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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

It's Officially Spring

Because the hummingbirds are here! We were sitting on the deck yesterday afternoon enjoying the nice day. Something buzzed by me and it was a hummer. It must have been one of last year's crowd because it went to all 4 of the places I had feeders last year and then I swear this bird gave me a dirty look! I immediately jumped up and ran inside, found the feeders, washed them and filled them. Then I got them up and within 5 minutes the bird returned. There were as many as 15 at any one time last year, it was tricky to go out in the back yard and dodge them! There are now 2 here, one is a male ruby throat but the other one has not been still long enough for me to decide on breed or gender. But the first one was not happy to have competition for the food! It was not a mating flight, either - they were chasing each other away from the food and nearly ran into me. This is the earliest I've ever seen them. One of them was all over my iris plants.

It's been a month today since my surgery and I feel really good. Better than I have for a very long time in fact.

Otter and I cornered the dogs and bathed them this afternoon. We managed to get Frasier mostly dry before he got away from us, then he spent about 10 minutes running up and down the yard rubbing his wet fur on the neighbor's fence. Maggie was hard to catch, she saw what happened to him and she was having no part of it! We eventually got her and bathed her but she got away from us before we could get her really dry. Of course the first thing she did was roll in the grass that was mowed this morning, so she was covered, then the second thing she did was find some dirt! After about 30 minutes of staying away from us, she came back to us and I took the towel to her to get as much of the grass off of her as possible but she was dry enough that I couldn't get much dirt off. But at least she doesn't smell like she did before the torture session!

Another one for Thursday!

Froggy got the right answer from the joke a few days ago: The horse's name was Friday!

Another comment I'd like to post:

Boy her dumplings were bad. But dad always said that they were good. Every time we went somewhere we had to stop and talk to the babies, Dad was just as bad as Mom was about this. Remember the meal we called slumgullon (?). It was good, but what was in it? Fo you remember the Halloween she made stew in the hollowed out pumpkin shell? It was not a hit. Maybe the secret to her cooking was she was not afraid to try new things. I miss her too.Froggy

Slumgullion was made with okra and that was why I did not like it. The pumpkin stew in a shell did not turn out too good, but she followed the recipe she was given so I don't think that was her fault!

More Clara-isms!

Froggy left these comments on the previous posting, but I thought that they should be repeated and posted for everyone to see!

Remember the time that she made hamburgers, took one out to Jessie, in her apt, came in and we all ate. Them Mom discovered a piece of meat that was left over. She had forgotten to put the meat in Jessie's hamburger. Jessie ate a bun with tomatos, pickles, lettuce, and always laughed about it.When we moved, Dad was sick so you, me, and Mom moved all the rocks. I don't think we left even one tiny pebble behind.I remember she used to save empty veg. cans,cut out the ends and then we could use these to make tunnels in the mud.She never had many plants when we were little, because the flower beds were always where we played and built tunnels, mud pies, etc. She did always grow violets, so we could take the flowers to our teachers.

I do remember the meatless hamburger that Aunt Jessie had. And I remember the violets. I think we did move the rocks, but I remember the movers being amused by it so we must have been loading them when they were there, or possibly unloading them at the new house as they were bringing the furniture.

I also remember the dumplings! Mom was a wonderful cook. She could cook anything she put her mind to. EXCEPT DUMPLINGS! They were like rocks, no other word for it. It became a family joke, but I think she was as amused by it as everyone else was. However, she had another talent that I wish I had: Mom could take any left overs she had and no matter how strange they might sound, she always made a meal that was satisfying and tasted great. I remember some strange things together, but they were always good at the time!

And she never met a baby she didn't have to hold and cuddle.

I really miss her.

Clara-isms and Things She Taught Me

We lost her 6 years ago tomorrow. I've really missed her a lot more lately, mostly since I was sick. I guess we are never really too old to need our mommies when we are sick. There are a lot of things I remember, some of them became family legends. Like Uncle Dave daring Mom to get on my pogo stick and she took the dare. Which was followed shortly thereafter with a run to the ER and I think she had to have surgery to repair the torn hamstring muscle. That one definitely became a legend! And the story was told frequently, I think that is one for the ages.

Then there was the time we moved. And Mom moved her rocks, which had been in a rock garden and various places around the yard. I remember the moving guys being amused by it. But we've all inherited that from her, I moved my rocks when I moved and Otter has quite a collection of her own - some of which she got from her Grammy, who was thrilled that Otter liked rocks as much as she did. And there are at least a few rocks that we share custody of - speaking of which Froggy, it's my turn now!

