WalMart vs the Bra

This is a female issue for sure. While we were buying groceries last week I decided to look for a new bra. I had put off the purchase for so long that I really had to do something. Excuse me,but what have they done with the normal underware? How come WalMart now has a large selection of screaming neon colors? They look like something a pre-teen would want. Others have so much padding they would bounce if dropped on the floor. And of course the store had a large selection for large women. Somewhere between 32B and 48D the rest of us have been lost. All the sizes were either too small or too big. And of course style is somewhere in another country, not at WalMart. Maybe everyone is going to Victoria's Secret instead of WalMart. I wonder what happened. There used to be a nice selection of underware that had nice colors and prints. Some even had matching panties. Not now! Somehow the shelf space is now taken up by, in my opinion and my husband's, ugly underware! But have no fear, they now have shelf space devoted to "petals" that are worn in the bra so that nipples will not show. And of course, they are boxed in glaring pink boxes.

And don't forget that Valentine's Day is coming. WalMart will be featuring the sexy little red with white boa trim things designed to lure the male animal. Of course they are in the extra, extra large sizes. Some how the mental picture of a sexy, slinky little thing on someone that size just doesn't enspire romance. I used to wear a bikini thirty years ago. Now I run from them. Some how I feel a little like Goldilocks...everything is either too small or too big. Guess I'll just run over to Target. I'll need donations to be able to afford anything else. Sigh.

A Little Creepy

While walking Daisy Saturday we found ourselves surrounded by grackles. These birds are not my favorite members of the bird family. They are large, annoying and loud. They tend to take over an area, running off other birds. When I opened the door to go outside I heard the unmistakable call of the large black birds. I looked up to see them above me on the telephone and utility wires. In a scene reminiscent of Hitchcock's The Birds I felt a little like Tipi Hedren's character. The grackles seemed to look down menacingly from all directions. Every where I looked, there they were. They were perched on the wires above me. They sat in the pine trees along the side of the building. They lined the utility wires along the street next to the house. They even covered the ground of the fire station. Looking like a large black blanket, they moved moved around the ground daring Daisy to chase them. From the trees and wires they jeered at us as we walked around. We had no quarrel with them. The cacophony of noise they created with their calls to each other was overwhelming. As they stared down at us they seemed almost evil. Every step Daisy and I took was met by their comments. Would they swoop down and attack? Would Daisy be able to scare them off? Daisy did try to chase the ones covering the fire station ground. But they saw her coming and like a large black cloud, they rose enmass up and away from her attempts to catch them. It seemed like there were hundreds of them. It was a little creepy and I could not help but feel that these dark, glossy creatures had mayhem on their minds. Daisy and I took the easy way out. At least we hoped it would be easy. What if they followed us? If Daisy had her way, she surely would have tried to chase them. Somehow I don't think those birds were going to let that happen. They looked more like they thought Daisy would be a tasty meal. I had a mental picture of dozens of birds dive-bombing us. Sport to them, terror for us. Like I said, a little creepy. Quickly we turned and walked down the neighborhood street, leaving the grackles behind, Hoping they would not follow us we went down the friendlier street of the neighborhood. We came back and the birds were still there, waiting. I really have to stop reading all those horror stories!

Hello? Can Anybody Hear Me?

What's the deal here. I have internet but I can't talk on the phone. Since it rained and everything was under water there has been no dial tone on my phone. Hello, ATT come fix this., oh wait I can't call you to get you to check out what the problem is. Gotta love technology. I keep having a sinking feeling that someone messed up the changes I made on the phone service. In an effort to save some money I had the three way calling, call forwarding and and the call waiting features removed from our service. We never used it anyway. I had them put the internet at the fastest speed and the phone service with just caller ID. Surely they could not have messed things up. Think positive! Right? My diagnosis is still the pedestal in the back yard. Only time will tell. I just hate to have to call them again. Let's face it, sometimes I think companies spend more time luring customers to them than they do taking care of them. Hopefully, I will be able to get in touch with them soon. I sure hope that what ever is the problem, that it is there problem and not mine. I really think the rain is the problem, since we have lost service before when the yard was under water. But the last time it happened, as soon as things dried out the phone started working again. Hello, ATT can you hear me?

Rain, Internet, Phone and Robins

This should be interesting. Today, or should I say sometime between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm we should be getting the fastest ATT internet speed. When we moved over here they put us on the Express which is slower than the Pro we had at our other house. So, I will really be interested in seeing how this works.

