But I'm not really sure about anything today. It's a result of little sleep last night. I moved to the couch to sleep, I was afraid of bumping Bill's ankle. But I slept with one ear open, in case he needed help in the night. And since I was on the couch, Frasier could reach me easily so he visited me several times. I was awakened by a furry face with a cold nose on mine a lot! And Frasier also snores.
Bill stayed home, but it was a battle to convince him. He's been in bed with his foot propped up most of the day. He's much better but it is nowhere near healed yet - that is going to take a while. I made an appointment with him for the follow up with my doctor on the 14th and she will decide then about the stitches.
Otter went to work with me today again, originally she was going to stay home. Since we didn't get to run our errand yesterday, she went with me today and then after work we went to the mall. She now has several more pairs of earrings in her collection, she bought a cd and a book she wanted. School starts tomorrow, she's ready but not ready if you know what I mean!
After she gets on the bus in the morning, I am going to take Bill to the rent house. Bill is going to sit in the floor and see how many carpet nails he can pull up. I think I can trust him tomorrow to not do certain things, unlike today! :)
There really isn't much else to do to get it rent-ready. The majority of the big stuff has already been done, it will take a while for the floor to be done but we think it's worth the wait.
It's pretty hot here, we finally have our summer heat. It has been close to 100 the last couple of days and possibly over today. It should be over 100 the next several days and we have heat advisories. We are not going to be outside in the heat much anyway. The dogs don't seem to want to stay outside, either! They will be out tomorrow, but they have plenty of water as well as several shady spots (including a dog house that they ignore) and they will have access to the garage.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Adventures in Bill Land Part 23423403450
See Tuesday, October 17, 2006's entry for Part One of Adventures in Bill Land. With a few minor changes, today's will be the same thing!
Bill was at the rent house, about 1:45 he calls me and asks me to call his dad to come back to the rent house for "an emergency." Scary words. So I call his dad and then call Bill back, seems he was loading the trailer with carpet and the weld on the trailer stand picked that moment to break. When it broke, the tongue fell sideways. RIGHT INTO THE BACK OF HIS RIGHT ANKLE! His dad took him to the ER, Otter and I met them there. The doctor was concerned about a break, the x-ray doesn't show anything but he said to watch it for a few days because sometimes small breaks in that area don't show up at first but that it probably is not broken. He has at least 8 stitches, I kind of lost count. There are two gashes, one of them is very deep - I could see the achilles tendon, that's how deep it is. The tendon is ok, it just barely missed it. But Bill's out of commission for a few days. He is on crutches, and I specifically asked the doctor about what Bill could NOT do, just so there are no misunderstandings (also known as bullheadedness). He has pain pills, and as soon as the DiGiorno pizzas are out of the oven he's going to take a pill or two and then go to bed.
The rent house is nearly through, they got the french doors in this morning and most of the carpet & pad pulled up. The floor man came and gave us an estimate on refinishing the floors, we will probably go that route. The kitchen has a small area that needs to be painted and mostly it will just need cleaning. But it's going to wait a day or so.
Urgh.
Bill was at the rent house, about 1:45 he calls me and asks me to call his dad to come back to the rent house for "an emergency." Scary words. So I call his dad and then call Bill back, seems he was loading the trailer with carpet and the weld on the trailer stand picked that moment to break. When it broke, the tongue fell sideways. RIGHT INTO THE BACK OF HIS RIGHT ANKLE! His dad took him to the ER, Otter and I met them there. The doctor was concerned about a break, the x-ray doesn't show anything but he said to watch it for a few days because sometimes small breaks in that area don't show up at first but that it probably is not broken. He has at least 8 stitches, I kind of lost count. There are two gashes, one of them is very deep - I could see the achilles tendon, that's how deep it is. The tendon is ok, it just barely missed it. But Bill's out of commission for a few days. He is on crutches, and I specifically asked the doctor about what Bill could NOT do, just so there are no misunderstandings (also known as bullheadedness). He has pain pills, and as soon as the DiGiorno pizzas are out of the oven he's going to take a pill or two and then go to bed.
The rent house is nearly through, they got the french doors in this morning and most of the carpet & pad pulled up. The floor man came and gave us an estimate on refinishing the floors, we will probably go that route. The kitchen has a small area that needs to be painted and mostly it will just need cleaning. But it's going to wait a day or so.
Urgh.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
We're shopped out!
But Otter is ready for school. We went to Sears today and found her 3 pairs of jeans as well as 3 blouses. She doesn't look like a little girl anymore, and her father is having a hard time dealing with that. I keep telling him that it's just beginning, that he should just relax but somehow I don't think he's going to!
Rent house update: The bathroom is completely finished, painted a nice light tan color and has new hardware fixtures. The closets in all 3 bedrooms have been painted, which we haven't done before but they really needed it. The master bedroom has paneling so it's pretty much done besides the carpet. The other two bedrooms have had a coat of Kilz put on them and when Otter & I left there a couple of hours ago Bill was about to start the color coat. It's white, so I don't know if color coat is the right title or not but you get the idea! We had planned on using some pale tan paint that we have on our walls at home, but Bill painted a test strip and it looked pink so we decided to just go with white. The walls in Otter's old room were pepto bismol pink at one point, and even through several coats of white the pink kept showing through. The Kilz took care of that, but after all the effort to get rid of the pink nobody wanted to paint that room a shade of pink again! The carpet will be pulled up possibly tomorrow, then we are going to have someone look at the floors. The house has hardwood floors, if they aren't in too bad a shape we will have them restored if it's a better price than carpet. Our leasing agent seems to think one of her contractors can do the wood floors for a better price than carpet. We'll see. The master bedroom will still have to be re-carpeted, since it's basically a cement slab floor and not hardwood.
Then I think Bill is going to take the light/ceiling fan out of Otter's old room and put it in the dining room since the one there is bad. We have a regular bedroom-type light fixture that came out of one room or the other at home and he's going to put it up in Otter's old room. We had originally planned to take the one out of our dining room and get a new one for home, but the one I have is not in the best shape either so eventually we'll just get a new one for us.
He's also going to borrow a power washer from our leasing agent, and use it on the garage since it really does need to be repainted as well. He fixed the problem on the garage door frame this morning or Friday afternoon. The front porch & steps have really old indoor/outdoor carpeting which is torn in spots so we are going to pull it up and he's going to power wash there as well. Then he's going to paint it with special paint that won't be slick if it gets wet. The carpeting is what we put down when we moved into the house, which was about 13 years ago and it has not worn well.
After all that, then I can actually do the rest of the cleaning. There are a lot of little things still to do, and most of the things Bill has to do that I've already mentioned are not extremely hard but it is still work.
3 days left of summer break for Otter, then school starts on Thursday!
Rent house update: The bathroom is completely finished, painted a nice light tan color and has new hardware fixtures. The closets in all 3 bedrooms have been painted, which we haven't done before but they really needed it. The master bedroom has paneling so it's pretty much done besides the carpet. The other two bedrooms have had a coat of Kilz put on them and when Otter & I left there a couple of hours ago Bill was about to start the color coat. It's white, so I don't know if color coat is the right title or not but you get the idea! We had planned on using some pale tan paint that we have on our walls at home, but Bill painted a test strip and it looked pink so we decided to just go with white. The walls in Otter's old room were pepto bismol pink at one point, and even through several coats of white the pink kept showing through. The Kilz took care of that, but after all the effort to get rid of the pink nobody wanted to paint that room a shade of pink again! The carpet will be pulled up possibly tomorrow, then we are going to have someone look at the floors. The house has hardwood floors, if they aren't in too bad a shape we will have them restored if it's a better price than carpet. Our leasing agent seems to think one of her contractors can do the wood floors for a better price than carpet. We'll see. The master bedroom will still have to be re-carpeted, since it's basically a cement slab floor and not hardwood.
Then I think Bill is going to take the light/ceiling fan out of Otter's old room and put it in the dining room since the one there is bad. We have a regular bedroom-type light fixture that came out of one room or the other at home and he's going to put it up in Otter's old room. We had originally planned to take the one out of our dining room and get a new one for home, but the one I have is not in the best shape either so eventually we'll just get a new one for us.
He's also going to borrow a power washer from our leasing agent, and use it on the garage since it really does need to be repainted as well. He fixed the problem on the garage door frame this morning or Friday afternoon. The front porch & steps have really old indoor/outdoor carpeting which is torn in spots so we are going to pull it up and he's going to power wash there as well. Then he's going to paint it with special paint that won't be slick if it gets wet. The carpeting is what we put down when we moved into the house, which was about 13 years ago and it has not worn well.
After all that, then I can actually do the rest of the cleaning. There are a lot of little things still to do, and most of the things Bill has to do that I've already mentioned are not extremely hard but it is still work.
3 days left of summer break for Otter, then school starts on Thursday!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Tax Free Shopping Weekend
We shopped. We dropped, too. Sore feet!
We went to Penney's first, they had a sale where one junior blouse was regular price and the second one was $1.00. Otter found two blouses there. We went to Wal Mart and found her several other basic things, she'd be embarassed if I mentioned them here so I won't. But you get the idea! We went to an Army surplus store to find Bill more wool socks, but they were out of the ones he likes. So we went to Goodwill and for once found NOTHING there. That never happens. Then we went to another WalMart and found me a pair of jeans that are 2 sizes smaller than the ones I bought in December. Happy Happy Joy Joy! But we never found jeans for Otter. The sales tax holiday goes through Sunday, so if we get finished early enough at the rent house we might possibly go back to Penney's since we never looked there for jeans as we knew we were going to Wallyworld. We did find her a pair of tennis shoes, and laces for another pair of shoes - the laces were also tax free which struck me as strange. But I'm not complaining!
My puppy Frasier keeps coming in to see what I'm doing. When he wants to be petted, he will push my hand away from the keyboard with his head. And he won't take no for an answer, so I have frequent stops as I type this. He's such an affectionate pooch. I'm very glad that we got him and that we have been able to keep him in the yard with the electric fence.
Just a few more days left of Summer break for Otter. She goes back to school next Thursday. Already! Seems like school just got out a few days ago. I think she's enjoyed her summer, she had two trips (camp and TEXAS), and two visits by relatives. June just flew by. And now July is gone. Fall is really not that far away, although we still have some warm weather in the near future. But it's time to start thinking about colder weather.
Well, Frasier wants my undivided attention now.
We went to Penney's first, they had a sale where one junior blouse was regular price and the second one was $1.00. Otter found two blouses there. We went to Wal Mart and found her several other basic things, she'd be embarassed if I mentioned them here so I won't. But you get the idea! We went to an Army surplus store to find Bill more wool socks, but they were out of the ones he likes. So we went to Goodwill and for once found NOTHING there. That never happens. Then we went to another WalMart and found me a pair of jeans that are 2 sizes smaller than the ones I bought in December. Happy Happy Joy Joy! But we never found jeans for Otter. The sales tax holiday goes through Sunday, so if we get finished early enough at the rent house we might possibly go back to Penney's since we never looked there for jeans as we knew we were going to Wallyworld. We did find her a pair of tennis shoes, and laces for another pair of shoes - the laces were also tax free which struck me as strange. But I'm not complaining!
My puppy Frasier keeps coming in to see what I'm doing. When he wants to be petted, he will push my hand away from the keyboard with his head. And he won't take no for an answer, so I have frequent stops as I type this. He's such an affectionate pooch. I'm very glad that we got him and that we have been able to keep him in the yard with the electric fence.
Just a few more days left of Summer break for Otter. She goes back to school next Thursday. Already! Seems like school just got out a few days ago. I think she's enjoyed her summer, she had two trips (camp and TEXAS), and two visits by relatives. June just flew by. And now July is gone. Fall is really not that far away, although we still have some warm weather in the near future. But it's time to start thinking about colder weather.
Well, Frasier wants my undivided attention now.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Chupacabras in South TEXAS?
There is a woman in South TEXAS that claims she has a chupa carcas. It's hairless & ugly. Also very dead and she froze the head. Apparently, iut was hit by a car and brought to her by the driver. Look it up on the San Antonio paper website, mysanantonio.com and follow thie links to the video.
Only problem is that a) the last time somebody said they had a dead chupacabra it was a coyote with severe mange and b) the vet that saw this one said it's a fox with mange. However, the lady is insisting that she's got a chupacabra and that she's going to have the head mounted and put it on her wall. Really gross, if you ask me. My opinion is that the original legend was probably because somebody saw a mangy coyote. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong and there really are chupas. And the Lock Ness Monster and Bigfoot might be reall too! (Don't think so!)
For the non-TEXAN readers, a chupacabra is a legendary animal known in English as the Goat Sucker. It is supposed to be a blood sucking animal (coyotes have been known to do this), about the size of a coyote, the shape of a coyote and it has similar habits to a coyote. Notice the coyote similarities here?
I forgot about something else that was in the goodie box from Shara. A cookbook from the White River Band Northern Cherokee Nation. It has some really yummy sounding recipes and I'm going to be trying some of them soon.
That reminds me. I promised Froggy the recipe for Monkey Bread. It's really good and very easy. Here goes:
2 cans biscuits, any variety (small biscuits work best)
1 1/2 cups melted butter (I use the low fat butter substitute)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans or walnuts) This is optional, you can skip the nuts if you don't like them
White sugar and additional cinnamon to toss the biscuits in
Cut the biscuits into small pieces, at least 4 piece per biscuit. I usually cut mine up into about 6 pieces each. Toss the pieces in the white sugar/cinnamon mix until they are coated. Place biscuits in a greased pan (I use an olive oil based non-stick spray - it doesn't take much). Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnanom - I melt the butter in a sauce pan and then add the sugar & cinnamon, then stir it over low to medium heat unti is mixed well and smoother. Then add the chopped nuts. Pour over the biscuit pieces. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes - the time may need to be adjusted up or down depending on your oven. The important thing is to get the biscuits baked because half-cooked biscuits are gross! The recipe can be doubled. For the regular recipe I use a square baking pan and if I double it, I use a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish. The original recipe called for a bundt-style cake pan to bake it in and then inverting over a plate to serve. I suggest you just use a baking dish, otherwise you will have a big, sticky mess on your hands. And the floor! The brown sugar mixture makes a syrup and it is very good. However, if you use real butter forget about watching your fat intake. Even with the low-fat substitute, it's probably not the most healthy meal so we don't make it too often. It's been suggested to me that we top it with whipped cream, which would probably be delicious. But I haven't tried that.
Only problem is that a) the last time somebody said they had a dead chupacabra it was a coyote with severe mange and b) the vet that saw this one said it's a fox with mange. However, the lady is insisting that she's got a chupacabra and that she's going to have the head mounted and put it on her wall. Really gross, if you ask me. My opinion is that the original legend was probably because somebody saw a mangy coyote. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong and there really are chupas. And the Lock Ness Monster and Bigfoot might be reall too! (Don't think so!)
For the non-TEXAN readers, a chupacabra is a legendary animal known in English as the Goat Sucker. It is supposed to be a blood sucking animal (coyotes have been known to do this), about the size of a coyote, the shape of a coyote and it has similar habits to a coyote. Notice the coyote similarities here?
I forgot about something else that was in the goodie box from Shara. A cookbook from the White River Band Northern Cherokee Nation. It has some really yummy sounding recipes and I'm going to be trying some of them soon.
That reminds me. I promised Froggy the recipe for Monkey Bread. It's really good and very easy. Here goes:
2 cans biscuits, any variety (small biscuits work best)
1 1/2 cups melted butter (I use the low fat butter substitute)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans or walnuts) This is optional, you can skip the nuts if you don't like them
White sugar and additional cinnamon to toss the biscuits in
Cut the biscuits into small pieces, at least 4 piece per biscuit. I usually cut mine up into about 6 pieces each. Toss the pieces in the white sugar/cinnamon mix until they are coated. Place biscuits in a greased pan (I use an olive oil based non-stick spray - it doesn't take much). Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnanom - I melt the butter in a sauce pan and then add the sugar & cinnamon, then stir it over low to medium heat unti is mixed well and smoother. Then add the chopped nuts. Pour over the biscuit pieces. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes - the time may need to be adjusted up or down depending on your oven. The important thing is to get the biscuits baked because half-cooked biscuits are gross! The recipe can be doubled. For the regular recipe I use a square baking pan and if I double it, I use a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish. The original recipe called for a bundt-style cake pan to bake it in and then inverting over a plate to serve. I suggest you just use a baking dish, otherwise you will have a big, sticky mess on your hands. And the floor! The brown sugar mixture makes a syrup and it is very good. However, if you use real butter forget about watching your fat intake. Even with the low-fat substitute, it's probably not the most healthy meal so we don't make it too often. It's been suggested to me that we top it with whipped cream, which would probably be delicious. But I haven't tried that.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, Mostly Grumbling Today
It rained today. And then it was humid. Really humid. Worst I've had to deal with in years! It was so icky that just walking from the car to the door was a chore because humidity, especially high humidity, always makes my asthma kick in. Otter had problems with her asthma, and she seldome ever reacts to humidity. She wasn't able to finish karate today, she was in real distress but she bounced back after we came home and she parked on the couch for a while. But she had to use her inhaler several times.
We got Otter's schedule for school today. She has algreba first class. My comment is that at least she'll be getting that one out of the way early in the day! Her foreign language choice is Spanish, that is her last class of the day. We suggested she take Spanish because that is the language she's most likely to use. She has Debate as one of her electives. Somehow, I just don't think that it is going to be a difficult class for her!
Progress is slow at the rent house, but mostly because Bill couldn't get this week off. He's off next week instead. He's nearly finished painting the bathroom, he changed locks and has taken down the hardware in the bathroom so it can be replaced. He's done a lot of little misc. things. Now that we've had time to think about it, I think we made the right decision regarding selling it now. We could still sell it, but in order to get what we really think it is worth we need to do the door work and the plan now is to do that several months down the road - like in a year if we have a tenant change then. Until then, we'll just keep doing what we have been doing.
