Big Brother thinks I made a Suspicious Transaction

Am I on the terrorist watch list? I just went to get a couple of money orders this morning at WalMart. Because the total was $1000 I had to show ID. I questioned this and the clerk showed me a framed notice regarding cash transactions and the Patriotic Act. Has anyone really read what this piece of legislation has done to our freedom? It didn't really bother me but it started me thinking about this. I have gotten a lot of money orders there. I pay my rent this way. Funny, this was the first time I was asked for ID. As far as I know I am not on any terrorist watch list. Due to the fact, according to the Patriot Act, money order transactions totaling $1000 may be considered suspicious. So what happens if I go one day and get a $500 money order and another one the next day? Am I funding a terrorist group? No I am paying my rent. On the other hand I could be sending the money to a terror group. What's funny, it seems to be who is the clerk, the mood they are in, how busy the store is and so on, because most of the time no one asks for ID. Surely the government has more important things to do with their time. If the American public were to actually read the Patriot Act, they might be concerned at how much the governemt is sticking their nose in our private business. I have heard some of our elected officials say this act is taking away our freedom gradually and that most people blindly agree with it. I dont. I dont like Big Brother watching my every move. Slowly we are being eased into a watchdog state and we are allowing them to do this in the name of freedom. We had better start paying attention before we lose too much.

Dangerous Apartments

Well, Houston's mayor and the police chief have decided that some apartment complexes are too dangerous. People who live in large complexes are more likely to be crime victims than other places. There has suddenly been an increase in crime here. A lot of this is caused by people who evacuated Louisiana. These people are also sometimes victims of crime against them because other people dont want them here. Imagine that...So the mayor and the police chief are trying to work out a system to fix the problem. Every day someone gets robbed, asaulted, or killed in and around these apartments. There are a lot of people in Houston are tired of some of the people who have moved here and are creating problems because among other things some think the world owes them. I am really curious as to how the city is going to fix the problem.

What was I thinking?

Who says 15 people in one house is fun? Annie and Jason and their 2 kids made it to Houston at 4:00 Wed morning. Jimmy and I thought that they would be the only ones staying with us till we went to Cameron. Then Bobby called and decided that since he was not sure how to get to Cameron from Aransas Pass, he and Traci and their 3 would come to Houston and follow us to Cameron. Then Amanda, Pat and his girl friend and her son would come here too. Yikes! Talk about your Chineze Fire drill! So we all get ready to go Thursday morning. Everybody is ready but Jason. Seems he forgot to get gas the night before. So we all decide to head up the road and tell him to catch up. He decides to go a different way. Meanwhile Annie calls over and over asking where we are. We dont know if they are lost or what. Imagine trying to get 4 carloads of 15 people all going the same way!Not going to happen!. Ultimately, with great anxiety we all get to Cameron without killing each other. Some 40 to 50 people are expected there. We have not seen Aunt Pat and her family in 5 years. I guess it was probably a typical family gathering. Aunt Pat was sweet as usual. 2 of her sons were there with their families. One brother is a nice, easy to get along with guy. The other is a pompass blowhard who pontificates his views onto everyone. Makes you want to smack him. Jimmy's sister and brother in law were there along with their son and his girl friend. She will never forgive her son for not following the life path she planned for him. And as usual she rarely makes eye contact with me. So what else is new. Haven't seen her in 5 years. Nice going Jean! We took pictures of everybody. Then Traci's husband did his usual thing of beering himself to sleep. We took pictures of him asleep on the lawn. At least no one comes to blows. That's later.

Bobby and Traci had decided to drive back home from Cameron, but changed their minds and everybody ended up back at our house. Friday Amanda invited Annie and Traci and their families to her house for dinner. Bobby and Traci decide to go home from there. Well, once again Bobby drinks himself to sleep. Traci and the kids came back to our house. I get up Sat morning and find a 3 year old lying on the floor, only to discover she and all her kids are here. Seems she got mad at Bobby. This was after Bobby had gotten into a fight with Annie because he doesn't like Jason. Don't know why he could not take the problem up with Jason. In the mean time the 3 year old gets sick. Oh, and somewhere in the mix Bobby had gone to a convienence store for more beer and cigarettes and punched out the clerk because he thought he'd been shorted his change. He was actually quite proud of it too. Just add a little more stress for me.

