Chewlee's Birthday Party.....

So my sister, Cee, comes by to pick me up for our ride to the birthday party at the campground.  It's a pretty ride down the mountain with lots of trees.  If it had been later in the day, we would have seen a lot of the deer that live in the preserve area because they seem to come to browse around the road area.  They are totally not afraid of people because they cannot be hunted and many have lived in the area since they were fawns.

The campground was full of people just enjoying life.  The Princess and Johnnycakes DID buy themselves a golf cart for getting around the grounds.  Johnnycakes told us he tells people he bought it for himself but he said he HAD to get one because Gunner loves to ride in them.  They mostly use it to go to the pool while they are there.  

Gunner was down for his nap in the camper when we got there and Johnnycakes was at the camper waiting for him to wake up while he cooked up the hot dogs for everyone.  It was a real kidfest at the pavilion where we gathered.  When Johnnycakes showed up with Gunner, the Princess went to get the cake.  Everyone had had a hot dog or two and she also had a lot of chips with two different dips (Ranch and French onion).  There was also plenty of water and soda.  Good thing because it was a warm day but had a nice breeze.  After the cake was cut and given out to everyone, then Chewlee opened up her gifts and cards.  She was in a rush to get that part over with so they could go to the pool.

Cee and I stayed to help clean up a bit although Johnnycakes took command of that part as he carried everything to the truck to take back to the camper.  We stayed to watch over everything (including Chewlee's gifts, cash and the Princess' camera and lenses).  Once Johnnycakes had finished gathering it all up, then we left to come home.  I wasn't feeling all that great since I hadn't slept well (up every hour to pee...LOL) and the sun was beating down on me while I was in Cee's car.  Once she dropped me off at home, I lay down and slept for three hours.  I talked online to my son, Mustachio, for about an hour then went to bed shortly thereafter.

I have to admit that seeing those kids running around and just having fun being together was tiring to watch.  One of the little ones that came to the party, tapped me on my arm and introduced himself.  His name was Noah and he was adorable.  He could hardly wait to put his swimmies on and get into the pool.  He had picked out a card for Chewlee that sang *Happy Birthday*and I think he must have given her his allowance as a gift.  He was very cute.  One of Chewlee's friends kept getting in the way of everyone seeing what gifts Chewlee got and I had to move around to see.  Okay...so I am a nosy grandma....LOL.  

Tomorrow (Sunday) Chewlee's other grandfather will be coming to pick her up for three days at Universal's resort in Orlando.  Chewlee had no idea until I told her that she would be so lucky to see the Harry Potter village and Hogwart's school when she was there.  She said, *Really?*   She will have a good time.  I told her when she got back, I wanted her to come and spend a night or two at our house.  She loves to play this one game on Pogo and I bought enough gems for her to play one of the new episodes.  I've missed having her around and one night (or even two) won't be too bad for her.  

Time to go back to bed for me.  I'm still tired and it's early in the morning.  Love you all.  Hope you have a great Sunday.  ***Hugs***

As Fast As The Beast Covers One Up......

...Lady digs another hole under the fence.  And she doesn't even do it in the same area twice in a row!  LOL....she really IS a smart little thing.  I really wish she were older and more settled down so we could keep her.  She has the sweetest disposition and always seems happy.  The only time she gets timid is if you really yell at her.  I only did it once but the Beast has done it a couple times now.  She hides under the bed or else lays down with her back to the Beast.  She KNOWS when she has done something wrong.  She gives herself away because she will approach you with her body kind of low to the ground and her tail between her legs.  All you can do when you see that is say, *Ut oh!  What have you done NOW?*

She really does need a younger family or a farm to romp around.  They would love her.  Even a farm would benefit from having her since her natural herding instinct would be easy to kick in and since she's so smart, she is trainable.  The sign he's put up will be seen tomorrow and it has my phone number on it (leave it to the Beast to try to make ME talk to whomever calls when it's HIS church people, hopefully, that will call).  I have a plan, however.  I am going to leave MY phone with him when Cee and I leave for Chewlee's birthday party and I will take his.  If he gets a phone call from someone on his phone, I will just call him and let him know who it was.  Ha! Ha! Ha!  The joke is on him.  He's just trying, in his not so subtle way, to involve me with his church people.  I am just glad he hasn't started preaching to me.  That would really piss me off.

I made my Southern fried chicken today and it turned out just wonderful.  I liked the *texture* of the egg wash with buttermilk.  It really did hold on when you dipped the chicken and that made the flour bond well.  None of the crust came off during cooking and I just put down a nice thick layer of paper towels to soak up the excess grease instead of putting it into the oven.  We nuked a couple of potatoes and I heated up some beets to finish off the meal and it was great.  Very filling (I did no snacking at all after that) although the Beast had a piece of cake and a glass of milk before he went to bed.  But he's a bottomless hole at times although I admit the chocolate cake he ate looks yummy.  Almost like a *Death by chocolate* cake....LOL.

It didn't hit the 80's around us, which wasn't a surprise since it was so overcast.  It may have gotten hotter down in some of the valley areas but that was THEIR problem if it did.  Our high was 78 with a brisk breeze so it was the perfect temperature in the house all day.  We just kept the screen doors open and even my deep frying didn't make the kitchen area the least bit uncomfortable.  Nice.

The Beast didn't do too much today because he said his back and his knee were both killing him.  He finally went and soaked in the bathtub for a bit and put that ointment on his knee.  I asked him if he wanted me to put any on his back but he had the heating pad on it and felt that would be better to relax the muscles.  I think the last time, he had me put some on his lower back and then he used the heating pad on it....or tried to, anyway.  LOL!  He forgot that even on the lowest heat, when he has ANY kind of ointment on the area, it amplifies the heat about tenfold.  

Well, it's late and I need to jump in the shower and set my hair for Chewlee's party tomorrow.  I have to decide what I want to wear, too.  It's not like I have that big a selection that still fits me but it's still a chore for me to decide.  I want to be comfortable but not too hot or too cool.  Decisions, decisions, decisions!  LOL.

Love you all.  Hope you have a great weekend with some fun for you besides the chores you MUST do.  Be good.  Be careful.  ***Hugs***

The Beast Is Looking For A New Home....For Lady....

The Beast is actively looking for a new home for Lady.  She has been digging holes under the fence, squeezing through it and going off for hours at a time.  We know what it is that she needs.  She needs to be taken for long walks at least twice a day.  However, we are not the people who can do that.  She needs a younger family or one with little kids that can play with her a lot and tire her out.  She's such a happy, friendly little thing.  

It's obvious that she is a border collie, which is what the vet told the Beast.  He's put up a notice on the bulletin board at his church, since he trusts that the people there wouldn't mistreat her.  He has hopes that one of the farmers might want her.  She's smart and learns quickly but needs much more exercise than we can provide for her.  We worry about ticks getting on her since she bounds into tall grassy areas and we just found out that one of our neighbors dogs has lyme disease from a huge tick they found on her.  The vet was the one that made the diagnosis.  I'm not sure how it affects a dog but people can get it, too, from ticks spread by dogs.  Scary stuff.  I thought that the ticks that spread that were confined to the Appalachian mountains but I guess I was wrong.

Since she IS a border collie and still young, she can learn to herd and that would be wonderful exercise for her.  After she escaped from the back yard once again today, the Beast and I sprayed her with Flea and Tick spray and I brushed her and felt all through her hair to see if she had any ticks on her.  Now that she has been sprayed, I hope if I missed any during my search, the spray will kill them.

Today was another wash day for the Beast this time.  I folded his t-shirts, undies and socks for him after they were dry.  He's taken it to heart about checking to make sure that all the clothes are dry.  I am tired of getting clothes that are still damp, especially his socks and the bands on his undies.  But he checked them today (I saw him doing it but didn't mention it to him) so I didn't have to put any back in the dryer.  The other day, he took my clothes out of the dryer and I had to throw about half of them back in since they were still damp.  I told him that just because clothes feel hot does not mean they are dry and I let him feel the clothes I had to put back in the dryer.  He was shocked, I know.  

