Choosing my friends carefully

The husband and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary on Friday. Nothing special, just out to dinner. The real celebration came Saturday evening... watching UFC 118 on pay-perview. I know, I probably need my head examined. Most wives would probably want jewelry, fancy dinner, a box of chocolates and flowers. What can I say? I'm an enigma!! Give me a simple meal and mixed martial arts to watch, and I'm happy. :)
This time around, we went to the BW3's closer to our house. For reasons I don't understand, they don't advertise that they show the fights, unlike other places we've gone to. And unlike other places, not every tv in the place switches over to show the fights. Those in the backroom where we were did, but not in the main dining room.
The manager nearly had a riot on her hands, as she took her sweet time switching the tv's over. In her defense though, she was having to deal with a jerk-customer that thought the world revolved around him and kept bitching about every little thing, finally picking up his food, drink, and moving his family out to the main dining room and sitting at another table. He didn't like the waitress, he didn't like the service in general, he didn't like that he couldn't hear his football game, blah, blah, blah. A football game that was on CBS. Gimme a break, go home and watch it or go stand in the middle of the electronics section of the nearest store.
Our waiter, Jeremiah, was very accommodating and took good care of us. John as usual befriended anyone and everyone within earshot. There was a group of 6 guys (older than teenagers but younger than us) at the large table next to us, and when he could stay awake long enough, he was getting rather chummy with them.
I was ready to clobber the little ditsy blond (who I certainly wouldn't have served alcohol to, regardless of what her i.d. said) sitting behind me. She obviously knew nothing about the sport, but was simply trying to make her boyfriend happy by cheering on whoever he was rooting for, and couldn't understand why certain people were declared the winners. Oh well, I'm getting off the subject here.
Anyway...
The last of the prelim fights was just about over, all that remained were the two co-main events: Randy Couture vs. James Toney (MMA vs. Boxing) and Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn.
One of the young men from the large table came over to ours and exchanged names with John, although over the roar in the room, I never caught what his name was. He then asked if we lived nearby and John told him the general vicinity. My curiosity is piqued, if not a little alarmed. He then told us that one of his buddies had a 50" big screen back at his place and they were thinking about going there for the next fight and wanted to know if we wanted to join them.
Now, there were 2 ways that statement could be interpreted, and needless to say, I misunderstood his meaning.
I took it to mean they were leaving right then to go watch the last two fights at home, did we want to join them? John deferred to me, I just shook my head "no" and said we'd stay there. John backed me on my decision, thanked the young man and he said, "hey, no problem" and returned to his seat.
My thought was this: how silly to leave, possibly miss part of the next fight, pay all that money for pay-perview only to watch 2 fights at home. I didn't want to miss a moment of the action. Thanks but no thanks.
I said all this to John who then made me realize I'd misunderstood what the guy was talking about. What he meant was: They were thinking about gathering at the friend's home for the next UFC, #119, coming up on Sept. 25th, did we want to join them?
Oh, now I felt foolish for so quickly saying no. However, I still stood by my decision, just for different reasons.
We knew absolutely nothing about any of these guys. Although I was somewhat impressed that I saw none of them consuming anything alcoholic (as far as I could tell), for all I know, they could all be smokers. I can't handle being around cigarette smoke, and I certainly wouldn't feel right going into their home and telling them they can't smoke while I'm there. Or for all we know, they're dealing drugs or growing marijuana in the basement. It would be just our luck to be there watching the fights and have the place raided and suddenly we're put in a bad predicament. No thanks!!
While it would be nice to watch the fights with a group of friends that share the same interest, I have to get to know my friends better first, before committing myself to such an arrangement. This probably sounds totally silly, but I have felt somewhat guilty that we might have hurt the guys feelings for turning them down so hastily, I somehow feel I should've explained. But oh well, what's done is done.
If they were meant to be our new MMA friends, then our paths will cross again someday. John told them we were probably going to Tinseltown next time to try out the theater seating, maybe we'll see them there.
On the plus side, with the exception of Kenny Florian's fight, all the others turned out the way I rooted for. Yay!!!!