Then They finally decide to leave Sat and Traci and Bobby get into a fight with me over the 10 year old. The 10 year old is 10 going on 30. She doesn't get along with her mother. Seems her mother is always playing on the computer or blogging her friends and Def Leppard groupies. We would like to be able to send Cheyanne e-mails but her mother refuses to let her on the computer because she doesn't keep her room clean. Traci and Bobby let her have a tv in her room for all the kids to watch. As you would expect the 3 and 4 year olds get into her stuff and she gets upset. Traci says that she goes into the little ones room and messes up. Somehow, I feel the kid is not getting a fair deal. I think they have set the rules so high that she is set up to fail. So they argue constantly. I suggested that they give her a little space because she is so much older than the other 2, but got a smart crack that if she wants space, they'll take the tv out. Momma also makes her watch the little ones while momma fixes supper. As a result no one is happy. Call me a meddler but the girl is pre-pubesant and need her own privacy space. Mom and Dad dont see it that way. So they got mad at me and packed up the kids and left without telling me or Jimmy bye, not even the kids. Just an average family get together.

Sunday was fairly quiet, only 2 kids crying. Annie and Jason and the kids left today about noon. Peace has now resettled on the Malitz zoo, I mean house. I still worry about the 10 year old though. What 10 year old keeps a spotless room, especially with a 3 and 4 year old allowed to roam freely throughout the house. If they would just give her reachable goals and a reason to succeed, but I know she feels why bother, no matter what she does, it's not good enough. Only time will tell.

Just your average Thanksgiving with family. Finally, I have my house back, God I love the Quiet!

I feel lost

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and I feel lost. I've been trying to get my daughter and her family to go to Cameron with the rest of the family. Seems that they cant find the money to come. I offered to help them out if they could make it here. So far nothing has worked. My husband is getting grouchy. Now he thinks I should have wired them money. I dont know anymore. No matter what I try I feel that I cant win. We gone from toying with the idea of letting them stay here to get on their feet to giving them a little money to help them get to Thanksgiving. Time is running out and I fear that no matter what I suggest someone will not be happy. My husband is mad because I didnt just go ahead and send them money and be done with it. Maybe I should have. I guess it's too late now and it will be my fault they cant come. I just feel lost.

Who's in Charge Here?

Seems like every time I wash dishes Astro (the parrot) decides to start vocalizing. The longer it takes me to do the dishes the louder he gets. It is as if he is telling me that I am disturbing him. He has also figured out where the bag of peanuts is. Since he gets those as a treat, when he hears me open the bag, he moves to his feeding dish and waits.

Then, of course, we have the bickering girls, Lady and Daisy. Last night Daisy discovered my husband's cell phone. She thought the leather case would be a tasty treat. Luckily, I caught her before any permanent damage was done. And of course Daisy thinks it's great fun to nip Lady in the butt, and run circles around her, barking all the while. One good thing Lady is moving a little quicker. After all she is the Grand Dame at 8 years old.

Oh, but it gets better. During the day it never fails. As I sit down to watch my soaps, Astro decides to interrupt by vocalizing his opinion loudly. Add in the barking dogs and it becomes louder. Now what did Luke just say to Tracy? I have thought of opening the windows since it is cooler, but I swear sometimes Astro sounds almost human in his yelling. I'd hate to have the cops show up thinking somebody was being attacked.

Sometimes it feels as if the inmates are running the asylum. Where's the Haldol? Then just as quickly Daisy tuckers out. The next thing I see are Lady and Daisy lying quietly together. Of course Astro continues a running commentary on life in the Malitz zoo. Makes me wonder who really is in charge?

Government Speak, Ain't it Great?