It rained a bit today but not a hard rain.  Yesterday we lost both our internet and our TV's.  That was one heck of a storm that went through our area.  I'm going to make some Southern fried chicken tomorrow since I found out from one of the cooking shows I watch the secret to it.  You use buttermilk in the egg wash after the first flouring (which you let sit for a bit before putting the chicken into the egg wash and flouring it again.  Then it's into the oil to cook (oil needs to be 220 degrees or higher) and let it get a nice golden brown.  They also put it into the oven, on a rack, for another 10-15 minutes to release a bit of the grease that is absorbed and keep the coating crispy.  It's the buttermilk (and spices in the flour, of course) that makes the difference.  Amazing that such a small thing can make a difference.  I knew there was a reason that their flour coating held together so well.

It's supposed to be a warm day tomorrow but with a 50% chance of thunderstorms.  *Sigh*  I'm beginning to hate the rain but there's no way to control that.  I'm sure the farmers in the area like to see it since it is so necessary for good crops.  Oh well.  

Love you all.  I hope you have a nice day for your Friday.  ***Hugs***

We Get The First Two Tomatoes Off Our Plants....

Thanks to this one feral cat that haunts our deck at night, it knocked over the best producing (so far) tomato plant and knocked off two red tomatoes.  I think Baron scared it last night when the Beast let him out to pee around 2am.  I heard Baron barking like he does when there is some animal in our yard or on the deck.  The only animals that sometimes haunt our yard that I worry about are the raccoons.  They can be nasty mean, depending on their moods.  But they don't start bothering us until the grapes are ripe and they are teeny-tiny right now.  It will be a couple months yet before we need to worry about them.

The tomatoes are a decent size and really nice and red but about a day or two before they are ready to be eaten.  I put them on the window sill where the sun will finish ripening them.  Then...YUM!  They will be so much better tasting than what they have in the supermarkets.

The Beast bought some roast beef from Publix today as well as some Italian bread and a packet of Au Jus fixin's.  I warmed about half of the beef and made the Au Jus up and we had some French dip.  It was awesome.  

The Beast went down to the campground again today and tried to take a couple more pictures of Gunner but he was very uncooperative.  He was more interested in eating rocks than posing for pictures but he did manage to catch a couple of cute ones, despite that.  He was surprised and I found a couple of them adorable.  When he gets done playing with them, I'll post the ones I like.  I checked out the Princess' Facebook page and was a little annoyed that she managed to take some really cute pics of Chewlee and Gunner together that the Beast didn't get.  I know he'll see them and regret it because he checks out her page like I do.

I have a few that I check out regularly...mostly family and a couple friends.  I find I have to do this daily or else I spend a couple hours trying to catch up.  Now I understand what Bratfink meant when she first got on Facebook.  I think she's cut down the number of sites she checks on now...LOL.

I still haven't learned how to correctly comment because when I do what I THINK is supposed to be done and try to click off the page, it tells me my comments may not be saved.  I'll find out eventually, I guess.  But it sure makes me feel dumb.  How hard can it be???

Chewlee's birthday is this Saturday and I have to let my sister know she needs to pick me up about an hour early.  We need to put the campground address into her GPS and I need to stop to pick up a card and get the cash I am giving to Chewlee instead of buying her a gift.  Chewlee wants an American girl doll and her mother told her it was too expensive and, besides, she really doesn't play with dolls any more.  BUT...if Chewlee got enough birthday money, she could spend her own money on the doll.  It may make her more careful with the doll if she spends that kind of money (it costs around $120!).  A real rip-off.  Outfits for it start at around $40.  That's more expensive than REAL kids clothes are for something that size.

I'm looking forward to seeing the kids camper.  I've seen the pictures and the floor plan for it but that's not the same.  The Beast isn't fond of the campground because there aren't a lot of trees and he LIKES trees.  We always camped in areas that had a lot of them.  I miss Sequoia and King's Canyon in California.  Those were two of our favorite places and they were both wonderfully peaceful although different.  

Time to get this posted.  We had a thunderstorm roll through here earlier this evening and I lost my Internet for almost an hour until it passed.  Love you all.  Have a great day and stay dry.  *wink*
***Hugs***

Bad News From My BFF....

I've told you about my bff, Carol, that lives in California.  She got some sad news today about a good friend.  He was a doctor that actually taught at Stanford.  It seems he became seriously ill but decided against surgeries, etc. and any type of further care.  He had wanted to go home and have hospice care but the pain got to him.  He asked for morphine and went peacefully to his rest.  It really hit Carol and her husband hard.  

She has been having a lot of problems with moving around even though she is mostly confined to a wheelchair.  She's been suffering from shortness of breath and her cardiologist has called for two tests that she isn't looking forward to taking.  Say a little prayer for her.  She has had a lot of problems with her heart and she is the dearest person.  I worry about her and how she pushes herself to help out her son.

The Beast and I are okay right now.  He has found an answer with this one ointment given to him by his aunt for his knee.  It seems it has taken away the majority of the pain he was suffering.  He was sure he was going to have to have a knee replacement.  It's the leg that takes most of the weight when he walks.  His other leg has never fully recovered from the paralysis he experienced from his strokes.  He lost the use of his left side entirely then.  You would hardly know it from how active he has been since he regained most of his movement and control.  There is a man in his church that recently had a stroke and he has given the man hope for his recovery.  The man is 82 years old and I guess he needs as much hope as he can muster.  He, too, had a left side stroke but not as severe as the Beast's was.

Remembering that time makes me feel very lucky, even with all that has happened to me.  I feel like I am falling apart a piece at a time....LOL.  I just have to get a bit more endurance.  I DID feel good about being able to make the stairs at sister Cee's last week.  The first time I went up them, I had to stop and also had to use my cane.  This time I didn't even have my cane and I made it up the stairs without stopping.  That was a real treat for me to know I was getting better and could manage more without tiring.  

I've also noticed it when the Beast and I make our lunches and dinners together.  I don't have to rest like I was doing a couple weeks ago.  It gives me much hope for a full recovery from all I have gone through this past year and a half.  In fact, the past two and a half years if I go back to the arterial bypass I went through then.

It's been really nice weather during the day even though we've had showers on occasion and it's been overcast most of the time.  The temperatures have been in the low 80's with a nice breeze.  Most of the time, the Beast just opens the inside doors and lets the air in from the screen doors.  He usually gets uncomfortable when it hits 80 but the breezes have kept things comfy.  Our nights have been down in the mid-60's, which isn't bad.

Time to get this posted.  Love you all.  Enjoy your Hump Day.  Have a little fun.  ***Hugs***

No Internet And No Real Reason Why....

We lost our internet last night and, when the Beast checked, it wasn't raining and the cloud cover wasn't heavy that he could tell.  He could see the clouds moving so he was at a loss.  When I tried to call about it, first I got busy signals then I was told the system was down for updates.  Oh come on now!  Updates?  It's a SATELLITE system and I doubt they can make any changes to whatever satellites they are using.  But I was tired and I figured that it should all be over when I woke up during the night.  

The problem was that I was a lot more tired than I thought I was.  When I woke up to use the bathroom, I was too tired to stay up to write my blog.  That's not normal for me unless I haven't taken a nap during the day.  I have, however, been doing some crocheting and have a couple different projects going.  Once I start, the time just flies by especially if I am working on a new pattern that requires me paying attention to the  pattern.  I have had to back-track and pull out a few rows of stitches from time-to-time, however.  I'm not as talented that way as either my sister, Bee or Bratfink.  Now it looks like even Bee's daughter, Bridget, is able to crochet better than I can, too.  LOL!  I saw a blanket she made for Gunner and it's just beautiful.  I didn't inspect the pattern closely but it looked more technical than anything I have managed.

The Beast is upset with Lady and I really can't blame him.  She chewed on one of our nightstands and really damaged it.  PLUS, he discovered her chewing on our bedspread and, yes, she chewed a hole in it.  I'll admit that I am a bit upset over it, too.  I just HATE when a dog is in the chewing stage and she seems to have it in the same way that I have only seen in Labrador's.  They are very destructive when they are in the chewing stage and I have seen where they just totally destroyed a lot of wood furniture in a house.  She's been given rawhide chew bones but doesn't seem to be the least bit interested in them.  So we are at am impasse here until we figure out what to do.

The prediction for today includes thunderstorms so I am going to post this now while I can.  Love you all.  Hope you are having a good day so far.  ***Hugs***

A Truly Nice Day....

It was just beautiful out today.  I was glad for the Princess and family since they are camping out at the resort until next Sunday.  I sat out on the deck while the dogs ran around in the yard.  I am constantly amazed at how fast Lady can run.  She is a real athlete.  I look so pale after being indoors this winter that I sat in the sun to try to start a bit of a tan.  I sat with my head back so the sun could reach my face but that's going to take a while.  And, yes, I am using a sunscreen but it's not too high.  I think it's a 30.  

