Out To Lunch....

So today Cee and I went out to lunch.  We went to Applebie's for their double crunch shrimp.  Today they were really crunchy.  They were not so crunchy when Cee, Babybrat and I went to lunch last month.  Don't get me wrong, they tasted great even so but I had no idea how crunchy they should have been.  Today I found out because they really tasted crunchy.  More like they used panko bread crumbs as the second coating this time.  Since Cee and Babybrat both had a shrimp or two (we kind of tasted each others meals), Cee noticed the difference, too.

BUT...the cocktail sauce they served us was just awful.  It was sweet and didn't taste like there was any horseradish in it at all.  The tartar sauce (which we asked for because of the awful cocktail sauce) was just as bad.  It was not made with sweet relish but with the other pickle relish that tastes more like pickles chopped up.  The waitress told us that corporate selects the brand of such things and they don't have a say in that.  

So Cee and I decided that we would both complain (nicely, of course) to corporate.  On our receipt, we noticed that they ask the customer to go to a website of theirs and tell them about our visit (within 3 days).  That's where we are going to give them our opinion about their choice for both those items.  I wonder if anyone bothered to taste them before buying?  Especially since they are buying for ALL the Applebie's restaurants and it's a shame that most of it will just be tossed out in the garbage.  What a waste! 

I was glad that Cee felt as good as she did today.  We talked about her not feeling well so often lately and she said that bothered her, too.  She said it was more like a malaise than any real illness.  She finds herself doing more sleeping than anything because it leaves her with no energy.  Of course, her having to get up every couple hours to use the bathroom doesn't help....LOL.  Since I suffer from that, too, I could relate.

I wanted to wring Freddie's neck today and turn him into soup.  I put out a paper plate with some cut up lettuce for the girls and that little turd pushed them away from the plate and he took one of his claws and swept it all off the plate.  He then was keeping the girls from eating any so I came down the stairs, heading for him.  I really think if he hadn't run away like he did  (he knew I was coming for him!), I would have kicked his feathered butt across the yard.  He really ticked me off.  At least the girls got to the lettuce (and there was also some crushed egg shells on one side of the plate) and got to eat it.  He actually kept away from them while I was on the deck.  He didn't even crow until I went in the house....LOL.  A REAL chicken shit!  It's no wonder the girls gang up on him on occasion.  He's definitely NOT a lover!  

The rest of my day was pretty peaceful and nothing exciting.  Empty dishwasher, fill dishwasher, sweep floor, make rice to add to Baron's food, feed Baron, let Baron outside....in fact, he made me a bit crazy with wanting to go in and out of the house.  He kept trying to go over to our next door neighbor's house (he was in the garage doing something) but I kept calling Baron back.  I'm thankful that Baron actually IS obedient.

For the first time, the rooster waited for me to get ready to leave the coop area before he ran in...he usually struts in at the end of the line when the hens are all in.  I think he was afraid of what I might do....LOL  Today there were six eggs in the nesting box.  All of them were in just one and we have three of them.  I guess they have a favorite and take turns using it.  Weird.

Have a wonderful week, ya'll.  (That's Southern for *you all*).  Love you all.  Be good.  Be happy.  ***Hugs***



 

Busy But Not Too Busy.....

I sure hope I don't get used to getting up at 6am just so I can let the chickens out of the coop.  Yikes!  That's one job I can do without.....unless I absolutely had to do it.  But I don't want to think like that.  Me bad!

Cee and I were supposed to go out to lunch today but Cee called me and begged off.  She wasn't feeling good and wanted to know if we could do it tomorrow.  Of course, I told her sure but I am a bit concerned.  She's been *not feeling well* off and one for over a week.  I wonder if she should see her doctor?  There's a lot of strange things going on with people...I mean about not feeling well but no distinct symptoms.  

Even Dennis, I found out tonight, has been back and forth to his various doctors (he's had all kinds of tests, scans, etc.) but no one has really found anything you could say *Ah ha!* to.  They even did several checks of his heart because the symptoms for heart failure can be sneaky.  He's feeling a bit better tonight but he was down for the count since Monday.   I thought they had gone away for the week because the last time I saw them, they were hauling Dennis' motorcycle on their trailer.  Diane told me he was dropping it off to be serviced because he wasn't feeling well and didn't feel up to doing it.  That's when Diane knew he really WAS sick.

I have to talk to Cee tomorrow because the restaurant we planned to go to may not be open for lunch on Sundays.  Someone who likes the same place told me that.  I have their phone number on my little yellow pad so that I can call them tomorrow and find out.  Cee and I may just have to put it off until either Monday or Tuesday.  I doubt they will be closed on Monday but I'll check on that when I call them before I talk to Cee.

