I had the joy of being off work yesterday. As it turned out, totally by coincidence, my husband had the day off too.
He was actually "on call" for his job, which meant if they hadn't called him to come in by 7am, then he had the day off. At 3:54am his work-cell phone rang. Groan! As it turned out, he wasn't being called to come in to work, but instead it was some dip-sh!t supervisor that called him, not realizing John wasn't already at work. Dumb a$$.
While I was already awake, I fed the cats so they wouldn't start rioting and let the dogs out to potty. I had hopes of perhaps sleeping in a little later than usual. But that was not to be. Back in bed, I finally fell asleep, only to be awakened again by the husband's cell phone around 5:30am. This time by a merchandiser wanting to know when John would arrive at the store with his delivery. Grrr! Back asleep again...
At 6:19, one minute before my alarm would normally go off, the dogs decided they weren't going to let me sleep in. It was their breakfast time and they wanted their food... now! I gave up trying to sleep and dragged my sorry arse out of bed and as I was stirring up their food, I suddenly realized it was the 30th of the month.
Oh crap! Today was my husband's birthday. How had I managed to let it sneak up on me like this? I hadn't gotten him a card, hadn't planned on baking him a birthday cake, nothing. I was literally starting to panic. He'd asked for cherry turn-overs for breakfast, so I set about fixing them. I didn't have any birthday candles, I started looking for a match as I was going to put a match in the middle of a turn-over and present that to him to blow out. Seriously folks, I was quite upset with myself for having forgotten his birthday.
As I prepared the turn-0vers, I started mulling over the situation...
Why hadn't his family mentioned anything about going to dinner (like they always do?)?
I swear I didn't remember from years past, his birthday being so close to Christmas... how had the time slipped by so quickly this year?
Then reality set in and I realized this was December, not January. I had the right day, wrong month. I really did need to go back to bed and get some more sleep (but that never happened).
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Beware of the mouse murderer!
Some of you may recall a blog I wrote earlier this month about the war I declared on some mice while I was kennel sitting...
I thought when I left that place, I left my mouse-fighting worries behind.
Several years ago we had a problem with mice in our garage. We (okay, I) finally managed to rid ourselves of all the little critters.
That is, until this past Monday evening...
I arrived home before the husband for a change. Whoever gets home first gets the chore of feeding our dogs & cats their dinner. Most times the husband arrives home first, and the "kids" are just finishing up their dinner when I get home. But, since I'd arrived first, it fell to me.
The husband did arrive home just moments after me, so he was there as well, but I set about tending to our babies. I gathered up their food bowls and carried them to the garage to measure out their food. When finished, I stacked their bowls on top of their food bin. Then I picked up the cats' food-scoop and opened the bin containing their food. Their food bin is divided down the middle, and the majority of the food was on the right-hand side, with just a small amount of food having spilled over into the left side.
I bent over to scoop their food, straightened back up, and as I prepared to close the lid, something on the bottom of the left-hand side caught my eye. It was a mouse!
I screamed louder than I think I've ever screamed before in my life, my hand containing the measured out cat food flinched and cat food went flying in the air and then came raining down on me, I slammed the lid down and ran for the house, slamming the door behind me.
I thought for sure every person within a half mile radius would've heard me scream and come running, but as it was, not even my husband under the same roof with me had heard my shriek of fear.
When I finally made him aware of the situation, I insisted he drag the food bin outside so I could kill the mouse. He wanted to know what I was going to do. I said, "I'll do to it what I did to that mouse at G's. It'll wish it had never entered our house."
I grabbed my heavy leather gloves and the flat shovel, then went and stood in the yard. John dragged the food bin to me and popped the lid open. The mouse was still huddled in the same spot I'd seen him in and we wondered for a moment if it wasn't already dead. But no, it was alive. And darn it, it was actually cute! But I had to push my "awwww how cute" thoughts aside and I lowered the shovel into the bin and started jabbing at it, every so cautiously. The mouse sprang to life and started running laps around the inside of the bin. My husband just laughed at me as I kept missing my target. Now my adrenaline was kicking in and my jabs became more furious and frantic, 'til I finally injured it enough that it laid there kicking.
By now, my friend across the street had observed my odd behavior and came over to investigate. My husband wanted to sell tickets to the show I was putting on.
One finally thrust of my shovel and I heard a crunch, and the varmint stopped kicking. Now it was the husband's duty to dispose of it.
Needless to say, we purchased a couple of mouse traps at the store that evening, which I baited with chocolate chips and placed around the garage. So far, I've not caught any more mice. I haven't seen any evidence of mice (ie: no mouse turds), so I'm hoping that one little critter was a nisolated incident.
But should we get more, I'm ready with my trusty shovel.
I thought when I left that place, I left my mouse-fighting worries behind.
Several years ago we had a problem with mice in our garage. We (okay, I) finally managed to rid ourselves of all the little critters.
That is, until this past Monday evening...
I arrived home before the husband for a change. Whoever gets home first gets the chore of feeding our dogs & cats their dinner. Most times the husband arrives home first, and the "kids" are just finishing up their dinner when I get home. But, since I'd arrived first, it fell to me.
The husband did arrive home just moments after me, so he was there as well, but I set about tending to our babies. I gathered up their food bowls and carried them to the garage to measure out their food. When finished, I stacked their bowls on top of their food bin. Then I picked up the cats' food-scoop and opened the bin containing their food. Their food bin is divided down the middle, and the majority of the food was on the right-hand side, with just a small amount of food having spilled over into the left side.
I bent over to scoop their food, straightened back up, and as I prepared to close the lid, something on the bottom of the left-hand side caught my eye. It was a mouse!
I screamed louder than I think I've ever screamed before in my life, my hand containing the measured out cat food flinched and cat food went flying in the air and then came raining down on me, I slammed the lid down and ran for the house, slamming the door behind me.
I thought for sure every person within a half mile radius would've heard me scream and come running, but as it was, not even my husband under the same roof with me had heard my shriek of fear.
When I finally made him aware of the situation, I insisted he drag the food bin outside so I could kill the mouse. He wanted to know what I was going to do. I said, "I'll do to it what I did to that mouse at G's. It'll wish it had never entered our house."
I grabbed my heavy leather gloves and the flat shovel, then went and stood in the yard. John dragged the food bin to me and popped the lid open. The mouse was still huddled in the same spot I'd seen him in and we wondered for a moment if it wasn't already dead. But no, it was alive. And darn it, it was actually cute! But I had to push my "awwww how cute" thoughts aside and I lowered the shovel into the bin and started jabbing at it, every so cautiously. The mouse sprang to life and started running laps around the inside of the bin. My husband just laughed at me as I kept missing my target. Now my adrenaline was kicking in and my jabs became more furious and frantic, 'til I finally injured it enough that it laid there kicking.
By now, my friend across the street had observed my odd behavior and came over to investigate. My husband wanted to sell tickets to the show I was putting on.
One finally thrust of my shovel and I heard a crunch, and the varmint stopped kicking. Now it was the husband's duty to dispose of it.
Needless to say, we purchased a couple of mouse traps at the store that evening, which I baited with chocolate chips and placed around the garage. So far, I've not caught any more mice. I haven't seen any evidence of mice (ie: no mouse turds), so I'm hoping that one little critter was a nisolated incident.
But should we get more, I'm ready with my trusty shovel.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Holiday letter
As we didn't do a family picture this year for our Christmas card, and due to my lack of enthusiasm for the whole holiday thing this year, I only did a re-cap letter with some photos taken throughout the year, and sent it to just a very few family and friends. Mainly those that don't know about my blog and live far away. For most of my faithful readers, this is all going to be old-news, but here is a "copy" of the Christmas letter we sent out...
Good grief!
Where has 2008 gone?
We can't believe 2009 is less than two weeks away!! (Less than 3 days now that I'm blogging this).
After Kim let her hair grow out for most of 2007, she went and had her head shaved on St. Patrick's Day when she participated in St. Baldricks.
John, while semi-retired from the fire department, still can't quite manage to sever all ties and continues to poke his head in at one station or another from time to time. He still enjoys dressing up as Sparky-the-Firedog and working at public-relation events.
Kim has continued to stay busy with her volunteer work at The Luci Center, and is loving every minute of it!
We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in August. In this day and age, we felt that was a major accomplishment and celebrated with our friends and family by renewing our wedding vows. We kept it casual with a luau themed gathering at a nearby park, complete with new wedding rings.
We managed to fit some vacation time into our busy schedules. We went to Branson in September where Olivia promptly let us know how unhappy she was being left alone for a few hours while we went shopping, and proceeded to destroy two sets of Venetian blinds. Guess we know what our pet-deposit will be used for.
John accompanied his father, aunts & uncles on their vacation and served as the "bus driver for the senior citizen tour" as he referred to it. Kim also squeezed in an all-girl road-trip with two of her dearest girl friends. They went to New Orleans to visit another of our dear friends that had moved there over the summer.
This December has been very busy as usual. John's been serving as Santa's helper at a number of events.
All the canine kids continue to do well...
Good grief!
Where has 2008 gone?
We can't believe 2009 is less than two weeks away!! (Less than 3 days now that I'm blogging this).
After Kim let her hair grow out for most of 2007, she went and had her head shaved on St. Patrick's Day when she participated in St. Baldricks.
John, while semi-retired from the fire department, still can't quite manage to sever all ties and continues to poke his head in at one station or another from time to time. He still enjoys dressing up as Sparky-the-Firedog and working at public-relation events.
Kim has continued to stay busy with her volunteer work at The Luci Center, and is loving every minute of it!
We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in August. In this day and age, we felt that was a major accomplishment and celebrated with our friends and family by renewing our wedding vows. We kept it casual with a luau themed gathering at a nearby park, complete with new wedding rings.
We managed to fit some vacation time into our busy schedules. We went to Branson in September where Olivia promptly let us know how unhappy she was being left alone for a few hours while we went shopping, and proceeded to destroy two sets of Venetian blinds. Guess we know what our pet-deposit will be used for.
John accompanied his father, aunts & uncles on their vacation and served as the "bus driver for the senior citizen tour" as he referred to it. Kim also squeezed in an all-girl road-trip with two of her dearest girl friends. They went to New Orleans to visit another of our dear friends that had moved there over the summer.
This December has been very busy as usual. John's been serving as Santa's helper at a number of events.
All the canine kids continue to do well...
Bootsy and Eliott are turning rather gray in the face as they get older, but they still act like young'n's.
From the "K" Family
~~John, Kim, Olivia, Bootsy & Eliott~~
We wish you a very Merry Christmas (or Happy Hanukkah) and a Happy New Year in 2009!!
Year-end bonus!
I got a bonus today. I wish I could say it was a monetary bonus, but alas, it's not. But I reckon it's the next best thing...
I have a floating holiday that I somehow managed to neglect taking, so I've got to take it before Thursday or lose it.
I'm thinking I'll take tomorrow off. So I'll catch y'all on Wednesday (hopefull that will just be a 1/2 day anyway).
:)
I have a floating holiday that I somehow managed to neglect taking, so I've got to take it before Thursday or lose it.
I'm thinking I'll take tomorrow off. So I'll catch y'all on Wednesday (hopefull that will just be a 1/2 day anyway).
:)
Weekend in review
Another weekend come and gone, where does the time go?
The fact that the husband had to work this morning (his normal day off) because of the holiday weeks, really threw me off.
The weather over the weekend was great, if not blustery. The wind Saturday night was strong enough to flip over our swing-set and toss our chair from the front porch into the flowerbed. At one point that afternoon, I just happened to glance out the front door in time to see the banner that normally hangs in front of our house, go tumbling along our neighbor's driveway across the street. Despite the winds, I managed to get in a good walk with all three dogs.
When I was walking Eliott, I had a couple of different neighbors that I rarely see or talk to, come out and visit for a moment. The one gentleman has been in a nursing home for the past several months and from what I had heard, wasn't expected to ever get back home, so I was very surprised to see him. He crossed the street and stopped to talk to me and as we talked, he started stroking Eliott's head. Eliott isn't always the most social of my children, but he was on his best behavior and just stood there, loving the attention, letting the frail old man rub his gnarled hands lovingly over his head. The man had had a couple of dogs, and after his wife died a couple of years ago, he and his step-daughter became estranged, and all he had left in the way of family were his two dogs. After he went in the nursing home, I believe she took the dogs away (or at least, somebody took the dogs... haven't seen them in months), so I'm sure those few minutes with Eliott did him some good. We parted ways, each of us with a smile on our face.
Sunday started off a bit on the chilly side, but quickly warmed up. Once chores were done, the farm's director wanted to try introducing Carlos (the new donkey) to the pasture with the alpacas. Three of us went out there to run interference in case things didn't go well. The alpacas kept their distance, but kept a watchful eye on the new-comer. At first Carlos just wandered around, sniffing their droppings and curling his lip. Finally he ventured towards the alpacas. They backed up a few feet. He moved in closer. Finally they took off running, with Carlos chasing. I don't think he was being malicious, more like he wanted to play, but the alpacas weren't up for the game and were scared too death. I think had they stood their ground, it would've gone better. We got between them and herded him away, caught him and took him back to his own pasture. They'll keep trying over the next several days in hopes the critters will get used to one another and eventually settle in together.
Yesterday afternoon, we pulled all the bedding off the dogs' futon, tightened all the bolts on it that the dogs jumping around had loosened, vacuumed behind & underneath of it, sucking up enough dog hair to create a 4th Great Dane. The dogs discovered toys they hadn't seen in a long time and have been having fun playing with their "new" toys.
Afterwards, it was haircut time for John & I. I shaved him on a #3, then after he'd showered and washed away the hair-bits, he shaved my head on a #4. Yes, I'm sporting a hair-do that looks like I'm one month past St. Baldricks. It really isn't a good look for me... I can do the total shave on a #1, or a bit longer at a #8, but this #4 isn't good. So needless to say I'm keeping a hat on for the next several weeks. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret cutting it that short, it's certainly easier to take care of, but in the future, unless I'm doing the St. B's, I think I'll stick to the #7 or 8.
The fact that the husband had to work this morning (his normal day off) because of the holiday weeks, really threw me off.
The weather over the weekend was great, if not blustery. The wind Saturday night was strong enough to flip over our swing-set and toss our chair from the front porch into the flowerbed. At one point that afternoon, I just happened to glance out the front door in time to see the banner that normally hangs in front of our house, go tumbling along our neighbor's driveway across the street. Despite the winds, I managed to get in a good walk with all three dogs.
When I was walking Eliott, I had a couple of different neighbors that I rarely see or talk to, come out and visit for a moment. The one gentleman has been in a nursing home for the past several months and from what I had heard, wasn't expected to ever get back home, so I was very surprised to see him. He crossed the street and stopped to talk to me and as we talked, he started stroking Eliott's head. Eliott isn't always the most social of my children, but he was on his best behavior and just stood there, loving the attention, letting the frail old man rub his gnarled hands lovingly over his head. The man had had a couple of dogs, and after his wife died a couple of years ago, he and his step-daughter became estranged, and all he had left in the way of family were his two dogs. After he went in the nursing home, I believe she took the dogs away (or at least, somebody took the dogs... haven't seen them in months), so I'm sure those few minutes with Eliott did him some good. We parted ways, each of us with a smile on our face.