I can't believe how many pears are on the pear tree.  One of our neighbors came by and asked the Beast if it would be all right if he had a few once they are ripe.  The Beast told him as long as it was pears the Beast picked for him, he could have a few.  The guy was happy at that but I am sure he will be watching them closely.  LOL.   The dogs will let us know when the neighbor is on our property.  First Lady starts barking, then Baron joins in.  Usually Baron growls but he can't let Lady be more vocal than HE is....LOL.  He is SO jealous.

I crocheted for a couple hours today while the Beast was at church and then again after we ate lunch.  We both worked on our dinner together, which was nice.  When my eyes started to cross from crocheting, I did my laundry.  I was surprised at how many clothes I had in my hamper.  I was also surprised at how many empty hangers were in my closet.  I don't keep empty hangers in there because I just don't buy much in the way of clothes.  I AM, however, going to buy some jeans this week...ones that fit me.  All of the ones I own right now are too big on me.  I tried on my size 12's and they swim on me so I have to go in and try 10's on.  If those are too big also, I will then try on 8's.  But I need a few that FIT.  Right now I have to use a belt and really cinch the waist...LOL.

We lost our TV and internet this evening for about a half hour.  The Beast didn't think it was raining but, when we have all the windows closed and the doors, it's almost like this house is sound-proof.  When I opened the back door, it was pouring out.  I had turned on the light for the deck and could see the rain hitting the table and the deck.  It's nice when it rains at night when the Beast is just about ready to go to bed.  He's doing something at his church tomorrow morning so I will have a couple hours to myself again.  *Grin*  I'll finish up the wash then.

I forgot all about my phone but I grabbed it out of my purse when I heard this faint melody playing.  I think it was my sister, Cee, calling me for some reason but, when I called her back, she didn't answer.  Oh well.  I'll call her again tomorrow after the Beast leaves.

Love you all and I hope your week is what you want.  ***Hugs***

The Beast Makes Up His Pictures .....

The Beast not only printed up his pictures of Chewlee and Gunner but he remembered to buy frames so they could be put on the walls.  He took down two of Chewlee's pictures that I really liked so I told him to buy frames for me for them.  I showed him where I wanted to put them when he does and he agreed to get me some.  My walls have held only a few pictures that I have had for ages with one exception.  I do have one 16x20 of Chewlee that's fairly recent.  Now I will have two more.  I will say this about the Beast's pictures.....they look professional.  But that's his *thing* for many years and he's gotten really good.

We went to dinner at Dennis and Diane's today and had a really nice dinner.  We had the usual cheese and meat appetizers which Di served without crackers since we didn't care if we used our fingers and she is dieting.  She's put on a lot of weight while they were cruising the country in their RV and now is working on getting it off to get down to a better weight for her.  She even joined a gym and talked about how tough it's been to work on the machines.  LOL...the way she described how it's been for her to use them was really funny.

Dennis grilled the entree, which was Cornish hens and, when they were almost ready, he put on the corn on the cob.  I haven't had grilled corn on the cob before but he watched it carefully and it was sweet and tender when he got done.  I was surprised that the Cornish hens didn't have any of the wild flavor that they sometimes have but Di said she soaked them overnight in water, salt and soy sauce.  The flavor was truly wonderful.  She obviously didn't use a whole lot of salt since she was using the soy sauce, too.  You know how salty soy sauce is on it's own.  The skin tasted amazing with the way Dennis grilled it to a nice golden color.  

We also had a nice salad that had an unusual type of lettuce, cucumber, thin sliced green pepper and cherry tomatoes.  Di said the dressing was rice vinegar and olive oil plus a few fresh herbs from her garden.  It was put together well and wasn't the least bit oily tasting as olive oil can be sometimes.  I don't remember what the name of the lettuce was but it's something that Dennis is growing in his hydroponic garden.  She said it's a type of miniature lettuce that Dennis found in this catalog of thousand of seeds, some that are kind of *antique* since they are ones that haven't been grown commercially yet have been available for over a hundred years.  Figures Dennis would just HAVE TO try something unusual.

We were really full after we finished our dinner.  Diane had some potato salad too but I didn't indulge because I really don't like it with pickle relish in it or mustard.  I didn't tell her that I didn't like it.  I just passed the dish to the Beast....LOL.  Diane didn't eat any because of her diet and I think she figured I may have been doing the same thing....watching what I eat, I mean.  She knows I lost weight several months back and have been keeping the weight off.  

I came home before the Beast since I was concerned about leaving Lady here without an person around.  Since she is still in the chewing stage, I didn't really trust leaving her here with just Baron for company.  He wouldn't care if she started chewing up pillows or anything laying around.  I came home and checked the rooms but she hadn't chewed anything, thankfully.  She DOES chew on tree branches she finds in the yard but it seems that is enough.  I hope so anyway.

We are having a cold night again but it's supposed to be in the mid 80's tomorrow.  I hope so.  We have to pull some more weeds again but we are making progress.  I almost hate to since the Beast gets this urge to plant something if we have a lot of open soil.  

Love you all.  I'm off to bed as soon as I post this.  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  ***Hugs***

 

Sister Cee Gets Her New Furniture.....

I held my tongue and kept her secret but now I can talk about it.  Sister Cee got her new furniture for her living room yesterday.  I went over this afternoon to see it and it's perfect!  She bought a wicker set (white).  It's a love seat, two chairs and a coffee table.  It's the perfect size and colors for her living room.  Her living room is on the small size so she had to be careful what she bought for it but this turned out absolutely perfect.  It makes it look like the area is a cottage in many ways.  The cushions on it are a dark shade of pink and her throw pillows carry the pink and grey that she wanted because of the big painting she has on the wall.  I wish I had taken a picture of it but I may have the Beast take one for me when we go to dinner at her house.

I was so pleased and happy for her that it was delivered sooner than she expected it but it gave the throw pillows that she ordered time to get there.  She had to search online for them and it wasn't easy to find.  But Cee has always seemed to find the perfect things and accessories for her environment.  Congrats, Sis!

The Beast went to the campgrounds today to take some pictures of the kids with the Princess.  She even took a couple of the Beast holding Gunner.  I'm going to share a couple of the best ones with you.  Here they are:

Yes, Gunner is getting brave and standing up without holding onto anything.  He'll be walking like a pro in no time!  You can see how old the Beast looks these days but he's not down and out yet.  Chewlee has her hair tied back (mostly because of swimming) and you can see her *elf ears* (as I told her that she has when she feels bad about them).  I hope she grows into them as she gets older but I suspect she will probably hide them....sigh.  But I love them both.  I think Chewlee is beautiful and Gunner is adorable.  I haven't shown you the pictures (a lot of them) where Gunner was crying.  His teeth are really painful for him and I hope they come in.....soon.  It will be another week before I see them both but I am patient.  It should be a nice day....I hope.  I just want the weather to be good for Chewlee's birthday party.  Sister Cee and I will be going together.

I was happily surprised that the Beast didn't give me a problem about driving over to Cee's without him.  He was already busy looking at the pictures that he had taken and I think it was the last thing on his mind at that point.  But it allowed me some time with Cee at her place and a time to totally relax and chat.  

Dennis and Di invited us over for dinner tomorrow and, of course, this time we are going.  The Beast can't beg off because of his leg and I am feeling good.  Besides, we have already turned down two other invitations.  They ARE good friends of ours and I don't want to offend them.  I enjoy their company and Di is a good cook.  It will be nice to visit them and catch up on anything new.  They have some friends that will be coming down soon and will be building their home on a lot adjoining theirs but in back of them (so they will be on the other side of the circle).  We met them a few months ago and they seem really nice.  We will probably be doing some socializing with them once they are here whenever Dennis and Di have dinner or a barbeque.  The two of them will be staying in the *barn* according to Dennis.  It has most of the amenities they will need while waiting for their house to be built.  Dennis and his buddy put in a loft for them when they were here so that will be their sleeping area.  It even has the hookups for a washer and dryer so that's taken care of....and it has both a shower and a toilet.  What more do you need?  LOL

It wasn't hot out today but it was pleasant.  It was 75 when I went over to Cee's but the temp had dropped to 67 on my way home two hours later (funny but it didn't really seem that long to me but then I was enjoying myself).  It was chilly enough that I kept the windows up to keep the *warm* in the car.  But I had to turn my heater on in my computer room when I started shivering.  I also put a light jacket on until the room warmed up.