News flash! and A riddle for you

Since I have so much to blog about concerning my favorite subject, OLIVIA, I thought I'd just combine it in to one post.

Part 1:

BREAKING HEADLINE NEWS!!!!... GIANT DOG TERRORIZES NURSING HOME!!!

As I mentioned last week, Olivia was scheduled for her first therapy-pet outing, a visit to a nursing home. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck, wondering if she would knock some old person over, wag her tail and send a walker flying, or just because of her size, send an already ailing person into a massive coronary.

My husband said, "Either she'll do really well, or else he would be hearing about breaking headline news later that evening: "Giant dog terrorizes nursing home!!"

I called him as we were leaving the facility to tell him there was no need to watch the news.

She did better than I ever would have dreamed, especially for her first visit! I was sooooo proud of her. Even though it's been four days now, I'm still beaming with pride in my sweet girl. I dare say, her destiny has been fulfilled.

Olivia and I met two other volunteers there, Emma and Leesa and their dogs, a toy poodle named Willy and a cairn terrier (like Toto from the Wizard of Oz) named Murphy. As they were all old pros at this, Liv and I just followed behind, letting them lead the way and learning from them.

Heads were turning, even before we got into the building, as those three dogs made an odd sight. After checking in at the front desk, we started down the first of the four wings we'd visit that night.

With them in the lead, their dogs were of course, the first thing the residents saw. As Emma knocked on each door, asking the residents if they wanted to visit with our dogs, some welcomed us all in, some declined our visit. Some said yes to the little dogs, but then when they saw Olivia bringing up the rear, they would say, "not that one". We didn't take offense, some people are leery of big dogs, and her size can be imposing. Some doors that were knocked on, they declined the offer of a doggy-visit and we would start to walk past, but then once they caught sight of Olivia, we were called back. Some people are just "big dog lovers", and they were drawn to her.

Many of the staff stopped what they were doing to come and love on my girl, pet and admire her. Many were quite fascinated with the heart-shaped spot on her side, and some took pictures with their cell phones. A few staff members were definitely frightened of her though, and stepped into a doorway to avoid her. Again, we didn't take offense.

A few residents in wheel chairs even chased us down the hall (I use that term lightly as they weren't moving fast enough to really give chase, but they hunted us down just the same) so they could have an opportunity to pet Olivia, as she was right on their level so they didn't have to bend down.

One lady's room we went into, she absolutely lit up, eagerly inviting us in and exclaiming, "Ooh, I was hoping you'd come in here. I saw you walking across the parking lot and just hoped. I had three great danes when I was younger." Olivia definitely made that woman's day. It was in this woman's room that Olivia made perhaps her only misstep of the evening... she put one paw on the edge of her bed and started to raise herself up... whether to tower over the woman, just to get closer so she could pet her, or to try and get in bed with her, I'm not sure, but I quickly pulled her back down so all 4's were on the ground and apologized to the woman, but needless to say, she brushed my apology aside and said Olivia was fine. I dare say, she'd have been thrilled if I had let Olivia get into bed with her, but that's not a habit I want her to develop.

It was dinner time at the facility, so many of the residents still had their dinner trays on their tables. Liv sniffed the air a lot, but not once did I have to drag her away from anyones food. She never knocked anyone over, I don't think there were any heart attacks as a result of her visit, and she never uttered a peep. She got along splendidly with the two little dogs and just behaved like a perfect angel, even around the handful of children that were there visiting relatives.

Many residents asked us to come back and visit soon. One nurse asked if by chance Olivia was up for adoption. I just smiled, shook my head and told her "I don't think there is enough money in this world to make me give her up."

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this dog and how crazy I am about her?????

Part 2:

A riddle: What's 7 foot tall, fuzzy, purple, and has a head the size of a yoga-ball?

No, it's not Barney the dinosaur.

It's Buddy Bat, and Olivia's latest admirer. (I don't know if this guy was the one actually in costume, but I'll assume so.)