Sunday started off a bit on the chilly side, but quickly warmed up. Once chores were done, the farm's director wanted to try introducing Carlos (the new donkey) to the pasture with the alpacas. Three of us went out there to run interference in case things didn't go well. The alpacas kept their distance, but kept a watchful eye on the new-comer. At first Carlos just wandered around, sniffing their droppings and curling his lip. Finally he ventured towards the alpacas. They backed up a few feet. He moved in closer. Finally they took off running, with Carlos chasing. I don't think he was being malicious, more like he wanted to play, but the alpacas weren't up for the game and were scared too death. I think had they stood their ground, it would've gone better. We got between them and herded him away, caught him and took him back to his own pasture. They'll keep trying over the next several days in hopes the critters will get used to one another and eventually settle in together.
Yesterday afternoon, we pulled all the bedding off the dogs' futon, tightened all the bolts on it that the dogs jumping around had loosened, vacuumed behind & underneath of it, sucking up enough dog hair to create a 4th Great Dane. The dogs discovered toys they hadn't seen in a long time and have been having fun playing with their "new" toys.
Afterwards, it was haircut time for John & I. I shaved him on a #3, then after he'd showered and washed away the hair-bits, he shaved my head on a #4. Yes, I'm sporting a hair-do that looks like I'm one month past St. Baldricks. It really isn't a good look for me... I can do the total shave on a #1, or a bit longer at a #8, but this #4 isn't good. So needless to say I'm keeping a hat on for the next several weeks. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret cutting it that short, it's certainly easier to take care of, but in the future, unless I'm doing the St. B's, I think I'll stick to the #7 or 8.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Introducing Carlos...
As promised last week, this is Carlos, the painted donkey. He's about 3 years old. Personally, I think "Peppy" would be a better name, but obviously he's not mine to re-name. But he is a cutey, and so incredibly soft!
Best/worst inventions
As we're drawing to the close of yet another year in our lives, I'd like to take a moment and reflect on what I feel are some of the best and worst inventions created in my life-time. These are listed in no particular order.
Photo-shop & other photography soft-ware... GREATEST! You have no idea how many times I've been able to fix some of my photos (not all, but some) and hide some of the dried dog-slobber that's on our walls, the dry-wall patches I've yet to smooth out and paint over, remove red-eye or other unwanted things/person from photos that would otherwise never have been shared or developed.
Digital Cameras... GREATEST! You've no idea how much money this has saved me now that I can instantly see how crummy a photo is and so I can now delete it instead of wasting my money developing it only to find out how bad the photo was. Aslo, sometimes a photo from a digital camera that we can down-load is nice in that we can instantly email or whatever to share with someone, but it's not necessarily a photo we'd want to print out and save for future memories.
Cell-phones... GREATEST & WORST! If cell phones had been left basic, in that they were just used to make/receive phone calls, I'd consider them Great.
They are great in emergencies, especially if people used them responsibly and remembered their manners when in public. They are great in that they're much less expensive (the monthly bill I mean) than a home phone, and that you're not tied to the house waiting for some important call that may or may not ever come.
However, when picture-taking, texting, email-sending/receiving, etc. etc. started becoming a part of our telephones, suddenly they became the Worst invention ever.
This brings me to the next invention, Texting. One of the absolute WORST!!
I think it is one of the most horrid things ever created. It's leading to a nation of thumb-injured people, cheating & lazy students which leads to serious lack of intelligence because why study when you can cheat?, inattentive drivers (both young and old), and all around rude behavior. I refuse to read any text message that comes to my phone, I automatically delete it. If a person needs to get a hold of me, they can call me and verbally speak to me.
Lysol & other brands of sanitizing wipes... the GREATEST!!! They enable me to be able to use the toilet in public and give me peace of mind. :)
Email and the Internet... the GREATEST! I love being able to keep in touch with people, whether living close by or thousands of miles away. It's enabled me to find relatives I never knew I had, keep in touch with friends/relatives I'd otherwise never have kept up with (because let's face it, the art of letter writing is a thing of the past), and a host of other good things. Unfortunately, there are those in the world that use this great tool to do bad things, commit crimes and harass others. But I like to think those people are the minority and for the most part, email & the Internet has been a good thing.
Micro-wave oven... the GREATEST! I don't really know when it was invented, but I bought my parents one in 1985, it was a huge monstrosity. I inherited it when we got married and it's still working like a dream today. Not too many appliances you can brag about working 23 years later. Even though it is rather large, I wouldn't trade my Panasonic micro-wave and it's reliability for anything! So why do I think micro-waves are so great? No secret, I love to cook. And when I do cook, I intentionally cook enough so that we will have left-overs either for our lunch or for those nights we'll be in a rush and I won't have time to cook. The micro-wave just makes it wonderful to re-heat those left-overs. :)
Navigation systems (such as Tom-Toms) for passenger vehicles... the WORST. I mean, absolute WORST!! I can understand that some people are more directionally challenged than others, but these devises are creating a nation of people that can't, or more precisely won't, learn how to read road-signs, road-maps, or follow written directions. And honestly, I wouldn't trust these devices. I've heard too many horror stories, both on the news and from actual people who've had bad experiences of their devices steering them way off course, or telling them to turn where no road even exists. Gimme a break, learn to read a map!!
A local fire department recently had a bad experience with the navigation system in one of their vehicles, and it nearly had them crashing the truck. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and also fortunate that the call was a false-alarm and it didn't end up causing a delay to save somebodies life or property.
TV's with combination DVD/VCR players built-in... GREATEST & WORST! While they are great in that it's one less piece of equipment to try and figure out how to hook-up, program, find a place for on the shelf, and have to dust (assuming you clean), however, they are the worst in that they seem to stop working before the individual accessory would, and they are a major pain in the arse to have them worked-on if they do malfunction.
SUV's... GREATEST & WORST!
I love my SUV, for that matter I've loved all three that we've had over the years. They are great to drive, great for hauling the dogs around, great for visibility in that they raise you up high enough to see around and not having you sitting low to the ground and feeling like you're going to be run over in traffic. They are to this generation of drivers what the station wagon was to our parents/grandparents, only not as ugly. But, I suppose they are one of the worst when it comes to fuel consumption, being "green", and for taking up space in the parking lots.
That's my list of favorites and not-so-favorites. I could probably add more, but I'd like to see what, if any, items you would add to the list.
Photo-shop & other photography soft-ware... GREATEST! You have no idea how many times I've been able to fix some of my photos (not all, but some) and hide some of the dried dog-slobber that's on our walls, the dry-wall patches I've yet to smooth out and paint over, remove red-eye or other unwanted things/person from photos that would otherwise never have been shared or developed.
Digital Cameras... GREATEST! You've no idea how much money this has saved me now that I can instantly see how crummy a photo is and so I can now delete it instead of wasting my money developing it only to find out how bad the photo was. Aslo, sometimes a photo from a digital camera that we can down-load is nice in that we can instantly email or whatever to share with someone, but it's not necessarily a photo we'd want to print out and save for future memories.
Cell-phones... GREATEST & WORST! If cell phones had been left basic, in that they were just used to make/receive phone calls, I'd consider them Great.
They are great in emergencies, especially if people used them responsibly and remembered their manners when in public. They are great in that they're much less expensive (the monthly bill I mean) than a home phone, and that you're not tied to the house waiting for some important call that may or may not ever come.
However, when picture-taking, texting, email-sending/receiving, etc. etc. started becoming a part of our telephones, suddenly they became the Worst invention ever.
This brings me to the next invention, Texting. One of the absolute WORST!!
I think it is one of the most horrid things ever created. It's leading to a nation of thumb-injured people, cheating & lazy students which leads to serious lack of intelligence because why study when you can cheat?, inattentive drivers (both young and old), and all around rude behavior. I refuse to read any text message that comes to my phone, I automatically delete it. If a person needs to get a hold of me, they can call me and verbally speak to me.
Lysol & other brands of sanitizing wipes... the GREATEST!!! They enable me to be able to use the toilet in public and give me peace of mind. :)
Email and the Internet... the GREATEST! I love being able to keep in touch with people, whether living close by or thousands of miles away. It's enabled me to find relatives I never knew I had, keep in touch with friends/relatives I'd otherwise never have kept up with (because let's face it, the art of letter writing is a thing of the past), and a host of other good things. Unfortunately, there are those in the world that use this great tool to do bad things, commit crimes and harass others. But I like to think those people are the minority and for the most part, email & the Internet has been a good thing.
Micro-wave oven... the GREATEST! I don't really know when it was invented, but I bought my parents one in 1985, it was a huge monstrosity. I inherited it when we got married and it's still working like a dream today. Not too many appliances you can brag about working 23 years later. Even though it is rather large, I wouldn't trade my Panasonic micro-wave and it's reliability for anything! So why do I think micro-waves are so great? No secret, I love to cook. And when I do cook, I intentionally cook enough so that we will have left-overs either for our lunch or for those nights we'll be in a rush and I won't have time to cook. The micro-wave just makes it wonderful to re-heat those left-overs. :)
Navigation systems (such as Tom-Toms) for passenger vehicles... the WORST. I mean, absolute WORST!! I can understand that some people are more directionally challenged than others, but these devises are creating a nation of people that can't, or more precisely won't, learn how to read road-signs, road-maps, or follow written directions. And honestly, I wouldn't trust these devices. I've heard too many horror stories, both on the news and from actual people who've had bad experiences of their devices steering them way off course, or telling them to turn where no road even exists. Gimme a break, learn to read a map!!
A local fire department recently had a bad experience with the navigation system in one of their vehicles, and it nearly had them crashing the truck. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and also fortunate that the call was a false-alarm and it didn't end up causing a delay to save somebodies life or property.
TV's with combination DVD/VCR players built-in... GREATEST & WORST! While they are great in that it's one less piece of equipment to try and figure out how to hook-up, program, find a place for on the shelf, and have to dust (assuming you clean), however, they are the worst in that they seem to stop working before the individual accessory would, and they are a major pain in the arse to have them worked-on if they do malfunction.
SUV's... GREATEST & WORST!
I love my SUV, for that matter I've loved all three that we've had over the years. They are great to drive, great for hauling the dogs around, great for visibility in that they raise you up high enough to see around and not having you sitting low to the ground and feeling like you're going to be run over in traffic. They are to this generation of drivers what the station wagon was to our parents/grandparents, only not as ugly. But, I suppose they are one of the worst when it comes to fuel consumption, being "green", and for taking up space in the parking lots.
That's my list of favorites and not-so-favorites. I could probably add more, but I'd like to see what, if any, items you would add to the list.
Lost and found
Christmas morning, I was headed to the farm to get my dose of fresh air and animal lovin'. As I merged onto I-64 east, I noticed along side of the road an Ab-Lounger. For those of you that don't know what an Ab-Lounger is, let me just simplify it by saying it's one of those ridiculous work-out thingies that looks and sounds too good to be true, simply because it is. It's a torture device, designed (in theory) to give you washboard abs, but in reality only breaks your back and causes you to break-wind at inopportune times. Mind you, I've never used one, but I know people that have.
Now this A/L I saw wasn't broken apart, mangled or lying on it's side, which is what you would expect if it had fallen off of, say a pick-up truck or flat-bed trailer that had been hauling it. No, instead it was sitting there, upright, just as if it was waiting for some fitness nut to drive by and decide to do a few ab-crunches before arriving at their destination and over-indulging on their holiday meal.
I wondered if it was supposed to be a Christmas gift to someone and if the recipient was going to be flabbergasted upon reaching their destination to find the gift had disappeared.
Then it occurred to me that perhaps it had already been received as a gift and the recipient, most likely some house-wife with perhaps a few pounds to spare, not wanting it had taken it out and just dumped it alongside the road along with the thoughtless husband that had unwittingly given it. The dumped spouse had then been forced to hitch-hike, leaving the Ab-Lounger, lounging beside the road.
While the Ab-Lounger is one of the more unusual items I've seen lying by the road in my years of traveling up and down the interstates, it has got me to thinking that perhaps I should stop and pick up some of these items and start a lost and found for furniture, coolers, clothing, packages of cedar shavings (I saw that one this week) from the pet store, and other miscellaneous items. If nothing else, I could start re-gifting the items that are useable and that can be cleaned-up. ;)
Now this A/L I saw wasn't broken apart, mangled or lying on it's side, which is what you would expect if it had fallen off of, say a pick-up truck or flat-bed trailer that had been hauling it. No, instead it was sitting there, upright, just as if it was waiting for some fitness nut to drive by and decide to do a few ab-crunches before arriving at their destination and over-indulging on their holiday meal.
I wondered if it was supposed to be a Christmas gift to someone and if the recipient was going to be flabbergasted upon reaching their destination to find the gift had disappeared.
Then it occurred to me that perhaps it had already been received as a gift and the recipient, most likely some house-wife with perhaps a few pounds to spare, not wanting it had taken it out and just dumped it alongside the road along with the thoughtless husband that had unwittingly given it. The dumped spouse had then been forced to hitch-hike, leaving the Ab-Lounger, lounging beside the road.
While the Ab-Lounger is one of the more unusual items I've seen lying by the road in my years of traveling up and down the interstates, it has got me to thinking that perhaps I should stop and pick up some of these items and start a lost and found for furniture, coolers, clothing, packages of cedar shavings (I saw that one this week) from the pet store, and other miscellaneous items. If nothing else, I could start re-gifting the items that are useable and that can be cleaned-up. ;)
Socks
Can anybody please explain to me, why it is, that some socks (even brand new, never before worn socks) just refuse to stay up? The darned things just insist upon sliding down your calf and gathering around your ankles. Why? Seriously, I want to know why?
Last week, I purchased a new package of socks. Thick, heavy socks that are supposed to wick away the moisture to help keep your feet dry. I bought them to wear with my boots when I work at the farm. I wore the first pair on Sunday, and they did just fine. No problems what so ever.
I put the second pair on yesterday morning, and before I'd had them on 5 minutes, they had already started sliding down. Grrr! I had to pull my pants down just to reach down in the pant leg and pull them back up. It was an on-going battle through-out the morning, and needless to say I lost. I mean honestly, you'd think with all the hair on my legs right now (it's winter, I don't shave nearly as often!!) that the stubble would act like Velcro and help hold the socks up, wouldn't you???
And I'm reminded of a package of men's low-cut socks my husband purchased back over the summer. The first pair slipped down off his heel. The second pair, the same thing. He declared them to be crap and gave them to me. Thinking it was just because his foot was bigger (and funky shaped), I gave them a try. I had the same problem. I remember once we were out walking the dogs and both socks slipped completely off my foot and became tangled around my toes in my shoes. What kind of crap-socks are these???