The Beast is talking about finding a good home for Lady other than ours.  He says he thought he had it in him to train another dog, especially one that seemed so easy as Lady.  But she is proving herself to be a bit more than he can handle because she runs off into the fields when the Beast takes her and Baron for a run....and Baron follows her.  I don't know if he will actually go through with it because she has learned a lot already about proper house behavior.  She's just young.  A lot younger than we thought she was when the vet put her age at around 6 months to a year old.  I would put it closer to the 6 month area just because she hasn't had her first heat yet.  I think she's close because Baron keeps sniffing her private area with interest.  But he's neutered so we don't have to worry about puppies at least.  But there ARE other dogs around, which is why her running off bothers the Beast so much.    Oh well.  Time will tell.

Love you all.  Have a great weekend.  Do something different if you can.  Smile a lot.  Life is short so enjoy it while you can.  ***Hugs***

You Just Can't Trust Those Weather Guys....

It was supposed to be in the 80's on Thursday but our *high* was just 62 degrees.  I actually was glad I hadn't put my little desktop heater up for the season.  My computer room was COLD so I had to use it to warm it up in there.  It was too cold out for me to put myself out there even to pick the strawberries.  It's supposed to be warmer tomorrow but I have no faith in that prediction.  I have no idea where the cold came from since even late on Wednesday night, the weather channel was showing much warmer weather than what we got hit with.  It was a shock to wake up to such a cold day.  It was like our night time low just kept on getting lower and wouldn't let the sun come out to warm us up.  Even the Beast, who likes the cooler weather most of the time, actually complained.

He spent most of the day planted at the back door where he could take pictures of the birds that were feeding.  He DID venture out once to go to Walmart for a few non-food items.  I wanted a scrub brush type thing with a handle like a mop.  I knew I had seen them there at one time and he agreed to look since he had to go pick up a prescription.  He found two different type of brush heads that both fit one handle so he got those for me.  One is very rough and the other is just a bit stiff.  I'll use them both and find out which one works best with the (dry) cleaner I have for my rug.  You need something to brush the powder around so it works it into the rug fibers.  Just broadcasting it on the rug and letting it sit before you vacuum it up doesn't work.  This should.  I'll work on it in the morning.

I was tired even though neither the Beast nor I really did anything all that strenuous.  The Beast did (also) hit Petco while he ran out to Walmart and got a nice little bed for Lady.  Baron tried to take it over and put his big butt into it and it was hilarious.  I scolded him for being such a hog and he actually got up and moved off it.  I brought Lady into my computer room and made her lay in it but as soon as I turned my back, she got out of the bed and laid on the floor.  She fell asleep and I picked her up gently and laid her back into the bed.  She woke up and stayed in it for quite a while but got up and came over by me and lay down....again.  The Beast put the bed back into our bedroom where Baron tried putting it on top of HIS mattresses but the Beast yelled at him and took it away.  After that, Baron stopped trying to make that tiny thing HIS....LOL!

It's early in the morning and I am still a bit tired so I am posting this and heading back to bed for a couple more hours.  Love you all.  Hope you have a nice day today (Friday).  I will if it's warm.  ***Hugs***

Feeling Bad For Bratfink And Sheldon....

It seems like it was just a few days ago that Bratfink and Sheldon had to make the decision to send one of their cats *over the rainbow bridge*.  But Smiggy was terribly ill and it was a wise, but sad, decision.  I've been there and I know how emotionally devastating it is.  But on the 18th they had to send their youngest cat, Loki, to join Smiggy.  It didn't seem like Loki was all that ill but I have no idea what the vet finally said was wrong with her.  She seemed to just have a cough, I believe.  But they had Loki from the time she was a tiny kitten and she had a lot of personality.  My heart just bleeds for the sadness they have experienced.  

Today was a very calm and peaceful day here at the Bratfarm.  The one tomato plant of the Beast's that had been planted at the same time the really productive on was has no taken off and is almost twice the size of the original one.  It's amazing what a little rain can do instead of the water from the hose.  It's full of blossoms and small tomatoes now, too.  I may even end up with some tomatoes to can from the five tomato plants he has.  Three are in the garden boxes we put up a couple years ago.

We were pulling weeds in the back box that the Beast hadn't hit yet and guess what I discovered?  Asparagus!  We thought we had pulled them all but I guess they spread, too.  This is only year one for them so I just cut them way down and they will be ready next year.  I pulled out a squash plant that looked awful and discovered there were a bunch of ants in a ball around the roots.  No wonder it looked so sick.  That was really another *leftover* from last year.  We didn't plant any squash this year.  I also found a jalapeno pepper plant and I left it since it had a few peppers on it.  Little ones but they will grow.  LOL.  I use jalapenos in some of my cooking sauces and my homemade salsa.  If we get enough tomatoes, that's how I plan on using them (and canning them, too).  I'm going to make the salsa like I should have done the last time.  I wanted to give some to others who might not have like it as spicy hot as *I* do but everyone that I gave it to was a bit disappointed.  They expected it to be hot.  That'll learn me....LOL.  

We still have a lot of weeds to pull since it was hot out and it takes it's toll on us old folks.  I checked my strawberries and have to pick some tomorrow.  They will be ready.

The Beast put Lady out in the yard and she didn't want to come in when Baron did so the Beast let her stay out there.  However, when the Beast got home from the store, she was in the garage, which means she found another way to get out of the yard.  He thought he had repaired all the loose boards but now he has to go around and inspect the fence again.    It's obvious that he hasn't found them all but clever Lady sure has.  She doesn't realize that we are trying to keep her safe.  She thinks it's a kind of game.

We are getting a lot of overcast weather that also hot and sticky feeling.  But at least there's no rain.  If it's raining at night, I haven't heard it.  There's been some thunder in the distance so someone is getting rain.  I hope it's not at the campground while the kids are there.  Rain puts a damper on things if both the kids are trapped in the camper.

It seems like this month has just flown by.  My birthday is next month (like I need to be a year older!) but at least it's at the end of the month (26th).  The Beast still hasn't taken the dogs to the vets but he hasn't felt well enough to manage both dogs.  I offered to go with him to help but he said it wasn't necessary.  Sure!  I ask too many questions of the vet, as he well knows.  He feels he asks enough and doesn't want to piss her off.  They are trained to handle people who ask a lot of questions.  And they feel like a well informed *parent* of an animal will actually be less of a problem.  But he doesn't believe me.  Oh well.  Let him learn.  I am sure the vet warns him of some of the downsides of treatments.  Baron's surgery could actually kill him.  You never know what anesthesia will do to an animal but they usually use as much care and caution as they would on a human.  But you cross your fingers nonetheless.

Time to post this.  Love you all.  Hope you had a good day and a better one tomorrow.  ***Hugs***

The Birds And The Beast....

I knew it wasn't going to rain today because the birds showed up at the feeder on and off all day even when it was overcast and a bit on the windy side.  The Beast, who particularly likes the cardinals, didn't have his camera set up (of course!) and got really annoyed when both the male and female kept showing up.  I laughed one of the times because it really looked like the male bird was looking at the door and wondering why the Beast wasn't there taking pictures of him.  LOL!  The Beast finally got out his camera and took a few pictures of both birds.  I haven't seen how those turned out yet but he kept coming back and striking poses.  Strange.

The Beast claimed he hadn't been able to sleep last night but I heard him snoring a time or two so I know it just SEEMED to him  like he didn't sleep.  He just woke up tired and not feeling good so he made that assumption.  He took a little nap around noon and was snoring loudly enough that Baron got out of the bedroom and laid in front of the front door and fell asleep.  Guess the snoring was too loud for him.  Lady, however, I saw was up on the bed and snuggled close to the Beast.  It didn't bother her at all...LOL.  It might have bothered me if I hadn't been in my computer room with the door closed.  It was only when I went out to get some coffee or ice water that I heard him.

He still didn't feel good when it was time for him to get ready for his church meeting so he didn't go.  He just spent the evening in his recliner with Baron on his lap.  It always cracks me up to see that.  It's a good thing he bought an oversized recliner just because Baron likes to be in his lap.  It just looks hilarious to me to see that 120 lb. dog laying there like he was a little chihuahua.  He even curls up in a ball and goes sound asleep.  If the arms of the recliner didn't help support him, I'm sure the Beast's legs would go sound asleep on him when Baron is playing lap dog.