I've seen reports about the new Medicare Drug program and something occured to me that has nothing to do with it. Ever notice that lawmakers make things impossible to read? How does this happen? It really doesn't matter whether it is local, state or national. Somehow it seems that all bills and laws are made in such a way that no-one can understand it. Why can't it be simple? Maybe the lawmakers dont want us to understand. Maybe there are too many lawyers making laws? I find it interesting that a person who is interested in this kind of stuff starts out with good intentions and the ability to speak plain English. Then they get elected so plain English goes out the window.It is bad enough that all the bills are packed with "pork" but it the average constituent would not understand it.Why to they have to make it so complicated? We all know what a mess the tax situation is. And to think there is panel which recommended streamlining it. If what they have done is simplify this , how come people still dont understand it? Who is getting the kickbacks? Even the health people dont understand the drug program. I know that the insurance companies going to be making big bucks. And what happens if a person has all their medicines on one program approved by a company and then the doctor gives a medicine that is not on that company's formulary? Do they have to get other coverage for that at additional cost? Why do the lawmakers make it so hard. How did they get this way. A normal person with normal views and suggestions suddenly talks in 100 word sentences when a simple five word statement would say the same thing? It is no wonder people dont trust the people who are supposed to represent them. There are thousands of pages of legislation written in this country every year. How many people actually understand them? Obviously the KISS system is not invoked for law makers.

Devil or Angel, Which am I?

What to do , what to do. Once again we are on the fence about helping my daughter and her family. I really dont feel that we will be sucessful, but that is being negative. My husband and 22 year old step-daughter and I have been discussing this for a while. What is the best way to push a 26 year old with a husband and 2 kids into independence. They have sunk into nothingness. You'd think after 6 years of marriage and 2 kids, you'd think they would have figured out how to grow up. Apparently they have not. It seems to be easier to live with his parents (and his older sister and her 2 kids)then be on their own. In the time they have been married, they've only been by themselves for a few months at a time. Most of the time they have lived with family. So we have been discussing if we should try to help. This would not be the first time we've tried to help people. So, far it has not ended well. In talking with my daughter, I've suggested different options. Each one had been rejected. The other day I asked if they had looked into finding jobs in Las Cruces, but was told that because it is a college town, they would not be any jobs. So, being shot down yet again, we wonder if her husband' mother is allowing them to be lazy and not encouraging them to move on. So,as a result we are once again toying with the idea of letting them stay with us get jobs here. Do I be the Good Mom or the Bad Mom? Hubby wants to set a time limit and ground rules. This includes helping with our increased expenses and babysitting while they search and find work. My step-daughter said he has contacts as far as possible jobs and housing. One of the problems for me though is I am afraid that they will take advantage of us. Having been burned a couple of times before, I hesitate to offer help. After all they are 26, it's about time they grew up. I just don't know what to do. He is not easy to get along with, and their kids stay up way to late as far as I am concerned. Since these 2 adults are no longer going to college or are employed, they tend to lounge around. They dont get the kids showered and dressed until late morning. We are early morning people. He is very smart, was planning to go into aerospace engineering. But his "I'm smarter then everyone" attitude angers people. She seems to have gotten lazy and depends on (or uses) to get what she wants. I really feel that his mother has done her children a disservice by allowing such sluggish behavior of her kids. Or maybe she is blessed with an overabundance of patience. Not Me! I can not imagine me allowing grown children and their children living with me free and clear till whenever... My stepdaughter has been on her own for 2 years now and is doing fine. I am really not in favor of trying to help out this people. I don't know what expectations my daughter and her husband have. If I don't help I'm bad, if I do help I am bad. I just don't understand how 2 smart people can't seem to figure out how to make a go of things. I remember when I got married a long time ago, we moved from South Carolina to Texas on a wing and a prayer.We did better than they are with less than they have. What do I want to be? Devil or Angel, I fear that either way someonw will be unhappy. Most likely me.