He gave the rest of that package to his sister, as she has small feet, thinking perhaps they'd stay on her better. I've never heard whether or not she's had any problems.
I'm thinking my new thermal socks may be turned into sock-puppets.
So how 'bout it... any of you have a thoughtful opinion on why socks do this? Or have any of your own sock horror stories to share?
Last week, I purchased a new package of socks. Thick, heavy socks that are supposed to wick away the moisture to help keep your feet dry. I bought them to wear with my boots when I work at the farm. I wore the first pair on Sunday, and they did just fine. No problems what so ever.
I put the second pair on yesterday morning, and before I'd had them on 5 minutes, they had already started sliding down. Grrr! I had to pull my pants down just to reach down in the pant leg and pull them back up. It was an on-going battle through-out the morning, and needless to say I lost. I mean honestly, you'd think with all the hair on my legs right now (it's winter, I don't shave nearly as often!!) that the stubble would act like Velcro and help hold the socks up, wouldn't you???
And I'm reminded of a package of men's low-cut socks my husband purchased back over the summer. The first pair slipped down off his heel. The second pair, the same thing. He declared them to be crap and gave them to me. Thinking it was just because his foot was bigger (and funky shaped), I gave them a try. I had the same problem. I remember once we were out walking the dogs and both socks slipped completely off my foot and became tangled around my toes in my shoes. What kind of crap-socks are these???
He gave the rest of that package to his sister, as she has small feet, thinking perhaps they'd stay on her better. I've never heard whether or not she's had any problems.
I'm thinking my new thermal socks may be turned into sock-puppets.
So how 'bout it... any of you have a thoughtful opinion on why socks do this? Or have any of your own sock horror stories to share?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
The holly is green, the berries are red,
A sprig of mistletoe hangs overhead.
Snow is falling, what a beautiful sight,
The perfect touch to this Christmas-Eve night.
The hour is late, that magical time draws near,
That time when Santa will soon appear.
Children are restless, they strain to hear,
The jingle of bells signaling Christmas is here.
The morning's still dark, the ground's covered in white,
The children arise before dawns early light.
They ooh and ahh, as they rip and tear,
And occasionally they'll even share.
Happy faces and smiles galore,
Hugs and kisses, who could ask for more?
Another Christmas, come and gone,
Happy Holidays to EVERYONE!!!!
A sprig of mistletoe hangs overhead.
Snow is falling, what a beautiful sight,
The perfect touch to this Christmas-Eve night.
The hour is late, that magical time draws near,
That time when Santa will soon appear.
Children are restless, they strain to hear,
The jingle of bells signaling Christmas is here.
The morning's still dark, the ground's covered in white,
The children arise before dawns early light.
They ooh and ahh, as they rip and tear,
And occasionally they'll even share.
Happy faces and smiles galore,
Hugs and kisses, who could ask for more?
Another Christmas, come and gone,
Happy Holidays to EVERYONE!!!!
'Tis the season - part 2
This is a follow-up to yesterdays blog regarding the stinky (cigarette smoke) gift I received.
Last night I attempted to return it to the store. The store's name and brand are printed all over the box, so it's not like I had the option of trying other stores. There was only one place I could take it.
I walked in with the box and the clerk that had seen me come through the door met me at the counter and said, "oh, that item is from last year. Hmm, it's going to be interesting to see how this works."
I explained to her that it had been a gift, so of course I had no receipt.
She scanned the bar-code and said, "well, it must be from at least 2 years ago, as it's no longer even in our system."
In other words, I was s.o.l. Couldn't return it.
I sighed and said, "Okay, the Goodwill store it is" and left.
Back out in the car I told the husband the situation and sighed again. Then I asked him, "Do you think 'so-and-so' would like it?"
He shrugged and said probably, but as a different so-&-so had a mantle, they'd probably like it better/have more use for it.
It was settled. It was being re-gifted.
I couldn't help but wonder, considering that the gift was already over 2 years old, was it something that had already been re-gifted a time or two? I wondered how many people had received this item as a gift over the past few years, and wondered how many more would yet receive it in the years to come.
Just in case you're wondering, NO, it isn't a fruitcake.
Last night I attempted to return it to the store. The store's name and brand are printed all over the box, so it's not like I had the option of trying other stores. There was only one place I could take it.
I walked in with the box and the clerk that had seen me come through the door met me at the counter and said, "oh, that item is from last year. Hmm, it's going to be interesting to see how this works."
I explained to her that it had been a gift, so of course I had no receipt.
She scanned the bar-code and said, "well, it must be from at least 2 years ago, as it's no longer even in our system."
In other words, I was s.o.l. Couldn't return it.
I sighed and said, "Okay, the Goodwill store it is" and left.
Back out in the car I told the husband the situation and sighed again. Then I asked him, "Do you think 'so-and-so' would like it?"
He shrugged and said probably, but as a different so-&-so had a mantle, they'd probably like it better/have more use for it.
It was settled. It was being re-gifted.
I couldn't help but wonder, considering that the gift was already over 2 years old, was it something that had already been re-gifted a time or two? I wondered how many people had received this item as a gift over the past few years, and wondered how many more would yet receive it in the years to come.
Just in case you're wondering, NO, it isn't a fruitcake.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Dust bunnies & a kindred spirit
There is a new woman in my life. Please, allow me to explain before your mind starts wondering where it shouldn't!
She's several years older than I, and our paths rarely cross for us to see one another face to face. I'd say we interact on the phone more than anything. And in the past, when we have come face to face, there has always been others present, so we've never really gotten to know each other very well. But this past week, I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with her, one on one, with no interruptions. After talking to her at length, I do believe she is my kindred spirit!
We nodded knowingly at one another over certain topics, and laughed (She has a contagious laugh!), shared opinions on house-cleaning (or a lack thereof), and swapped anecdotes.
She said she has two rules for anybody that comes to her house...
#1) Don't write messages in the dust on the furniture
#2) If you find a dust-bunny, feel free to take one home as a souvenir-pet.
We also share a love of animals, especially dogs and horses, is very familiar with the Luci Ctr., and always asks me about the welfare of certain horses she knew in her day that are still there. I look forward to more conversations with this bundle of energy that raises dust bunnies as pets. :)
She's several years older than I, and our paths rarely cross for us to see one another face to face. I'd say we interact on the phone more than anything. And in the past, when we have come face to face, there has always been others present, so we've never really gotten to know each other very well. But this past week, I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with her, one on one, with no interruptions. After talking to her at length, I do believe she is my kindred spirit!
We nodded knowingly at one another over certain topics, and laughed (She has a contagious laugh!), shared opinions on house-cleaning (or a lack thereof), and swapped anecdotes.
She said she has two rules for anybody that comes to her house...
#1) Don't write messages in the dust on the furniture
#2) If you find a dust-bunny, feel free to take one home as a souvenir-pet.
We also share a love of animals, especially dogs and horses, is very familiar with the Luci Ctr., and always asks me about the welfare of certain horses she knew in her day that are still there. I look forward to more conversations with this bundle of energy that raises dust bunnies as pets. :)
My apologies... and thanks.
Dear readers,
My apologies. I know I've been a bit whiny of late, more so than usual. I guess it's just all a part of my lack of enthusiasm for the holiday cheer everyone else seems to be consumed with. It gets harder and harder with each passing year for me to enjoy the holidays. That, on top of the "poor me/us" syndrome, and, well, I know I come across as being a totally negative person a lot of the time. I really do have some positive thoughts, moments, days and occurrences in my life.
Perhaps I've been conditioned by the media all these years to sensationalize the negative stuff and down-play the good... seems to work for them, eh?
As I said, I do have a lot of good in my life, and perhaps I take all those good things for granted as always being a constant in my life, and fail to mention them. So allow me to take a moment and mention some of the good (not nearly ALL the good, but some of the good), and in no particular order...
My husband of 20 years. It was 21 years ago last week he first slipped that engagement ring on my finger. I love you John!
My Great Dane babies, both past and present. They bring me more joy than any person has a right to have.
The Luci Center. Thanks to the center, it keeps me from laying around in bed on Sunday mornings, gives me a sense of peace when I'm there and a sense of purpose. I feel I learn something new every time I'm there, and hopefully if I ever get to fulfill my dream of someday having my own horse, I'll already have a fair amount of horse-sense. And on the occasions that I work with the clients, they make me smile too.
My friends, both living near and far, both emotionally near or virtual strangers living in far off states, countries &/or continents... there are too many of you to name individually. So just suffice it to say that I love you all. Whether you're a fellow blogger I've never even met or someone living across the street that I see practically every day, you each bring something to my life. And 'though we may not always agree on things, and sometimes have heated discussions/debates, we always seem to come back to making each other smile.
Our families. Both immediate and extended. It's good to be loved.
Our health. Generally, for the most part, it's good.
Our employers. In this day and age of uncertainty and hard economic times, I'm glad my husband and I still have our jobs and are still receiving a paycheck and managing to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.
I could go on and on, but won't.
Happy Holidays!
Luv,
Pitawoman
My apologies. I know I've been a bit whiny of late, more so than usual. I guess it's just all a part of my lack of enthusiasm for the holiday cheer everyone else seems to be consumed with. It gets harder and harder with each passing year for me to enjoy the holidays. That, on top of the "poor me/us" syndrome, and, well, I know I come across as being a totally negative person a lot of the time. I really do have some positive thoughts, moments, days and occurrences in my life.
Perhaps I've been conditioned by the media all these years to sensationalize the negative stuff and down-play the good... seems to work for them, eh?
As I said, I do have a lot of good in my life, and perhaps I take all those good things for granted as always being a constant in my life, and fail to mention them. So allow me to take a moment and mention some of the good (not nearly ALL the good, but some of the good), and in no particular order...
My husband of 20 years. It was 21 years ago last week he first slipped that engagement ring on my finger. I love you John!
My Great Dane babies, both past and present. They bring me more joy than any person has a right to have.
The Luci Center. Thanks to the center, it keeps me from laying around in bed on Sunday mornings, gives me a sense of peace when I'm there and a sense of purpose. I feel I learn something new every time I'm there, and hopefully if I ever get to fulfill my dream of someday having my own horse, I'll already have a fair amount of horse-sense. And on the occasions that I work with the clients, they make me smile too.
My friends, both living near and far, both emotionally near or virtual strangers living in far off states, countries &/or continents... there are too many of you to name individually. So just suffice it to say that I love you all. Whether you're a fellow blogger I've never even met or someone living across the street that I see practically every day, you each bring something to my life. And 'though we may not always agree on things, and sometimes have heated discussions/debates, we always seem to come back to making each other smile.
Our families. Both immediate and extended. It's good to be loved.
Our health. Generally, for the most part, it's good.
Our employers. In this day and age of uncertainty and hard economic times, I'm glad my husband and I still have our jobs and are still receiving a paycheck and managing to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.
I could go on and on, but won't.
Happy Holidays!
Luv,
Pitawoman
Merry Christmas honey!
I think I may have mentioned a few weeks ago (or maybe not) that my husband was having some dental work done to replace a broken crown. Something that seemed so simple has turned into quite the ordeal. He has literally been to the dentist a minimum of once a week for the past 4 weeks now (one week he went three times!). And he's not done yet!!
He had yet another appointment yesterday morning, I believe this was to be fitted or measured or some such thing, for his two new crowns. Yes, I said TWO. One turned into two because of some shoddy dental work that was done several years ago and had to be re-done recently. But that's another story for another time.
As it turned out, I also had an appointment after work yesterday for my 6-month check-up and cleaning. Since there wasn't any point in writing two checks that day for our co-pay, he told them I'd pay them when I got there. After I was done I went to the front counter to pay the co-pay. Honestly, with my cleaning, John's cleaning (his 6 month check-up was done that morning in addition to the other stuff), and the crown stuff, I was expecting to pay perhaps a couple of hundred.
Hmph!, how naive of me!!!!
When the receptionist looked at me and gave me an amount that was way above our house payment (that's in addition to the nearly $700 already spent this month), I just looked at her, not saying a word. I thought for sure she was just telling me what the grand total was before telling me what our portion of the bill would be, so I stood there, waiting. We proceeded to have a stare-down, as she just looked at me and I continued to look at her. Finally I found my voice and said, "but what's our co-pay?"
Her: that is your co-pay
Me: again speechless for several moments I reverted back to just staring at her
Me: (finally regained my voice again) Are you serious????
Her: Yes ma'am
Dental Asst. standing nearby: I was wondering what your reaction would be. I don't think your husband had any idea what the bill would be.
Me: (I just gulped and started to feel sick). I just shook my head and stammered, "I'm going to have to make payments." I offered to pay $300 then and hopefully the rest in January. They agreed... THANKFULLY!!!
When I got home and broke the news to my husband, I told him he'd better smile at people and tell them that was his Christmas present to them.
Not that there's ever a good time for these unexpected bills to arise, but darn it, why does it have to be at the holidays??
He had yet another appointment yesterday morning, I believe this was to be fitted or measured or some such thing, for his two new crowns. Yes, I said TWO. One turned into two because of some shoddy dental work that was done several years ago and had to be re-done recently. But that's another story for another time.
As it turned out, I also had an appointment after work yesterday for my 6-month check-up and cleaning. Since there wasn't any point in writing two checks that day for our co-pay, he told them I'd pay them when I got there. After I was done I went to the front counter to pay the co-pay. Honestly, with my cleaning, John's cleaning (his 6 month check-up was done that morning in addition to the other stuff), and the crown stuff, I was expecting to pay perhaps a couple of hundred.
Hmph!, how naive of me!!!!
When the receptionist looked at me and gave me an amount that was way above our house payment (that's in addition to the nearly $700 already spent this month), I just looked at her, not saying a word. I thought for sure she was just telling me what the grand total was before telling me what our portion of the bill would be, so I stood there, waiting. We proceeded to have a stare-down, as she just looked at me and I continued to look at her. Finally I found my voice and said, "but what's our co-pay?"
Her: that is your co-pay
Me: again speechless for several moments I reverted back to just staring at her
Me: (finally regained my voice again) Are you serious????
Her: Yes ma'am
Dental Asst. standing nearby: I was wondering what your reaction would be. I don't think your husband had any idea what the bill would be.
Me: (I just gulped and started to feel sick). I just shook my head and stammered, "I'm going to have to make payments." I offered to pay $300 then and hopefully the rest in January. They agreed... THANKFULLY!!!
When I got home and broke the news to my husband, I told him he'd better smile at people and tell them that was his Christmas present to them.
Not that there's ever a good time for these unexpected bills to arise, but darn it, why does it have to be at the holidays??
Monday, December 22, 2008
'Tis the season
I know we should just be gracious and grateful when someone bestows a gift upon us, but honestly, sometimes it's just too freaking hard.
There is a person in my life that absolutely insists upon giving me a gift at Christmas, and very often at my birthday. I know this person means well, and I do appreciate the thought, but I've told them repeatedly (and sincerely!) that they really shouldn't be doing that. I mean, seriously, I really wish they wouldn't.