I know the Beast wasn't feeling well because he really wasn't interested in eating at dinner time.  He was snacking a bit but not like he usually does.  But I decided to make some hot chicken wings (I mean that as *spicy hot*) and, when they were done, he DID eat a couple of those.  He likes them, too, but usually eats more than he did tonight.  He even went to bed early.  Around 8pm or so.  But he was tired, I know.  His face looked very white...whiter than usual, I mean.  I asked him if he had taken his meds today and he said he had when I first reminded him this afternoon.  *Grin*  Sometimes a little sweet nagging works....LOL.

Gotta get this posted and get to bed.  It's late and I am very tired now.  I won't have any problem sleeping, that's for sure.   The Princess and family took their camper to the Resort campground today.  It was Chewlee's last day of school (was only a half day so they didn't send her to school).  The Princess had packed up the camper yesterday so they could take off early.  It's not all that far away (only 12-15 miles because of the mountain road they have to traverse).  I'm not sure if Johnnycakes has off work or not but he can go to work from there if he must.  It will still be nice for him to go to the campground after work where he can always swim for a while at the resort's indoor pool and then a short walk to their camper for dinner, which the Princess will have ready for him.  

They are staying there until after Chewlee's birthday party.  By then, they will probably be camped out for a while and ready to just stay home.  June 1st Chewlee's other grandfather will be picking her up to take her to Universal Studio's in Orlando for a couple days.  She didn't know about Diagon Alley (from the Harry Potter movies) was open there and she could go see the different shops plus they have a couple neat rides she can go on.  That excited her so she should probably really enjoy herself there.  Soon after he drops her off, he will be returning to Afghanistan.  He's apparently put his house in Destin up for sale and is talking about buying a house here when it sells.  The Princess just rolled her eyes over that prospect.  She DID say, however, that he has cut back his obsessive buying Chewlee everything she wants since she put her foot down.  He wants her approval so he can continue to see his grandchild (his only one and probably will always BE his only one).  His son is a waste case ne'er-do-well.  What can I say?  

It's after 1am and it's  68 degrees outside and calm.  I don't think we will be getting any rain tonight but, if it does rain, the sound of it is nice and relaxing usually.  I don't even mind the sound of thunder....off in the distance...LOL!  Well, love you all.  I'm off to bed.  My eyes keep slamming shut and I keep zoning off and jerking awake.  Be good.  Enjoy your Hump Day and ***Hugs***.

Just Another Nice Day In Our Neck Of The Woods..........

It was a great day...again.  My only bitch is that it was overcast most of the day....again.  *Sigh*  Except for the fact that it was warm out, I might have been depressed over the gloominess that overcast skies always bring.  If it had been winter, now THAT would have been the kind of day to have all the lights on in the house.  It had a lot of windy gusts going and the birds (again) didn't show up until the winds calmed down.  You would think they would just love the winds.  Oh, maybe that was it.  They might just have been joy flying...LOL.  The cardinal and his mate showed up together, which is unusual.  I guess they don't have eggs in their nest yet.  I think I spotted the tree where they have it built but can't be sure.  It DID look like that's what they were doing with all the sticks and stuff I saw in their beaks though.  Time will tell.

The Beast did his wash today.  He's finally learned to bring hangars with him when the dryer sings it's song.  He finally hangs up his dress shirts immediately.  I checked and they all looked like they didn't need any spot ironing.  *Grin*  I've been telling him he could avoid a lot of ironing if he did that and he finally got the message.  LOL!  MEN!  I folded all his t-shirts and mated his socks.  But I make him put them away.  I don't mind doing it but I am so tired of tripping over Baron's bedding.  I keep forgetting to watch for his mattresses since Baron has this bad habit of dragging them to different spots during the day.  If I am carrying the clothes basket, I'm not really looking down on the floor.  I've almost fallen several times after Baron decided he wanted to nap somewhere different in our room.  He will drag the smaller of his two sleep pads and then plop down for a nap.  But, does he put it back??  NO, of course not.  He IS a male after all.  LOL!  If he ever did, actually, I would probably faint.  He's smart but not THAT smart.

The Beast brought home some Starbucks coffee to use once we run out of the Kauai coffee that my friend, Carol, had sent to us.  The Beast (and I) were horrified when we realized how much she was spending every month on it for us.  But why he bought Starbucks, I have no idea.  However, he brought home the dark roast beans because he never reads the labels.  Only the big print...lol.  Now, we have had Starbucks coffee only once or twice that I recall.  We were never big fans of it.  He said it was because it was supposed to be a very good brand and he had trouble going back to regular coffee after our beans ran out last time.  We made a pot of it just to check it out and, let me tell you, it can't hold a candle to the Kauai coffee.  It surprised us by not being bitter and that's the best I can say about it.  It didn't have a whole lot of actual *taste* to it despite being a dark roast.  Maybe I am just thoroughly spoiled after the Kauai coffee.  It might have more taste if we ground it like we were making expresso but I wouldn't bet on it.  I know the Beast paid a lot of money for it over just buying regular coffee but I told him I would rather buy the Dunkin' Donuts brand if it comes in beans.  I remember loving it back when we lived in Florida and I passed one of their locations in Florida every day on my way to work.  I loved even just the aroma back then.  I have no idea how I will feel about it now.  We haven't found a Dunkin' Donuts here in Alabama so it's been over 9 years since I had any.

Today we may actually get rain during the day instead of at night.  I don't like the looks of the storms that I saw on Doppler radar when I watched the weather channel last night.  Plus the weather gal was predicting dire possibilities cropping up because of the warmer weather we have been having here on the southeastern states.  No telling WHAT kind of weather we will be having.  It's daylight and on the cloudy side although it looks like we might actually be getting some sun.  Baron will be happy, if so.  He doesn't like sitting by the front door when it's overcast.  He likes his sunbeam....LOL!

The Beast and I decided that part of what is wrong with Lady (her skittishness mostly) is because she probably wasn't allowed in the house.  That's not unusual for people in Alabama.  They get double coated dogs and leave them outside ALL the time....rain, sleet or snow.  How they consider that a pet, I have no idea.  I couldn't do that.  But Lady always acts like she's done something wrong when she's in the house.  At first, we searched to see if there was a reason she was acting so guilty but didn't find anything.  Sometimes if we walked towards her, she would tuck her tail between her legs and back away with her head down.  But if we called her name, she would perk up and then slowly approach us.  That's when we decided that she was feeling guilty because she wasn't allowed in the house by whoever had her as a puppy.  She really wasn't *house-trained*.  It also explains why she always heads under the bed if we aren't talking to her and petting her.  She really can't relax until she's hidden away.  We've been closing the door to the bedrooms to try to break her of that habit.  We hope she learns to relax and accept the fact that WE allow her to be in the house.  I think she will.  I just hope it's SOON.  That poor baby needs to relax when she's in the house.  She's just more relaxed out in the yard.

She's really cute around Baron.  She likes him a lot.  She will follow him around like his shadow.  She rubs her face against his and will lean into him when they aren't playing.  She also loves to fall asleep next to him, in between his legs when he lays on his side.  She's just about the same size as the space between his front and back legs.  I told the Beast he has GOT to get a picture of that when he remembers.  I should say IF he remembers.  If he does, I will share it with you all.  It really is adorable.  I wonder why the people that owned her dropped her off like garbage?  They have no idea, I'm sure, of just how great a dog she is.  Their loss, our gain.

Well, time to get this posted.  I usually get this done at night before I go to bed or when I wake up to go to the bathroom.  It's already 7am here and I hope I haven't disrupted anyone's reading habit by doing this so late (or early).  Love you all.  I hope you have weather that's not too bad (a lot of areas besides us will be getting some storms today).  Stay dry and safe.  ***Hugs***

A Really Tasty Dinner....Yum!

I'm going to talk about our dinner tonight because it was one of the best we've had in a while.  The Beast decided to make the boneless beef ribs he had bought a few days ago.  He has a marinade he uses (no, not teriyaki) that really seems to help tenderize beef ribs and adds a bit of a *bite* to them, too.  He cooked them in the slow cooker but it didn't really take all that long for them to be just perfect.  That's when he took them out of the slow cooker and put them in a bowl.  He added the Sweet Henry's barbeque sauce to them and stirred them up well then put them back in the slow cooker to keep warm.  