And the marbles! Who can forget how she always used to say she'd lost her marbles. And then a certain neice of mine (Kimberly, this means you) who was pretty young at the time when she first heard that comment from Grammy. And Kimberly told her that they weren't lost, they were out in the back yard in the rock garden!

Mom told me a story once, she was very young and heard her father refer to a woman in the neighborhood who was a streetwalker. When asked, he told his young daughter that meant she made her money on the street but he didn't elaborate. So then the young Clara decided that she wanted to be a streetwalker when she grew up - after all, all the lady had to do was walk up and down the street and she'd find money!

She taught me to cook and to this day I still make beans and Spanish rice like she did. Lots of good memories there. I'm carrying on the tradition with Otter. She taught me at a very young and that there was nothing I could not do, I was capable of anything, and that girls could do anything they wanted to. And I've always been very grateful to her for that lesson. She taught us to love animals, and she let me adopt nearly every stray I brought home. And there were plenty! We used to go to the zoo more times than I could count, and Mom enjoyed it as much as we did. She made the best hamburgers in the world. There were times when money must have been tight, but we never realized it - pickle sandwiches were a treat, and I never realized that it was probably because of a tight financial situation. To this day, when I am tired or not feeling good it's a pickle sandwich that makes me feel better. I remember mashed bean sandwiches, which might have been for the same reason or might have just been because they were good. And then there was the time she made tamales. They were wonderful, and fun & messy to make but I seem to recall she only made them a few times because they were a lot of work.

One of my best memories is of being Baptized with Mom. It made a special moment even more special.

She was one of the most loving people I've ever known or ever will know. She took in her sister who had been crippled with polio as a teenager and I don't remember her ever complaining.

When Bill & I got back together after our troubles, she was the first one to welcome him back and I know how much he appreciated it.

Coffee in the afternoon! And I think I was usually allowed to have a cup, even though I must have been in about 3rd grade when I first started drinking it.

For many years, Mom never went anywhere without her glass of iced tea. She used a plastic Pearl Beer stein most of the time. It's now sitting on my desk holding pens. One time Dad got on her for the fact that it was a beer glass, she was on her way to a tupperware party at the time and she told him that if she had a wreck they'd be able to tell it was not beer!

She made the best peach cobbler ever. And Dad usually would eat as much of them as he could as I recall! Wish I had one of them now.

Is it Monday again?

Realized about an hour ago that we missed Sweetie's birthday! It was last Friday. I called her already and apologized. The thing is that I know 3 people who have 4/20 as a birthday and I think I missed them all this year! URGH!

Website to check out: http://www.cuteoverload.com/ It's fun, very cute and family friendly.

This one's funny too: http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

Here's a fun way to waste time: http://chir.ag/stuff/sand/

Something a friend sent me: At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be 02:03:04 05/06/07. I remember 12:34 p.m. on May 6, 1978 - on a digital clock it was 12345678.

Well, since no one else has submitted any jokes I've been forced to post one of my own!

If a cowboy rode into town on Friday and left three days later on Friday. How the heck did it happen?

(I never said it was a particularly good joke, just the first one I came up with.) Check back later for the answer, unless anyone actually wants to guess. It's not hard! However, since the Aggie Mom never gave me a joke she should be warned: Aggie jokes are no longer off-limits!!!

Wonderful, Fantastic Thursday!

Someone, I won't name her but it ryhmes with Doggie, told me that I needed to come up with a better title after Wednesday's boring one. Happy now?!

I saw this poem on a web board I belong to and I though it was really nice:

When the week is finally over,
It is wonderful to go
And putter in my garden
Where I watch the flowers grow.
It is pleasant in my garden
As I cultivate my seeds;
I plant and hoe and water
And I clear away the weeds.
Though it's frantic at the theater,
Here I leave that all behind,
And the calm within my garden
Gives this frog some peace of mind.
--Kermit the Frog

I think we could all learn a lesson or two from Kermit the Frog. Even if it's just a rock garden as in my case, since we decided not to put in a vegetable garden after all this year. We were going to, but my illness and recovery kind of put a crimp in any plans that involved physical work. But I'm probably going to get a couple of jalepeno plants and maybe a tomato plant or two and put those in pots. Last year we had bell peppers planted in the back flower bed. And we discovered that Maggie thought they were irrisistable, she ate most of them and the ones she didn't eat she carried inside and played with! Like I said before, she's insane.

Today is the 12th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing and the 14th anniversary of Waco. Two things that happened that are "where were you" moments, unforgettable. The shootings in Virginia were just horrible, really heartbreaking. Makes me even more convinced that I should just lock the front door and never let the Otter leave!

So, Froggy - when are you coming to see me? Bring my rocks with you.