Since we aren't selling the rent house right now, we will be keeping the P.O. box. We are just about out of the eBay business, but it's a good & safe idea to have a mailing address other than our home for a tenant. So if anybody mails us, the P.O. box address will still be valid.
Sales Tax Free weekend is nearly here! We plan to take full advantage of it. We cleaned out Otter's shoes last night, she's outgrown most of them. She tried on her coat, it will still work for this year. But out of all the millions of pairs of gloves that we have, I could only find two that had both sides! So I guess gloves are on the list as well, although probably not yet as they aren't really in the stores yet. Winter wear should be making an appearance soon, though.
I've given up (for the moment at least) on posting pictures on here. I follow the directions and do everything I'm supposed to, but it never works. So since I can't show you what was in the wonderful surprise box from my friend Shara, I'll just tell you! First was an absolutely adorable stuffed animal set - an Otter mom and baby! Very appropriate, don't you think! My Otter immediately claimed them, they are on her bed with her other stuffed otters. Also a metal platter "TEXAS" of course. It's going to be hung on the wall in the entrance way with all my other TEXAS stuff. She sent me a nice book of proverbs with cute illustrations, a nice card and 4 older Oklahoma maps. The maps are neat by themselves, but I've seen different craft ideas using them. It was very nice to receive all the goodies, Shara. You are very thoughtful! And one of these days, I might actually get a picture on here.
The Magginator got her shots yesterday. She had a great time, she got to go for a car ride and meet all sorts of other doggies, she got lots of attention, walked around the petstore several times and just had a good time in general. Until the vet called us and we walked into the little exam room. That's when she tried to back out the door! When that didn't work, she got in the corner and tried to turn invisible. She got three shots, poor little pin cushion! She was very happy to leave there. As we were walking out, a family was bringing in the biggest German Shepard I have ever seen. Absolutely georgeous dog! And he was happy, until he realized where he was. I could tell exactly when that happened, because he just dropped. All four feet tucked up underneath his body, and he hit the floor. The family was unable to get him to move, it took all of them AND an employee. They finally had to lift the dog up onto a flatbed-type cart and roll him back to get his shots! I didn't feel so bad about Maggie being so silly after that.
Froggy, watch out for sneakies in your yard! After you described the one you saw today, it sounds like it might be the rattly kind. So please don't take any chances. I hope you have a shovel or something to keep with you, in case you suddenly have to decaptitate something slithery.
I saw a bumper sticker today that I really liked. It was a play on the Don't Mess with Texas campaign. It said Don't Mess with Texas Women. I think I might want one of those.
We got Otter's schedule for school today. She has algreba first class. My comment is that at least she'll be getting that one out of the way early in the day! Her foreign language choice is Spanish, that is her last class of the day. We suggested she take Spanish because that is the language she's most likely to use. She has Debate as one of her electives. Somehow, I just don't think that it is going to be a difficult class for her!
Progress is slow at the rent house, but mostly because Bill couldn't get this week off. He's off next week instead. He's nearly finished painting the bathroom, he changed locks and has taken down the hardware in the bathroom so it can be replaced. He's done a lot of little misc. things. Now that we've had time to think about it, I think we made the right decision regarding selling it now. We could still sell it, but in order to get what we really think it is worth we need to do the door work and the plan now is to do that several months down the road - like in a year if we have a tenant change then. Until then, we'll just keep doing what we have been doing.
Since we aren't selling the rent house right now, we will be keeping the P.O. box. We are just about out of the eBay business, but it's a good & safe idea to have a mailing address other than our home for a tenant. So if anybody mails us, the P.O. box address will still be valid.
Sales Tax Free weekend is nearly here! We plan to take full advantage of it. We cleaned out Otter's shoes last night, she's outgrown most of them. She tried on her coat, it will still work for this year. But out of all the millions of pairs of gloves that we have, I could only find two that had both sides! So I guess gloves are on the list as well, although probably not yet as they aren't really in the stores yet. Winter wear should be making an appearance soon, though.
I've given up (for the moment at least) on posting pictures on here. I follow the directions and do everything I'm supposed to, but it never works. So since I can't show you what was in the wonderful surprise box from my friend Shara, I'll just tell you! First was an absolutely adorable stuffed animal set - an Otter mom and baby! Very appropriate, don't you think! My Otter immediately claimed them, they are on her bed with her other stuffed otters. Also a metal platter "TEXAS" of course. It's going to be hung on the wall in the entrance way with all my other TEXAS stuff. She sent me a nice book of proverbs with cute illustrations, a nice card and 4 older Oklahoma maps. The maps are neat by themselves, but I've seen different craft ideas using them. It was very nice to receive all the goodies, Shara. You are very thoughtful! And one of these days, I might actually get a picture on here.
The Magginator got her shots yesterday. She had a great time, she got to go for a car ride and meet all sorts of other doggies, she got lots of attention, walked around the petstore several times and just had a good time in general. Until the vet called us and we walked into the little exam room. That's when she tried to back out the door! When that didn't work, she got in the corner and tried to turn invisible. She got three shots, poor little pin cushion! She was very happy to leave there. As we were walking out, a family was bringing in the biggest German Shepard I have ever seen. Absolutely georgeous dog! And he was happy, until he realized where he was. I could tell exactly when that happened, because he just dropped. All four feet tucked up underneath his body, and he hit the floor. The family was unable to get him to move, it took all of them AND an employee. They finally had to lift the dog up onto a flatbed-type cart and roll him back to get his shots! I didn't feel so bad about Maggie being so silly after that.
Froggy, watch out for sneakies in your yard! After you described the one you saw today, it sounds like it might be the rattly kind. So please don't take any chances. I hope you have a shovel or something to keep with you, in case you suddenly have to decaptitate something slithery.
I saw a bumper sticker today that I really liked. It was a play on the Don't Mess with Texas campaign. It said Don't Mess with Texas Women. I think I might want one of those.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Another Sunday Post!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROGGY! Just remember, you will always be older than me! :) And younger than Toadly, if that's any consolation.
Sunday again. And a complete change of plans!
I think we are destined to be landlords forever. We spent the day at the rent house. It's not in bad shape, it's pretty clean actually. But we have decided against putting it on the market. We would prefer to sell it, and we could still. But in order to get it up to the standard we'd like so we would be able to get a price we'd like, it needs more work than we can afford at the moment. We are going to have to replace the carpet, which we already knew. But we would also have to replace the stove and the front door. The stove works, but it doesn't look very pretty. We would also want to wall in the current door to the master bedroom and move the door to where it would be entered through the kitchen. Which is how the house originally was, the people we bought it from changed that when they rebuilt it after the fire. (My opinion has always been that they had an insurance fire, and I still think that).
There are a few other things that would need to be done to get it to a selling point, the bedroom door is the biggest one. None of the other things are particularly big, but they would be time consuming and cost more than we have for it at the moment. We are going to have to replace the sliding glass door from the master bedroom, which we did not anticipate but it really needs to be done now. We are going to put french doors there. The dining room light is a ceiling fan, we are going to take the light out of the dining room at home and put it in the rent house, then get a new light to replace it at home.
Bill is going to get started on painting, that's not unusual to have to do when a tenant moves out and we didn't have to paint it the last time. He's going to take the two satellite dishes off the roof and replace one of the windows. The curtains in the living room will be replaced with vertical blinds on the big window and a set of mini-blinds on the side window, which is the one to be replaced. While he's at it, he's going to replace the old & ugly linoleum tile in the front entrance way. Possibly with Pergo wood, which he's also going to put in the hallway. The back door entrance way tile will be replaced, to match what we put in the kitchen when we first turned it into a rent house.
We are probably going to repaint the garage, it's been at least 5 years since we did that and it really needs it.
This coming Wednesday will be 3 years since we moved! It was an exhausting experience. But we're glad we did.
Well, the pizza is on the way so I'm going to post this now!
There are a few other things that would need to be done to get it to a selling point, the bedroom door is the biggest one. None of the other things are particularly big, but they would be time consuming and cost more than we have for it at the moment. We are going to have to replace the sliding glass door from the master bedroom, which we did not anticipate but it really needs to be done now. We are going to put french doors there. The dining room light is a ceiling fan, we are going to take the light out of the dining room at home and put it in the rent house, then get a new light to replace it at home.
Bill is going to get started on painting, that's not unusual to have to do when a tenant moves out and we didn't have to paint it the last time. He's going to take the two satellite dishes off the roof and replace one of the windows. The curtains in the living room will be replaced with vertical blinds on the big window and a set of mini-blinds on the side window, which is the one to be replaced. While he's at it, he's going to replace the old & ugly linoleum tile in the front entrance way. Possibly with Pergo wood, which he's also going to put in the hallway. The back door entrance way tile will be replaced, to match what we put in the kitchen when we first turned it into a rent house.
We are probably going to repaint the garage, it's been at least 5 years since we did that and it really needs it.
This coming Wednesday will be 3 years since we moved! It was an exhausting experience. But we're glad we did.
Well, the pizza is on the way so I'm going to post this now!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday and I'm glad! Very long week.
We drove by the rent house after work today, the tenant is still there. He had a self-moving van in front of the house and a trailer attached to it so he can put his muscle car on it. The car was sitting behind the trailer, it looks like he had the car filled up with stuff. When I talked to him yesterday, he was hoping to get going today but if he wasn't able to get out early enough he said he would wait until probably Saturday. I don't blame him on that! Since he was still there, I guess he's waiting until Saturday. Our plan is still to go over there on Sunday, unless I hear otherwise from him.
I've been cleaning out stuff, I cleaned out the cookbooks several days ago and sold two big lots of them on eBay. We have a few other books that we have on eBay now. I have several small planter-type vases that really don't work for anything, they are animal shaped mostly. They will probably get put on eBay next week. We're pretty much finished with the eBay business except for a few things, and overhead projectors will still be on eBay for a while until we run out. But I'm trying to clean out stuff and as I do, I find things that might sell. But I am looking forward to being done with it. It was fun, but I think we probably should have quit last year like we originally planned. We still have a few Halloween & Christmas things that we'll put on eBay closer to the correct seasons, no sense in putting up Halloween costumes in July! But they are small and don't take up much room. Remember the box of Nativity sets, Froggy? The one we found at the thrift store when you were here.
Maggie is asleep in the floor beside me. My blogging is accompanied by the sound of a beagle snoring! She's so funny. I got her to dance again this afternoon. Frasier came running, but mostly because he wanted the attention himself. I hope he doesn't decide to try to dance, because when he stands on his back feet he is taller than I am!
I've been cleaning out stuff, I cleaned out the cookbooks several days ago and sold two big lots of them on eBay. We have a few other books that we have on eBay now. I have several small planter-type vases that really don't work for anything, they are animal shaped mostly. They will probably get put on eBay next week. We're pretty much finished with the eBay business except for a few things, and overhead projectors will still be on eBay for a while until we run out. But I'm trying to clean out stuff and as I do, I find things that might sell. But I am looking forward to being done with it. It was fun, but I think we probably should have quit last year like we originally planned. We still have a few Halloween & Christmas things that we'll put on eBay closer to the correct seasons, no sense in putting up Halloween costumes in July! But they are small and don't take up much room. Remember the box of Nativity sets, Froggy? The one we found at the thrift store when you were here.
Maggie is asleep in the floor beside me. My blogging is accompanied by the sound of a beagle snoring! She's so funny. I got her to dance again this afternoon. Frasier came running, but mostly because he wanted the attention himself. I hope he doesn't decide to try to dance, because when he stands on his back feet he is taller than I am!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
It's Been a Few Days...
So I thought I'd better blog again. Before somebody gets on me about it! Don't want any mad Froggies, now do we!?!
Our tenant will be gone tomorrow. I talked to him today, he is planning on leaving early in the morning. My leasing agent called while ago, she will meet us over there Sunday afternoon and she'll do the walk through then. Normally, they are done before the tenant actually leaves but he wasn't through packing & cleaning and didn't think he would be through before late tonight and she really doesn't want to go over there either that late or before dawn tomorrow! Not that I blame her, I wouldn't either. So it will be done without his presence, but I think he'll leave it clean. He's been a good tenant and I know he wants his deposit back, so we don't expect any nasty surprises this time. Unlike the last two times, which were both evictions.
Hopefully, we can get it on the market within a few weeks. I'd like it to be sooner, but Bill can't get off until the week after next so if there is any big work it has to wait until then. We know that the carpet will have to be replaced, we were going to replace it the last time but he had dogs so we didn't.
I just want it to sell, quickly and for what we want. Until it does, we will have two mortgage payments. As Otter says, Oh Joy!
Otter starts 9th grade two weeks from today. We go Tuesday to pick up her schedule and get her locker assignment. The bus should be the same, but we'll check on that to be sure. Seems like they move the bus stop every year, between our house and the next door neighbor's driveway. We'll also be able to order her yearbook and see where her classes are.
Oklahoma finally has a sales-tax free weekend! It's the first Friday through Sunday of August. It's for clothing & shoes mostly. Otter won't need much to start school on, but all of her jeans are suddenly short. Those legs just keep getting longer and longer. She probably needs tennis shoes and maybe some misc. things, but not too much this year. Or at least I don't think she will - we haven't really checked most of her shirts to see if they fit. We will probably start at WalMart on the Friday and then if we don't find what she wants (and what I will let her wear), then we will go somewhere else on the Sunday. And I'm going to give in and buy myself some jeans that fit. I'm tired of constantly having to worry that my jeans are suddenly going to be down around my knees! I know that I have dropped two sizes, and most of my clothes are pretty loose now. I took 4 blouses out of the closet on Thursday and every one went right into the Goodwill pile after I tried them on and was swimming in them. I'm not finished losing weight, so I'm not going to buy a lot of clothes. But I really have got to have some jeans that fit!
We finally finished the book! I stayed up until 11:55 Sunday night and Otter finished it the next morning. It was very good, and it was the perfect end to the story line. It could not have ended better. Thank you Froggy, for buying Otter the set of Harry Potter books. I think it was either a set of 3 or 4, I don't remember which. But she definetely got your money's worth out of them!
Maggie has finally learned the trick we've been working on for weeks! She dances. She sits up on her behind and her back legs, then she puts her front paws up and waves them up and down. When I put my hand down, she puts her paws in them, stands up on her back feet and when we tell her to dance, she does! She's only done it a few times, but it's really cute. She's not the sharpest crayon in the box, so it's taken her a while to learn it and it is going to take more work to get her to remember it. But she's a sweetie. Frasier obviously thinks he's above all that stuff, I've given up on teaching him anything. He can learn, he is about as smart as it gets. He just doesn't want to!
Our tenant will be gone tomorrow. I talked to him today, he is planning on leaving early in the morning. My leasing agent called while ago, she will meet us over there Sunday afternoon and she'll do the walk through then. Normally, they are done before the tenant actually leaves but he wasn't through packing & cleaning and didn't think he would be through before late tonight and she really doesn't want to go over there either that late or before dawn tomorrow! Not that I blame her, I wouldn't either. So it will be done without his presence, but I think he'll leave it clean. He's been a good tenant and I know he wants his deposit back, so we don't expect any nasty surprises this time. Unlike the last two times, which were both evictions.
Hopefully, we can get it on the market within a few weeks. I'd like it to be sooner, but Bill can't get off until the week after next so if there is any big work it has to wait until then. We know that the carpet will have to be replaced, we were going to replace it the last time but he had dogs so we didn't.
I just want it to sell, quickly and for what we want. Until it does, we will have two mortgage payments. As Otter says, Oh Joy!
Otter starts 9th grade two weeks from today. We go Tuesday to pick up her schedule and get her locker assignment. The bus should be the same, but we'll check on that to be sure. Seems like they move the bus stop every year, between our house and the next door neighbor's driveway. We'll also be able to order her yearbook and see where her classes are.
Oklahoma finally has a sales-tax free weekend! It's the first Friday through Sunday of August. It's for clothing & shoes mostly. Otter won't need much to start school on, but all of her jeans are suddenly short. Those legs just keep getting longer and longer. She probably needs tennis shoes and maybe some misc. things, but not too much this year. Or at least I don't think she will - we haven't really checked most of her shirts to see if they fit. We will probably start at WalMart on the Friday and then if we don't find what she wants (and what I will let her wear), then we will go somewhere else on the Sunday. And I'm going to give in and buy myself some jeans that fit. I'm tired of constantly having to worry that my jeans are suddenly going to be down around my knees! I know that I have dropped two sizes, and most of my clothes are pretty loose now. I took 4 blouses out of the closet on Thursday and every one went right into the Goodwill pile after I tried them on and was swimming in them. I'm not finished losing weight, so I'm not going to buy a lot of clothes. But I really have got to have some jeans that fit!
We finally finished the book! I stayed up until 11:55 Sunday night and Otter finished it the next morning. It was very good, and it was the perfect end to the story line. It could not have ended better. Thank you Froggy, for buying Otter the set of Harry Potter books. I think it was either a set of 3 or 4, I don't remember which. But she definetely got your money's worth out of them!
Maggie has finally learned the trick we've been working on for weeks! She dances. She sits up on her behind and her back legs, then she puts her front paws up and waves them up and down. When I put my hand down, she puts her paws in them, stands up on her back feet and when we tell her to dance, she does! She's only done it a few times, but it's really cute. She's not the sharpest crayon in the box, so it's taken her a while to learn it and it is going to take more work to get her to remember it. But she's a sweetie. Frasier obviously thinks he's above all that stuff, I've given up on teaching him anything. He can learn, he is about as smart as it gets. He just doesn't want to!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Burning though the book!