Thankfully, today the sun is shining. After constant rain for the last few days, this is nice. But, I am concerned because during the rain my phone went out. This is not the first time this has happened during a lot of rain. Right now I still don't have a dial tone. So how do I have internet? I suspect that the problem lies with the SBC pedestal which sits at the back of the area between two buildings. Everytime it rains a lot that pedestal ends up under water. It does sit in a very low spot in the yard area. So, I guess when I can call out, I will have to call them. Wonder what, if anything they can do. I have to have a phone because I hope to be working from home soon.

Since the sun is shining and maybe helping to dry things out, is spring coming? I can't talk on the phone but I can slog through the water, and ice we had the other week, and see robins all over the place. What's up with that? Maybe they couldn't use their ATT phones to find out if it was time to come down here.

I just hope I get my phone working soon. Will I really notice any difference in the internet? Only time will tell. We are supposed to get more rain this weekend. What will happen to the phone?

Teepeed and Locked Out (of the Bedroom)

When I came in from walking Daisy, I discovered that I had poop on the bottom of my shoe. Jeez, not again! So I took my shoe off and went into the downstairs bathroom to wash it off. I did not notice Daisy sneek in. After all I was busy cleaning my shoe. But, I kept hearing a weird noise. Not until I turned off the water did I discover what the noise was. Daisy had pulled the toilet paper all the way out of the bathroom through the kitchen and into the living room. Man! So, I had to try to rewind the toilet paper. It is not that easy. It did remind me of when my oldest daughter was about two and wanted to help put groceries away. I gave her a box of tissues to put in her room. When she didn't come back, I had to go look. Ever try to put 200 tissues back in the box? Never works. Same thing with toilet paper. Unless you have infinite patience to rewind the paper very carefully, it will not roll back neatly. Irritated, I hurriedly rewound it.

Then I went upstairs to the bedroom. The door was shut. As I reached for the door knob, I discovered that the door was stuck. Actually, the knob was stuck. It would not budge. Oh Jimmy... Of course the screwdrivers and hammer were in the bedroom. So, Jimmy rumaged around to find a little screwdriver downstairs. With some effort he was able to get the knob off. But the door still would not open. Then he finally got the thing to turn. So then we could get in the room at least. But, if we closed the door we still had a really hard time opening it. Then he went out to his truck to get some of his work tools. Sometimes it pays to have two sets of things!
Finally, he was able to get the knobs off both sides of the door. Then it was off to the hardware store for a new doorknob set. Does anything around here work right? I had visions of sleeping in the spare bedroom. Yeah, right two dogs and us in a double bed. Not a chance! Give me land, lots of land...

So what's next? The sliding glass door is in backwards, wanna fix that? No!

Oh, Here's My Opinion, Take It or Leave It

Notice how many people, news and talk shows are complaining about "American Idol"? My question is who is telling these talentless people to do this? Are these people really deluded into thinking they have talent? I know that parents try to encourage their children and be positive for them, but... At some point kid grow up and realize that maybe they don't have "showbiz" talent.

The show producers base part of the "charm" of the show on the people who can't sing. They deliberately sign up these people because they don't have the chops to be the next Idol. This is nothing new. The viewers have watched this for quite some time now. Why are they suddenly complaining? Every body knows that Simon is "mean" and the Paula is, well, ditzy. Surely, the contestants must know that if the show follows it's formula, the first performers are terrible. They should, but do they? And why are the "judges" so heartless? Ratings, baby, ratings! Every one who watches the show from begining to end is drawn in to see the bad ones.

Are they too mean to these idol wanna be's? Yes. I think they may be getting meaner. Of course I don't watch the early shows. I hate to see people being humiliated. Occasionally, I'll watch the later episodes when the kids actually have talent. But, the whole premise of the show is to do exactly what they are doing. Unlike say, "Nashville Star" where the singer hopefuls actually have some ability, Idol actively seeks out bad singers. We all know it.

I'm not a country music fan, but I have seen a little of the first two shows this year. Here the singers do have some talent and the judges seem to offer constructive criticism. Sometimes, it is blunt like telling them the song was not good for them or make more eye contact. For the people trying to do well on this show, they at least get some good pointers right from the start. But, then the show doesn't pick the obviously untalented to be on it. Just imagine some who can't carry a tune in a bucket trying to sing a country song.

I just choose not not watch either one. That's my choice.

Where is the Firewood?