Saturday morning, I took Olivia to Bowman Field Airport, the site of the Hike for Hosparus. As usual, she garnered much attention. Buddy Bat was there to make an appearance and entertain the kids. Like most mascots, he is supposed to be non-verbal, relying on gestures to get his message across. The first time he came over, he patted Olivia and gave the thumbs-up sign, then went off to mingle with the crowd. A few minutes later, Buddy reappeared and put his arm around my shoulders. I thought perhaps a photographer was following him around and he was just stopping for a photo-op. I looked around for the photographer, but saw none. Just then, he leaned in close to my ear (as close as one can when you have an enormous head on your shoulders) and told me how in love he was with Olivia. He said she was without a doubt his favorite dog he had ever seen in his life. Liv took the giant purple creature's attention in stride, after all, her daddy is Sparky the Fire Dog, giant fuzzy things are nothing new to her. I asked him, "didn't you see her when we had her at the ballpark for pet appreciation day?" He said, "I try to steer clear of that area when the dogs are there." Probably a wise decision on his part. I think Buddy was reluctant to leave her, but mingle he must. Of all the times for me to not have my camera with me, I'd have loved to have gotten a picture of them together.

I give both of our outings a "4-paws up" rating!

Random stuff

*As much as I love taking riding lessons, it's become less than fun these past few weeks. I hate confrontations, but it's getting to the point I'm going to HAVE to say something to the instructor. If I don't, I'm afraid I'm going to use my riding crop on a little girl that rides in our class.

*Okay, it's no secret that I'm a HUGE U.F.C. fan. Love it, love it, love it!!! I've even started watching the Bellator(sp?) fights as well, although I have a hard time watching the women fight each other, it just seems like a guy-thing. I know, that sounds sexist or something, but seriously, women beating the crap out of each other? Yuck!! Anyway...
The hubby and I have managed to watch the last three pay perviews (that would be UFC 115, 116, & 117), once at Hooters (never again if I can help it!!), and twice at BW3's in Middletown. That place is okay, but it just about breaks my neck and/or strains my eyes trying to watch it. And forget trying to hear the tv, it's so loud in there. I made some phone calls today and went surfing on the 'net and found that the BW3's by our house now carries it as well. It's been a long time since I've been there, but we'll probably try it this weekend, see if the seating/viewing, etc. is any better. I also discovered, and this sent a chill of delight coursing through me when I read it... many movie theaters are now showing the fights on the big screen. How cool is that?? I called our local theater and YES Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!! Tinseltown is showing the fights. We'll probably wait 'til next time to try that venue. But how great, comfortable seating, a large screen and very loud speakers. I can hardly wait 'til UFC 119!!

*September is just days away. You know what that means: the season premier of
D.W.T.S., Biggest Loser, Law & Order: Los Angeles (can't wait to see how this one stacks up against the other L&O series), L&O:SVU, The Middle, Modern Family, and last but not least, T.U.F.-12 (I'm really going to have a hard time choosing sides for this season. It's so much easier when you dislike one of the coaches. Hmph!!)

*After such a brutal summer, it would appear that fall is trying to sneak in early. The leaves have already started curling up and turning brown on my wisteria and lilac bushes, my tomato plants have all but given up for the season, and we've suddenly started experiencing 60 degree nights. I'm not complaining (except for the end of my tomato crop), as it's been fortunate that the temps are lower and I've been able to open the windows at night. However, our "Meat-Locker 5000" a/c unit that we had put in about 4 years ago went out yesterday. Last summer was the only summer thus far that we've made it through without having to have it serviced at least once. Piece of crap!! I thought we were going to make it through another summer, but no such luck. Seriously, I'll never recommend Bryant Heating & Cooling to anyone ever. Their products suck and their servicepeople (yes, they have women techs)... forget it. Mostly idiots (and I think she was one of the worst)!!

*I read today where scientists recently discovered a new species of frog on the island of Borneo. Full grown, it is no larger than a pea (green pea that is). How cute is that? I miss my little froggers. They were so much fun to watch. :( Wonder how I can get one of them thar little froggies???