I woke up at 5:30 this morning and could not go back to sleep for anything. So I got dressed and went to Wallyworld! I left Bill and the Otter both sleeping, and I was walking into the store at 5:45. I had to get a couple of grocery items, if it had been just a trip for the book I would have dragged the kiddo out of bed and made her go with me!
When I got home, I flipped the pages of the book in her ear a couple of times. Her eyes popped open immediately and she started grabbing! She's over half way through it now, and I'm about a quarter through it. I told her she had to do a few chores, which she did in record time, but that was mostly so I would get a chance at it! She may well finish it today, by tomorrow at the latest. It's pretty good, but it is different from the previous books. No spoilers from me! :)
Our tenant called a couple of hours ago. This time, he really is moving! Probably by the 1st or possibly by the 2nd, but this time for real. I'm not really surprised, although we were hoping he would stay for a while. Or at least move early in the month after he'd paid rent! I've already called our listing agent, she will handle it from here on. She was going to call him and arrange the walk-through, and then as soon as he's out we will see what we need to do. And then she's going to put out the For Sale sign. Hopefully, it will sell fast and for what we want. I wish he had done this earlier or a little later, because August is not the best time as people generally want to be moved well before the school year starts. But I guess we'll just have to leave it all in God's hands. The leasing agent said that we can legally keep his deposit because as per the lease he should have given us 30 days notice. But we don't feel right about that, so unless there is damage we aren't planning on keeping the deposit. Except for the small amount that is non-refundable because of the dogs.
I got all the morning glories stripped off the back fence to about a foot down from the electric wire. It will probably be grown up past the wire again within a few days, that stuff grows fast! But at least now we don't have to worry about the fence itself becoming electrified or the wire shorting out. Frasier never figured out that the fence was turned off for about a week, but as smart as he is it would only have been a matter of time until he did. He spent a lot of time trying to get a locust that was just on the other side of the fence. I finally reached through the fence and pulled the bug inside so he could see it, and then he immediately lost interest in it - just like a kid! If he thought he was being kept from it, he would have probably tried to eat it. Not that I would have let him! I sent it on it's merry way over the fence, and it landed back in the dirt but way out of his vision. And then I had to dump, scrub & refill the dog's outside water dish because it had wrigglers!
Anybody want to buy a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house on the NE side of Tulsa?
When I got home, I flipped the pages of the book in her ear a couple of times. Her eyes popped open immediately and she started grabbing! She's over half way through it now, and I'm about a quarter through it. I told her she had to do a few chores, which she did in record time, but that was mostly so I would get a chance at it! She may well finish it today, by tomorrow at the latest. It's pretty good, but it is different from the previous books. No spoilers from me! :)
Our tenant called a couple of hours ago. This time, he really is moving! Probably by the 1st or possibly by the 2nd, but this time for real. I'm not really surprised, although we were hoping he would stay for a while. Or at least move early in the month after he'd paid rent! I've already called our listing agent, she will handle it from here on. She was going to call him and arrange the walk-through, and then as soon as he's out we will see what we need to do. And then she's going to put out the For Sale sign. Hopefully, it will sell fast and for what we want. I wish he had done this earlier or a little later, because August is not the best time as people generally want to be moved well before the school year starts. But I guess we'll just have to leave it all in God's hands. The leasing agent said that we can legally keep his deposit because as per the lease he should have given us 30 days notice. But we don't feel right about that, so unless there is damage we aren't planning on keeping the deposit. Except for the small amount that is non-refundable because of the dogs.
I got all the morning glories stripped off the back fence to about a foot down from the electric wire. It will probably be grown up past the wire again within a few days, that stuff grows fast! But at least now we don't have to worry about the fence itself becoming electrified or the wire shorting out. Frasier never figured out that the fence was turned off for about a week, but as smart as he is it would only have been a matter of time until he did. He spent a lot of time trying to get a locust that was just on the other side of the fence. I finally reached through the fence and pulled the bug inside so he could see it, and then he immediately lost interest in it - just like a kid! If he thought he was being kept from it, he would have probably tried to eat it. Not that I would have let him! I sent it on it's merry way over the fence, and it landed back in the dirt but way out of his vision. And then I had to dump, scrub & refill the dog's outside water dish because it had wrigglers!
Anybody want to buy a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house on the NE side of Tulsa?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
News Blackout
Otter & I are on an official news blackout. So we might not even turn on the computers from tonight through about Monday or so. Well, we might turn them on. But we aren't even looking at any news sites that we normally check. I've already seen the title of one news report that was obviously a HP spoiler, and I don't want to know anymore! The publisher shipped some books early, and even though they are asking people not to read them early - get real! If I got one early, I would probably have already finished it by now. So, if you don't hear from us or get email answered it's because we are not online.
I called the electric company today, they are not responsible for my gate being left open yesterday. Neither is the gas company, they read the meter from over the back fence and the water meter is in the front yard. I'm just glad that my next door neighbor happened to see the dogs out in the front and she brought them home to us. There isn't any way that the dogs could have opened this gate, I'm thinking about the kid we saw behind the house a couple of weeks back. If it was him, he was probably unhappy that the shed is also padlocked. And now all the gates are locked.
The final bill from the hospital arrived yesterday. There has either been another payment or they gave me a discount because there was $1,600.00 knocked off from what the insurance EOB said. Always a good thing! Slowly but surely...
I called the electric company today, they are not responsible for my gate being left open yesterday. Neither is the gas company, they read the meter from over the back fence and the water meter is in the front yard. I'm just glad that my next door neighbor happened to see the dogs out in the front and she brought them home to us. There isn't any way that the dogs could have opened this gate, I'm thinking about the kid we saw behind the house a couple of weeks back. If it was him, he was probably unhappy that the shed is also padlocked. And now all the gates are locked.
The final bill from the hospital arrived yesterday. There has either been another payment or they gave me a discount because there was $1,600.00 knocked off from what the insurance EOB said. Always a good thing! Slowly but surely...
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
We do not want to know!
How the Harry Potter series turns out until we read the books for ourselves. I'm speaking for the Otter here, as well as myself. So, if you think you are doing us a favor by repeating anything you've read/seen/heard/been told, etc. - PLEASE KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! Otter and I are on an official news blackout, and we won't get the book until Sunday so we are going to have to be even more careful about what we read/see/hear than we were the last couple of times.
No more turtle tales, but I did have to empty out my fountain this morning because it had wrigglers. We have enough adult mosquitos to deal with, I really didn't want to breed my own! But since we've had so many frogs in the yard, I have noticed that there are a few less skeeters to deal with. Since I put the bricks in the dog's outside water dish, I have not seen any frogs that couldn't get out. So I guess it's working.
I want to give my friend Sharra a quick shout-out. I'm anxiously awaiting my goodie box, I know it will be special. THANKS! (She might not want to know the end of the Harry Potter series either, so don't post any comments with spoilers on here please).
One of these days I might learn how to post pictures on here. I've tried a few times, and even when I follow the directions it doesn't work. And being the Borg Queen I have to follow the directions! I'll figure it out eventually.
We haven't had rain in about a week. It's been nice. I was beginning to think that we were going to skip summer entirely and just go straight to fall.
3 more weeks until school starts! Then I'll be the mother of a high school student. Urgh. Where have the last 15 years gone?
No more turtle tales, but I did have to empty out my fountain this morning because it had wrigglers. We have enough adult mosquitos to deal with, I really didn't want to breed my own! But since we've had so many frogs in the yard, I have noticed that there are a few less skeeters to deal with. Since I put the bricks in the dog's outside water dish, I have not seen any frogs that couldn't get out. So I guess it's working.
I want to give my friend Sharra a quick shout-out. I'm anxiously awaiting my goodie box, I know it will be special. THANKS! (She might not want to know the end of the Harry Potter series either, so don't post any comments with spoilers on here please).
One of these days I might learn how to post pictures on here. I've tried a few times, and even when I follow the directions it doesn't work. And being the Borg Queen I have to follow the directions! I'll figure it out eventually.
We haven't had rain in about a week. It's been nice. I was beginning to think that we were going to skip summer entirely and just go straight to fall.
3 more weeks until school starts! Then I'll be the mother of a high school student. Urgh. Where have the last 15 years gone?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Quick Post - Movie Review
Well, we just got home from the theather and watching the new Harry Potter movie. It was well worth the extra $$ to get IMAX tickets. IMAX is 3D for the last 30 minutes or so, the big fight scene. The movie was very well done and stuck to the book pretty much. There were obviously a few things that were left out for time, otherwise we would have been in the theater all day long. Yes, Froggy, we did get popcorn. And also sour patch kid candy!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Saturday and more turtle tales!
Otter and I are fine, we have had no pain whatsoever. If there had been the slightest discomfort, we would have gone to the doctor and Bill would have been on the phone tearing the cop a new one. It was a hard enough bump that I wanted to wait until today to decide, although the bumper of the car is only scratched. And the right blinker isn't working right. The bumper will probably stay scratched, the blinker will get fixed.
Frasier was barking at something, he was laying on the ground in the corner of the yard and really seemed to be interested in something. So I went out there, and he had another turtle in his sights. This one was what I've always called a box turtle, round and has yellow markings. It was a female. She has now been relocated to the cow pasture. I think that Frasier had been trying to pick her up in his mouth, the back of her shell had dog drool. She was a lively one. Poor puppy, I keep taking his toys away from him! Of course, if one of those toys should happen to flip that head back and bite him he might not feel the same way!
No rain today! Wow! The jalepeno plants are doing well, they are still very short but they have quite a bit of fruit on them. The bell peppers are producing, they won't be big or have many bells but at least we'll get a few. The cherry tomato plant has 4 more on it and possibly another bud starting. So I'm happy. Not a lot of produce, but at least we got something out of the plants.
Movie tomorrow! And yes, Froggy, we will have popcorn.
Frasier was barking at something, he was laying on the ground in the corner of the yard and really seemed to be interested in something. So I went out there, and he had another turtle in his sights. This one was what I've always called a box turtle, round and has yellow markings. It was a female. She has now been relocated to the cow pasture. I think that Frasier had been trying to pick her up in his mouth, the back of her shell had dog drool. She was a lively one. Poor puppy, I keep taking his toys away from him! Of course, if one of those toys should happen to flip that head back and bite him he might not feel the same way!
No rain today! Wow! The jalepeno plants are doing well, they are still very short but they have quite a bit of fruit on them. The bell peppers are producing, they won't be big or have many bells but at least we'll get a few. The cherry tomato plant has 4 more on it and possibly another bud starting. So I'm happy. Not a lot of produce, but at least we got something out of the plants.
Movie tomorrow! And yes, Froggy, we will have popcorn.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Friday the 13th
Which really doesn't mean anything to be except that yesterday was the 12th and tomorrow if the 14th. But some people might think that I should revise my opinion, considering the fact that I got rear-ended today! By a teenage kid who by his own admission was at fault, and by his uncle's admission - the kid has no license. There really is no damage to the car beyond a scratch on the fender and I feel fine but I will keep an eye on myself (and my back) as well as Otter who was in the car at the time, and if I feel the slightest bit of anything at all I will go to the ER tomorrow. The problem was the attitude of the cop who came out, he was borderline rude and refused to take a report because it was "just cosmetic" damage. I even tried to get the cop to ask for our ID, and he wouldn't even do that! Talk about someone who thinks he's God. The boy that hit me did admit that it was his fault and he stayed there, and I feel like it really was an honest accident on his part. The cop couldn't leave fast enough, after he left I told the kid that he really needed to start paying attention when he drives and that if he has another accident and there is damage or injury that if he doesn't have a license he should be prepared to be hauled off to jail. Which wouldn't necessarily happen up here in Backwards, I mean Oklahoma, but I felt like he needed a little Fear of God put into him. I have his name, address & phone number in case I need it. I also have the cop's card, and Bill is considering calling him (after he calms down) and asking to speak to his supervisor.
The boy called his uncle on the phone, and I spoke with the uncle. He offered me money to stop the police report. Which does not sit well with me. I told him, politely but very firmly, that I would let the police handle it and that was the way it was going to be.
(And no, I really don't think it had anything to do with Friday the 13th!).
The boy called his uncle on the phone, and I spoke with the uncle. He offered me money to stop the police report. Which does not sit well with me. I told him, politely but very firmly, that I would let the police handle it and that was the way it was going to be.
(And no, I really don't think it had anything to do with Friday the 13th!).
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
I Have the Golden Ticket!
Two of them actually. Ok, so they are really lavender and white instead of Golden. And they aren't really to Willy Wonka's castle. They are instead two tickets to the 11:00 a.m Sunday showing of Harry Potter 5 at the IMAX theater. And I have one very happy 15 year old girl! Obviously, we don't think that HP is evil! It's just fiction, it's basically good vs. evil and good does truimph eventually. And it's a whole lot better than some of the things I see kids reading today!
It is supposed to rain again tomorrow. We made it through today without any rain, but we can't seem to get more than one day with no rain. I'd like at least 2 days in a row!
We still have a billion mosquitos, but since the yard has been populated with so many frogs I think that there are a few less mosquitos. Hopefully, anyway. We're getting kind of tired of them!
I read where Bird Flu has finally made it to this country. It's a flock of turkeys that were being readied for slaughter to be food. It was revealed in the normal testing before they are killed & processed, so it probably hasn't entered the food chain. It's also supposed to be a light version of it. But it really was just a matter of time before it got this far. Hopefully, it will be a long time before it shows up again, and especially a long time before the worse version of it hits here.
Is it Friday yet?
It is supposed to rain again tomorrow. We made it through today without any rain, but we can't seem to get more than one day with no rain. I'd like at least 2 days in a row!
We still have a billion mosquitos, but since the yard has been populated with so many frogs I think that there are a few less mosquitos. Hopefully, anyway. We're getting kind of tired of them!
I read where Bird Flu has finally made it to this country. It's a flock of turkeys that were being readied for slaughter to be food. It was revealed in the normal testing before they are killed & processed, so it probably hasn't entered the food chain. It's also supposed to be a light version of it. But it really was just a matter of time before it got this far. Hopefully, it will be a long time before it shows up again, and especially a long time before the worse version of it hits here.
Is it Friday yet?
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Tuesday Now, Only One More Day!!!!
'Till the Harry Potter movie premiere. Otter is just beside herself, but she's not happy that we have to wait until Sunday to see it! But I'm taking her to see it at the IMAX, so it's not like she's missing out any anything. She had asked a friend of hers, but it turned out that the friend's family is leaving for vacation tomorrow and won't be back for several days. So Otter will possibly get to see it twice at the theater, once on Sunday and once when her friend gets back.
But, because she is her mother's daughter, Otter prefers the redhead in the cast! Can't imagine why....... :)
It rained again today, by the way. We still managed to mow the back yard but it was a real chore. The grass was just so wet, and there are still frogs everywhere. We try to watch out for them while we mow, and then we wait for them to move or relocate them ourselves.
The blogger program has been having some problems, not just me but also a few other bloggers I know have had difficulties with the site. So if you try to leave me a comment, it might take you a few tries. I tried to leave a comment for someone else and it never did accept it, so if that happens there is always email if you need to tell me something.
But, because she is her mother's daughter, Otter prefers the redhead in the cast! Can't imagine why....... :)
It rained again today, by the way. We still managed to mow the back yard but it was a real chore. The grass was just so wet, and there are still frogs everywhere. We try to watch out for them while we mow, and then we wait for them to move or relocate them ourselves.
The blogger program has been having some problems, not just me but also a few other bloggers I know have had difficulties with the site. So if you try to leave me a comment, it might take you a few tries. I tried to leave a comment for someone else and it never did accept it, so if that happens there is always email if you need to tell me something.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Monday and Back to the Old Grind!
Back to work again, vacation is over! Wish it could have lasted longer, but it was good while it lasted. Except for Bill being sick, that we could have done without. He's better now.
It only took me about and hour and a half to get caught up at work, even after having been gone for a week. It's not a busy office.
Otter and I had a Mother/Daughter Day on Friday. We started that tradition when she was little, where we would spend the day together and just do whatever we wanted - mostly whatever she wanted. As she's gotten older, it has evolved into more shopping than anything else. But I'm not complaining, we enjoy the time together.
Among other things, I bought a skirt, blouse & pair of slacks. And they are all TWO SIZES SMALLER than the rest of my clothes! I'm not buying a lot of new clothes at the moment, as I'm still working on my weight. But I do have to get a few things. So we went to Goodwill. We also went to a few yard sales and found a few misc. things, not anything spectacular though.
Saturday was interesting. We were having our usual Sabbath observance, not doing much but enjoying the time together and resting. Bill noticed a teenage boy out in the field behind the house, he kept coming up to the fence and then backing off. Bill could see something in his hands, so he got the binoculars. The kid was texting someone with his cell phone. It looked like he was interested in the shed. The boy saw Bill watching him through the window, so he got on his bike and rode off. Then he came back a few minutes later and crouched down behind some weeds. He wasn't very smart, because a few weeds does not make a very good hiding place! Every so often he would peek up and he was definitely looking at the shed, we think he was trying to see what was inside. There is a window on that end of the shed, but it was closed so there was no light inside. Bill decided to "intimidate", in his words. He got one of the rifles, put it on his shoulder and casually strolled out the door towards the shed. I was watching out the window, I could see exactly when the boy spotted Bill (and the gun) because he jerked back, then he popped up and walked quickly to his bike - still texting it looked like. Then he got on his bike and booked it! He did not come back. We were pretty sure that he wouldn't be back, since he now knows that not only were we aware of his presence, but that we are also armed. However, I did go buy a lock for the shed door and also put one on the back gate. I think that the reason he kept backing down from the fence was probably because he saw the electric fence signs we have up.