I have to laugh at the chickens and their forming a line behind me when I go out to gather the eggs and put them away for the night.  They know they are going to get corn when they see me come out when it starts to get dark.  Well, not really but there's a difference in the light in the sky.  When I look behind me, all the hens are in a line with the rooster bringing up the rear.  He also is the last one out of the coop in the morning.  It's like he has to make sure all the girls are out first.  I think he is just doing that to show he's the *boss*.  LOL!

Since we didn't go out to lunch, I pigged out on shrimp for my lunch.  *Blush*  But I had a nice salad for my dinner to compensate for that, I hope.  I love salads anyway and I had half a cucumber from the other day that needed to be used.  It was delicious.

Baron indicated he wanted to go outside for his nightly poop so I let him out alone (we do that a lot at night because he doesn't like being out at night so he comes back quickly).  When he seemed to be taking a longer time than usual, I went outside to call him and found Diane by my stairs, petting him.  She surprised me because I wasn't expecting her to be there.  She asked me if I was alone and asked me how long the Beast was going to be gone.  She got the biggest grin on her face when I told her because she likes my company and invited me over to her place any time I wanted to come.  I thanked her and reminded her that Cee still hadn't seen her house so she told me to bring her over, too.

 I've been watching Animal Planet channel almost all day long because it is showing a couple of the different veterinarian shows they have almost continuously since early morning.  I find them interesting partly because of Baron and also because I learn about different symptoms to watch for in him now that he's older.  But I would still find it interesting even if we didn't have Baron.  There's a trio of vets that started a clinic in Houston called Cy-Fair (no clue where they came up with that name) and, since I have a friend that lives in Houston, it interested me just for that reason.  Another vet is in Alaska and there's one in Colorado and another in Michigan.  All are different but they also have a lot in common (their surgical approaches for example).  It's the scope of their practices that are different.  Okay, so I'm weird.  Deal with it!  It's me.....LOL.

Okay, time to wrap this up.  Love you all.  Be happy.  Live your life like each day is the last one you have left.  Live intensely.  Live with no regrets.  ***Hugs***

Today I Started Getting Busy.....

I was a bit tired of resting due to a lack of sleep the previous two days.  But I got a fairly decent rest last night so I started doing some things that needed doing.  I drained and got rid of the rest of the chicken soup since I knew I wasn't going to eat any more of it.  There wasn't all that much left anyway.  I took out the garbage.  I sat outside with Baron for a bit and let him roll in the grass to his hearts content.  When I asked him if he was done, he got up on his feet and headed back to the house so I took that as a *yes*.

When I took him out after we both ate dinner, he did, finally!, poop but he had to trot all over the yard first.  I know he misses the Beast running him down the street and back (Baron doesn't/won't go all around the circle any more) before he usually poops.  I know this doesn't seem important but otherwise he is in and out all night long due to *consternation*.  Get it?   It just so happens that I don't have any doggie laxative handy.  LOL!

I washed the clothes I've been wearing for the last few days.  Cee and I are going to lunch tomorrow and there's a top in there I want to wear.  It's comfy and cool.  Since the restaurants are all air conditioned, I'll bring along a light jacket to wear when we are there.  We haven't decided which restaurant we are going to but that won't matter.  We haven't really been to a bad one yet.

The Beast is having a good time, which is great.  It means he won't be home early (fingers crossed).  I do plan on cleaning my rug in the next few days and I want to clean my window in here as well as dust my blinds well.

Time to hit the sack.  Love you all.  I hope you enjoy your holiday weekend.  ***Hugs***

A Very Nice Day......

I only heard from the Beast one time today.  Amazing.  But it tells me he has been being entertained by his sister and her unending energy for shopping and eating out.  He told me that he has already had pizza and an Italian beef, the stinker.  How I miss the food there.  *Sigh*  But I know he has plans on bringing home Italian beef from our favorite place there...and they get it ready for both shipping and travel.  

At least he didn't call me early in the morning to check to see if I was up to let out the chickens and take Baron out.  I just set my alarm so I don't have to listen to Freddie go into his constant crowing when he wants out.  Yes, he does that.  He did it when the gate on the coop closed on him when he went in to drink some water.  I had forgotten to bungie cord the door...me bad!  But I corrected that and guess what Freddy found?  He found the cat's dish of water and I caught him drinking out of that!  LOL.  It was on the deck, too.