*And finally, it's only been forever in the making, but Olivia finally has her first nursing home visit scheduled for this Thursday evening. Wish us luck!! I won't be at work Friday, so you'll have to wait 'til Monday to find out how it went. ;)

The end is coming

It seems like forever since Olivia and I have gotten to participate in one of our weekly 5k's or charity walks, I'm talking all the way back to July 17th!!!
I literally could not find one locally on 7/24.
On 7/31, it was pouring rain when I got up, so I didn't go. Fortunately, I hadn't pre-registered, so I wasn't out any money. I don't know if it was actually cancelled or not, I just know we didn't participate.
On 8/7 I had a family (in-laws that is) function, so I didn't sign up for anything.
8/14, 2 days before the event I got a phone call stating I was the only person that had signed up for it, so it was cancelled. I could've found another event, as there were several in the area that day, but I took the opportunity to get Bootsy to the vet for her yearly check-up.
8/21, despite the pouring rain, thunder and lightning when I got up, I went on and took Olivia down to the site of the event, as I'd pre-registered. The rain eventually let up and it looked like things were going to happen, even if we had to stomp through a few puddles. But then, the clouds opened up again, the thunder and lightning returned and they all lingered. At first the race was post-poned for a bit, but then they decided to cancel it. **pout** Not that I wanted to walk in the rain (even though I was already wet), but honestly, this is getting a bit depressing, so many cancellations.
Next week is the Hike for Hosparus (Hospice of Louisville). Hopefully, the storms will hold off and perhaps the temperatures will even be a bit lower. A girl can dream can't she???
I took Olivia downtown to the waterfront yesterday and we took part in the Heritage Walk, a history tour of the Waterfront Park and it's development. The walk took about 90 minutes and was about 2 miles. It was a very interesting history lesson, and if the weather is a bit cooler when it's done again in September, I may take the tour again. There were a few bits and pieces I missed because of noise from traffic (both auto, river, and aero).
I had thought there would be maybe a dozen people take the tour, but there were probably close to 50. The historian that led the group said it was the largest group he'd had so far, and Olivia was his first dog to attend. She was on her best behavior. It was a bit warm, but the breeze made it tolerable. I carried an umbrella to provide shade for Olivia when we were in areas without it. I'm sure the other participants thought I was either out of my mind, or that Livvie was an extremely spoiled dog (probably a little of both), but I didn't care.
John & I both noticed last night how it was getting dark much earlier of late, and this morning I noticed the sunrise coming later. Summer is quickly slipping away. Not that I'll miss the horrid temperatures we've had, but I know with it, comes the time of year when we rarely see any of our neighbors. This makes me sad. Hopefully we can get in one or two cook-outs around the fire pit before the end of the season and get a chance to visit with friends/neighbors before we all go indoors and hibernate for the winter.

Marveling at nature

Yesterday morning, I had to run an errand for work, taking a death certificate to a doctors office for a signature, before heading to the office. I arrived around 8:20, only to discover the doctor's office didn't open 'til 9am. Great, I had time to kill while on the clock.
This doctor's office was an old house that had been converted, the area that had once been a lawn was now black-topped and striped for parking. This office sat right next to a very busy thoroughfare, with only a few trees separating it from the next property. Not a exactly a place one would expect to find an exotic looking, wild creature.
I was the first person there and as I walked up the steps to the front door (so I could read the fine print sign telling me when they would open), I noticed an enormous moth on the wall. I stopped to admire it's beauty.
It wasn't brilliantly colored, just varying shades of tan with a goldish tint and some spots. The wings were odd shaped, and of course spread open as they were, it was nearly as big as my hand. I looked closer and the front legs and antennae were very fuzzy or feathery I suppose is the correct term.
I wished I'd had my camera (the one time in the past two weeks I hadn't taken it with me), and since I can't download pix from my phone I didn't bother photographing it that way. I just went back to the car and left the creature in peace.
Over the next 40 minutes, a dozen or so patients began to arrive for their appointments. As each of them got out of their car and went to stand on the front porch, I watched them from my vantage point in my car. All but one man noticed the unusual moth and every single one of them stopped to lean in close and admire it. One woman who had simply drove her husband to his appointment and wasn't even going inside, also got out to examine it, just to make sure it was real, and then returned to her car. One man whipped out his camera phone and took several shots of it.
At one point the group of people were all gathered around on the porch, talking in hushed tones and marveling at the solitary creature. I couldn't help but smile inwardly that something so simple and out of nature could get a group of people to stop for a moment and come together in a common interest.
For a short time, they all seemed to forget about their aches and pains, discussions of the weather, politics, traffic and other idle chit-chat topics were put aside and the world was a wonderful, marvelous place.