And where were the dogs during all this you might ask? THEY WERE ASLEEP!!!!!
On Sunday, Bill felt better but not the best so he decided not to go to church. He mentioned mowing the lawn, I told him that I was going to stay home and keep him from mowing. He told me he would make a bargain - I would go to church and he would stay home but not mow. Well, I'm smarter than that. So I told him that I was taking the gas can with me, since the mower is out of gas and I didn't trust him to not mow. And I did exactly that, it stayed in the trunk of my car the whole time Otter and I were in church and Sunday School. I did fill the can up on the way home, but it rained again this afternoon so the jungle, I mean lawn, still needs to be mowed. Maybe tomorrow.
Otter went to work with me today. She was uneasy about staying home by herself since the incident on Saturday, and we weren't comfortable with it either. So we packed a lunch and she spent the day in "her office" as she calls the copy/file cabinet room that is off of my office. And she made money, EL gave her a dollar just for being there. He usually does that, he spoils her rotten. She's going back tomorrow, it's karate day and it will be easier if she's with me so I don't have to come all the way home and then back again.
Rescued several more frogs the last few days. One of them keeps getting stuck in the dog's water dish. Today, I put two bricks in the water dish so it can at least get out on it's own. There are billions of the little hoppers in the yard. Magginator was rolling on something yesterday, I went to check and it was what was left of a grass snake. She was not happy when I took it away and then tossed it over the fence!
And it turns out that we are not Cravens after all. We always knew that there had been an adoption in the family history on Mom's side, because of the Cherokee connection. It turns out that one of our ancestors was taken in by a white family, sometime after he left the Trail of Tears and made his way back to Arkansas. He took the last name of the family, Cravens, as his own. We don't have a lot of information, but the family legend we affectionately call Uncle Ben is one of those interesting but true stories. Go to Google, type in Outlaw Ben Cravens. You'll be amazed. Ben was probably Mom's Dad's brother, and even though he was the black sheep of the family he was in contact with his brother.
It gets better. Dad's family was more than just a little bit Indian. Little Gramma, as we called his mom, was possibly a Full Blood Osage. So now I have a whole bunch more research to do, and I am enjoying it. I really enjoyed what I learned about the Cherokee culture, now I'm going to research the Osage.
I took off the guestbook feature. Nobody ever signed it anyway.
It only took me about and hour and a half to get caught up at work, even after having been gone for a week. It's not a busy office.
Otter and I had a Mother/Daughter Day on Friday. We started that tradition when she was little, where we would spend the day together and just do whatever we wanted - mostly whatever she wanted. As she's gotten older, it has evolved into more shopping than anything else. But I'm not complaining, we enjoy the time together.
Among other things, I bought a skirt, blouse & pair of slacks. And they are all TWO SIZES SMALLER than the rest of my clothes! I'm not buying a lot of new clothes at the moment, as I'm still working on my weight. But I do have to get a few things. So we went to Goodwill. We also went to a few yard sales and found a few misc. things, not anything spectacular though.
Saturday was interesting. We were having our usual Sabbath observance, not doing much but enjoying the time together and resting. Bill noticed a teenage boy out in the field behind the house, he kept coming up to the fence and then backing off. Bill could see something in his hands, so he got the binoculars. The kid was texting someone with his cell phone. It looked like he was interested in the shed. The boy saw Bill watching him through the window, so he got on his bike and rode off. Then he came back a few minutes later and crouched down behind some weeds. He wasn't very smart, because a few weeds does not make a very good hiding place! Every so often he would peek up and he was definitely looking at the shed, we think he was trying to see what was inside. There is a window on that end of the shed, but it was closed so there was no light inside. Bill decided to "intimidate", in his words. He got one of the rifles, put it on his shoulder and casually strolled out the door towards the shed. I was watching out the window, I could see exactly when the boy spotted Bill (and the gun) because he jerked back, then he popped up and walked quickly to his bike - still texting it looked like. Then he got on his bike and booked it! He did not come back. We were pretty sure that he wouldn't be back, since he now knows that not only were we aware of his presence, but that we are also armed. However, I did go buy a lock for the shed door and also put one on the back gate. I think that the reason he kept backing down from the fence was probably because he saw the electric fence signs we have up.
And where were the dogs during all this you might ask? THEY WERE ASLEEP!!!!!
On Sunday, Bill felt better but not the best so he decided not to go to church. He mentioned mowing the lawn, I told him that I was going to stay home and keep him from mowing. He told me he would make a bargain - I would go to church and he would stay home but not mow. Well, I'm smarter than that. So I told him that I was taking the gas can with me, since the mower is out of gas and I didn't trust him to not mow. And I did exactly that, it stayed in the trunk of my car the whole time Otter and I were in church and Sunday School. I did fill the can up on the way home, but it rained again this afternoon so the jungle, I mean lawn, still needs to be mowed. Maybe tomorrow.
Otter went to work with me today. She was uneasy about staying home by herself since the incident on Saturday, and we weren't comfortable with it either. So we packed a lunch and she spent the day in "her office" as she calls the copy/file cabinet room that is off of my office. And she made money, EL gave her a dollar just for being there. He usually does that, he spoils her rotten. She's going back tomorrow, it's karate day and it will be easier if she's with me so I don't have to come all the way home and then back again.
Rescued several more frogs the last few days. One of them keeps getting stuck in the dog's water dish. Today, I put two bricks in the water dish so it can at least get out on it's own. There are billions of the little hoppers in the yard. Magginator was rolling on something yesterday, I went to check and it was what was left of a grass snake. She was not happy when I took it away and then tossed it over the fence!
And it turns out that we are not Cravens after all. We always knew that there had been an adoption in the family history on Mom's side, because of the Cherokee connection. It turns out that one of our ancestors was taken in by a white family, sometime after he left the Trail of Tears and made his way back to Arkansas. He took the last name of the family, Cravens, as his own. We don't have a lot of information, but the family legend we affectionately call Uncle Ben is one of those interesting but true stories. Go to Google, type in Outlaw Ben Cravens. You'll be amazed. Ben was probably Mom's Dad's brother, and even though he was the black sheep of the family he was in contact with his brother.
It gets better. Dad's family was more than just a little bit Indian. Little Gramma, as we called his mom, was possibly a Full Blood Osage. So now I have a whole bunch more research to do, and I am enjoying it. I really enjoyed what I learned about the Cherokee culture, now I'm going to research the Osage.
I took off the guestbook feature. Nobody ever signed it anyway.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Thursday already? Our vacation is nearly over!
But it has been a good one, with the exception of Billyboy being sick. He's better today, the fever is nearly gone and he feels "less bad" at times. He's been parked in front of the tv most of the day, which is exactly what he needs to do. Otherwise, he would probably be up doing something he shouldn't and getting worse.
There were quite a few fireworks last night, we sat out on the deck and watched them for a long time. Otter did some of her sparklers and I even did a few. That is, when I wasn't feeding mosquitos! I'm really glad that we can buy the permit now and have fireworks legally. The city makes a boatload of $$ off of the permits, and it goes to some of the police department's programs. It works really well.
I cleaned off my craft shelves! I figure that if I haven't used it in longer than the 3 years we've lived here, I'm not going to miss it. I filled up a 30 gallon trash bag and then I have two good-sized paper grocery sacks filled with stuff to donate to Goodies or Sally's. I condensed three shelves down to 2 and could probably even get rid of more, but I decided to stop at that point. I have a few things to put on eBay as well.
A few of the things still on the shelf is stuff that was Mom's, some of her California Raisins and small stuff like that. It is not going anywhere! Eventually, I might get it packed away, I still find little things from her and Dad and they are collected in a box for now.
I've been busy today. I did all the laundry (and actually got it all put away this time as soon as it was done!), ironed all Bill's work clothes so that I don't have to do that again for a week and a half, the shelf in the garage, we took the leaf out of the table, just lots of stuff around the house. The dining room looks so big now and the table looks so small, we put the leaf in before Froggy came to visit and I'd kind of gotten used to having an oval table again. But now it's round and smaller. Sigh. Actually, it fits much better without the leaf because the china cabinet is so big.
I know I said I was going to start posting polls on here once in a while, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I might eventually though, you never know! But I will probably take the guestbook off since nobody ever signs it.
Otter just informed me that she has 15 bug bites just on her feet! Probably all mosquitos, too. Wow!
Well, I'm off to sit on my deck and read now. And probably fend off mosquitos while I'm at it. We finally found the pump for my fountain, and we got it cleaned up and running on Tuesday before everyone got here so I'm going to plug it in and enjoy the sound of running water that is not rain for once.
There were quite a few fireworks last night, we sat out on the deck and watched them for a long time. Otter did some of her sparklers and I even did a few. That is, when I wasn't feeding mosquitos! I'm really glad that we can buy the permit now and have fireworks legally. The city makes a boatload of $$ off of the permits, and it goes to some of the police department's programs. It works really well.
I cleaned off my craft shelves! I figure that if I haven't used it in longer than the 3 years we've lived here, I'm not going to miss it. I filled up a 30 gallon trash bag and then I have two good-sized paper grocery sacks filled with stuff to donate to Goodies or Sally's. I condensed three shelves down to 2 and could probably even get rid of more, but I decided to stop at that point. I have a few things to put on eBay as well.
A few of the things still on the shelf is stuff that was Mom's, some of her California Raisins and small stuff like that. It is not going anywhere! Eventually, I might get it packed away, I still find little things from her and Dad and they are collected in a box for now.
I've been busy today. I did all the laundry (and actually got it all put away this time as soon as it was done!), ironed all Bill's work clothes so that I don't have to do that again for a week and a half, the shelf in the garage, we took the leaf out of the table, just lots of stuff around the house. The dining room looks so big now and the table looks so small, we put the leaf in before Froggy came to visit and I'd kind of gotten used to having an oval table again. But now it's round and smaller. Sigh. Actually, it fits much better without the leaf because the china cabinet is so big.
I know I said I was going to start posting polls on here once in a while, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I might eventually though, you never know! But I will probably take the guestbook off since nobody ever signs it.
Otter just informed me that she has 15 bug bites just on her feet! Probably all mosquitos, too. Wow!
Well, I'm off to sit on my deck and read now. And probably fend off mosquitos while I'm at it. We finally found the pump for my fountain, and we got it cleaned up and running on Tuesday before everyone got here so I'm going to plug it in and enjoy the sound of running water that is not rain for once.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Happy Independence Day!
Let's all remember that this day is about way more than just a fireworks show or a picnic. I think people tend to forget that it really is the birthday of this wonderful country, America, that God has blessed us with. I am very thankful that He put me here and not somewhere else.
Our celebration was last night, and it was a lot of fun. Scott & Angela with their two kids, and Robin with her two kids are here from Texas before going on to New Mexico. Everyone came over to our house yesterday, Bill grilled burgers & dogs and then when it got dark we set off the arsenal we bought at the fireworks stand.
Broken Arrow has a permit for $20.00 that allows you to legally shoot them off. It has to be posted in the yard where it is visible if any police drive by, and there is also paperwork that has to be shown if requested - that is probably so that people won't be inclined to steal the sign, I guess. We really enjoyed having everyone over, and the dogs loved the company.
Both of Scott's kids are just precious, but Frasier was especially taken with his little girl. At one point, she put her hands on both sides of Frasier's head and kissed him on the nose. After that, the dog was just in love with her! Scott's little boy is going to be a real lady killer in a few years, no doubt about it.
We blocked both dogs in the house last night while we were shooting off the fireworks. They aren't scared of them, Frasier went inside once we started but he wasn't concerned. But we had to open the gate a lot and I was afraid that smart dog would sieze the opportunity to get out! And Magginator isn't afraid of anything (except bubbles for some reason and she doesn't like cows), knowing her she probably would have gone over to see what everyone was doing and run off with something flaming in her mouth!
The plan for today was to go over to Don & Darlene's house this afternoon, but Bill has been in bed with a fever most of the day. He decided to lie down for a while and rest about 11:00 this morning. I went in there about 30 minutes later and he had a fever of 101. I took it again later, it was 102. He doesn't have any flu symptoms or anything, he just has a fever and doesn't feel too good. So he's stayed in bed all day. I called Don and told him, he understood.
Otter still has some sparklers left, she'll probably light them up after dark. We did all the big stuff last night, and I'm really glad we did now that Bill is under the weather.
I think we might finally be finished with constant rain. But I'm not sure if I should say that out loud or not! It was clear last night but it is partly cloudy today. Except for getting the paper this morning, I haven't been out of the house so I'm not really sure how warm it is. But I think it's probably pretty warm.
Our celebration was last night, and it was a lot of fun. Scott & Angela with their two kids, and Robin with her two kids are here from Texas before going on to New Mexico. Everyone came over to our house yesterday, Bill grilled burgers & dogs and then when it got dark we set off the arsenal we bought at the fireworks stand.
Broken Arrow has a permit for $20.00 that allows you to legally shoot them off. It has to be posted in the yard where it is visible if any police drive by, and there is also paperwork that has to be shown if requested - that is probably so that people won't be inclined to steal the sign, I guess. We really enjoyed having everyone over, and the dogs loved the company.
Both of Scott's kids are just precious, but Frasier was especially taken with his little girl. At one point, she put her hands on both sides of Frasier's head and kissed him on the nose. After that, the dog was just in love with her! Scott's little boy is going to be a real lady killer in a few years, no doubt about it.
We blocked both dogs in the house last night while we were shooting off the fireworks. They aren't scared of them, Frasier went inside once we started but he wasn't concerned. But we had to open the gate a lot and I was afraid that smart dog would sieze the opportunity to get out! And Magginator isn't afraid of anything (except bubbles for some reason and she doesn't like cows), knowing her she probably would have gone over to see what everyone was doing and run off with something flaming in her mouth!
The plan for today was to go over to Don & Darlene's house this afternoon, but Bill has been in bed with a fever most of the day. He decided to lie down for a while and rest about 11:00 this morning. I went in there about 30 minutes later and he had a fever of 101. I took it again later, it was 102. He doesn't have any flu symptoms or anything, he just has a fever and doesn't feel too good. So he's stayed in bed all day. I called Don and told him, he understood.
Otter still has some sparklers left, she'll probably light them up after dark. We did all the big stuff last night, and I'm really glad we did now that Bill is under the weather.
I think we might finally be finished with constant rain. But I'm not sure if I should say that out loud or not! It was clear last night but it is partly cloudy today. Except for getting the paper this morning, I haven't been out of the house so I'm not really sure how warm it is. But I think it's probably pretty warm.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Sunday Again and Still Raining!
I'm bummed. I haven't been able to sit out on my deck for several days, because it's always raining when I head out there! I think we're between showers at the moment, but the deck & chairs are too wet. I've drained the plants more times than I can count.
Yesterday, a little brown frog hopped up onto the deck and sat there while it rained. After the rain quit, the little brown frog hopped off. I guess he was enjoying it.
The plan for today included yard work. I don't think we'll be able to get much done out there, so housework it is! We will be able to do a little bit outside, just probably not mowing. The yard is in bad need of a mowing, it looks like a jungle from all the rain and it's only been a week since Bill mowed it!
I really won't be surprised to see animals in pairs the next time I go outside.
LATER UPDATE:
It finally quit raining! The sun came out and Bill mowed the lawn. He had to keep stopping and waiting for the horde of frogs to move on. I had to move a few of them for him. We are hoping that they will start eating the millions of mosquitos we have to deal with lately.
Bill also trimmed the last tree in the back yard. Now the front ones are moved up on the list. The front trees will be harder and they are in bad shape with lots of dead limbs in them. He also cleaned out a blockage in one of the front rain gutters.
Yesterday, a little brown frog hopped up onto the deck and sat there while it rained. After the rain quit, the little brown frog hopped off. I guess he was enjoying it.
The plan for today included yard work. I don't think we'll be able to get much done out there, so housework it is! We will be able to do a little bit outside, just probably not mowing. The yard is in bad need of a mowing, it looks like a jungle from all the rain and it's only been a week since Bill mowed it!
I really won't be surprised to see animals in pairs the next time I go outside.
LATER UPDATE:
It finally quit raining! The sun came out and Bill mowed the lawn. He had to keep stopping and waiting for the horde of frogs to move on. I had to move a few of them for him. We are hoping that they will start eating the millions of mosquitos we have to deal with lately.
Bill also trimmed the last tree in the back yard. Now the front ones are moved up on the list. The front trees will be harder and they are in bad shape with lots of dead limbs in them. He also cleaned out a blockage in one of the front rain gutters.
Friday, June 29, 2007
We're officially on VACATION!!!!!
And it was a pretty good Friday. I just paid off my car! Now it's all ours. The warrenty is still in effect for a few more miles/months, so it's not going to fall apart yet. Hopefully not at all. I don't seriously expect any problems with it, it's been well maintained and never a real problem. I took it in to Firestone a few weeks back and asked them to check it "from stem to stern" as Mom used to say, so that if there were any issues I could take care of them while I still had the warranty. The mechanic said that everything looks fine. It's such a change from the last car I had, the Taurus that I paid for about 3 times with all the work it constantly needed. Never, ever want another Ford! I'd prefer to stick with Chevy now, thank you very much.
We're having a home vacation this year. We haven't had one of these in a while, so it's time for one. We do enjoy going to TEXAS and seeing family, but sometimes we just need some down time at home. And with everything that's happened this year - my illness & surgery being a big thing - we want to just chill out and not go anywhere. We will probably do stuff around the house, there are always craft projects I have and stuff like that so we won't be bored.
Still rainy, although we've had a dry day. But there is a good possibility of more in the forecast. Hopefully, it won't last too much longer. Tuesday and the next few days are supposed to be dry. But warm. The only problem is that now there will be even more mosquitos to deal with!