I was making the corn on the cob and some four cheese mashed potatoes (yes, they are boxed but really very good).  When the corn was done, we sat down and ate and it was delicious.  One of the best meals we've had in a long time.  Oh, okay, the rib eye steaks we had a couple weeks ago were really delicious too but our meals haven't been inspired lately.  Today, we pigged out.  LOL!  The Beast didn't even snack during the evening like he normally does.  That told me that he was full and satisfied.

I'll admit that the same goes with me.  I didn't need a snack at all and that's also unusual for me lately.  I've gotten hungry again around 9pm.  Sometimes hungry enough to eat a sandwich and not just some snack food.  I keep trail mix in the house and some energy bars for snacks so that I'm not consuming a lot of calories.  I don't want to put any weight back on since I regained the weight I lost when I was in the hospital last time.  That was only 10 lbs but I've put it back on now.  I'm enjoying the additional energy I'm feeling these days.  It's about time!  I think my colon problem was around much longer than even the doctor suspects.  I don't think I am going to object to another colonoscopy next year.  I would rather be safe than sorry.

I decided that I am giving Chewlee money for her birthday.  It's too tempting for me to buy her clothes and I've learned that she has her own opinions on the clothes she wants to wear.  She's really too old for any kind of dolls (she really doesn't play with them any more) so I won't even try to buy her any kind of toys.  I figure she can buy whatever she wants with the money.   I'm sure I won't be the only person to give her that for her birthday so she may end up with enough to get herself something nice.  She has some very interesting things she likes when she sees commercials on TV but....spending her own money often is harder for her than spending OTHER people's money....LOL.

Gunner's birthday party will be two weeks after Chewlee's but that will take place at home instead of at the campground like Chewlee's will be.  But Chewlee's friends are older and will enjoy the playground and/or the pool there.  I've only seen pictures of the facilities but it looks really nice.  But Gunner will be just a year old and will probably enjoy having his party at home where he feels comfortable (and will be more private).  I'm sure the Princess will take lots of pictures of THAT party.  Plus, when it's nap time, his room won't be noisy.  The camper is a fairly good size but doesn't have a room where he can be put to sleep comfortably.  I think it's smart of them to want his party at their house.

The Beast is going out with his church group tomorrow to hand out leaflets or some such thing.  That means I will have a couple hours without him underfoot again.  I want to strip the guest bed and clean the sheets and covers on it.  I noticed there was dog hair on it so Baron's been sneaking up on it again.  I'd like to have it kept clean just in case we have company.  We may actually have the Beast's cousin. Butch, here for a day or so when he drives up to Chicago next month.  That's only a little over two weeks away.  Since we are keeping that door closed now, once I remake it, it should stay dog hair free.  At least, I hope so.

The weather was overcast for a great deal of the day today.  But we didn't get the rain that was predicted.  I'm not complaining.  We could still get a nice thunderstorm tonight according to the radar I saw on the weather channel or it could have run out of steam when it reaches us.  I can see it just drizzling after dumping a lot of it's rain down in the Mobile area.  I'll just have to wait and see what develops.  It was only 80 for a high but it was nice.  When the sun came out in the afternoon, even the birds were happy and showed up at the feeders again.  I never thought birds would hate flying around when it's overcast.  Do you think they get depressed like some people do?

Love you all.  I hope you had a nice weekend and got a lot done.  Have a safe week.  ***Hugs***

A Day For Company.....

I slept in today but was awake and watching TV when the Princess and Gunner showed up.  The Princess brought the knee brace but I don't know if the Beast even tried it on.  I forgot to ask him after the Princess finally went home.  She was trying out one of the Beast's lenses to see if it was what she wanted to buy for herself or not.  I think the Beast recommended a different one to her.  She took a few pictures of Gunner but he really wasn't in the mood for pictures (the teething) so she didn't keep any of them.  She told me she had asked Chewlee if she wanted to come with but one of Johnnycakes friends was visiting with his kids and Chewlee said we would be there next time.  LOL!  I don't blame her for choosing playing with kids over visiting two old people, no matter how much she may love us.  

Then we had a visit from Dennis, who came over to get a couple of the milk jugs the Beast had saved for him as well as to *chew the fat* with the Beast.  They both watch the same TV programs and I want no part of that.  It's incredibly boring and you would think the two of them had all the answers to what was wrong with the world.  *Sigh*

Later on Jason, from his church, showed up and stayed about an hour and a half.  I took the opportunity to run up to Dollar General (the new one just down the road from us) because I was told they had their probiotic on sale.  Alas, it was sold out and I found out why.  It was really a clearance sale since they have now apparently changed over to Rexall vitamins for the old brand they were selling.  I'm really disappointed because their brand sold a bottle of probiotics that had 90 pills in it for much less than any of the other brands on the market that only contain 30 pills.  That's just my luck.  Oh well.

After that, our company for the day was over.  I spoke with Jason, whom I like because he is an interesting person just because of his background.  Until recently, he was raising fish that he sold to various shops.  He and I got along when I told him about our funny goldfish that would often track us as we moved around his tank.  He had a distinct personality, I thought, although the Beast thought he was just looking for food.  However, Jason said he found the same thing with many of the fish he raised much to the Beast's surprise.  The Beast ended up releasing the goldfish into our lake here when he got tired of the cleaning of the tank.  Also, Chewlee lost her fascination with the fish but I think it was because the Beast really kept her away from the tank more than anything.  Her mother bought her several fish but they all seemed to die on them within about two weeks or so.  Since I never saw what they kept the fish in, I have no clue why.  I think it might have been a bowl and the water wasn't freshened enough but I'm not sure.  A bowl loses oxygen quickly so needs refreshing often.  When you have two kids and one is a baby, you really don't have both the time and energy to worry about a goldfish.

It was not a very nice day today.  Although we didn't get rain until around 10pm or so, the day was overcast and breezy.  Neither dog wanted to stay outside for longer than they had to.  If the Beast was sitting in his recliner, Baron insisted on being in his lap and he faced outward so that he could make sure Lady stayed away.  He's so jealous of any attention either one of us pays to her.  Not that we stop paying attention.  We just make sure we give HIM some, too.  LOL!  They are like two little kids at times.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be a day of thunderstorms.  If they will be at night or not, I am not sure.  I don't mind them at night as long as there is no chance of tornadoes.  I will be watching the weather channel a LOT to make sure.  Dennis and Di across the street have a safe room that we are invited to make use of, along with the dogs now.  It used to be just Baron but they have found out that Lady is a cutie so she is also welcome.  I don't think they could be cruel enough to deny them anyway.  I just hope we don't have to make use of the safe room any time soon.  I sure as hell don't want a tornado to hit THIS house.  I know it would be a total loss.  It's not much better than living in a mobile home with the way it's structured.  The wind can get underneath it and that would take it away!  I've said to the Beast before that there's really no safe place here so I am grateful for Dennis and Di.

Well, time to get this posted.  Love you all.  Hope you have a better day than most of the US will be having.  Be safe.  ***Hugs***

Crikey....Not A Good Weekend Here.....

I woke up to overcast skies and the feel of rain.  No rain at all although you could hear thunder in the distance earlier.  When I checked with Weather Interactive, it said thunderstorms later tonight.  *Sigh*  I really don't mind when it rains during the night.  We are all settled in for the night around this time each night so rain when you like....LOL!  In fact, it's going to be a thunderstorm weekend from what it said.  Oh well. 

Both the dogs didn't want to stay out very long except Lady would stay out just a bit longer than Baron.  But she likes roaming the yard and sniffing around.  I'm not sure what she hopes to smell but, within no more than 10 minutes, she's at the door and ready to come in.

Both dogs appetites seem to have returned, thank goodness.  Guess they just had a bit of a tummy upset or some such thing.  You could never tell that with the way they ate today.  The Beast said it really started last night when he fed them.  I never saw them eat since they vacuumed up the food in their bowls and then went to lay down to digest their food.

It seems like the Beast's knee if feeling a bit better today after rubbing on the gel his aunt gave him when he was visiting her a while back.  He's had the gel here but never used it before.  Now he wants to see if he can find more of it around here for when he runs out.  The Princess still never showed up with the knee brace and she didn't call (if she can't find it, for heaven's sake...call!).  Just don't disappoint the Beast by ignoring him.  You are the one that offered, after all!  "Nuff said.

