Oh, to be a watch dog!

Poor Simone. She wants so terribly to be a watch dog. She needs to give that idea up. It isn’t going to happen - ever. She is a wimp.

This past week has been a little rough on our wanna be watch dog. It began on Monday. We scheduled an appointment with the contractor who is going to build our barn/garage in the hill country. He brought his flooring guy also because I want to get rid of the wall to wall carpet that harbors all those nice grass burrs that I get in my feet.

I put Simone on the leash because when the second D*ll guy came out to revive the desk top, she was acting a little strange. I don’t know if she was attracted to the guy or didn’t like him. She wouldn’t leave him alone. Being the narcissistic person that I am, I assumed she was protecting me from the evil man.

So I put Simone on the leash Monday. When the guys came in she immediately began shivering! I couldn’t believe it. She usually only does this during a thunderstorm. She never reacted to people this way. I finally let her go. I was curious to see what she would do. She finally calmed down.

Yesterday was sensory overload again. The day began with the lawn guys coming. Oh the noise! Especially the leaf blowers when they get close to the doors. She usually stays very close to my side.

Then later in the day our exterminator came. We have been using him for twenty years, but Simone never met him. Again because I was here alone with him, I put her on the leash. The shivering began again. Daniel is good with dogs, and let her approach him. I finally let her off the leash, and things were fairly good for her. She remained wary.

Then we were visited by the garbage men who, in our town, pick up the garbage at the back door. That always gets her attention. Twice a week, her habitat is invaded my strangers who make noise. Finally the pool guy came which is bad enough, but because school is out, he brings his young boys who will be boys. More noise!

When it was time to go out to potty, she wouldn’t go. The umbrella was open over the table, and it smelled wrong. There was insecticide sprayed all over her potty. She wouldn’t even go out the door. Not even with my escorting her or trying to escort her. The first time, no dice.

This morning she was exhausted. When the alarm went off, she stayed in her crate. G woke her once. She went back to sleep. He woke her a second time as he was leaving the bedroom. She finally came out. I put her out, but I’m still not sure she attended to business.

I guess I’ll wait until next week to visit the vet for her four month heartworm check up. I don’t think she could take it this week! There has been far too much excitement around here for a rescue dog!

It's a go - I think

G’s sister called last evening. She had been in San Antonio to accompany her mother to look at the retirement apartments. When she got there, her dad was sitting at the table eating - alone. She said that was not a good sign. He immediately said he wasn’t going to a nursing home. The place my MIL had chosen was not a nursing home. At all!
SIL went to MIL to ask if she still wanted to go to the apartments. MIL replied she certainly did. So off they went! SIL had my nephew with her. Now I generally think that nephew is not good for much but trouble (glad SIL doesn’t even use a computer much less know about this blog!), he must have been the changing factor.

When they got to the apartment, nephew kept commenting on how great things were. He went through the kitchen constantly remarking about the "neat" things that were there. Whatever he said must have had an effect on FIL! They are moving. I can’t believe it. July 12 they are going to move to that apartment. They will still keep the house until they decide if they will stay or not, but FIL committed to three months. That is something.

He still was making stupid excuses like: "how will we ever get our mail transferred" and "those people really dress for dinner." So BIL will send in the change of address and take his dad shopping for clothes.

SIL even said there would be a playmate for the puppy when he returns from his "school" in three weeks. That may have been the deciding factor for FIL.

At least they will be in a smaller place, a safer place, and one that MIL can navigate easily. She will have people around. That will help her so much. She won’t have to just sit around and dwell on her intense pain.

News Flash. MIL just called. She sounds so happy! She hasn’t sounded that good in a long time. I’m so happy for her!

Our Weekend Experiences

This is not the post that was going to appear here today. It is locked safely on a CD because the new notebook is not allowed to post to the internet - or Blogspot anyway. I can shut the one firewall down completely. That is the one that I have to close on this desktop. The virus software also has a firewall that it will not allow me to shut down.

So I got clever. I would take the saved post that I wrote on Sunday, and put it on a CD. Perfect! So the CD has other files on it. So what! The "what" is that the file won't open. As I have stated over and over - technology is leaving the station and I'm still on the platform. Wait - I managed to jump on board this time! I tried another path and rescued the post. So, without further ado here is what I was thinking Sunday evening!