Facebook, a death in the family

I've often mentioned my refusal to jump on the bandwagon with the rest of society and sign up for Facebook. I keep thinking (hoping?) it will become a passing fad, but so far, it's sticking around. What's really sad, is that it seems to be the only way some people communicate in this day and age, even foregoing emails or phone calls, forgetting that there are other people in this world that aren't on Facebook and have no idea what is going on in your life (or that of your family).
Case in point:
I got a phone call from my mother Saturday evening informing me that my cousin (her nephew)had passed away the day before, apparently he's been battling liver cancer the past couple of years. How did we find out about this? My sister was on Facebook and saw where his sister had posted it on her Facebook page about his passing. My sister informed my mother, who in turn called her sister (not the nephew's mother) to inform her (you remember CALLING?, the old fashioned way of communicating with people). The sister replied to the effect of, "oh yeah, I already knew." While I don't think my aunt is on Facebook, most if not all of her children and grandchildren are, so they would've kept her informed.
Okay, really people? Would it have been asking too much for someone to notify our branch of the family with either a phone call or email on Friday? Why leave us out in the dark? A handful of my cousins have our email addresses (or at least they have mine), and certainly they've got our phone numbers (or HAD them at one time). Even the mother of the deceased I thought had my email/phone, at least, she did at one time.
I know, many of you are probably asking yourselves, why haven't we been in contact with that branch of the family in the past couple of years to know what's going on. That's a long story in and of itself that I won't go into here. That branch lives several states away and in recent years has been somewhat reclusive from the rest of the family, but that doesn't mean we don't love them and/or care about them. John and I went down there on our vacation 5 or 6 years ago and had a good time visiting with everyone that was around at the time. I've always missed having them live closer by, as they did for a few years when I was growing up.
Sadly, the cousin that passed, I haven't seen in probably 25 years, my husband never met him. For a long time, he was stationed in Alaska in the military, and when we were visiting a few years ago down south, he was someplace else, so we missed our chance then too.
This just all makes me very sad. :(
Just Saturday afternoon, before receiving the sad news, I had been talking about another of my male cousins with some friends. When I received my mother's phone call, she informed me that that particular cousin was also not doing very well, and his mother feared he wouldn't be with us much longer. Again, this all makes me very sad.
Both of these men are much too young... the deceased one in his mid-50's, the other I believe is in his late 40's.
While I'm still resisting the movement to join Facebook, I suppose if I want to know what is going on in my own family tree, I'll have to cave in and join. I fear the day is coming sooner than I would have hoped for. :(

Question of the day...

What do you get when you mix PMS with GPS?

Answer: A crazy bitch who WILL find you!