I think we all need to say a prayer of Thanks that London wasn't hit today. It sounds like they really came close, the loss of life would have been bad.
We're having a home vacation this year. We haven't had one of these in a while, so it's time for one. We do enjoy going to TEXAS and seeing family, but sometimes we just need some down time at home. And with everything that's happened this year - my illness & surgery being a big thing - we want to just chill out and not go anywhere. We will probably do stuff around the house, there are always craft projects I have and stuff like that so we won't be bored.
Still rainy, although we've had a dry day. But there is a good possibility of more in the forecast. Hopefully, it won't last too much longer. Tuesday and the next few days are supposed to be dry. But warm. The only problem is that now there will be even more mosquitos to deal with!
I think we all need to say a prayer of Thanks that London wasn't hit today. It sounds like they really came close, the loss of life would have been bad.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Gather the Animals!
Two by two. I think I'm going to build an ark. That is, if it ever stops raining long enough. Although at this point, I'm about ready to grab the raincoat and get started.
But even as wet and dreary as it is here, it's so much worse in Texas.
The forecast for next week looks better. Mostly dry days. Which is good, except that then it will be humid. And mosquito season will be upon us with a vengance.
But even as wet and dreary as it is here, it's so much worse in Texas.
The forecast for next week looks better. Mostly dry days. Which is good, except that then it will be humid. And mosquito season will be upon us with a vengance.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tuesday's Installment & Froggy Report!
Yesterday, Monday, was a great day for Otter. She got her wish! We found a turtle in the yard and Froggy was still here! Froggy and I were sitting out on the deck, and Otter found a turtle crawling around the back yard. I picked it up and held it in my hand from a long distance away from Froggy and asked her if it brought back any memories. Of course it did, but this time I was not chasing her with it. The dogs had been barking at something in the weeds near the fence the day before and we were actually thinking they found a snake but now I think they must have seen the turtle. Otter took the turtle back to the cow field and let her go. That is the 4th one in about a month.
We had a nice dinner at Golden Corral, I think everyone ate too much. I actually had dessert this time, something I have not done since before my illness. But since that was probably the last time I'll eat out or eat big for a while, I decided it was a good time for dessert. It was banana pudding! Wonderful stuff.
After we got home, it was time to torture (bathe) Maggie Beagle. She had apparently rolled in something out in the yard and she was a very fragrant doggie. She was not a happy doggie, as soon as she saw the hose in my hand and the soap in the other she knew what she was in for. Otter and I both got soaked, but Maggie at least got clean! Frasier was not getting a bath, but he didn't take any chances and he stayed way out of reach for a long time. He wouldn't even come to Otter when she offered him his favorite treat - he actually ran away from a treat! Crazy dog.
This morning we got up early and had breakfast, then we took Froggy to the airport. Traffic was bad, there was a major accident on the highway and it delayed us but we still got there in plenty of time. We left Froggy and her heavy suitcase at the airport about 7:30, then Otter went to work with me for the day. She made $16.00, all from my bosses & one of their wives! Guess they were still in a generous mood, since yesterday they gave me a raise.
It's been rainy off & on this afternoon but not bad. At least not in our area, but there are flood watches all over NE Oklahoma and will be for the next few days. But we had mostly good weather for Froggy's visit and I am glad of that.
Froggy, I hope you meant it when you said you want to come back next year! I'm holding you to that by the way. And I hope you enjoyed your vacation as much as we did, it was so much fun. Hopefully your house wasn't too much of a disaster area when you got home!
We had a nice dinner at Golden Corral, I think everyone ate too much. I actually had dessert this time, something I have not done since before my illness. But since that was probably the last time I'll eat out or eat big for a while, I decided it was a good time for dessert. It was banana pudding! Wonderful stuff.
After we got home, it was time to torture (bathe) Maggie Beagle. She had apparently rolled in something out in the yard and she was a very fragrant doggie. She was not a happy doggie, as soon as she saw the hose in my hand and the soap in the other she knew what she was in for. Otter and I both got soaked, but Maggie at least got clean! Frasier was not getting a bath, but he didn't take any chances and he stayed way out of reach for a long time. He wouldn't even come to Otter when she offered him his favorite treat - he actually ran away from a treat! Crazy dog.
This morning we got up early and had breakfast, then we took Froggy to the airport. Traffic was bad, there was a major accident on the highway and it delayed us but we still got there in plenty of time. We left Froggy and her heavy suitcase at the airport about 7:30, then Otter went to work with me for the day. She made $16.00, all from my bosses & one of their wives! Guess they were still in a generous mood, since yesterday they gave me a raise.
It's been rainy off & on this afternoon but not bad. At least not in our area, but there are flood watches all over NE Oklahoma and will be for the next few days. But we had mostly good weather for Froggy's visit and I am glad of that.
Froggy, I hope you meant it when you said you want to come back next year! I'm holding you to that by the way. And I hope you enjoyed your vacation as much as we did, it was so much fun. Hopefully your house wasn't too much of a disaster area when you got home!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday Happenings & Saturday Report
I forgot to post a blog yesterday (Saturday). I was too tired! We ran all over the place. Sore feet!
We went to a flea market at the Tulsa fairgrounds yesterday. Found all sorts of things, did a lot of people watching as well. I found a wooden butter churn for $5.00, which is the 2nd churn I have now. Not a clue what I'll do with them! But they are still really cool. Otter bought another Stephen King book, IT. Froggy found a few things, including a tiny carved piece of marble in the shape of a butterfly.
Then we went to Braum's, which was the 2nd visit to Braum's for Froggy. This time we had lunch there, not ice cream. They have pretty good salads.
Then we hit another, huge flea market and just about walked our feet off. Otter found a skate board for $1.00. Which is great, that way we might still have money for the doctor bill when she falls off and breaks something!
Then as if that were not enough, we went to a thrift store! I found another decorative jack-0-lantern, this one is ceramic and will join the clay-pot style jack-o-lantern I bought a few weeks back when Halloween rolls around this year. I think they will both go outside on the front porch by the door. They both could be candle covers but I think I'll just use them without any illumination. Froggy spotted it for me, but I found a really cute Bevo bell-type ornament, it will have a prominent spot on the tree at Christmas. We sometimes find Texas Longhorn related stuff up here and I usually buy it.
This took all day long, we left the house around 9:00 and didn't get back until sometime after 5:00. Probably closer to 6:00. Talk about tired! We were all too tired to cook, so I called Pizza Hut.
Then today, Sunday, we went to the zoo. They opened at 9:00 and we were there just after. We were not the first people there, but we were pretty close. We saw the animals, spent a lot of time in the butterfly exhibit which is really cool and we had lunch at one of the restaurants. Froggy wanted to go into both gift shops, Otter didn't mind that at all! But she wasn't happy that we didn't go see the elephants. We were tired and we go to the zoo several times a year so we'll see them next time. We did get Froggy to the tortoise exhibit, but she didn't stay long!
We rode the zoo train and then spent a lot of time admiring the baby chimp. She's cute, and she looks just like Toadly's baby pictures! :) This time the otters were out, they are really funny and such hams. The last time we went to the zoo, the otters were inside their den and not interested in coming out and performing. But this time, they were very silly. They seemed as interested in the people as the people were interested in them.
After the zoo, we went back to the big flea market so Froggy could get something she saw yesterday. Then we went to Braum's for ice cream, visit # 3 for Froggy. We stopped at Albertson's on the way home. Now we are home and our feet probably won't let us go anywhere!
We have had a great visit, and are spending a lot of time reminiscing. A lot of the stories we tell involve Toadly and something he did or trouble he got into. Notice a theme? Toadly, your ears must be burning off of your head!
I have managed to do a couple of loads of laundry today, but not much and I will probably be spending most of the week doing a load after work. Oh well, a little laundry never hurt anyone. Although if you happen to be standing next to mine and it falls over, you might be stuck in there for hours before we could dig you out!
Tomorrow (Monday) Froggy is going to spend the day with Otter, she's going to tell Otter what a bad little sister I was and about all the horrible things I did. Then we are going to the "hog trough" as Dad used to call it, also known as Golden Corral, for the buffet for dinner.
Otter is thinking about redecorating her room. She's really getting heavily into Japanese anime, and she likes some things about the Japanese culture. She has some ideas, and when she's gotten her thoughts more organized we are going to sit down and see what we can do. Sounds like a fun project, actually. She's been wanting to rearrange her room anyway, so as soon as we get a mattress set for her new double bed she is going to get busy. Bill said no to painting the walls, however! But that isn't really going to limit her ideas, and I'm going to enjoy re-doing her room as much as she will.
We went to a flea market at the Tulsa fairgrounds yesterday. Found all sorts of things, did a lot of people watching as well. I found a wooden butter churn for $5.00, which is the 2nd churn I have now. Not a clue what I'll do with them! But they are still really cool. Otter bought another Stephen King book, IT. Froggy found a few things, including a tiny carved piece of marble in the shape of a butterfly.
Then we went to Braum's, which was the 2nd visit to Braum's for Froggy. This time we had lunch there, not ice cream. They have pretty good salads.
Then we hit another, huge flea market and just about walked our feet off. Otter found a skate board for $1.00. Which is great, that way we might still have money for the doctor bill when she falls off and breaks something!
Then as if that were not enough, we went to a thrift store! I found another decorative jack-0-lantern, this one is ceramic and will join the clay-pot style jack-o-lantern I bought a few weeks back when Halloween rolls around this year. I think they will both go outside on the front porch by the door. They both could be candle covers but I think I'll just use them without any illumination. Froggy spotted it for me, but I found a really cute Bevo bell-type ornament, it will have a prominent spot on the tree at Christmas. We sometimes find Texas Longhorn related stuff up here and I usually buy it.
This took all day long, we left the house around 9:00 and didn't get back until sometime after 5:00. Probably closer to 6:00. Talk about tired! We were all too tired to cook, so I called Pizza Hut.
Then today, Sunday, we went to the zoo. They opened at 9:00 and we were there just after. We were not the first people there, but we were pretty close. We saw the animals, spent a lot of time in the butterfly exhibit which is really cool and we had lunch at one of the restaurants. Froggy wanted to go into both gift shops, Otter didn't mind that at all! But she wasn't happy that we didn't go see the elephants. We were tired and we go to the zoo several times a year so we'll see them next time. We did get Froggy to the tortoise exhibit, but she didn't stay long!
We rode the zoo train and then spent a lot of time admiring the baby chimp. She's cute, and she looks just like Toadly's baby pictures! :) This time the otters were out, they are really funny and such hams. The last time we went to the zoo, the otters were inside their den and not interested in coming out and performing. But this time, they were very silly. They seemed as interested in the people as the people were interested in them.
After the zoo, we went back to the big flea market so Froggy could get something she saw yesterday. Then we went to Braum's for ice cream, visit # 3 for Froggy. We stopped at Albertson's on the way home. Now we are home and our feet probably won't let us go anywhere!
We have had a great visit, and are spending a lot of time reminiscing. A lot of the stories we tell involve Toadly and something he did or trouble he got into. Notice a theme? Toadly, your ears must be burning off of your head!
I have managed to do a couple of loads of laundry today, but not much and I will probably be spending most of the week doing a load after work. Oh well, a little laundry never hurt anyone. Although if you happen to be standing next to mine and it falls over, you might be stuck in there for hours before we could dig you out!
Tomorrow (Monday) Froggy is going to spend the day with Otter, she's going to tell Otter what a bad little sister I was and about all the horrible things I did. Then we are going to the "hog trough" as Dad used to call it, also known as Golden Corral, for the buffet for dinner.
Otter is thinking about redecorating her room. She's really getting heavily into Japanese anime, and she likes some things about the Japanese culture. She has some ideas, and when she's gotten her thoughts more organized we are going to sit down and see what we can do. Sounds like a fun project, actually. She's been wanting to rearrange her room anyway, so as soon as we get a mattress set for her new double bed she is going to get busy. Bill said no to painting the walls, however! But that isn't really going to limit her ideas, and I'm going to enjoy re-doing her room as much as she will.
Friday, June 22, 2007
TGIF! Busy Day
Yesterday (Thursday), Froggy & I went to Hominy, which is about 65 miles from home. We went to the cemetery and after much searching, finally found our grandparent's graves. We put flowers out. We looked for our aunt & uncle's graves but never found them. It's an old, country cemetery and is well-maintained, but there has been an immense amount of rain lately and several of the gravel roads through the cemetery were washed out. We did spend a lot of time there, and looked at quite a few of the Indian graves. Most of the Indian graves are Osage, as Hominy is in the Osage Nation. We also drove around Hominy, which takes maybe 5 minutes from end to end. We found our aunt & uncles's house and where we think the house is that Dad grew up in.
On the way back, we stopped at an interesting store, the kind I call "junktique stores", in Skiatook which is a town only slightly bigger than Hominy. It was a fun stop, I had been thinking about a cast-iron pot to plant cactus in so that I could take them out but still carry them inside in the winter. There was one there that I liked, but I realized it would be too heavy to move. However, I found a tall cooking pot that is pink. It's not new, and some of the pink enamel is chipped off but it gives it character. I was considering a chamber pot for the cactus, but I didn't see any that I liked.
Today (Friday), we went to Wallyworld (I know, she came 500 miles and I take her to WalMart!) then we went to the mall for a while. We stopped at Braum's so Froggy could get her Braum's ice cream fix and then we went to Atwood's. Atwood's is a farm and ranch store but they have so much more. It's kind of like the WalMart of ranch supply stores. Froggy wants to go back there if we have time, maybe tomorrow. The original plan for today was to go swimming, but it was pretty overcast and too cool so we decided on shopping instead.
We took Froggy out for Chinese food, which was delicious but of course we ate too much. Then we took her to Goodwill and found all sorts of things.
Bill had the doctor appointment to follow up on his ear infection. It's better but now the left ear is bothering him. He has to continue with the antibiotic but he's developed a rash on his arms which might be from it, so we have to keep an eye on it. And the drops need to be used in both ears now. But he's lost about 30 pounds or maybe even more. I weighed while I was there, and I'm down close to 30 myself.
Tomorrow we are going to at least one flea market, and then we'll see what else we decide to do. Sunday we are going to the zoo.
It rained a little bit today, but not anything bad like we had earlier in the week. Mosquitos are getting to be pretty bad. And with the rain we've had and the cooler weather, even though we had a hard & cold winter we still will probably have problems with ticks & fleas this summer.
On the way back, we stopped at an interesting store, the kind I call "junktique stores", in Skiatook which is a town only slightly bigger than Hominy. It was a fun stop, I had been thinking about a cast-iron pot to plant cactus in so that I could take them out but still carry them inside in the winter. There was one there that I liked, but I realized it would be too heavy to move. However, I found a tall cooking pot that is pink. It's not new, and some of the pink enamel is chipped off but it gives it character. I was considering a chamber pot for the cactus, but I didn't see any that I liked.
Today (Friday), we went to Wallyworld (I know, she came 500 miles and I take her to WalMart!) then we went to the mall for a while. We stopped at Braum's so Froggy could get her Braum's ice cream fix and then we went to Atwood's. Atwood's is a farm and ranch store but they have so much more. It's kind of like the WalMart of ranch supply stores. Froggy wants to go back there if we have time, maybe tomorrow. The original plan for today was to go swimming, but it was pretty overcast and too cool so we decided on shopping instead.
We took Froggy out for Chinese food, which was delicious but of course we ate too much. Then we took her to Goodwill and found all sorts of things.
Bill had the doctor appointment to follow up on his ear infection. It's better but now the left ear is bothering him. He has to continue with the antibiotic but he's developed a rash on his arms which might be from it, so we have to keep an eye on it. And the drops need to be used in both ears now. But he's lost about 30 pounds or maybe even more. I weighed while I was there, and I'm down close to 30 myself.
Tomorrow we are going to at least one flea market, and then we'll see what else we decide to do. Sunday we are going to the zoo.
It rained a little bit today, but not anything bad like we had earlier in the week. Mosquitos are getting to be pretty bad. And with the rain we've had and the cooler weather, even though we had a hard & cold winter we still will probably have problems with ticks & fleas this summer.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wet Tulsa!
Froggy is here! And it's raining. Or at least it was most of the day. We had some really loud thunderstorms and parts of the state as well as north TEXAS got a huge amount of rain.
My day actuall started very early. At about 3:30 this morning, I woke up because Bill was awake and he was watching tv. He was watching tv to keep his mind off the intense pain from the ear infection he'd been fighting off for days. At 4:00 a.m., he gave in and we went to the ER. He was given a pain pill, ear drops and an antibiotic. He has to follow up with a regular doctor on Friday. Since he doesn't think he needs a regular doctor, he doesn't have one. So I made an appointment with mine for him.
I was exhausted by the time I left work. I made it to the airport in plenty of time to get a pass to go to the gate and collect Otter and also Froggy. At about 5 minutes before the plane was to land, there was an announcement made that the plane hadn't even left Dallas yet! It was delayed because of weather. Instead of 3:30, the plane didn't land until close to 4:15. Otter had a great time but she was tired & hungry! By the time we got their luggage and got home, it was after 5:00.
The dogs are very happy, they have someone else to play with and be spoiled by. Pet Maggie and you have a friend for life. Froggy now has a friend for life!
Otter spent about 30 minutes at one of her friend's houses, then she came home because she was too tired. Imagine that, a teenager to tired to talk! That'll never happen again.
Tomorrow Froggy and I are going to Hominy, which is a tiny town about an hour or so west of Tulsa. It's where our father was born. Our grandparents, aunt & uncle are buried in the cemetery there and we are going to put flowers out. And we are going to drive around Hominy, which won't take long but I think that they have a few junky antique stores that I would like to check out. Then I think we'll get an Arby's "hamburger" as Dad used to call them, and we'll have some peanut M & M's in Dad's memory.
