Our Lives For Better And For Worse

My afghans

2012-02-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Several years ago I needed to use up some odds and ends of yarn. Too much to throw away, but not enough to make anything by themselves. I had an instruction book by William E. Elmore and Annie's Attic, Inc. Mr. Elmore developed a number of new stitches and ways of crocheting. Some of his creations were to incorporate the cast on with the first row of stitches. Another of his new techniques reduced the bulk of having 6 stitches to make a corner, by having only two of them anchored in the corner and the other with 2 stitches piggybacked on each of these first two stitches.

I chose a pattern and made the following afghan.

I decided that when you look at this your eye is drawn to the colors rather than the variety of stitches so I started another one using all one color of yarn.

I don't know if the difference in size in really all that noticeable in these pictures, but even though the second one actually had one more row that the other one it is smaller. I must have used a larger hook when making the first afghan.

Starting from the left side, there is a shell-like stitch and then what looks like three rows of stitching. This is actually one row of stacked stitches. When you actually see it, it has a different look than normal. It's called a double crochet Siamese Twin stitch.

Sorry that this is a little blurry. The last row is a scolloped edge. The stitch next to it is a Fish Scale stitch. What looks like about 5 or 6 rows is actually one stacked stitch.

I enjoyed doing both these, the second one more than the first because I had more practice on the new stitches.

See you in the funny papers.

GloFish

2012-02-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Guess what, we added some more fish to our aquarium. I first saw them at Walmart and just couldn't get them out of my mind. I did a search and found their website http://www.glofish.com/. I won't go into what kind of fish they were developed from or why. But I do want to show you a picture. This is not from my aquarium but from their website.

I did a search of their website for sellers and found 4 in The Big City. We found ours at Petsmart. At the time we got ours they didn't have all the colors. We got red, yellow, orange, and purple. I want blue and green now. We have really enjoyed them because they are so active. They swim around all the time.

I will give you a clue as to why they were developed, it is a scientific purpose. Check out their site. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

See you in the funny papers.

The anatomy of my fall

2012-02-08T09:00:00.001-06:00

I know all of you are just waiting to see exactly how I managed to knock/pull the Mac over twice in one day and fall in the process. Your wait is over.

I've already moved the Mac into the cabinet. The TV tray table is about where it was when I knocked the Mac over. The Mac was sitting on it and I was preparing to run an ethernet cord from the router to it. Where the monitor is sitting now was where the Mac was sitting when I tripped over the printer cable and fell. The printer cable was running across the space before the door.

The printer is sitting on top of the cabinet on the right side. You can see that I had to have an extension on the printer cable in order to run it to the Mac.

Anyway, you now have all the clues I can give you in regard to the anatomy of my fall. You can draw your own conclusions. I know I have mine.

See you in the funny papers.

Quicken for the Mac

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

It has been so much fun converting my files from the Windows version of Quicken to the Mac version. First, I had a negative balance of almost $2,000.

I had to get hubby on the windows computer and me on the Mac. We checked the balance of each month starting from the earliest date in 2006 until we found a discrepancy in the balance. Which narrowed it down to that one month.

Then we checked the balance after each entry until we found the missing ones. There were three deposits missing.

But the final balance was still wrong so back to checking. Instead of each month I checked January 1 of each year until we found an error. Then back to monthly. I finally narrowed in down to December of 2011.

It took me all afternoon to get it to agree with my checkbook. But, success!!! They both agree.

I did a little dance and told hubby I needed my other fuzzy navel. Of course, I didn't drink it but I felt such a relief after getting it to agree with my checkbook.

Yeah!!!!!!!

See you in the funny papers.

PS this was written the first part of January and I just now discovered it still in draft status. Decided to publish it anyway.

The crisis seems to be over ... for now

2012-02-06T09:00:00.002-06:00

Rocky seems to be recovering from his high blood sugar episode. Friday night we ate out and didn't get home until about 6:30. Rocky is accustomed to eating supper about 5:00. He attacked supper about 7:00 like it was going out of style. We just knew he was going to eat all of it, but he didn't.

He ate his breakfast Saturday morning without too much coaxing, but he ate all but a few bites of it. I wish I knew what causes him to go through these cycles. We always increase his insulin by about 1/2 unit each time but it concerns me that we could overshoot the correct dose and he could go into rebound.

Every time we go through one of these episodes we think about what the vet told us when he was diagnosed. He said that the average life span after diagnosis was 2 years. He was diagnosed in September 2010. Two years is fast approaching.

See you in the funny papers.

My latest achievement

2012-02-05T09:00:00.002-06:00

If this were stars instead of blue birds, that would have almost described me perfectly Thursday evening. It started with me not getting internet service. I had to come in and reboot my modem by unplugging it and plugging it back up. That was aggravating enough.

I was in the middle of finishing up my taxes when no internet connection again. Rebooted the modem, had service for about 5 minutes, down again. This time I called my ISP. We went through some of the same old "stuff" we have to do every time. Then he wanted me to physically connect my computer so we could look at the modem. Since I was connecting wirelessly with the Mac, I had to put it on a TV table and move it close enough to the modem that the ethernet cord would reach.

I don't exactly know what happened next, but the Mac ended up in the floor and my Pepsi was spilling. I hung up quickly and rectified the situation, hoping all the time that the Mac was OK. I got it connect to the modem and started. It was OK. I called my ISP again and here we go again through all this rigamarole. Just couldn't seem to get connected even though everything showed great from their side.

Finally she asked if I would try the Windows machine. After telling her it could take me as long as 30 minutes just to get it to boot successfully, she asked if I would try and she would call me back later. Wonder of wonders, it booted on the first try although I wasn't paying attention and it booted to Ubuntu. But, I tried Firebox and succeeded in reaching the internet.

Now things get a little fuzzy again here. I started the Mac again and got on the internet just fine. Apparently after resetting the modem and doing everything else all we needed to do was reboot the Mac. Anyway, I printed out my tax forms after e-filing. Decided to take a break and started out of the room.

My left foot went over the printer cord just fine, but the toe of my right foot caught. I could feel that the cord was on my foot and tried to stop my forward momentum. Didn't work. I fell on my left knee and flat on my face. If you enlarge the picture above you can see I have a skinned place on my nose and a little one on my forehead. Oh, and the Mac ended up in the floor again. I lay there making crying noises and feeling sorry for myself, but darn, darn, double darn, I couldn't raise not one little tear. I finally saw that I wasn't going to get any results so I told myself to get up and quit acting like a baby. (It's kinda funny now.)

My Mac is like a Timex watch, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Of course I know that something could have jarred lose and not show up until later.

Thank goodness I didn't seem to hurt my shoulder. I was more immediately concerned with the Mac, and then with my head, neck, and back. I still have a few aches and pains that aren't normal, but not many. I'm sure I will recover OK, I just hope nothing shows up in the Mac later.

The Windows computer is very erratic. It will boot fine, be on about 5 minutes and then try to restart. Doesn't get past the BIOS.

I really have to blame hubby a little bit for my fall. If he hadn't wanted to keep the Windows computer and use it as long as it would work I wouldn't have had to run a long cord from the printer to the Mac. Oh well, that's all water under the bridge now. We just live with the consequences.

See you in the funny papers.

Daffodil and snow tire festival

2012-02-04T08:36:00.000-06:00

When we lived in Arkansas there was a column in the Little Rock newspaper that I read every time it appeared. The daffodil bloom in February and people are always concerned when we would get snow or freezing temperatures during this time. He named it the Daffodil and Snow Tire Festival.

This pops into my mind every February even though where we live in southeast Alabama we don't have to worry about snow.

He also said something else that stuck with me. One spring or summer, don't remember which, we were having a rainy spell. Everyday the paper would report how much we had and how far behind in total rainfall we still were. In one of his columns he said that if we get much farther behind in rain we would have to have a row boat in order to get around.

Funny what you remember like that. Even when it doesn't really apply to anything that is happening in the present.

See you in the funny papers.

Rocky is down again.

2012-01-31T12:21:00.000-06:00

I really didn't know exactly how to title this post. Rocky is going through another one of his "spells". As usual it starts with him not eating one meal a day or us having to coax him to eat. The first time this happened was last spring. If you read those posts, you know we almost drove ourselves crazy trying to get him to eat, not knowing how much insulin to give, etc. That led us to getting a pet glucometer.

We worked out with the vet that if his blood sugar was between certain numbers we would give all the insulin or a part depending on the number whether he ate or not. This guidance has been a life saver for us.

Last time this happened after he got his annual shots and lasted about a week. This time it started as usual with his not eating supper for 2 days. Saturday and Sunday nights he peed on his towels. Now he's not eating at all. Yesterday we had high hopes that he was recovering because he was carrying his ears high almost like normal. Plus he didn't use his towels last night. But, this morning he vomited twice and his ears are down again. We had some anti-nausea med the vet gave us so we administered that.

Each time he has one of these spells, we increase his insulin and he starts to recover in just a few days. Starting last spring, this has been a reoccurrence about once every 3-4 months it seems like.

He was diagnosed in September 2010 at which time the vet said the average life span after diagnosis was about 2 years. If these "spells" are any indication, we may not have him more that 2 years or so.

The only thing is that since we developed a treatment plan, it's so much easier on us. We no longer stress over him not eating and just do the best we can for him. You know my philosophy, whatever happens, happens and we just have to deal with the consequences.

See you in the funny papers.

Cookies and Computers

2012-01-28T09:14:00.000-06:00

Cookies and computers some combination huh? No, not cookies on computers. Cookies as in the kind you eat.

Follow up on my post yesterday. I discovered why the chocolate chip cookies turned out hard instead of crisp and crunchy. The white powder I thought was baking powder turned out to be corn starch. I needed baking powder and hunted in the pantry thinking I had a small can of it. I found a container of white powder. I tasted it and it wasn't baking soda or powdered sugar so it had to be baking powder, right? Last night just as hubby came to bed, I burst out laughing. My brain finally got through to me and I realized the white powder was corn starch. Oh well, better luck next time. By the way, I do have baking powder now.

I have been trying different versions of a Linux operating system for the Windows computer. I tried Ubuntu, Xunbutu, and Linux Mint. Maybe it was because Ubuntu was the first one I tried, but I like it better than the other 2. Hubby is leaving it up to me to decide which one to use. All he cares about is using a browser.

Now all I need to do is decide whether I want to partition my hard drive and install Ubuntu, keeping Windows 7 or install Ubuntu over Windows 7. I've never partitioned a hard drive before but I'm willing to try. If anyone has had any experience in doing something like this, I would like to hear about it.

See you in the funny papers.

I made cookies yesterday.

2012-01-27T11:43:00.000-06:00

Yep, I actually did some baking yesterday. Hubby heard someone mention Snickerdoodles during the holidays and wanted to know what they were. I promised I would make some next year during the holidays, but actually I planned to do that before then as a surprise.

Yesterday I got the bug to bake. While the Snickerdoodle dough was chilling I also make some Chocolate Chip Cookies using a recipe that was supposed to be very like the Nestle Chocolate Chip package recipe.

The Snickerdoodle recipe came from a cookbook that I had in high school, 1959. I made the cookies, and darn me, I pigged out on them. I thought I had myself under control but I guess I can't control myself very well.

Now, here's the problem. I like crisp cookies. The ones where they actually snap when you break them. These were not crisp, they were hard after they cooled. I could eat them just fine, but hubby has dentures. He managed to eat one of them. So, I am trying an experiment. I wet a paper towel and squeezed most of the water out. Put a piece of aluminum foil over about half the cookies and put the paper towel on top. Then I closed the lid. I hope the cookies will absorbe some of the moisture and soften up.

Several years ago Alton Brown had an episode about cookies. He used the same recipe and adjusted it so he had crisp, medium, and soft cookies. I wish I had made notes but I didn't.

If any of you have information about how to do this, I sure would appreciate it. Thanks.

See you in the funny papers.

Pictures of the babies

2012-01-22T11:02:00.000-06:00

I had a request to see pictures of the babies. I am including pictures of our old aquarium as well as those of the new.

This is the 5 gallon aquarium. The blue fish is the Betta. You can't see any of the other fish now.

This is the 10 gallon tank. Mr. B the Betta is at the top left. Those little dots at the top right are the new babies. Pappa guppy is on the right just under the babies and above the purple plant. The grey fish by the purple plant is a catfish.

I have to clean the tank today and I am going to reposition some of the decorations so it will look better.

See you in the funny papers.

We have a new aquarium

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

Right after the first of the year, we got a 10 gallon aquarium and got it set up. The 5 gallon was loaded with algae and we didn't think it was big enough. We had 2 babies left from the batch born about December 23.

Momma guppy had another batch several days ago. I had to smile at hubby. Now he's had aquariums before but he wanted to know how often she could have babies. According to my information anywhere from 3-5 weeks. If I am counting correctly, it was 4 weeks between these batches. (I have no idea what you call a group of babies being born to a guppy.)

Mr. B. our Betta, who's real name is Buddha Boy, ate most of the first batch, but he hasn't seemed interested in these. Right now I think we must still have about 2 dozen left. We really don't need that many, but I have always said Mother Nature will decide the number of fish that the tank will hold.

Last week we were at Walmart in The Big City and this store is one of the ones that sell fish. They had Glow Fish and Ghost Shrimp. I had never seen these before and really want to get both. The Glow Fish were bright colors, more like marine fish than freshwater and they did seem to glow. I bet they really would under a black light. The only problem is I do not like to buy fish from places other than pet stores.

I just have this prejudice that unless you work in a pet store you really don't know how to take care of fish. I know that it is not always true, but that's just one of my little quirks. How do you tell if the fish are well taken care of and disease free? That's even a question for pet stores too.

I usually look at all the tanks. If the water looks clear, there are no dead fish, and no excess food in the water or on the bottom are some of my criteria. I must say that the tanks at Walmart met most of those criteria the day we were there. I'm still not convinced though even though I still want those fish.

Next time we are in The Big City, if hubby agrees, we may go ahead and get them. They are supposed to be guppy size when full grown.

See you in the funny papers.

Since when does just showing up qualify you as a winner?

2012-01-16T11:52:00.000-06:00

I hear this statement on TV. I did not catch what it was referring to, but it got me to thinking.

In the early grades, I think we have a tendency to always be sure that in any compitition everyone gets a trophy. Whether they earn it or not. We make sure the students pass all tests and always have the right answers. Whether they understand the subject or not. Now before you get all upset, I know this is kinda an exaggeration, but bear with me please.

I understand that when we tackle a new subject, such as addition, we need to start with the easy stuff first. 1+1 = 2, 1+2 =3, etc. Children need to succeed because when they do it makes them want to do more. Really, I understand this. I think this is what we need to do for our young children in order to instill a desire to learn.

What about when they reach middle school and high school? Don't you think at this level children should earn all their grades? I do not think students should pass any subject or grade unless they learn what is covered in the material.

I worked in a College of Education and it irritated everyone to think teachers had to teach to standerized tests. Teachers should teach the material appropriate to the grade and all students should be expected to have at least an average understand of the material and how to use it. Standardized tests should cover this material.

In my day, students actually failed grades. Oh my goodness, you no longer were with your peers. The child's poor psyche was forever marred. Well, get over it. Each of us has obstacles to over come. Our poor psyches are marred forever lots of times. We learn how to bypass these ares of our psyches and live a productive life.

Do I have a solution to what I see as a problem? No, not really. Mainly because I am not in the classroom and don't have to deal with the teacher's everyday problems. I could be completely wrong. But, it doesn't matter whether I am right or wrong, I still think give our young people what they don't earn only leads to problems later.

Look at the product of this type of schooling now. A lot of people think the world owes them a living. They shouldn't have to work for what they need, after all if they just show up shouldn't that qualify them for housing, food, clothes, medicine, doctor's care, etc. That's what it seems to me they are learning from this attitude of not hurting their little psyches.

Off my soapbox. Now it's your turn.

See you in the funny papers.

Working with an Excel spreadsheet

2012-01-04T16:48:00.000-06:00

I don't have Microsoft Office for the Mac. I was using Open Office for word processing and downloaded that for the Mac. I have never used the spreadsheet program part of this suite of programs. I opened the Excel spreadsheet just fine, but could not get the changes made that I needed.

I sent out a cry for help on Google Plus and someone took pity on me. He suggested I download LibreOffice which is also a suite of free programs. I tried the spreadsheet program and finally got the changes made to January. But then couldn't get the changes made to February.

He kindly offered to take the spreadsheet and see what he could do with it. After he worked his magic, I learned how to make the changes I needed and feel so proud of myself now. I really appreciate all his help. People on Google Plus are so willing to give help to lost souls like me.

See you in the funny papers.

I Did It!!!

2012-01-03T11:15:00.000-06:00

I have all my data transferred to the iMac. I did the documents via dropbox. But trying to transfer photos and movies just took too long. I moved them via USB drive, better know as a thumb drive or flash drive.

Of course, my brain wasn't working too well so when I inserted the USB drive I thought it wasn't working. It showed up in the list on the iMac, but instead of clicking on the name, I clicked on the little icon next to it. It looked kinda like an arrow pointing up. After someone on Google Plus helped me, I finally realized that the little icon was ejecting the drive. I was too ashamed to tell the person how stupid I was. But, after that little snafu everything has done just great.

I had Microsoft Office on the other computer. It was an old version, the one I had when I quit work in 2004. Since I am cheap, I didn't want to pay for anything like that for the iMac so I got Open Office. I was using it on the PC, and didn't have any problem with it. But, I didn't use it for spreadsheets. I always used Excel.

I keep track of the highs and lows for each day and like to compare them via a chart. I've never had a problem changing the data ranges, names, etc. before, but as I said I was was using Excel. For some reason I just can't get it to change in OO. I decided to try inserting a new chart. That was a flop too. I can't change the axis to get the data labels right. I need the one on the left to be the temperature range and the one on the bottom to be the date.

I keep hoping that if I look at it long enough it will magically correct itself. I worked on it several hours this morning and finally gave up. Maybe by the time I die I will have figured it out.

See you in the funny papers.

I Got My iMac Yesterday

2011-12-30T17:01:00.001-06:00

I got my iMac yesterday and have been moving files via Dropbox ever since. Looking forward to getting them all moved over and finally using it.

Hubby also picked up my Wii Sports game this morning. I did three rounds of boxing and I could tell it too. I knocked my opponent down in all three rounds but the sucker wouldn't stay down. The judges did give me the fight though. I was sweating when I finished. My right arm was complaining too. I hope that will help me get the use of my arm back.

See you in the funny papers.

Look

I Am Preparing for My New Computer

2011-12-28T11:42:00.000-06:00

First, Rocky seems to be getting back to his usual self. The past several days he has been eating supper with no problems but still waiting to eat breakfast until past his usual time. This morning, with just a little coaxing, he was eating breakfast when I got up at 6:30 which is his usual time. Hubby and I both breathed a sigh of relief.

I cleaned off my craft area for the iMac. I am using Dropbox to store files to move to the new computer. I always look forward to getting a new computer and yet look forward to it with dread too. It will be exciting learning how to use a different system, but I hate having to transfer files. Hopefully this time it will be a lot easier that it has before. You can be certain that I will keep you posted, probably step by boring step. ;).

See you in the funny papers.

I'm Getting an iMac

2011-12-27T08:26:00.001-06:00

This darn computer started giving me problems again. We just spent $500 getting a new hard drive, upgrading to Windows 7, etc. I wanted to get a Mac then but hubby was influenced by the computer tech and opted to fix it instead.

He agreed this time to getting a Mac before this one goes completely. I decided on an iMac and shopped the Apple store. Then I found that Best Buy carries them also. According to their website the closest store that had them in stock was about an hour plus away.

In Sunday's paper our local Best Buy had an ad that showed an iMac. We went yesterday and found they had one on display but would have to order ours. We had someone show us how it worked and tell us why we should buy one over a Windows machine.

I told hubby that I was going with the idea to learn and I really wasn't set on getting one right then. After we learned about it, hubby ordered one. It should be here Thursday. Depends on what time it gets in we may pick it up then or on Friday.

I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time. We are spending a lot of money on it and what if this one doesn't give me any more problems. Also, what do we do this the Windows computer. My boys and grandchildren are too far away to give it to them and I don't know if hubby would want to give it to his grandchildren or not.

See you in the funny papers.

We Have Babies

2011-12-24T09:39:00.001-06:00

Our female guppy finally had her babies yesterday. I have no idea how many she had, but there are maybe 10 left this morning. I really don't need all of them to survive. It's a 5 gallon tank and there was enough fish in it already.

Rocky got his annual shots Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday he didn't eat breakfast until about an hour later than usual. Thursday he wouldn't eat breakfast at all and only ate a little meat for supper. His fasting blood sugar was 357 yesterday morning and 315 before supper. This morning he hasn't eaten either. I hope it is just a reaction to the shots.