The Beast went to Publix today to get more roast beef and he came home with six hard rolls!  I was ecstatic and proceeded to make a sandwich on one for my lunch.  He cut a roll out of some crusty Italian bread for his.  My roll had a firmer crust on it and I guess that's why he chose the Italian bread, instead.  He still has a problem with his lower plate and can't bite very well.  LOL!

I made soup and a salad for my dinner with a couple slices of Italian bread, buttered.  All-in-all, a nice, quiet day.  I did my wash, finally.  Got everything hung up, folded and put away.  I'll take my shower in a bit (after I finish this).  The Beast went to bed early tonight but I had taken a nap after my dinner so I am up now for a while.  I'm watching a cute animated movie called *Dinosaur* that uses the same graphics that they used for the *Walking with dinosaurs* movie.  I've actually seen it before but it's cute and TV sucks tonight.  I'd rather watch this than anything else that's on.

The Beast *says* he's taking both dogs into the vet's office on either Monday or Tuesday.  That's what he told me as we put down a special blanket in the back seat of my car to try to keep the dog hair off my seats back there.  We'll just have to wait and see what happens.  He's said it before.

The tomatoes are almost the right *green* to use for fried green tomatoes.  *Grin*  I pointed it out to the Beast today.  And the plant that had the most tomatoes on it?  It's got even more and some of the later ones on it are as big as the original ones.  Amazing.

Time to get this posted.  Love you all.  Be kind to one another.  Smile a lot.  Life is good.  Much better than the alternative.  ***Hugs***

Eww! Doggie Bad Breath!

Baron has chronic bad breath issues.  We give both dogs Denta-chews but Baron seems to get his bad breath back within a couple hours.  It doesn't seem to work the same way with Lady for some reason.  Today the Beast had enough and had me call Sheepie to find out where she had bought the spray she had used on Baron's breath the last time she was at the house.  Baron is always trying to kiss the Beast when he is on his lap at night and his breath is enough to make him go bald.....LOL.  So I called and she said she and Teach were going to be running around, doing errands for a while so she would just drop off the 2/3 of a bottle she had left.  But she did tell me she had bought it at the Pet store the time she was there with the Beast.  He will know where to get more when he needs it.
 
True to her word, she ran in, dropped off the spray and left since they were still out and about.  What's funny is that Baron jumped off the Beast's lap when he picked up the spray bottle and the Beast had a hard time getting Baron back on his lap so he could use the spray.  It took quite a bit of coaxing but it sure made a difference once he had sprayed Baron's throat. 

I had also called the Princess and asked her if she could drop off the knee brace she had that she had offered to him the other day.  She said she would drop it off later but she never showed up.  The Beast's knee is really giving him a problem and I am afraid it's going to give out on him and he will seriously hurt himself.  He started using some kind of a joint creme on his knee tonight that he picked up.  I hope it helps him.

Today he finally got the boards in the fence repaired so we don't have to worry about Lady getting out and running around the neighborhood again.  Some cars, that should know better, zoom down the street and she might get hit by one when she's out there, unsupervised.  She will stay close to the house if she is outside with Baron but she roams when alone.  That scares me because she has been to the field where the goats are kept and she's not afraid of the billy goat.  It's an exotic variety of goat with horns like a longhorn steer and those horns on him that could toss her for a loop.  The billygoat is a new addition to the goats but they sell goat's milk and goat milk products and I guess they need a constant birth rate in order to ensure product.  In the long run, buying their own billygoat was probably smarter than renting one to serve the herd....LOL!  They also are really good protectors.  This one, I doubt even a coyote would take the chance.  I'm pretty sure the coyote would come out the loser.

I have no idea what they did with their dogs.  The one kept getting out of the field and it wasn't a good dog to have do that.  He attacked a boy just down the street who was lifting up his dog to protect it when he saw the other dog coming towards them.  The people were horrified but the boy has recovered well and he was old enough to understand that this was an unusual occurrence.  I think the people may have moved the dogs to their cow pastures which are a distance away and better fenced.  Baron will miss them.  He liked to stop by and say hello when the Beast would take him on his run.  But both dogs have disappeared since the introduction of the billygoat.

Well, time to wrap this up and get it posted.  I'm tired tonight and the Beast made his patty melts tonight for dinner.  I love those things.  I wouldn't like them all the time but I do like them on occasion.

Love you all.  Have some fun this weekend along with all the stuff you normally have to do.  Be good.  Smile.  ***Hugs***

 

Fun With Gunner.....

The Princess surprised me today by showing up with Gunner.  She really wanted to find out if the Beast had a particular lens she could borrow to take some pictures of Gunner when she finds a mature weeping willow.  It seems that there are only young ones around here.  

She caught me watching a cartoon movie but it's from a series of little dinosaurs that is cute as hell.  Juli and I always watched them which is how I got hooked on them.  I then found out that over 10 different ones were made so I want to see all of them.....LOL!  But we moved from my computer room to the kitchen and she proceeded to make Gunner something to eat when he started making his *I'm hungry* sounds.

He was shy at first but then, when I had made MY grilled cheese sandwich (he had already eaten a whole one himself) and started sharing it with him, he warmed right up and even stood up at my feet.  The poor thing is teething...again.  He already had two bottom teeth but now has his two top teeth coming in so his mood changes rapidly at times when they start bothering him.  He did come to me and let me pick him up for a snuggle.  When I kiss his neck, he gets a big grin on his face.  For the first time today, we heard him giggle.  It was so darn cute!  He has an adorable giggle.  Even the Beast laughed when he did it.

The Princess and the Beast ended up going shopping at Aldi's together.  She hadn't planned on it but said she needed a couple things anyway so what the hell!  The Beast hadn't been to Aldi's yet so he got to walk all through it and found a lot of stuff that he said were cheaper than at Walmart.  He just didn't find the meats cheaper but what can you expect.  He had to go to Publix to finish the shopping for the week since we needed our special bread and lunchmeats plus he picked up some TV dinners and a few more meat items.  I had cleaned out the fridge while he was gone and also got all the dishes into the dishwasher and got that started up.

When the Beast got home from Publix we put those groceries away and then got a real treat.  The Beast had found some hard rolls and we made roast beef sandwiches.  Love those crusty rolls!  We could never find any around here until Publix opened.  Their whole bakery is amazing and most things are made right there.  If you have a Publix around you, make sure you try their chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting.  Amazing and wonderful.  We tried, once WE discovered them, to make sure to get one for special occasions.  You can get regular cakes or quarter, half and full sheet.  They are all at least a double layer so they are wonderful.  We always got strawberry filling but there's a variety available.  And they decorate them, too.  At least we have a nice selection of groceries again.....LOL!  No cake, but food.  I hate when we get down to fish sticks and hamburger.  But we got our SS today.

The Beast and I had a bit of a *discussion* today because he didn't go into the vet's like he said and show her the new tumors and set an appointment to get them removed.  I'm especially worried about the one on his paw and the original one on his side that has gotten huge.  I know it has something to do with how un-energetic he has become.  He's also sleeping a lot.  He actually said he had discussed the surgery with the vet already but that was a long time ago and I said so.  He got a really pissed off look on his face because the Princess was there with Gunner and he wouldn't say what he really wanted to to me.  It wouldn't have been nice.....or very Christian.

I programmed the vet's phone number into my phone and, if he doesn't do it, I swear I am going to do it myself.  I'm worried about Baron.  He also needs to take Lady in to see if her worms are gone now that we've finished her meds.  

It was funny how Lady reacted to Gunner when he was down on the floor.  She was actually afraid of him and ended up hiding under the bed.  When he first reached over to pet her, she backed away like he was some kind of alien being.  I had to laugh, it was so unexpected.  Lady is always, always friendly.  I don't think she had ever seen a baby before today.

Tomorrow has to be a wash day here.  My hamper is full.  This wearing clothes only for one day tells you that summer is here....LOL!  Plus, I really can't spend a whole day in my jammies now since I have to go check out the strawberries almost daily.  I also am watching those tomatoes I told you about.  I am bound and determined to  make fried green tomatoes when they get the right ripeness.  The color is wrong.....still.  *Sigh*

I talked with my son, Marcus today and let him know that I wasn't going to be able to make Ren Faire and why.  He said he understood and it was okay.  He said that little by little everyone seemed to be begging off for one reason or another.  But he has two more weekends to make it and have at least PART of his family go along.  I know he was disappointed since he wanted to be there for Pirate's Day but he rolls with the punches so he will be fine.  We also talked about his new job (he's worked for them for several months but it was the first time WE had talked about it).   He loves it and he's happy his boss thinks he's a great IT tech.  He's saved the company a great deal of money by re-doing their payroll program and the payable program, too.  He found some major mistakes on them that he corrected and showed to his boss.  He's now become the *go-to* guy for all the team leaders per his boss's instructions.  He loves that.  He also told me that he's lost about 40 lbs (which hasn't hurt) and I encouraged him to keep it up.  He needs to drop about 40 more.  He's much too fine boned to carry the weight he had on him.  He will look and feel much better.

