keep falling off.  She doesn't want that kind anymore and I don't blame her.

Bill took a turn with the cold but he didn't have a very bad case.

My tendonitis showed up and it stayed around for weeks and weeks.  It's one thing I want to do without for 2013!

Bill's car had a leak in the power steering system.  $516.00 to fix it. Ouch!

Otter was mistaken for an actual librarian at the library one day. :)

February

For a while, we were concerned that Otter might have a thyroid imbalance.  The doctor was too, but so far she seems to be ok.

Bill got the first of what turned into several fillings.  Actually, he got a few this month and then for the next few months.

There was an attempted kidnapping of a 13 year old girl at a school bus stop, less than 2 miles from our house - the boy that tried to grab her was 14 years old.

We had a trace of snow (finally!)

A very special couple I know celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary!

We replaced the filter on the ice maker in the fridge.  And discovered billions and billions of multi-colored twist ties.  With no idea where they came from!

This was a leap year, so there were 29 days in February.

March

Froggy's hubby got a great job in the Austin, TX area and they decided to move.

Otter started the month with what she thought was a night of not sleeping and then a cold/allergy coming on - but it turned out to be the flu!  She was one of many in the Tulsa area who got the flu shot and then still got the flu.  She didn't have a bad case, but it was still not good.

The Oklahoma primary was in March.  Our first choice, Herman Cain, dropped out earlier so I voted for the 2nd choice - Rick Santorum.  He won Oklahoma, but ultimately dropped out of the race.

Otter was thinking about changing her major from Library Sciences to an English Degree and that is what she decided to do.

We had a pretty intense hail storm.

I got to crochet again!  I didn't even attempt it for several weeks, thanks to the tendonitis.  Then I had to be careful and just do small sessions.

Bill shaved his beard!

The dishwasher died.  It had been on it's way out for a while, but we were nursing it along.  We didn't replace it at the time and later I decided that I don't really want one.

We actually had weather that was nice enough to sit out on the deck.

The frogs showed up, so the bricks went into the dog water.  Don't want any drowned frogs!  Dead frogs don't eat bugs.

We switched from the humidifiers to the fans in the bedrooms.  In March!

Bill had a cold or allergy.

We had pouring rain for a few days.

Otter's annual lung recheck at the allergist.  He was very impressed with her status.  She also had Spring Break.

Birds started building nests in various places around the house and yard.

Otter turned 20!

April

Discovered a bunch of bluebonnets coming up in the front yard and whiskey barrel.

Also, we discovered the first of what became a major invasion of yellow-jacket nests.

Dallas had tornados!

The iris plants started to bloom.

The vet started really watching Frasier's leg.

We had a nice Easter at Grandpa and Sweetie's house.

Spring Storms made their appearance, especially in the western part of the state.

Otter learned to crochet!

Froggy & Uncle Crazy found a house!

May

We had a storm with a lot of strong wind.  And then we had pieces of one of our trees all over the back yard!

Maggie caught a fledgling mockingbird, but Otter got he to drop it and then Maggie was in major discgrace!

Mother's Day.  We saw the Avengers movie and had buffalo burgers.

The office cat disappeared.  We eventually found her, she was deceased and we think she "came home" to die.  She had adopted us several years ago and was probably just old but she was still a fun pet at work and we miss her.

9 yellow-jacket nests at the office.  That was just in one day, we killed them and they kept coming back!

We got the septic tank cleaned out. Not a pleasant job, but necessary.

June

The hummingbirds showed up!

We moved plastic shelves into Otter's room, now she has a place to put all that craft stash of hers.

More yellow jacket nests.

I got stung by one of the beasties.  It wasn't pleasant.

The drive-in reopened in Tulsa!

We found out (the hard way) that Otter is not allergic to yellow jackets.  We were already destroying them as we came across the nests, but not Bill was on a mission!

Bill's 51st birthday.

Froggy's house in SA was an interesting story.  The first buyer had a stroke just a few days before he was to close, they had to put the house back on the market and the 2nd buyer was kind of a turkey.  But it was eventually sold.

Ozone days started for the summer.