We got a Wii system because hubby wanted to stream movies from Netflix. We tried it and it buffered about every 10 to 15 minutes. I posted about it on Google Plus and was told to contact my provider. I checked and we are so far from the source that we aren't even receiving the basic speed of 700+. We are getting only 500+. So, we had to switch to DVDs which is fine with me. I've wanted a Wii system for several years. I am too sedentary and need to exercise. I ordered the original Wii sports and can't wait for it to arrive.

See you in the funny papers.

Just Spinning My Wheels

2011-12-18T11:53:00.000-06:00

I seem to be just spinning my wheels since my last post. I have actually done some things but I don't think any of them are noteworthy.

I really enjoyed all the answers I got both here and on Google Plus about my painting. Several ideas I did not see until they were voiced. I am anxious to start on another one, but at the same time I don't want to either. I think the reason is I am still fighting a cold. It seems to have gone mostly, but still the cough hangs on. Not a tickle in my throat, but just kinda irritated when I breathe a certain way, especially cool air.

I did do some baking, which I never do for us because then I can't rest until everything is eaten. I made Chocolate Florentine Cookies. You make them thin and mine turned out lacy. Then you put two together with melted milk chocolate chips. Several people I gave them to wanted to recipe and the rest bragged on them. Next year I will do something different. Several people do the same cookies each year and that's great, but I want to be different.

I casually made the comment when we picked up a pack of Diet Pepsi that we could win an Xbox. Hubby said something like that would be good. Several days later, I got to thinking about this and asked him if he really wanted one. He said he wanted to be able to stream movies to our TV because we have seen almost everything they show. We got to discussing it and I did some research on what products could be used. I asked people on Google Plus and got lots of good ideas and information.

I expressed a desire several years ago for a Wii because of the exercise component, plus I like to play games. We decided to check out the Wii for those two reasons and because it was cheaper than an Xbox or Play Station. We did look into the Roku, but it does not have any exercise component.

We got one yesterday, but no extra games just the one that came with it. We did sign up for Netflix free month trial. We haven't tried to download a movie yet. We didn't get it until about the middle of yesterday afternoon and took several hours for us to get everything working right for us. We plan to do one today.

So, that's about it from the boonies. See you in the funny papers.

My Latest Painting - What is it?

2011-12-10T10:39:00.000-06:00

I don't even know whether it is finished or not. I did it this morning and have stopped. I may do more on it or I may not. I do not know what it is. It is what it wanted to be.

If you can figure out what it is, let me know.

See you in the funny papers.

Explosion, Flames

2011-12-09T09:24:00.001-06:00

Hubby was paged out for a fire last night about 7:30. The caller reported an explosion and flames on the street behind him. Hubby's first thought was a butane tank explosion.

They had lots of volunteers respond and off they went. Funny thing though, they passed it several times. It turned out the people were burning trash that contained a microwave, paint cans, and no telling what else. Everyone was glad it wasn't a butane explosion but also aggravated because they also had to dispatch an ambulance.

Live long and prosper.

Rocky and Hubby Have a Very Unique Relationship

2011-11-30T11:07:00.000-06:00

Rocky has very specific things that he wants from me and from my husband. We have games we play, but there are Mommy Games and Daddy Games.

Rocky's appetite isn't the best in the morning so Hubby will play like he's going to get Rocky's food. Rocky will stand between the food bowl and Hubby and growl every time Hubby reaches for it. Of course, if Hubby wanted to he could pick up the food bowl without any problem, but it's their game.

At supper time, Hubby will get on all fours with the food bowl between his hands. He will growl at Rocky and Rocky will bark. This will go on for a few minutes and then Hubby lets him have the food.

If Hubby doesn't do this, Rocky will stand back from the food bowl and bark until they play their game.

Several nights ago Hubby fed Rocky and gave him his insulin shot. Rocky came into the living room and started with his "cute" act to get our attention. He kept it up for a few minutes and when there was no reaction from us, he got me by the finger. I got up and told him to "Show Me". He lead me over to the table between where hubby and I eat and then made a half circle.

We normally feed him about 5:00 PM and that's when we generally eat our supper. He was plainly telling us it was time for us to get to the table so he could get a few more bites.

Well trained, you bet we are and he comes up with something new almost daily.

Live long and prosper.

My Acquarium

2011-11-14T08:07:00.000-06:00

My aquarium is doing just great and Buddha Boy is thriving. To recap, I bought a Betta and a small aquarium for him. Hubby decided that he was lonesome so we got a pair of guppies. Three fish in a 1 gallon tank was too crowded so we got a 5 gallon tank.

In moving the fish from one tank to the other, both the guppies died. A week later we bought another pair of guppies and a catfish. Poor Buddha Boy. He lived most of his life alone and in a small space. He was put in a larger tank and then 2 "things" that could swim were put in with him. He cowered on the bottom and wouldn't even get close to them.

Then he and the other "things" were put in a bigger space. He had another adjustment to make. Then the "things" died. No, he didn't kill them. I know you are thinking Betta, Siamese Fighting fish. They fight their kind, not other fish.

He had the tank to himself for a week. I added the new fish one at a time starting with the catfish. Buddha Boy didn't know what to make of something on the bottom of the tank. He had to investigate of course, and the catfish didn't pay him a bit of attention. Buddha spread his fins just as wide as he could and spread his gill plates out. I called it displaying.

I then put the guppies in one at a time. He did the same thing to them. They would get out of his way but didn't seem afraid of him. This was about 5:00 in the afternoon and BB kept it up all evening. The next morning everyone was doing their own thing and not paying much attention to anyone else in the tank. BB would get close to the other fish every once in a while but he wasn't displaying like he did yesterday and seemed to accept those "things" in his territory.

Two weeks later everything is still peaceful and calm. We still have 4 fish in the tank and are anxiously awaiting the birth of babies. Can't say when it would happen. Gestation for guppies is 3-4 weeks, but we aren't even sure whether the female guppy is pregnant. I'll let you know when we finally have babies.

Live long and prosper.

Here's My Big Animal

2011-11-09T09:58:00.000-06:00

This really isn't that good a picture of him because he is starting to prepare for hibernation. Some of his hair/fur is turning yellow and falling out.

You can see the eyes pretty well, but the nostrils and mouth aren't so plain.

Live long and prosper.

The Animal In Our Backyard

2011-11-07T09:12:00.000-06:00

Each day at the breakfast table I watch the animal in our backyard. This is a daily feature from early spring until winter. I haven't decided what it is yet. At first I wanted it to be a dragon because it has two slits for nostrils, but had to rule that out because it has shaggy ears and a shaggy face.

It changes very little from day to day once all its hair/fur grows in. It does change some during the day depending on the angle of the sun. We silently communicate as I eat my breakfast and admire it. I wonder how it sees itself. I wish I could communicate with it for real and find just what kind of animal it really is. For now, I think of it as a shaggy dog, a rather big, shaggy dog.

Live long and prosper

RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

2011-11-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, October 23, R was paged out to a structure fire between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. He got home about 7:30 or so and came in limping. He had just gotten to the fire and slipped on the wet grass turning his ankle.

My husband, the what? I don't know what to label him. RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Rest - of course not. Compression - I suggested getting an ACE bandage or ankle brace - nope. Ice - nope, it won't help. Elevation - will he did elevate it after several days. I kept suggesting ice and kept getting the same answer. Finally I asked him how he knew it wouldn't help when he hadn't tried it. Seems the EMTs on the scene had applied an ice pack and just left it on. After about 30 minutes, the ice made it hurt. I told him they left it on too long, that my physical therapist said 15-20 minutes at the most. Still wouldn't try ice.

By Friday, he was doubling his usual pain meds and asking if I thought he should go to the doctor. I told him it was his foot and he knew better than I did how it felt. After lunch he decided he should see a doctor, but not the family doctor whom he probably could have gotten to see quickly. No, he wanted to go to the doctor who did my surgery. Called and got an appointment for Monday afternoon.

In the mean time, I asked if he wanted to take one of my pain pills the dr. had given me after my surgery. He did and said it helped. I knew when he took it he was in pain. He normally is so stubborn that I get so I don't even try to suggest anything health wise.

He say the doctor and one of the first things he said to the nurse was something about getting to see the dr. in a timely manner. She stated that they usually got people in quickly. I spoke up and said we didn't call until Friday afternoon. The doctor has surgery every Friday afternoon.

Took X-rays. Couldn't see any broken bones but put a cast on anyway. Doctor said he would get well much faster if in a cast. Of course his foot was swelled, so we will have to go back Monday for them to remove this cast and put another on. Then go back the next Monday for it to be removed. He also got an Rx for pain meds.

Until last night, he actually had to crawl on hands and knees to get to the bathroom at night. When he doesn't use it for several hours it hurts to get up. This morning he said that he didn't have to crawl last night. I didn't ask him what time he had to get up, so don't know if it was the pain pill he took at bedtime or if the ankle is actually getting better.

Live long and prosper.

The Wedding Toast

2011-10-27T15:51:00.001-05:00

David Addison Thomas, better known as Dat, was thinking of the toast that he was scheduled to give at his cousin's wedding tomorrow. He had been thinking about this for over a month and was no closer to coming up with something appropriate today than he was yesterday.

It doesn't help matters an that he has this weird sense of humor and the guy his cousin Carry is marrying is Mike Canon. Carry Canon, he can come up with lots of jokes, but Carry would kill him if he joked at her wedding.

"Oh boy, do I feel terribly", Dat said with a loud sniffle. "Maybe I will be so sick that I can't go and someone else will have to give the toast." He continued to think of the toast as he fumbled in the bathroom medicine cabinet for cold medicine.

He started to call out to Megan to help him find the meds and had to remind himself she moved out last week after a worse than usual fight. They were used to not agreeing on lots of things, but had always been able to compromise. This time she was just too stubborn.

What was wrong with him wanting to attend his cousin's wedding without her? After all, they weren't married, heck they weren't even engaged, planning on getting engaged, or even dating each other. They were just roommates.

Oh, they had kissed several times and even, well, let's just say they were friends with benefits. "I just don't understand her attitude" he thought to himself. They have a good time together, but dated others regularly. In fact both had been engaged before but something happened and their fiancés broke it off.

They were always faithful to the people they were dating, and there had been lots for both of them. For some reason the people they dated just didn't understand their relationship.

He missed her something terrible. He couldn't help wondering where she was and what she was doing. He tried to call her numerous times each day but after the first day she quite answering. Finally after the third day he stopped calling. But he never stopped thinking about her.

What, it finally began to sink in. He really cared about her and it's wasn't that he was missing the "benefits" either. Benefits were a dime a dozen, he got dozens of names each week from good looking girls. No, he was missing Megan. Her smile, the sound of her laughter, the way she looked in the morning, just everything about her.

He finally faced facts, he was, and probably had been from the first, in love with her. He sat down rather heavily on the bed as the realization hit him. The more he thought about it the more he became convinced that she was in love with him too.

The only thing for him to do is get dressed and see her in person. He called her mother an convinced her to give him Megan's address after vowing that he was madly in love with her daughter.

It being a Saturday, he drove to where she was living with her sister. He rang the bell and Megan answered the door. Before a word could be said he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him as he fumbled in his pocket for the ring. As he looked up he almost burst out laughing. Megan was also down on one knee and was holding out a ring. They both said "yes" at the same time and fell into each other's arms while laughing and crying at the same time.

He had no trouble with the toast at Carry's wedding and even had her deliver the toast at his wedding a month later. Dat and Megan lived happily ever after.

Yeah, right. They were happy and did have a wonderful marriage, but they still didn't agree anymore after they were married than they did before. The only difference was the making-up sure was a lot more fun as their nine children could attest to.

Live long and prosper.

Rocky Bit Someone

2011-10-22T10:40:00.001-05:00

We have a mean dog. You better watch out for him.

R got out of the truck and left a window down for Rocky. A man was talking to R about Rocky and asked of he could pet him. R told him if he were in the truck it would be OK. But that of he weren't in the truck Rocky would bite.

R told him not to blame him if he got bit. Then R went into the store and kinda kept one eye on the truck. Sure enough the man tried to pet Rocky and he got bit.

When R came out the man was holding his hand and he told R that he was right. R said he could see tiny drops of blood where Rocky's teeth had broken the skin.

And that was all there was to it. The man didn't try to cause trouble or anything, just took his punishment and left.

Rocky will act like he is going to eat you up even if he knows you, but he's never bitten anyone when I was around. I've always wondered what he would do if a stranger can into our house when we're weren't home and now I know. Rocky may be small but he wouldn't hesitate to attack especially if he were cornered.

Fair warning to all you would be burglars, stay away from our house if you want to keep all your parts.

Love long and prosper.

My Fish Tale

2011-10-19T10:22:00.000-05:00

I just have to tell you about our experience yesterday with the fish. First, I bought a blue Betta last Thursday. R. decided we needed a mate for it because it was lonely. We found that we couldn't keep a male and female together because the male would fight. We can keep two females, but that's another story.

I bought some decorations, now remember this is a 1 gallon tank. We also bought a pair of guppies. First, I bought two plastic plants that were way too tall for the tank, and two small ones. If I had put all 4 in the tank I don't think there would have been room for the fish. Lol

I finally decided to use one small plant and I bent one large one so that it wouldn't stick out. I put the plastic bags with the guppies in the tank for the temp to stabilize.

I was reading and looked up. There was a dark something laying on the table top. Turned out to be the Betta. I got him back in the tank and finally was able to put the guppies in and put the top on.

Poor baby, the Betta was traumatized. Apparently the poor guy had lived by himself most of his life and he didn't know what those other things were. He stayed on the bottom for a long time, and finally went to the back of the tank in the corner and hid. Not only did his home suddenly get stuff in it, it got swimming things too.

We named the guppies CW and Betty. They were accustomed to a larger tank so they were upset to be put in a smaller one with all the stuff in it. After they kinda settled down, Betty discovered that CW was a male and started chasing him. CW finally found several hiding places and he stayed hid most of the time.

Now, R tells me he doesn't like the tank, it's a triangle, and we need a larger one. I see a 5 gallon tank in our not too distant future.

Probably just as all three of them get settled down we will mess them up again by getting a larger tank. Poor babies.

PS - I have to report a death in the family. I just found CW dead on the bottom of the tank. Apparently Betty was just too much for him. May he rest in peace.

Live long and prosper.

The Winter Season

2011-10-15T08:48:00.001-05:00

I guess we can say winter is officially here, or at least coming soon. Mr. and Mrs. Ohio have arrived. We expected them to get here on Sunday, October 2. But, knowing them we expect them a day or 2 early. R was talking to Mr. Ohio Tuesday and said he was going down to their site on Friday and blow off the debris. Mr. Ohio kinda hesitated and then he said that his trailer would be in the way.

He had to come clean then and say they were leaving Ohio in Wednesday and expected to be here on Thursday. They got here Thursday about noon. Mr. Ohio would have left much sooner, but Mrs. Ohio had pneumonia and wanted to be sure she was well before she left home.

Mrs. Ohio started about 2005 making cookies to sell at the Farmer's Market as well as taking orders. The first two years were OK, but after that she says each winter she's not going to do it again. This time I think she means it. She's not going to give it up completely, just not going to back for the market, and she says she's not even going to the market to help Mr. Ohio.

Mr. Ohio has a garden and they usually sell fresh product and canned products. He also has several bee hives and processed honey when there is enough.

She says it's no longer fun, it's a job. Only time will tell whether she means it or not.

Live long and prosper.

What's Happening?

2011-10-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

Well, not much and lots. Take your pick.

Rocky and R, I just don't know what I'm going to do with them. The last two mornings, it has been almost 7:00 before I got up. Both days R. had not fed Rocky. Yesterday he did have it prepared but just hadn't convinced Rocky to eat.

This morning he hadn't even got his insulin shot or food ready. As soon as he heard me up, he got busy. Then he tried to tempt Rocky to eat. Finally I got in on the act and hand fed him a few bites. He started to eat so I sat down in the living room because Rocky doesn't like me moving around in the kitchen while he eats. I did that once, opening and closing cabinets, the fridge, etc. and he didn't like it.

Then R. leaves the kitchen and starts the washer. I helped him and when we came back into the kitchen, Rocky had eaten just a little bit and was back in the living room. Had to hand feed him again to get him started but this time he ate all of it.

Later as R and I were eating, I told him never to leave the kitchen again when Rocky was eating because Rocky has to see what R is doing and that breaks the link to the food.

My boys, what am I going to do with them?

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - 9

2011-10-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

“Now that he is secure, we need to deal with you Burns. Missy, lead the way to the bedroom. I want to talk with Burns where Mr. Grimes here can't hear us.” Missy lets Max out of the bathroom as we pass.

Burn follows Missy to the bedroom and sits on the bed. Missy takes the beanbag chair, and I get the dressing table stool. “Beth, did you have to shoot that guy? I still can't believe you did it.” “In some ways I can't believe I did it either, but I'd do it again if necessary. You get that Burns? I won't hesitate to shoot you, investigator for the prosecutor's office or not.”

“OK, OK I surrender”, Burns says throwing up his hands but he has a big smile on his face. I watch closely because even though Max still likes him, I don't trust him. As Burns slowly lowers his hands, I notice his right hand is angling toward his inside, left jacket pocket. “Watch it mister, keep your hands away from your coat, pants, shoes, or any other place you can hid something.” He gets this sheepish grin on his face and lowers his hands keeping them in plain sight and making no sudden moves.

“Sorry, I just want to get the report out of my pocket on my investigation so far. The Prosecutor said I could share the info with you since it involves you as well as Missy. Is it OK, if I get it? I promise I will use only two fingers and the report is all I'll get.” I nod for him to go ahead and get it. Slowly, so very slowly he reaches inside his coat and removes a folded paper. “Missy, get that and read it. Tell me what it says.” Missy scans it quickly, then goes back and reads some of it looking puzzled.

“Missy, stop the suspense, read.” “First, this does look legit. It seems that The Professor is Martin Gordon, the son of Ricky Gordon the manager of Al's Body Shop. His description includes very, very white skin. If not for the eyes being colored, he could be labeled as an albino. Seems like The Professor participated in his little skit the other night.” “That does answer several questions, but what else?”

Burns clears his throat, “Maybe I could just give you an oral report while Missy reads it, if that OK with you Beth.” He is still eying my gun. “OK, go on.” “After some investigation we find that Ricky Gordon is the son of Joseph Anderson, our drug dealer. Yes, I know their last names aren't the same, but that was done on purpose. Anderson didn't want anyone else to know that Ricky was his son. From what I could gather he was ashamed of him. Didn't think his son had the balls for the family business. Gordon is Anderson's wife's maiden name.”

“Go on, don't stop now.” “Even though Anderson died in prison, he made arrangements for Gordon's son, Martin, to take over as head of his operations. Martin, AKA The Professor, is ever bit a hardliner as his grandfather. After his father was arrested and the chop shop operation shut down, he began to plan on how to get rid of you and Missy. Having heard about your total recall, he wanted to find out how much you remember about things so he staged that little play. After you filed your report, he knew he was in trouble then.”

“In trouble for what? I didn't know any of this so how am I, or Missy, a threat to him?” “He thought you knew all about the chop shop and had reported his father to the police. He figured you would be called to testify at the trial and that would convict his father in a heart beat. That's all I got so far, I don't know if he actually plans to do you bodily harm, try to scare you so you won't testify, or exactly what he's going to do.” “OK, that's all good info but it brings up another question, just how did you get it? You could be in this up to your neck.”

“I don't deny that it doesn't look good for me, but you remember when we first met I told you I was investigating the police department and their involvement in crime, particularly McIntire?” “Yes, we both remember, after all we aren't senile. Our memories are very good, especially mine,” I say with a slight smile all the while not taking my eyes or gun off him.

“Go on, I want to hear the rest of the story as Paul Harvey says.” Burns looks at me kinda like I am nuts but continues. “I'm not the only one investigating the police involvement in organized crime. We have a team of investigators, some even in the police department itself. We found that McIntire appears to be the head of the organization, and I don't mean just the police department part. He seems to be head of a criminal gang. He's in a perfect position because he knows just about everything that is going on in the city. We can trace a number of high dollar robberies directly back to information he and his immediate subordinates had access to. We aren't to the exact point when we can start arresting any of them, but it should be in the next few days.”

“Well, ain't that just fine and dandy. You've told us exactly nothing,” I say with all the sarcasm I can muster. “Beth, how can you say he's told us nothing? We know McIntire is head of a criminal gang, isn't that important?”, Missy asks. “Those are just words, we have't proof that what he's telling us is true.” I look at both of them and even though I am trying my best to give the impression that I don't believe Burns, in my heart I know he's telling the truth. Don't ask me how. As far as I know I don't have ESP or anything like that, but I do have that “something” that tells me he's not lying.

