Seasons Greetings !

Gaston and Carmel wish you a Happy Holiday!

HOW I SPENT MY EVENING

.......at war with a squirrel.

Let me explain......There I sat finishing up some Christmas cards when I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye dash down the hallway. Of course the trusty watch dogs just sat there like fuzzy lumps so I thought it was a piece of the Christmas tree that fell on the floor – after all, they would have gone after some strange animal, right? But, just to be on the safe side I grabbed my trusty broom and headed down the hall to see where this hallucination may have gone. A regular Jedi knight – broom in one hand and a water bottle in the other – going to soak and swat the little sucker. Of course I didn’t find anything and wrote it off to a senior moment.

Back to decorating - I finish putting the tree together and sit down to appreciate it and have a cup of tea when something most definitely gray and small came charging up the hallway straight for me - thumpa, thumpa, thumpa, thumpa – that’s the sound it’s little rodent feet made on the carpet as it flew into the dining room and then into the kitchen. (mind you, the dogs haven’t reacted at all) Now I am standing on the sofa with the water bottle and banging the broom on the table. The little SOB came barreling back, but I jumped in front of him and made a sharp turn for the front entryway. Unfortunately that door wasn’t open and he went back into the kitchen. I had opened the patio door thinking the animal might be smart enough to run out an open door (thank God it was in the 50’s yet this evening)

SO – I call the office and they send some poor man who has to drive ½ hour to get to me. I tell him to walk right in because I have no intention of leaving my post – I am sitting on the top of my love-seat with boom at the ready and water bottle in hand – waiting for the little bastard to come out. He came out once and ducked back toward the kitchen. When the maintenance man arrived he combed the entire apartment – moving things and banging things – hopefully scaring the crap out of Mr. Squirrel. Twice around and nothing – he felt certain that our visitor left via the patio door. I can’t say I feel all warm and fuzzy about that and figure the kids will be staying in my bedroom tonight with the door closed…….

I can finally sympathize with Ronnieann’s Mom. If you never heard that story you have to ask her. It’s a classic. Mine isn’t as classic as the “Rat” incident back in the late 80’s but this will certainly go down in my rodent remembrances journal. (I think after you have 3 incidents you can start an official journal on the subject).

Twilight

.......and I am (not very) patiently waiting for my daughter to finish so I can finally hear what she thinks. I think she is also going to be one of the Twilight people since she hasn't been able to put down the books since she picked up the first one.


I finished Book 4 this past weekend and now I feel lost. No more Edward and Bella to look forward to. It's going to take a week or so before I can pick up another of the many many books that are sitting here waiting to be read.


I think all the Harry Potter fans out there will love Bella and Edward - in a different way from Harry, but you all need to give them a chance. I never read Harry Potter therefore......

Thanksgiving

Once again I’m long past due in blogging. I used to be good at keeping a journal, but that was just for my eyes – it’s harder to blog with any frequency when you don’t lead a very exciting existence!

So, I had a wonderful week off. Actually started my Christmas shopping, but spent most of the time catching up on my DVR’s and reading book 2, 3 and starting Book 4 of the “Twilight” series. Totally sucked me in – won’t say more - see previous blog.

I left to go to the kids for the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday, and the drive was pretty uneventful until I got to Exit 150 – then I crawled at about 20 MPH for the next hour. There is nothing like I-95 around our Great Capital! So I arrived a little later than anticipated, but made it in one piece and without having to bolt for the new bathroom. The dogs were even happy this time to be there. The last time was a bit of a trauma for them. The house is coming along very well and what they have finished so far is beautiful. Those of you who have the “key” can see the photos at the Kodak site. Jason says they are taking a break from renovations until after the holidays and I think that’s a great idea.

Thanksgiving Day was lovely. Melinda actually had everything timed perfectly and there was really little for me to do except “assist”. Unfortunately, not all the guests had the same timing and dinner was later than planned. But it still turned out great and there was PLENTY of good wine.

I hope everyone had as nice a holiday as I did - and that you all had a chance to think about everything you have to be thankful for.