Daisy's Test

Well, today was an eventful one. I had to leave the house for a couple of hours. I had to put Daisy in our bathroom. Our bathroom is big and has a window so there is plenty of light. So I put Daisy in there with one of her stuffed toys and a chew toy, hoping this would amuse her and keep her out of trouble. Surprise, it worked. She was well behaved, and didn't leave me any gifts. I have also started the "positive" training by watching do her business outside and rewarding her when she does it. I have also discovered that I am going to have to leash train her. Apparently she has never been for a walk on a leash. So before she and Lady can go for a walk around the neighborhood, I have to get her used to it. Just like breaking a horse, but much, much smaller. Hopefully she will improve. Now if I can just teach her not to pick at Lady. Lady is not amused by Daisy's attempts to engage her in play. Lady, being the diva of the house, has no desire to run and play or give up any of her space to this youngster. This includes my lap. Lady is learning to tolerate certain things. Funny, they can be barking, nipping and snarling one minute and lying together in the same chair the next. So far today has been good. No accidents yet, she still thinks I am her pillow though. I can't sit down with out her hoping into the chair with me, especially if Lady is there, too. Only time will tell.

Clean up your shit, dog!

Not again. I just stepped in poop. I just let Daisy outside for about 20 to 30 minutes. She came, ran upstairs and pooped. Grrr... what is it with this dog. I have to keep her penned up at night because she will do her thing. I let her out the first thing in the morning. She'd rather come back inside and antagonist Lady. As the Diva of the house Lady will have none of this. I am begining to think that the previous owner did not try to housebreak Daisy. So far, she is resisting any efforts to learn. Positive reinforcement and rewards dont seem to do the trick. She goes out side several times a day. I have limited her feeding to morning and nothing after 4 pm. If I leave the house for more than an hour she will leave me a package as if to say "How dare you leave me" I hope she gets the message soon. Housebreaking this puppy is going nowhere. When Mama isnt happy, no one is happy. Daisy, get with the program. Watch Lady, she knows what to do. Learn to take care of your own shit.

Are there really no jobs in El Paso?

Do the Hispanics or people who can speak Spanish get all the jobs in El Paso? My daughter and her husband seem to think so. Right now they are living with his parents and neither one has a job. They did have an apartment while he was in school. He had a government job which was a temp one processing rural home loans with th US Agriculture Dept. Well, that job ended. They thought they were going to move, but they didnt. My daughter said she cant get a job in El Paso because she cant speak spanish. And of course the wages are low because of all the Mexicans who get the jobs. I really find it hard to believe that she cant get a job. Her sister-in-law moved to Las Cruces and got a job. Why cant they drive to Las Cruces? It is not that far. If they truly cant get a job in El Paso, why dont they look there? It's not that far to drive on a daily basis. I used to live in a small town about 70 miles from Houston. I drove 140 miles everyday to work. Are they really trying? Am I wrong? Is it really that hard to get a job? Las Cruces seems to be the closest city to El Paso, so what dont they check out the prospects there? What is the deal? I know he had an offer in Phoenix, where they used to live, but turned it down cause it didnt pay enough. Right now I dont understand, are there really no jobs for them?

Texans attack Colts

Yeah right. The Texans will "play" the Colts Sunday. The question is not how badly they will lose, but what are the odds that they could actually beat the Colts? Slim to none. However, many a strange thing has happened in the NFL. More often than not a no-nothing team bites a winning team in the ass. After what do they have to lose? While there is a slim chance for a surprise win by the Texans, I doubt it. The Colts are just too good. The Texans are 17 point underdogs. No-one would suggest to the Texans that they need to continue to be the worst NFL team, but it would indeed benefit them. After all with the worst record, they get the first draft pick. If the Texans get the top pick it wont really matter who it is. Probably the top pick will be a quarterback or running back. The Texans should take who ever they pick and immediately trade him for an offensive line. While David Carr is a good quarterback, he seems to be shell-shocked all the time because he has no help to protect him. It does not matter what plays are called because the line stinks. The team made a coaching change earlier this season to no avail. Team owner Bob McNair can not afford to continue footing the bills for a losing team. Attendance is down. Rumors are swirling about the future of Capers and Casserly. It may be time for a change. The Texans should hope and work toward the goal of getting the first draft pick and then maybe a new head coach and general manager. If any or all of these changes aren't made I really doubt the Texans will go anywhere. They might as well put a down payment on the basement, they're gonna be there a while. But then again, the Houston Chronicle wrote off the Astros and look where they went. But, the Texans really need an offensive line. And when is the draft?