“OK, just for a minute lets say I believe you, what do you propose we do now Mr. Burns?” Burns looks thoughtful for a while and then says, “To tell you the truth, I don't know. I think you are safe here but to be on the safe side, I'll call some of my team to stake out your houses as well as have someone here with you all the time.”

“That sounds just great,” sarcasm still dripping from my voice. “And all McIntire has to do is set tails on all those people and one of them is bound to lead him to us. Great plan Mr. Burns. In fact, how do you know you haven't been followed.” “To be honest, I don't know but I did bring backup. I have some of my team members in the woods right now watching the cabin and the road,” Burns said.

Those words were just barely out of his mouth when Max became alter, hair on the back of his neck standing up and slowly he crept toward the bedroom door. We all came to our feet and I slowly opened the door for Max. He quietly crept to the doggy door and slipped out. We knew there was trouble because Max usually runs pell mell out the door no matter what the reason. Thank goodness it was at the back of the cabin when he would blend in with the shadows.

Burns and I made for the front and Missy the back. “I see Max slinking toward the woods,” Missy called. Burns pulled out his cell phone, “I'll call my team and see what's going on.” “Mark, what do you see? OK, get behind them and cut off their escape.” Then he calls another, another and another all with the same instructions except for the third man. “There's three men making their way towards the cabin. My men will cut off their escape.” We hear Max just inside the woods as he barks and seems to be attacking someone.

“Question, do we try to help Max or stay inside,” I ask. Burns is already on his way to the back door, “I'll check on Max you two stay inside. Turn out all the lights except the one on Grimes.” Missy and I look at each other and then at Grimes. We had forgotten about him. He was still securely restrained. We turned a light on so that he was well lit and then proceeded to turn out all the other lights.

I still had my pistol of course, never leave home without it. Missy got a pistol and a rifle from her bedroom. She's not a crack shot, but she can hit a target even if it's not exactly where she was aiming.

We look out each window and don't see anything moving, she takes the back and I take the front.

We hear a shot and Max squalling. Missy is ready to run out to rescue him and it's all I can do to convince her that human life is more important right now. Thank goodness Max comes running in. Missy checks him over with the flashlight. He does have blood on him, but it's not his.

We hear more shots and see someone running toward the cabin's back door. We both take aim just as Max goes out again and greets our guest. Burns of course. As he is coming in the back door we hear commotion at the front. We start to turn when a shot comes through the window.

“Missy, you and Burns cover the back I'll take the front.” I break a window pane out just as another bullet smashes the one right next to it. Seeing the muzzle flash I take quick aim and fire. Not a sound as a figure detaches itself from the shadow of a tree and falls face first to the ground. I see another shadow right behind it and prepare to fire as I hear gunshots from Missy and Burns. The second shadow puts a hand to its ear and I hear Burns phone ring. Between shots he calls to me, “The man in the shadows is one or mine. Please don't shoot. Open the door and stand back. He's coming in.”

I do as Burns asked only I don't step back. I quickly aim again and hit what I aimed for, a third shadow that had taken aim at Burn's man. Another man down just as Burn's man comes through the door and slams it behind him. “Gee lady, I was sure I was a dead man until I heard the thump behind me. Thanks for saving my life.” I'm too busy watching to pay much attention to him.

“Mark, is that you?” Burns calls. “Yes Mr. Burns, there were only three that we saw but apparently there's more.” This conversation was taking place as both of us were taking shots at moving shadows. We were hitting about as many as we missed. That just wasn't like me, I'm a crack shot. Then I realized that I had enough killing and was only trying to scare them.

My attitude changed when their bullets began to zero in one me. Changing locations, I again killed everyone I aimed for as did Mark. The gun fight seemed to take hours but was really over in a matter of minutes. We suddenly realized that there was no returning gun fire here or in the back.

We cautiously moved to the back to check on Burns and Missy. Everything was quite and both of them were OK. Missy and I hugged and we even gave Micky and Mark hugs. “OK, what next Mr. Burns,” Missy asked. Not saying a word, Burns called each of the other operatives and learned that only one had been wounded and the other one was OK. Only one of the assailants escaped. The operative said he thought it was McIntire but couldn't be sure.

“Ladies, I think it would be best if you both came with us tonight. I think I know of a place that all of us will be safe until morning,” Burns said. “OK, Micky I have to agree with you. I know I am exhausted and I expect Missy is too,” I said as I turned to Missy. Missy was sitting there quietly crying. I realized that she had never shot a person let along killed someone. I give Missy a big hug and leave her alone as I begin to secure the cabin. With Micky's and Mark's help I gather out stuff together and prepare to leave.

We get everything loaded in the vehicle and help Missy out. Max is still on alert, but he seems subdued too. Mark brings one of their vehicles around and leads. Micky is to come behind us. As we start our vehicles, there is an explosion. One of them is no longer. Which was it? I'm sorry but I can't tell. I have no energy left but at least the pain is subsiding. I hear words in the distance. They are getting louder, “Three, two, one, you are awake and feeling fine.”

I slowly open my eyes, I feel relaxed at happy. I see Missy, John, Max, Micky, Mark, and McIntire. McIntire, I panic and start to get up. “Just relax Beth, everything is OK,” Missy says as Micky grabs my hand. I remember where I am now and McIntire is my doctor. “Did I remember anything,” I ask while looking from face to face and back to McIntire. “No, all you can remember is back to when you awakened in the hospital 2 years ago,” McIntire says. “I don't think we need to do this again, your memories seem to be gone and we have no way of breaking through,” McIntire continues.

Micky helps me up saying, “Come on Beth, lets go home. You look tired after this last experience.” As we leave, Missy hangs back. “Dr. McIntire, what do you make of Beth's story? It's the same every time you take her back.” “I don't know what to make of it. The details are so complete but they just don't match the facts.” “Yes, I know. We examined the cabin and surrounding woods and found no damage to the cabin nor did we find any bodies in the woods.”

“What seems even more strange is that Max literally hated Beth before the incident, and now he doesn't want to leave her side. I just don't understand it.” “Missy, I wish I had an explanation but I don't have a clue. It certainly is a mystery that I doubt will ever be solved. But, all of you must remember to never repeat the story because we don't want to stress her farther. It could have unforeseen consequences.”

After everyone has left, McIntire takes the recording of the hypnotic session and places it in his safe. This is not the first time he has “treated” someone from the parallel universe. This is one secret he prefers stays a secret. There would be too many problems as a result of this information getting out. McIntire speaks aloud, “I do wonder whether my “twin” was ever caught and punished for his crimes and I wonder what happened to our Beth.

The End

Live long and prosper

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - 8

2011-10-05T08:18:00.000-05:00

“OK Burns, it's time to come clean. We know you didn't read the police report I made because you said everything I told you dovetailed. I didn't put the vodka bottle in the police report.” Missy says, “Someone searched the cabin while we were gone. They could only have been looking for the vodka bottle that only you knew about.” While Missy was talking, I slowly leveled the pistol at Burns in the same, you know where, location. Burns looks from one to the other and then to Max. “We know it wasn't you this afternoon because Max never would have let you in, but you could have sent someone. Tell us or you may lose a very important part of your anatomy.”

Burns looks calmly at my gun and then unblinkingly at each of us, then back to my hand. About that time he realized that I was beginning to slowly squeeze the trigger. He starts to jump up just as I squeeze off a shot. Max is outside barking frantically, and someone is yelling. Burns sits back down very suddenly looking at his crotch like he was expecting to see blood. The sounds from outside penetrated his daze and as Missy and I rush out, Burns is right behind. Max has the intruder on the ground actually attacking him. Missy grabs his collar and barely holds him off. “Burns, help Missy with Max.”

“Help me, I've been shot and that maniac of a dog is trying to kill me.” “Yep, you're hurt all right, so sorry I couldn't have aimed better because if I had you wouldn't be hurtin' now and you wouldn't be worrying about Max either.” Missy gets Max back inside and penned in the bathroom for now. Burns and I get the man inside.

In all the commotion, my gun never left Burns, and it wasn't easy keeping him covered while trying to help him carry the intruder either. I can see that he has a lot more respect for me now than he did several minutes ago. I told you I am an excellent shot, and even though I have never shot a man before I just proved to myself that I can. I don't know if it just hasn't hit me or if I have become that hardhearted, but I don't feel a bit sorry.

We give first aid to the intruder although I would have preferred doing like they do in some of the TV shows and used my foot on his wound to make him talk. I tell you, I'm getting more and more like a hardened detective every day.

“Now, both of you talk. Wounded guy you go first. What's your name?” “You can't scare me, I'm not talking.” I take careful aim, no not in the usual place, but at his foot. I slowly start to squeeze the trigger hoping that any second he will start talking. Surprisingly, he does not. So I shoot him, in the foot. I must say that got everyone's attention, especially the intruder's.

Missy jumps up to give him aid. “Sit down everyone, this guy can just suffer until I get the information I want.” Burns and Missy are eying me with amazement or panic I can't be sure which. “Now, lets try this again, what's your name?” “OK, OK, I'll talk just stop the bleeding please.” “Talk first, bleeding stopped later. Get going.” “My name is Albert Grimes.” “Go on, who do you work for, what were you doing outside my window, spill everything.” “The Professor sent me to find out what you know. He also wants the evidence, the vodka bottle you found. I was to kill you if you didn't give it to me.”

“Missy, do your nursing duty. OK Burns, tie Mr. Grimes' hands and tie his ankles just as soon as Missy is finished bandaging his foot.” I sit mulling over what Grimes told me as I continue to cover Burns and Missy bandages the foot. Burns follows orders and securely binds Grimes' hands and ankles and then goes one step farther and secures him to the chair.

“Now that he is secure, we need to deal with you Burns. Missy, lead the way to the bedroom. I want to talk with Burns where Mr. Grimes' here can't hear us.” Missy lets Max out of the bathroom as we pass.

Live long and prosper.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - 7

2011-09-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

(Continued from yesterday)

We closed the door and locked it. Sat down and looked at each other again. “Missy, I have this weird feeling that all that happened last night was a play. A play just for our benefit.” “I was thinking the same thing Beth. But why? As far as I know, we haven't done anything to warrant police attention. Plus we both know the part about the vodka bottle was not in your report. The way Burns was making notes, I don't think he has read the report.” We both sat there thinking about what could have caused such a situation, and again I am questioning Burns sincerity.

We decide that since it's so late, we'll try to get some sleep during what is left of the night. Maybe our subconscious minds will come up with the answer. Again we go to bed. My mind is racing and I just know that I won't get any sleep tonight. Next thing I know, it's morning.

While we eat breakfast, Missy and I bounce ideas off each other but they don't seem to make sense. We haven't said or done anything connected with the police. “Ah, Missy, what about that case we testified as expert witnesses? Could that have anything to do with this?” “I really don't see how it could, Beth. That was just a simple testimony about recovering data from supposed erased hard drives.” “Yes, but the case itself involved one of the well known drug dealers. Maybe they think we actually saw the data on the hard drive.”

“OK, but why the little play. They already knew what we told the court, and we didn't actually see the hard drive, just testified as to how data could be recovered. It's really puzzling,” Missy said. “I know, and they know where both of us live, why the charade. Just kill us in our homes.” We continue to follow along this line of thinking but still not coming to any conclusions.

We decide to go back home and get our laptops plus anything we have on that case. We leave Max here. We leave him plenty of food, and make sure the doggy door is unlocked so he can come and go as he pleases. No telling what varmints he will bring in while we are gone.

We clean up, get dressed, and make sure everything is secure before we leave. Max is happy as a bug in a rug to be left here in the wild. It takes us about an hour to get to Missy's house. We check everything to be sure no one has been here. We grab her laptop and head to my house. Everything seems just like we left it. I check all the alarms and the log did not show anything abnormal. I grab my laptop, grab the folder from my files about the case, including the disks.

As Missy drives around town, checking for a tail, I begin to reread all the folder contents for a clue. This case is over a year old and we testified at the very end of the trial. I'm ready to start in on the disks just as we arrive at the cabin. We sit there for a minute just looking. Funny, we don't see Max. We both expected him to come running to greet us. This calls for caution although it could just be Max is out chasing a varmint.

We check the outside of the cabin and everything looks OK, all doors and windows are secure. We unlock the back door and find the cabin a mess. It looks like Max was either having fun tearing everything up or chasing a varmint, but we don't see any sign of the critter. As I continue to check the house, Missy goes outside to call Max. I hear a commotion from above, The Tower. I call to Missy and go to investigate. We both laugh kinda nervously, Max is peering down at us from The Tower.

How is the world are we going to get him down, but even more interesting is how did he get up there in the first place. Missy starts to leave to get the ladder from the storage shed only to be passed by a black streak. Max jumped down and was on his way to the doggie door before we hardly had time to blink. Ladders just aren't for that kid.

With Max safe, we check out The Tower. We don't find anything. “I just don't understand what's going on Missy.” “Nether do I Beth. I don't see anyway Max would have come up here by himself but I also don't see how anyone could have dragged him up here either, unless. Unless they drugged him. But why put him up here?”

We go back down and Max comes in the doggie door practically mobbing us. He must have been up there a long time but was too much of a gentleman to pottie in the house. We start to clean up the mess and realize that Max didn't make it. It looked like someone was searching for something. We definitely know the other night was a set up now.

We clean up the mess and try to determine whether anything is missing. As far as we can tell, nothing is gone. I think they were looking for the vodka bottle. Since it wasn't in my report, Burns must be connected to this escapade since he is the only other person who knows about it.

We settle down to review the case, trying to link what is happening now to that case. “Beth, I just don't see a connection. The criminal was a drug dealer but I don't see how this connects to anything now. He was convicted and was killed in prison by another prisoner.” “Other than revenge for his death in prison, what good would killing us now do, Missy?” “There just has to be something else to connect the recent happenings to that case.” We continue to talk about this and then we start to review what we have been doing lately.

Missy and I run a computer business helping users with problems in their homes and businesses . I bet you thought we were real detectives didn't you. Fooled you. We don't normally repair computers, but help users learn their hardware and software so they can make full use of their equipment. We also install software, help with general user problems, and even recommend software for their needs. We have helped people recover data that was accidentally erased even after deleting from the Trash Can in Windows. None of our customers were connected to any criminal activity as far as we know. We continue to search for any connection and just don't find it.

“I know it's here, maybe it isn't what we actually did but who we worked for or where we did the work, “ Missy says. We use pull up the files on our laptops and take each customer for the last year and methodically recall what we did for each, what records we might have accidentally seen, asking if that person could have a criminal connection, and whether the location where we worked could have been used for criminal activity. We were working on a customer from two months ago when we looked at each other. Bingo! This must be the one. “Beth, Al's Body Shop. Remember? You helped the manager, Rusty Gordon, set up his books. You worked several days with him and I had to go late one afternoon after closing time to help him with something. While I was there I saw several high dollar cars brought in and taken to the back of the shop. I didn't think twice about it, but now that I think back I don't remember seeing any damage. Do you remember seeing any cars like that?”

I think back over the times I was at the shop, remembering what I saw in detail. “Yes, I do remember high dollar cars coming in but I really didn't take note of them at the time. As I think back, I don't see any damage either. Missy, I think you're right, this must be the connection. We must have seen stolen cars being brought in to be chopped or fenced. I remember Mr. Gordon and he seemed like a really nice person. Always courteous and polite.”

I begin to pace the floor as I look over all the entries I made in the bookkeeping system and the data I saw. “Missy, I don't see anything suspicious.” “Go back over each entry and really look at it. Beth, there just has to be something there besides us just seeing the cars.” I examine each entry again as well as the ones that were made between my visits. I begin to see a pattern. Remember now, I have almost total recall so I am not actually going over hard copy but what I remember. “I see a pattern. There are a number of entries to various people of several thousand each that are categorized as miscellaneous parts. The entries were made every weekend and to almost the very same people over and over.”

We decide that this has to be the connection. We grab our laptops and start trying to find out everything we can about Al's Body Shop. After several hours of following links from one holding company to another, we finally hit pay dirt. The real owner is the son of the drug dealer we helped put in prison. He goes by The Professor.

We sit back and contemplate this new turn. Suddenly Max goes pell-mell through the doggy door to the outside. Silence, we don't hear him barking and just as we were getting up to investigate someone began knocking on the door. “Beth, Missy, it's Micky Burns.” Funny how he turns up at night. We can't really do anything but let him in.

“Beth, I think I may have part of the problem solved. I started with the case from last year where you testified in court about how information could be recovered from a hard drive. I discovered that several of the people you have worked with this year were related in some way to that drug dealer. The last one was Al's Body Shop. It wasn't long after you worked for him that he was busted for running a chop shop. He probably thought you or Missy turned him in.”

“We too had just decided that this customer must have been the connection, but I didn't know that he had been busted. We learned that the actual owner of the shop is a son of the drug dealer.” Burns looked at us with admiration, almost. Missy and I looked at each other and we both decided that Burns has been telling us the truth because if he had been the one who was here earlier Max wouldn't have let him in.

Burns tells us that the “murder” outside my house was a set-up to see what I would report. If I hadn't reported anything, then they wouldn't have anything to worry about, but since I did, then both of us are marked. The one thing that started our bacon cooking was the vodka bottle. “Beth, do you remember ever seeing the faces of the three?” Thinking back, Red Skirt was facing away from me looking back at the car and then looking toward where she was running. Pasty White Guy always had an arm over his face in some way, and when the passenger fell out his face was turned toward the car and down. “Thinking back I never saw the faces of any of them.

“OK Burns, it's time to come clean. We know you didn't read the police report I made because you said everything I told you dovetailed with the police report. I didn't put the vodka bottle in the police report.” Missy says, “Someone searched the cabin while we were gone. They could only have been looking for the vodka bottle that only you knew about.” While Missy was talking, I slowly leveled the pistol at Burns in the same you know where location. Burns looks from one to the other and then to Max. “We know it wasn't you this afternoon because Max never would have let you in, but you could have sent someone. Tell us or you may lose a very important part of your anatomy.”

Live long and prosper.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - 7

2011-09-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

(Continued tomorrow)

Live long and prosper.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - 6

2011-09-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

Darn, darn, double darn. How did he find us? Still not trusting him, what else can we do but let him in since he found us. It’s better to have him with us so we can watch him than running around loose.

Reluctantly we let him in. “Sorry to barge in like this ladies, but I just had to talk to you tonight.” “OK, lets get some coffee.” Missy makes the coffee and asks Burns if he wants something to eat. “Thanks, that would be great, I haven't had supper yet.” I look in the fridge and find makings for several sandwiches and find some cookies in the cabinet.

We get settled at the table. “OK, Burns, just how did you find us?” I ask. “I have to admit that I bugged your vehicles last night before I left. I knew you wouldn't stay in town, but I needed to be able to get to you quickly so I had to hide a bug.” “Well, I'm not happy about that, why couldn't you just call us on our cell phones?” “I would have but you didn't give me your numbers.” “OH,” Missy said, “that would make a difference, sorry.”

“Even though I've read the report, I need you to go over it again and recall everything you possibly remember.” “OK, here's what I remember. I woke up about midnight and hear loud music outside. I got up to investigate and saw a lime green car parked outside my house. There were two people in the front. I think they were drinking because I saw light glint off glass. The night was so clear that I could see into the car and the driver was white, very, very white. I call him Pasty White Guy. The other man was darker.

“Then I noticed a struggle going on with a person in the back street. About that time I noticed it was a woman. I thought they were going to rape her, but then I heard a gun shot. The woman fell out of the back seat. I thought she was dead, but she got up and ran off. She was wearing a white blouse, red midi length skirt, and red low-heel shoes. As she got up I noticed a gun in her right hand.

“About that time the passenger side door opened and the passenger fell out. I could see the driver was wearing a bright yellow sweater. The car sped off, I got part of the license number WTF but I didn't get the numbers. The right taillight was out. The ambulance waited for the police before they treated the passenger. Apparently he was dead because they pulled the sheet up over him. The next morning I found a vodka bottle next to where they parked. I picked it up using a paper towel. I hid it in safe place.”

About that time, I began to get a bad feeling. Burns had been making notes frantically. He said he had read the report, but I'm not so sure. “OK, thanks, that dovetails with what we already know. I've already tracked the driver down and I just needed to be sure of the other details. I've gotta go now. I'm ready to make the final move. Thanks again ladies. I'll be seeing you again soon.” At that point, Burns was at the door and leaving.

Live long and prosper.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - 5

2011-09-25T08:18:00.000-05:00

We’re in trouble now, that’s what we get for trying to be so smart. To try to throw them off we make a number of stops like we had errands to do. Some of them we actually need to do but being the sneaky pair that we are, we have a few false ones too. We are still acting crazy and nothing like what we think two detectives would act like. Hopefully our tail won’t realize that we know where he is every moment. We make great detectives. Well, at least we think so.