Special Day

I can't let the day go by without wishing my daughter a Happy Birthday. Publicly that is. I already wished her a happy day last evening and again today. She has a way of spending her birthdays like I used to spend mine when I was young and newly married - she was sanding. LOL I'm sure she will be blogging about her birthday - including the sanding - and hopefully posting a photo of her spectacular birthday cake! She did promise to post photos of the house since I told her Gail would like to see more!

So this is an especially lazy weekend. Started off rudely tho. My internal alarm doesn’t know that I have off next week so there isn't any real need to be too domestic. Naturally when I woke up at 7:30 AM to hit the bathroom I wanted to make it quick so I could jump back under the comforter. W R O N G. I jumped out of bed and promptly put my foot down on a Stink Bug. So I grabbed a paper cup from the bathroom, scooped him up and flushed him. YUCK! I went back into the bathroom to do what I intended when I got out of bed and lo and behold the damn bug flies out of the toilet! This is not how I want to spend my Saturday morning. Needless to say he managed to get flushed the second time......I have been living in suburbia most of my adult life and until two years ago have NEVER seen this bug before. If you are wondering where they came from, then click my link.

So I'm up and after a freezing walk with the kids made some breakfast and decided to watch one of my DVR shows from this past week. Since I have been totally engrossed with a new book series, I set the DVR to record all my favorite TV shows. While walking thru the book section at Target I saw "Twilight" and my hand just reached out and grabbed it because I remember seeing a TV trailer for the movie. It was listed as a bestseller - and I'm one who like to read the book before I see the movie so I can lament how it doesn't resemble the book. I've not been this engrossed in a book series since Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles or Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series (isn’t she due for #6 ?) . I was reading in the car in the AM while defrosting my car - at my desk at lunchtime and by Thursday morning I was finished - but headed to the book store after work to pick up book 2. (I should be finished that tonight – only 300 pages to go).

It makes me think back to Melinda's blog about how many people Don't read - can't read. That's sad and scary. It explains this "fast food" generation tho - everything is instant - electronic - e-mails, texts, instant messages. There is even an abbreviated language they use. It's no wonder they can't read - or have the inclination. My God - that would take too much time! I admit I read in spurts now but given the time and opportunity I am a voracious reader. If I had to choose between books and the computer, books will win out every time.

Except of course to drop in and blog.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Please contact your Plan "B" person in my absence!

Northern Lights???

This isn't something I've ever seen living in this area (Malvern, Pennsylvania). I certainly never thought I would ever actually SEE the Northern Lights outside of National Geographic or the Discovery Channel, but whatever this was - it certainly was a lovely thing to see.

I wasn't even aware of it tho. We just came home from a walk and I was warming up watching "The Young and The Restless" which I DVR every day and suddenly there was an almost frantic tapping on the door. It was my neighbor Helen who was telling me to grab my hat and coat and come on out to see the Northern Lights! So I put Victor Newman on pause and tore out the door to join Helen for a short ride into the dark of the Immaculata grounds to see this phenomenon in the sky.

At first I thought I was looking at spotlights - maybe from a new store opening or something shooting up into the sky, but after staring at them for a few minutes you knew that wasn't the case. They were gently moving and the color changed ever so gradually. They didn't move the way I had seen photos of the Northern Lights move - they just looked like long multi-colored icicles falling out of the sky. I'm sorry if you didn't get a chance to see. You can check out more photos here.

So the (un)official report on the news was it was "most likely" thin columns of snowflakes falling out of the clouds that was being illulminated from the ground lights (and evaporating before it reached the ground).

I was sure there was a logical (scientific) explanation for whatever it was, but the "X-File" part of my brain was hoping the 11 o'clock news would report they were vapor trails from a UFO. Oh well.

Common Sense ?