My cups runneth over

Earlier in the week, I had worn a beaded rope necklace, made from tiny seed-beads, that I had made a couple of years ago. I've worn it many times.
Several times throughout the afternoon, I kept getting an itchy feeling around "my girls" so I kept scratching and squirming, occasionally tugging at the material of my camisole and shelf-bra that held them in place. Something was irritating the flesh of my bosoms.
When I got home, I couldn't wait to change clothes!
I peeled off my shirt, walked around to my side of the bed, reached behind my neck and opened the clasp to my necklace and removed it. As I pulled my arms forward to reclasp the necklace, I immediately noticed that one of the threads had pulled loose and was hanging out, minus several beads. Of course, just as I noticed this, the thread fell down and the remaining beads slipped off and dropped onto the bed, bouncing and rolling everywhere.
"Crud!" I thought to myself, thinking I had just pulled that thread loose. Then it dawned on me that it had probably happened earlier in the day...
I laid the necklace on the bed, leaned forward so my upper body was over the bead-crime-scene, reached inside the camisole and pulled the elastic of the shelf-bra away from my flesh. Sure enough, a stream of seed-beads poured out, joining the other beads on the bed.
I went on and removed the camisole and discovered dozens and dozens of the tiny beads stuck to my flesh, in the cleavage, and underneath the girls. I started jiggling them, trying to dislodge the beads, not giving any thought to how this must look, silently cussing to myself.
I hadn't realized that my husband had walked into the room until I looked up and noticed him watching the show. He inquired if I was enjoying myself as much as he was. My annoyance instantly vanished as I cracked up laughing at how I must look.

The etch-a-sketch mode

Needless to say, I'm still playing around with the new camera, figuring out the many setting options and what-not. Love the panoramic setting, it's waaay cool!!

I stumbled across this one and am loving it soooo much! I like to call it the "Etch-A-Sketch mode". It makes your photo look like a pencil drawing.

My Bootsy:

Eliott & Bootsy:

Eliott:

And my darling white child, Olivia:

John:

Just playing around here, it even captured the moving image on the tv screen.

UFC, big surprise, eh?

Vote for Olivia!!

Olivia's photo has been nominated for a monthly drawing at: adogspurpose
The dog that receives the most votes each month will receive a copy of the book and a $65 donation to a charity of their choice.
Her photo will be up for the next 90 days, so every vote counts!
Click on the link below and it will take you to her page. Above her photo are 5 stars... If you think she's a 5-star dog (and in my most biased opinion, she definitely is!!!), click on the star to the far right. And feel free to leave a comment in the section below her photo.
A special thanks to junosmom for bringing this site to our attention.
All votes are appreciated! Thanking you in advance,
Pita, aka: Olivia's mom

(http://adogspurpose.com/index.php?option=com_hotornot&task=show&id=353&source=hotornot)

Outta my way!!!!!! Pita's going on a rant!!!

I've been listening to Johnny Paycheck over and over this morning, and in case you can't guess which song I'm playing, it's: TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT!
Seriously, if I didn't need an income so badly and the job market weren't so bad...