Finally it’s time to lose them and get out of town. We had already discussed what we would do, but right now it just doesn’t seem like it’s gonna work out the way the had planned so we have to think of alternate plans. It’s the middle of the afternoon and Max has been a patient boy so we stop and get us sodas and Max a treat. Next we stop at a dog park to let Max run and he takes advantage of it by having a ball with all the other dogs and their people.

We notice a man approaching the park with a big Great Dane. The dog looks like he is on “point” almost. “Point” as in ready to start trouble. We start looking for Max trying to get him to respond to us. The man enters the park and lets his dog loose. You guessed it, the dog immediately makes for the smallest dog it can find and starts to menace it. It doesn’t actually attack but it looks like it will any minute.

We get Max and out of the corner of our eyes, we notice our tail is paying rapt attention to the dog almost fight. We sneak out and get gone before we are noticed. We still drive around just a little before we head to the cabin. I have to confess now that we made a call to a friend of ours who provided the diversion in the dog park. You would be surprised at what we can call on friends to do.

We have an uneventful trip thank goodness. We wonder how the little dog fared, but we are grateful for the diversion. We unload the van while Max enjoys his freedom. At home and at my house, he has to stay in the fenced yard, here he can roam free and he takes advantage of it.

We get settled down and cook a meal. We enjoy the coffee outside side while Max snoozes at our feet. Missy gets a call from John and they still talk in code. We don’t trust cell phones to be private. Not even text messages. Our code covers most every situation, and I’m still not giving you a clue so stop asking..

As we settle down for the night, this time in separate bedrooms thank you. We leave the doors open so Max can take care of both of us. We learned when Max was a puppy that he takes his guard dog duties seriously even though he isn’t a vicious dog. Being a guard dog and being an attack dog are entirely different. Good ole Max, we can depend on him to take care of us.

Just as I drift off to sleep Max begins to growl low in his throat and nudges me. I get up as he goes to Missy and gets her up too. Our care fee attitude suddenly gets deadly serious. With Max leading the way, we check the cabin and don’t find anything wrong inside. We carefully look out the windows being very careful that we aren’t seen. Sometimes this takes some doing, but our days as Nancy Drew wannabes have trained us well. Both of us think we see something out the front window. There seems to be something in the trees, and Max is more alert too. He starts the low growl again.

We watch and wait for a few minutes. We don’t see any indication of movement or anything else to indicate there was anything there. Still not convinced, we make our way to The Tower. There is a very, very small attic area that has small holes that we can see out of but no one can see us. Because we have to use a ladder to get up there, poor Max has to stay below.

We have to crawl to the holes. I said it was very, very small. I don’t see anything at the back or east side of the cabin. Missy checks the west and the front. Nothing west either but there is something at the front. Taking turns, we can clearly see there is a person there. We wonder if it could be Burns. If it is, how did he find us.

We crawl back to the ladder and sit there stunned. Here we though we were being so smart. About that time Max started carrying on and we realized that someone was knocking on the door. Ah gee, just what we need, to be killed at a mountain cabin with no one to discover us for two weeks.

I get my gun and Missy grabs Max by the collar. That’s Max’s favorite game. Hold my collar momma so I can act tough. The more Missy pulls on his collar the more vicious he becomes. It has come in handy so many times. I carefully approach the door and look through the crack. All I can see is the back of his head.

“Who’s there?” I call. This gruff voice answers, “It’s me, Mickey Burns.” Missy and I look at each other. “Who? I don’t know any Mickey Burns.” Missy says. “Missy and Beth please let me in. It really is me. Just ask Max.” We turn at the same time to look at Max and realize Max is no longer playing the game. He is about to wag himself to death.

Carefully I unlock the door and start to open it. Missy stands just inside the door so if he tries to push his way in she can throw her weight against the door. “OK, show me your face and ID,” I say while making sure he can see the gun in my hand and where I'm aiming. He reaches with two fingers into his coat and gives his ID to me. It is the same ID Burns showed us before. Reaching for a flashlight, I shine it into his face and sure ‘nuff it is Burns.

The Speeding Car

2011-09-21T12:07:00.000-05:00

Grocery shopping is always a chore, but it has to be done. I get in the car and back out of the driveway. As I get the car straightened up my neighbor comes around the curve in his golf cart with his little dog. Suddenly, as if someone has grabbed the wheel, my car swung toward him and hit him almost head on.

Shock, frantically I pump the brake but nothing happens. My car continues on its merry way. We come to the intersection and it slows slightly, I quickly open the window and start to get out. As the top of my head passes outside the window begins to go up. I quickly pull back in, the window goes down.

By that time we turned and were on the highway. We, I say we because something besides myself is controlling the car, are in the left lane. As we come to a curve, we meet the ambulance and deputy sheriff. Immediately the he mades a U-turn and races after me with siren sounding and lights flashing. Knowing I can't do a thing, I climb into the passenger's seat. The deputy catches up with us and is in the right lane motioning for us to pull over. Then he realizes there is no one driving.

I begin to kick at the door glass. As soon as my foot hits the glass the car speeds up, when I remove my foot it slows down. The deputy is looking at me with mouth agape. I roll the window down and he does too. He begins to order us to pull over. I tell him my problem and he just looks at me and then over to the driver's side. “Lady, I'm matching your speed, climb out the window into my back seat.” Knowing that will be fruitless nevertheless I start to climb out the window. Immediately the window begins to roll up. I show the officer that both hands are out the window.

About that time we come to an intersection, my car swerves into the oncoming lane and hits another car head on. Blackness, floating. I become aware again and look down on my body and the bodies of the three people in the other car. They are here with me, I can feel them.

We are being swept toward something sinister. All four of us try to get away but it is useless. Food, I feel stronger but still hungry. Smiling I look down on all the food below. All I need to do I pick out my next morsel. Satisfaction.

Live long and prosper

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Episode 4

2011-09-18T09:00:00.002-05:00

“Help, call this animal off,” the intruder begs. “First, he’s not an animal, he’s a highly trained attack dog. It’s a good thing you haven’t tried to move or you would be hamburger,” Missy declares. Both of us knowing Max is all bark and no bite. “Come on Beth, call him off,” he starts to reach into his jacket. I take careful aim at the crotch area, “If you want to keep your family jewels you better take that hand out carefully and it better be empty.” My hand is steady as a rock but I’m quivering inside. He pulls his hand out but it isn’t empty. No gun, but one of those ID cases. “Just look at my ID, I’m a police officer.” “If you’re a police office, why are you breaking into Beth’s house?” Missy asks.

“I'm here to protect you. You don’t know what a mess you have gotten yourself into by talking to Sergeant McIntire.” Missy has Max by the collar but Max is still acting like he’s going to attack any minute. He’s trying to get loose all the time growling low in his throat. Missy’s attention is momentarily some place else and Max breaks loose, lunging for the man. We both scream and the intruder begins to beg for his life. Then Missy and I burst out laughing. Max has the man in the floor trying his best to lick him to death. Some attack dog. We just lost the upper hand.

Just as we get ourselves under control. Max whirls around and heads for the back door. We all three follow, I’m thinking Max just probably needs to go outside, but I'm still alert for trouble. Max is still alert and prowls around the kitchen, always going back to the door. Then he insists on going outside. He checks the back yard, takes care of business, and then he is ready to settle down. He ignores the three of us, he’s done his duty and kept us safe.

We settle down at the kitchen table and Missy starts a pot of coffee. “OK, lets see your ID now that the excitement has settled down.” He’s no police officer but a special investigator for the city prosecutor’s office. His name is Mickey Burns. He tells us that the prosecutor’s office is investigating alleged criminal activities in the police department, and Sergeant McIntire in particular. He thinks the shooting last night was set up by McIntire. The person shot was an undercover police officer working for the prosecutor’s office.

He suspects Red Skirt was an undercover police office working with McIntire. “OK, but how does this involve me?” “You provided details that McIntire didn’t know anyone else but his crew knew. You should never had told him you have such great recall. He thinks you can identify everyone involved.” “Well he’s wrong. I didn’t see faces, all I can do is identify someone who fits the description but I can’t say for sure who they are.”

“So what do we do now?” Missy asks. Burns is all for us leaving here and going to a “safe house”. Missy and I both question this. “Won’t McIntire have access to all the safe houses in the city. Wouldn’t it be just a matter of time before he would find us?” We cuss and discuss what is the best thing to do, vetoing every suggestion Burns makes. Finally he throws up his hands in surrender. Two head strong women like us are going to do what we want anyway. We grab some sandwiches finally and eat supper such as it is.

It’s bedtime and even though both Missy and I have intestinal fortitude we reluctantly accept Burn's offer to spend the night. Even though my house is two story, it’s small, only one bedroom and bath on the second floor. We make up an air mattress for Burns to sleep on in the living room.

Missy, Max, and I head for the top floor. Max will be on duty upstairs with us. We’re like a couple of high school kids at a sleep over. “Missy, what do you think of Burns cock ‘n bull story?” We’re both keyed up and spend another hour talking about about the recent happenings. We finally fall asleep.

After an uneventful night, we wake earlier than normal. Awake is about all we can say, neither one of us feels rested. Max is pacing the floor. He doesn’t seem upset so we figure he just needs to go out. We throw on some clothes and go downstairs.

The mattress in the living room is empty. It doesn’t look like anyone slept there, and there is no sign of Burns. We search the downstairs and don’t find Burns. Missy and I look at each other, yep, that was some cock ‘n bull story.

Live long and prosper.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

2011-09-11T10:08:00.000-05:00

From Eatingwell.com
Makes 6 servings, 1/2 cup each, with 7 grams of carbs

2 slices bacon
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and very thinly sliced (I don't see why you couldn't use frozen, thawed.)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat turning once, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel crumble. Add onion and salt to the drippings in the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until tender and browned, bout 3 minutes. Add water and mustard and scrape up any browned bits. Add Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring often, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in vinegar and top with the crumbled bacon.

Live long and prosper

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Episode 3

2011-09-09T07:44:00.001-05:00

As I reached the glass doors leading outside I noticed a man behind me. I started to turn just as he reached me. “May I help you ma’am?” He opened the door for me, “Thank you.” I walked hurriedly to my car. As I got my keys out of my purse, I dropped them so I could look around. I saw the same man walking several rows over. Paranoid, I know, it’s probably nothing but it seems like he is following me. I get in the car and lock the doors just as he passes. He nods to me, smiles, and tips his hat.

I’m scared, really scared. I hurry home, get inside, and lock the doors. Then I look out each window. I don’t see anything out of the normal, but I still have that feeling of being watched.

I go about my usual chores, but I really need to go outside and I also have some things I need to do uptown. Boy, do I wish I had a dog right now. I wonder if Missy would let me borrow Max. I pick up the phone and call. “Hi Missy, this is Beth. Could I borrow Max for a few days?” “Sure Beth, you know you can have him anytime. He loves to visit with you. I know you, you spoil him something awful.” “Thanks, I really appreciate it. Could you bring him over?” “Sure, I wanted to visit with you some anyway. Is there anything wrong?” “I’ll tell you when you get here. I don’t want to leave the house right now.” “OK, we’ll be there shortly.”

I continue to try to do what I need to do in between trips to all the windows. I still don’t see anything, but I just can’t get rid of that feeling that something is wrong. The doorbell rings, it’s Missy. “Come in Missy, hi Max.” Max is a Rottweiler but he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, that isn’t exactly true. He is not aggressive, but he is wary of strangers until he gets the all clear from Missy, John, or me.

“Beth, you have me worried. What’s happened to scare you?” I tell Missy about what happened last night and this morning. “That’s why I want Max to stay here for a while. You know I’m usually not a scardie cat, but I just can’t shake this feeling.” “Do you want me to stay too? John is out of town for the next few days and I don’t have anything that needs to be taken care of at home. I’d be glad to stay.” “Missy, I hadn’t thought about that, but if John is out of town, won’t you need Max? The more I think about it, why don’t you stay. It would be fun, like a slumber party.” “Sure it would be great fun,” Missy said.

We make plans while we get Max settled in. Ole Max and I are old friends. He’s spent several weeks at a time with me while Beth and John were out of town. He knows his way around my house and yard, and he takes good care of me I must say. No boogers are going to get in this house while he’s here.

As we leave in Missy’s car, I see a car start up about halfway down the block. It’s not a car I recognize and not being able to keep anything from Missy, I tell her about it. She’s a strong woman and takes it in stride. We make a good pair, she doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything. I am, but I can sense danger and I am a crack shot with my pistol. I made sure and put it in my purse before we left the house. I even have extra ammo in my purse and Missy carries some for me too. We are two ladies not to be reckoned with.
We are cautious as we take a round-about route to her house. We don’t see any sign of the car, that is not until we pull into her driveway. Way down the street the same car is parked. I showed Missy, and we talked about it as we go into the house. We conclude it must be someone from the police department and they ran her license plate. They didn’t have to follow us, they already knew where we were going.

We gathered up what she needed for two weeks, checked the answering machine, made sure everything was locked, turned off, etc. all the time talking about the situation. We laugh and talk about how we will solve the mystery and put the police department to shame. Lets face it, we are both mystery fans and our imaginations are running wild. And yet, everything we think of has a ring of possibility. The man who is apparently following us, or woman, must be from the police department. Two possibilities, protection or bodily harm. Either way, we need to find out which.

We hatch a plan, just like a couple of kids playing detective, giggling all the time. We will leave the house, drive right by the parked car, Missy will get out and bold as brass walk over and ask. It strikes us as funny and we laugh hysterically. That releases the tension and we consider our plan again. Not coming up with anything else, we decide to go ahead.

Everything is in the car, house locked, we get in the car and back out of the driveway. We are all psyched up and ready for bear. Turning toward the parked car, plans thwarted. It’s gone. Here we have psyched ourselves up for a confrontation and it’s a let down not to follow through.

We both keep looking around as we drive to my house. Nothing seems out of the ordinary but we are pumped up and ready to tackle anything. Funny how two people can be so brave together when they would probably fall apart by themselves.

We get home safely. As we get out of the car in the garage we hear Max barking like he has something treed. I pull out my gun and slowly open the door to the kitchen. Missy grabs a shovel from the garage. Max sounds like he is in the living room. We slowly and carefully approach, Missy in front with the shovel and me right behind, to find Max has an intruder backed up to the front door ready to attack at the slightest move.

“Help, call this animal off,” the intruder begs. “First, he’s not an animal, he’s a highly trained attack dog. It’s a good thing you haven’t tried to move or you would be hamburger,” Missy declares. Both of us knowing Max is all bark and no bite. “Come on lady, call him off,” he starts to reach into his jacket. I take careful aim at the crotch area, “If you want to keep your family jewels you better take that hand out carefully and it better be empty.” My hand is steady as a rock but I’m quivering inside. He pulls his hand out but it isn’t empty. No gun, but one of those ID cases. “Just look at my ID, I’m a police officer.” “If you’re a police office, why are you breaking into Beth’s house?” Missy asks.

Live long and prosper.

A Man and His Dog

2011-09-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

This was just too good not to share. I got it in an email. Sorry I couldn't include the pictures.

This explains why I forward stuff.

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.

'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'

The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump,' said the man.

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said.

'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

Soooo... Now you see, sometimes we wonder why friends keep forwarding stuff to us without writing a word. Maybe this will explain it.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward emails.

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes.

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how - you forward stuff.

A 'forward' lets you know that
you are still remembered,
you are still important,
you are still cared for.

So, next time if you get a 'forward', don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.

You are welcome at my water bowl anytime!!

Live long and prosper.

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Episode 2

2011-09-05T06:47:00.000-05:00

Gang related my Aunt Fanny. I clearly saw the gun in Red Skirt’s hand when she ran. Self-defense probably. Well, I guess it could have been murder. I fix breakfast, clean up, then get dressed all the time thinking about last night. It’s hard to get something like that out of your mind.

I’ve never had something like that happen before. I still feel a little on edge but I’m not scared. I feel like I need to do something. Even though they didn’t interview me last night, should I go in today and tell them what I saw? I go back and forth. I’ve never dealt with the police before, I don’t know if I have the courage or not. In some ways I feel like I’m back in school, tattling on the school bully.

OK, I’ve made my decision. I will go. Must look nice, so I dress as nicely as I can without being over dressed. I go the the police department, finding a parking place near by. With great trepidation I walk into the Police Station. “I would like to talk with someone about the shooting that took place in front of my house last night.” The police officer looked at me kinda funny but contacted someone and apparently got the go ahead.

“Go out that door, turn right, go to the end of the hall. The last door on the right, Sergeant O’Hara.” I thanked him and followed his directions, getting more nervous the closer I got. I almost turned around several times but kept going over my better judgement.

I reached his office and even though the door was open I still knocked. “Sergeant O’Hara, the desk sergeant referred me to you.” “Come one in and sit down,” he said with a sigh. “What do you want?” “There was a shooting in front of my house last night but no one interviewed me. I felt the need to come in and tell someone what I saw.” I could tell he wasn’t very enthusiastic about the prospect.

He gets out the forms and starts asking the usual questions such as name, address, etc. “OK, now tell me what you saw.” I begin to describe the scene in great detail. You see, I can remember almost everything I see and can recall it whenever I need to. I had barely got started when I realized he wasn’t writing. I stopped and asked, “Why aren’t you writing this down?” “Ma’am where did you read this?” “Read this, the only thing I have read today is the morning newspaper and all they said was that it was gang related.”

“Now ma’am, tell me who your contact is. Is it someone in the department? It’s Sergeant McIntire isn’t it?” “No sir, I don’t know anyone in the department and I certainly don’t know this McIntire fellow.” “OK, I’ll write this down, but you can tell McIntire he isn’t fooling me. I know this is some kind of sick joke.” I take up where I left off and as I described the scene in more and more detail, I could see that his interest picked up. My guess is I was describing things that no one else had discussed before.

After I finished I said, “And Sergeant that is why I don’t think it was gang related.” “Well, ma’am I understand your point of view, but what you have told us really doesn’t change the facts. It most definitely gang related.” “We’ll get in touch with you if we need any further information. Have a nice day.”

Have a nice day my Aunt Fanny. I feel like slapping him up beside his head with my purse. But I put a smile on my face and thank him for his time. As I left, I thought I heard him call someone and I thought I heard him say something about “She knows.” That sent a chill down my spine. I immediately begin to wish I hadn’t said a word.

As I reached the glass doors leading outside I noticed a man behind me. I started to turn just as he reached me. “May I help you ma’am?” He opened the door for me, “Thank you.” I walked hurriedly to my car. As I got my keys out of my purse, I dropped them so I could look around. I saw the same man walking several rows over. Paranoid, I know, it’s probably nothing but it seems like he is following me. I get in the car and lock the doors just as he passes. He nods to me, smiles, and tips his hat.

I’m scared, really scared. I hurry home, get inside, and lock the doors. Then I look out each window. I don’t see anything out of the normal, but I still have that feeling of being watched.

I hope you enjoy this little story. Personally I don't think it has the same impact as the original episode did, but I did the best I could.

Live long and prosper.

Rocky Has Fully Recovered

2011-09-03T09:56:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted about Rocky for a while and we need a change from creative writing too. I got the meter for Rocky as I posted before. It was expensive, but I don't regret a penny of it. Right after I got it I checked his bg and it was over 300. We started what I call Intensive Insulin Therapy. We could tell his bg was high just by looking at him. He carried his head level with his body and his ears were hanging down. When he walked, it was slow and lethargic. He wasn't eating either.

When we went through his not eating before and positive urine testing, we took him to vets. At that time his bg was over 300 too. The vet said whether he eats or not give him full dose of insulin. I am on two diabetic pets mailing lists. When I mentioned that even though he wasn't eating we were giving him the full dose several people cautioned not to do this. Their recommendations were to give ¼ dose if the animal did not eat. And to give ½ dose if ate ½ of meal, etc.

After several days he was eating better and his bg was coming down and was about 125 at his lowest. Then he started vomiting we took him to vets where he was giving anti-nausea drug and an antibiotic and I checked my meter against his. Mine calibrated with his very closely. I asked him to clarify when we should give full dose if he did not eat. The recommendation was if fasting bg was 300 or over give full dose, 200 ½ dose, under 200 use own judgment. These recommendations are only if one is home blood testing. You can't do this with just urine testing.

Rocky has fully recovered and is eating well. He's asking to be fed just as soon ad he and R are back from their morning walk. He cleans up everything and wants more. I have cut back to 2 ounces of protein because he needs to lose some weight.

Day before yesterday about 5:00 he started on R, loving on him, grabbing his finger, anything to attract attention. He wanted to be fed. R started getting his food ready but held off feeding until regular time. Yesterday R and other firemen from his volunteer fire department were collecting for Muscular Dystrophy Association all afternoon and early evening. Regular feeding time came and went. When I realized what time it was, I got his food ready and put it next to the fridge where he usually eats breakfast. He came over and looked at it.