I was told I was falling behind in my blogs. Actually I’ve been hording them – I start them and then I hold back – waiting until I can look at it over again. Heaven knows there are so many things you can blog about given the inclination. I’m the type of person that can handle the big problems, but it’s the little ones that really piss me off!! Lately I’ve been wondering what ever happened to common sense? Is it something you can teach a person or is it something you are born with? I’ve wondered for years what happened to it. Do you think if we had taken the time to teach our children a little common sense we wouldn’t have to deal with all the “warnings” we have now? Think about all the disclaimers that accompany TV shows, commercials, movies, cartoons - you name it. Doesn’t it make you feel insulted? Come on – just how stupid do advertisers think everyone is? How many times have you seen……DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME (or something similar)?? My God - how did we ever survive early cartoons – can our children ever again watch Wile E Coyote and his many attempts to catch Road Runner? Might they be inclined to go out and drop an anvil on a neighbor?? What about he 3 Stooges? Talk about poking an eye out! There would surely be a lawsuit! (Another good blog topic)

Maybe if we had let our children scrape their knees and fall down occasionally they might have learned to deduce just how far they could go in certain situations– learn a little common sense. Children are not born suicidal - it is something the environment makes them. So....we have a generation of children that have warnings about everything – living in bubbles – don’t do this – don’t do that. There’s protection and then there is over protection – I’d say smothering, but that would require one on one parenting and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of that now days. And there I go off on another topic. Sheeshhhhhhh. Makes me crazy. How stupid is that?

And why can’t we call these people without common sense STUPID? No politically correct here - they are not intellectually challenged.

We all suffer those Stupid moments from time to time– some say they are blond moments, brain farts, senior moments whatever - it happens. And then there are those that suffer terminally from these intellectual deficits without whom we would not have the Darwin Awards and stand up comics everywhere would be without material.

Kaizen's, Elections, stimulating the economy

What a week! I'm not going to blog about the obvious - the election. All that I will say is that it's a new administration and I hope that everyone will keep the new president in their prayers.

So - in between the rush to find a good time to hit the polls I had two days of meetings. Correction Kaizen . A Kaizen needs to be experienced. The best I can describe is that it is a do-it-yourself type meeting. The "Lean" team comes in an basically guides you thru the process of what you presently do, what your goals would be to improve, and the best way to get to those goals. The whole time they just point you in the direction you want to go and help you focus on the problems you need to correct to get there.

They start by having you write down problems on sticky notes- then they put these on the wall in groups. They then move to an alternate wall and map out your "as is" which would be the problem area you are there to correct. Then it is disected in every possible detail. All on sticky notes. When it was over there was a sea of yellow notes all over the wall (with an occassional pink or green thrown in).

It really was an excellent meeting - tiring but you basically end up figuring out how to correct your own problem. As for cutting out the "waste" - I think we may have killed a sticky-note tree or two.

That managed to take the wind out of my sails for two days - leaving me two days to play catch-up at my desk and explain to customers what a Kaizen was.

So feeling patriotic the need to stimulate the economy, I went out today and spent some money. Picked up a few little things for the Birthday girl this month. I was looking for a nice warm jacket that I could wear when I'm walking the dogs. I didn't get lucky but I did get some for the kids. As you can see they are less than happy as usual. I suppose I do need to fix the hood on Carmel's.

BBC & being home sick.....

When I''m home sick (as I was on Friday- and NOT at the parade) I sack out on the sofa and usually keep one station on the TV. This time it was the BBC. The first program I watched was on Reborns. I had heard the term before but didn't think too much about it - "reborn" sounded like a good name for a baby doll to me. When I saw photos I was amazed at how lifelike they were. It wasn't until I actually watched this documentary that I realized that Reborns take doll collecting to a new level. These women don't keep their dolls in cases on display - they actually take them out on walks in prams, drives in the car in car seats, and spend hundreds of dollars on clothes for these dolls. And no one seemed overly concerned by these grown women playing with dolls......The show I watched was in England, but a glance at EBay brought up 9100 hits on reborns. They appear to be everywhere!

The next show as a documentary about Grannies in their early 30's. It documented families that thought popping your children out While you are children (14-16) gave you more time to enjoy life once they were grown (well old enough to pop out their own). Just how much fun it must be to go clubbing with your mother AND Grandmother ?!?