As I write this, we are still in the hill country. I’m in love with this notebook! I have always wanted one of my very own, and now I have it. When I taught, I had one and loved it.

We didn’t make it to my family’s reunion. One of the cousins in G’s family is also into genealogy, and she had the CD of that family also. We began comparing notes and I gave her the CD I had been working on. I have names she doesn’t have, and she has names I don’t have. It was very beneficialto us both.

One of her daughters lives near us, so I imagine we will be corresponding much more than either of us thought before. Her husband has helped her to really get into genealogy more than ever. Her father collected quiet a lot of information back in the seventies, but her husband even accompanies her to genealogy classes. He is very supportive - unlike someone I am close to!

On our way into town for the reunion, we have to travel on dirt roads (uh, read rock). We rounded a curve and there was what looked like a "cow patty" from a distance. As we got closer, I could see there was a head with ears sticking up. We got even closer and discovered it was a brand new born fawn. It could not have been more than a few hours old. It was so new that it had some difficulty getting its little legs to work so it could scamper off into the tall grasses on the side of the road.

Now before you chastize us for leaving the poor little creature there, let me assure you - it was most definitely not abandoned there. I think I saw mom a few feet off to the left in the brush, and that’s the way the fawn headed. Last year we had no cattle on this place, and we had a fawn born under our front deck. We only saw mom when we arrived and she was scared off, but that fawn was perfectly alright. We saw the two of them on several occasions last year as the fawn grew. We know we were seeing them, because she was the only doe that hung around the house - as she had been doing for some time before she gave birth. She didn’t hand around the house this year because the calves would get under the deck this year.

I spent the rest of the weekend getting more crafts ready for the big craft show that will be here in two weeks. The down side of using the time we are here is that first we are 45 minutes from town. I heard a phrase the other day that covers where we are: we’re not at the end of the world, but we can see it from here. The other thing is that the nearest town is closed on Sunday! There are two restaurants that are open, but that’s about it. The store that has a nice craft section is closed on Sunday. So I am through until we return to civilization because I am out of head pins.

We will be meeting with the contractor who we hope will build our barn/garage before we leave. I am also going to have his company replace all the carpets and vinyl here with tile and laminate. I am so tired of stepping on grass burrs that hide in this carpet. I cannot get people to make absolutely sure they wipe their feet well before coming in the house. I want to be able to be in my normal state of bare feet. Also when Lady Bug and Monkey Boy are there, they don't need to get into the burrs either. Since we have a foundation of fine gravel we are getting that in the carpet also. Gotta get rid of that carpet!

I do have access to dial up here, but it’s long distance so I’ll post this when I get back home. I’m afraid I will be tempted to publish this, then check my email, then catch up on the blogs I read, and before I know it, I will have quite a phone bill.

Things that make be think "What"

Sometimes I get the feeling that the world is zooming past me. While I was reading the paper this morning I found some things that made me think "What??"

While reading Hints from H*loise, there was a good hint about putting receipts and instruction booklets from appliances in a notebook. The thing that made me laugh a little was that she said she told her fiancee about the hint. They now have six notebooks going. Uh, just when are they going to get married? Or have they gotten that much stuff from showers? If so they must have a bunch of friends and famiy.

The next thing that got my attention was the ad on the back page of the same section. It was an add for one of those under a dollar stores. I guess since it IS still June, they would use a wedding theme for their add. In fact it was "Wedding Jitters Relief." Included in the add that caught my attention were pregnancy tests and condoms. Hmmm. You also could also have your official bridal registry with them. I wonder how many socks, reading glasses, deodorant sticks,condoms and pregnancy tests should be placed on the registry. That doesn’t include the gallons of water, eggs and aluminum foil, or would that be for the reception.

I also found that I am googled most for w*ter in the ear. I hesitate to write it out completely because I’m afraid I’ll become the number one site for that. I mean, is it really such a major problem?

Yes, I think the world is whizzing by me and I just sit here in a dazed stupor - and laugh. A lot!

Father's day

It'a no secret I lost my father in January. Actually I lost him ten years ago. That's when Alzheimer's got its grip on him. This is the first Father's Day completely without him. Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I love you and miss you so much.