One time when he was trying to eat there, I was opening and closing the fridge, etc. and disturbing him. I thought that was the problem so I told him I was going into the living room so he could eat in peace. He looks at it again and barks at it. I had to laugh. I picked the bowl up and put it next to the kitchen table where we usually feed him. No problem, he licked the bowl clean. I don't know if he is a creature of habit, or if he just has me well trained. No matter which, he got what he wanted.

Live long and prosper.

Into The Fog

2011-09-02T09:04:00.000-05:00

The fog is rolling across the lawn, cool and inviting. It’s late afternoon, just about sundown. Still plenty of light though. Calling the dog, I don a sweater, get his leash, and we walk out the door. The cool air is refreshing. Taking a deep breath, I enjoy the fresh clean(?) smell. What is that smell? Death, I smell death. The dog doesn't seem to notice anything. It must be my imagination.

Dog is insisting we go down the path to the woods. The smell is getting stronger and if possible, stinker. I wonder if I can stand it, but curiosity is getting the better of me. I begin to get a creepy feeling. Silly, I've been watching too many mysteries. This is the stereotypical fog scene in any good horror movie. Well, this isn't a movie.

Dog is still trotting ahead, head in the air sniffing but otherwise unconcerned. If he pulls any harder he'll be dragging me face down along the path. He begins to slow, looking to the side as though following the movement of something. I don't see or hear anything, this darn fog. Oh, wait, I do hear a faint noise like tiny feet walking in dry leaves. Maybe we should turn around and go back.

About then a silly squirrel runs across the path, I breathe a sigh of relief. Too many mystery movies. I've got to start watching something else instead. Dog is still looking to the side. Then he begins to tug in that direction. He is no longer pulling but keeps a steady tension on the leash. The smell is getting stronger, I'm almost gagging. I pull my sweater across my mouth and nose, it helps some, at least I'm not gagging any more, but perfume it ain’t.

We push through some heavy brush and there it is, the source of the smell of death. I had to laugh, releasing the tension some. Dog seemed confused; this was not what he expected. It's a gigantic Amorphophallus Titanum, better know as the Corpse Flower because the blooms smell like rotting flesh. It was even spookier with the fog and mist around it, seemingly rising out of a steaming pit.

One mystery solved, but how did it get here? It's certainly not native here, should be in a greenhouse some place. We walked around a little but all we saw was the usual trees and underbrush. Nothing unusual, the flower looks like it has been growing here forever. Pulling Dog away was not quite as big a problem as I expected it would be. He actually seemed disappointed and ready to go. As we walked rather fast back to the house I look back and see Mr. Jenkins from across the woods out for his evening walk, fading in and out of the mist. I got this creepy feeling, but laughed it off as being leftover from the Corpse Flower, but we walked even faster with dog leading the way.

It was good to bet back to the house. Dog even seemed relieved to be inside although he did pause at the door and look back. For the rest of the evening both he and I were uneasy. We both walked to the window from time to time but all we saw was the soft fog. It was so peaceful looking. By bedtime we both had calmed down and I no longer felt threatened.

Next morning on the news there was a story about this flower and the body they found near by. The body was male, and time of death was during the early evening. Whew, that could have been me. If I hadn't been paranoid or influenced by scary movies last night that could have been me. The body they described sounded just like Mr. Jenkins.

Curiosity got the better of me and later in the afternoon Dog and Idecided to have a look see in bright daylight. Dog lead the way just like he had last night. We got to the place where the flower was, only it wasn't there. Nothing looked disturbed, the leaves looked just like any other place in the forest. There was no sign of it having been dug up or a body removed or anything. The only reason we knew it was the same place was the smell. It was still strong today, very, very strong.

Live long and prosper.

Halloween

2011-08-31T09:44:00.000-05:00

Halloween is almost here. I want to dress up as Elvira, after all I can certainly do justice to the costume. But, I really don't think that is an appropriate costume to give out candy in. The kids just wouldn't appreciate it, or if they did I don't know that I would want my kids associating with them.

The boys are getting excited about all the candy from Halloween trick or treating. They are also “chomping at the bit” to pick out theirs too. We head for Walmart. Other kids are there looking for the same thing. The boy pick out costumes, treat containers, decorations for the house, and candy to give away. The candy they pick is what they like of course, hoping we won't give it all out. I sneak in some my hubby and I like too. Just good planning. I'll give out all the rest first, keep our good stuff for last.

Still trying to be unique, I see something I think I can use to try to disguise myself. I sneak it in the cart and even manage to get it through the check out before they see it. Still a secret. I even manage to hid it from them after we get home.

Halloween the boys are getting dressed and ready to go. In those days we weren't afraid to let them go around the neighborhood by themselves. After they left, I got out my disguise. Just a simple beard and mustache.

The first kids come to the door. I'm ready for them. I open the door, the looks on their faces were priceless. Too bad I didn't have a camera ready. Eyes wide, they took their candy and left, too considerate to comment on a woman with a beard and mustache. It was the same thing all evening long. The kids were just so mannerly, no one wanted to embarrass me, but boy the looks I got from them and their parents.

When the boys got home, they were suitably mortified. “Mother, you didn't answer the door like that did you?” Humiliated they didn't want to be in the room when I answered the door again. I didn't want to embarrass them any more than I already had, but I had one more use of my disguise.

I snuck out the front door, walked through the carport to the gate. Here comes Patches our beagle. Tail wagging, as she gets closer she slows down, hair stands up and she cuts loose barking. I start to open the gate and she gets louder. As I enter the gate, she turns and runs around the corner still barking but safe. I decided to put the poor thing out of her misery and called her name. That was all it took, beard and mustache forgotten she flew to me.

After talking to her and giving her some loving I went back inside. Still smiling at the incident, I tried it again. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me – she wasn't fooled this time. A very adaptable dog.

Live long and prosper.

My Name Is Fred, No Not Fred the Gremlin

2011-08-29T08:57:00.000-05:00

(Singing) I'm a little ~~teapot~~ coffeepot, I love my work; come on people it's time to wake. It's time for coffee and coffeecake.

As if I needed an introduction, my name is Fred. No not Fred the Gremlin. He's been covered already in another post. Fred seems to be a popular name around here, he even calls the dog Fred. But the robotic vacuum is named Robbie. Charming isn't it.

I'm a rather unique coffeepot. I have two water reservoirs. The one on the bottom keeps the water hot for almost instant coffee anytime of the day or night. The fresh water is put in the top reservoir, it drains down into the bottom pushing the hot water out to brew the coffee. Pretty nifty huh? I'm proud of my design.

My people seem pretty happy with me and I am happy here too. I do my job cheerfully each morning. “Ouch!!! Who poked me? Fred was that you? Somethings stabbing me. Stop it!!!! I'm getting mad now. (In the background you can hear the water begin to boil.) When I find out who's stabbing me I'm gonna kill them.” (A zap is heard)

“Wow, what was that?” asked the man. Here he comes, I bet it was him. See, he's pouring water in me. I'll teach him to mess with, “ouch”, me. (As the man pours the water in, he can here the noise of water boiling rapidly and sees some steam.) “Um, what's happening to you Fred?”

Sure, now he wants to know what's happening to me. Let's see how he likes it. (Water and steam comes shooting out of the pot from every opening covering the man.) The man screams and starts to back away. Instead he stumbles and falls face first into the spewing water. He and the coffeepot fall to the floor. As Fred falls, his frayed cord drops into the water.

See, I said I'd get him. I boiled him like a potato. Now I wonder who's going to fix my sh “ouch” ort? Anyone want to volunteer? (Sitting on the counter behind where the coffeepot was is Fred the Gremlin laughing. He thinks it was such a good joke.)

Here's another creative writing piece. Not like yesterday's but still was fun to do.

Live long and prosper.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

2011-08-28T08:03:00.000-05:00

I was sleeping soundly when I awoke with a start. I looked at the clock, midnight My first thought was someone was in my bedroom, since I was in the house by myself I was kinda paranoid. After a second or two I heard loud music. Wide awake now I decided to investigate. I grabbed my robe, not taking time to hunt my slippers.

I walked into the living room and peeped out the window. A car was parked right in front of my house inline with my window. I could see what looked like two people in the front seat, young men probably. They seemed to be laughing and talking. Was that a reflection off a bottle? Probably drinking too. Why did they choose my house? I stood there trying to decide whether to call the cops.

I reached for the phone, as I looked back to the scene in front of my house, there appeared to be a struggle going on with a person in the back seat. Couriousity got the better of me, I had to see what was happening. As the struggle continued I realized it was a young woman.

My immediate thought was they were going to rape her right in front of me. As I grabbed for the phone I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye and heard a gunshot. "Good Lord, they've shot her", I yelled. Just then the back door of the car opened and she fell out. My fingers were already dialing 911 as I watched in horror.

To my surprise she stood up and began to run. I breathed a sigh of relief just as the 911 operator answered. As I began giving an account of what happened, the passenger door opened and one of the young men fell out. I expected him to get up and run away too, but he just lay there.

The car sped off before I could get a license number. The 911 operator told me the cops and an ambulance were on the way and then I hung up. What to do, what to do? Just then the body moved, a hand flopped to the ground. I thought I saw other movement too. Making a decision I started to turn from the window to get my slippers, I was going to help him.

At that moment I saw the ambulance at the end of the street. What! They stopped! Why weren't they coming to help him? Come on, come on he could be dying, help him!!!! A cop car passed the ambulance and it fell in behind. The EMTs worked on the young man for what seemed like hours. They both rose, shook their heads, and pulled the sheet over him. I didn't know him, but I felt like throttling both of them. Even getting there two minutes earlier might have saved him.

I expected any moment for the cops to knock on my door to interview me. I waited and watched as the coroner arrived and they took the body away. Everyone left.

Why did they not interview me? I stood there for a few more minutes feeling frustrated, vulnerable, and even a little mad. "Gang related", the paper said the next day. I wonder which gang the young woman was in. The moon was bright and not a cloud in the sky last night there was no mistaking the gun in her hand as she ran.

I hope you enjoyed my little story.

Live long and prosper.

I Am a Branch .... Of What?

2011-08-27T09:11:00.001-05:00

Hello!!! I am a branch of an oak tree. I hang around here all the time just waiting for something to happen. I enjoy watching the world around me.

Right now there is a Hummingbird sitting on me. I'm too big for his tiny talons to reach around so he sticks them into me just a little. It's a small prickle at the back of my mind. Doesn't hurt, but just a tiny bit annoying. Knowing Hummingbirds as I do, it won't be here long. It's the "boss bird" of the nearby feeder, and off it goes to defend it's food.

Ow, a big Vulture just landed on me. It's really not that heavy but when it sorta dives and lands on you there's some power behind it. Shakes me up a little. People don't seem to like Vultures, but I like to watch them soar on the thermals. Sometimes watching them I want to soar like they do. I'm pretty high up in this tree, but I do wonder what the forest would look like from the Vulture's viewpoint when they are flying the thermals. Oops, now I'm getting a massage, the Vulture is walking back and forth on me. I don't know why, but it feels good. Oops, there it goes. Just when I was feeling so relaxed.

He comes a little boy. At least he looks little from here. He comes here often. Sometimes he climbs my tree and sits on me. I like to hear him talk. I don't always understand him, but for some reason I find him soothing. I don't even mind when he swings on me even though I am kinda high. If his momma sees him, she yells at him and he has to leave. If he hears someone coming he will climb down quickly so he doesn't get caught. But as soon as she leaves, he climbs back up. When he first started climbing me he fell. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. As he's grown, he climbs me easily and has never fallen again. He's playing pirates now, and I'm the crow's nest of his ship. He brought his binoculars this time. He's leaving, must have seen his momma. Yep, here she comes, calling him to supper.

Darkness is falling. The birds are beginning to roost in my tree's branches. Sometimes I will have some spend the night on me, close to the main trunk for protection. Yawn, time to rest and sleep. Good night folks.

Live long and prosper.

Was Getting An iPad a Good Thing?

2011-08-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to wonder if I made a mistake getting this iPad. I'm tired all the time and it's not from exercise.

I start out my day with a cuppa coffee, turn on the iPad and start with reading emails. Next comes checking the last 25 messages and mentions on Twitter. Google Plus takes the most time. I read the notifications I have received overnight which results in me posting comments, viewing photos and videos, and checking out profiles to see if I want to add them to a circle.

And all this is just from the notifications. Then I check my different circles to see what has been posted overnight. Again viewing photos and videos, checking profiles, links to check out, and I've spent an hour or two just on G+.

Then I check Facebook for new posts. In between all this I get my daily Bible reading in. After all this, I do the USA Today crossword puzzle, and start reading blogs. Oops, almost forgot Klout. Most days I check it out and K+ friends.

Among all this are short stretches when I may do an internet search. I may even get a few pages read on a book. Is it any wonder I'm tired.

To relax I may do a little housework. PT exercises get done 2-3 times a day in between stretches on the iPad Of course, I do have to cook supper and clean up. Breakfast is taken care of by R both cooking and cleanup.

See what buying an iPad causes. I guess it's too late to return it, I'm stuck with it. I hope you are properly impressed and sympathetic.

Live long and prosper.

The Proposal

2011-08-23T08:07:00.000-05:00

Have I ever told you how R proposed to me? No, well let me see. It was in 1987, July. He was still driving out of Atlanta and I lived in Jonesboro. It was a Saturday and I liked to sleep until about 8:00 on weekends.

What does he do but arrive early, too early for me. Someone saw him drive up and got me outta bed. It must have been about 7:00 or maybe even earlier. I go to the door of course, just out of bed in my housecoat, hair uncombed, etc. I open the door just a little peeved at being awakened so early.

He says, "Will you be my sweetheart for life?" I said sure, come on in. Just, sure come on in. I don't remember whether I got dressed first or we ate breakfast first but I don't think the order of those events is that important.

About midmorning we left the house and ended up at a jewelry store. I looked at him kinda puzzled. He said, "You didn't understand what I asked you this morning did you?" I looked at him and it finally sunk in. "Yes!!!" I answered with enthusiasm.

We go in the store and pick out a ring set. Now, he's in jeans and a common, everyday plaid shirt. I'm dressed about the same. The clerk asked how he wished to pay for it. He pulled out his wallet and handed the clerk, I think it was, 16 $100 bills. Anyway it was a large number. Can you imagine the clerk's face!!!!

When we tell this story he insists he was on one knee when he proposed at the front door. I don't think so because I would certainly have known what he meant when he asked if I would be his sweetheart for life if he had. But, if that's the way he wants to remember it, so be it. I wont argue with him. We each can remember it how we want.

Live along and prosper.

Republican, Democrat, Independent? What am I?

2011-08-17T08:07:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't know what I am. I've always had this idea that the Republican party was for the rich and the Democrats for the rest of us. I am really beginning to see that now, especially when Warren Buffet says the rich aren't taxed enough.

R and I were Republicans when we lived in Arkansas. I don't know why he was, but I was influenced by an older woman I met when I was just out of high school. She advocated a two party system.

At that time in Arkansas, when the primaries were held, whoever got the Democratic nomination for any state or local office was the winner. The election in November was just a formality.

Even those who considered themselves Republicans voted in the Democraric primary because they felt they would be wasting their votes otherwise. The Republican party became stronger over the years. Arkansas even had a Republican governor.

I always thought of the South as being a Democratic stronghold. Imagine my surprise when the first election after we moved to Alabama, Alabama went Republican. Preconceived motions. They are most of the time proven wrong.

Now I am beginning to wonder whether I should even consider myself a member of either party. I do not vote along party lines, but for the person that I think will do the best job. Too bad the Independent party isn't strong enough to really make a showing. Of course, all it takes are people who feel strongly enough to forsake the traditional parties and support it.

If the Independent party was stronger, I don't know if I would "join"or not. I simply don't know enough about it. Ah, I see research in my future.

Live long and prosper.

Sitting On The Front Porch

2011-08-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

I just finished my morning physical therapy exercises and am sitting on the front porch with a Diet Pepsi enjoying the cool. Well it's cool to us. With daytime highs usually in the triple digits, 80 degrees with a slight breeze feels cool.

Rocky is with me enjoying the nice weather too.

R had a doctor's appointment in the Big City and told me I didn't need to go with him. I am courious as to why, but I respect his decision. It's hard not to ask. He did remember to take his "gift" with him, the kidney stone he passed. Last time we were in they x-rayed him but did not go any lower than the bladder. I think the stone was either already in the urethra or at the opening. The doctor gave R a sample of something like FlowMax to relax the muscle so he could urinate easier. I think this actually helped him pass the stone.

R is supposed to have a test done to see if he has prostrate problems. I wonder what he's going to find out.

I can see a lot of improvement in my shoulder since Friday. Before I was doing good to raise my arm just past my waist. Now I can raise it almost shoulder high. Woo, woo progress.

Kinda hard to concentrate on writing this post. I keep looking up and watching the leaves and plants move. The Hummingbird feeder swaying, the Hummers eating and chasing each other.

Just a nice pleasant morning. I'm not much of an outdoors person, especially in hot weather but as you can tell I'm enjoying this. Heaven forbid, but I'm getting the urge to WALK. Quick somebody chain me to the chair!!!!

This is another picture from my iPad using the kaleidoscope.

My Profound (?) Thoughts

2011-08-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

The Simple Woman's Daybook post was an eye opener. It helped me to think differently about what I should write.

I'm sitting here with the a movie going on TV. I have no idea what the title is. Have been watching with just one eye. Lol

With the other eye I have even reading my daily Bible readings on my iPad. I'm using the YouVersion for the iPad and the Canonical reading plan for reading the Bible in a year. If you want you can also listen to it as you read.

I've been on Google Plus for about a month. Right now the atmosphere is so different from either Facebook or Twitter. I have a very eclectic mix of people in my circles. For some reason, that I cannot fathom, I have received numerous circle requests from photographers. This has actually turned out for the better. I have seen so many great photos that they have "flung a craving on me". I now want to take more photos.

I still play around with Klout, but it's not so important any more. It's more like a game now.

I ordered the meter, testing strips, and control solution for Rocky at the same time. I have the strips and solution, but where is the meter? Depending on whether it is coming by plane or truck I could get it sometime next week.

Maybe once I get him straightened out I will be able to get back to taking care of my diabetes.

Here's another picture from my garden. I took it with my iPad camera in bright sunlight. I had to guess about what I was taking.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for August

2011-08-13T09:00:00.003-05:00

I was reading Messy Mind at http://sherristakes.com/2011/08/daybook-august-11-2011.html and liked what she posted. If any of you are interested in participating in The Simple Womans Daybook here is the link http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Outside my window... I see a bright sunshiny day. The grass and trees are green. It's actually a pleasant picture. I'm afraid to check to see what the high was. In the last 82 days we have had only 2 with highs of less than 95 degrees.

I am thinking...This hot weather has to end sometime. I'm concerned that our winter will go the other way and be much colder than normal.

I am thankful...That I have such a good husband. He really came through the three months I couldn't do anything.

In the kitchen...We had cried okra for supper and my stove is in a mess. Had to leave the pan until the oil cools enough for R to pour up. Then I get to try to get the cooked-on grease off. I had some spill over. Thanks goodness it is a smooth top range. If it had been an open flame !!!!!!

I am wearing...My usual blue jeans and a solid color pullover top. Granny jeans because I have back problems and need elastic in the waist. As hot as it is outside, if I wear shorts inside I would be freezing.

I am creating...My circles on Google Plus. It's been a learning experience but it's been fun. I have added so many people with varied interests. The photographers seem to be the ones that post most. By having so many people with such varied interests makes for interesting reading and interesting conversations.

I am going...To continue to work hard to get my arm back to normal. The therapist has increased my range of motion greatly. My main goal now it to strengthen my arm so I can actually lift it.

I am wondering...What I will find when I get my animal glucometer next week. Will I find Rocky's blood glucose is as good as the human meter has been showing or as bad as I think it is.

I am reading...Crown of Slaves by David Weber. It's Sci-Fi. Both my boys and I like almost all things Science Fiction.

I am hoping...We will have a nice winter and that R and our winter friends will have good fishing.

I am looking forward to...When I get full use of my arm back and I can stop therapy.

I am hearing...Ringing in my ears which I don't usually notice but when I started listening it came it loud and clear.

Around the house...Haven't done any housework today. Had therapy this morning and just "forgot".

I am pondering...If the "dead dog" in my chair is part cat. Actually part of many cats. It seems like he "dies" 100 times a day but always comes back to life.

One of my favorite things...Is my iPad. I've had it about 3 months and still like it as much as I did right at first.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I really don't have any. Being retired we make make very few plans.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...Made with my iPad camera using a photo app that makes a kaleidoscope picture.

Live long and prosper.

The dirty deed is done!!!