Next up - brothers and sisters in love. Yep - There wasn't any way to put a good spin on this one I'm afraid. Even if you NEVER met your brother or sister - there is something deeply wrong with you if you harbor sexual feelings once you know the other person is your sibling.

When I overdosed on documentaries and was jarred awake by my friend here I decided it was time to get them out for a quick walk and try to get something to eat. Even tho Friday was glorious, I was wrapped up in a sweatshirt and a fleece jacket with major shivers and came back exhausted. Being sick is a bummer when it's such a beautiful day.

The upside to having cable is I didn't have to watch Jerry Springer , or Maury, Regis and Kelly or the View. If you have cable and get BBC, I highly recommend a peek at their documentaries.

And if you are into British humor, then tune into their new comedy Gavin & Stacey.

Philadelphia Phillies

Congratulations to our Philadelphia Phillies for winning the world Series tonight. While I'm not primarily a baseball fan I do live and breathe Philadelphia.

Way to go ! The Billy Penn curse is gone !!!

Followers

I forgot to comment on how excited I am to actually have ONE Follower! Hello Lora! Lora is my Kentucky daughter (I have a habit over the years of adopting my daughters friends). My daughter is also a follower, but she has to keep her blog hidden. (We all know she's there tho) It's so much fun to actually see a "Follower". I know other people read regularly -- friends comment all the time. I finally got Auntie to come on board and since she has mastered MySpace I have no doubt she will figure the Blogger out as well (maybe on nights Joe is working) And my other loyal reader is Marcy from work (she actually loves Melinda's blog and thinks she should write for a living, as do I) we have to get her signed up even if it's only just to comment. For some reason she enjoys the lopsided humor. Maybe it's a Philadelphia thing? But then that doesn't account for Lora since she's from Kentucky.

Welcome followers - occasional readers and accidental visitors I don't usually have anything deep to say, but what I say is usually Real. If you can't handle mild sarcasm, tongue in cheek innuendo, or just good natured fun then you really shouldn't tune in here.

Discovering Rednecks

My daughter and her husband got their TV service this weekend. The most natural thing to do when you've been away from the TV for a long time is to channel surf. They discovered "My Big Redneck Wedding" on CMT. But what are the chances that Auntie discovered it as well? If you've ever seen the other wedding shows on with the Brides from hell and budgets starting at $100,000, this is the polar opposite. Imagine paying $19 for your wedding gown at a consignment shop and BeDazzling your Groom's name on your dress. How about a wedding cake with each tier being held up by beer cans? Attendants dressed in Camouflage? Or finally getting hitched in the middle of a muddy bog on top of demolition cars? Every girls dream, I know.

All my daughter and son-in-law had was wine tasting party and a wonderful dinner - NO Jello wrestling - NO bobbing for Pigs Feet. Just don't know what happened. I bet Jason didn't give HER a racoon penis for a wedding gift. Maybe they will get it right on their third and fourth marriages........

Autumn and the Holiday Countdown

Spent a lovely weekend with my daughter. Well she was home - we spent quality time in front of the TV while she recovered from the Wedding of friends. But before we planted ourselves in front of the TV for a marathon of Army Wives, NCIS and Girls Next Door, we went out and had a nice breakfast, then wandered around Chester County a bit looking for some nice Fall colors.

I think we need another week and the colors will be breathtaking, but it was a good start- that's probably the one thing I like about this time of year besides the fact that it cools off.

This is the beginning of the RUSH. Once we celebrate Halloween, it's just a heartbeat away from Thanksgiving. Although you won't see signs for Thanksgiving in any store because once Halloween is over, Christmas decorations will start to fill the stores. The countdown will begin the day after Thanksgiving - Black Friday - reminding you of the number of shopping days you have left. And before you know it Christmas will be here and gone.

So - before the rush hits us - before the leaves all disappear - those of you that can - get out and enjoy the changing of the leaves because it will surely feel like a LONG LONG time before everythng turns green again.

Presidential Elections and the Mindless Masses

Why is this election more important than any other past Presidential election? Oh yes – there is a black man running and a woman. Yes, that would certainly be history making wouldn’t it? The First Black President. Or – the first woman Vice-President.