My day actuall started very early. At about 3:30 this morning, I woke up because Bill was awake and he was watching tv. He was watching tv to keep his mind off the intense pain from the ear infection he'd been fighting off for days. At 4:00 a.m., he gave in and we went to the ER. He was given a pain pill, ear drops and an antibiotic. He has to follow up with a regular doctor on Friday. Since he doesn't think he needs a regular doctor, he doesn't have one. So I made an appointment with mine for him.
I was exhausted by the time I left work. I made it to the airport in plenty of time to get a pass to go to the gate and collect Otter and also Froggy. At about 5 minutes before the plane was to land, there was an announcement made that the plane hadn't even left Dallas yet! It was delayed because of weather. Instead of 3:30, the plane didn't land until close to 4:15. Otter had a great time but she was tired & hungry! By the time we got their luggage and got home, it was after 5:00.
The dogs are very happy, they have someone else to play with and be spoiled by. Pet Maggie and you have a friend for life. Froggy now has a friend for life!
Otter spent about 30 minutes at one of her friend's houses, then she came home because she was too tired. Imagine that, a teenager to tired to talk! That'll never happen again.
Tomorrow Froggy and I are going to Hominy, which is a tiny town about an hour or so west of Tulsa. It's where our father was born. Our grandparents, aunt & uncle are buried in the cemetery there and we are going to put flowers out. And we are going to drive around Hominy, which won't take long but I think that they have a few junky antique stores that I would like to check out. Then I think we'll get an Arby's "hamburger" as Dad used to call them, and we'll have some peanut M & M's in Dad's memory.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Oh No! Bill's Old!
Or at least he's 21 with 25 years' experience today. (For those of you that are math impaired like me, that means he's 46).
I bought him a small German Chocolate cake and some ice cream, and I'm going to broil some steaks and make baked potatoes for him. That's the extent of the celebrating he wants to do. Guess when you get old, you get stuffy! :)
I bought him a small German Chocolate cake and some ice cream, and I'm going to broil some steaks and make baked potatoes for him. That's the extent of the celebrating he wants to do. Guess when you get old, you get stuffy! :)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Otter's on Vacation!
And I'm still stuck at home. I'm jealous!
Actually, I'm glad she got to go to Nana's house for a week. I think it is very good for her to be able to do things like that, to develop her independence and also to get to see her family that she doesn't see often because of the 500 mile difference. I told her not to spoil Nana too much.
But I am tired, I've been up since 4:00 this morning and it's now after 8:00 p.m. Otter got up shortly after we did, and she got dressed & ready to go in record time. I ran her through McDonald's for breakfast, which she never gets, and then we got to the airport right around 6:00. We got her checked in, found her gate and then hit a gift shop. The plane left just after the scheduled time of 7:15, as soon as they announced that it was time to board all I saw was a blur of red hair heading towards the door! She was in such a hurry to get on the plane that I had to tell her to slow down, come back and hug me. Think she was excited? Oh yeah, big time. I still made it to work on time. But I had lots of coffee today to keep me awake! Then the caffiene wore off about 1:00. I've been in slow-motion ever since.
We had a Date Night tonight. We went to a Chinese buffet (Froggy, we're taking you there next week!), and then we walked to the dollar store next to the restaurant. Ok, so it was a cheap date. And I ate too much. I'll pay for it tonight and/or tomorrow, my stomach will probably be a tad bit upset. But I'm not going to complain (well, not much anyway) because I haven't had much of that type of food in a long time. It was really good. I'll just have to be extremely strict for the next several days.
Bill brought home a whole bunch of clothing yesterday that he literally got out of a dumpster. It had been thrown away, even though it is all in pretty good to new condition. It's Army surplus clothing, and all maternity. AND ALL HAD BEEN THROWN OUT BY A SO-CALLED SCHOOL FOR UNWED TEENAGERS! Your tax dollars at work, folks - they didn't want it, so they threw it away. Bill was told to take as much as he wanted, so he filled up his van. We washed it all, I think it was 6 or 7 big loads. Otter picked out one of the shirts to use as a jacket with her camo pants. We are possibly going to eBay some of it, I may use some of the fabric for some craft projects and we might donate some of it - to Birthright, a local place that really does help the teenagers - unlike the place Bill got the clothing from. When that particular place (that threw out the clothing) came out to Otter's school for a presentation, the message she took away from it was that it was OK for teenagers to get pregnant, because after all the government would take care of them! She was not amused, to say the least. I guess everybody knows by now that we are Pro-Life, no exceptions. (Don't say you weren't warned, I'm not politically correct!).
Ok, off the soapbox. For now anyway. But probably not for long.
Actually, I'm glad she got to go to Nana's house for a week. I think it is very good for her to be able to do things like that, to develop her independence and also to get to see her family that she doesn't see often because of the 500 mile difference. I told her not to spoil Nana too much.
But I am tired, I've been up since 4:00 this morning and it's now after 8:00 p.m. Otter got up shortly after we did, and she got dressed & ready to go in record time. I ran her through McDonald's for breakfast, which she never gets, and then we got to the airport right around 6:00. We got her checked in, found her gate and then hit a gift shop. The plane left just after the scheduled time of 7:15, as soon as they announced that it was time to board all I saw was a blur of red hair heading towards the door! She was in such a hurry to get on the plane that I had to tell her to slow down, come back and hug me. Think she was excited? Oh yeah, big time. I still made it to work on time. But I had lots of coffee today to keep me awake! Then the caffiene wore off about 1:00. I've been in slow-motion ever since.
We had a Date Night tonight. We went to a Chinese buffet (Froggy, we're taking you there next week!), and then we walked to the dollar store next to the restaurant. Ok, so it was a cheap date. And I ate too much. I'll pay for it tonight and/or tomorrow, my stomach will probably be a tad bit upset. But I'm not going to complain (well, not much anyway) because I haven't had much of that type of food in a long time. It was really good. I'll just have to be extremely strict for the next several days.
Bill brought home a whole bunch of clothing yesterday that he literally got out of a dumpster. It had been thrown away, even though it is all in pretty good to new condition. It's Army surplus clothing, and all maternity. AND ALL HAD BEEN THROWN OUT BY A SO-CALLED SCHOOL FOR UNWED TEENAGERS! Your tax dollars at work, folks - they didn't want it, so they threw it away. Bill was told to take as much as he wanted, so he filled up his van. We washed it all, I think it was 6 or 7 big loads. Otter picked out one of the shirts to use as a jacket with her camo pants. We are possibly going to eBay some of it, I may use some of the fabric for some craft projects and we might donate some of it - to Birthright, a local place that really does help the teenagers - unlike the place Bill got the clothing from. When that particular place (that threw out the clothing) came out to Otter's school for a presentation, the message she took away from it was that it was OK for teenagers to get pregnant, because after all the government would take care of them! She was not amused, to say the least. I guess everybody knows by now that we are Pro-Life, no exceptions. (Don't say you weren't warned, I'm not politically correct!).
Ok, off the soapbox. For now anyway. But probably not for long.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Dad-isms!
Froggy reminded me of these few:
"Possesion is nine tenths of the law." He said that just about anytime he had something someone else wanted - and it was generally about food! He had a huge sweet tooth. He loved peanut M & M's, or blues & greens as he called them.
His favorite thing about presents was getting the receipt and returning them for the money. (I remember buying him something in the Atlanta airport on the way home to Texas from Florida, just so he couldn't return it! Remember that, Froggy?)
Watermelons: Dad would always find an excuse to eat the heart of the melon first, before anybody else could get to it. Then he'd usually grin at us. And the seed fights! He could shoot watermelon seeds pretty far, and he would bean anybody within reach, then try to look innocent.
I remembered these on my own:
I have my own watermelon memory of Dad. One time he brought home several melons, probably about 3. It was hot summer, and our pool was up so he put the watermelons in the pool to cool them off. Or at least that is the story he told us. In reality, I think he put them in there because he knew how hard they would be to grab and then we got to be the ones to go fish them out. The expression "greased hog" comes to mind!
Dad would also get the first bite of Mom's peach cobbler, usually from a corner. Dad loved to try to steal food from our plates, he usually managed but I recall more than a few times that we tried to protect our meals with our forks. And when I was a kid, if I had a candy bar or anything sweet Dad would tell me that he'd have to taste it first, to make sure it was safe for me to eat. Then he would try to convince me that it wasn't good enough for me to eat, and that he would have to eat it instead.
And then there was the time he taught me to eat cherry tomatoes. The way you eat cherry tomatoes is to hold one between your palms. Then he slapped my hands together! It was a mess, but it was fun at the time. He tried to talk me into holding a cherry tomato between my front teeth, with the idea of squishing my cheeks together and smashing the tomato but I didn't fall for that one, as it was after the holding lesson!
And he frequently would tell me that he would give me all the money I could catch, but I had to hold my thumb and forfinger out and catch the dollar bills as he dropped them. Try it, it's nearly impossible! I don't think I ever managed to catch one.
Dad had more fun than just about anybody I've ever known. He enjoyed life to the fullest. I really miss him.
And he taught my then about 3-year old daughter to say a special word, while they were sitting out on the tailgate of his El Camino - he told her to say her new word to me, she grinned and said "FART" as loud as she could. He cackled so hard I really didn't think he could breathe! I must admit, I laughed along with him. I'm sure he had something else that he taught Froggy's kids and probably the Monkey's Aunt's daughter.
He brought me turtles. Most trips to Oklahoma, we went along. And sometimes the turtles came home with us. But one time I remember that he and Mom went to Oklahoma and we stayed home with Aunt Jessie. When they got home, the were two boxes in the floor board of the back seat of the car. And they were full of turtles! He built a raised area in one corner of the back yard, it had short wooden sides but the sides were tall enough so that the turtles couldn't get over them. They had access to water, food and places to dig. I think he liked the turtles as much as I did. Froggy, I know you don't particularly care for turtles and that I am the reason for that because I used to chase you. But to me, turtles mean Dad and some really good memories. (But all you had to do was stop running, then the fun would have been gone and I wouldn't have chased you with them!)
Friday the 15th will be 3 years since we lost him. And I still find myself waiting for his Wednesday evening phone call, reaching for the phone on Sunday evenings to call him & mom, and when the phone rings and we are eating dinner I still expect it to be him. "What do you know" was his catchphrase when I answered the phone. Wish I could hear it now!
"Possesion is nine tenths of the law." He said that just about anytime he had something someone else wanted - and it was generally about food! He had a huge sweet tooth. He loved peanut M & M's, or blues & greens as he called them.
His favorite thing about presents was getting the receipt and returning them for the money. (I remember buying him something in the Atlanta airport on the way home to Texas from Florida, just so he couldn't return it! Remember that, Froggy?)
Watermelons: Dad would always find an excuse to eat the heart of the melon first, before anybody else could get to it. Then he'd usually grin at us. And the seed fights! He could shoot watermelon seeds pretty far, and he would bean anybody within reach, then try to look innocent.
I remembered these on my own:
I have my own watermelon memory of Dad. One time he brought home several melons, probably about 3. It was hot summer, and our pool was up so he put the watermelons in the pool to cool them off. Or at least that is the story he told us. In reality, I think he put them in there because he knew how hard they would be to grab and then we got to be the ones to go fish them out. The expression "greased hog" comes to mind!
Dad would also get the first bite of Mom's peach cobbler, usually from a corner. Dad loved to try to steal food from our plates, he usually managed but I recall more than a few times that we tried to protect our meals with our forks. And when I was a kid, if I had a candy bar or anything sweet Dad would tell me that he'd have to taste it first, to make sure it was safe for me to eat. Then he would try to convince me that it wasn't good enough for me to eat, and that he would have to eat it instead.
And then there was the time he taught me to eat cherry tomatoes. The way you eat cherry tomatoes is to hold one between your palms. Then he slapped my hands together! It was a mess, but it was fun at the time. He tried to talk me into holding a cherry tomato between my front teeth, with the idea of squishing my cheeks together and smashing the tomato but I didn't fall for that one, as it was after the holding lesson!
And he frequently would tell me that he would give me all the money I could catch, but I had to hold my thumb and forfinger out and catch the dollar bills as he dropped them. Try it, it's nearly impossible! I don't think I ever managed to catch one.
Dad had more fun than just about anybody I've ever known. He enjoyed life to the fullest. I really miss him.
And he taught my then about 3-year old daughter to say a special word, while they were sitting out on the tailgate of his El Camino - he told her to say her new word to me, she grinned and said "FART" as loud as she could. He cackled so hard I really didn't think he could breathe! I must admit, I laughed along with him. I'm sure he had something else that he taught Froggy's kids and probably the Monkey's Aunt's daughter.
He brought me turtles. Most trips to Oklahoma, we went along. And sometimes the turtles came home with us. But one time I remember that he and Mom went to Oklahoma and we stayed home with Aunt Jessie. When they got home, the were two boxes in the floor board of the back seat of the car. And they were full of turtles! He built a raised area in one corner of the back yard, it had short wooden sides but the sides were tall enough so that the turtles couldn't get over them. They had access to water, food and places to dig. I think he liked the turtles as much as I did. Froggy, I know you don't particularly care for turtles and that I am the reason for that because I used to chase you. But to me, turtles mean Dad and some really good memories. (But all you had to do was stop running, then the fun would have been gone and I wouldn't have chased you with them!)
Friday the 15th will be 3 years since we lost him. And I still find myself waiting for his Wednesday evening phone call, reaching for the phone on Sunday evenings to call him & mom, and when the phone rings and we are eating dinner I still expect it to be him. "What do you know" was his catchphrase when I answered the phone. Wish I could hear it now!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Busy Sunday! And yet another tortoise rescued!
The tortoise was actually outside the fence, but Frasier & Maggie were barking at it and Frasier was trying to get to it. So Otter went out through the gate and brought her back in, then we drove around to take her out to the cow field where we let the last one go. This one might possibly have been the same one Bill moved out of the back yard a couple of weeks back. It was not the same one that I relocated that same day, though. Otter really hopes to find one in the yard when Froggy is here!
Otter is home from camp. She got back yesterday, we carried her stuff in, she went straight to the shower and then even though it was only about 4:00 she got ready for bed. She said she was tired! She didn't actually go to bed until around 9:00 or so, but she didn't do much of anything beyond park on the couch and watch a movie on tv. She had a great time at camp. Wednesday morning is the next summer trip! We will probably leave the house about 5:30 in the morning to get her to the airport by 6:15. We have to be there one hour before her flight. I'm thinking we'll just run her through McDonalds or somewhere for breakfast, or possibly we'll hit a donut place for her. She wants to get her stuff packed tonight so that it's done and we don't have to do it tomorrow. I think waiting until the last minute for camp packing taught her a lesson about procrastinating - that it's better not to!
I'm still thinking about Dad-isms to post here. If anybody has any, please email me! I'll have more in the next few days.
Otter is home from camp. She got back yesterday, we carried her stuff in, she went straight to the shower and then even though it was only about 4:00 she got ready for bed. She said she was tired! She didn't actually go to bed until around 9:00 or so, but she didn't do much of anything beyond park on the couch and watch a movie on tv. She had a great time at camp. Wednesday morning is the next summer trip! We will probably leave the house about 5:30 in the morning to get her to the airport by 6:15. We have to be there one hour before her flight. I'm thinking we'll just run her through McDonalds or somewhere for breakfast, or possibly we'll hit a donut place for her. She wants to get her stuff packed tonight so that it's done and we don't have to do it tomorrow. I think waiting until the last minute for camp packing taught her a lesson about procrastinating - that it's better not to!
I'm still thinking about Dad-isms to post here. If anybody has any, please email me! I'll have more in the next few days.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Long Week!! But it's Friday and I'm Glad.
It's been a looooooooooooooooooooong week, without the Otter around the house. Maggie Beagle is still moping, but she's better. She'll probably be so excited tomorrow to see her kid that she won't be able to stand still.
When Bill was mowing the lawn just now, I brought all the dog toys up to the deck. And the dogs took them right back out to the yard. I brought them up to the deck again. And the dogs took them right back out again. We played that game about 5 times. Then I finally just brought the dogs in, bribed them to stay inside with ice cubes (their favorite treat) and belly rubs. They've got me well trained, don't you agree!?
Otter will only be home a few days. Then I put her on a plane Wednesday morning for her next summer trip. She's pretty excited about that one, too.
We finally have the final tally on the hospital bills, we are getting off "lightly" which is actually one of those open to individual interpretation comments! But for the hospital, doctor, surgeon, lab work, emergency room charges, anesthesia - all of it, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Before the bills were submitted to the insurance, they totaled up about $20,000.00. So I'm not complaining! However, since I have now met my deductible for the year if I have anything at all needing medical attention, I'm going to make sure it's taken care of before Dec. 31 so it will be covered.
Froggy - when you come see me in 2 weeks, we have to drive by/through the ORU campus. Oral Roberts University, also known as Oral's momument to HIMSELF although he says God told him to build it and he pretends that it's a monument to God. But it really isn't. It's something to see, alright. It looks like it's straight out of a 1960's sci-fi B movie!
Rescued another small frog from the dog's water dish this afternoon. Bill's rescued a couple of them as well lately. They are not always the same frog, although I'm sure that some of them are repeats.
I bought a new hummingbird feeder the other day - found it at Salvation Army of all places, but it was unopened. This one has bee guards. It makes 5 that I have now, they were all washed out and refilled yesterday and are hanging all over the place on the house. Everytime I go outside, seems like I get buzzed by a hummer! They are funny little birds, I love to watch them. So far we still only have a couple this year. But they are still managing to keep my feeders empty quickly.
Thank a veteran if you can! I do, on a regular basis. Something else I learned from Dad.