On a different note...
I attended a function over the weekend. I won't go in to specifics on what the occasion was, who was in attendance, etc., but let me just say, I was more than disgusted and appalled by some of the things I saw going on. Grossed out may be a better description.
So I'm at this function and the hostess had ordered a bunch of pulled pork and chicken from Mark's Feed Store. The food arrived and we were getting ready to set it out for the guests, only to discover that Mark's hadn't done a very good job of pulling the meat apart, instead, leaving it in big chunks. My husband and I took the pans of meat back to the kitchen, washed our hands and started pulling the meat apart in to smaller pieces. Another man came in (the co-host) and offered to help. This man is a doctor. An MD. Someone who should know better about the spreading of germs and diseases and about being sanitary.
He went to the sink, barely stuck his hands in the water, did NOT use any soap, and then dried them on a dish towel and dug in to help us. I was horrified to say the least. Seriously, no soap?? I hope he treats his patients health and welfare better than he was treating his guests at this event.
There were several tables set up in the main hall for the guests to dine at. But in the kitchen area where the food was being prepped, there were 3 or 4 other tables where food items were sitting, and I've no doubt, from time to time, people dine at them when it's just small gatherings instead of large events.
So everyone is scurrying around, either working their butts off or at least trying to stay out of the way, when in walks a nearly 30 year old woman and her husband, their 3 year old and 6-month old baby. The mother was looking for a place to change the baby's diaper. She said, "I guess I'll just lay her on the table to change her."
Needless to say, I didn't stay quiet. Oh no. I put my foot down and made it perfectly clear that child's dirty diaper wasn't being changed on a table where people eat and where food was present.
The mother goes, "Wuh, well where am I supposed to change her at?"
me: did you check to see if the bathroom has a changing station?
her: it doesn't (I doubt she looked, but I digress)
me: don't you have a changing pad so you can lay her on the floor?
her: no. what's wrong with the table?
(do I really have to explain it to her?)
me: People EAT at the table. And there's food setting around.
her: Where is there food at?
so of course I had to point all of it out to her (I didn't realize she was blind).
her: well, I'll wipe it down when I'm done.
me: NO! You're NOT changing her on the table!!
me and the doctor both: just lay her on the floor to change her
her: Ugh! Noooo!!!
okay, seriously, the thought of laying her child on a floor which actually looked very clean was disgusting to her?? But the thought of changing her on a dining room table didn't phase her?? Remind me never to eat at her home or eat any food she prepares and brings to a function in the future. What the hell kind of idiot moron am I dealing with here????
So then her husband seems to come out of his walking-coma and asks her: what are we doing?
her: I need to find a place to change the baby
him: just put her on the table
Okay, seriously, both of them are that dense???
her: Oh, hell no, heaven forbid! (as she rolls her eyes in my direction because she knows I'll go off if either of them steps towards the table with that baby)
him: I'll just take her out to the car and change her.
I just had to walk away from the conversation at this point. We were in a freaking church. The church has a nursery. Is it really that hard to figure out that they could take her to the nursery and change her there????

I am so sick and tired of dealing with stupid people in my life!!!

Okay, now on to the next subject...
Why can't people just accept an answer you give them at face-value and leave it at that?
For example: The hostess of this event sent out invitations. One lady called to rsvp, thanking her for the invite, but said she'd be unable to attend.
Shouldn't the hostess have just said, "Well, I appreciate you calling. We'll miss seeing you. If you change your mind or circumstances change, you're still welcome to attend." or something along those lines? But no, she's never content to just accept a person declining an invite. Instead, her response is: Well why not? Why aren't you coming?

I just think that is so freaking RUDE!!
I can't tell you how often this kind of rude behavior happens to me (especially from that particular hostess), and I get it from all kinds of people. If I decline an invitation, I may have a good reason, such as a conflicting engagement. And it's really none of your business why I can't attend. Or it may be that I just don't want to attend. And that should be my prerogative. Just accept that I've rsvp'd and said "no thank you", without prying into my personal life and asking "why?" It's just rude!!
Now don't get me wrong, a person can inquire in a playful or concerned way that isn't prying and isn't offensive. But just to flat-out ask "why not?"... that's rude. End of discussion.

I'll get off my rant now. Have a nice day!

A.D.D. or just fickle??

I received an email from my sister yesterday, telling of her new hobby.
I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I replied, and chuckle out loud when I got her reply back to me.
Her new hobby is beading, or rather, making jewelry.
Ah yes, been there, done that!

I've had numerous hobbies over the years. Some were simply a passing phase in my life, and once the novelty wore off and I lost interest, I never bothered with them again. Others I do in spurts. I might work on them like a fiend for weeks, even months at a time, and then suddenly put it aside and not work on it again for many months, perhaps even years. Then one day out of the blue, I'll pick it up right where I left off and run with it again 'til my interest once again wanes.

Among my many hobbies that come and go in spurts:
Jewelry making
Scrapbooking
Reading
Cross-stitching
Quilting
Painting ceramics
Rug-hooking
Genealogy


The hobbies that have come, gone, and thus far not resurfaced:
paint by number
attempting to crochet
writing fiction

So does all this mean I'm fickle? Or just have some form of Attention Deficit Disorder?
What hobbies have you dabbled at???

My fur-babeez

As mentioned in the previous post, I finally got a new camera over the weekend. While trying to figure everything out, I took photos of, what else?... my favorite subjects, my fur-babies!!

my little boy, Eliott...