It's not that they're spending money they can ill-afford to spend, it's just that what they give me is quite literally NOTHING I could or would ever use. I'd have thought this person would have heard me say enough over the years that I don't decorate for the holidays (meaning the Christmas-themed items they give me are of no use). I know I can always re-gift them, and last year I did... the year before that I returned it to the store for a store-credit (albeit much less than what that person paid I'm sure). But usually, I don't even like to re-gift these things, and am embarrassed to return it to the store because the gift STINKS TO HIGH-HEAVENS of cigarette smoke! Blech!!
I mean honestly, even if the gift were something I actually liked, I couldn't stand having it in my house because of how bad it smells. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. I'll take my wet-dirty-dog smelling house over stale cigarette smell any day of the week.
This person and their spouse are both heavy smokers, and as a result anything that goes into their house for more than half a second, comes out smelling something awful. It's all I can do to keep a straight face and not cough and gag while unwrapping these things. This is why I wish they just wouldn't even bother.
I don't want to hurt their feelings and tell them their gifts stink, literally, but seriously, what do I do here?? My vehicle get funkified when I have to drive these funky-smelling gifts back to the store. Help!!
There is a person in my life that absolutely insists upon giving me a gift at Christmas, and very often at my birthday. I know this person means well, and I do appreciate the thought, but I've told them repeatedly (and sincerely!) that they really shouldn't be doing that. I mean, seriously, I really wish they wouldn't.
It's not that they're spending money they can ill-afford to spend, it's just that what they give me is quite literally NOTHING I could or would ever use. I'd have thought this person would have heard me say enough over the years that I don't decorate for the holidays (meaning the Christmas-themed items they give me are of no use). I know I can always re-gift them, and last year I did... the year before that I returned it to the store for a store-credit (albeit much less than what that person paid I'm sure). But usually, I don't even like to re-gift these things, and am embarrassed to return it to the store because the gift STINKS TO HIGH-HEAVENS of cigarette smoke! Blech!!
I mean honestly, even if the gift were something I actually liked, I couldn't stand having it in my house because of how bad it smells. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. I'll take my wet-dirty-dog smelling house over stale cigarette smell any day of the week.
This person and their spouse are both heavy smokers, and as a result anything that goes into their house for more than half a second, comes out smelling something awful. It's all I can do to keep a straight face and not cough and gag while unwrapping these things. This is why I wish they just wouldn't even bother.
I don't want to hurt their feelings and tell them their gifts stink, literally, but seriously, what do I do here?? My vehicle get funkified when I have to drive these funky-smelling gifts back to the store. Help!!
Family gathering
This past Friday, my dad's side of the family got together at his brother's home.
The five siblings and their spouses, 4 of the 6 grandchildren, and 1 of 2 great-grandchildren were present, in addition to my grandmother, and my aunt-in-law's two children, spouses and two grandchildren. It was a full house!
My uncle's home is about 100 years old, built in 1905 or 1912, depending on who you ask. I suggested that perhaps they started building in 1905 and didn't finish 'til 1912, but nobody really knows. It's a neat old house, and his wife collects antiques, so it's full of little trinkets at every turn. She's a Christmas freak as well, with 10 decorated xmas trees throughout the house.
I'm the oldest of the 6 cousins, my sister (not present) is 2nd oldest. There's a big age difference between me and the 1st of our cousins, Chris. He just turned 22 last week, so I'm old enough to be his mother. All the other cousins were born after I was married, so even my husband's been in the family longer than they have. ;)
I'm not very close to my cousins, I suppose mainly because of the age difference. I was grown and married when they were just babes, so the opportunity to just "hang out" wasn't there. But now that they are adults, or will be within the next year, I'm starting to bond with them a little more over the past couple of years. I do love my cousins, even if I do seem to torment them about being a bit lazy, spoiled, or lacking in manners. I think (hope) they know I'm just picking on them and am not trying to be mean.
The vast majority of my relatives live in Indiana. One branch lives in the Carolinas, and one cousin (Chris) lives here in Kentucky, not too far from my home. I found out the other night that he now lives even closer than before as he'd moved to a home about three & a half miles up the road. Chris is a very good-natured kid and I love him too death. One of our aunts wanted to take a photo of all the cousins together so we posed on the staircase (sitting). Chris started grumbling about how it was making his rear-end hurt and when we asked why, he made the mistake of telling us he'd fallen through a glass table while wrestling with his room-mates and got glass in his ass, which he had his room-mates remove. Needless to say, he became the butt of our jokes (pun intended) for the rest of the evening.
John & I had to make our exit early, #1) because he was extremely tired from our late night the night before and had to get up early the next morning, but #2) all the cigarette smoke and potpourri around the house was wreaking havoc on my sinuses and I couldn't stand it any longer. Within 10 seconds of escaping the house and getting out into the fresh air, my sinuses were almost completely better.
While at the store on Saturday, I was looking at birthday cards and saw a thank-you card with the drawing of an ass (butt, not animal) on it. The ass had what looked like grass growing on it. When I opened it up it said "Mucho grassy-ass". Needless to say, I couldn't resist and bought the card for Chris and wrote below the mucho grassy-ass... "not to be confused with mucho glass in ass" and sent him belated birthday wishes.
I warned him when he told us about his incident, that he was providing fodder for my blog.
The five siblings and their spouses, 4 of the 6 grandchildren, and 1 of 2 great-grandchildren were present, in addition to my grandmother, and my aunt-in-law's two children, spouses and two grandchildren. It was a full house!
My uncle's home is about 100 years old, built in 1905 or 1912, depending on who you ask. I suggested that perhaps they started building in 1905 and didn't finish 'til 1912, but nobody really knows. It's a neat old house, and his wife collects antiques, so it's full of little trinkets at every turn. She's a Christmas freak as well, with 10 decorated xmas trees throughout the house.
I'm the oldest of the 6 cousins, my sister (not present) is 2nd oldest. There's a big age difference between me and the 1st of our cousins, Chris. He just turned 22 last week, so I'm old enough to be his mother. All the other cousins were born after I was married, so even my husband's been in the family longer than they have. ;)
I'm not very close to my cousins, I suppose mainly because of the age difference. I was grown and married when they were just babes, so the opportunity to just "hang out" wasn't there. But now that they are adults, or will be within the next year, I'm starting to bond with them a little more over the past couple of years. I do love my cousins, even if I do seem to torment them about being a bit lazy, spoiled, or lacking in manners. I think (hope) they know I'm just picking on them and am not trying to be mean.
The vast majority of my relatives live in Indiana. One branch lives in the Carolinas, and one cousin (Chris) lives here in Kentucky, not too far from my home. I found out the other night that he now lives even closer than before as he'd moved to a home about three & a half miles up the road. Chris is a very good-natured kid and I love him too death. One of our aunts wanted to take a photo of all the cousins together so we posed on the staircase (sitting). Chris started grumbling about how it was making his rear-end hurt and when we asked why, he made the mistake of telling us he'd fallen through a glass table while wrestling with his room-mates and got glass in his ass, which he had his room-mates remove. Needless to say, he became the butt of our jokes (pun intended) for the rest of the evening.
John & I had to make our exit early, #1) because he was extremely tired from our late night the night before and had to get up early the next morning, but #2) all the cigarette smoke and potpourri around the house was wreaking havoc on my sinuses and I couldn't stand it any longer. Within 10 seconds of escaping the house and getting out into the fresh air, my sinuses were almost completely better.
While at the store on Saturday, I was looking at birthday cards and saw a thank-you card with the drawing of an ass (butt, not animal) on it. The ass had what looked like grass growing on it. When I opened it up it said "Mucho grassy-ass". Needless to say, I couldn't resist and bought the card for Chris and wrote below the mucho grassy-ass... "not to be confused with mucho glass in ass" and sent him belated birthday wishes.
I warned him when he told us about his incident, that he was providing fodder for my blog.
Holiday cheer & other misc. stuff
I desperately need to get my car worked on. I'm not sure what's going on, but in the past couple of weeks it's gone from getting 28 mpg down to 22 mpg, and I think even less now. :( It's almost as though there's a hole in the gas tank, which I know there isn't and it's not being syphoned, just getting sucky mileage. :(
I had the best of intentions to get up early Saturday morning and take it to the mechanic, but I forgot to set the alarm and didn't get up early enough. Instead, I lazed in bed for a while, then finally drug myself out of bed, got cleaned up and went to Walmart to experience some holiday attitude.
While navigating the aisles at the store, to pick up the few remaining ingredients I needed so I could bake some goodies, I was surprised at how empty the store actually was. The store seemed eerily quiet, especially for being so close to a major holiday. One little old lady had stopped in the center aisle to look at some baking goods and her cart was sticking out across the aisle. Now admittedly, she should've had her cart turned the other way and pulled over so as not to block the aisle, but she wasn't blocking it so completely that others couldn't get by, just enough to make it inconvenient for others. Just as I was approaching her from her left, a man approached from her right, maneuvered around her cart, and hatefully spit the words out: Move your cart!!! Obviously the man was full of holiday cheer, bah-humbug! Honestly, he could just as easily have said, "excuse me, could you move your cart over?" But his holiday-cheer was apparently infectious as the old woman shot him a hateful glare. Ah yes, I was feeling the love of mankind. Ain't it great? I just stood back and waited for him to get outta my way so I could then maneuver around her, as she now seemed determined to leave her cart planted in position, blocking the path of everybody else that wanted by.
Once at home, I cleared off the kitchen counter and disinfected it before beginning to bake. Of course, it is now once again a disaster area, but it was nice while it lasted. Throughout the course of the day, I baked 27 loaves of banana-nut bread and 7 dozen peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies. By the end of the day, my back was aching big-time! I ran out of sugar, one cup short of what I needed and had to borrow a cup from the neighbor. Before going to bed, I drug out my largest crock-pot (7 qrt) and tossed in the ingredients to make chili.
Sunday morning it was frigidly cold outside. With the windchill it was about 10 degrees. Can you say, Brrrrrr!!!?? On the rare occasions the wind would stop blowing, it was actually almost pleasant to be outside, as long as the sun was shining. We tended to the animals who seemed totally unaffected by the frigid temperatures. I'd taken my camera to get pictures of Carlos, but when I went to snap his photo, I suddenly realized I'd forgotten to replace the dead batteries from the other night, so no photos. I'll have to wait 'til next time. :(
Back home, I baked a loaf of Coke-bread and then we loaded up the car and took dinner up to the firehouse.
For that hour or so I was at the firehouse, fixing the pasta for the chili and getting out the bowls in preparation of the meal, it felt like old-times at the firehouse. It felt good to be back in that kitchen where I've spent many hours over the years, preparing many meals at all hours of the day & night for the firefighters. I was reminded of the good ol' days, back when it felt like family, everyone got along, politics weren't involved, and I felt good & appreciated, serving some kind of purpose at the station. There were 11 of us eating the dinner, and every bit of the chili was devoured. Even one bona fide, hard-core vegetarian ate the chili (okay, he picked the meat out, but let's face it, the beef fat was in there). The guys offered to pay me out of their meal-fund, but I just asked that if our house ever caught fire, they'd come quicker and be sure to rescue my babies. ;)
I was bone weary by the time we got home but felt good inside. I was in bed by 7pm and asleep in no time.
I had the best of intentions to get up early Saturday morning and take it to the mechanic, but I forgot to set the alarm and didn't get up early enough. Instead, I lazed in bed for a while, then finally drug myself out of bed, got cleaned up and went to Walmart to experience some holiday attitude.
While navigating the aisles at the store, to pick up the few remaining ingredients I needed so I could bake some goodies, I was surprised at how empty the store actually was. The store seemed eerily quiet, especially for being so close to a major holiday. One little old lady had stopped in the center aisle to look at some baking goods and her cart was sticking out across the aisle. Now admittedly, she should've had her cart turned the other way and pulled over so as not to block the aisle, but she wasn't blocking it so completely that others couldn't get by, just enough to make it inconvenient for others. Just as I was approaching her from her left, a man approached from her right, maneuvered around her cart, and hatefully spit the words out: Move your cart!!! Obviously the man was full of holiday cheer, bah-humbug! Honestly, he could just as easily have said, "excuse me, could you move your cart over?" But his holiday-cheer was apparently infectious as the old woman shot him a hateful glare. Ah yes, I was feeling the love of mankind. Ain't it great? I just stood back and waited for him to get outta my way so I could then maneuver around her, as she now seemed determined to leave her cart planted in position, blocking the path of everybody else that wanted by.
Once at home, I cleared off the kitchen counter and disinfected it before beginning to bake. Of course, it is now once again a disaster area, but it was nice while it lasted. Throughout the course of the day, I baked 27 loaves of banana-nut bread and 7 dozen peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies. By the end of the day, my back was aching big-time! I ran out of sugar, one cup short of what I needed and had to borrow a cup from the neighbor. Before going to bed, I drug out my largest crock-pot (7 qrt) and tossed in the ingredients to make chili.
Sunday morning it was frigidly cold outside. With the windchill it was about 10 degrees. Can you say, Brrrrrr!!!?? On the rare occasions the wind would stop blowing, it was actually almost pleasant to be outside, as long as the sun was shining. We tended to the animals who seemed totally unaffected by the frigid temperatures. I'd taken my camera to get pictures of Carlos, but when I went to snap his photo, I suddenly realized I'd forgotten to replace the dead batteries from the other night, so no photos. I'll have to wait 'til next time. :(
Back home, I baked a loaf of Coke-bread and then we loaded up the car and took dinner up to the firehouse.
For that hour or so I was at the firehouse, fixing the pasta for the chili and getting out the bowls in preparation of the meal, it felt like old-times at the firehouse. It felt good to be back in that kitchen where I've spent many hours over the years, preparing many meals at all hours of the day & night for the firefighters. I was reminded of the good ol' days, back when it felt like family, everyone got along, politics weren't involved, and I felt good & appreciated, serving some kind of purpose at the station. There were 11 of us eating the dinner, and every bit of the chili was devoured. Even one bona fide, hard-core vegetarian ate the chili (okay, he picked the meat out, but let's face it, the beef fat was in there). The guys offered to pay me out of their meal-fund, but I just asked that if our house ever caught fire, they'd come quicker and be sure to rescue my babies. ;)
I was bone weary by the time we got home but felt good inside. I was in bed by 7pm and asleep in no time.
Friday, December 19, 2008
New addition to the family
There's been a new addition to the family.
Relax, not to our family. But rather to the Luci Center family.
Upon our arrival last night, we walked into the stables, not really sure where the spa-event was going to be held. It was eerily quiet considering all the critters that were inside for the night. Obviously I'm not used to being there at that time of night while they sleep. Normally when I'm there with a barn full of horses, they're practically rioting because they want to be fed &/or let out.
I stepped into the aisle-way, peering to my left and right for signs of human life. As I glanced to the left, an unfamiliar head peered out between the bars of one of the stalls that's normally empty. I mused out loud to the husband that I didn't recognize that creature, but I didn't take time to dwell on the strange face that was much shorter than any of the other horses, 'cept for the 2 miniatures, and it was too tall to be them.