Phil Garner should have been Manager of the Year

Here we go again. Houston gets no respect. I am outraged that Phil Garner did not win the Manager of the Year for the National League. Ozzie Guillen won for the American League. I realize that the voting was done at the end of the season and the the World Series does not factor into the voting decisions, but... Come on, any manager who can revive a team given up for dead in June to going to the playoffs should have more consideration. Bobby Cox was the winner. He won last year too. I dont think he did as much this year as Garner did. Garner came in third! St.Louis manager Tony LaRussa came in second. Somehow, I dont think this it right. But, Houston is no stranger to getting the shaft. We all know about the questionable unpire's calls as well as the roof flap. Historically, Houston always seem to get no respect. Houston is the fourth largest city in the country and yet it is considered to be a "small market" for TV and radio coverage. When asked to name a baseball team or football team, the average person will say something like Yankees, or Steelers, but they dont say Astros. As far as respect for the talents of our sports teams in Houston, there is none. The Houston Rockets basketball team won back to back championships but only got a regional Sports Illustrated cover. The Chicago Bulls got a national cover. There again an example of the lack of respect and "small market" mindset. What do our teams have to do to get the respect they deserve? For that matter what about the City of Houston? We have hosted the Superbowl and what do people remember? Janet Jackson. We've had the Baseball All-star game, college bowl games, yet we get no respect. The city has been in the news for the spectacular way Houston handled the thousands of hurrican evacuees. The nation was in awe that Houston could do it so fast and so well. But, our Houston Astros cant get respect. Willie Tavares handled the loss of Rookie of the Year very well, and Phil Garner handled the loss of Manager of the Year with class. The Astros are a class act. The national medial need to know. How the powers that be in Major League Baseball managed to only vote third place for Phil Garner is a crime! He should be Manager of the Year! What will happen when the Astros win the World Series? Will we get respect then? I doubt it. Phil Garner deserved to be Manager of the Year!

How about lowering my bills?

Gas prices and the Huge oil industry profits have me thinking how companies could change their image. I used to own stock in companies like WalMart, Exxon and some other companies. I learned some things about corporations by buying and selling stocks. Dividends were always nice. When I owned IBM I put my dividends back into a purchase fund. So, how come companies dont think of ways to back back their customers? It seems that every time I turn around prices are going up. The electric bill, cable, phone, insurance, gas, retail stores. So, when profits are good, how come companies dont reduce prices? For example Time-Warner recently raised our cable bill about $2.00. But, I've never heard of any of these companies lowering prices. Send me a letter telling me you are lowering your monthly rates. Not going to happen. If stock holders can get benefits when the companies are doing well by stock splits or increased dividends why can't customers get the same benefits. What happened to the price rollback guy from WalMart? Of course I think that whenever WalMart ran the rollback prices commercials that usually meant some other item was going up in price. I think it would be a novel idea if more companies showed appreciation to their customers instead of just those who can afford to buy stock.Instead of everything going up, it would be nice to get an insert in my electric, water, cable, phone, etc bills saying that these companies have appreciated their customers and made nice profits and they will be lowering my monthly bills. What a concept! Unfortunately I doubt this will ever happen. But it would be nice to think that the average person could get a break. I wonder how many more customers these companies would get if they lowered the bills. But I guess the big companies can't afford to give us little people a break. In the capitalistic society it is buyer beware. Supply and demand. Companies always say that the cost of doing business is constantly rising so they have to raise their prices. And the little people like me always get stuck with the increase. I wonder if any company has ever thought about it? Would it really hurt to buck the trend and lower a customer's bill?