Boring Wednesday Middle of the Week

Ok, so I couldn't think of a good title for today!

I'm doing pretty good, I managed to work all day Monday and then I didn't feel too good Tuesday so I came home at noon. Then today I managed to stay all day. I am over most of the effects of the pancreatitis, I just get tired easily still and I can't really lift anything. There are a few things I can't do, but I'm much better than I was.

Still waiting on jokes I can post here! What do I have to do, come up with a prize??!! I know you have funny jokes. And probably even some family friendly ones, too. :)

Mom's been on my mind lately. I know it's because we lost her in April, the anniversary is next week. So siblings of mine, and neices & nephews as well, how about some memories? I have a bunch, I know you do as well. One in particular is the trip to Hominy, OK and the pogo stick. And then Dad rushing her to the hospital because she'd torn a hamstring muscle since she was crazy enough to take Uncle Dave's dare and actually get on the thing! Oh and we can't forget the rocks that she moved from one house to another. Anybody else got any they care to share? One thing that I always remember is knowing that she was always going to be there for us and she was always involved with school, pta, choir, whatever we had going on and I am thankful for that.

Otter's birthday party was a sucess. She had a great time and so did her guests. The cake was good, they had ice cream cups & cokes and they made regular trips to the snack bar. Mostly for candy! But all that sugar was put to good use, they spent several hours zipping around the skating rink and they were all pretty tired when the party was over. She got a lot of presents and she enjoyed the entire party. Considering that her birthday was the day after I came home from the hospital and we had to put off her birthday dinner, I am really glad that we gave her a party this year. Her birthday dinner was fun, too. It was at Golden Corral, or as Dad used to call it the Hog Trough.

So that's it for today!

Sunday again!

Party Day for Otter! She's been on the phone for a while, I've lost count of how many times the phone rang but they've all been for her. Typical teenage girl! Bill is still amazed at how much teenage girls can talk and they never seem to stop to take a breath. What's really fun is when she has sleepovers, Bill kind of loses his mind.

I'm feeling much better today, yesterday was better than I have been in the recent past but still not as good a day as I've been having. But I am getting there, I just realized that I have been sick for weeks and frankly I'm tired of it! I didn't realize that I'd been unwell for some time, until I started to feel better the last few days. I would like to encourage anyone with symptoms similar to the ones I had to please not wait - call the doctor immediately! Pancreatits can be fatal if left untreated. And it takes forever to get over. My back is not bothering me nearly as much as it was, it was mostly muscles reacting and the surgeon's office said that I can take Advil which does seem to work. But it is very hard for me not to be able to do things.

We think that Maggie Beagle is literally insane. She is just crazy. No other word for it, the dog is nutso! And she hardly ever runs out of speed. She's so much fun and she drives Frasier nuts, too.

Froggy, I'm not sure how you are going to manage it but you'd better find room in your suitcase for the rocks when you come see me this summer. You know which rocks I mean.

Still waiting on jokes! I might have to come up with some of my own at this rate. And one of these days I'm going to learn how to post pictures here, too. When I get around to it, it's not hard to add things on here.

Middle of the week already!

I managed to make it to noon today before I gave up and left work. I have been in a lot of pain, but it's mostly the muscles in my mid-back. I took a pain pill last night and slept well, until 4:15 a.m. when one of my suncatchers fell out of the window and scared Frasier! I heard him running out the dog door, and then he snuck back in a few minutes later. Poor goosey dog! Anyway, I woke up better than last night but it's been hard today because my back is being so strange!

Bill got home from the auction with a loaded van. He did buy a bed frame & headboard for Otter after all. It's for a double bed, the headboard is wood and it's nice. It's not huge, but it's one that she saw at the auction and really liked. And since he only paid $5.00 for it, it's perfect! We'll get a new mattress and box springs in the near future - the headboard needs a good cleaning and polishing, which I'm not up to yet. She's going to have to rearrange her room a little bit, the bed is quite a bit bigger but we'll figure it out.

He bought a bunch of other stuff, but I have no idea what is in the majority of the boxes. I might get into them a little later, but I still can't lift or do anything strenuous so I might have to wait for him to get home from work. Hopefully, there is something in there I can eBay!

Froggy, I agree with you regarding Imus and his comments. I'm just tired of hearing about Anna Nicole Smith all the time, especially some of the reports that sound like they are worshipping her and with what I've been told by someone who knew her, they are so far off the mark it's ridiculous. But Imus really put his foot in it, I'm not sure which is worse - the racial comment about nappy hair or the fact that he essentially called them all whores! I guess that they are both about the same, just plain despicable.