We hung a right and headed towards the lounge and then went upstairs to the apartment. After a few minutes, I heard someone ask if we'd seen "Carlos".
Who is Carlos? I asked.
Carlos is the new addition to the farm.
Ah, the strange face I'd seen.
Carlos is a painted donkey.
On the way out last night, I stopped to say "hello" and meet the newest family member. I was expecting nothing more than a taller version of Ty Bug, the miniature Sicilian donkey. Ty Bug's coat is extremely coarse, and really not very pleasant to the touch in my opinion.
But OMG!, Carlos' coat couldn't be any different!! He is soooo soft!!!! And what a sweety! I just fell in love with him. I can't wait 'til this Sunday when I can see him in the daylight and get a good look at him. Hopefully I'll have pix of the new kid on the block come Monday.
Relax, not to our family. But rather to the Luci Center family.
Upon our arrival last night, we walked into the stables, not really sure where the spa-event was going to be held. It was eerily quiet considering all the critters that were inside for the night. Obviously I'm not used to being there at that time of night while they sleep. Normally when I'm there with a barn full of horses, they're practically rioting because they want to be fed &/or let out.
I stepped into the aisle-way, peering to my left and right for signs of human life. As I glanced to the left, an unfamiliar head peered out between the bars of one of the stalls that's normally empty. I mused out loud to the husband that I didn't recognize that creature, but I didn't take time to dwell on the strange face that was much shorter than any of the other horses, 'cept for the 2 miniatures, and it was too tall to be them.
We hung a right and headed towards the lounge and then went upstairs to the apartment. After a few minutes, I heard someone ask if we'd seen "Carlos".
Who is Carlos? I asked.
Carlos is the new addition to the farm.
Ah, the strange face I'd seen.
Carlos is a painted donkey.
On the way out last night, I stopped to say "hello" and meet the newest family member. I was expecting nothing more than a taller version of Ty Bug, the miniature Sicilian donkey. Ty Bug's coat is extremely coarse, and really not very pleasant to the touch in my opinion.
But OMG!, Carlos' coat couldn't be any different!! He is soooo soft!!!! And what a sweety! I just fell in love with him. I can't wait 'til this Sunday when I can see him in the daylight and get a good look at him. Hopefully I'll have pix of the new kid on the block come Monday.
Stop the insanity!!
Darned chaotic weather!
Only in the Ohio-Valley can you have snow and ice with temps below freezing one day, and then within 48 hours have temps hovering around 60, warm enough to wear shorts! And with wind-gusts that remind me of when Hurricane Ike blew through town a few months ago. This crazy weather is wreaking havoc with my sinuses big time!! I've got the window open at work because it's so durned hot in here, and as a result, I've hardly quit sneezing this morning. Stop the insanity!! If it's winter time, then we need to have winter weather!
Only in the Ohio-Valley can you have snow and ice with temps below freezing one day, and then within 48 hours have temps hovering around 60, warm enough to wear shorts! And with wind-gusts that remind me of when Hurricane Ike blew through town a few months ago. This crazy weather is wreaking havoc with my sinuses big time!! I've got the window open at work because it's so durned hot in here, and as a result, I've hardly quit sneezing this morning. Stop the insanity!! If it's winter time, then we need to have winter weather!
Weekend pre-view
Finally, a weekend this month without a banquet or party to go to. That's not to say we (or at least, I) won't be busy.
In addition to our usual things that keep us busy... the church bowling league Saturday night, John working @ Coke on Sunday, I'll be at the farm Sunday a.m....
I'm planning on spending Saturday baking. Guess what some of you will be getting for Christmas! ;)
Sunday, I'm fixing dinner for the duty-crew that's working at the firehouse and I suppose anybody else that wants to show up.
On the menu: My version of chili (which was requested), I'm thinking some Coca-Cola bread & jalapeno oil for dipping, and fresh banana-nut bread for dessert.... guess I'll have to put that diet off a few more days. **sigh**
Is it New Years yet?
In addition to our usual things that keep us busy... the church bowling league Saturday night, John working @ Coke on Sunday, I'll be at the farm Sunday a.m....
I'm planning on spending Saturday baking. Guess what some of you will be getting for Christmas! ;)
Sunday, I'm fixing dinner for the duty-crew that's working at the firehouse and I suppose anybody else that wants to show up.
On the menu: My version of chili (which was requested), I'm thinking some Coca-Cola bread & jalapeno oil for dipping, and fresh banana-nut bread for dessert.... guess I'll have to put that diet off a few more days. **sigh**
Is it New Years yet?
Spa-oiling ourselves
Last evening TLC's volunteers and parents of the clients were invited to a spa-treatment for a bit of pampering, de-stressing, and spoiling ourselves.
But before the pampering began, we were treated to a spread of snacks. Let's face it, we have our priorities!
pictured left: volunteer, Paulette, center: farm's director, Paula, and right: volunteer, Genia
pictured left: sorry, don't know her name, Center: therapy riding instructor, Eileen and right: former volunteer turned client, Susie
We were treated to warm neck-wraps, facials, hand massages, foot treatments, exfoliating-pore opening-moisturizing-aromatherapy and you-name-it-we-got-it royal treatment, and a visit from Santa Claus...
Paula & I were the only ones brave enough to sit on Santa's lap.
I just love being Mrs. Claus. **swoon**
Pictured left: volunteer, Barb, center: Paulette, and right: volunteer, Sally
Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died before I could take anymore pictures.
Thanks to Gina, Tracy & Jennifer (hope I got all those names right) for taking such good care of us!
But before the pampering began, we were treated to a spread of snacks. Let's face it, we have our priorities!
pictured left: volunteer, Paulette, center: farm's director, Paula, and right: volunteer, Genia
pictured left: sorry, don't know her name, Center: therapy riding instructor, Eileen and right: former volunteer turned client, Susie
We were treated to warm neck-wraps, facials, hand massages, foot treatments, exfoliating-pore opening-moisturizing-aromatherapy and you-name-it-we-got-it royal treatment, and a visit from Santa Claus...
Paula & I were the only ones brave enough to sit on Santa's lap.
I just love being Mrs. Claus. **swoon**
Pictured left: volunteer, Barb, center: Paulette, and right: volunteer, Sally
Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died before I could take anymore pictures.
Thanks to Gina, Tracy & Jennifer (hope I got all those names right) for taking such good care of us!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Childhood Christmas toys
While reading over at greeneyedmomma's blog about the baby-alive doll, it got me to thinking about some of the toys I did receive as a child (may or may not have been for xmas, don't rightly remember for sure). So I thought I'd take a moment to list a few of the more memorable ones, the ones I'd like to forget, and perhaps the ones that never came to be...
Favorites received:
Henry dog (still have him)
blue bicycle w/banana seat
silver 10-speed (only just got rid of that one about 3 years ago)
Barbies
Barbie townhouse
Barbie swimming pool
Barbie motor-home
Barbie clothes, mostly handmade by my grandmother... my Barbies had the largest, most varied wardrobe around!
Board games (many over the years) and jigsaw puzzles (again, many over the years)... I still love to play/work them and keep adding to my collection. :)
The baby-doll that road around in the little convertible volkswagon.
The small, poseable Holly-Hobby doll and her gazebo
The Holly-Hobby ragdoll... I think I might still have her (somewhere in the depths of my house).
The McDonald-land thingy with the McD characters (Hamburgler, Ronald, Mayor McCheese & Grimace, who I still have, someplace), they rode around in a little train.
The McDonald fast-food game
Lincoln Logs
Received, not-so-favorites:
The Levi denim doll
The dusting powder I received numerous times.
The home-made dancing doll and the matching dress for me. That was the 2nd ugliest item of clothing I can remember having received as a child (2nd only to the next item on my list).
The horrid red & black cover-alls my grandmother made for me when I was in 3rd grade (I think). It was an ugly nightmare and a true pain in the ass when I had to go to the bathroom!!
The smocks my grandmother made, except for the one with the apple on the pocket w/a worm coming out of it, I liked that one. The others not so much.
The radio-cassette player... granted I used it 'til it fell apart, but it wasn't quite the boom box that was in style. :(
The several sets of tea-cups, saucers and little plastic dishes. Why did I receive so many sets? Probably why I don't like doing the dishes now, I have flashbacks!
Those plastic baby dolls that were basically pointless with their semi-hard plastic bodies, moveable yet stiff arms & legs and the eyes that rolled back in their heads when you layed them down, until the eyes stopped working and one would stay half-open, staring at you like some freaky doll from the movie Chucky.
The coveted ones I never received:
Betty Crocker Easy Bake Oven... it's probably just as well I never received it, I might not enjoy cooking as much as I do now if I'd gotten it out of my system back then. (Sister got one, but not me)
Sno-cone maker
Twister. I fear if I tried to play that game now, I'd throw my back out permanently. :(
Erector set.
Tinker Toys (sister got them, but not me)
Play-dough factories (any of them). Got lots of play-dough, just not the factories. (Sister got one, but not me).
Light brite (sister got one, but not me).
Anybody care to comment and list some of their favorites, not so favorites, or the ones that got away?
Favorites received:
Henry dog (still have him)
blue bicycle w/banana seat
silver 10-speed (only just got rid of that one about 3 years ago)
Barbies
Barbie townhouse
Barbie swimming pool
Barbie motor-home
Barbie clothes, mostly handmade by my grandmother... my Barbies had the largest, most varied wardrobe around!
Board games (many over the years) and jigsaw puzzles (again, many over the years)... I still love to play/work them and keep adding to my collection. :)
The baby-doll that road around in the little convertible volkswagon.
The small, poseable Holly-Hobby doll and her gazebo
The Holly-Hobby ragdoll... I think I might still have her (somewhere in the depths of my house).
The McDonald-land thingy with the McD characters (Hamburgler, Ronald, Mayor McCheese & Grimace, who I still have, someplace), they rode around in a little train.
The McDonald fast-food game
Lincoln Logs
Received, not-so-favorites:
The Levi denim doll
The dusting powder I received numerous times.
The home-made dancing doll and the matching dress for me. That was the 2nd ugliest item of clothing I can remember having received as a child (2nd only to the next item on my list).
The horrid red & black cover-alls my grandmother made for me when I was in 3rd grade (I think). It was an ugly nightmare and a true pain in the ass when I had to go to the bathroom!!
The smocks my grandmother made, except for the one with the apple on the pocket w/a worm coming out of it, I liked that one. The others not so much.
The radio-cassette player... granted I used it 'til it fell apart, but it wasn't quite the boom box that was in style. :(
The several sets of tea-cups, saucers and little plastic dishes. Why did I receive so many sets? Probably why I don't like doing the dishes now, I have flashbacks!
Those plastic baby dolls that were basically pointless with their semi-hard plastic bodies, moveable yet stiff arms & legs and the eyes that rolled back in their heads when you layed them down, until the eyes stopped working and one would stay half-open, staring at you like some freaky doll from the movie Chucky.
The coveted ones I never received:
Betty Crocker Easy Bake Oven... it's probably just as well I never received it, I might not enjoy cooking as much as I do now if I'd gotten it out of my system back then. (Sister got one, but not me)
Sno-cone maker
Twister. I fear if I tried to play that game now, I'd throw my back out permanently. :(
Erector set.
Tinker Toys (sister got them, but not me)
Play-dough factories (any of them). Got lots of play-dough, just not the factories. (Sister got one, but not me).
Light brite (sister got one, but not me).
Anybody care to comment and list some of their favorites, not so favorites, or the ones that got away?
**Swoon**
My cell phone rang early this morning, about 6:14 to be exact.
When it started going off, I actually thought it was the alarm and I grabbed the phone to silence the alarm. Good thing I actually took a moment to glance at the phone (which I don't normally do), 'cause it wasn't quite time to get up and it was my hubby calling.
I feared he was calling to tell me something bad, otherwise, why would ANYBODY call someone that early in the morning???
I answered the phone and he said, "Are you okay?"
I'm thinking to myself, 'why is he asking this? Did I try to call him in my sleep and then hang-up, thus causing worry?'
I answered hesitantly, "yeah, why?"
He had his fire-pager with him and heard the dispatch for a plane that had crashed near our home. The first dispatch had the plane going down slightly northeast of our house, the second dispatch was slightly southwest.
**Swoon!** My heart melted a bit at the thought of him loving me so much that he called to check on my safety.
But then as more of my sleepy-state left my brain, I thought to myself, 'he was probably more concerned about the dogs and his Santa suit, and since the dogs can't answer the phone, he had to make do with talking to me'. ;)
I'm joking of course... I know my husband loves me. :)
And we were safe. The plane crashed about 1 mile southwest of us at a local golf-course. Unfortunately, the pilot died in the accident. My heart breaks for his family.
When it started going off, I actually thought it was the alarm and I grabbed the phone to silence the alarm. Good thing I actually took a moment to glance at the phone (which I don't normally do), 'cause it wasn't quite time to get up and it was my hubby calling.
I feared he was calling to tell me something bad, otherwise, why would ANYBODY call someone that early in the morning???
I answered the phone and he said, "Are you okay?"
I'm thinking to myself, 'why is he asking this? Did I try to call him in my sleep and then hang-up, thus causing worry?'
I answered hesitantly, "yeah, why?"
He had his fire-pager with him and heard the dispatch for a plane that had crashed near our home. The first dispatch had the plane going down slightly northeast of our house, the second dispatch was slightly southwest.
**Swoon!** My heart melted a bit at the thought of him loving me so much that he called to check on my safety.
But then as more of my sleepy-state left my brain, I thought to myself, 'he was probably more concerned about the dogs and his Santa suit, and since the dogs can't answer the phone, he had to make do with talking to me'. ;)
I'm joking of course... I know my husband loves me. :)
And we were safe. The plane crashed about 1 mile southwest of us at a local golf-course. Unfortunately, the pilot died in the accident. My heart breaks for his family.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Return or re-gift?
I've been known to re-gift from time to time. Sometimes charities or the local landfill is the recipient of some gifts we receive, but from time to time (not often, but occasionally) we'll re-gift.
While at a function a couple of weeks ago, we won a doorprize. While it's not cheap... let me correct that, while it's not inexpensive, it is of a cheap quality.
I've purchased an item from the manufacturer of said item in the past, and researched other items before deciding NOT to purchase. The quality of this companies merchandise is rather questionable.
Now, the item we received, even if it had been from a more reputable and reliable company, is still not something we would have ever wanted. We literally have NO use for this item. Neither of us has any interest in it what-so-ever!
I've been doing a lot of searching on the 'net this week, looking for a store within 25 miles that sells this product that we could return it to. I've even written the manufacturer asking for their assistance, but got none (just one more example of how shoddy this company is). I've found two stores that carry this item, but not in-store. The item is only sold from their on-line service. Grrr!