On just about any day, especially a week end, when the weather is a little cold, people are selling firewood on the roadside. So where is it? Is this a case of when you don't need it, you find it everywhere, when you do, it is nowhere to be found? We still don't have any and this house is cold. The downstairs is too cold, especially in the corner where the computer is. But the upstairs is too hot. We used the last of our firewood last night. It would be nice to have a fire going all day.

Maybe they ran out of wood? It is really weird. We have been looking for firewood ever since the weather started getting colder. I guess maybe we will find some when the temperature is 80 degrees and we dont need it. That is the way it goes. Even the stop and rob stores don't have any. Maybe I'll just go back up stairs.

And just why does my crazy Daisy sit in the chair shivering? I keep trying to get her to curl up in a blanket but she won't stay. Well, you had your chance Daisy. Don't come to me complaining! Look at Lady, she has the right idea. Hunker down under her blanket. Where's mine?

No Assembly Required?

I saw a box of two wine glasses at Walmart the other day. On the box were the words "no assembly required". Ok, this is not too hard for me to figure out. Take the two glasses out of the box and place on kitchen counter. Voila! Wine glasses! Oh come on now! Yeah, I have seen plastic glasses that had to be assembled (if you want to call it that) Really. Oh, but they didn't come with instructions. How hard would it to figure out that the flat base screws onto the bottom of the glass (plastic)? Just hold glass in left hand and attach base with right hand. Be sure to screw the base tightly so that it will not fall off. We certainly don't want that bottom part of the glass to fall off now do we? Nothing worse than trying to pour a glass of merlot for your girl(boy)friend only to have the base fall off because it was not correctly assembled. Oops, that would not be good for the relationship, would it. Finally wine glasses for dummies. No assembly required. Just pour the wine. You did buy the wine didn't you?

Weather on the Way, Maybe

All week-end long the media has been warning us about the bad weather to come. They have warned us to prepare for freezing rain and sleet and possible icing of the roads starting this afternoon. The worst of it should be here tomorrow night with the freezing rain and sleet. Tomorrow and the next day are supposed to be really bad. People have been going to the home improvement and food stores for everything from pipe insulation to blankets and food. Reminds me a little of the preparation for Rita. Since we didn't really get much mess from the hurricane, what about the cold? The city and county have all their trucks ready to work the streets. Will we really get any icy weather? I wouldn't mind a light dusting of snow, but I doubt that we happen. We don't get much snow here. Just ice and sleet. The last time we had really bad icy weather was in 1997. Will this be much ado about nothing? Will we have power outages and downed trees like I've been seeing in Oklahoma? Every time I see the local weather reports they always show the snow and sleet in central to north Texas. Two of my daughters live around all the mess that is moving this way. One lives in Early, the other around Waco. They'll probably get more mess than we will.

We thought we'd pick up some firewood this weekend. Usually during cold weather there are dozens of guys selling firewood on the side of the road. You can usually pick up a good load for $15-$30. Knowing that the weather was going to get cold this week, you'd think there would be a lot of firewood for sale. We did not see a single one selling wood. I was looking forward to getting cozy by the fire...

This also reminds me that the homeless need coats, warm clothes and blankets. The Star of Hope was out delivering stuff to people over the weekend.They will probably need a lot more.

So, I'll just wait and see if we have an ice storm or winter storm or nothing. Time will tell. I'm betting on less than more.

Squad 51, Engine 51, Man Down!

We live right behind a brand new volunteer fire staion. So far nothing much has happened. I have seen a couple of fire trucks being washed over there. As yet they are not fully staffed and as such usually there is no one there. The call system does work though. So sometimes, usually at night when I am walking the dog around the back of the house, I'll hear the radio alarm go off with the call and the voice telling the firefighters what has happened and where to go.

One evening it chirped to life and I listened to the call and was reminded of a tv show that I used to watch every week. Emergency! ran on NBC from 1972-1977. It was a medical drama about the Los Angeles County Fire Department's paramedics and the interaction with the hospital emergency staff. It was based on the LA paramedic program started in 1969. The first shows frequently showed how the doctors did not really want to let the rescue workers take charge for some difficult medical procedures, such as administering lifesaving drugs or procedures. The show progressed just like the paramedic program did. We all now know how far things have come with the life saving abilities of the paramedics.

Almost makes me want to see if I can find DVD's of the show. Station 24,go save someone!

Should We Be Worried?