They were all crowded at the bottom of the steps, waiting for me to put them into the coop tonight.  I felt like the pied piper because they were all in a line behind me when I looked.  Too funny!  It looks like we can expect just five or six eggs each day now.  That's a much easier number to manage although I have 8 dozen eggs in the fridge now and 9 in the container on my counter.  That's with using three for an omelet.  I put together the fixings for a Denver omelet and have enough to make three more in a small container in the fridge.  No sense making just enough for one when you are cutting up the ham, green pepper and onion.  

I showered and got into my jammies after I put the chickens to bed.  Baron was sound asleep after eating a huge dish of his favorite dog food (chunks with gravy), lots of rice and some chicken.  He then went out to poop and settled down for the night.  I was glad since he seemed to hate me being in the bathroom for any time and started woofing outside the door today.  I don't know what he thought I was going to do (disappear?) but it was really annoying.

I'm going to set the coffee up for morning and then have an early bedtime.  He didn't let me take a nap and kept wanting to get into  my lap.  I think I am giving him a washing tomorrow (he stinks!).  I know it's just from sweating or glandular secretions of some kind but it's awful.  He'll enjoy being scrubbed and then the cool water (I'll wash him outside).

Looks like when I saw Dennis drive away in his truck on Monday, towing his motorcycle behind him, that he and Diane went away for the week.  They'll be back on either Monday or Tuesday, I'm sure.  They don't have the RV any more and staying at a motel is not Dennis' idea of fun.  

Have a great Friday and an even better Labor Day weekend.  Love you all.  ***Hugs***

So Now He Calls!!!

Doesn't it just figure?  Now that he's left for Chicago, he calls me to let me know where he is all the time?  He called me when he stopped for his nap.  He calls me when he's just two hours away from his sister's house.  He wanted to make sure I had let the chickens out and taken Baron out for his morning pee.  He calls me when he gets to his sister's.  He calls me when he wants to make sure that I don't forget to put the chickens away for the night.  I was amazed he didn't call me to say *good night!*.

I can't get him to call me when he's going to stop to eat something before coming home after church.  But today, he calls me for everything except when he stops to pee.  *Sheesh!*

I was up at 6am to let the chickens out of the coop.  They were already gathered around the door, waiting.  I was surprised they didn't knock me over when they rushed out.  I took Baron out front when he was ready to go and he did what he needed to do and then wanted back in the house so in we went after about just 10 minutes.  The one thing I almost forgot was to give Baron his morning snack.  It's not his big meal of the day.  That he gets around 4 or so.  

I put the chickens away around 7:15pm after I gathered the 6 eggs for the day.  It's weird only having the 7 hens now.  But they are easier to count, that's for sure.

After that, I took a little nap before letting Baron out into the back yard for whatever it was he needed to do.  Poor baby had a tough time getting up the stairs.  It took him four tries before he made it but at least he didn't fall this time.  He's done that a time or two.  

When he came in, I gave him a hot dog with the low dose aspirin inside it.  I knew he had to be hurting.  He sometimes has to concentrate to even get up the three front stairs.  But that's more fear than pain.  But when he does this about the six back stairs, I know he's in pain.  It was actually seeing the cat come into the house that spurred him into making the attempt. He's always afraid the cat will eat his dry food....LOL.  Once he made it into the house, the first thing he did was run over to his dry food bowl to check that out.

I don't know if he is checking how much food he has in it or he smells for any cat scent but he sniffed around it and looked intently at it then seemed satisfied.  I know the cat didn't bother the food (I watched) so I think he must be able to smell the cat scent.  Since there wasn't any tonight, he was satisfied his food was okay.

The cat is curled up, asleep, next to a sleeping Baron right now.  It is really cute to see.  But the cat is going to want out in a little bit.  That's the usual routine.  She will come into the doorway of my computer room and meow at me then start walking away as soon as I turn around.  That's the signal.  She's slowly coming out of her feral stage but not completely yet.  It's more like she comes to visit with us but she's still reluctant to be petted for long and won't stay in our laps for anything longer than 5 or 6 seconds.

Well, she's outside now, sleeping on the shelf with the bird feeder.  It's her favorite spot.  Now I can go ahead and shower and get ready for bed myself.  Another early day ahead for me tomorrow.  Love you all.  Decide to be happy.  Don't allow anyone with negative energy around you.  You don't need that in your life.  ***Hugs***

 

The Beast Has Left The Building!

The Beast and I got him ready to go....getting his clothes packed, his good clothes hung up on the rod he bought for the car, food for the journey (he hates to stop)...which included the soup I am sending with him, sandwiches, sodas, pudding cups, cheese crackers and some candy he bought.....his pillows and a thermos full of fresh coffee.  He left tonight because he wanted to get a couple hours behind him then stop at a rest stop to nap.  He hopes to get there early in the morning.