I called both stores asking how to go about returning something purchased on-line. One store wouldn't accept such returns, but told me to go on-line and request a return shipping label. I went on-line and read their policy, only to discover I had to have the original shipping invoice, and that instead of being given a store credit (or a refund would've been even better), they would credit the purchaser's credit card. GRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The other store would accept the return in-store, but asked for the original invoice. I explained it was a gift and didn't have the invoice. She finally said they could take it, but we'd be given a store credit. Okay, fine, I could live with that. But considering this store is in a part of town we rarely venture in to and it's to a store we venture in to even less, I'm feeling this will probably be a waste of time/effort as well.
My co-worker suggested we re-gift the item.
Now, had the gift been of a better quality, I would consider it. But considering my past experience with this manufacturer, I just can't re-gift this in good conscience. And what if it doesn't work properly and the recipient asks us for a receipt so they can return it? Not only would they be s.o.l., I'd feel bad having done that to them.
I can see this item going into the yard-sale pile for the yard-sale we never seem to have.
While at a function a couple of weeks ago, we won a doorprize. While it's not cheap... let me correct that, while it's not inexpensive, it is of a cheap quality.
I've purchased an item from the manufacturer of said item in the past, and researched other items before deciding NOT to purchase. The quality of this companies merchandise is rather questionable.
Now, the item we received, even if it had been from a more reputable and reliable company, is still not something we would have ever wanted. We literally have NO use for this item. Neither of us has any interest in it what-so-ever!
I've been doing a lot of searching on the 'net this week, looking for a store within 25 miles that sells this product that we could return it to. I've even written the manufacturer asking for their assistance, but got none (just one more example of how shoddy this company is). I've found two stores that carry this item, but not in-store. The item is only sold from their on-line service. Grrr!
I called both stores asking how to go about returning something purchased on-line. One store wouldn't accept such returns, but told me to go on-line and request a return shipping label. I went on-line and read their policy, only to discover I had to have the original shipping invoice, and that instead of being given a store credit (or a refund would've been even better), they would credit the purchaser's credit card. GRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The other store would accept the return in-store, but asked for the original invoice. I explained it was a gift and didn't have the invoice. She finally said they could take it, but we'd be given a store credit. Okay, fine, I could live with that. But considering this store is in a part of town we rarely venture in to and it's to a store we venture in to even less, I'm feeling this will probably be a waste of time/effort as well.
My co-worker suggested we re-gift the item.
Now, had the gift been of a better quality, I would consider it. But considering my past experience with this manufacturer, I just can't re-gift this in good conscience. And what if it doesn't work properly and the recipient asks us for a receipt so they can return it? Not only would they be s.o.l., I'd feel bad having done that to them.
I can see this item going into the yard-sale pile for the yard-sale we never seem to have.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
TMI?
There are some things that shouldn't be done in mixed company if at all possible.
Now the word "mixed" in that sentence is open to interpretation, depending on the situation.
There are some things you can or will do in front of your spouse that you wouldn't or SHOULDN'T do in front of other people... so "mixed" would be defined as: any non-spousal persons.
There are some things you can or will do in front of friends of the same sex that you wouldn't or SHOULDN'T do in front of others of the opposite sex... do I really need to define "mixed" here?
There are some things you can or will do in front of close friends, relatives or your family doctor, but probably wouldn't, or SHOULDN'T do in front of other people... so perhaps "mixed" in this case could be defined as, shall we say, um, co-workers.
Burps should be kept to a bare minimum in any kind of mixed company, but especially outside of immediate family or the closest of friends. If you feel one coming on, try to cover your mouth and muffle it and then promptly say "excuse me" afterwards. I do my best to keep mine quiet, but if one sneaks up unexpectedly, then I quickly excuse myself. I wish I could say the same for my husband and most of his relatives. :(
Okay, I will admit that yesterday, after much bickering back and forth with the boss, like an old married couple, I finally belched at him from within my cubicle and said, "take that". Rather juvenile I know, but at least I excused myself afterwards. ;)
Butt-burps (okay, farts). **sigh**, this could really turn into a long blog, but I'll try to keep it short. If you feel one coming on and you're not alone, is it asking too much to try and evacuate to a private place to let it escape? This really shouldn't, and I can't emphasise SHOULDN'T enough, be done in ANY kind of mixed company.
My only concession on this is if you're in a really crowded situation and it's noisy enough you can let it escape without anyone hearing it. I think it's fair-game in this case. On rare occasion, a butt-burp will slip out without warning, and it seems as if it usually happens at a most inopportune time. I admit, it's happened to me. Usually with much reddening of the face, but I still manage to say "excuse me". Again, many of my in-laws seem to take sport in trying to gross out the others that are present and rarely say excuse me, and only then if someone (usually me) takes issue with it.
Tugging of the underwear, crotch scratching, and fondling of the family jewels(by men that is).
While it would be nice if we did these things in private or at the very least, as discretely as possible, you have to admit that at times you just have to dig that underwear out from between your cheeks. To heck with those that may have to witness you digging for your undies. Scratching, well, seriously, let's try to keep that, if not private, at least only done in the presence of immediate family. And the men-folks habit of fondling their package... what's up with that? Are they checking to make sure it's still in tact? Or does their stuff just shift around that much that they are uncomfortable? Perhaps they need to try some different underwear that holds the "stuff" in place a little better. Maybe they think this is a turn-on for women? I hate to inform them, it's not!! Stop fiddling with the family jewels!!
Moving on...
Talking on the phone to your doctor about your ailments, or calling to make an appointment with a specialist on the advice of your doctor...
Depending on the ailment and type of doctor, depends on what is acceptable "mixed" company.
Dental appointments or eye exams, I think these are basically acceptable in any form of mixed company.
Aching joints, muscles, headaches, high blood pressure, broken bones, these too I think are acceptable in mixed company.
Women making appointments with their o.b.g.y.n.... if it can't be done in private, then only in the presence of other women or spouse.
Men making appointments with a urologist... if it can't be done in private, then only in the presence of other men or spouse.
Anybody making an appointment with a doctor/hospital to get a colonoscopy... if you're just making the appointment, and that's it, then in the presence of a spouse or close friend(s) (preferably of the same sex). But if you're going to start describing to the person at the doctors office why you're making the appointment and describing your symptoms, then seriously folks, you need to make that call in private. Nobody else wants to hear that you're either constipated, have diarrhea, or a major problem with flatulence... I mean NOBODY, especially not your co-workers.
Now the word "mixed" in that sentence is open to interpretation, depending on the situation.
There are some things you can or will do in front of your spouse that you wouldn't or SHOULDN'T do in front of other people... so "mixed" would be defined as: any non-spousal persons.
There are some things you can or will do in front of friends of the same sex that you wouldn't or SHOULDN'T do in front of others of the opposite sex... do I really need to define "mixed" here?
There are some things you can or will do in front of close friends, relatives or your family doctor, but probably wouldn't, or SHOULDN'T do in front of other people... so perhaps "mixed" in this case could be defined as, shall we say, um, co-workers.
Burps should be kept to a bare minimum in any kind of mixed company, but especially outside of immediate family or the closest of friends. If you feel one coming on, try to cover your mouth and muffle it and then promptly say "excuse me" afterwards. I do my best to keep mine quiet, but if one sneaks up unexpectedly, then I quickly excuse myself. I wish I could say the same for my husband and most of his relatives. :(
Okay, I will admit that yesterday, after much bickering back and forth with the boss, like an old married couple, I finally belched at him from within my cubicle and said, "take that". Rather juvenile I know, but at least I excused myself afterwards. ;)
Butt-burps (okay, farts). **sigh**, this could really turn into a long blog, but I'll try to keep it short. If you feel one coming on and you're not alone, is it asking too much to try and evacuate to a private place to let it escape? This really shouldn't, and I can't emphasise SHOULDN'T enough, be done in ANY kind of mixed company.
My only concession on this is if you're in a really crowded situation and it's noisy enough you can let it escape without anyone hearing it. I think it's fair-game in this case. On rare occasion, a butt-burp will slip out without warning, and it seems as if it usually happens at a most inopportune time. I admit, it's happened to me. Usually with much reddening of the face, but I still manage to say "excuse me". Again, many of my in-laws seem to take sport in trying to gross out the others that are present and rarely say excuse me, and only then if someone (usually me) takes issue with it.
Tugging of the underwear, crotch scratching, and fondling of the family jewels(by men that is).
While it would be nice if we did these things in private or at the very least, as discretely as possible, you have to admit that at times you just have to dig that underwear out from between your cheeks. To heck with those that may have to witness you digging for your undies. Scratching, well, seriously, let's try to keep that, if not private, at least only done in the presence of immediate family. And the men-folks habit of fondling their package... what's up with that? Are they checking to make sure it's still in tact? Or does their stuff just shift around that much that they are uncomfortable? Perhaps they need to try some different underwear that holds the "stuff" in place a little better. Maybe they think this is a turn-on for women? I hate to inform them, it's not!! Stop fiddling with the family jewels!!
Moving on...
Talking on the phone to your doctor about your ailments, or calling to make an appointment with a specialist on the advice of your doctor...
Depending on the ailment and type of doctor, depends on what is acceptable "mixed" company.
Dental appointments or eye exams, I think these are basically acceptable in any form of mixed company.
Aching joints, muscles, headaches, high blood pressure, broken bones, these too I think are acceptable in mixed company.
Women making appointments with their o.b.g.y.n.... if it can't be done in private, then only in the presence of other women or spouse.
Men making appointments with a urologist... if it can't be done in private, then only in the presence of other men or spouse.
Anybody making an appointment with a doctor/hospital to get a colonoscopy... if you're just making the appointment, and that's it, then in the presence of a spouse or close friend(s) (preferably of the same sex). But if you're going to start describing to the person at the doctors office why you're making the appointment and describing your symptoms, then seriously folks, you need to make that call in private. Nobody else wants to hear that you're either constipated, have diarrhea, or a major problem with flatulence... I mean NOBODY, especially not your co-workers.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Readers be warned!
If you have a weak stomach and can't handle gorey details, or if you're completely opposed to cruelty to animals, any animals including mice, then just turn away now and don't bother reading this blog.
My general rule of thumb is that I'm an animal lover and I hate to see cruelty to animals.
However, having said that, certain animals are considered vermin. They spread diseases and cause major destruction, not to mention scare the daylights out of me whenever I see them. One such animal that falls in this category is mice (rats are included in that as well).
If a mouse would be content to live in the outdoors, I'd be quite happy to co-exist in this world with them. But when they venture indoors, where I and my family live, then they've crossed the line. We're allowed to shoot human intruders that enter our home if we feel threatened, so you can be darned certain I believe in doing the same to a mouse.
Last week I was staying at our breeder's house, caring for her k-9 kids while she was out of town. The dogs' kennel, I'm sorry to say, has (or had) a serious mouse infestation. There were mice droppings everywhere, and it creeped me out to no end!! But Thursday morning, when I actually saw one of the little vermin running along the wall and then down into some items that were stored in an empty pen, I just couldn't stand it any longer. My screaming, arm waving, jumping up and down and kicking of the fencing really didn't seem to faze the little varmint in the least. The dogs on the other hand...
That afternoon I made a stop at the local Tractor Supply store and purchased 4 traps, 2 of 2 different varieties. I wasn't sure which one would work the best so I wanted to try both. I'm not a fan of the old fashioned type... you know, the wooden base with the copper-colored spring-wire mounted on it. Those traps scare me worse than the mouse! And humane, live-catching traps... what's the point of that? If I let the little critters go outside, they're just going to find their way back inside. That's just a waste of time & money. There were some traps that caught them and hid them from sight so I wouldn't have to see them, but they were one-time use only and they were very pricey. Instead I opted for a couple of plastic models. One was very similar to the wood/metal ones, but not quite as scary to me and much easier to set.
I also purchased a bag of chocolate chips to use as bait.
I know, it seems like a waste of perfectly good chocolate. But hey, let's face it, we as humans have a hard time resisting chocolate, what makes you think mice are any different? They aren't!! I've had great luck with chocolate in the past, and nothing but crappy luck with cheese and peanut butter, so I'm sticking with what works thank you very much!
When I got back to the house that evening, I immediately set all 4 traps, placing two near the pen where the dog food was stored, one along the wall in an empty pen, and one in the storage room. I then went outside to scoop up dog-doody from the pens. I came back in less than 5 minutes later and went into the storage room, HURRAY!!, I'd already caught my first mouse.
I grabbed a broom and shovel, put on my leather gloves, and swept the mouse and trap onto the shovel. Then I'd use the shovel to hold the mouse to the floor (just in case he was playing 'possum and not really dead) and use my foot to release it from the trap. Then I'd sweep it into the shovel and toss it into the trash.
I reset the trap, and I kid you not, over the next 3 hours, I caught 4 more mice. That's a total of 5 that evening.
Friday evening, I'd caught one more by trap, and then #7, well, his little life came to an end in a much more gruesome manner.
I went into the puppies pen and just happened to see a small mouse sitting on the ledge where the concrete wall meets the drywall, about 4' off the ground. I screamed and grabbed the broom. I held the broom like an ax and swung it like one too. The mouse fell off the wall, but wasn't dead yet. He landed on the puppies bedding, somewhat dazed, but when I tried to smack it with the broom again, it came to it's senses and took off running. The chase was on!!
It ran for the corner and hid under the bedding. I grabbed the shovel and started pulling the bedding back. We played a game of cat and mouse (I being the cat obviously!) and I finally got it pinned up against the wall with the shovel. I pressed on it hard enough that I severely crippled it, but it's hind legs were still kicking. I scooped it up and carried it over to the wash-stall and dumped it on the floor where it continued to kick. Now it needed to be put out of it's misery. I did what I felt had to be done...
I now treated the shovel like an ax, swinging it's flat side down and mashing the mouse. Entrails shot across the floor and hit the wall. It was now dead. Thank goodness it was in the wash stall so I could hose it down afterwards.
I didn't find anymore mice while I was there. Perhaps that was the last one, or perhaps the remaining mice saw what I did and felt they'd better evacuate the premises.
I left the traps and a few chocolate chips behind for Genia. She can consider that my xmas present to her.
My general rule of thumb is that I'm an animal lover and I hate to see cruelty to animals.
However, having said that, certain animals are considered vermin. They spread diseases and cause major destruction, not to mention scare the daylights out of me whenever I see them. One such animal that falls in this category is mice (rats are included in that as well).
If a mouse would be content to live in the outdoors, I'd be quite happy to co-exist in this world with them. But when they venture indoors, where I and my family live, then they've crossed the line. We're allowed to shoot human intruders that enter our home if we feel threatened, so you can be darned certain I believe in doing the same to a mouse.
Last week I was staying at our breeder's house, caring for her k-9 kids while she was out of town. The dogs' kennel, I'm sorry to say, has (or had) a serious mouse infestation. There were mice droppings everywhere, and it creeped me out to no end!! But Thursday morning, when I actually saw one of the little vermin running along the wall and then down into some items that were stored in an empty pen, I just couldn't stand it any longer. My screaming, arm waving, jumping up and down and kicking of the fencing really didn't seem to faze the little varmint in the least. The dogs on the other hand...