Otter found a wasp.  It was climbing up the curtains inside the living room!

We found a box turtle in the back yard.  She was relocated under the fence.

The supreme court made a collosal mistake.

July

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

A sparrow flew into the dining room window.  It did not survive. :(

We watched fireworks from our back deck.

We found an injured dove in the back yard.  We gave her food and water and kept the dogs out.  After a couple of days, she was nowhere to be seen so we think that the got her strength back and was able to fly off.  There was no sign of anything else.

Still finding yellow jackets.  Still squashing/spraying/killing them.

The Olympics started in London.  We watched quite a bit.

Our neighbor pointed at me as I was driving off one morning - actually it was the husband/boyfriend/whatever he is and he mimed pulling a gun on me and shooting.  This was the 2nd time, the first was just pointing.  I waved at him and gave him a big smile - and then they seemed to do everything they could to avoid us after that.  Guess they didn't like realizing that we don't intimidate?

My favorite author, Maeve Binchy, died.**

August

Otter decided to take a break from college and think about her plans for the future.  She started applying for jobs, then after a long talk with her councilor at school she changed her mind.  At least for the immediate future.

We supported Chick-Fil-A.  And continue to do so.

Otter went to TEXAS for a week, she saw her TEXAS grandmother and most of her cousins.

Found another yellow jacket nest!

The vacuum cleaner died.  Unlike the dishwasher, it was replaced!

I made my specialty soup with frozen vegetables and it worked pretty well.

The vet decided that Frasier's "spot" needed to come off.  We scheduled his surgery for Labor Day weekend so it was actually August 31st.  It was the beginning of a roller coaster that we actually thought at one point was the end of Frasier's time on earth.  He got better!  But we really weren't sure he would at one point and we (and the vet) were actually planning the timing for euthanasia.  It was that close and that serious.

Otter started her 2nd year at college.

The driver's side window fell off it's frame in Bill's car.  We had to replace the motor assembly but the window itself was intact.

September

We didn't get a lot of sleep this month, courtesy of one large, furry dog!

We went to Wallyworld one morning and there were was looked like (literally) millions of crickets!

We got our flu shots.  Later than we planned, but at least we managed to get them!  I had my usual reaction.

Frasier, in his cone, got his head stuck between the couch and a magazine rack.

The dogs came veryclose to getting a cat under the shed.

Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Otter got a free dozen donuts at Krispy Kreme, and so did most of her friends, just for dressing up like a pirate and talking like one.

The dentist agreed that Otter's top wisdom teeth were just about ready to come out.  She also diagnosed the beginning of de-calcifying in Otter's teeth.

October

I brought the hummingbird feeders in the for the year.

Frasier kept us up at night.

I had a chance to educate two neighborhood girls on not throwing rocks at passing cars.  RHTW got the job done and I don't think that they will do it again.

We went to Bartlesville and areas north, one of our shopping rambles.  It turned out to be the last one for the year although we didn't realize it at the time.  It was fun.

Otter and I went to the Fair.  First time in two years.  Fun, lots of walking.

The vet recommended a bitter apple spray for Frasier's leg.  It didn't keep him from licking and I'm firmly convinced that it made his mental state worse.

We had a bad dust storm.

Otter started showing signs of Red Hair anemia.  She's increased her iron intake and is much better.

We heard coyotes.

I found one of the two opal earrings (two different ones) I lost over a year ago.  Thought it was gone for good, it was in the dryer!

The vet had us start the dog on benadryl at night.  It worked two or three nights, then we were right back where we started from.

Bill transplanted an elm tree sapling that came from the elm tree we put in a couple of years ago.

The vet suggested leaving a light on in the living room with the hopes that Frasier would be able to see that there was nothing to bark at.  He only saw that I wasn't in there and he kept barking!

November

The vet suggested tranquilizers.  They did the trick.  He still gets one occasionally, but after about a week of a pill nightly he was much better.

Time change.

Bill briefly considered selling the El Camino.  I'm glad he decided not to.

The "big" election happened.  Without us, frankly.  At least without us on certain parts of it.

I had a cold.

Grass fires in the area, lots of smoke & dust.