I'm still waiting for jokes! I know you must all have them. So bring them on!

Exhausting Week! And it's only Tuesday...

I managed to go to work yesterday, Monday. I made it until 10:00 before giving up and going home. After I got home, I took a nice long 2+ hour nap and felt much better.

Today I made it to 11:30 before I ran out of steam. I was also in a little pain, so I decided I'd better head home. I didn't nap today, but I did rest until it was time to get Otter from school. There was an auction tonight that I met Bill at because it had furniture and we are looking for a bigger bed for Otter. The furniture was not what we are looking for, but I stayed at the auction because of a specific item I wanted - which we didn't get because it went for way more than I wanted to pay - and so I wound up staying way, way too long. I sat down as much as I could, but it was pretty cold and I probably should have left at least an hour before I did. I got home ok, but I will probably take a pain pill tonight. Before you all start yelling at me, I already know that I overdid it today! And I will probably pay for it tomorrow. But I really am doing a lot better, and I'm much better than I was at this time last week. But I promise to take it easy as much as I can for the next few days!

I have stayed away from the Anna Nicole Smith story, but I'd like to put my 2 cents worth in. The woman was "plain ole white trash" and nothing but. Nobody murdered her, it was an accidental overdose, and the paternity question has now been answered. So can "we" (the media) all go on to the next story now? My 90 year old boss was very good friends with the rich old man she married, he met her several times and he said that it was extremely obvious to everyone except her husband that she was a gold-digger and nothing else. She didn't even try to hide it, and she used her physical attributes to blind Mr. Marshall to what she was really after. So I am kind of tired of all the stories about her! Just my opinion, folks.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. For now at least!

In case you can't tell, I'm tired and a little grouchy tonight. I guess I'd better work on that!

I'm thinking I need to have a contest. Not for a prize, just for fun. Anybody got any jokes that they'd like me to post? Email them to me, please - family friendly only. And nothing disrespectful to our President. French jokes are fine, however! Even Texan jokes will be considered. However, I will try to restrain myself from posting Aggie jokes even though I am a loyal Longhorn fan - I'm actually very proud of my nephew Paul who's off at A & M. As long as he didn't pick OU and the Sooners as a school, I am happy! Although my father would probably disagree with me about OU, we always just agreed to disagree one particular weekend in October.

Easter Sunday

Halelujah! He is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

That's the greeting at church as soon as everyone is seated, we always say it and since this is Easter I felt led to post it here. Sometimes I think that the emphasis on Easter has changed, it seems like people are more interested in a rabbit and chocolate candy instead of what Easter really means and is about.

We went to church this morning, it was nice to get up and actually get dressed for a change. For the most part, I've been living in my pj's the last 2 weeks. Church was not as crowded as I expected it to be for some reason. But I still enjoyed it. After we got home, I attempted to take a nap but I never could fall asleep but I did get a nice, hour-long rest.

We had a nice meal at the local in-law's house, and Otter got more candy over there so she was happy. Peeps, peeps and more peeps! When she was little, just a couple of those things would set her up for a sugar high that would last for hours! They should carry warning labels! But they are good.

Froggy, when we talked earlier you mentioned your trip this summer to see me. I just want you to know that I am going to hold you to that promise, you have to come see me! No excuses will be accepted if you try to wiggle out of it! :) And Toadles, you should find a reason to head my direction this year too! Nobody, nobody at all from my side of the family has seen my house and we've been here nearly 3 years. I think it's about time that one of you come to see me. Past time in fact.

Good Friday

I forgot about it being Good Friday until just a little while ago. Last Good Friday, we went to church but this year we are staying home. I'm feeling much better but I still get tired easily. I did manage to get some laundry done, so I wasn't totally lazy today.

However, I did get out all by myself today! I went to the post office to check the box and I stopped at Wallyworld to get the dvd that Otter wanted for her birthday. She knew about it, I just was unable to get it before her birthday since I was in the hospital that week. She saw it when he got home from school just now, she was happy about it. Of course, I've got her doing chores at the moment so she's probably not so happy anymore!

I miss Easter Eggs! Otter is too old for them now, I think we quit that when she turned 12. But I always enjoyed dyeing them, and we always turned them into deviled eggs and I think that's what I miss. I might boil about 6 eggs so I can make deviled eggs for Sunday. Now that I think about it, that sounds like a good idea.

I found a depression glass vase at a thrift store, the week before I got sick. I posted it on eBay on Wednesday. Last time I checked, it was up to $30.00. I only paid $1.50 for it! I'm kind of amazed, I knew it would sell but I didn't think it would be that much of a profit margin. WOW!!