Got to go so I am going to finally get this posted.  Love you all.  Be good.  TGIF and enjoy your weekend.  ***Hugs***

Our Poor Dog...!

I think I've mentioned before that our Doberman, Baron, has had a rather large tumor on his side hear his front leg.  The vet told the Beast it's a fatty tumor so the Beast wasn't all that worried about it.  He also has a rather more serious one on his foot that desperately needs attention since Baron licks it until it bleeds and we have to bandage it well to stop him from doing it and to let the area heal.

Today, while we were bathing Baron in the tub instead of outside like we usually do in warm weather, we found several other tumors.  I was so upset that I finally got the Beast to agree to take Baron into the vet's tomorrow and show her what we found and set up a definite time for her to remove them all or as many as she can at one time....safely.  I know from the price she quoted us when the Beast had asked originally that this is going to be expensive.  So it means I will NOT be going to Ren Faire with my son and his family this year.  It was set for us to meet up next Saturday.  However, we will not have any money to spare after taking care of Baron.  The original tumor has become huge.  I can't believe the Beast didn't want to take care of this a long time ago.  Baron IS, after all, the Beast's best friend in the world.

I will have to call Marcus tomorrow and let him know so he won't be looking for me to join them.  It's really a shame because they ARE fun.  I especially love the shops and the demonstrations.  They always have a jousting tournament that's fun to watch.  They are SO serious.  There are artists of various sorts all over and, of course, a wizard/magician, too.  The shops have costumes, ready to wear and all sorts of jewelry.  Last time, I bought a headpiece that was made of chain mail that I still have.  It was cute on and I couldn't resist it.  But there will be another one next year.  I have the internet link now so I will know when it takes place.  My son and his family would never miss one.  They've been going for years now ever since their kids were young.  Now their *baby* is 16 and drives.  LOL!  

I admit that it's not cheap.  It's like going to any fair except there's an entry charge of over $20 per person except young children.  Food is not cheap either.  You should see the number of people, however, that walk around with HUGE turkey legs that really remind you of what they probably ate and how they ate it at the time all these things were going on.  The blacksmith is interesting too.  He has chain mail hanging inside his stall as well as a full set of armor.  Usually more than one type.  He also will be working on something so you hear his hitting the anvil often.  

There are actors walking around in costume and there is also a king and queen present.  It's VERY interesting to see and listen to their conversations.  The whole time they talk like they are living in the era.  The words they use are typical of that time in history.  They do NOT come out of character at all.  

The Beast discovered today that Lady is small enough to crawl through one of the loose boards in the fence so he's going to replace them tomorrow.  She's very clever to have found one.  He discovered her running around the neighborhood after he let her out into the back yard.  He was shocked but then went out to check the fence.  He said there are six or seven boards that he's going to have to replace to make it escape-proof.  Our next door neighbor has his gate open and that was how she got out after slipping through our fence.  I'm kind of glad that he's finally going to replace the boards.  He should have done it as soon as the weather got warmer.  

And warmer it has been.  We had another hot day....88 the last time I checked it.  If it got hotter than that, I have no idea.  Hot is hot.  The Beast had the AC on in the main part of the house.  I had my computer room door closed and my window open with the fan in it.  My room was warm and I was happy about it.  The two fingers on my left hand that have arthritis in them didn't hurt me like they do when they get cold.  The dogs came into my room while the Beast was gone to his church so I guess they don't like being in the cool air as much as the Beast thinks.  He's the only one that loves it.  But I know he can't really tolerate the heat since his strokes.  That was how we came to buy this house and the property next door that he filled with fruit trees.  

But, alas, the fungus in the ground has affected them and only the plums seem to do okay with that.  But we have to just wait and see if we can find out how to kill off the fungus.  It affects our peach trees the most.  I wonder what peach plantations do to prevent that from happening?  I told the Beast to take some of the affected soil to the Dept. of Agriculture and let them analyze it and tell him what we can do about it.  But he won't so it must not mean as much to him as it does to me.

Time to get this posted.  Love you all.  Have a great Hump Day.  Be careful.  Stay safe.  ***Hugs***

Something Interesting I Found......

I was going through some old drafts I had done that I intended to use on my blog.  I don't think I ever used this one.  It was written a few years back and some of it has proven kind of prophetic...LOL.  The people involved will recognize it: 

 I know pretty much everyone has heard of *The Mother's Curse*.  For anyone that is unsure, it goes like this:  *When you get married and have kids, I hope you have one JUST LIKE YOU!*  :laughing: 

I never wished that on any of my kids.  I'm not that cruel but.....God is good.  Even without the curse, I can see the shit coming and hitting the wall.  Now Chewlee is in a class all her own.  She's much more outgoing than the Princess was at her age and a lot more articulate.  She also has a more vivid imagination but I think some of those things are kind of tied in with her being outgoing.  She's been around adults more than most kids are, especially since we don't have many kids around here.  When the Princess finally put her into nursery/preschool, it was for the socialization more than anything else.  It was a good thing except......she got to see kids that were not exactly NICE kids for one reason or another.  Kids that threw tantrums.  Kids that talked back to grownups.  Kids that hit and bit others.  You take your chances subjecting your child to an atmosphere like that.  Although I will say, the school Chewlee was in did not keep real problem kids for long. 

Right now, Chewlee is going through a phase where she is testing the borders of behavior that we will tolerate.  You can't let her get away with bad behavior even ONCE or it just gets worse.  It's not a fun time and she changes so rapidly from our precious kid to a little monster that it takes you aback at times.  But, I watch her and I imagine her as a preteen or a teenager and I am kind of concerned about the Princess being up to the task.  It will not be an easy time.  With Chewlee's personality, it will be even worse than normal because I think she's going to have a mouth on her.

She may love us but she will be getting ready to take her place in a world that won't include us except on the fringes.  That's if we do our job right.  I think she WILL go to college because her mother has and her mother will be a teacher.  Chewlee knows her mother is going to school to get a special diploma so that she can teach school.  That idea fascinates her.  She thinks that is so *special*.  I hope she keeps that thought.

An online friend of mine is all upset because her daughter is going into the military after she gets out of school this year.  She is going into the air force because it will pay for her nursing school and that is what she wants.  

Actually, she said her daughter wants to become an RN, then go for another degree that is heading her towards being an MD.  We all told her she should encourage that because the air force won't be sending her into any war zones while she is training.  Plus, it sounds like she gave it a lot of thought and did some research.  She will also look really cool in the uniform.  :laughing:  It seems a lot of kids are doing that these days.  Going into the military, I mean.  I think it's because the economy sucks but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea.  Some are really patriotic and feel they should do their part to keep our country free.

I never published this (or finished it!) but I just thought it had a couple interesting points.  Chewlee's life has changed now because her mother married her long-time boyfriend that Chewlee started calling *daddy* a long time ago without any urging or suggestion from anyone.  She also has a little brother that has joined their family.  She was NOT happy about that (she wanted a baby sister) but he adores her and she has come around now.  She thinks he's *cute* and *funny*.  I think he's one of the happiest baby's that I have ever known.  Good job, Princess.

Nothing interesting happened to me today.  The Beast mopped floors and we washed all our bedding then made up the bed fresh.  The Beast is complaining about his right knee giving him a lot of problems and he's afraid he may be heading towards a knee replacement.  He's going to ask our regular doctor about it and probably have to see an orthopedist.  Somehow, I don't think he's reached that stage but, with his left leg losing so much mobility and strength after his strokes, he's put a lot of extra stress on his right leg to support himself.  So, who knows?

It was hot and sunny again today.  Great weather and it's only going down into the 60's tonight.  Love it!  Hope you are enjoying some good weather, even if it's not warm.  I just hope no one suffers with any tornadoes.  Be good.  Be safe.  ***Hugs***