But – is that any reason to Vote for that particular person / party? Because it would be a historical first and by GOD it is TIME we had a Black man in the oval office or a woman vice president? I really don’t think many people will step up and vote for Sarah just to make her a historical first VP.


(Note - Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for President in 1872, not Hilliary)


But, I do believe there will be many voters out there voting for Obama strictly because he is black believing that it’s about time. I don’t disagree with that statement- it is about time, but is he really the most qualified? Is he really experienced enough? Or is he really the most amiable, well-spoken black politician at the moment?

I have been sitting back and quietly listening to friends, co-workers and different radio shows talk about the candidates and it frightens me that some of these people will be out there voting in this election -- so many of them getting their cues from the likes of Oprah, the women on the View, Rush, Hannity, Bruce Springsteen??? …..and not one of them able to direct you to (an unbiased) website discussing the pros and cons.

It’s bad enough that the press – be it written or the TV News media, can no longer give unbiased reports about anything. It is SO easy to know which way a correspondent leans these days. How do you form an opinion that’s not slanted with the same rhetoric being churned out by both candidates?

There isn’t a lot of time –everyone honestly needs to question why they are voting the way they are. Have you really looked at both sides? Remember – a Politician is a Politician no matter what he calls himself – Democrat, Republican, whatever. They are ALL Politicians. Some more polished than others, but they all ultimately dance to those same tunes – Congress – Senate – Lobbyists, Big corporations $. Don’t be fooled by that promise of change. The only way to change that would be a revolution – a dictator.

So - do everyone a favor before you vote – check everyone out – you have less than a month now to make an informed decision- don't be part of the mindless masses that will be going out on election day.


Don’t vote for someone just because some celebrity said that’s who you should vote for.

Don’t vote for someone because your spouse / parents / boss/ friends told you that’s who you should vote for.

Don’t vote for someone just because they are black.

Don’t vote for someone just because they are a woman.

DO Vote for the candidate you checked out and really believe in.


Don't be mindless - be informed - and VOTE.

Reluctance (another name for Chihuahua charm)

I should have know when the morning started this way it would have been an omen for the rest of the day. When you have to coerce the dogs off the bed to go outside - when you have to roll them over to put their collars on - when you have to carry them down the steps, that is when you know you should have just hit the snooze button again. OK - so I couldn't sleep and got up on the first buzz. So it was still dark out. Watching the sun come up is really beautiful. And we were the ONLY ones out. How great was that ?


Reluctant. Yes - reluctant to walk in the wet grass in the dark. Wet Paws!! What was I thinking? Carmel certainly can't poop in wet grass. (She needs to walk on her front paws like Dudley) But it's so much easier to see when she goes on the curb. Something to be said for not wanting to squat in the grass.


Reluctant to walk anywhere because it is still dark and who knows what will pop out at you in the dark? Reluctant to go out last evening - there was THUNDER. Didn't you hear it ? Can't possibly go for a walk - dark AND thunder.


So off to work I go. But I know that the reluctant twins will be waiting for me like two fuzzy bookends on the top of the love seat when I do get home. I'm sure they will have been planted there all day but they will both come running to greet me with so much enthusiasm it will wear them out. And once again they will be reluctant to go out and the cycle will start all over again.

You gotta love it! Well you don't have to - I just love these two neurotic little dogs. They make all the BS of the workday melt away.

Dexter

If you haven't seen Dexter on Showtime I can only say you are missing one of the most clever shows in a long time. I'm actually afraid to say that out loud - or in print - because every time a really good show comes along they cancel it. We don't have enough shows about hospitals or law and order type dramas. Whoever came up with the premise of a forensics expert who moonlights as a serial killer should get a special award for relieving us of all the boring crap that is otherwise forced upon our airwaves. It's the main reason I keep Showtime in my cable line-up.

Michael Hall plays Dexter Morgan - you may remember him as David Fisher from Six Feet Under (another wonderful show that bit the dust) as the troubled Gay son and funeral director. Dexter and David may both be troubled souls, but boy - Dexter is much more interesting!

