Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Birthday Bonanzas and 500 posts!!
I've noticed that families seem to be on one side or the other of the year having babies. My bunch seems to like the days around Thanksgiving and the last days of the year. Trust me on that...
This is my 500th post! My how the days have flown. Glad to have gotten to know some over the net and have met some of you irl. That was cool.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Birthday Onslaught Begins Soon....
This is what he wants:
I couldn't understand why he didn't want a skateboard. Here is a picture of a really cool one. It is the largest one in the world.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Big Giant Worms
Found a picture of "The Big Green Worm"....well, it isn't a picture of the one I found, but his cousin for sure. They really camouflage well, too. It was very difficult to spot on the leaves. I guess it doesn't hurt that "Tremors" is one of my favorite silly movies, either. Biology was my most favorite subject and still is. My kids can tell you about the Thanksgiving I dissected the turkey for them with the bonus of dissecting the heart and all the chambers...just so they would know. My kids are cool that way. Their mother is gross this way, but the lab guys get a kick out of letting me see the echo cardiogram of my heart and are impressed when I know the name of the valve and I am intrigued to see it work so efficiently. It is really cool and if you are brave and get a chance it is worth the look. Also, I've seen the inside of my eye....the opthalmologist I used to see would put the picture up on the screen and it was so beautiful. The color is a clear orange with no inclusions and perfect as can be. That was way cool.
While looking for a picture I found this poem...and I'll betcha we all learned some version of it when we were little. That reminds me to check on my grandson's learning about this subject. I'm sure I was 9 or so when I learned it.
The Worms Crawl In The Worms Crawl Out
Don't ever laugh as the hearse goes by
For you may be the next to die.
They put you in a big black box
then cover you up with dirt and rocks.
All goes well for about a week
and then your coffin begins to leak.
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
The worms play Pinochle on your snout.
They eat your eyes, they eat your nose
They eat the jelly between your toes.
A big green worm with rolling eyes
crawls in your stomache and out your eyes.
Your stomach turns a slimy green
and puss pours out like whipping creme.
Spread it on a slice of bread,
that's what you eat when you are dead.
Source: Cemetery Culture
It has been a very pleasant evening even with the after dinner poetry. Since walking is not in the agenda these days....swollen painful foot, I decided to catch up on some stuff. Like listen to some cds I'd ordered and not had time to get into. They are really good, but I've heard the best songs so many times...oh well. Then I started working on a knitting project I really needed to finish, because my dil had brought the throw I'd given her last Christmas to be repaired. It had come loose in some spots, a sure sign of it having been used a lot. There was chocolate gook on it, too. I told her I wasn't a very good knitter and we laughed when she said she wasn't a knitter at all, but she loved the throw. Good way to get points, girls. So, hubby opened cds and I got most of my washcloth project done. There is a little soap bag that goes with it and I thought it would be cute for a small gift and also, on the plus side it is a way for me to learn new stitches without committing to a large project. I've already put in a frantic email request for help to my mentor.
If you knit or crochet here is a link to the Lion Brand patterns. I only knit, but have plans to learn crochet. I know how to embroider...if I remember it.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Freedom
It is going to be a quiet weekend here in North Central Texas. Alex has moved on and didn't cause us too much grief; however, it was a close call for my youngest daughter. She had to work in Houston the day Alex came in. It was pouring rain down there. As she was starting home to Austin on highway 290 her car started skidding and ran over the median. She had one side in her lane and one going into the opposite traffic. A policeman stopped and helped her out of the car. She had no injuries, Thank you Lord! and the officer told her lots of people have been killed at that place. There is a section of road by my house that everytime it drizzles someone runs up in the yard and into a tree or something. My daughter was blessed and watched over that day. She didn't tell me until last night...little goofball. Her neck is a little stiff, but otherwise she is in good health. I gotta tell ya...she was totally freaked out and she never gets scared. Thank goodness for huge company cars, a Crown Vic. The car was totaled and the undercarriage was torn all to heck, but the top didn't have a scratch on it. It will be months before she gets another company car, but that is ok with me. It wasn't her fault and nobody was injured. I haven't talked with her today, though. Correction....I did talk to her this evening and she feels fine. She is ironing and cleaning house getting ready for the long weekend.