The gray on his muzzle makes him look sooo old. :(


It took me a moment to remember what he was doing when I shot this, as it looked a bit strange. He was lying in Olivia's crate, his face resting on the brown cushion.

My darling little Olivia...

I just love how she tucks her nose under her leg/paw when she sleeps, as if she's trying to keep her nose warm.

I swear, it's the setting on the camera, she's not seriously that pinkish-red in her pink areas. This picture is almost freaky looking! It looks like she doesn't even have any eye-balls!!

Again with the setting. I don't know what I did!

I always love this look. John & I call it the "Princess Laya" look.

Frodo the cat.

I tried taking a photo of Pudge as well, but she wouldn't stand still for it.

And Miss Bootsy.

At last, a camera that will take a decent photo of her. Every other camera I've ever had, she either blended in with the shadows, had glares on her, or was just washed out looking. This camera is doing her justice.

Despite being somewhat stand-offish, she really is a very sweet dog, at least, where John & I are concerned. She hangs back most of the time, minding her own business, but if you're willing to take the time to cuddle with her, she loves the attention.

Have a great week!!!!

Caught off guard

I finally got a new camera this past Friday night to replace the one that recently died. I'm still trying to figure out all the bells and whistles on it, and have spent the weekend just taking random shots, using different settings, seeing what works best, what doesn't. I took the camera to the farm on Saturday and photographed a couple of the instructors that went riding after classes were over, and played around with it. I'm loving the zoom on this camera!!!
While the instructors were tacking up their horses, I asked an idle question to another volunteer that also takes riding lessons at the same time/place that I do, asking if she'd ever ridden in an English saddle. I asked, because I've only ever seen her use a western saddle, same as me, and I'd been contemplating asking our instructor if I might try an English, just to see if it made any difference in the way I sit in the saddle, and perhaps might in any way eliminate the numbness I've been experiencing in my feet. I'm grabbing at straws here, since the doctor could find nothing wrong with me. It was just an idle conversation, and not meant to drop any kind of hints.
Jumping ahead...
While the instructors rode around the outdoor arena, two other volunteers and myself sat under a tree and watched, me happily snapping pictures.
When the senior instructor was finished riding, she called over to me and asked if I wanted to have a spin around the arena on her mount, to get the feel of an English saddle.
I was so caught off guard, I hardly knew what to say!!
Of course I've always wanted the opportunity to ride out at the center, so how could I refuse? I was afraid if I did, the offer/opportunity may never present itself again. So of course I said, "YES!"
I certainly wasn't dressed for it, but I knew I wouldn't be riding but just a few minutes, so I would suffer through riding with shorts. Needless to say I hadn't brought my riding helmet, and wearing one is an absolute MUST, so I had to get over my phobia of wearing other peoples hats/helmets, and ran to fetch one from the tack room. I was a nervous wreck at the notion of riding in front of a group, one person in particular who I knew would be critical of my every move.
I handed my camera over to one of the volunteers to guard with her life. She offered to take pix, so I quickly showed her how to turn it on. She couldn't figure out how to zoom, so all the photos she took of me on horseback were off in the distance. I had to photoshop them to crop/zoom, so they aren't quite as clear as they would've been had they been the original shot.

Meet Lukah...

This giant beauty is a Fresian, and such a sweetheart of a horse!

As I said, I was a nervous wreck, but did my best to calm my nerves and remind myself I was just going around the arena a couple of times, no big deal...

(same photo, just zoomed in)

When he takes off at a canter, he really takes off! I wasn't really expecting him to take off like he did, and it was un-nerving. I discovered that saddle horn that the English saddle lacks, is somewhat of a security blanket for me. Not that I make a habit of grabbing it or holding on, but it's nice to know it's there to steady yourself if need be. And too, I guess I'm used to having it in front of my gut, again, a sort of security blanket for me.

He's so much bigger than anything I'm used to riding, it seemed a long way down to the ground.

Afterwards, he got hosed down to cool him off.

Yeah, I was caught completely off guard, but I loved it!!