Our wonderful Defense Department is now cautioning it's U.S. contractors about a new spy threat. Canadian coins with radio frequency transmitters inside. Are the Canadians spying? The coins were apparently planted on contractors with classified security clearances between Oct 2005 and Jan 2006. Supposedly these coins could track the movements of these contractors. On the other hand they could be spent and left at a coffee shop. Wonder what all this means? Of course the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency denied any knowledge of this. Do we have some new James Bonds out there using new gadgets? Who would want to follow the Defense Department contractors? On the other hand, look at how much money they charge our government. Of course our own government has used hollowed out silver dollar coins to hide messages and film.

So what else or who else is spying? Let's see we are spying on our own people, the Canadians are spying on us, then there are the British, the chinese, and so on... I'm so glad we live in such a "wonderful" world. Let's see, maybe the Mexican governemt will give the illegals some coins to use here when they cross the border. After all maybe they will find some deep dark government secrets in those taco stands.

She's Baack

When Amanda moved back to her old town we told her she would not be happy after being in Houston. There would be nothing to do and she would find that she no longer had things in common with old friends. Well she has decided that she'd rather be in Houston than the tiny town of Edna. The words "told you so" come to mind. But I won't go there.

So she stopped by last night with a load of some of her things. She will be moving in with us. She'll have to share our spare bedroom with all the stuff we have stored in it. Hope she likes sharing a room with boxes. This trip she brought some of her pictures and assorted boxes of stuff. She said she is not going to bring much, just her clothes (she has a lot, especially shoes) and bath stuff (at lot of that too). Her father had told her that if she wanted to come back she could stay in the other bedroom for free. Her jaw dropped yesterday when he said that offer came back to bite him in the butt. He was kidding, I think. Right? Well there goes the electric, gas and water bills.

She also brought her printer. Wonder what she will do with that? She'll bring her laptop when she moves in. She also brought her big countertop mixer set. I call that mixer "the mixer from Hell" cause it should be part of a Stephen King novel. It keeps coming back. She moved it to our house when she moved in with us the first time. It sat on the counter glaring at us because no one used it. After she moved back to Edna it stayed on the counter for weeks until she finally came to take it home with her cause we were moving here. Now it's back! Now it is sitting on top of the freezer staring down at us.

Her plan is to stay here, save money, and pay off her four speeding tickets she had gotten over the last few months. Wish I had some way to save money. I don't have any idea how long she will stay this time. She hopes she can get her finances cleaned up so that she can get back on her feet.

So, this little place is going to get "real cozy". One loud mouth parrot (anybody want him?) two dogs and the three of us.

Oddities

Of course I would try to post just as Blogger takes the system down. Perfect timing as usual.

Who would have figured that Florida would eat Ohio State for lunch. I thought the Gators had a good chance but I really didn't think it would be such a lop-sided win. So now they are the National Champions. But they have one loss. What about Boise State? They could argue for a piece of the pie.

So 50 Cent is getting into the "safe sex" business with a line of condoms. Where will they be marketed? Vending machines or stores? Hum.

Have you been plutoed yet? I never heard of this until recently. What a "nice" way to say you are demoted or devalued. What ever.

What is the deal with so many wanting to see pictures of Nixon and Elvis together? They were both paranoid. The picture of the two of them together is the most frequently requested picture from the National Archives. Go figure.

By the way do not put children in a washing machine. Oh, why not? Don't even think of drying a cell phone in a microwave. Somebody actually has to tell you that? And please do not read the phone book while driving. I can barely see the numbers while the book is on the non-moving table.Odd but these are all real warnings.

We live in strange times.

hen my land lady drops by to tell me she has not gotten our rent. What! I mailed the money order Dec. 30th. She said she hadn't gotten it. I called the money order company and it has not been cashed. As scatterbrained as that woman is I can only hope that it is on her desk somewhere.

Well I must get this posted before Blogger goes nuts again or Jimmy wants to play poker. Wonder which will happen first.

Family Feud?

As we watched the NFL playoffs this weekend I had a thought. What if the Manning brothers ended up in the Superbowl against each other? And which son would Mom and Dad root for? Actually which one would Mom worry more about? Of course Archie would be looking at the technical side of them. Watch out for this or that defense, no don't use that play. Didnt you see that blitz coming? After all Dad has been a pro, he knows what to watch and what to do. Of course he doesn't want anything to happen to either son, but Mom has a different look. Mom is worried that they will get hurt. She also might have a problem on which team to support. Peyton has been around longer so he has more experience. The Colts have been the better team over time. Eli and his Giants have not been quite as good.