I'm looking forward to a day of not having to do anything. Since I've been feeling better they are getting farther and farther apart. It looks like I'm going to have to start hawking my little garden for worms too. I went out to check the little vegetable garden this morning and there was a gigantic worm that had eaten all the leaves off one of my okra plants and had done a number on one of the eggplant leaves. The worm is now residing in a bag of yard clippings. It actually was a beautiful light green worm. It wasn't a tomato horn worm, but it was/is a work of art. It has "scales" that cover and protect it. Worst that happened to it here was it got dumped into a bag of yard waste. It is probably chomping away in there.
The days have been much cooler and we finally got rain from Alex. It is too bad we can't share it around so nobody gets too much or too little but we are grateful for it. We had been entering a drought before the storm. It is very unusual for it to be coolish in July in Texas! The week before the temps had been 100F.
4th of July plans are being made and they are super simple. My cousin is coming to visit and is bringing desert....after a flashing round of emails we both decided brownies would be the very best thing in the world for dessert. I have some frosting and she has something equally evil, but legal, for them. I'm going to cook a brisket and some pecan smoked sausage, sliced red tomatoes, some squash from our little garden, and some peppers from our little grocery store, and maybe some macaroni salad for them. Trust me I'll be not having carbs for a good long time after Independence Day! Also, I am going to splurge on a new Scrabble game for us. I love playing and my cousin and I used to have several games going online at Scrabulous, but they have gone by the wayside now. She plays some game that is very similar, but I haven't gotten into it yet. It is fun to play with her, her daughter who lives in Seattle and my sister.....who we think cheats with Scrabble aids. We consider that to be not as pure as going it straight, but we cut her a lot of slack.
Last night was an experience with the C Pap machine. Yikes! At first it was the devil to get set up and started and then it wouldn't work properly. I finally got to sleep with it blowing my face off, but it was sleep. Then about 4am I awoke with a start and said "What the HECK! There isn't any air!" It had just quit working and I had to take the thing off to breathe. "Saint Hubby" worked on it and got it going somehow or other. The rest of the night was uneventful and this morning we started trying to figure out what was going on with it. We finally just called them and they are bringing a new one out next week. She asked if I could manage on my own and I told her I'd managed for 65 years and I figured a few more days would be doable. I'm fixin' to give it another run and see what happens. If you don't hear from me again, it will be the C Pap turned on me and smothered me.
I ordered "Mrs. Miniver" the other day from Amazon and am anxiously awaiting the movie. I'm wanting it right now, but the postage to get it in 2 days was astronomical. So, I'll wait. They might have it at Blockbuster, though. I thought that was such a good movie.
After 9/11 I wondered if I would or could be as strong a woman as Mrs. Miniver. Maureen Dowd wrote a column about that subject after 9/11 and it got me thinking, and I still wonder from time to time. I love to read her columns, but have fallen off the wagon lately in keeping up with her strong wit. I miss Molly Ivins and Ann Richards, too. Makes me wonder where have all the strong Democratic women gone. I'm grateful to have lived while they were alive and so vibrant.
Sleep well. I'm going to go throw myself in the bed now. Night Night
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Hungry Owl Project
The main page is located here http://www.hungryowl.org/. This is the hungry owl project main page, and here is the webcam to watch the little owls grow.
http://ustweet.net/channel/nicasio-owl
The idea is to get land owners and farmers and vinyard owners to not use pesticides on crops incects eat and then the owl eats and then feeds to her owlets. You can get HOP boxes from them for your mama owls. But be sure to check out the webcam.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
More of the story of Sick Ole Amber and Her Daughter's Encounter
Oh yeah...Dr. Primary told me I no longer have diabetes after talking to me for three minutes. I just looked at him and asked how did he know that. He started off on some bs rabbit trail so I told him I still use the Lantus and humalog. Those are the injectable meds. Oh, he said. In that case just use the Lantus at night. I just left the old guy doc, because he just wanted to give me pain pills and tranks everytime I came in. I guess, so I'd go away and leave him alone, and I actually wanted to feel well. I'd stayed with him for 37 years and it wasn't for the drugs, either. He really was a great diagnostician....he's so old he'd seen everything in the medical world. Now this one wants to go one on one with me instead of treating me with tlc. He just doesn't know. God forgive me but the first night I was in the ER back in April when they gave me the evil Morphine, I think I cursed out a church pastor. He was asking me to pray with him and I figured I had enough to pray about for myself and he could just pray for himself and I told him so and to "Get Thee hence and the hell out of my room!" At some point he broke into tears. I was stunned by that from someone like him. I couldn't help myself much less him! I haven't seen him since which is unusual because all the new doctors have offices at that hospital. I've run into a lot of people there when going to appointments...even a lady in my knitting group. My husband said it was the ER...I can't figure why my husband allowed him to badger me that night or allow him in my room. He said he thought he was another doctor. I wonder how long it would have taken him to figure out he was a psycho? I may just post this...except I was going another way with my life story. Changed my mind.