2011-08-11T08:07:00.001-05:00

I spent the better part of two days searching and researching animal validated glucometers. As far as I can tell there are very few to choose from. I narrowed it down to two, the Alphatrak and the Glucopet.

The Glucopet says it uses 1 microliter blood sample. The Alphatrak says it uses .3 microliter blood sample.

The Alphatrak costs just under $200 for the meter, 50 strips, and control solution. The Glucopet costs just under $100 for the meter and 50 strips. There is no mention of control solution.

A 50 count vial of testing strips cost about $60 for the Alphatrak and $75 for the Glucopet. The Glucopet can only be ordered through the company. Some people are being told that the Alphatrak can only be ordered through a veterinarian. I have read that the Alphatrak can use FreeStyle strips by using the code 7. FreeStyle strips can be bought over the counter.

I kept weighing the up front costs, the continuing costs, blood sample size, and ease of getting strips. I was leaning toward the Alphatrak but still wasn't sure. R and I discussed it and he pointed out that we can only get a small drop of blood so the Alphatrak would seem to fit us better. Plus, we are presently using a FreeStyle Flash Light meter and the strips cost about as much as as the Alphatrak strips cost.

The Alphatrak does not have to be bought through a veterinarian. I ordered the meter, strips, and control solution through Amazon.

I had a good laugh about the orders this morning. Two of them show they were shipped on August 12. But, they were picked up by the shipper on August 10. This is not the first time this has happened. We've gotten orders before the paperwork showed they were even shipped.

Live long and prosper.

Breakfast in bed

2011-08-10T13:34:00.000-05:00

Darn, darn, double darn ---- I'm getting back into the swing of things

2011-08-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

Rats and mice and naughty bad words. It's been several weeks now since I got rid of the sling and have been doing just about everything I used to do. At first I resented having to go back to work.

It was hard because I had done very little for three months and relied on R to do almost everything. The first morning i asked what R wanted me to do, he decided he would do breakfast and I could do supper. I predicted he would do that because he used to rag me when I got up late. I always drank a cup of coffee before I started breakfast and he would say something like it was going to be lunchtime by the time we ate, etc. I would tell him he had three choices, he could get me up earlier, he could wait until I cooked, or he could cook it himself. After cooking for three months, he decided he would prefer cooking breakfast to waiting for me.

The first two evenings after I started back cooking R cooked the meat on the grill which helped because I wasn't back into thinking about meal planning yet. It took me about a week to begin to plan supper and probably another week before I began to enjoy it again. At first I resented having to do because I had gotten accustomed to R doing it and not having the responsibility. I just didn't want to have to do it again.

I'm doing the laundry and back into the housework routine. It was a matter of getting my mind back into gear rather than it being a physical limitation and I no longer resent having to do it.

I just realized last night that I was actually enjoying everything again. I can see improvement in my arm since I started using it more, and everything seems to be falling into place again.

If only we could get Rocky straightened out again things would be almost perfect.

Live long and prosper.

Do we "feel" with our ears?

2011-08-04T08:22:00.002-05:00

We've all heard that we "taste" food with our eyes because how food appears plays an important part in how we perceive food. It's common for kids to look at something and say they don't like it without even tasting it because it doesn't look appealing.

We were driving on a newly paved road yesterday and of course it was a nice smooth ride and even sounded smooth because there was almost no road noise. When we changed to the part that had not been paved the sound immediately changed. The road noise increased and I noticed that I immediately interpreted it as rougher. When I realized what happened I started to really notice how it actually felt. I did feel a little vibration which indicated it was a little rougher because it was a different type surface. If I went by what my ears told me I should have been bouncing in the seat.

This experience got me thinking how all of our senses are used to give us impressions of our surroundings. Visually the first road was very smooth looking, there was little road noise, and very little vibration all of which lead to the interpretation that the road was smooth. The second road looked rougher, there was a little more road noise, and just a little more vibration which lead to the interpretation that the road was rough.

We look at food as well as smell it and make a judgement as to how it will taste. When the food in actually in the mouth how it tastes, smells, and the texture all contribute to whether we interpret the food as tasting good or not.

These are just two examples of how all our senses work together. I'm sure you can think of many more.

Live long and prosper.

Beef Bourguignon

2011-07-29T09:00:00.002-05:00

Beef Bourguignon
From Everyday Low Carb Cooking by Lex Haas

2 lbs stew beef or chuck roast cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 slices bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 teaspoon sugar equivalent sweetener

In a bowl, mix the beef, wine, oil, thyme, pepper, and garlic powder and let it set 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, if possible. In a 3 quart skillet or soup pot, cook bacon over medium. Heat until it is well browned and crisp. Add the beef and cook until it begins to brown. Add the onion, cooking until it becomes clear. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to wilt. Place the remaining ingredients in the pan, cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings with about 537 calories and 5.4 g carbs per serving.

I did not want to spend the time at the stove so I put everything in the crock pot and cooked it all day. Tasted fine to me.

Live long and prosper.

Celebration (singing)

2011-07-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

I have three things to celebrate today. Sunday we succeeded in striking "oil". That is I finally found the spot to test Rocky. Of all places it's the tail. We tried Saturday and got blood but not enough to trigger the two meters we used. My brain had to think about it a little, and I finally thought about the FreeStyle strips. They take a much smaller drop of blood and if you don't get enough the first time it gives you plenty of time to get more. You can't imagine the elation and excitement I felt. With the problems we have been having the last few months, it will be wonderful to actually have good information to base his insulin dose on.

R was having problems last Friday with what we thought were kidney stones. By Sunday, he was so blocked he was barely urinating. He even became concerned and had me make an appointment to see the urologist. Fortunately we got one for him that afternoon. We both were just sure he would end up in the hospital. But, it turned out to be an enlarged prostrate. I know that it isn't exactly wonderful but the doctor gave him something like FlowMax and he can urinate now. So we are celebrating that.

I made my physical therapist happy Tuesday. She gave me new exercises Friday, and I had improved so much that she couldn't help but grin and kept commenting on it. She had another therapist come in to evaluate my shoulder and she suggested some exercises. My therapist gave me a complement when she said "I know she will do them unlike some people I know."

So all in all a good start to the week.

Live long and prosper.

Homemade Dog Food

2011-07-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

I made myself crazier than ever trying to figure out how to make Rocky's food. As a diabetic, I have some knowledge about how carbs are used in the body and that we need to be aware of how many we eat as well as the kind.

I did my research on recipes, etc for homemade dog food. Some of the recipes shocked me at the use of high carb ingredients. They recommended 1/3 protein, 1/3 starch, and 1/3 veggies. That might be as good as anyway to do it, but I wanted to be more exact. There is also lots of websites that recommend supplements. Sometimes you aren't aware that they are promoting what they sell.

After becoming thoroughly confused, I decided to try to calculate the number of grams of protein, carbs, and fat in his present canned food. For the sake of those of you who find math boring, I won't tell you exactly how I did it. (I can just hear you breathing a sigh of relief.)I do give these figures at the end for those interested.

I did the calculations, and then questioned if they were correct. Had to get the ole brain working and thinking through the logic. I decided I was correct. Then I opened up my diet software and started formulating recipes that approximated the canned food he was getting. I hesitated to cut back on the carbs too quickly because I am not testing him and I can't see exactly how his body reacts.

I talked with the vet and he said to mix it half and half with him canned dog food. He didn't say why, but I think it was because of the extra vitamins added by the dog food companies.

Rocky has taken to the home cooked diet just fine. The next batch I made I lowered the carb content. Disclaimer: even though I am satisfied with the diet, it has not helped in lowering his bg. Earlier we fed him all meat meals and it didn't seem to make a difference.

The first I made I chopped everything up but now I am leaving things in larger pieces and he seems to like it better. I also add a pinch of salt, and a dog vitamin. I've added garlic powder too for smell appeal. R says I added too much garlic. It did smell pretty strong.

We still have cans of food left. I am keeping them for times if or when we run out of food we have something in reserve.

Some of the ingredients I have used are ground beef, chicken breast, canned carrots, green beans, canned mixed veggies without potatoes, rice, and couscous. I plan to try to vary his meals just like we so ours at some point I may feed him the same foods we are eating. Well some of the same foods, just in the right proportions. I had to laugh at Rocky the first time I gave him carrots. He ate most of them but put 2-3 in the floor. After he ate everything else, he ate those. I wondered if he saved them for dessert.

For those of you interested in figures, the canned Blue Buffalo label said it had 437 calories in a can. When I use my formula to figure out the percentage of protein, fat, and carbs in the dry matter I came up with 44% protein, 28% fat, 22% carbs. Then I figured the actual number of grams of each and got 24g protein, 7g fat, and 12g carbs. This made it so much easier to formulate recipes for him.

Live long and prosper.

I Became A Collector

2011-07-21T13:05:00.000-05:00

I became a collector because of my diabetes. Most makers of glucometers will give you a free meter so you have to pay rediculosly high prices for strips. Kinda like ink jet printers and ink refills. Therefore people with diabetes tend to collect several different brands of meters and sometimes several of one brand.

I am again expanding my collection of meters. Just got a call from the mail-order pharmacy where my insurance company requires that I buy my supplies. If I don't buy them there I have to pay for them.

I've been with them over 7 months and they are just now getting around to forcing me to change meters. I say forcing because the pharmacy is saying they will no longer be carrying the supplies for my present meter. Even though just three months ago they sent me a meter, strips, etc.

Of course, they will be sending me a new meter and will be substituting testing strips for the new meter for those I have a prescription for. Since I don't have to pay for them, the cost of the strips isn't my concern especially when they aren't considered a drug and aren't counted toward my limit.

I think I will start a club for meter collectors so we can swap duplicates. If I'm going to have all these meters, I might as well get rid of my duplicates and get ones that I don't have. After all, that's what collecting is all about isn't it.

I wonder why some Medicare Advantage Plan carriers require changing to their meters and others let you use any meter you choose. Do some make deals with all the manufactures while others aren't so large and can only make deals with one or two?

Oh well, flexibility is the key to living life as stress free as possible. So I will bend in the wind.

Talking about stress, we are still having problems with Rocky. One day urine test negative, next day color of urine test strip was halfway up the color scale. Last night and this morning, vomiting some. R gave him a Tums and he did eat breakfast. Today urine test strips color at the top of the chart.

It's just a matter of monitoring him as much as possible and dealing with things one minute at a time. One of these days we will finally find out what the problem is. I still think there is something else other than diabetes that is the problem.

Live long and prosper.

More On GooglePlus and Rocky

2011-07-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

When you want to see the people a specific circle, select that circle and you will see who's in it.

When posting, you can limit a post just to those in a particular circle, or as many circles as you want. You can also make it public, extended circles or any combination you choose. When you choose public anyone can see the post in your profile. Extended circles allows the friends of the people in that circle to see and respond to the post. Similarly, in Facebook you either allow all your information to be shared by friends of friends or none. Google+ allows you to choose this for individual posts.

If you add someone to your circle and they don't add you, they can still see what you make public but that's all. After a reasonable length of time, I remove them from my circles. I say reasonable because in the testing phase Google is allowing only so many at once to join so I try to give them time. I think it may be to keep their system from being overloaded. I don't know, just my thinking.

If someone adds you and you don't add them, in the desktop version you will see a message that this person is sharing with you. You will see what they have made public. In the mobile web version, when viewing your stream, select the incoming on the right side and you will see any public posts from this person. If you don't want to see the particular post, you can mute it.

Both versions have a notification section where you see when someone adds you or someone responds to your post or a post you have responded to.

Under your profile it shows who you have in your circles. If the person viewing your profile also has some of the same people in their circles as you have, these will show up right under your picture. You can choose what you want shown in your profile.

You can see all the photos that anyone in your circles have uploaded in your photos section. You don't have to go to their profile. You can comment on their pictures. When you comment on another person's picture,it shows up as a post from them.

When I joined, Google+ uploaded all the pictures from my blogs and what I had in Windows Live Writer. Most of them in Writer were duplicated so I am in the process of deleting the duplicates. I am also commenting on some of them, but they aren't showing up in my stream.

The +1 is the same as Facebook's like button. This is different from the +1 button you will see on websites.

You can + followed by their user name to tag someone in a post. You can also tag someone in a post but I understand that you will be notified and get to approve before it becomes permanent.

You can choose which email notifications you want to receive in the settings page. You may want to receive notifications at first because you may not actually use GooglePlus as much at first as you do Twitter, FAcevook, etc. Later you may not need the email notications.
-------

We are still having problems with Rocky's blood sugar. We decided to treat him for thyroid. His T3 was high and the T4 was low, so we are treating him for the low I joined another diabetic dog website and learned about Cushing's. He doesn't have the typical symptoms but I understand Cushing's can effect blood sugar like Rocky's has been cycling recently. If the thyroid treatment doesn't work, then I am going to suggest testing him for Cushing's.

Live long and prosper.

Here We Go Again

2011-07-13T15:55:00.000-05:00

It's been a week to the day, and Rocky's urine test showed positive again. Can you imagine our frustration. We cussed and discussed, well not cussed but felt like it, and then had to leave for physical therapy.

on the way we talked about what we could do. We thought about changing his insulin, adding another insulin, and finally changing vets.

Physical therapy is progressing and therapist is measuring improvement. It's just gonna take time. Just as therapy was over, Hubby got a medical emergency call. So here we go. The main ambulance crew was on another call so they hasn't even left yet. By the time we got there two other volunteer firefighters had already arrived. We stayed at the main road until the ambulance arrived and directed them to where to turn off.

After lunch we tried testing Rocky again. We shaved the front of the leg thinking we could get to the vein the vet uses but no luck. Then we shaved around the dewclaw pad next. Applied heat and rubbed the spot. Finally got a small drop but not enough for the testing strip to suck up.

We've been trying to find the starting place to hunt for a vet who either specializes in diabetes or who is very knowledgable about greeting dogs with it. Also one who will work with me and help me test him. So far other than just calling each vets office I don't know what to do.

Oh well, such is life. It will seem better tomorrow. May not actually be better, but hopefully I won't feel as frustrated.

Live long and prosper.

GooglePlus ---- I'm Circling

2011-07-12T09:10:00.000-05:00

I've been on GooglePlus for several days now and I'm discovering new things each day. I'll try to tell you what I learned and hope it will help you.

First I imported all my contacts from all my email accounts. Well, not all of them, just the three that are in the Google family --- Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail. I use BlogFrog, Twitter and Facebook so I will be using those to show similarities on GooglePlus.

Circles -- these work like lists in Twitter and groups in Facebook and even kinda like Communities in BlogFrog. The difference in GooglePlus is that if you want someone to receive a post from you, they have to be in a circle. Twitter and Facebook have general feeds. Circles are kinda like a community in BlogFrog. You can start a discussion and other people can join in. Everyone in that circle sees what everyone else writes.

If someone adds you to their circle, if you don't put them in your circle, they are just out in no man's land. They don't see any of your posts. It's kinda like Facebook's friend request. If you don't accept them/put them in a circle, you aren't connected

When you add contacts go to the Circles screen. You will see your circles and can choose seeing circles or people. Choose People and you will see a list or icons of suggested people. First thing I did was removed all those email addresses that were not for people such as mailing lists, businesses, etc. There are already some circles in GooglePlus but you can add any that you want. I added one for people that have diabetes, Twitter, Facebook, and BlogFrog for example. You select a person and select the circle or circles you want to put them in. If you see a picture of the person, this means they have a Google account. If they don't have a Google account they will receive an email, if they have a GooglePlus account they will receive a notification in their GooglePlus account and they may also receive an email. Not sure about the email.

If you want to add someone whom is not in your suggested list, you can search for them by name. If that doesn't find them, then you can input their email address, add them to a circle, and send them an invitation by email.

I put people in specific circles, but I put everyone in Following. I even have some people in 3 or 4 circles. I put everyone in Following so I can post something to everyone. For me, Following is like the basic Twitter or Facebook feed.

I've been adding as many people as I can. I've also been trying to use it as often as I do Twitter and Facebook. If you would like to be added, send me an email at ijbse2010(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Now remember, this is how I understand GooglePlus. Someone else may explain it differently.

Live long and prosper.

Older, not me!!!!

2011-07-10T08:25:00.000-05:00

Now that I am older I thought it was great that I seemed to have more patience ---- turns out I don't give a shit!!!!

Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $4,000 per month.

.... and then she asked "What is the best form of birth control after 50? I said "Nudity."

My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we have no idea where the hell he is.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

"You know why woman's work is never done?" They don't get up early enough. (one man to another.)

The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing...

Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.

I joined a health club last year, spent about 250 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there!

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say, 'Well, he looks good doesn't he.'

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.

Is you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years,...... just getting over the hill.

When you think about it, God has to be the best inventor of all time. He took a rib from Adam and made a loud speaker. (again from one man to another)

We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Every time I start thinking too much about how I look, I just find a pub with a Happy Hour
and by the time I leave,I look just fine.

My wife asked me "Watcha doing today?" I said "Nothing." She said "You did that yesterday." I said "I wasn't finished."

I hope you enjoyed these. My son sent them to me in an email.

Live long and prosper.

Rocky's Results - Good and Bad

2011-07-09T11:46:00.000-05:00

Rocky's thyroid test came back negative. Good news and bad news. Good that he doesn't have something else wrong with him, bad because it would explain his high bg and when treated his bg would go down and we wouldn't have to use so much insulin.

Yesterday morning his urine test was negative, but that is also what happened last week. After we upped his insulin his urine tested negative. Then a week to the day it was positive again.

I have been doing research on home cooked dogfood. At first, it seemed so complicated, that is until I figured out how to calculate the number of grams of protein, fat, and especially carbs in his canned food.

Right now the number of carbs per serving is my only concern along with the type of carbs. Those of you who count carbs understand what I mean. Thinking how carbs effect me, I also looked at what carbs were in it. The can I looked at had potatoes as well as potato starch. Rocky may be a dog that can't eat potatoes.

I have a diet program in which I can input ingredients for recipes. It gives protein, fat, and carbs in a single serving as well as showing the vitamins and minerals. I've formulated several basic recipes and will be mixing this with his dogfood. So far we haven't had any problem getting him to eat it.

It will be interesting to see how he does this week.

Live long and prosper.

My Wonderful Yesterday ----- Not

2011-07-07T09:00:00.004-05:00

I woke up to a weird sound about 2:00 yesterday morning. Noticed the light on in the hall but no sign of hubby. Lay in bed puzzling over that sound. We have a fan sitting on the dresser at the foot of the bed. It seemed the sound was coming from the fan. Still couldn't place it.

Hubby came in from the kitchen with several pieces of wonderful information. Rocky had potted in the floor, peed on the rug at the bsck door, and peed on his towel. But that wasn't all, we had a busted water pipe.

Hubby proceeded to get bsck in bed. This was probably about 2:30. I lay there listening to money gurgling out of the pipe. Water here is not cheap. Last month our bill was $40 and that was just normal household use plus what little watering we do. I kept sending thoughts to hubby to get up and turn off the water. Money gurgling from pipe, get up and turn off, etc.

About 3:00 he finally had taken all those thoughts that he could and dressed and turned off the water. I lay there for a few minutes and decided that I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, so I got up too.

Hubby came back in house and wanted to know what I was doing up. Same question he asks every morning if I get up before 7:00. He went back out and got pipe that had separated. Showed me the joint. Said he either didn't get enough glue on it, didn't sand it, or something.

Sitting there, I said he might as well get the coffee going and if we had to make two pots that would be OK. He said the second pot would have to wait until after 6:00 because we didn't have water.

Six o'clock came and he went outside. Come back in quickly and said he was taking Rocky on his walk and to listen for the water. I said boy didn't take you long and he said ..... To make a long story shorter, he repaired the pipe when he went outside at 3:00 and was giving the glue plenty of time to set before turning it back on.

Now, for Rocky. When they came back from walk, Hubby showed me the urine test strip. It was brown, showing glucose in the urine. As soon as the vets office opened I called and made an appointment to get his thyroid checked.

While we were waiting a man brought an animal in wrapped in a jacket. Told vet tech that it had a big hole in it's side. Turned it around to lay on table and I saw it was a black and tan small dog. Vet tech raised coat to look and gasped and immediately covered it up again. She asked it we minded them taking it next. Of course we said to go ahead. First the vet thought it had been shot. He told the man that he didn't see any hope for the dog. It was too badly injured. He made the decision to send it to the Rainbow Bridge and then left. The vet sedated the dog and did a more thorough exam and found a big hole on the opposite side. He decided that it had been attacked by another dog. As we were on our way home, we saw the man on the way back to, I assume, get the body. Poor baby, didn't have his people there when he left for the Rainbow Bridge.

Rocky got his blood drawn for the thyroid test and we may hear back from it tomorrow, or it could be Monday. No change in insulin until we gets test results back.

Live long and prosper.

Which Had You Rather Have Followers or Readers?