That afternoon I made a stop at the local Tractor Supply store and purchased 4 traps, 2 of 2 different varieties. I wasn't sure which one would work the best so I wanted to try both. I'm not a fan of the old fashioned type... you know, the wooden base with the copper-colored spring-wire mounted on it. Those traps scare me worse than the mouse! And humane, live-catching traps... what's the point of that? If I let the little critters go outside, they're just going to find their way back inside. That's just a waste of time & money. There were some traps that caught them and hid them from sight so I wouldn't have to see them, but they were one-time use only and they were very pricey. Instead I opted for a couple of plastic models. One was very similar to the wood/metal ones, but not quite as scary to me and much easier to set.
I also purchased a bag of chocolate chips to use as bait.
I know, it seems like a waste of perfectly good chocolate. But hey, let's face it, we as humans have a hard time resisting chocolate, what makes you think mice are any different? They aren't!! I've had great luck with chocolate in the past, and nothing but crappy luck with cheese and peanut butter, so I'm sticking with what works thank you very much!
When I got back to the house that evening, I immediately set all 4 traps, placing two near the pen where the dog food was stored, one along the wall in an empty pen, and one in the storage room. I then went outside to scoop up dog-doody from the pens. I came back in less than 5 minutes later and went into the storage room, HURRAY!!, I'd already caught my first mouse.
I grabbed a broom and shovel, put on my leather gloves, and swept the mouse and trap onto the shovel. Then I'd use the shovel to hold the mouse to the floor (just in case he was playing 'possum and not really dead) and use my foot to release it from the trap. Then I'd sweep it into the shovel and toss it into the trash.
I reset the trap, and I kid you not, over the next 3 hours, I caught 4 more mice. That's a total of 5 that evening.
Friday evening, I'd caught one more by trap, and then #7, well, his little life came to an end in a much more gruesome manner.
I went into the puppies pen and just happened to see a small mouse sitting on the ledge where the concrete wall meets the drywall, about 4' off the ground. I screamed and grabbed the broom. I held the broom like an ax and swung it like one too. The mouse fell off the wall, but wasn't dead yet. He landed on the puppies bedding, somewhat dazed, but when I tried to smack it with the broom again, it came to it's senses and took off running. The chase was on!!
It ran for the corner and hid under the bedding. I grabbed the shovel and started pulling the bedding back. We played a game of cat and mouse (I being the cat obviously!) and I finally got it pinned up against the wall with the shovel. I pressed on it hard enough that I severely crippled it, but it's hind legs were still kicking. I scooped it up and carried it over to the wash-stall and dumped it on the floor where it continued to kick. Now it needed to be put out of it's misery. I did what I felt had to be done...
I now treated the shovel like an ax, swinging it's flat side down and mashing the mouse. Entrails shot across the floor and hit the wall. It was now dead. Thank goodness it was in the wash stall so I could hose it down afterwards.
I didn't find anymore mice while I was there. Perhaps that was the last one, or perhaps the remaining mice saw what I did and felt they'd better evacuate the premises.
I left the traps and a few chocolate chips behind for Genia. She can consider that my xmas present to her.
Holiday walk
Saturday morning Olivia and I participated in the 2nd annual Teddy Bear Walk, put on by Oldham County Parks & Recreation. It was to raise money &/or collect new toys for needy children for Christmas.
Olivia was the only dog in attendance. Since I was already dressed in several layers of clothing, as it was only 25 degrees outside... BRRR!!!... I put the t-shirt on Olivia, then we set out with the other walkers for our 2-mile jaunt around the park. The wind wasn't blowing, so it was actually quite a nice morning for walking.
Olivia was the only dog in attendance. Since I was already dressed in several layers of clothing, as it was only 25 degrees outside... BRRR!!!... I put the t-shirt on Olivia, then we set out with the other walkers for our 2-mile jaunt around the park. The wind wasn't blowing, so it was actually quite a nice morning for walking.
Chick-fill-a was one of the sponsors of the walk, and they provided free breakfast (chicken biscuit sandwiches) for the walkers. Yum!!
When the walk was over, we went inside the recreation building to warm up and have our breakfast. Olivia was allowed indoors as well and I shared my sandwich with her. She deserved it. Our fellow walkers kept commenting on what a well-behaved dog she was and how obviously well-cared-for she was. They invited her to come and walk with them again next year. :)
I know they've another walk/run coming up in March... I'll have to see if I can find another event to fill our time before then.
It's a bird! It's a squeak toy! No, it's spring peeper.
Early Sunday morning, shortly after the hubby had left for work, I was lying in bed, trying to catch a few more minutes of shut-eye before my alarm went off, when suddenly the air was pierced with a loud (and I do mean LOUD!) Peep, Peep, Peep.
WTH?
I thought a bird had somehow gotten into the house! The noise stopped. Had I dreamt it? No, there it goes again!! Did one of the dogs discover they had a toy that still had a squeaker in it and was playing with it? No, it wasn't quite the squeak of a dog toy. But that peeping! Just as I was coming to the conclusion that a bird had definitely gotten into the house (and I think most of you know my fear of birds) and wondering how I'd ever get it out, I suddenly heard the dogs come to life and start going ballistic in the living room. Oh crap!, they found the bird.
I rolled out of bed and made a run for the living room. But it wasn't a bird that was making them (and me) crazy. No, it was Shemp, the new frog.
Bootsy & Eliott were both standing in front of the entertainment center, staring up at the frog-habitat where the peeping noise was coming from. I ran over and peered in. Sure enough, Shemp was sitting there with his throat-sac blown up like a balloon, peeping. Amazing how one tiny little creature can make soooo much noise!
After more research on the 'net this morning, I realize my first notion of him being a mountain chorus frog was wrong, although they do look very similar. But after looking at more pictures and listening to the frog-calls on-line, I've revised my finding.
Shemp isn't a mnt. chorus frog, but rather a Northern Spring Peeper. Guess that would account for all the "peeping" I heard.
This picture above, is one I downloaded from the 'net.
All these pix below are ones I took this weekend.
WTH?
I thought a bird had somehow gotten into the house! The noise stopped. Had I dreamt it? No, there it goes again!! Did one of the dogs discover they had a toy that still had a squeaker in it and was playing with it? No, it wasn't quite the squeak of a dog toy. But that peeping! Just as I was coming to the conclusion that a bird had definitely gotten into the house (and I think most of you know my fear of birds) and wondering how I'd ever get it out, I suddenly heard the dogs come to life and start going ballistic in the living room. Oh crap!, they found the bird.
I rolled out of bed and made a run for the living room. But it wasn't a bird that was making them (and me) crazy. No, it was Shemp, the new frog.
Bootsy & Eliott were both standing in front of the entertainment center, staring up at the frog-habitat where the peeping noise was coming from. I ran over and peered in. Sure enough, Shemp was sitting there with his throat-sac blown up like a balloon, peeping. Amazing how one tiny little creature can make soooo much noise!
After more research on the 'net this morning, I realize my first notion of him being a mountain chorus frog was wrong, although they do look very similar. But after looking at more pictures and listening to the frog-calls on-line, I've revised my finding.
Shemp isn't a mnt. chorus frog, but rather a Northern Spring Peeper. Guess that would account for all the "peeping" I heard.
This picture above, is one I downloaded from the 'net.
All these pix below are ones I took this weekend.
The Spring Peeper, though nocturnal, is one of the most familiar frogs in the East. Like many of the Chorus Frogs, the Spring Peeper is often heard, but not seen. It gets its name from its from its call, which consists of a single clear note or peep, occurring once a second. Only the males sing, calling from shrubs and trees standing in or overhanging water.
The faster and louder a male sings, the more likely he is to attract a mate. A male peeper may also give a lower-pitched trilled whistle, usually when another male has moved too close to its calling site. During the daytime, peepers often call during light rains or in cloudy weather.
The intensity of calling increases and can become a deafening chorus during humid evenings or just after a warm spring rain when many males congregate.
The faster and louder a male sings, the more likely he is to attract a mate. A male peeper may also give a lower-pitched trilled whistle, usually when another male has moved too close to its calling site. During the daytime, peepers often call during light rains or in cloudy weather.
The intensity of calling increases and can become a deafening chorus during humid evenings or just after a warm spring rain when many males congregate.
Hmm, what have I gotten myself into?
Friday, December 12, 2008
Recycled Christmas stuff
I'm recycling some Holiday poems, silly songs and stories from the past few years. Many of you have read them before, and you'll probably read them again next year.
The pink-nosed puppy...
Olivia the pink-nosed puppy, had some freckles on her nose.
And if you ever saw them, you would probably say, "what are those?"
All of the other canines, used to laugh and call her names.
They never let poor ‘Livvie, join in any doggy games.
Then one sunny day in May, a family came to say,
‘Livvie with your freckled nose, you’re the one that we ‘specially chose.
Then all the other canines, barked and wagged with glee.
Olivia the pink-nosed puppy, you’re as special as you can be!
***********************************************************
(this was "written" by my neighbor's dog as part of a special present to her owners a few years ago)
A LITTLE SECRET BETWEEN SANTA'S ELVES
'Twas a couple of weeks before Christmas and you were preparing to go,
to Daddy's office party, and the cable guy you'd waited on was a no-show.
Aunt Kimmy came over to snap a shot,
Of you in your new dress that you had just got.
You had recently bought it and it came from mail-order,
But when you tried it on, you found to your horror.
Oh no it's too big! What to do? What to do?
If you didn't fix it quick, you might expose a boob!
A quick alteration with a needle and thread,
This first time accomplishment went to your head.
As Kimmy took the pictures
she was struck with a thought,
But she'd have to act quick,
as this was a one time shot.
She decked me out in holiday style,
then unrolled a garland
that seemed to stretch for a mile.
The stage was set, I was posed by the tree,
Then told to smile on the count of three.
Refusing to hold his posed stance,
Absent from the picture is kitty-cat Chance.
Not wanting to stay and join in our fun,
He fled the scene in a full-out run.
Mischief was the theme
of this Christmas picture,
and before Auntie left,
she game me a lecture...
"Now don't say a word,
let's keep this to ourselves,
like a little secret between Santa's elves."
As told by Kya the dog
*************************************************************
Friday, December 22, 2006
I feel a little draft...
I, saw mommy kissing, Santa Claus...
Oh, wait, that's not the correct words. No, I think in this situation, it goes like this...
I, saw Santa bend and... rip his pants,
at the children's hospital this week...
He didn't see me stare,at the big unsightly tear,
His jewels were there for all to seeif they only dared.
Yes, I saw Santa bend and... rip his pants,
as he tried to hug a little girl...
He felt a sudden chill,and wondered, "what the hell?"
He didn't know his ass was bare or maybe he didn't care...
Okay, there is a bit of truth in those lyrics. Perhaps I stretched the truth a bit, but, what fun would the plain ol' truth be?? My dear husband just loves playing dress-up. Fortunately, it's not in womens clothing though. No, over the years he's been a stork (for a baby-shower), Sparky the fire dog, Santa Claus, and I'm thinking there was something else. Santa is his favorite I do believe. He had a gig this past Sunday at the fire departments childrens party, and then one on Monday at Kosair Childrens Hospital. This was his first time working the hospital. Considering what happened, we'll have to wait and see if they invite him back next year.Yes indeed, he did bend to give a girl a hug and his breeches did rip. But fortunately, he had on a pair of shorts underneath, so his family jewels weren't exposed for all the world to see. Although some children may wonder why Santa wore little blue shorts with a maltese cross on them. I'm guessing nobody was traumatized, as I haven't heard of any of the children having to be admitted to the mental-trauma ward as yet.
*************************************************8
"Christmas Eve Curse"
Every year I dust off the Christmas poems. This is an oldy, but in my opinion, a goody.'
Twas the day before Christmas and all through the malls, not a shopper was smiling as they dashed down the halls. The traffic was snarled as it crept down the road, as everyone got into the "last-minute-shopping-mode". The parents just stood and wasted their day, as they tried to retrieve gifts that were on lay-away. And momma just stood there and silently fumed as the chore of gift-wrapping, ahead of her loomed. Then at the back of the store there rose such a clatter, shoppers came running to see what was the matter. Down the aisles, they pushed and they shoved. A cat-fight broke out, this was something they loved! I'd created a diversion to thin out the crowd, and as I made it to the check-out, I shouted out loud... "Stop the insanity of this last minute rush!" Then someone called out, "Would you please HUSH!" Outside of the store, it was windy and cold, and wouldn't you know it, low and behold, my car I'd misplaced, it was nowhere to be found. I needed the aid of a tracking hound. "Now darn it! Dag nab it! Gosh durn and Gee-whiz! I hate it! I loath it! This last minute biz! Of rushing to the stores, then making us wait! All of this shopping is something I hate!" As I hunted and searched to find my lost car, I knew if I found it, then I was going to a bar. Skip that ol' egg-nog, just hand me a beer. Now where is my car? It has to be here! Alas here it is, I found my auto. I jumped for joy, like I'd just won the lotto. But my joy was dashed, as I sank to my knees, now I cried and I sobbed, "Where are my keys?" From somewhere nearby, a car horn blew. Now feeling foolish, I suddenly knew. This wasn't my car, I'd not lost my keys, and I scrambled up, off of my knees. Ma had driven, I'd completely forgot! And here she comes across the lot. But instead of stopping for me to get in, she drove on past, in our hunk of tin. As the red glow of brake lights lit up the night, she hadn't forgotten me, there'd be no fight. But as I ran for the car, I cried, "What the hell?" She'd only paused long enough to dial her cell. I grabbed for the handle and held on tight, as she gunned the accelerator and drove off into the night. I heard her fussing, then felt a hard shake, I sprang from my recliner as I suddenly came awake. I'd had a bad dream, about the Christmas Eve Curse, and there's only one thing that I know is worse. The day after Christmas, we'll again hit the stores, battling the clerks in the "Return Gift Wars".
Merry Christmas to all and Happy Last-Minute Shopping!
The pink-nosed puppy...
Olivia the pink-nosed puppy, had some freckles on her nose.
And if you ever saw them, you would probably say, "what are those?"
All of the other canines, used to laugh and call her names.
They never let poor ‘Livvie, join in any doggy games.
Then one sunny day in May, a family came to say,
‘Livvie with your freckled nose, you’re the one that we ‘specially chose.
Then all the other canines, barked and wagged with glee.
Olivia the pink-nosed puppy, you’re as special as you can be!
***********************************************************
(this was "written" by my neighbor's dog as part of a special present to her owners a few years ago)
A LITTLE SECRET BETWEEN SANTA'S ELVES
'Twas a couple of weeks before Christmas and you were preparing to go,
to Daddy's office party, and the cable guy you'd waited on was a no-show.
Aunt Kimmy came over to snap a shot,
Of you in your new dress that you had just got.
You had recently bought it and it came from mail-order,
But when you tried it on, you found to your horror.
Oh no it's too big! What to do? What to do?
If you didn't fix it quick, you might expose a boob!