They have a wonderful cast and fantastic writers - and I want to share with everyone a line from the show last evening which I absolutely LOVED. When the happy pregnancy of one of the characters was announced, Dexter's sister said........"you're having a Roley-poly- chubby-cheeked shit machine??

That about says it all.

The week that sucked

Well that's the only way to describe the week. Murphy's Law every day - if something can go wrong - well it DID. I wasn't exceptionally busy considering we were one person down for the week, but job problems and people problems just reached a peak this week. Like it was a full moon every day. Jobs that don't want to go away - customer who appear to understand english, but don't, and a computer that doesn't want to back up and greets me with a Blue Screen from Hell. Definitely bagged a few people this week. (will blog about the "bag" at another time)



Unfortunately I had few escapes this week- aside from the bottle of wine my dear daughter left behind I looked forward to the season premier of NCIS, Boston Legal and yes - Survivor. Normally I only watch the last 15-20 minutes of that show because most times the people make me want to jump thru the TV and slap them. This season looks like it wont let me down in that department. I enjoy mindless entertainment in the evenings when I can since work fries my brain most days. And speaking of fried brain - did you see the debate? I fell asleep somewhere around 10 PM. I hope they get better.



So as I unwind and relax today, I'm faced with a major dilemma this evening - The Eagles game is on and so are the Season premiers tonight for Amazing Race, Housewives, Dexter and Californication. Are they Kidding ? Do I watch the game and flip flop or do I watch the game and DVR ? Or I can disconnect the computer and hook the second TV up to the cable. That's a thought......

Ike Update.......

Ever since his near death experience we have not seen Ike, and we were getting concerned. I am happy to advise that Ike has been spotted the past two evenings and he is very much alive and well - and staying out of the way. It was too dark to get a shot of him with the phone camera, and needless to say when he saw us he hopped quickly out of our way closer to the bush!

While this doesn't seem like a very interesting blog, we really were quite concerned that we may have scared him to death or that he went off to live elsewhere. The other option was the children upstairs did something foul to Ike. It could happen since they come out and pour salt all over the slugs. Makes me glad I am going to move.

More thoughts on being a Mother

L Casei Immunitas.    WTF ??

How have we as Mothers, gotten along without it?  You've seen the commercial, haven't you?  DanActive.  The working mother who is lamenting that the children are going back to school and her days as Drill Sargent, chauffeur, personal shopper and Mom can only be achieved with her DanActive every day.   Excuse me - first of all - she was all that before they went back to school wasn't she?  Or is this the same woman who sends off her children to camp for the summer?  School just adds some additional activities to make a Mothers life more exciting . But what does Dan Active have to do with it anyway?  Isn't Dan Active a fancy new yogurt style drink to keep you pooping regularly ?   If you're not regular does that make you less qualified to be a successful Mother?

Now I had to look up more info on DanActive since My own Working Mother didn't have access to this  potion.  I wonder now how differently I might have turned out had her intestinal flora been in balance?  I wonder how my own daughter's life may have been altered if I also had DanActive in my life.    The good news is it is not too late to balance your own intestinal flora and boost your body's defense system.  And poop regularly.

I know a few people that could use that......

God is on Vacation

......and He must be in Dallas. ARGHHHHHH - not bad enough to lose sleep. But to Lose to Dallas. So close. Maybe if they called a few more of those facemask penalties against Dallas.?? Maybe if Donovan ran foward a few of those times instead of backwards??? Maybe if he hit his receivers hands a few extra times instead of the turf.....oh well. There's always next time.

And to show just how miserable we are feeling.......

she actually tried to pry off her scarf. Maybe next week.......

Red tape and Adoption

This is Lulu. She is an active little Chihuahua that lives downstairs. My neighbors have been wanting to adopt another dog for some time now - to keep LuLu company since her friend Baxter would be moving and not coming to visit as often. She was very timid and shy when she first came home, but very quickly fell into the role of the dominant female - not afraid to put Gaston in line when he misbehaved. And we all know when he is outside that is often. He loves to protect me, but Lulu puts him in his place.