Be reunited

It always seems to happen this way. Last year my family in the hill country had their family reunion the weekend after G’s family had one of theirs. This year, they are on the same day. It is not the same part of G’s family, so we committed to go. Besides, I have done a lot on the genealogy for this part of the family, and I would like to submit it.
I have never attended a reunion for my Gillespie branch of the family. I never knew they existed until three years ago. When I found them, the reunion was over. The next one wasn’t announced until we had committed to the big reunion that only happens every seven years. This year the reunion we are going to is every two years. I guess there is hope for next year.

I had never attended family reunions before I married G. My mother’s family consisted of one of her brothers whom we were close to. They lived about a mile away from us and we saw them all the time. I think there was something terrible that happened with my mother’s family when I was still too young to understand. It must have had something to do with my grandmother’s death. That is always such a passionate time anyway, and feelings are easily hurt.

One of her brothers was killed in an accident when I was very young, her sister was old enough to be her mother, and lived in Ft Worth. Another brother lived in Houston, and they were estranged for a number of years. That left my aunt and uncle who lived so close.

There was something else that happened with Dad’s family. We would visit Ma often, then it all stopped. When she died, our pastor was the one who called after seeing her obit in the paper. That must have hurt my father so, but he never let on.

Even before that with his family, the entire family unit was not close to the greater family. That is so obvious now. I knew nothing of his family past my grandmother and his sister. When I met a distant cousin at the assisted living place, we had no idea that the other existed. She didn’t know my great-grandfather, and I surely didn’t know her grandfather. They were brothers!

My family’s reunion is important to me because I would love to visit the cemetery where my great-great grandfather and other kin are buried. Since it is on private land, I need to ask. Where is it easier? I know I could ask when we go to church, but it just doesn’t seem appropriate.

Anyway, we are preparing for the reunion. Perhaps we can eat and run - to my family’s side!

It's alive again!

The D*ll is alive again. I was going to get a mother board and power supply. When the technician came out Monday, he installed everything and the power supply must have been faulty. So he arranged for another power supply, mother board, and processor. My thoughts were wow, a new computer.

When the next technician came out today, he began with the power supply. I think everything is the same inside except for the power supply. Oh well - I’ll still renew my extended warranty. To quite Martha, "It’s a good thing."

Now the next step is to get a wireless router so I can use the new laptop where ever I want.

My computer died!

This will really be short because I'm used to a notebook keydoard any more. I am a minimal typist at best, and this is really tough!

Yesterday my desk top died. I called India for support. I'm so glad I bought the three year extended wa rranty. I helped "John" diagnose that my power supply is shot, and the mother board is gone. I will have a technician here on Monday ot Tuesday to bring it back to life.

I decided that I really would like a notebook also. I have one now. I'm no longer used to the keyboard, and I really am not used to the mouse! When I was teaching, the school issued one, and I loved it. Transitions!

Bad cat!

Keeping up with keys has always been a problem for me. When I was teaching, I "lost" my classroom key on the last work day I would ever have. I had packed up everything I was removing from the classroom. The key WAS right there on my desk, but when I was ready to turn in the blasted thing - it was no where to be seen.

I was anxious to get out, so I sucked it up and paid for it. I was assured when I eventually found it, I would get my money back. Sure enough, when I got home, there was the key. It was in a notebook I emptied. Apparently I had put the key on the open notebook, then closed it with the key still there! Since the key only was $5, and I never wanted to see that building, I just threw it away.

When I got back from California, I began looking for my set of keys. I had made the conscious decision to not take them with me knowing that I would not have any need for them. I really thought I had left them on the breakfast table. They weren’t there.

My first reaction was to blame B’s cat Sasha. She loves to watch things "commit suicide." She loved to knock things off surfaces. I thought surely she had knocked the keys off, but then I couldn’t figure out what she had donewith them after that.

After looking every where, I pretty much gave up. I was getting ready to pay some bills, so I came into the office to get the bills from the cubby hole of the computer desk. Lurking there, next to the bill holder were my keys. I have never put my keys in there, in fact I never even bring my keys into this room!

I wonder how Sasha managed that!