My puppy is back!  He's been so much better and actually wore the beagle out on a few occasions.  That is not easy to do, by the way.

We scheduled Otter's oral surgery for mid-December.

I started an afghan for Grandpa for Christmas.  Which I didn't get finished until about 30 minutes before they came on over Christmas morning!

Bill had time off at Thanksgiving.  And he got sick!

Thanksgiving.  We had a great time at Grandpa and Sweetie's.

Otter and I saw an annual exhibit at a local museum.

We took the curtains down from the dining room and put up mini-blinds.

December

Otter made a great find at an estate sale, she found a fairly rare and collectible picnic basket.

12/21/12 happened.  And nothing happened.  We didn't expect anything anyway, but it was fun watching people get stupid about it.

Well, one thing did happen on 12/21/12:  my notary commission was renewed for another 4 years.

We made cookies.  Lots and lots and lots of cookies.

And then I threw away most of my cookies sheets and got new ones!

The dogs jumped the block in the garage.  And discovered a full back of their food.  It wasn't full for long!

Otter had a fairly heavy nosebleed - in line at the dollar store!  Thankfully, they sell kleenex.

Otter had oral surgery.  The two two wisdom teeth came out and the surgery went well.  She didn't have any problems from it.

But she did have problems from the pain pill, it was a hard way to discover a codiene allergy but I guess it was the only way it could be discovered.

Christmas!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

I turned 51, I caught up with Billyboy.  We went to Incredible Pizza and a few thrift stores.  It was a lot of fun.  Otter made me brownies. :)

Bill was on vacation and he did what he's known for:  he got sick!

I finally gave in and bought a purse.  I buy purses when I need one, but this one was a little different.  And it cost a lot more.  I still can't believe I paid that much for a purse.

We had a touch of snow on the 28th.

One other thing in December:  The publisher that handled Maeve Binchy's books announced that there was one more book and it would be coming out on Valentine's Day 2013.  I'm not sure if it was one that was just never published for whatever reason, or if it was going to be published and then she died.  But whatever the reason, I am going to buy it.  She was a major talent and is very much missed.

I had 4 migraines in 2012.  Which is about the average.  I had a few hot flashes, only a couple of them were really bad (hot flashers, actually).  But I guess it's to be expected.

We had very little car trouble, what we did have with mostly with Bill's car but it's a 10 year old car and has around 150,000 miles on it.  I guess it's to be expected too.

It was a warm year and a dry one.  It didn't feel as hot as 2011, but it actually was.

But we managed to get through the year without losing a special dog, that is something that we didn't expect at one point.  He's an old dog and we're just going to enjoy however long with have him.  And spoil him even more rotten - same thing with the beagle!

But I really, really do NOT want tendonitis.  Ever again.

The First Tuesday in November

We did this today.  Like most people, I imagine.

I have not been overtly political lately, because I figure that everybody already knows where we stand on the issues/candidates.  I'm not going to get political tonight, either.  But we did vote.  We voted our individual consciences.  And we left some choices on the ballot unmarked.  There were several local issues we had to vote on today, the ballot was two-sided but at least it wasn't as bad as the one the state of Florida had:  11 pages!

We had buffalo burgers tonight.  Always good.  Otter is still trying to increase the amount of protein/iron in her diet.  And buffalo is a fun way to do it!  Besides, it just tastes good.

Moo.

Beans & Cornbread

& puppies too!

Otter had to sneak up on him, but we finally got a picture of Frasier!  He was probably about to have a nap, she was standing in the hallway just where she could see into the living room and he was actually still for this.

This is what he did next!  It's what he usually does when he sees the camera, don't know why.

But he came right back when I said the word "hug" and he was happy about it.  He usually turns his head so that his head is behind mine, and he leans into me when he gets a hug.  He really seems to like to be hugged.

Can't forget about Maggie Moo!  She was right there when she saw that Frasier was getting attention, but she needed her own affection.  She has allergies, which causes her eyes to water and that's what you see on her face.  She gets regular face washings, which she does NOT like one bit!