Anyway - that is not what I wanted to talk about. I did not adopt my dogs - we got them both from the breeder. It is very interesting tho what you have to go thru TO adopt a dog nowdays. I get the impression it is easier to get a foster child and collect money in the process than it is to adopt a pet.

Helen - Lulu's mom - found a lovely little guy online thru a "service" and after contacting them numerous times came to find out that they could not adopt the little fellow. Why? Does she have a record of Dog abuse? (well I do know she has a severe adversion to squirels). The web site goes on to say that - and I quote - Only families with excellent vet references and an installed fenced yard (please do not apply if you do not have a secure traditional or professionally installed electric fenced area in which a dog can safely play without getting out) need apply. That being said us poor Apartment dwellers are screwed.

What these well-meaning people don't understand is that having a fenced in back yard only insures that the dog will have a place to be - most of his days and lots of evenings - especially if you put a little house out there for him. A fenced in yard insures that the dog will hardly EVER get walked. My daughter lives in a community of dog owners and has seen one actually out on a walk.

Anyway - Helen and Crystal found the most adorable little guy and it wasn't required that they have a fenced in yard - or have to have someone at home full time (another strange requirement I couldn't follow). The only requirement was that they want him - and give him lots of love and attention. I absolutely know that he will be getting all of that - and more!

So - Meet Dudley.......

Happy Birthday !!!

Today is officially Gaston and Carmel's 5th Birthday !!

<--------GASTON

CARMEL --------------------->

They enjoyed a dinner with a chicken rice treat in their new bowls - which can be seen on Melinda's blog then went to visit LULU downstairs to share some of their Birthday cookie.

We didn't get a very good photo of Lulu tho - she was eating her cookie with such frenzy that her picture was a complete blur! We did get a miracle picture.

Behold - Carmel being held by Helen with her birthday scarf while I am there......

Football Season

GO E A G L E S !!!

Reluctant Fans. You can't even see Carmel's scarf.

We are off to a wonderful start. Here's hoping we really GO GREEN this season!

Chips and.......

Fish?  Salsa? Dip? Pretzles......how about oil?

As I drive back and forth to work every day I see signs to buy fresh corn,  strawberries,  other produce of the season and flowers - Lots of places to buy flowers.  So naturally when I saw this sign I thought it was another place along the side of the road the side of the road with something new to sell.   I pictured the man who sells corn up on Sugartown road with a side line - making corn oil to go with his corn and sunflowers.  Let's face it - it couldn't be a road sign could it?  Oil and Chips?  As long as I have been driving and living in this area this is not a sign I've come into contact with.  Never have seen a road that has been oiled or chipped. 

Ahhh - but is was a road sign.  All the warnings were up a week in advance. "Drive at your own risk".   They were sprouting up everywhere now - people  in work were talking about them as well.   And we all agreed - no one ever saw these signs before.    I've seen roads paved with tar, but never oiled.  I was getting excited now -   what does an oiled & chipped road look like? If I had to drive at my own risk should I consider chains?  It sounds slippery and dangerous.  

Well  - the week has come and gone and we are into the third week now.  The signs are down and I come to find out that the roads have been oiled and chipped.    My neighbor told me - I drive it 5 times a week and never noticed.  Although anyone that knows me will tell you I would only notice if the road caved in and I had to go around.......Observant isn't my strong suit.

                            

The picture is not the best - but neither is the road.  the darker right side of the photo it the freshly "oiled and chipped" portion.    I had to Google Oil and Chip paving to satisfy my own curiosity.   This is what it says:

• Low cost all weather surface for light to medium traffic
• A waterproof layer to prevent intrusion of water into base material
• A skid-resistant surface
• Short construction time
• New life to weathered pavements

They just neglected to say it looks ugly.  Or maybe because only 1/2 of each lane is done makes an even shorter construction time.    

Penn Dot at your service.  Your tax dollars at work.  