A quick alteration with a needle and thread,
This first time accomplishment went to your head.
As Kimmy took the pictures
she was struck with a thought,
But she'd have to act quick,
as this was a one time shot.
She decked me out in holiday style,
then unrolled a garland
that seemed to stretch for a mile.
The stage was set, I was posed by the tree,
Then told to smile on the count of three.
Refusing to hold his posed stance,
Absent from the picture is kitty-cat Chance.
Not wanting to stay and join in our fun,
He fled the scene in a full-out run.
Mischief was the theme
of this Christmas picture,
and before Auntie left,
she game me a lecture...
"Now don't say a word,
let's keep this to ourselves,
like a little secret between Santa's elves."
As told by Kya the dog
*************************************************************
Friday, December 22, 2006
I feel a little draft...
I, saw mommy kissing, Santa Claus...
Oh, wait, that's not the correct words. No, I think in this situation, it goes like this...
I, saw Santa bend and... rip his pants,
at the children's hospital this week...
He didn't see me stare,at the big unsightly tear,
His jewels were there for all to seeif they only dared.
Yes, I saw Santa bend and... rip his pants,
as he tried to hug a little girl...
He felt a sudden chill,and wondered, "what the hell?"
He didn't know his ass was bare or maybe he didn't care...
Okay, there is a bit of truth in those lyrics. Perhaps I stretched the truth a bit, but, what fun would the plain ol' truth be?? My dear husband just loves playing dress-up. Fortunately, it's not in womens clothing though. No, over the years he's been a stork (for a baby-shower), Sparky the fire dog, Santa Claus, and I'm thinking there was something else. Santa is his favorite I do believe. He had a gig this past Sunday at the fire departments childrens party, and then one on Monday at Kosair Childrens Hospital. This was his first time working the hospital. Considering what happened, we'll have to wait and see if they invite him back next year.Yes indeed, he did bend to give a girl a hug and his breeches did rip. But fortunately, he had on a pair of shorts underneath, so his family jewels weren't exposed for all the world to see. Although some children may wonder why Santa wore little blue shorts with a maltese cross on them. I'm guessing nobody was traumatized, as I haven't heard of any of the children having to be admitted to the mental-trauma ward as yet.
*************************************************8
"Christmas Eve Curse"
Every year I dust off the Christmas poems. This is an oldy, but in my opinion, a goody.'
Twas the day before Christmas and all through the malls, not a shopper was smiling as they dashed down the halls. The traffic was snarled as it crept down the road, as everyone got into the "last-minute-shopping-mode". The parents just stood and wasted their day, as they tried to retrieve gifts that were on lay-away. And momma just stood there and silently fumed as the chore of gift-wrapping, ahead of her loomed. Then at the back of the store there rose such a clatter, shoppers came running to see what was the matter. Down the aisles, they pushed and they shoved. A cat-fight broke out, this was something they loved! I'd created a diversion to thin out the crowd, and as I made it to the check-out, I shouted out loud... "Stop the insanity of this last minute rush!" Then someone called out, "Would you please HUSH!" Outside of the store, it was windy and cold, and wouldn't you know it, low and behold, my car I'd misplaced, it was nowhere to be found. I needed the aid of a tracking hound. "Now darn it! Dag nab it! Gosh durn and Gee-whiz! I hate it! I loath it! This last minute biz! Of rushing to the stores, then making us wait! All of this shopping is something I hate!" As I hunted and searched to find my lost car, I knew if I found it, then I was going to a bar. Skip that ol' egg-nog, just hand me a beer. Now where is my car? It has to be here! Alas here it is, I found my auto. I jumped for joy, like I'd just won the lotto. But my joy was dashed, as I sank to my knees, now I cried and I sobbed, "Where are my keys?" From somewhere nearby, a car horn blew. Now feeling foolish, I suddenly knew. This wasn't my car, I'd not lost my keys, and I scrambled up, off of my knees. Ma had driven, I'd completely forgot! And here she comes across the lot. But instead of stopping for me to get in, she drove on past, in our hunk of tin. As the red glow of brake lights lit up the night, she hadn't forgotten me, there'd be no fight. But as I ran for the car, I cried, "What the hell?" She'd only paused long enough to dial her cell. I grabbed for the handle and held on tight, as she gunned the accelerator and drove off into the night. I heard her fussing, then felt a hard shake, I sprang from my recliner as I suddenly came awake. I'd had a bad dream, about the Christmas Eve Curse, and there's only one thing that I know is worse. The day after Christmas, we'll again hit the stores, battling the clerks in the "Return Gift Wars".
Merry Christmas to all and Happy Last-Minute Shopping!
Weekend pre-view
Despite the bummed-out attitude I'm feeling right now (because of my froglets), and the ho-hum, bah-humbug attitude I've pretty much adopted this holiday season... I'm still planning on taking Olivia tomorrow and walking in the 2-Mile Holiday Walk to benefit the Teddy Bear Tree Program. Perhaps pounding the pavement and taking in some crisp fresh air is what I need to rejuvenate myself.
I just glanced outside and noticed snowflakes drifting past my window. I don't think we're s'posed to get more than a dusting, so I'm not getting my hopes up... besides, it's s'posed to be in the mid 40's tomorrow, so it will all melt off anyway. **sigh** Seems like a wasted effort on Mother Nature's part.
I can't wait to get home tonight! I've been gone so much these past two weeks, I've hardly seen my husband or children. And even when I have been home, it seems like I've been on the go non-stop. But then, that's December! go-go-go!!!!
My fingernails are still partially covered in the nail-glue from last week's fiasco. I have little hope of getting the rest of it off before tomorrow night. :(
Despite the usual stuff, that's pretty much my weekend in a nutshell.
Hope everybody out there in blogger world has a great weekend!!
I just glanced outside and noticed snowflakes drifting past my window. I don't think we're s'posed to get more than a dusting, so I'm not getting my hopes up... besides, it's s'posed to be in the mid 40's tomorrow, so it will all melt off anyway. **sigh** Seems like a wasted effort on Mother Nature's part.
I can't wait to get home tonight! I've been gone so much these past two weeks, I've hardly seen my husband or children. And even when I have been home, it seems like I've been on the go non-stop. But then, that's December! go-go-go!!!!
My fingernails are still partially covered in the nail-glue from last week's fiasco. I have little hope of getting the rest of it off before tomorrow night. :(
Despite the usual stuff, that's pretty much my weekend in a nutshell.
Hope everybody out there in blogger world has a great weekend!!
A Christmas meme
I copied this from MK's blog. Feel free to copy & post your own answers.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper feels more traditional. But on occasion (usually if I can't find a box) I'll resort to giftbags
2. Real tree of artificial? well, if we put a tree up in the house, I'd love a real one, they smell sooo good! But, we haven't put a tree up in 12 years, so this is a moot subject.
3. When do you put up the tree? refer back to number 2
4. When do you take the tree down? again, refer back to #2
5. Do you like eggnog? yes, but not the "spiked" variety
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Ooh, a tough one. It's a toss up between my first bicycle and my Henry dog.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? no
8. Hardest person to buy for? Most everybody. I hate shopping.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Refer back to #8
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, definitely!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmm, there have been so many... perhaps the recycled-dryer-lint pull-over my s-i-l gave me, or the twirly wind-thing the same s-i-l gave, or perhaps the dusting powder my parents gave me several times (and I NEVER use), or perhaps the moon-dust moisturizer stuff that was s'posed to soften my skin, but actually created small cuts from the sharp little crystals... do you get the feeling I've gotten a lot of crappy things over the years?
12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story or The Bishops Wife
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I get motivated &/or have the money.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Oh yeah!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Food. Food. Food. Oh, something specific... probably peanut butter fudge
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?If we still put up a tree, definitely colored. Plain white is boring to me.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Gosh, I've got so many faves, I'd be hard pressed to choose just one, but I have always loved Do You Hear What I Hear?
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Define travel... if 25 miles to my parents is traveling, then yeah, we travel. And of course going to the Luci Ctr that morning, so there's another 50 mile round trip.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Piece of cake!!!...Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
20. Angel on top of the tree or a star? Refer back to #2 & 3
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We've always done Christmas Day
22. Most annoying thing about this year? That we aren't doing a family-photo xmas card this year. :(
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Again, refer back to #2
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Pretty much the same as Thanksgiving, but we rarely seem to get that anymore. **pout**
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? good health, safe travels, and for everyone to get along and abide by the rule of "no gifts"
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper feels more traditional. But on occasion (usually if I can't find a box) I'll resort to giftbags
2. Real tree of artificial? well, if we put a tree up in the house, I'd love a real one, they smell sooo good! But, we haven't put a tree up in 12 years, so this is a moot subject.
3. When do you put up the tree? refer back to number 2
4. When do you take the tree down? again, refer back to #2
5. Do you like eggnog? yes, but not the "spiked" variety
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Ooh, a tough one. It's a toss up between my first bicycle and my Henry dog.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? no
8. Hardest person to buy for? Most everybody. I hate shopping.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Refer back to #8
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, definitely!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmm, there have been so many... perhaps the recycled-dryer-lint pull-over my s-i-l gave me, or the twirly wind-thing the same s-i-l gave, or perhaps the dusting powder my parents gave me several times (and I NEVER use), or perhaps the moon-dust moisturizer stuff that was s'posed to soften my skin, but actually created small cuts from the sharp little crystals... do you get the feeling I've gotten a lot of crappy things over the years?
12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story or The Bishops Wife
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I get motivated &/or have the money.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Oh yeah!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Food. Food. Food. Oh, something specific... probably peanut butter fudge
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?If we still put up a tree, definitely colored. Plain white is boring to me.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Gosh, I've got so many faves, I'd be hard pressed to choose just one, but I have always loved Do You Hear What I Hear?
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Define travel... if 25 miles to my parents is traveling, then yeah, we travel. And of course going to the Luci Ctr that morning, so there's another 50 mile round trip.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Piece of cake!!!...Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
20. Angel on top of the tree or a star? Refer back to #2 & 3
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We've always done Christmas Day
22. Most annoying thing about this year? That we aren't doing a family-photo xmas card this year. :(
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Again, refer back to #2
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Pretty much the same as Thanksgiving, but we rarely seem to get that anymore. **pout**
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? good health, safe travels, and for everyone to get along and abide by the rule of "no gifts"
Friday photo challenge - Value
These photos really don't do justice to what I was attempting to photograph last night. I had to go into photoshop and lighten them a bit, but I think you get the idea...
Just when I think the view can't get any better than a beautiful sunset...
Just when I think the view can't get any better than a beautiful sunset...
I wake up to an even more dazzling sunrise. (like I said, the pix don't do justice to what I saw).
Anyway, I "value" a beautiful sunrise/sunset. They give me a sense of peace.
Devastated!!!
I walked into my office this morning and was immediately overcome with a sickening feeling at something I saw. Upon closer inspection, my worse fears were realized and I was just devastated.
My three little stooges, who I've raised from tadpoles since back in the summer, who have suffered through their home being crashed, one has suffered from a broken leg, and they've endured my novice froggy experience... all three are gone!!
I said GONE! Not dead, but gone!!
As my husband wants nothing to do with my little friends, and I fretted about them the whole time I was in Nola last week, since I had to be gone from home again this week and for a longer period of time, I put them in a smaller fish tank and brought them to work with me. I set the tank on my desk and enjoyed their company this week.
This smaller tank they've been living in is a two-gallon, 6-sided cylinder. The lid that covers it has one small hole in it, which I've kept covered with a piece of Scotch tape. Up until now, it's worked out fine.
But when I walked in this morning, I noticed before even taking my coat off or setting my purse down that the tape was sticking straight up in the air. Oh NOOO!!! I dashed over to look, hoping my fears were for naught, or at the very least, that maybe only 1 had escaped. But no, the tank was empty, 'cept for the crickets that are still frolicking around. No frogs in sight.
I've been searching the office like crazy, beating the curtains, warning everyone to watch where they sit or step.
I'm absolutely sick over this!!!
I miss my little stooges. I can't imagine where they've gotten themselves too. This is such a big building and with so many nooks and crannies, shelves and nick-nacks sitting around, they could be anywhere. For all I know, they went up the chimney and escaped to the outside. :(
If I don't find them soon, they'll certainly die, as they need moisture to live and the air in this building is very dry this time of year, and also, there isn't exactly a lot of insect life around here for them to survive on.
Seriously folks, you have no idea how heavy my heart is right now. I'm tempted to go dump out the contents of the vacuum cleaner, wondering if the cleaning service might've sucked them up when they cleaned last night. :(
I still have the newest frog that I caught the other night, as I hadn't added him in with the others yet, but somehow it just isn't the same since I haven't raised him from infancy.
I want my frogs back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Update...
After posting this blog, I went on another search and rescue operation. I finally headed downstairs to look around and found Larry at the bottom of the steps. It is with great sorrow that I report little Larry with the broken leg has died. **sniff**
I wonder where Moe & Curly could be?
My three little stooges, who I've raised from tadpoles since back in the summer, who have suffered through their home being crashed, one has suffered from a broken leg, and they've endured my novice froggy experience... all three are gone!!
I said GONE! Not dead, but gone!!
As my husband wants nothing to do with my little friends, and I fretted about them the whole time I was in Nola last week, since I had to be gone from home again this week and for a longer period of time, I put them in a smaller fish tank and brought them to work with me. I set the tank on my desk and enjoyed their company this week.
This smaller tank they've been living in is a two-gallon, 6-sided cylinder. The lid that covers it has one small hole in it, which I've kept covered with a piece of Scotch tape. Up until now, it's worked out fine.
But when I walked in this morning, I noticed before even taking my coat off or setting my purse down that the tape was sticking straight up in the air. Oh NOOO!!! I dashed over to look, hoping my fears were for naught, or at the very least, that maybe only 1 had escaped. But no, the tank was empty, 'cept for the crickets that are still frolicking around. No frogs in sight.
I've been searching the office like crazy, beating the curtains, warning everyone to watch where they sit or step.
I'm absolutely sick over this!!!
I miss my little stooges. I can't imagine where they've gotten themselves too. This is such a big building and with so many nooks and crannies, shelves and nick-nacks sitting around, they could be anywhere. For all I know, they went up the chimney and escaped to the outside. :(
If I don't find them soon, they'll certainly die, as they need moisture to live and the air in this building is very dry this time of year, and also, there isn't exactly a lot of insect life around here for them to survive on.
Seriously folks, you have no idea how heavy my heart is right now. I'm tempted to go dump out the contents of the vacuum cleaner, wondering if the cleaning service might've sucked them up when they cleaned last night. :(
I still have the newest frog that I caught the other night, as I hadn't added him in with the others yet, but somehow it just isn't the same since I haven't raised him from infancy.
I want my frogs back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Update...
After posting this blog, I went on another search and rescue operation. I finally headed downstairs to look around and found Larry at the bottom of the steps. It is with great sorrow that I report little Larry with the broken leg has died. **sniff**
I wonder where Moe & Curly could be?
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