The title refers to tonight's dinner.  I made a huge pot of pinto beans on Sunday.  We've been eating them since then and there are several containers in the freezer for Willieboy's lunches.  Tonight, I made rice and we also had a smoked sausage link in the fridge that we'd had for a while.  We don't eat a lot of stuff like sausage.  I cut the sausage up, stirred it into the beans and stuck it in the microwave.  When the rice was ready, I poured it into the beans/sausage and we had it with chopped onion, a little cheese and in Bill's case cut up jalepenos on top.  He also added picante sauce.  We still had some cornbread left, so we had that with it.  It was actually pretty good, not exactly red beans and rice but it was still pretty good.  And very filling.

I voted this morning.  I forgot to look to see what number I was, but there were three people leaving just as I got there and it was just a couple of minutes after the polls opened so I'm thinking I was probably around number 4.  There were two phone calls today, as opposed to what seemed like hundreds in the last several days.  Not that it's ever been any secret, but my candidates are all (and always) pro-life:

Psalm 139 (NIV and permission granted by the Author)*

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. 19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! 20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? 22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

*Author does not mean earthly publisher, either.  Just in case anybody was wondering.

Wet Sunday

At least it was wet this morning.  Now, it's mostly just humid because of the fact that it was wet earlier.  It actually rained most of yesterday, then we had a period of sunny skies and then it was back to clouds again.  With thunder.  It started raining again sometime last night, I heard thunder about midnight but it wasn't bad.  It kept raining until early afternoon.  Then it got sunny & warm, which made it unbearably humid.  But the rain was needed, no doubt about that.

The morning glories are very happy.  They are exploding along the back fence and on the trellis, and there are a few blooms.  We'll see how they do, if we get regular rain between now and winter they might be ok.  The rain barrel is full now, so I can at least water them with rain water for a while if we don't get any more rain to speak of.  The indoor plants seem to really be happy, they were doing ok with tap water but they put on more growth when they get rain water.

I've been busy most of today.  I had a couple of errands and Otter wanted to get out of the house so she rode along with me.  I've been doing laundry, the never-ending chore.  I made a huge pot of pinto beans and we had that tonight with cornbread I made.  I'm also conscripted labor for Pachinko Restorations, so I've been cleaning backgrounds.  Otter and I had a boatload of dishes, mostly from yesterday.  We vacuumed.  And a few other things in there as well!  Bill changed out the a/c filters in the house, it's been about 3 weeks since the last time they needed changing and they were really filthy.  Usually, it's about a month between changings.

We've been having phone problems today.  That sometimes happens when we get a lot of rain.  I think it's working now, but we couldn't call in or out earlier.  That's one of the reasons we all have cell phones, so we weren't totally cut off.

Froggy, I finished your scarf yesterday.  It just needed the tails buried and the fringe put on.  I also put a couple of rows on my scarf-turned-lap-blanket-destash project and two+ rows on my shawl.  I didn't exactly destash, but I did consolidate and now my yarn is back in the two plastic drawer units instead of 2 1/2!  I've done a little destashing and that gave me just enough room to move the yarn from the two drawers in the 5-drawer unit by my desk back into the ones in the closet.  But they are very full drawers!  Yarn is squishable, at least.  I went through one of my pattern books yesterday, I have a few ideas but I'm not sure if I'll have time this week or not to actually work on anything.

We have a local election this Tuesday.  I'll be so glad when it's over.  I'm getting really tired of the several times daily automated calls about it, the live person calls, the number of flyers left on my doorstep and the number of people who actually come to the door to talk to me.  I know who I'm voting for, I know where to vote at and I know what time the polls open/close so they don't have to keep calling to remind me.  Hurry Tuesday!

I hope that this week is calmer than last week.  Froggy, you really don't want crazy trains!  The engineers are psychotic!  (And I don't mean Billyboy and Uncle Crazy.  Although Billyboy is probably there already).