Dad-isms start now! His favorite name for people who got on his nerves was Knothead. He used to sit and watch Bugs Bunny cartoons with me on Saturday morning, we especially loved the Roadrunner. More Dad-isms as I think of them. Anybody else got any? Email me or leave a comment.
When Bill was mowing the lawn just now, I brought all the dog toys up to the deck. And the dogs took them right back out to the yard. I brought them up to the deck again. And the dogs took them right back out again. We played that game about 5 times. Then I finally just brought the dogs in, bribed them to stay inside with ice cubes (their favorite treat) and belly rubs. They've got me well trained, don't you agree!?
Otter will only be home a few days. Then I put her on a plane Wednesday morning for her next summer trip. She's pretty excited about that one, too.
We finally have the final tally on the hospital bills, we are getting off "lightly" which is actually one of those open to individual interpretation comments! But for the hospital, doctor, surgeon, lab work, emergency room charges, anesthesia - all of it, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Before the bills were submitted to the insurance, they totaled up about $20,000.00. So I'm not complaining! However, since I have now met my deductible for the year if I have anything at all needing medical attention, I'm going to make sure it's taken care of before Dec. 31 so it will be covered.
Froggy - when you come see me in 2 weeks, we have to drive by/through the ORU campus. Oral Roberts University, also known as Oral's momument to HIMSELF although he says God told him to build it and he pretends that it's a monument to God. But it really isn't. It's something to see, alright. It looks like it's straight out of a 1960's sci-fi B movie!
Rescued another small frog from the dog's water dish this afternoon. Bill's rescued a couple of them as well lately. They are not always the same frog, although I'm sure that some of them are repeats.
I bought a new hummingbird feeder the other day - found it at Salvation Army of all places, but it was unopened. This one has bee guards. It makes 5 that I have now, they were all washed out and refilled yesterday and are hanging all over the place on the house. Everytime I go outside, seems like I get buzzed by a hummer! They are funny little birds, I love to watch them. So far we still only have a couple this year. But they are still managing to keep my feeders empty quickly.
Thank a veteran if you can! I do, on a regular basis. Something else I learned from Dad.
Dad-isms start now! His favorite name for people who got on his nerves was Knothead. He used to sit and watch Bugs Bunny cartoons with me on Saturday morning, we especially loved the Roadrunner. More Dad-isms as I think of them. Anybody else got any? Email me or leave a comment.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Today is D-Day, June 6
GENERATION TO GENERATION: Only through preserving our past can we guarantee a future where the lessons and legacy of D-Day will be remembered.
That is from the following link: http://www.dday.org/ This particular museum is in Virginia.
There is also one in New Orleans, it survived Katrina and had very little damage from the water. Here is a link to it: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/
Sometimes, ok a lot of times, I think we forget about things like D-Day. I don't, Dad made sure of that!
I just want to make sure we all remember.
Thanks Dad. And all of the rest of them, we owe them everything.
That is from the following link: http://www.dday.org/ This particular museum is in Virginia.
There is also one in New Orleans, it survived Katrina and had very little damage from the water. Here is a link to it: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/
Sometimes, ok a lot of times, I think we forget about things like D-Day. I don't, Dad made sure of that!
I just want to make sure we all remember.
Thanks Dad. And all of the rest of them, we owe them everything.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
It's Sunday (Again!) and Maybe Finally Past Rainy Season
Well, hopefully the rainy season is over. But you never know, up here the weather changes faster than even Texas!
Otter is off to camp tomorrow. She's excited about it. Can't imagine why, but being away from the parental units for a whole week apparently sounds like fun to her. :)
If anyone wants to send her mail, here's the address:
(6/6/07 - I took the address out, any mail sent this late won't get to her before she leaves.)
She will be there all week, coming home on Saturday. So the mail has to be received by Friday at the latest. Plan on about 3 days for mailing time, at least from Texas. She won't have her cell ph0ne, they are not allowed. And neither are gameboys, ipods, etc. Those kids are going to have to exist for a whole week without those things, they are so deprived! And because it is a church camp, specifically Baptist, they are very strict about clothing. Otter doesn't like anything that is too short or revealing anyway, but it was nearly impossible to find shorts that she could wear. Very little that is sold currently is long enough. We finally hit a thrift store and managed to find her 2 pair but it was last minute. And she also has to have a dress or skirt, or nice slacks, for the evening church services at camp.
We just got back from the rent house. There were a couple of minor things that Bill needed to fix. As we were leaving, the tenant said that the ceiling fan/light in the dining room was not working right so Bill went back in and checked it. It's going to need to be replaced, but that's not a big job. Bill will get it sometime in the next several days. We might take the light from our dining room and put it up over there, then buy a new one for us. We have been wanting to get a newer one, we just haven't gotten around to it yet, the one we have works but we just don't really like it.
And as we were talking to the tenant, he said that he's not sure yet if he wants to buy the house or not. Last time we talked, he was certain. But now he's not sure. I have a feeling that he's changed his mind completely but didn't want to admit it. I told him that he needs to decide soon and to let us know. He told me he will call me, I told him that I really would like to hear from him - either way - by the end of the week. It's really kind of frustrating!
Froggy, Otter wants to know what your opinion is on snakes. As in, are you afraid of them? Or is it just turtles, frogs and lizards? I'm not sure about the lizard part, it just seems like they are also something you don't like!
Otter is off to camp tomorrow. She's excited about it. Can't imagine why, but being away from the parental units for a whole week apparently sounds like fun to her. :)
If anyone wants to send her mail, here's the address:
(6/6/07 - I took the address out, any mail sent this late won't get to her before she leaves.)
She will be there all week, coming home on Saturday. So the mail has to be received by Friday at the latest. Plan on about 3 days for mailing time, at least from Texas. She won't have her cell ph0ne, they are not allowed. And neither are gameboys, ipods, etc. Those kids are going to have to exist for a whole week without those things, they are so deprived! And because it is a church camp, specifically Baptist, they are very strict about clothing. Otter doesn't like anything that is too short or revealing anyway, but it was nearly impossible to find shorts that she could wear. Very little that is sold currently is long enough. We finally hit a thrift store and managed to find her 2 pair but it was last minute. And she also has to have a dress or skirt, or nice slacks, for the evening church services at camp.
We just got back from the rent house. There were a couple of minor things that Bill needed to fix. As we were leaving, the tenant said that the ceiling fan/light in the dining room was not working right so Bill went back in and checked it. It's going to need to be replaced, but that's not a big job. Bill will get it sometime in the next several days. We might take the light from our dining room and put it up over there, then buy a new one for us. We have been wanting to get a newer one, we just haven't gotten around to it yet, the one we have works but we just don't really like it.
And as we were talking to the tenant, he said that he's not sure yet if he wants to buy the house or not. Last time we talked, he was certain. But now he's not sure. I have a feeling that he's changed his mind completely but didn't want to admit it. I told him that he needs to decide soon and to let us know. He told me he will call me, I told him that I really would like to hear from him - either way - by the end of the week. It's really kind of frustrating!
Froggy, Otter wants to know what your opinion is on snakes. As in, are you afraid of them? Or is it just turtles, frogs and lizards? I'm not sure about the lizard part, it just seems like they are also something you don't like!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Memorial Day
I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that Memorial Day is not merely the first day of summer break, an excuse to grill or a day stores have big sales. It's something much bigger than that and infinitely more important.
In Flanders Fields By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
IN FLANDERS FIELDS
the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
A few links I'd like to share:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
I registered Dad with the Memorial while it was still under construction, this is how he's listed:
James E. McCann
BRANCH OF SERVICE U.S. Army
HOMETOWN Hominy, OK HONORED BYMs. Mary Ann Mccann-Cardwell, Daughter
ACTIVITY DURING WWII F COMPANY, 23RD INFANTRY. SERVED AT OMAHA BEACH, JUNE 6, 1944. INJURED JUNE 30, 1944 AT ST. LO, FRANCE.
More links:
http://thewall-usa.com/
http://www.bluestarmothers.org/
We went to a Memorial Day service yesterday at one of the main cemeteries in the Tulsa area, it has the largest number of veterans buried there and always has ceremonies on Memorial Day, July 4th and Veteran's Day. It was a wonderful, touching, moving and very emotional ceremony. Our friend Larry who passed away in March was a veteran, Army, and he is buried there. Part of the ceremony includes a flag raising ceremony for each veteran who has passed away in the last year. The families Larry's flag was raised by his wife, Lin.
There was a flyover by two Vietnam era helicopters - they are huge! A little boy was seated a couple of aisles in front of us, he might have been about 5 years old. He was so cute, he was so amazed at the site of those two big choppers and even over the roar I think everyone in the audience heard him say "AWESOME!"
There was also a reenactment of the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - the Broken Arrow Civil Air Patrol is the ONLY group in the country that has the official approval of Arlington National Cemetary and has been trained by the actual guards. Most of the Civil Air Patrol group are teenagers. They were absolutely perfect. They also will reenact the changing of the guard, round the clock - every hour - from yesterday morning (Saturday) until tomorrow evening.
Let's all pause for a moment tomorrow and think about what it means. 3:00 p.m. Monday is the official Moment of Silence to remember & pray for the Heroes who've gone on, whether in battle or not.
I miss you Dad.
In Flanders Fields By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
IN FLANDERS FIELDS
the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
A few links I'd like to share:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
I registered Dad with the Memorial while it was still under construction, this is how he's listed:
James E. McCann
BRANCH OF SERVICE U.S. Army
HOMETOWN Hominy, OK HONORED BYMs. Mary Ann Mccann-Cardwell, Daughter
ACTIVITY DURING WWII F COMPANY, 23RD INFANTRY. SERVED AT OMAHA BEACH, JUNE 6, 1944. INJURED JUNE 30, 1944 AT ST. LO, FRANCE.
More links:
http://thewall-usa.com/
http://www.bluestarmothers.org/
We went to a Memorial Day service yesterday at one of the main cemeteries in the Tulsa area, it has the largest number of veterans buried there and always has ceremonies on Memorial Day, July 4th and Veteran's Day. It was a wonderful, touching, moving and very emotional ceremony. Our friend Larry who passed away in March was a veteran, Army, and he is buried there. Part of the ceremony includes a flag raising ceremony for each veteran who has passed away in the last year. The families Larry's flag was raised by his wife, Lin.
There was a flyover by two Vietnam era helicopters - they are huge! A little boy was seated a couple of aisles in front of us, he might have been about 5 years old. He was so cute, he was so amazed at the site of those two big choppers and even over the roar I think everyone in the audience heard him say "AWESOME!"
There was also a reenactment of the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - the Broken Arrow Civil Air Patrol is the ONLY group in the country that has the official approval of Arlington National Cemetary and has been trained by the actual guards. Most of the Civil Air Patrol group are teenagers. They were absolutely perfect. They also will reenact the changing of the guard, round the clock - every hour - from yesterday morning (Saturday) until tomorrow evening.
Let's all pause for a moment tomorrow and think about what it means. 3:00 p.m. Monday is the official Moment of Silence to remember & pray for the Heroes who've gone on, whether in battle or not.
I miss you Dad.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Busy Sunday
We've been running almost from the moment we got up this morning! We've gotten a lot done though, so I'm not complaining.
Bill mowed the yard, he cut a bunch of wood for some stuff he needs to do at the rent house, aired up the tires on our bikes and then he decided it was time to paint the porch swing. Otter got to learn how to sandpaper & prep for painting! She was not amused. But she did a good job.
I ran several errands, took a trunk load to the recycling center, hit 2 yard sales (rare on Sunday), the grocery store, finished painting the shelf Bill made me for Mother's Day, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, finished cleaning out and re-organizing my desk and took a long bike ride with Otter. She still had energy, but I ran out. Oh, I also gave her another driving lesson. She did pretty good, we worked on turning today.
We also relocated two turtles this afternoon or possibly the same one twice. Bill found one in the back yard when he was mowing, he put it out of the yard behind the fence. Then I saw Frasier nosing something that didn't quite look like a rock, so I figured I'd better go save it before one of the dogs decided it might be food. Frasier lost interest in it pretty quickly, but Maggie was mystified by it. She followed it around the yard for a few minutes and looked confused. Maggie frequently looks confused! I picked it up, we discovered that it was a she turtle then we found a box to put her in so we could drive back to the cow field and let her go there. Otter enjoyed playing with her in the car, she's her mother's daughter so turtles & related animals are not something to be scared of - right, Froggy?!?!?! The only reason the turtle was in a box is because they have 2 defenses: one is that long neck and the other one involves leaking bodily fluid! I had no desire to get the car or Otter baptised by a turtle. Anyway, the turtle got released and she was happily booking it away from us into the field the last time we saw her. The cows were nowhere to be seen, otherwise they would have had to come see what we were up to. They are about the nosiest animals on the planet! (And yes, I know that tortoise is the correct term - turtles are the water version!)
I was wrong about the last day of school. It's actually May 30, not the 31st. So Otter will have two days to be lazy before she goes to camp. But the rest of the June/early July schedule has not changed and is still crazy.
Bill mowed the yard, he cut a bunch of wood for some stuff he needs to do at the rent house, aired up the tires on our bikes and then he decided it was time to paint the porch swing. Otter got to learn how to sandpaper & prep for painting! She was not amused. But she did a good job.
I ran several errands, took a trunk load to the recycling center, hit 2 yard sales (rare on Sunday), the grocery store, finished painting the shelf Bill made me for Mother's Day, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, finished cleaning out and re-organizing my desk and took a long bike ride with Otter. She still had energy, but I ran out. Oh, I also gave her another driving lesson. She did pretty good, we worked on turning today.
We also relocated two turtles this afternoon or possibly the same one twice. Bill found one in the back yard when he was mowing, he put it out of the yard behind the fence. Then I saw Frasier nosing something that didn't quite look like a rock, so I figured I'd better go save it before one of the dogs decided it might be food. Frasier lost interest in it pretty quickly, but Maggie was mystified by it. She followed it around the yard for a few minutes and looked confused. Maggie frequently looks confused! I picked it up, we discovered that it was a she turtle then we found a box to put her in so we could drive back to the cow field and let her go there. Otter enjoyed playing with her in the car, she's her mother's daughter so turtles & related animals are not something to be scared of - right, Froggy?!?!?! The only reason the turtle was in a box is because they have 2 defenses: one is that long neck and the other one involves leaking bodily fluid! I had no desire to get the car or Otter baptised by a turtle. Anyway, the turtle got released and she was happily booking it away from us into the field the last time we saw her. The cows were nowhere to be seen, otherwise they would have had to come see what we were up to. They are about the nosiest animals on the planet! (And yes, I know that tortoise is the correct term - turtles are the water version!)
I was wrong about the last day of school. It's actually May 30, not the 31st. So Otter will have two days to be lazy before she goes to camp. But the rest of the June/early July schedule has not changed and is still crazy.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Friday Again. Finally.
It's been a long week. And very tiring, for some reason. Of course, housecleaning to make up for not be able to do any while I was sick might have something to do with it!!!!! I rearranged my spices last night, they were in a cabinet but are now on the door of my pantry. This morning between 7:00 and 7:30 I rearranged most of my kitchen cabinets, took a few plants out to the compost pile, washed dishes and did general pick up of clutter. Then I went to work to rest! :) After we got home, I ran the vacuum. Sunday I am going to tackle my bathroom, laundry as usual, and possibly get the last part of my desk cleaned out and re-organized. I think that Otter is very glad I'm able to do housework again! Although she was a tremendous help to me while I was sick and I do appreciate everything she did and continues to do.
Our tenant is very interested in buying the rent house from us, so please keep your fingers crossed that it works out and he is able to buy it. Any prayers would be appreciated, I'm not asking for prayers for money but just that things will work out according to God's plan for us.
Someone (Froggy) asked me if I'd ever heard a song she liked. It's called Me & God, and it's by Josh Tucker. If you don't listen to country stations, you probably won't have heard it or of him. It's wonderful. Just a simple song with a heart-felt message. Go listen to it. I think you'll agree.
When I picked Otter up from school, we hit 6 yard sales in less than 2 hours. We had a blast! Several things destined for eBay, but also a larger George Foreman grill to replace the one we've had for years and years - since they first came out, thanks Jane for giving it to us way back when. The first one gets regular use, and I've just about worn it out. The new one was $10.00 and looks hardly used, the lady who was selling it told me that it does work but she doesn't like to cook. I think it works, if it doesn't I'm not out a whole lot of $$ on it. It has removable plates, so it's easier to clean. We use it for just about everything, burgers - chicken - pork chops - steaks and it makes killer grilled cheese sandwiches.
One lady at a yard sale gave Otter 3 stuffed animals - two are part of the Wallyworld Christmas bears that she didn't have in her collection and one is a stuffed Candy Corn. I know, it sounds strange, but it's cute! The bears were started by Yaya and I've continued the tradition of getting her one each year. They are part of our Christmas decorations, but the ones from Yaya always get the best spot to be displayed.
2 weeks of school left! School ends on Thursday May 31st, and then that Friday and weekend is the only time Otter will have before heading to camp on Monday. She'll be at camp for a week, back the next Saturday afternoon. Then she has 3 days to recover before I put her on a plane to Nana's house. She'll be gone for another week, then she'll bring home with her my gift from Texas - Froggy!! Then Otter gets a cousin visit the first couple of days of July 4th week, and she's excited about that, too. June is going to be a busy month, at least for Otter. She'll probably need all of July to catch up on her sleep!
I'm probably going to post a poll sometime in the near future, as soon as I decide on a topic. Any suggestions? All will be considered, some will be ignored, some will be chosen. SO GET BUSY AND PUT YOUR THINKING CAPS ON! Toadles - don't put your thinking cap on backwards, you are confused enough already.