After the Colts won first, all eyes were on Sunday's game between the Giants and the Eagles. Could Eli lead the Giants past the Eagles? For a while it looked like they had a chance. Improbable as it would seem, it could happen. Manning vs Manning. Colts vs Giants. Then reality took over. In the closing seconds of the game the Eagles kicked a field goal. No head to head combat. Mom can now relax. She can concentrate on watching Payton. No family feud, at least for now...

Good Things Do Happen

The world just got a little better. In a time when we are consumed with bad things, once in a while something good happens.Wesley Autrey saved a life. Would I have done it, would you? Without regard for his own safety Mr. Autrey did a good thing.

This story has been all over the news. The "Subway Superman" has been intrviewed by just about all the news services. Talk show host David Letterman interviewed him. Others will follow. It's nice to have a good story.

Mayor Bloomberg honored him with the city's highest civilian honor, the Bronze Medallion. Donald Trump gave him $10,000. He was also given a trip to Disney World and a $2500 scholarship was started for his two children. He also got a years free pass on the subway. To me he should have gotten a lifetime pass.

How do you make a decision like that, and so quickly? What if his attempt had not worked? His children were with him. It could have gone horribly wrong. But, as Mr. Autrey said "Good things happen when you do good". We all can learn from not only the bravery of this man, but his character, too. Well done, Wesley Autrey. Thank you.

A Teepee Motel

Imagine going on vacation and checking into a nice little hotel in Wharton, Texas. Imagine this motel is designed to look like a Native American teepee. Don't laugh. There actually is such a thing. Wharton is about 60 miles southwest of Houston. After being in disuse and disrepair for years, it is now open for business. Each room is a teepee. It has all the modern amenities like a/c, bathroom, shower, cable tv in color. It even has a refrigerator and microwave in each room. The new owner spent a couple of million dollars fixing it. Though it is a little off the beaten path, it is something to see.Interesting? At least it would be a good picture. Why anyone would want to stay in Wharton, I don't know but it is only about an hour's drive from Houston. I'm glad that the Teepee Motel is back in business.

You Can Smile Now,Gary

Gary Kubiak had a difficult season this year. The Texans were loudly criticized for not drafting Vince Young or Reggie Bush. And of course there has been the on-going problems with David Carr. Will he still be here next year? Coach Kubiak dances around the subject every time he is asked the question. The first draft pick, Mario Williams has yet to prove his worth.

But the Texans and the fans can be proud of the pick of DeMeco Ryans as AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Ryans was picked at the top of the second round of the draft, thirty-two picks behind first pick Mario Williams. DeMeco Ryans was drafted as an outside linebacker from Alabama. During training camp the Texans coaches decided to move him to middle linebacker. The rest is history. He quickly became the one bright spot in an otherwise dull team. He led the NFL with 126 solo tackles and a total of 156 tackles, 33 more than the next best, Ernie Sims of Detroit. No rookie in the last twenty years had more tackles. Yet, he says he would not be nothing without the other ten guys.Well, maybe. But DeMeco Ryans has taken on the leadership of the defense and the team in a lackluster season.

Yes, Coach Kubiak does have something to smile about now. The Houston Texans may have found a leader. From outside linebacker to middle linebacker and as such leader of the defense, Ryans is just beginning to shine. Hurry up Mario, you got some work to do!

Well done, Demeco Ryans, AP Dfensive Rookie of the Year!

Should I Let Go Now?

Finally the noise of the fireworks has stopped. While I don't begrudge anyone the chance to enjoy fireworks, I don't care for the noise. Neither do Lady and Daisy. I spent most of the New Year's weekend evening time holding Daisy on my lap. That was the only way I could keep her quiet. If she was not in a chair with me holding on to her she raced around barking at all the noise. This gets old at 2:00 in the morning. Lady tried to ignore most of the noise by lying in her chair with her blanket over her head. Daisy would only be still if I held her.

While I have seen some colorful firework productions, I'm not thrilled with the neighborhood shows. I don't guess people care if all the noise bothers others. Then the next morning just look at how much mess is left in the street, driveways and parking lots. Even the cars end up covered with debris. I wasn't really happy with that aspect. A white car with trash like that all over it, ugh! Poor little car, no place to hide.

And I really find it hard to justify spending all that money! Fireworks are not cheap and to have even a small celebration costs a lot! Here is a idea. Take a one hundred dollar bill and set it on fire. Oh I know it won't be as spectacular but it would serve the same purpose. Burning up money!

So, today I am going to let Daisy out of my lap and try to get on with the New Year. I am really hoping this one will be better. Now, I have to go see where Daisy left her latest pile since she didn't do it outside this morning.No treat for Daisy.