Stuff I Did Today

I think I might have been the first voter for my precinct.  There are two that vote where I do, and it was an interesting experience.  The guy checking to make sure everyone was in the right place at first thought I was supposed to be somewhere else.  Then he realized that he was looking at the wrong number on my voter's id - and he's a paid employee!  I finally get my ballot, mark all my candidates and then have to ask where the machine is to turn it in.  Takes them a while to figure it out - even though it was pretty obvious, once someone pointed it out to them.  OK, I insert my ballot and then watch as it gets spit back out.  I asked what I was supposed to do at that point, and they told me to pull it out since they are legally prevented from touching someone else's ballot and to re-insert it.  Which I did.  3 or 4 times!  Eventually, the paid employee realized that there were two precincts and that each had their own machine - the one I needed was almost hidden as it was way in the corner.  Inserted it in the machine, and it was accepted.  After all that, I forgot to see what number I was but I'm thinking that I was probably the first person for my precinct.  We used to vote in one spot, then it was moved to another spot where we voted two or three times.  Then, the election board decided that it was time for another round of musical chairs and we are now voting in the third place in 6 years.

I met Bill for lunch today.  We went to our favorite Tex-Mex place.  I didn't over do it, but I'm still kind of stuffed from lunch so I might not be interested in dinner any time soon.

Otter and I watered the morning glories this morning, before I went off to play find-the-voting-machine, and I realized that the rain barrel is starting to get low.  It was pretty full, but we've been using it a lot.  Especially since it's started getting H.O.T. so early.

I didn't gripe about the weather today.  I actually kind of like the heat, when it's not humid.  Today was warm but not humid, so it was not a griping day.

That's about the extent of my exciting day.

Monday Stuff. Warning: Politics

Monday.  Back to the real world today!

The real world being work.  Which was busy, I'm cleaning out a lot of old files and stuff that should have been thrown out/shredded/donated years ago.  I got a lot done, until the 95 year old teenager got there.  Then progress was slowed considerably, but that's ok.

We have a state election coming up this month.  There is a specific race that is a new state office, it's a new senatorial seat that covers the district we live in.  It's actually a district relocation, and there is no Democrat candidate.  All four are Republicans.  Seeing as how I'm the only person in my house actually registered with a party (Republican, not that anyone is surprised), I'm suddenly very popular with people I've never even met before!  Because Oklahoma is not an open election state, if you aren't registered with the party - you can't vote.  Which is basically taxation without representation, but that's another argument.  I'm also only registered with a particular party affiliation so that I can vote in the primaries.  I'm as conservative as it gets, but I prefer to make my own decisions about who I want to represent me.  The point is - anyone who has that R on their voter's registration is suddenly getting visits, mail, phone calls, etc. about the upcoming race.  It's a primary, but since there are only the R candidates, the winner takes all and wins the seat.  One of them came to the door a week or so ago, but I was having to wrangle a large & furry dog who was suddenly not sure he wanted anyone to talk to me - Frasier gets like that when it's me and Bill's not within sight.    Bill was home, but he was in the other room and Frasier was "on duty" as we call it.  So I only talked to the man for a moment.  Today, Otter and I were just getting home and were actually still in the driveway when the next candidate showed up.  I had time to talk to him, since the dogs were safely in their yard and we were in the driveway.  My first question, as always, is "are you pro-LIFE?"  If the answer is no (it never has been so far), then my next comment will be to say that there is nothing I have to say to them and to say goodbye.  Today's politician said exactly what I'd hoped - that he is pro-LIFE without any exceptions.  So far, I'm not sure who I'm voting for in that race.

I am also not sure at all about the Presidential race in November.  I can NOT under any circumstances, and will NOT under any circumstances, vote for the incumbent.  Probably not a surprise to anyone.

Problem is, I'm not sure I can vote for Romney either.  It's not just me, it's all three of us.  Bill probably said it best:  "There is no way I justify myself when I stand before Father God at the judgement day and explain that I voted for someone whom I consider to be godless."  Yes, that does mean that we don't consider the mormon religion to be Christian.  Which does not mean that we think mormons are bad people.  I've known several and they are generally nice, like most people and they are very pro-family.  But I've done a lot of research on their religion - and many others as well - and we don't believe that it's a true or Christian faith.  For a lot of things, and I'm not going into details about their belief system - but a good book to read is Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakour and there are several others.