Our tenant is very interested in buying the rent house from us, so please keep your fingers crossed that it works out and he is able to buy it. Any prayers would be appreciated, I'm not asking for prayers for money but just that things will work out according to God's plan for us.
Someone (Froggy) asked me if I'd ever heard a song she liked. It's called Me & God, and it's by Josh Tucker. If you don't listen to country stations, you probably won't have heard it or of him. It's wonderful. Just a simple song with a heart-felt message. Go listen to it. I think you'll agree.
When I picked Otter up from school, we hit 6 yard sales in less than 2 hours. We had a blast! Several things destined for eBay, but also a larger George Foreman grill to replace the one we've had for years and years - since they first came out, thanks Jane for giving it to us way back when. The first one gets regular use, and I've just about worn it out. The new one was $10.00 and looks hardly used, the lady who was selling it told me that it does work but she doesn't like to cook. I think it works, if it doesn't I'm not out a whole lot of $$ on it. It has removable plates, so it's easier to clean. We use it for just about everything, burgers - chicken - pork chops - steaks and it makes killer grilled cheese sandwiches.
One lady at a yard sale gave Otter 3 stuffed animals - two are part of the Wallyworld Christmas bears that she didn't have in her collection and one is a stuffed Candy Corn. I know, it sounds strange, but it's cute! The bears were started by Yaya and I've continued the tradition of getting her one each year. They are part of our Christmas decorations, but the ones from Yaya always get the best spot to be displayed.
2 weeks of school left! School ends on Thursday May 31st, and then that Friday and weekend is the only time Otter will have before heading to camp on Monday. She'll be at camp for a week, back the next Saturday afternoon. Then she has 3 days to recover before I put her on a plane to Nana's house. She'll be gone for another week, then she'll bring home with her my gift from Texas - Froggy!! Then Otter gets a cousin visit the first couple of days of July 4th week, and she's excited about that, too. June is going to be a busy month, at least for Otter. She'll probably need all of July to catch up on her sleep!
I'm probably going to post a poll sometime in the near future, as soon as I decide on a topic. Any suggestions? All will be considered, some will be ignored, some will be chosen. SO GET BUSY AND PUT YOUR THINKING CAPS ON! Toadles - don't put your thinking cap on backwards, you are confused enough already.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day!
I hope everyone is enjoying Mother's Day. I've had a good one, Otter & I went to the zoo this morning and had a great time. Of course my feet are now killing me... But it was a lot of fun, we rode the zoo train and the butterfly exhibit is back so we go to go through it. It just opened yesterday and there are not a lot of butterflies in it yet but it's always fun. Lots of people there, the zoo had a 1/2 price special today for Mother's Day and a lot of people took advantage of it.
Toadles, your relatives (the chimps) now have a new baby. She's very small and so cute. She was playing with her mom's foot and mom didn't seem to mind in the least that the baby was biting her foot. Just like human moms with teething little ones! I remember those days myself, I think I probably still have scars on my fingers from when Otter was tiny and just getting teeth - and I was usually the first thing she could find to chew on!
It's a nice day today, I hope that everyone else has good weather like ours. Go out and enjoy it!
Toadles, your relatives (the chimps) now have a new baby. She's very small and so cute. She was playing with her mom's foot and mom didn't seem to mind in the least that the baby was biting her foot. Just like human moms with teething little ones! I remember those days myself, I think I probably still have scars on my fingers from when Otter was tiny and just getting teeth - and I was usually the first thing she could find to chew on!
It's a nice day today, I hope that everyone else has good weather like ours. Go out and enjoy it!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Forgot What The Sky & Sun look like!!
We've had so much rain lately that it was actually a surprise to see blue sky instead of grey! And the sunshine was nice, although I think we've nearly forgottten what it feels like.
We have had a lot of water from the sky the last few days. Not any bad, twisty, scary stuff in our area thankfully. Just lots and lots of rain! The back yard looked like a swamp in places yesterday, and we are not in a low spot.
Frasier has had a new experience. We bought an electric fence kit! On Friday, StupidDog was out and about when I got home and I couldn't find him. When Otter got home, we had an errand to run so we drove around the neighborhood on our way out. No sign of him. When we got home, we saw someone else walking his dog and he said he'd seen a big shepard-type dog in the last few minutes and he pointed us in the right direction. So we drive on a little further, and there is Frasier - happily playing in a mud puddle. Otter gets out of the car and opens the back door for him to jump in. So what does StupidDog decide to do? He decides to jump in the open passenger window! No idea why he did that, he's never even been allowed to look out the window while riding in the car! Otter pulled him back out, and he jumped in the backseat through the open door. And he stunk to high heaven! Like maybe he'd been rolling in "something" in the cow field before he found the mud puddle. We drove home with the windows down all the way, and Otter was hanging her head out of the open window. She put the dog in the back yard when we got home and I had to wipe down the inside and outside of the door where he'd tried to get in the window. And discovered that he managed to scratch the side of the car while he was hanging out of it in his window climbing attempt.
Shortly after that, we took the hose to Frasier and he was not happy. (Maggie thought that she was going to get a bath too, and she got out of reach fast!) But at least he didn't smell anymore! However, today my car has developed an unpleasant odor and I might have to steam-clean the back seat.
When Bill got home a few minutes later, he was carrying an electric fence kit. And we were overjoyed! We installed it on Sunday. The whole time we were removing the chicken wire, Frasier (also known as Poophead lately - and he does answer to that name) watched us the entire time. I could just about see the wheels turning in that furry head. We turned the fence on and watched him for a while, but he knew we were watching him so he didn't perform. After a while, I headed for the shower and Bill went to work on something in the garage. When I got out of the shower, Frasier was laying in the floor of the dining room and he would not look at me. All he did was sigh heavily. Sunday we sat out on the deck and watched him, several times he acted like he wanted to climb the fence but he never quite did. We think he must have had a rude awakening, also known as his learning experience, when I was in the shower. Hopefully he won't decide it's worth the pain of being shocked to go travelling! We'll leave it on for a while, but thereotically once a dog has been shocked a couple of times they will remember and you don't have to leave it on. But with Frasier, there is no telling. Dumb dogs are so much easier! And no, I don't feel like we are being mean to him. It would be mean to continue to let him roam and possibly get run over, shot for a coyote because we have them in the area, into a fight with a coyote or other dog, or lost for good and possibly starved to death.
I have a prayer request. My friend Virginia's daughter Sara was diagnosed several months ago with cancer that is in her muscles of her abdomen. There is a name for this type of cancer but I can't recall it. It's rare, though and is uncurable but the doctor said that it is very slow growing and they have had good results in slowing it even more with very strong medication. They thought that they could buy her several years possibly. Then Sara found out that she was pregnant. She already had two young ones. The oncologist sent her to a special ob doctor who worked out a plan and she was able to go off of the medication until the baby had grown to a certain point. The baby was born yesterday by c-section and everything appears normal with the baby, she's been named Marisol. The concern is with the baby having problems that don't show up now, and also with Sara because the doctor was really afraid that the surgery and exposing the cancerous area to air could speed it's growth up. So any prayers would help.
3 1/2 weeks of school left for the Otter! Then she goes off to camp the first week in June. She's excited, for some reason she wants to be away from the Parental Units for a week. Can't imagine why! :)
Here's my opinion from the posting about May Day, the article I linked was regarding guns being allowed in all sorts of places at the suggestion of the Texas governer: I don't think that guns need to be in bars (kind of a no-brainer there) and probably not schools, but I don't see what is wrong with being allowed to carry one in most other places. Probably not a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I am not in favor of gun control in the slightest! Don't want to shoot anyone if I don't have to, but if I have to defende my home, family or life - then I would not hesitate. Otter is going to get lessons in the near future.
We have had a lot of water from the sky the last few days. Not any bad, twisty, scary stuff in our area thankfully. Just lots and lots of rain! The back yard looked like a swamp in places yesterday, and we are not in a low spot.
Frasier has had a new experience. We bought an electric fence kit! On Friday, StupidDog was out and about when I got home and I couldn't find him. When Otter got home, we had an errand to run so we drove around the neighborhood on our way out. No sign of him. When we got home, we saw someone else walking his dog and he said he'd seen a big shepard-type dog in the last few minutes and he pointed us in the right direction. So we drive on a little further, and there is Frasier - happily playing in a mud puddle. Otter gets out of the car and opens the back door for him to jump in. So what does StupidDog decide to do? He decides to jump in the open passenger window! No idea why he did that, he's never even been allowed to look out the window while riding in the car! Otter pulled him back out, and he jumped in the backseat through the open door. And he stunk to high heaven! Like maybe he'd been rolling in "something" in the cow field before he found the mud puddle. We drove home with the windows down all the way, and Otter was hanging her head out of the open window. She put the dog in the back yard when we got home and I had to wipe down the inside and outside of the door where he'd tried to get in the window. And discovered that he managed to scratch the side of the car while he was hanging out of it in his window climbing attempt.
Shortly after that, we took the hose to Frasier and he was not happy. (Maggie thought that she was going to get a bath too, and she got out of reach fast!) But at least he didn't smell anymore! However, today my car has developed an unpleasant odor and I might have to steam-clean the back seat.
When Bill got home a few minutes later, he was carrying an electric fence kit. And we were overjoyed! We installed it on Sunday. The whole time we were removing the chicken wire, Frasier (also known as Poophead lately - and he does answer to that name) watched us the entire time. I could just about see the wheels turning in that furry head. We turned the fence on and watched him for a while, but he knew we were watching him so he didn't perform. After a while, I headed for the shower and Bill went to work on something in the garage. When I got out of the shower, Frasier was laying in the floor of the dining room and he would not look at me. All he did was sigh heavily. Sunday we sat out on the deck and watched him, several times he acted like he wanted to climb the fence but he never quite did. We think he must have had a rude awakening, also known as his learning experience, when I was in the shower. Hopefully he won't decide it's worth the pain of being shocked to go travelling! We'll leave it on for a while, but thereotically once a dog has been shocked a couple of times they will remember and you don't have to leave it on. But with Frasier, there is no telling. Dumb dogs are so much easier! And no, I don't feel like we are being mean to him. It would be mean to continue to let him roam and possibly get run over, shot for a coyote because we have them in the area, into a fight with a coyote or other dog, or lost for good and possibly starved to death.
I have a prayer request. My friend Virginia's daughter Sara was diagnosed several months ago with cancer that is in her muscles of her abdomen. There is a name for this type of cancer but I can't recall it. It's rare, though and is uncurable but the doctor said that it is very slow growing and they have had good results in slowing it even more with very strong medication. They thought that they could buy her several years possibly. Then Sara found out that she was pregnant. She already had two young ones. The oncologist sent her to a special ob doctor who worked out a plan and she was able to go off of the medication until the baby had grown to a certain point. The baby was born yesterday by c-section and everything appears normal with the baby, she's been named Marisol. The concern is with the baby having problems that don't show up now, and also with Sara because the doctor was really afraid that the surgery and exposing the cancerous area to air could speed it's growth up. So any prayers would help.
3 1/2 weeks of school left for the Otter! Then she goes off to camp the first week in June. She's excited, for some reason she wants to be away from the Parental Units for a week. Can't imagine why! :)
Here's my opinion from the posting about May Day, the article I linked was regarding guns being allowed in all sorts of places at the suggestion of the Texas governer: I don't think that guns need to be in bars (kind of a no-brainer there) and probably not schools, but I don't see what is wrong with being allowed to carry one in most other places. Probably not a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I am not in favor of gun control in the slightest! Don't want to shoot anyone if I don't have to, but if I have to defende my home, family or life - then I would not hesitate. Otter is going to get lessons in the near future.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
May 15th Gas Boycott
Reasons why I will not participate in this type of ill-conceived, misguided boycott include the following:
Oil companies are not the enemy. The price of gas, as well as other petroleum products, is a result of the refinery action - not the producer. Refineries are handicapped by government regulations regarding pollution - ideas that started out with good intentions but turned into something else. Each time someone gets an idea about reducing greenhouse gases, auto emissions, etc., there is another rule which has an effect on the way gasoline is refined. Most of the current rules have no basis in reality and make very little sense. Most of the rules are the reason that very few companies refine oil in the US. Most of them have been driven overseas now, and that trend is not going to stop anytime soon. Because of that, we are even more at the mercy of other countries and OPEC.
We need rules to govern the industry, but we need smart rules, rules that make sense. We need more refining to be done in the US but that won't happen any time soon.
For a boycott to have even a miniscule effect, nearly the entire population of this country would have to stop buying gas for a period of several months or even over a year. Still sound like a good idea? Think about it.
Oil feeds my family and keeps a roof over my head. And I still have to pay just as much for gasoline as everyone else. The oil industry is not the bad guy here. But this type of a boycott would have an affect on everyone, including the clerk at the gas station who is just trying to make enough money to live on, the mechanic who fixes the car you won't be driving for months and who will not be able to eat or feed him family, the pumper who goes out and works on the wells to keep them pumping so that a purchaser can tell the oil company what it will pay for that oil - which is generally not even enough to justify producing that oil in the first place, and just about everyone else.
I intend to go fill up my car on the 15th.
Oil companies are not the enemy. The price of gas, as well as other petroleum products, is a result of the refinery action - not the producer. Refineries are handicapped by government regulations regarding pollution - ideas that started out with good intentions but turned into something else. Each time someone gets an idea about reducing greenhouse gases, auto emissions, etc., there is another rule which has an effect on the way gasoline is refined. Most of the current rules have no basis in reality and make very little sense. Most of the rules are the reason that very few companies refine oil in the US. Most of them have been driven overseas now, and that trend is not going to stop anytime soon. Because of that, we are even more at the mercy of other countries and OPEC.
We need rules to govern the industry, but we need smart rules, rules that make sense. We need more refining to be done in the US but that won't happen any time soon.
For a boycott to have even a miniscule effect, nearly the entire population of this country would have to stop buying gas for a period of several months or even over a year. Still sound like a good idea? Think about it.
Oil feeds my family and keeps a roof over my head. And I still have to pay just as much for gasoline as everyone else. The oil industry is not the bad guy here. But this type of a boycott would have an affect on everyone, including the clerk at the gas station who is just trying to make enough money to live on, the mechanic who fixes the car you won't be driving for months and who will not be able to eat or feed him family, the pumper who goes out and works on the wells to keep them pumping so that a purchaser can tell the oil company what it will pay for that oil - which is generally not even enough to justify producing that oil in the first place, and just about everyone else.
I intend to go fill up my car on the 15th.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
A fun one for Tuesday, May 1.
I read this somewhere and it just was so funny. And so true!
Things Mom Taught Me...
My Mother taught me LOGIC..."If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."
My Mother taught me MEDICINE..."If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to freeze that way."
My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD..."If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job!"
My Mother taught me ESP..."Put your sweater on; don't you think that I know when you're cold?"
My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE..."What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"
My Mother taught me HUMOR..."When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT..."If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.
My mother taught me about GENETICS..."You are just like your father!"
My mother taught me about my ROOTS..."Do you think you were born in a barn?"
My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE..."When you get to be my age, you will understand."
My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION..."Just wait until your father gets home."
My mother taught me about RECEIVING..."You are going to get it when we get home."
And, my all-time favorite - JUSTICE..."One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU -- then you'll see what it's like!"
And I think I heard more than a few of those things from both my parents!
Things Mom Taught Me...
My Mother taught me LOGIC..."If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."
My Mother taught me MEDICINE..."If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to freeze that way."
My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD..."If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job!"
My Mother taught me ESP..."Put your sweater on; don't you think that I know when you're cold?"
My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE..."What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"
My Mother taught me HUMOR..."When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT..."If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.
My mother taught me about GENETICS..."You are just like your father!"
My mother taught me about my ROOTS..."Do you think you were born in a barn?"
My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE..."When you get to be my age, you will understand."
My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION..."Just wait until your father gets home."
My mother taught me about RECEIVING..."You are going to get it when we get home."
And, my all-time favorite - JUSTICE..."One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU -- then you'll see what it's like!"
And I think I heard more than a few of those things from both my parents!
May Day!
How did a day to recognize the workers (ok, so it's mostly in communist countries) become a day to celebrate being an illegal alien? Just by being here, they are breaking the law and that trumps everything else! Geesh. If someone wants to come here and work, then as long as they do it legally I will welcome them with open arms. But the key is to be legal.
I'd like your opinions on this interesting story from the SA paper website: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA050107.07A.perry_guns.30eddd5.html
I'll post my opinion later on, although it's probably already known to everybody that I am not in favor of gun control!
I've been thinking of Clara-isms today. Mom always had some good comments. Why buy the cow when the milk is free? That's the way to skin the cat. Not for all the tea in china! Yeah, and people in he__ want ice water! Anybody else got any they remember? I did find my recipe for peach cobbler the other day, I might make one in the near future. It's been a while since I made one and I think it's about time. And I think I'll eat a corner first, in honor of Dad and his sweet tooth.
It's been a year today since I had the last tooth extractions for the dentures. I got them a couple of days after the extractions. Should have done it sooner! But I think I've had enough health issues to last a lifetime now.
I'd like your opinions on this interesting story from the SA paper website: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA050107.07A.perry_guns.30eddd5.html
I'll post my opinion later on, although it's probably already known to everybody that I am not in favor of gun control!
I've been thinking of Clara-isms today. Mom always had some good comments. Why buy the cow when the milk is free? That's the way to skin the cat. Not for all the tea in china! Yeah, and people in he__ want ice water! Anybody else got any they remember? I did find my recipe for peach cobbler the other day, I might make one in the near future. It's been a while since I made one and I think it's about time. And I think I'll eat a corner first, in honor of Dad and his sweet tooth.
It's been a year today since I had the last tooth extractions for the dentures. I got them a couple of days after the extractions. Should have done it sooner! But I think I've had enough health issues to last a lifetime now.
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