Boy, was she lucky!

Laura Pratt was driving to work Sunday morning. Her drive took her near Hooks Airport. That is where luck got into her car. As she drove she saw a small plane flying very low near her. Swerving she drove into the other lane. Suddenly the plane crashed onto her car. Sadly the two people on the plane were killed. But Laura Pratt escaped with only minor injuries. She was taken to the hospital for tests. It wasn't until Sunday night that she fully realized what had happened to her when she saw a picture of her car on the news. She was amazed and realized just how lucky she was.It was almost unbelievable. If it weren't so serious, it would almost make a funny story to tell her insurance company. I can just hear the phone call. "I've had an accident and would like to file a claim for damage to my car." "Yes, ma'me, what happened?" "I was hit by a plane." "What? Is this a joke?" If it weren't so unbelievable , it might be funny. Laura is one lucky lady.

I'm already behind..

Man, I am so far behind I don't know where to start. WalMart is playing Christmas music already. I saw an suv with a Christmas tree on top. Guess somebody is getting ready to decorate. Won't be long until I start seeing wreaths on the grills of cars.It's November 7th and I dont have my Dickens Village up yet. This is becoming a monumental task. We first had a couple of buildings on a cedar chest for decoration. Now, it incompasses 2 tables of full size plywood and another table made of a half sheet of plywood. This is still not big enough so I have to create more space in the bay window and book shelves. What once took 5 minutes to create,now takes closer to 2 weeks to get everything put together. Trying to re-create the London of the 1800's is no easy task. Snow, trees, characters and night lights need to be as real as possible. One of these days, I'll actually get some fog filtering around the city. Sometimes I wonder why I bother. My husband and I enjoy it, the kids and grandkids do too. But,alas I don't think any of them want to inherit it, nor do they have the patience to put it together. And of course space is a problem. I have had to treaten my husband not to buy any this year. But that probably wont last, he'll see a building and it will beg to go home with him. It's time to get busy, and I am running behind...

Answer Your E-Mail, Dummy!

As I read through the blogs the other day I came across a reference to someone blogging but not answering his e-mail. Is this becoming a problem? I e-mailed two of my daughters on Oct 29 and neither has answered. I was asking them if they would be able to come to Thanksgiving. While one did not directly answer my e-mail, she did call and mention they were thinking about it. Reading between the lines, I don't think they will be able to since they are on a very tight budget and live in El Paso.But my other daughter who lives in Aransas Pass has yet to respond. Since people will be coming from scattered parts of Texas, arrangements need to be made. Since it has been over a week, I thought about calling, but decided against it for a couple of reasons. I rarely can get hold of her by phone. If I do manage to catch her the connection is bad or she is so distracted by kids that she never seems to be paying attention. Whenever she wants me to baby sit the kids she always e-mails me with a note like "how about a fun evening with the kids?" In truth, I feel that sometimes she just uses me for her benefit. She doesnt call or write. Mother's day, birthday, anniversary I dont hear from her. Now I realize she has her hands full with three children.I had 3 kids, too including twins. She works parttime doing the books for her husband's newspaper and spends many hours blogging on thirty-some different blogs. She manages to keep up to date with all of them. She also spends a lot of time keeping up her groupie status with Def Leppard. I assume this leaves little time for her to answer her e-mail. It must be hard to find 30 seconds to send a short note to poor old decrepid mother. I don't know. Is there an e-mail etiquette book out there? Could be a good Christmas present for those people who can't seem to find the time to answer their e-mail. Answer your e-mail, dummy. Sigh...where is Emily Post when you need her?