That was part of today's discussion at work.  It got a little heated for a while there, the 95 year old teenager believes almost everything he reads and he read some Romney campaign material.  Then we had a history discussion, which I was correct about, and it got kind of interesting to say the least!  Among other things, he told me that faith needs to stay out of politics and shouldn't have any basis on who we vote for or in how we live our lives.  ????  I told him that we are supposed to live our faith in all things and that does include politics.  He knew he was on shaky ground at that point and changed the subject.  (I was never rude, I was always respectful but I was also always firm.  And he shouldn't have been surprised!)

OK, politics over.  For the moment.  Soapbox has been safely stored, but it's ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

Otter and I did some rearranging yesterday.  Her craft/fabric stash outgrew the corner of her room where it's been stored.  A while back, actually.  I made some room on my craft/stash shelves in the office closet and she relocated some of her stuff to it.  She still could use something else, maybe a small shelf unit, in her room to contain the rest of it.

On Friday, I am acquiring a new niece.  Scooter (Froggy's oldest) is getting married!  Because it's on a Friday, and the specific Friday it happens to be, we aren't going to be able to attend the wedding.  Froggy, I expect a full report - with pictures - as soon as possible!  Do you have any suggestions for Mrs. Scooter's blog name, or is Mrs. Scooter ok?  (Scooter is Froggy's oldest's nickname from when he was very young).

Allergies are making their way back today.  I've sneezed a lot, but I was also dealing with a lot of dust today.  Billyboy was noisy all night.  Otter reports that she's starting to feel the tightness in her lungs that usually means asthma is thinking about showing up.  We had a long-lived thunderstorm last night, most of the night in fact, and it's been sunny today.  That means that things are going to bloom on overload for the next few days.  Joy.

We also had a lot of wind, although we don't have any tree problems this time.  Probably because it's already been blown out of/off of the tree!  There seem to be a lot of other people who have had tree issues, just not us.  Not that I'm complaining!  I'm not happy that anybody else has problems, I'm just glad that we don't this time.

Only Tuesday?

It feels like it should be at least Thursday.  Maybe even Friday.  Not only Tuesday.

I didn't forget about Texas Independence!  I knew I wouldn't have enough time on Friday.  I had planned on something Sunday.  But the weekend got kind of derailed, and I just never quite got there.  It wasn't the weekend we had planned, obviously!

But, while I'm on the subject, Texas:  Always on my mind, like the song says.  Texas is and always will be a part of us.  We take Texas with us wherever we go.

Otter's better, she stayed home today and because she was still having asthma symptoms Bill stayed home with her.  She's still having some asthma symptoms, but she's shown a lot of improvement today.  She had some real problems last night.  Otter is a redhead and is very much her mother's daughter, so she had a nosebleed.  It wasn't a horribly big one, but it was big enough.  She was very stuffy afterwards, so she used Vick's and took an allergy pill.  Along with having to use her rescue inhaler several times yesterday.  She also had a steam treatment at one point yesterday evening.  She's still somewhat stuffy and her voice is a little rough, but she's over the bulk of the flu symptoms.  The asthma could last for a couple of days still.  She's planning on going to classes tomorrow, and I'll get her at my lunch hour and bring her home for the afternoon.

I voted this afternoon.  I didn't think I'd have enough time this morning, so I waited until after work.  But considering that I was only # 149 at nearly 4:00, I probably wouldn't have had to deal with much of a line.  And yes, I did vote for Santorum.

It's really windy today.  This time of year in this part of the country, wind is a normal occurance.  But it's really strong today, probably a lot stronger than normal.  Driving was an adventure today!  I literally nearly got blown off my feet when I was walking to the door of the polling place.

It's also very dry and dusty, which is not helping anything.  Bill thinks that he could probably make a sail for the beagle, but I don't think she'd even need that.  Not with those ears!

Frasier would probably just stand and watch her, and wave at her as she sailed away!