Olympics, Conventions, Hurricanes

WHICH disaster do I write about? ?  I should comment right away that the Olympics were NOT a disaster.  The Chinese Gymnastic team on the other hand is in dire need of an abacus.  And while I might have been a tad interested in the political conventions, the past 4 months of constant chatter about Obama and what a HISTORIC event this is - well - I'm Obama'd out.  How is it tho that the Democrats - who only had the ONE candidate - had a week long convention - covered by every network from 6Pm to 11PM and the Republicans get an hour every evening for what - 4 nights?  (OK - my Republican is showing)

What REALLY got me going was Gustav.  I turned on NPR rather cautiously on the way home since I couldn't take another ride home with political chatter and they were talking to various people who had been evacuated from New Orleans and various other places (I missed the beginning of the broadcast).    I listened to people complain about sitting in traffic for hours waiting to get out of the city.  I listened to people complaining that the facilities that they were evacuated to weren't up to par.  People were sleeping within 2 inches of the other and there wasn't a shower.  They had to be bussed to someplace that had showers.  Complaints, complaints, complaints.   

Are these evacuees expecting to be put up in 4 Star hotels?  Just whose duty is it TO put these people up?     Were hurricans just discovered?  Or are they a recent occurance due to the global warming?  Starting with Katrina of course in 2005.   Is it a duty now of the US Government to put up and pay up to the people after a disaster?  Hasn't any of these people heard about their "Good Neighbor" State Farm?  Or the guys with the Umbrella?    HELLO????  What the hell is the matter with people now days?  Why can't anyone take responsibility for themselves.  Sure - the government should be offering help in evacuating people from impending disasters, but just how much is the government supposed to be responsible for?  

How on earth did anyone survive a disaster before we could blame the government?  Before Katrina there were other hurricanes and on a scale of 1-10 Katrina didn't make the deadliest.  Back then people picked up and took care of themselves and each other.  They didn't expect the Government to do it for them.   If you click the link you will say - but Katrina was one of the costliest.  Yes - but if we take away the money lost to looting......but I digress.

I thought hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes were acts of God.   I guess if you can't SUE God you go after the Government.    Makes me feel like my head will explode.  Good time for a G&T.

Meet Ike

I decided it was time to give Mr. Frog a name.  Ike lives outside under the front steps.  This is a photo Melinda took of him one evening.   Most nights he comes out and you can find him sitting in the middle of the step - right in your way, or off in the grass just chilling.    Gaston could care less that he is out there, and Carmel didn't care much for him at all since their first meeting set her about a foot straight off the ground.  She will  walk a mile to get around Ike.  

Last evening we took a nice long walk.  As we near the apartment I usually let up on the leash and let the two of them run full throttle up the hill to the steps.  Little did I know last evening Ike was in the line of fire.  Gaston in the lead, tore up the hill and completely ran over Ike sending him hopping for his life.  Carmel in a FRENZY to avoid Ike flipped to the side and rolled over.  I was bringing up the rear and in my own panic not to fall on the dogs or squish Ike,  I veered off to the side down the hill and twisted my foot landing ever so gracefully on one knee.  Ahhh - if a neighbor had a video of that we could pick up some bucks.  

So that was my explanation this morning when asked what was the matter with my foot.  It's so nice to make people smile!! 

Something Old, something new......

When my daughter got married I gave her my veil to use, the garter I wore that was my Mothers, her Grandmothers handkerchief.    It seemed like a way to start a tradition - something that could be handed down to her daughter.  But this weekend  I was informed of something that has to be the most bizarre bridal tradition I have heard.   A friend went to a bridal shower this weekend.  The bride is adopted and both of her mothers were in attendance.   The adopted Mother gave her (I believe) a garter that she wore as "something old".  The Biological Mother gave her a bag of Granadma's ASHES to carry between her breasts - as all the other brides had done in the past.  

I wondered after she told me if it could me my old neighbor?     When I was growing up there was a woman who lived across the street who had a grand daughter that came to visit regularly.  While there is nothing wrong with that - it's really quite commendable - what makes it stand out in my memory all these years is that she always brought her dog with her.  Her DEAD, STUFFED  dog.    After I had married and moved out I did hear that she married and continued to visit (with the dog).  Of course, after Grandma died the visits stopped.  

.......could it be Grandma in the bag?