Sports Stars vs Children

Our local CBS station has been running a series on local pro sports stars who are not paying their child support. One report was on Antwan Peek who has four children from three different women. He owes in the 5 figure range for each kid. He is not the only sports figure to be in this situation. What is with these guys? Some of the guys apparently have had these kids but were not married to the child's mother. Some like Ricky Williams have multiple problems in addition to child support issues.His drug problems are well known. While everyone realizes that marriages go bad and many have children involved, but some of our sports heros just seem to procreate without any regard to taking care of the products of the unions. Now, these pro stars make a lot of money, so how do they manage to get so far out of control? I just dont understand why they think that they can do what they want and not have to pay like the rest of people paying child support. I realise that most people who watch pro sports dont really care about the private lives of these people, but I know their children do.Who is really responsibe here? Did the women trick these guys just to get money, or are these men stupid? Whatever the opinions are, this is irresponsible parenting.

The War Is On

As I sit here at this moment Daisy is furiously trying to get Lady's attention. She barking, running and bouncing around. Lady is on the sofa letting her know who is boss by growling and threating her. God, it's noisy in here. Daisy is begging Lady to play with her, but Lady is thinking, "get in my chair, kid and you're gonna be sorry." Looks like a story from Animal Planet. Who's in charge here? "Aw, come on Lady, play with me..." As I yell for quiet Daisy is chagrined, but undaunted. It's gonna be a long day.

And how come I can't get an answer from my kids about Thanksgiving? One I dont think has the money to come from El Paso since neither she or her husband are working. Living with in-laws must be "fun". The older one who has 3 kids is more interested in being a rock groupie for Def Leppard, She spent last Sunday in San Antonio drooling over them in concert. The dogs and the parrot have better manners.

Ooops, it's suddenly quiet in here, where is Daisy? Ah,ha, found her in the hall in front of the laundry room, tearing up a dryer sheet that has fallen in front of the dryer. Oh, wait a minute, she's back barking at Lady. It's gonna be a long day...

Daisy's Debut

Call me a sucker, but we have just adopted another dog. Last week it was a parrot, this week a six month old dachsund puppy. My eight year old dachsund is, at this point not too thrilled. Lady is standing her ground. As yet she has not done any more than just growl at Daisy as if to tell the youngster "You're in my territory,kid". We are going to see how this goes for a while. I told my stepdaughter that we would try and see if they would get along. The puppy was owned by an older lady who was not able to take care of her. We shall see. Lady has had the run of the house and well trained "parents" for eight years now. This will be interesting to see how this works out. Hopefully, it will. If we find that they can not get along we do have a backup plan because my stepdaughter has a couple of friends will take Daisy. After one night, we have survived. The parrot could care less and Lady remains aloof while Daisy bounces around in childlike glee.

A Man Can't Have Too Many Shirts

As I did the laundry yesterday I noticed something's not right here. My husband has more shirts than I have underwear. He's got work shirts, casual shirts and shirts he'll never wear. Some he has outgrown and some he just will not wear. He even has shirts that he inherited after his father died. He cant wear those either. I thought I'd take count of just how many he has. He usually wears the Dickie uniform type shirts to work. He has five dark blue shirt sleeve summer shirts and five dark blue long sleeve shirts. He has worn this style work shirts for years. So earlier this year he decided to change his work look a little. So he bought some colored short sleeve shirts to work in. He figured he'd scare the guys at work by wearing different coolors. So get bought five new work shirts, colored white, peach, green, tan, and orange. He wore them for a while. Now he's back to his basic blue. For week-end and going out he has four solid colored short sleeved shirts and five long sleeved solid colored shirts. He has three patterned short sleeved and four patterned long sleeve shirts which he never wears. He also has two western style heavier shirts he occasionaly wears as a light jacket. Or make that rarely. Now, he wont wear a suit so he has no dress shirts. The only time he would even consider wearing a suit is to a funeral. The last funeral was five years ago. He'll have to buy a new one for the next funeral. Since he never throws anything away, he still has shirts that he can no longer wear. Man, that's enough. What's funny is that he has a couple of shirts that he wears over and over and over. I have tried to rotate them in the closet but he still finds them. I don't know why he has so many shirts since he seems to wear the same ones so often. But, I guess a man can't have too many shirts. I took a look at my clothes-I need to do some serious shopping!