This & That Thursday

This is my Presidential candidate:

The One I'm Voting For

We don't really expect Santorum to make it all the way, but we are hoping that he will.  We are not comfortable with Romney's record, he's not really Pro-Life although he claims to be.  We don't like Ron Paul at all, he's an isolationist and anti-Israel.  I'm not sure if he's pro-death or Pro-Life, but we don't like most of his other stands on things so it is kind of a moot point.  Gingrich has the potential to be a good President, but we don't think he's got enough of a following to become the Republican candidate.

We feel, and Bill said this months ago - and I've heard Gigrich say this as well as Rush Limbaugh and a couple of others, that the liberals want Romney to be the candidate because they know he's probably too divisive to actually beat obama.  (No respect = no capital letters).  Each time there has been a viable, strong, conservative candidate who really could win - he's attacked in the press and the feeding frenzy starts.  Cain wasn't the first one, but he was probably the one who was attacked the strongest - after all, if he were the candidate then there's no way that the liberals could claim racism.  Which they have done and will continue to do, especially if their chosen one doesn't get re-elected. We would have voted for Herman Cain, if we'd had the opportunity.  Gingrich has said that he will not drop out, he's in it until the end even though the liberal forces are marshaled against him.  Santorum is currently being attacked, the ads are really ramping up and I expect them to continue.

We're part of Super Tuesday, although Oklahoma is not an open primary state.  Which means that if you aren't registerd with a party, you don't get to vote in the primary.  We don't agree with that, but it's the way it is.  So, I'm the only one who can actually vote next week.  That's also the only reason I am registered as a Republican.  We are all extremely conservative, and our voting reflects that, but none of us like to be labeled to a particular party.

Firsts

Today, like most of the country, Oklahoma went to the polls. 

Among other things, Oklahoma will have it's first female governer.

Among other things, it looks like there will be a record (or close to) turnout for a non-Presidential election.  Our polling place was pretty busy, we were # 785 and 789 and they were saying that they expected to hit 1,000 for the first time.

Among other things, one of the people casting votes today was OTTER.

The poll workers were making a big deal out of any young person voting, and they really were excited about her.  There was another young voter, a boy, and he was obviously voting for the first time as well.  I'm really glad to see that.  He looked a little overwhelmed, but they were happy for him as well.  Otter talked to BF, and he voted for the first time today also.

Otter was very happy to get that "I Voted" sticker.  We went to Wallyworld after we voted, and the greeter made a big deal out of it which probably made her day.

I have never made a secret of my political preferences and don't intend to start now.  But it's up to Otter if she wants to share her votes, so I'm not going to go into anything about who/what she voted for.  But my voting preferences have not changed.  If anything, they are more conservative than ever.

I'm just glad to see so many people voting today, no matter what side of the aisle they are on.  It's too important to not participate.

Wednesday Webs

Not the World Wide kind.

This kind:

Oh yeah, it's got a resident.  The 8-legged kind.  It's been there since this morning, I don't think he's had too much hunting sucess today.  It's probably a little too cool for many bugs to be out.  But he's still trying.  The web is over a foot wide and it's just beautiful.  So's the spider!

I took one of the bluebonnet plants in to work today.  My 94 year old boss is a fellow Texan.  He was absolutely overjoyed with it.  Among other things, he has a rubber snake that he keeps in the indoor atrium we have in the office.  The snake has now been draped over the sides of the pot the bluebonnet is in.  I expect this one to do well, it should get plenty of light in the atrium.

We could get our first freeze.  It will at least be in the high 30's tonight and into the early morning hours of tomorrow.  But tomorrow night, it's probably going to be much colder.  Even if it's not a hard or long freeze, it will help as far as pollen and allergies go.

I've been fighting allergies all day long.  I got lunch  from a chinese place near work, Hot & Sour Soup.  It helped my throat which was sore and it also cleaned my sinuses!  For a while, anyway.  I've sneezed more times than I can count.  I've also had itchy eyes.  Otter's been sneezing a lot, too.

Otter's excited.  She gets to vote for the first time, next week in the local elections.  We have several things to vote on.  I'm going to pick her up from school and we'll go vote then.  It is a big deal, to her and to us.  Voting is not something that can be ignored, it's something we have always encouraged.  And now, Otter is 18 and is ready to excercise that particular Right.

And now, I'm going to go sneeze again.  And probably again!