2011-07-04T09:09:00.001-05:00

I've seen people tweeting that they need X more followers to reach X number of followers. What good is 100s of followers if they don't actually read what you write and comment once in a while.

On my iPad I have an app, Flipboard, and have added a section for Google Reader. I use this to connect with the blogs I follow. Even though I don't always leave comments on the blogs I read, I do click on over to the actual blog so if they use some type of counter my reading will register.

Flipboard is also available for the iPhone. I don't know if they have an app for any of the other smart phones but I really like it because I can also read my Twitter and Facebook accounts in it. It's really nice for Twitter because it includes the photos and blogs. If I'm not following a blog through Google I can still read a blog by clicking through a Facebook or Twitter link. I can also reply to Tweets and retweet them from within this app.

Anyway, I would still rather have readers instead of lots of followers who never come back. I'm really trying to visit as many blogs as I can each day and comment on those that I can make relevant ones on. I don't believe in commenting just to mention my own blog although if I visit a blog as a result of seeing it someplace else I try to mention that.

I know that to get readers you need to write interesting posts. Mine have been about myself and Rocky for the last several months but I hope to find some really good topics to pontificate on in the future.

Live long and prosper.

Please Watch the Fireworks

2011-07-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Alabama has a state-wide burn ban, but you know they haven't banned fireworks. Hubby is really dreading this weekend. He's concerned about fires of course. Those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that I have not posted about a fire call for several weeks. Which is a good thing.

Since the burn ban went into effect, a deputy is dispatched to every fire call. If it can be determined that a person caused it, directly or indirectly, they get a $500 ticket. It took several weeks for the word to get around, but apparently they finally got it through their heads that you don't burn anything during a burn ban.

Even though fireworks have not been banned, people everywhere need to realize that when you light that fuse, whatever happens is your responsibility. Whether accidental or not, if your neighbor's yard catches on fire as a result of your fireworks, you are responsible for it. Personally I wouldn't want to take a chance, at least not around here where it is so dry.

We have had several showers recently and most didn't even amount to 1/4 inch. Some people, even when they look at their brown lawn, will still think it's OK to have fireworks. I just hope they don't have to watch their house burn.

I want all of you to enjoy the holiday but please be careful.

Live long and prosper.

I Survived Physical Therapy

2011-07-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

I just knew that my first PT session was going to be brutal. Guess what, it was a piece of cake. None of the exercises he gave me were hard. They are very easy to do. I did extremely well on them.

Then. I just finished them here at home, and the soreness prevented me from doing as well as I did yesterday. Thank goodness they do not subscribe to the old saying of "no pain, no gain."

I did come away feeling better about my healing progress. The therapist said that by 3 months I should be healed. So now I won't be on such a roller coaster ride. First sign of pain, I just knew that the repair had failed. Then it would get better. Then soreness, better, etc. Now I can be pretty sure that any soreness I have will be from using muscles and tendons that haven't been used in a long time.

Rocky's urine is still showing "green" which means no glucose in the urine. We eecided this morning to cut back on hisninsulin 1 unit for the next 3-4 days. Will keep checking his urine.

Thursday morning he ate half his dog food. Thursday night Hubby fed him some leftover meat. Friday morning he didn't eat his dog food. So, for supper Hubby gave him the rest of the meat and we put about 3 tablespoons of mixed veggies with it. Of course he ate all of that. This morning we gave him dog food again and Hubby put some of the mixed veggies in it. He ate all the gravy and about half the meat. Didn't touch the veggies.

We have half a can of the stew type dog food in the fridge. Last time we were in The Big City we got the stew type and two cans of the regular. I suggested we try the regular next. Part of the problem could be texture. Hubby is still stressing over whether he eats. Me, I know he will eat when he gets hungry. Actually he has lost some weight and is getting waist back, which is good.

I told Hubby last night we need to decide whether we are going to feed him commercial dog food or prepare it at home. Me, I don't care which we do I just need him to give me his opinion. In the meantime I'm going to start doing research and choose a recipe so I will be prepared if he decides yes.

Live long and prosper.

We Have a Plan!!!!

2011-06-30T13:10:00.000-05:00

And it seems to be working, at least for the time being. First, Rocky's vet visit, his bg was actually down from last time. It was 350 then and only 315 this time. Yeah, I know even "only" is high.

We upped his insulin to 12 units twice a day. For now we are to give the entire dose whether he eats or not or when he eats. Give it twice a day at the same time even if he doesn't eat until noon. His vet calls the insulin he is on NPH. I get it from Walmart and it is "their brand" but is actually Humulin-N.

The vet tech asked him how high could we go on the dosage. He said he had a poodle on 28 units twice a day. At that point, they did a blood test and found it needed thyroid treatment. He said if we have to go up to between 15 and 20, then we would test. But, I know the decision is really ours.

We gave him 12 units last night and this morning his urine tested negative. He ate half his dog food without us having to grind it up or tease his appetite with food from the table. After his last visit, he reacted almost the same way. Seemed to get better overnight. But then several days later he started getting worse. If he gets worse again in a few days, then I will opt for thyroid testing right now. He said after the thyroid treatment was started the insulin for the poodle was decreased dramatically.

Hubby said no more food from the table, and he admitted he was the worse offender. He has decided that Rocky will eat when he is hungry and this morning proved it.

We are going to continue with this dosage until we are sure he's not getting worse, while still urine testing. Then we will start cutting back until his urine tests positive again. Then up it one unit.

If you've read my blog before, you know what a wreck I made of myself trying to test him. In our conversation yesterday testing was mentioned and I said I would even try drawing blood from a vein in an emergency. But, I was concerned about a vein collapsing if I did it on a daily basis. He said that doesn't happen very much but that veins do develop hard spots making it hard to draw blood. So, for right now, urine testing is it.

Hubby and I came away from the visit so much calmer. I think the cause of the stress was thinking we HAD to tie his insulin to his food. In a normal situation, we would, but when dealing with bg as high as his, insulin at regular intervals becomes vital.

As to his food, we have been discussing going to home prepared meals. The actual food isn't a problem, but sorting out the supplements and finding some of them will be lots of fun. We still haven't made a decision on that part yet. I understand that the actual preparation really doesn't take that long and can be done once a month. Supposedly it costs less too, which is a plus. I've been doing searches on the web and have found several recipes but really haven't picked one out yet.

Live long and prosper.

I Want A Chihuahua!!!!!

2011-06-29T11:13:00.001-05:00

We were driving the other day and I saw a black and tan Chihuahua and instantly fell in love. It would match Rocky. A matched pair!!!!!

Of course I immediately said I wanted one. In the next breathe I said but we already said we don't need two dogs. And, we have said we won't get another one after Rocky. But, I still want a Chihuahua.

Why is it that we feel that we can't express an interest in something unless we are really thinking of getting it. Have you every admired something but immediately turned around and said but I wouldn't like it in my house. It's almost as if we can't admire something unless we want to own it. Classic art is the exception. Or, am I the only one who thinks like that?

Anyway, I still want a black and tan Chihuahua.

Live long and prosper.

I didn't do as badly as I though!!!!!!

2011-06-28T14:54:00.000-05:00

I had to call the drs. office again today to get my A1c. The one I had done in February was 6.2. Not bad huh. The one I had done 2 weeks ago was 6.6. I was just so sure that it was going to be right at 7.0.

So, I decided to look at my actual numbers. I'm just looking at my fasting numbers because those are not so directly effected by what I have eaten. March 1 it was 100. It ranged from 84 to 116. This was before my first visit to the surgeon. Between this time and my surgery it ranged from 99 to 147. After the surgery to May 1 it ranged from 104 to 161.

Since May 1 to June 1 the range has been 121 to 154. June 1 to today 98 to 136. So, it is going back down. It would be much better if I would leave off the ice cream after supper.

Are you anxiously awaiting the result of my first physical therapy visit? I know you are. You will be kinda disappointed. All she did was an evaluation. Now they have to get the insurance company to tell them how many sessions.

Rocky is still not doing well. His urine tests still show as high as the strip goes. Last time he did that, his blood test at the vets was 350. I wish we could get some fast acting insulin in small vials. Even though I would be guessing, I would give him some. I know that being as high as it for as long, it has to be damaging his organs. We're both preparing ourselves for the worse. We swear we are not getting another dog.

Live long and prosper.

Well . . . .

2011-06-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

A very deep subject, too deep for my little shallow mind. Yeah, I know. Now that we have that out of the way, down to business.

I had an appointment with my family doctor a week ago last Monday. Had not heard from my lab work. Called Friday and specifically mentioned my A1c. The nurse called with everything but that. I have been going to this doctor since 2006 and he still has the same nurse. You would think that by this time she would know that I want numbers not, I'm sure it was fine or he would have called. So, she is supposed to get that for me, hopefully tomorrow.

I saw my surgeon Friday and he said those dreaded words, physical therapy. He had me doing my own because he was concerned that a therapist might force my shoulder and tear the repair. He said that I have healed well enough now to go ahead with therapy. I have a question for you. Anyone want to go in my place? I go Tuesday at 10:00. That should give you enough time to get here. Please, pretty please with sugar on it. I'd love you forever if you would.

Rocky is steadily improving. The new food we got for him has pieces of meat with gravy. He eats the gravy and shoves some of the meat pieces on the floor. Hubby has tried several combinations of old dog food, new dog food, and meat. We have finally decided he likeshiss food ground up. If that is what it takes to get him tom ear everything, then grinding his food it is. Don't you wish you had a dog like him, that you have to constantly deal with his idiosyncrasies.

Live long and prosper.

Have we been brain washed ?

2011-06-23T09:10:00.000-05:00

Do you think we, as a nation, have been brainwashed by the makers of soap and shampoos? I wonder sometimes if we aren't doing our bodies and hair a disservice by washing every day.

When my first child was a baby, his poor bottom looked like I had painted it with clear nail polish. The dermatologist said it was "Tideitis". It was a detergent burn caused by washing his diapers (yes, in the old days all we had were cloth diapers) in regular detergent. I had to start washing them in Ivory Snow. What does this have to do with bathing?

He also told me that it was actually detrimental to bathe him every day, and that adults didn't need to bathe every day. He also told me not to put creams or powder on his bottom. I took his advice to heart and did not bathe him every day.

That is one reason I question whether we need to bathe and wash our hair every day. Just think about what we do. We use soap or body wash which removes the oil on our skin. Then we have to put cream on to replace that oil. Or, we wash with soap or body wash that is supposed to replace those oils. Are we really so dirty that we have to bathe every day? Same thing with hair, wash every day and then have to condition to replace the natural oil we have removed.

Personally I don't think so. I can understand a person who works outside in the summer heat feeling the need to get get rid of the sweat and dirt. But, do even these people need to actually wash every time? Sweat will wash off with plain water as will regular old dirt. Grease and oil is another matter, you have to have more than plan water to get rid of them.

What do you think?

Live long and prosper.

I AM progressing, I think

2011-06-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

As you know I have my ups and downs as far as my shoulder is concerned. Right now I don't think I have damaged the repair. I have a doctor's appointment Friday so may know more then.

Slowly I have been adding more housekeeping chores. The other morning at breakfast Hubby did tell me to sit down. I didn't get upset about it. Later he told me it was because he was concerned I would pick up something with my right hand that I shouldn't or that he would hit my shoulder.

I do some things like sweep the floor and mop. But, I use a Swiffer and it is very light weight. I fold clothes, everything but sheets. I also use my left hand and move the clothes from the washer to the dryer and from dryer to bed. I also make up the bed using my left hand. I help hang permanent press but he carries them to the closet. I also do light cleaning in the bathrooms and kitchen. I've also had to start supper several times because he was on a fire call. He doesn't seem to mind me helping some with supper.

I am still enjoying my iPad. I'm so glad I got it instead of another ebook reader. My vision starts to blur after reading for awhile. Even with enlarging the text on an ereader I still had problems. But the larger screen on the iPad makes the text larger to begin with.

Hubby is still working on the bathroom, but all he has to do is put up the trim and then paint it. Next thing will be putting tile in the laundry room. He wants to redo the other bathroom. Several days ago he asked me how much I thought it would cost to have someone redo the kitchen the way we want it. So who knows what's next.

Live long and prosper.

Our boring life

2011-06-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

Not too much going on right now. Rocky is improving, but I think Hubby is doing wrong by feeding him just meat for his meals. The last four meals have been hamburger. I think we should be feeding him dog food with hamburger crumbled in it. But, I'm not caring for Rocky, Hubby is, so I will have to go along with what he does. (I wrote that before breakfast.) This morning Hubby gave him a combination of dog food and hamburger. He ate the hamburger and a little of the dog food. His appetite hasn't returned completely yet.

I can tell he is feeling better, but until he runs in the house and circles the living room several times before jumping in a chair I won't declare him back to normal.

At my age, sometimes it takes a while for my brain to work. This time it seemed to take much longer. Several weeks before my first visit to the surgeon I had to start sleeping propped up on pillows. It was either that or sleep in a recliner. About a month ago I tried sleeping flat like a normal person, which we all know I'm not. Both nights I woke up about 2:00 am with my lower back hurting so badly that I couldn't stay in bed. Recliner here I come. Back to the pillows.

About four or five days ago I finally realized what had happened. We have a Select Comfort air mattress (advertised on TV as the Sleep Number Bed). When I was sleeping on the pillows I had added more air to give me more support. Sleeping flat, the mattress was too firm. When I made it softer I've been sleeping fine laying flat like a normal person (those words again). In case you can't tell, we love our air mattress. Hubby has his side the firmness he likes and I have mine my way. We have had this mattress since about 1990 and it still performs just as well as it did when we purchased it.

It's been so nice to have our bathroom back. Hubby was painting yesterday. He still has a little more painting and adding trim. He wants to redo the other bathroom and he asked me yesterday how much I thought it would cost to have someone redo our kitchen the way we want it. None of that will be considered for a while yet.

Live long and prosper.

We are back to square one with Rocky.

2011-06-18T18:27:00.001-05:00

He seemed to be doing OK last night, he ate his supper. After we went to bed, he got up. I checked to see that we had a towel down for him. He made a circle of it, went to the back door, circled through the bathroom, and circled on the towel several times and then back to the rug at the back door. He peed on the rug. I picked it up, opened the back door, and put it on the freezer.

Rocky wanted out so I let him go. I stood at the back door looking through the glass. I waited and waited. Finally I called him and called him. He didn't come. Back to the bedroom, put on house shoes, and find glasses. Walked on to the porch and he was at his ramp. I let him in. And by the time I got to the bedroom he disappeared. Our bedroom is very dark and a black dog can disappear very quickly. I went around the bed twice and finally found him. Got him on the bed, all without waking Hubby.

This morning he didn't eat breakfast and only ate 3 pieces of hot dog for his shot treat. He didn't eat his supper, but Hubby got him to eat a chicken breast so he could give him all of his insulin.

Only time will tell whether we get him regulated or not. His pancreas may be failing completely.

Live long and prosper.

Will wonders never cease!!!!!

2011-06-15T13:58:00.000-05:00

Rocky actually asked to be fed this morning!!!!! I didn't get up until 7:00. Hubby told me not to pat him too hard because he had a full bebbo (my mother's word for belly. Another story.) After they came back from their walk, Rocky stopped in the living room and looked from Hubby to kitchen and back several times. Hubby finally asked him if he was hungry. Apparently he answered Hubby because he fixed Rocky's breakfast and Rocky gobbled it down. So, I guess he has fully recovered. We are going to reduce his insulin from 8 units to 7 for a while. If that seems OK, then we will take it back down to 6 units.

Hubby has the vanity in the bathroom but it hasn't been installed yet. Never having done this before, we didn't think to check where the plumbing would have to go. We got a vanity with drawers on the right side and we really needed them on the left side. We checked online with both Home Depot and Lowes. Home Depot didn't have any. Lowes did but only available online and out of stock right now.

Hubby started researching how he would have to move the plumbing to make it work. Changing the water lines won't be a proplem. He replaced all the water lines last year so he really knows how to do that well. He checked under the house to see about the drain and doesn't think there will be a problem either. He has already cut off the drain line and plugged the hole. We got pipe this afternoon and when we get back from grocery store tomorrow he will move the water lines. Hope he waits until Friday morning before he does the drain. With temps 100+ morning would be a better time to work. But, we both want to get back in our bathroom as soon as possible. Trying to even brush your teeth with all the "stuff" we have in the other bathroom isn't easy.

Live long and prosper.

As seen on . . . . .

2011-06-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

Tee shirts

Sometimes I laugh so hard tears run down my leg

Bring back common sense

I'm not short I'm fun size

Whatever!

I'm so busy I don't know whether I found a rope or lost my horse

My Indian name is runs with beer

If you met my family you would understand

In dog beers I've only had one

My sister has the best sister in the world

Prayer the world's greatest wireless connection

My family tree has some twisted freakin' roots!

You bet your Pierogi I'm polish

Only I make retirement look this good!

I am so old I can . . . Laugh, cough, pee, sneeze & fart at the same time!

Of course I'm perfect I'm ( add nationality)

It is what it is

I have CDO. It's like OCD but the letters are in order like they should be

Sarcasm just one more service I provide

Growing old is mandatory growing up is optional

Let me drop everything & work on your problem

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the hell happened

I am retired but I work part-time as a pain-in-the-ass!

Chuck Norris's forecast: cloudy with a 90% chance of pain

I'm retired you're not. Nah nah nah nahnah

T.G.I.F. This grandma is fabulous

D.A.D.D. Dads against daughters dating

DILLIGARA. doilooklikeigivearatsass?

She who decorates has rooms for improvement

So far this is the oldest I've ever been

Smile! (it confuses people)

How to handle stress like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, then pee on it and walk away

What happens at the lake stays at the lake

I hope these gave you a smile and a chuckle.

Live long and prosper.

Can't say we won the war but . . .

2011-06-13T17:33:00.000-05:00

We won two battles. This morning we got back to normal. We put his food on the floor between our chairs and dropped small pieces of egg and bacon on it. He ate that and some of the food along with it. After breakfast, hubby moved his dish to the usual spot. By the time hubby got all dishes off the table, Rocky had finished his food. Woo, woo. A win for us.

Supper time, same thing. We dropped food, small pieces, and by the time supper was over all his food was gone. Hugh sigh of relief. We know he is getting his nutrition and apparently his blood sugar is down to normal. That's two battles we have won. I hope it is the end of the war.

Other than that, not much is happening. Hubby was looking at the vanity and realized we should have gotten one with drawers on the left side instead of the right side. He has to figure out how to move the plumbing now so the vanity will work.

Live long and prosper.

The continuing saga of Rocky and the battle of wills

2011-06-12T20:01:00.000-05:00

This morning hubby fixed Rocky's food before he even started ours. Did Rocky eat, do I even need to answer that. Of course he didn't. He cooked our breakfast and I put Rocky's food on the table. We didn't say a word. Here he comes ambling in. I waited a while and then I put it on the floor. He looks at hubby, then me, etc. We did not feed him anything from the table and we did not try to get him to eat.

We finished, took all the dishes off the table and did our usual stuff. A little while later, he was eating. He ate about half it. We did not win the battle, but we won a skirmish.

Supper time, we did the same thing except hubby acted like he was putting food in his bowl. Rocky would try to find it and ended up eating about 1/4 of his food. Can't say we even won a skirmish that time.

We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings.

Live long and prosper.

Rocky is spoiled rotten.

2011-06-11T18:31:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I will ever get the smell out of the car!!!!!

You remember I fed him chicken for supper Thursday evening because he wouldn't eat his dog food. Plus we just found that his blood sugar was 350. We also fed him chicken for breakfast Friday morning.

Supper time, hubby decided that since he was feeling so much better he would feed him dog food with cheddar cheese sprinkled on it. Supper time, Rocky ate the cheese and not one bite of dog food. Hubby decided Rocky would either eat or go hungry. So, he went hungry. He even pouted with us. He went to the bedroom and laid on his blanket. He wasn't mad enough to get in his bed though. A little later he finally came into the living room and got in his big bed.

Several times during the evening he walked over to me and just stood there. I finally asked hubby what he wanted. He said Rocky wanted something to eat. We were mean to him and did not give in. This morning, hubby cooked a hamburger patty for breakfast. Then we made a trip to petsmart a 50 mile trip one way. No other stops but that one. We bought him a case of Blue Buffalo dog food. On the way home I gave him a good lecture about eating it too.

Supper time, put his food down and as you well expected he turned his nose up. We did get him to eat some of it by putting little pieces of meat in his bowl. I hoped that after we ate and he saw he wasn't going to get any more he would eat. Of course not!!! The Lil Debil held out for meat which he didn't get. Hubby gave him part of his insulin dose and left his food down. He's already come to me and looked at me, poor baby starving to death. Well, we are being mean and if he gets hungry enough he will eat. We feel that we have a quality food for him and we can hold out just as long as he can. More of the continuing saga of Rocky and the battle of the wills. We will win, maybe.