ps-I have sleep apnea, too and they put aside a darlin' little blue mask for me. It is to die for. Hell, won't I be a beauty? The first night of the testing I certainly was. I scared myself when I had to get unhitched to go to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My hair was standing up all over my head from the gunk they use to hold the leads to you. The guy had warned me about how hard it is to get the mess off and to get some Goo Gone to get it out of my hair. Hubby went to get some and after reading the WARNINGS it didn't seem like a good choice at all. I found some stuff they had given me at the hospital for a "dry" bath. I figured what the heck...and gave it a whirl. It all came out with no hassle. I can hardly wait to see the pulmonologist on the 21st to get my lovely mask, at least I hope he is the one who has it. After the second night in the sleep lab I was ready to cut and run and did as soon as I could get out of there.
Now to the post I'd meant to write this morning about my oldest daughter. Her fiancee decided going to the wilderness to camp would be about the funnest thing he could think of to spend time with my Her, aka The Princess. She has been a great sport about camping in the past even though she loathes it, but figured if there was a/c in the RV it was sort of ok and there was usually a river close by to swim in. So, reluctantly she agreed to go with him and a bunch of people they know to camp on the Guadalupe River, near Greune, Tx. (prounounced-Green). Very early in the morning Rman woke The Princess and said " tiWe gotta go!!" He is sort of like Tommy Lee Jones or Viggo Mortenson when it comes to man talk. He was serious and she knew it. She didn't think she had shoes with her and only flip flops. He had cut the barb wire between them and a hill with some bolt cutters he had with him. He must have been a boy scout before he was a Marine. Who else would take bolt cutters with them on a camping trip. He told her to hang on tight when they got out and she did. She told me the current was unbelievable, and trying to keep on those flip flops was a real challenge. She had charge of some children of some of their friends and was keeping them rounded up. She said it was surreal walking through a river with Lord knows what in it, climbing the hill in flip flops with kids all around her, lightning crashing on all sides and rain like crazy. Rman had gone back to help others get out safely. There were some people in a tree, but they opted to stay where they were. Wise decision. He did get some others out and one couple were staying on the river pre wedding day. She had her wedding dress, rings, and passport with her in anticipation of a wonderful wedding to remember. It will be remembered alright. All of the wedding stuff was lost. However, the next day a box was found in an upside down trailer and her wedding dress was in the box. Princess told me the box was muddy as all get out, but the dress was spotless white. The rings and passport haven't been recovered that I am aware of. She was very sensitive on the ring issue, because a couple of weeks ago hers went missing while she was cooking. She had put them on the windowsill and then they were gone. Rman only said one word and then he was ok. I told her to get a chain and wear it around her neck like Frodo. A few weeks later TP was hunting sea glass with her maid's daughter when Marti came out with TP's cell. She told her someone was ringing her....the ring was on top of the phone. There was great joy and happiness in that household that night! They have too much time on their hands for sure.
Back to the flood. Rman and TP's RV and truck were the last ones to not get damage. All the ones parked behind them were flooded and they will have to pay for the rented rvs. Worst news ever, except for the family of the gentleman who drowned. I suggested possibly their homeowners or car insurance might pay. We will see.
TP was so upset when I talked to her the next day I could hardly understand her. Actually she was still incoherent from fear and shock I thought she had a bottle of booze and laying in the back seat holding it like a baby. I'm surprised she could speak at all. They were staying with one of Rman's cousins until they could help the other friends get their stuff sorted out. Earlier that day I'd seen the awful pictures of the flood on the news and said..."My daughter was down there camping this past weekend!" I'd forgotten they had planned to stay until Wednesday or Thursday. I just figured out a way for us to save about $50,000. We aren't going to buy an RV for sure. That is also a way to know you are a native Texan, when you have a cousin to who will shelter you at anytime and anywhere. Cousins are very good things to have. God saving your loved ones is even better.