His plans are to stay with his sister at first and then, when the couple that are from our area (going up for a wedding) arrives, he will go to his brother's home.  He is the one that arranged for the couple to stay with his sister.  She will be sorry the couple is only going to be there for three days because she loves to hostess newcomers to the area.  The wife has never been out of Alabama and he was raised in the Dominican Republic.  They have no clue about what a truly big city is like.  Chicago will be a shock to them.  But she has to be back for her job.  He isn't allowed to work for another two months due to a condition of his Visa.  They were married here and the Beast was the photographer for it.

I'm sitting here, relaxing and enjoying the quiet.  Baron is asleep nearby now.  He knows the Beast is gone for a  few days.  A few?  LOL...this will be the longest time he was away from Baron.    There's no telling how Baron will take this.  I don't let Baron crawl up in my lap (yes, he thinks he is a lap dog!).  He weighs almost as much as I do.  The Beast has let him do that since he was a puppy (I did, too) but he's a BIG dog now.  He's an over-sized Doberman, weighing in at 122 lbs. and he's NOT fat.  The Beast even bought an oversized recliner (it has wide, padded arms) to accommodate the dog.  I don't sit in the recliner because Baron thinks it's HIS!  

Now Chewlee or Gunner can be in it and he doesn't bother them, thankfully.  It's any adult that sits in it that might find themselves a target for his climbing up into their lap.  Although, I have noticed that he doesn't seem to bother a woman much (except for me) but, let a man sit in it and he's very demanding.  I'm just glad he obeys when told to get down and he stays down then.  You just have to know what to say.  You can't just push him off.  He just gets more insistent.  But a stern *get down* he will obey.

He doesn't get up on the Beast's lap as often any more.  That's because of his arthritis (the dog's, not the Beast).  If he is in pain, he won't even try.  I watch him and, if I see he is in pain, I give him a low dose aspirin.  It helps relieve his pain and is much safer than some of the pain pills that are often prescribed by vets.  If you read the possible side effects of those, it's scary!  Some of them are actually toxic.  

Well, I am going to take a leisurely bath for a change.  My back could use it and I don't often take one.  It's easier and faster to shower.  But, sometimes, a nice bath and a good book to read is almost as good (well, maybe not) as a hot tub.  Wish we had one like we did at our house in Florida.  Oh well.  C'est la vie!

Love you all.  I wish you a great Hump Day.  Be the best you can be!  Tell those you love that you do....always!  ***Hugs***

 

Counting Down....One More Day !

IF the Beast leaves when he said he was, I only have to get through tomorrow.  He will leave early in the morning for Chicago on Wednesday is what I mean.  I will, of course, be up to see him off and then go back to bed for a  while.  I'll have to let the chickens out first, of course.

He didn't show me how to add feed to their feeder or water to their watering trough today.  That MUST take place tomorrow or he will use that as an excuse not to go for another day.  He was just feeling a bit lazy today.  In some ways, I was glad because I didn't want him to overdo it with tiring chores.  it takes him too long to recover and he won't leave if he's tired or hurting too much.

I started my soup today.  I wanted to wait until tomorrow to start it but then realized that I wanted to make sure it had the flavor I want so I wouldn't have to make another batch.  I would do that rather than sending off something that didn't taste right.  I have to drain the veggies out of the broth in a bit so that the veggies aren't overcooked.  Right now, they are perfect.  That way, I can get the broth boiling in order to cook the homemade noodles to tenderness without compromising the texture I want for the veggies.

I am so ready to have this second *vacation*  while the Beast is gone.  He won't enjoy the drive up there but it will be okay coming back since he will be with that couple I mentioned in my earlier post.  He will enjoy seeing both his siblings and his sister will take him to different places that will be a treat for him.  She knows a lot of good eating places up there.

The Beast did most of his running around to different places yesterday, which is probably why he was feeling lazy today.  I made us a simple dinner of oven cooked chicken and some mac and cheese.  Simple but easy, too.  I made the chicken a bit spicy and that was perfect.  Tasted great!   

Time to get into the shower and then to bed.  I will have to make sure I get up early tomorrow, although I was  up by 8am today.  I'll set up the coffee pot tonight before I go to bed.   I'll need to get up with the Beast at 5:30 or 6am so he can school  me in the filling of the chicken's stuff.  Then he can get himself packed and ready for the trip on Wednesday.  

Love you all.  Be good.  Be happy.  Be kind most of all.  ***Hugs***