Live long and prosper.

New blog title

2011-06-10T12:40:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I have changed the title of my blog to one that I think better describes the content. Hope it doesn't mess things up too much.

Rocky is doing much better today. We are again so glad we did not have his ears cropped. When he isn't feeling well, his ears droop and hug his head. Yesterday evening we noticed his ears were being carried up a little.

Since hubby was so late coming in, I kinda lost track of time. It was almost 7:00 when I fed Rocky. He came in from outside and seemed to "point" the cabinet where his food is kept. I thought "oh goody, he must be hungry". I got his food and insulin ready. He turned his nose up at it. There was a chicken breast left from the day before so I started cutting up pieces and dropping them on his food. He gobbled up the chicken and even ate several bites of his food. This was the first time I had tried to give his shot since my surgery. I didn't have any problems. As a shot treat I fed him more chicken.

He slept with us last night so I know he felt better. He out grew his bed and we got a bigger one for the living room. For the last two days his old bed in the bedroom has been his "security blanket". He's spent almost all day in it.

Hubby said on his first walk this morning he made his usual rounds. Yesterday he just walked into the backyard and laid down. Hubby takes him for a ride after breakfast and a lot of times they meet a dog hubby calls Big Boy. Rocky has nipped him on the nose and even brought blood when he nipped his leg. Big Boy's tail just keeps wagging and he doesn't even seem to notice. This morning Hubby said Big Boy showed up and Rocky let him know to stay away from his daddy. Hubby said it wasn't quite as vigorous as usual but he definitely is feeling better.

Hubby painted the wall behind where the toilet will be. As soon as it is dry, he will reinstall the toilet. Now we have to walk to the other end of the house to use that bathroom. Not bad during the day, but at night not so convenient.

Rocky's vet visit

2011-06-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

Well, as we suspected his blood sugar was not 2,000. It was 350 though. Hubby had upped his insulin to 7 units yesterday so the vet upped it to 8 units until he comes back down.

On the way to the vets we decided we would start feeding him 1 or 2 meals a week of all meat. The vet advised us not to change right now but to wait until we get him back down.

Then I got to thinking about the time frame. Last month it happened just a few days before time to change to a new bottle of insulin. He was diagnosed last September and a few months later we learned we could leave his insulin out if we used it no longer than 1 month. Apparently Walmart changing to a different manufacturer for their NPH the insulin degrades quicker. Anyway that's our theory. We are going to keep it in the fridge and fill the syringe about 30 minutes to an hour before we need it to allow it come to room temperature.

We have been feeding him Pedigree canned dog food because we can get it at Walmart. This morning I read what can be classified under "meat byproducts". Road kill, outdated meat from supermarket with styrofoam, beaks, feathers, tumors at least this is what I read. Whether all of it is true or not, we are switching Rocky to a premium dog food. Costs more, but vets visits every month are expensive too.

Live long and prosper.

Rocky is sick again

2011-06-09T08:59:00.000-05:00

It's been about a month since we last took Rocky to vets. Hubby checked his urine, and if we read it right, it was 2000. That right, two thousand, not a typo.

When he was diagnosed the vet said the average life span after diagnosis is 2 years. If this test is right, we may not have him that long. I just wish there was some way I could test his blood sugar. I have tried all the places normally suggested plus some. I just can't get him to bleed. I finally just gave up. I was really stressing over it.

Two days ago he vomited some but hubby thought it was because he got too hot. Yesterday, he wouldn't eat breakfast so hubby scrambled an egg for him. He seemed to be feeling better but we took him with us to Home Depot to keep a check on him. He seemed to be fine. Yesterday afternoon I went into the bedroom and found he had vomited his breakfast in a far corner. He wouldn't sleep in the bed with us last night either.

I am very concerned about him.

Live long and prosper.

What do you do with 4 dozen homemade cookies?

2011-06-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

That's the dilemma we faced last Monday. Hubby went to the mailbox and came back with a package from Mr. and Mrs. Ohio. I knew what was in it. There were over 2 dozen cookies of each flavor, chocolate chip and peanut butter. She makes the soft cookies which I don't like, but the peanut butter ones are crisp so you know the ones I latched on to.

Having been in the hot mailbox, they were almost like being right from the oven. I had to taste Both flavors of course. But, I wasn't too bad right away. One of the next things I did was freeze about half of each flavor.

I didn't do too bad as far as eating them. That day I did sorta pig out on them, but after that I may have one or two a day and then skip a day or two. Hubby didn't eat his like that. He would sit down with his cookies and a glass of milk and eat a lot of them and then maybe not do that again for 3 or 4 days. But, he finished his before I finished mine which is a first.

Now all the cookies we have are frozen. Wonder how long it will be before I start on them.

I guess I am doing ok with my arm. Seems like I have gone backwards since my last doctor's appointment though. I have pain where I didn't before. I've tried really hard to take care of it and not do anything I shouldn't. But, I refuse to worry about it. Whatever has happened I can't change it I can only deal with the consequences.

Love long and prosper.

Have you ever done anything - what's the word I'm looking for?

2011-06-05T08:36:00.000-05:00

Stupid, waste money, you fill in the blank.

We've all heard the old saw about someone supposedly buying a new car instead of emptying the ashtrays. I never believed it, and I don't know anyone who has ever done it.

Along these same lines, we bought a new set of phones yesterday because one of old set needed a battery. We've done this before because a battery costs just a dollar or two less than a new phone. This time we had a better reason than that. The system we bought uses two aaa rechargeable batteries in each hand set. Instead of paying $14 for a phone battery, now it will cost just a few dollars. So, in the long run that means less trash. We are going to trash these after removing the batteries to recycle.

Since I don't have anything to pontificate on I will let you in on a secret, hubby has taken out his frustration on the bathroom!! well, yes that is a slight exaggeration he really is in the throws of remodeling the bathroom. We no longer have a toilet or vanity. As you know he has already replaced the tub with a shower. He's going to replace the wallboard with water resistant board. After that I don't know what he will do next.

Last night hubby got a fire call at 10:30. He didn't get back home until 2:00 this morning. Then he had to shower. I got up just a little before 6:00 and slipped out. At least I thought I did but who should pop up at 6:30, well you know who. He still has to go back to the station to wash hoses and fuel up the truck.

Sometimes I wonder why people join a volunteer fire department and then don't respond. They only had two men respond from our department. They had to ask for mutual aid from another department. That department had five men respond. Thank goodness it was a brush fire and not a house fire. Stupid people burning and it so dry. Hubby and another fireman had to warn someone and even threaten to call the fire in. They were told if they had to call it in they would have to pay for the call as well as a fine. They finally got the message.

Live long and prosper.

I found something at the grocery store

2011-06-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

Cherries, fresh sweet cherries!!!! I don't know which I love more, Hubby, cherries, Rocky, or cantaloupe. They all call my name. I sit here typing and eating a cherry between almost every word. Bad Sunny, bad Sunny!!!! Cheesecake used to call my name, but once I learned how to make it I'm no longer drawn to it.

Now that the cherries are gone, well at least the ones I had near me anyway, I can tell you what else is happening.

Hubby has been working steadily on our bathroom, just a little each day but it's progressing. I now have a working shower, the shelves for the linen closet are up and in use. The closet area is almost exactly the same size as the old one, but we can get more in it. The old one only had 3 shelves. This one has 5. We put everything back that we had in the old one, some of the items from the vanity, and some new items. There is still open space on several of the shelves.

He put tile down on the part that he has finished. I think he may start round the toilet next. But, since I can't read his mind he may start with the vanity. When he has the bathroom finished the next thing will be tiling the adjacent laundry room. At some point, we want to do the kitchen. The kitchen will be another big project because he has decided to relocate the sink which means new cabinets too.

I'm still doing OK with my shoulder. I had to adjust my sling by using the belt part around my waist so that I can't easily forget and use it. Right after he told me I could get rid of the pillow I caught myself using my arm. I didn't lift anything, but I did something because it protested for a while. Although I could still do my exercises without any problem so I don't think the repair has been harmed. At least I sure hope it hasn't.

Other than that everything has been relatively quite. Please have pity on use, yesterday our high was over 106 on the north side of our house in the shade. That's not the official high of course, but it's my official high.

Until next time, live long and prosper.

Rocky

2011-05-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

Rocky is doing ok now. Several weeks ago he wasn't feeling good and started peeing at night. We took him to vets and his blood sugar was 225. We increased his insulin vut even then he stopped eating breakfast. The day we took to the vets we also got a new bottle ofi suli. Just incase the one we had was mishandled. It took him several days to get back to normal although he still will not eat breakfast until we do. And then we have to put shredded cheddar cheese on it.

Since we now know the symptoms when his blood sugar is going high we will be able to catch ir in time. I still can't test him and I have accepted that fact.

For those of you who have not see the video of him getting him insulin shot,it is on YouTube. Search for Rocky getting insilin shot and you should find it. He is black mostly with some brown markings.

Live long and prosper.

Playing catchup

2011-05-28T11:18:00.000-05:00

I know, you have been anxiously awaiting the latest details about my dull life!! Well, here they come. First, I got an iPad last week and have been using it exclusively to get online. So far I really like it. I am a relatively fast typest using just two fingers. Surprisingly when I get more fingers involved I start making mistakes. But, this program has excellent spell checking. There are a few things that it can't do, but other things make up for it.

I saw my surgeon Wednesday and he did not change anything. He did say that he did not want to send me to PT because he was afraid that they might pull or force arm movement and damage the repair.

Hubby has the shower in and working, he also has the shelves done all but painting. He's put the tile down on the part where he has already finished. He did that because we need to get all the stuff off the vanity so he can start on the rest of the bathroom.

I haven't done anything as far as crafts is concerned. Just not interested in them right now.

Live long and prosper..

Rocky Needs A Highchair

2011-05-01T11:13:00.001-05:00

At least according to hubby he does. Some mornings we have a hard time getting him to eat his breakfast. You would think that after being without food all night he would be really hungry in the morning but apparently he isn’t. Four days ago he wouldn’t eat so when we sat down for breakfast I put his bowl on the floor between me and hubby and dropped a small piece of egg on it. He cleaned it up.

Next day, same thing. So hubby and I decided that since he apparently wanted to eat breakfast with us we would have to eat earlier. The next two days we have eaten just as soon as hubby could get it ready after I got up. Hubby jokes that he’s going to order Rocky a highchair.

Apparently Rocky can count and spell as well. After he gets his insulin shot he get small pieces of hot dog as a treat. Hubby usually gives him four pieces. The last several times he has given him his treats he has given him only three pieces. Hubby says Rocky will give him “that look” until he gets the other piece.

The other day hubby looked at me and said he was taking Rocky on his r-i-d-e. Rocky got excited just like he does when hubby says it. We had a dog that learned what “go” meant so we started spelling it. Wasn’t long until he learned what g-o meant. So we had to change from go to went. He never learned that that meant thank goodness, but all he had to do was hear keys jingle and he would have turned inside out if he could. He loved to ride.

I am not progressing as fast as I would like but I can see progress every day. Walking-up-the-wall I had been using my left hand to assist my right arm. I use something like putty to mark the highest point I get to at the end of the day. The next day I put some about an inch above that and work toward that goal that day. Today the top mark it higher than my head. The bottom one is about 5 foot + from the floor. I got to it today without any help. Had tried it several days ago and couldn’t even get close.

Live long and prosper and take care of yourself and your pets.

I Found Out Yesterday What I Did

2011-04-30T09:52:00.001-05:00

Saw my surgeon yesterday. “Last time you dropped some bombshells on us and I was too stunned to ask questions.” “What was that?” “You said the only thing holding my shoulder together was the stitches. What did I do to my shoulder?” “You tore the tendon completely from the bone. The tendon begins to be absorbed by the body and starts to shorten. I pulled it as long as I could and reattached it to the bone in a different place.” “You said it could fail. When would we know?” “Time.” “Some day I could pick up something and it would fail?” “Yes, but if there wasn’t any lasting pain I wouldn’t do anything about it.”

Warning – If you should fall and hit your shoulder, if the pain does not go away is a short time, have it looked at. The repair if needed would be much easier the earlier it is caught.

I know there are 4 muscles in the rotator cuff and these muscles are attached to the bone by tendons. He did not say whether there were tears to any of the other tendons. Any way, I feel better about doing my exercises now. I will have to be extra careful during recovery and afterwards. No lifting for a long time and then only light stuff.

Here is what I have been wearing since my surgery.

The sling is on the left and the “pillow” is on the right.

They attach to each other by Velcro.

This is what the contraption looks like when worn. It’s belted around the waist so that you can’t reflexively use that arm if you should stumble and fall. Last time I saw him he said I have to wear it when I was up and about. I kinda cheated and would wear only the sling when I was in the house. I asked him this time if I had to wear the pillow and again he said when I was up and about. I told him what I had been doing and he wasn’t happy with me. Even though we live in a two bedroom single-wide mobile home he said again that I had to wear the pillow when I was not sitting down. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.” He just kinda smiled.

The pillow is kinda wide for me, at least I think it is. Plus, I have heavy upper arms. When I put it at my waist, it presses against my arm and after a while it hurts so I am wearing it lower. It still serves the purpose of keeping my arm so I can use it.

I don’t have to go to PT. He had me purchase a pulley system that fits over a door. I use this to pull my arm up as high as I can.

As you can see in the picture, I am again wearing my clothes. I feel very good about my progress. Asked him if I could start helping with the cooking. The results are that I can do anything as long as I don’t lift anything with my right hand and don’t take it out of the sling. That limits things a lot, but this morning I buttered the toast, got the plates out, etc. So I did help some. Makes me feel better anyway.

Live long and prosper and don’t put things off.

Milestones

2011-04-26T10:20:00.001-05:00

My milestones will seem small to a lot of people, but they are huge for me. I have been wearing open down the front dusters to sleep in. Last night I put on a gown!!! As those of you know who have been following my blog for a while, I have been dealing with my arm since last June. I developed a way of putting on a gown and putting on a pullover top that does not require me to put my arms over my head. I look forward to going to the doctor on Friday because I will try putting on one of my tops then.

I have given up my “security blanket” at night. The last three nights I slept without my sling. Last night I took one pillow away to see if I could sleep flatter. Didn’t take long for my shoulder to let me know I still need to sleep on a slant. I put it back quickly.

I was doing very well with my exercises, walked up the wall to the top of my head. The next day it took all of my 3 minutes to reach that level again. Same thing the next day. I had been progressing about 3 inches at a time before. This scared me so I started back at square one. I will probably be back at that level before I go to the doctor on Friday.

Usually I have an upbeat attitude and don’t worry about things I can’t change. But, since I went backwards in my exercises, I am concerned that I may have harmed the surgery. Of course if I have there is nothing I can do to change it now. I will feel so much better after I talk with the doctor and know something more.

Sunday when I showered, I washed my hair myself. Couldn’t use my right arm but I did OK with my left.

I still feel bad that hubby is having to do all the cooking, cleaning, etc. I know that I won’t be able to lift anything other than maybe a jar of mayo for a while, but I would like to be able to help some. I feel like I am slacking off.

Hubby did the washing yesterday and put the white clothes from the dryer on our bed. He was cooking a ham and pork roast in the smoker so I folded the wash clothes, towels, separated the underwear, and matched up the socks. I couldn’t fold the sheets though.

I posted before about using my left hand for things that I normally use my right for. One thing I forgot to mention, flossing your teeth. I use one of those flossers that is “Y” shaped so it was much easier than having to wind the floss around the fingers of both hands. But, even then it took some work.

I can see progress in small things like the bathroom (you know what I mean don’t you).

Live long and prosper, and keep a positive attitude.

Update on Bathroom Remodel

2011-04-25T08:35:00.001-05:00

Hubby has been slowly working on the bathroom remodel. He has acknowledged that he is beginning to feel his age so he has to take things slower then before.

He removed all the old wallboard, put up new water resistant wallboard and painted it. He moved the bottom of the shower in and started thinking about how to frame it.

See the faucet laying on the floor, that is where my old linen closet was. It was two tiles wide and 5 tiles deep. It was a good space as far as volume goes, but you had to practically crawl in to get anything in the back.

Hubby hasn’t checked yet to see whether we can put the toilet in that space or not. Also, hubby isn’t all that enthusiastic about moving the toilet, and I understand that. If he doesn’t put the toilet there, then that area becomes the new linen closet. More space and easier to get to.

It’s hard to tell about the shower in this picture, but our bathroom is small and this was the best I could do. As hubby says, all he lacks is finishing. We still have to get the faucets and other plumbing related materials. I hope we have a working shower by next week.

He wants to also replace our vanity, but there is no hurry to do it. Although I suspect it will be done before very many weeks.

Live long and prosper, and keep on “fixin” things up.

The World Does Revolve Around You

2011-04-23T09:43:00.001-05:00

Last year I did a post, Does The World Revolve Around You? In that post I stated that each of us is the center of our world. We interact with other “worlds”. Some of these orbits go the same way as we do and these are smooth and work well, some go in the opposite direction and when our paths cross there is friction.

I’m not going to rehash what I have already said, but there was a blog post on www.mydiablog.com that made me think of this concept and how it applied to that blog entry, Help – Husband – Denial. This person has been diagnosed with diabetes and does not want to accept the diagnoses nor take care of himself.

We think that since we are the center of our world, that what we do only effects ourselves. It doesn’t matter what disease or condition we are referencing, the outcome is the same. What we do effects everyone with whom we come in contact, Period!!!

If this person does not take care of himself, he may end up with a leg amputated, etc. Sure, he will have to deal with the loss of the leg but what about his wife. She will have to care for him after the surgery. If he truly loves his wife, he will take care of himself so that he won’t intentionally become a burden to his wife. What, you say his wife won’t think that he is a burden. Think again. Every caregiver, my darling husband included, gets tired of having to do everything for someone else. It’s bad enough when something happens from an accident or something similar but when someone deliberately does not take care of themselves it becomes an even harder burden to bear.

Personally, I am trying to do everything I can for myself because hubby has to do everything else. In fact, I have been trying too hard this past week with my exercises. One day I could walk my fingers up to head height, the next day it took all 3 minutes of the exercise time for me to do it. Same thing the next day. I was frustrated and ready to give up, also thinking I might have done something to the repair that would cause me to have a shoulder replacement. I didn’t do my exercises for the rest of the day.

Next morning I decided to start back to square one. Now I am progressing at a more reasonable rate. Part of the turn around was thinking about hubby having to go through this twice as well as myself having to go through twice. I could have done something to the repair, but until I know for sure I will keep trying.

I have been advised by friends to make the most of it, meaning having hubby wait on me, but I don’t want him to start to resent having to care for me. Hubby is a care giver. I see it every day in him, but too much care giving can cause resentment.

After all this, I really wish I could talk with this person and make his realize how what he does effects not only himself but all his family. Doesn’t his wife deserve someone who thinks of her also, not just himself?

Live long and prosper, and be independent.

Progressing

2011-04-18T09:55:00.001-05:00

Friday night I changed for bed all by myself!!! Saturday morning hubby helped me shower and I dressed myself again!!!! I’m even wearing a bra, but just on one side . I don’t think my right shoulder is ready for a strap yet.

Hubby has been working on the bathroom and hopes to have a working shower in by the end of this week or first of next. He won’t have the bathroom finished, but I can use the shower. Hurrah!!!

Saturday I started measuring how well I was doing on my exercises. The Pendulum – I hold to a chair with my left hand and make circles with my right arm. Walking Up The Wall – I hold my right arm with my left hand and walk my fingers up the wall. The Broom Handle – I grasp a broom handle in front of me with both hands about body width apart and swing it back and forth, pushing as far to the right as I can several times during the exercise trying to increase it each time. I increased the height of “walking up the wall” by 3 inches. I did not get 6 times in though. Sunday I did not try to increase any of the exercises. This morning I have increased all of them some. I think I am doing about as large a circle as I can do, but will still try to do better.

I am down to about 1 and 1/2 or 2 pain pills per day. My shoulder gives me more pain in the morning because it has been still all night. I could sleep without the sling, but right now that is my security blanket. I am concerned that I might try to pull the cover up or do something like that and either it will hurt or I might do harm.

I actually got to wash my hands this morning. That doesn’t seem like such an accomplishment but it entails moving my hand forward about 6 or 8 inches. Until I started doing the exercises, I couldn’t do that. I also dusted this morning. I use a Swiffer so it wasn’t all that hard. I also helped hubby make up the bed, using only my left hand though.

I have to be careful about what I do and what I let him see me do. I certainly don’t want to do anything that will harm the repair, but I do need to use my shoulder within the parameters of my exercises. I did pretty well when I was still wearing my “sick” clothes, but now that I am dressed I feel like I should be doing something. I am fighting that feeling .

Live long and prosper, and take care of yourself.