Growing old not so gracefully

My mother in law has, once again, decided that she needs to go to an assisted living place. She really does. Her spine is badly curved, and she is in constant pain. The pain and the isolation she experiences from that pain has caused her to be very depressed. She has always been an immaculate house keeper, and the house is just too much for her. They only have one bath, and it is a shower/tub. She has trouble negotiating that tub.

A couple of weeks ago, she had my father in law convinced. She had tripped over the puppy in the back yard and broken her wrist. They have to spend hours with that dog in the back yard because he is not house broken. Fortunately it wasn’t worse than that. They were going to give the puppy to G’s sister and move.

My father in law has given it more thought, and he is fighting the move. G’s brother and sister are going to San Antonio tomorrow to take them to visit some facilities, but I just heard from G’s aunt he really doesn’t want to go. And he is using the dog as an excuse to stay in the house.

He loves his house. They have lived there for 53 years. He is attached to it. He takes the puppy on walks twice a day. But what he doesn’t realize is that the neighborhood has changed, and not in a positive way. It is dangerous for him to take those walks, and their house is just waiting for someone to break in.

This situation reminds me of my aunt and uncle many years ago. A druggie broke into their home during the early morning hours. My uncle, like my father in law, was hard of hearing. When my aunt finally woke him, he decided they needed to go out the back bedroom window. It was about 12 feet off the ground. My aunt slipped and fell. She has osteoporosis and broke every bone on her right side.

I can fully understand G’s dad’s not wanting to go to a "nursing home." He told his sister that the kids want to put him there. Well, yes. For his own good. No one is looking for the old depressing nursing home. I know full well that even the brightest facility can be rather depressing, but it is not what his parents had to be in.

As I age more, I know that she same future possible awaits me. If I live long enough, I will not be able to manage on my own. I will also be taken from my home and put into a facility. IO just hope I remember the lessons learned from our parents and go gracefully.

We live by emergencies!

Last summer we did the proverbial "closing the barn doors after the horse was out." In March of 2005, our little fifteen year old American Eskimo, who had cataracts, fell in the pool when he was on his morning outing. He nearly drowned. The sight still hurts me so much. It probably led to his eventual stroke in July when we put him down.

After he fell in, we bought a cover for the pool. Pretty much I would put it on and take it off every time we used it. I didn't want Sam to fall in again. It is not easy to put on or take off. I was killing myself.

It stayed off until October of last year when we put it on for the winter. Since the cover was on, we stopped the pool service. In the mean time, I found a new (cheaper) service, and now that all the trees have stopped blooming, it was time to take the cover off.

Now around Christmas, the pump broke. So there was no circulation for a while. We got that done. We went to California for a week. No chlorine. I also was trusting G to check the chlorine level because he spends most of his home time out there.

I wanted to get the cover off last week so we could get the new guy to come to begin cleaning. G assured me he would help me last weekend. Not. Then it began to rain. Lat night, there was no rain in the area, and I took the cover off.
Guess what. Yep the pool is a nice pea green color. I guess the combination of all the factors above and the air temperatures soaring made the pool water nice and warm. It was a perfect place for algae.

I hope John can get here soon to rescue the pool!

Rain, rain

After weeks of no rain, it appears that the monsoon season has arrived here in the Greater Houston area. That brings with it mosquitos, tons and tons of them. It brings grass that grows before your very eyes. It brings weeds that flourish in flower beds. It brings the 100% humidity that with any lifting air brings more rain.

I thought it also brought another problem - one that I thought was over. It brings a dog that doesn’t like to get her feet wet. I thought when our chow-mix died, that would no longer be a problem, but it appeared I was wrong. Simone didn’t want to go out. Yesterday morning I tried to let her out, and she looked at me as though I was crazy.

Fortunately I still have baby gates around so that meant the carpeted areas could be blocked off. There is tile in the other areas which is easy to clean. I was expecting the worst. I thought I certainly would be cleaning the tile!

I was wrong! She didn’t have any "accidents." When the weather broke for a while, she went out. I was wrong about her not wanting to get her feet wet. She is terribly afraid of thunder! She wouldn’t go out because there had been thunder a bit earlier.

Later in the day, it was lightly raining. I knew she was at the door, but I really didn’t expect her to go out when I opened it for her. She did! She went right out. I was so proud.

Gee, you would think I was talking about potty training a child. Well, some things never change. Just the circumstances change!