Held Hostage- by Dachshunds!

Sunday was a quiet day for us. Jimmy played online poker. I spent the time flipping through channels trying to watch the Astros and NASCAR. I am not that into racing but Jimmy likes to watch it. I guess for the dogs, Lady and Daisy, it must have been a dog day afternoom. They have taken relaxation to an art form.

When Lady and Daisy relax together in a chair, it usually means a bit of a squabble. Jockeying for position on a race track is nothing compared to the ballet these two dance. As I sat in the chair watching the Astros play, I felt the eyes of Lady staring holes into me. I looked down to see her sitting up begging me to put her im my lap. At nearly ten years old, it is a little hard for her to climb into some chairs. So I picked her up. She wormed her way around beside me, backing herself into her favorite spot. Not to be left out, Daisy jumped into my lap. As she settled her self down length-wise across my lap, I realized that I was now a hostage. Ever been held hostage by a dachshund? Or two? Here was one dog sucked up close beside me and the other one lying across me. It was a little crowded. With Daisy across me completely relaxed and Lady beside me snoring, I could not move. I never really thought about how long a mini-dachshund really is until I was stuck in the chair with Lady and Daisy. Lady was backed up into the chair with her head nearly hanging over the edge. Daisy takes up more room because she is longer than Lady. As she relaxed across my lap, she almost covered the width of the chair. Obviously I was not going any where any time soon. Both dogs were totally at ease. Good thing I did not need to go to the bathroom. Then I began to feel just how relaxed Daisy was as she lay across me. As she lay sleeping, I began to feel the "dead weight" of her across my legs.

What we had here was a hostage situation. I was not going to be allowed to move a muscle without creating havoc. If I moved a muscle Lady would wake and give me a dirty look because I had disturbed her sleep. Then Daisy would turn her head back toward me as if to say "where do you think you are going?" So much for any plans I may have had to get out of my chair. I was at the mercy of two dachshunds. At least I had the remote control at hand so I could at least change the tv channel. They did allow me to do that. Moving out of the chair was out of the question. I was under complete control of two dachshunds. Talk about taking control!

Let's Fly

Yesterday was a day that finds me wondering what is going on with us. There were a couple of problems at airports in California and Washington state. We even had a couple of problems here in Houston. One of which was a smoke smell in a control tower, the other a blown tire on take-off. Just imagine having to fly around for a couple of hours burning off fuel. Such fun for the passengers, especially when they have to go back where they started.

Then we find out that someone sabotaged a computer that was to go to the space station. Talk about a disgruntled employee. I wonder what this person thought he/she would accomplish with that. Are they trying to disgrace NASA? Then we hear that some unnamed astronauts flew drunk. How many times have we seen an airline pilot grounded for that? Talk about flying high!

Then we have to wonder what the Attorney General is really saying. Is he being truthful or not. What if anything can or will be done. Mr. Gonzales has Mr. Bush's total and complete support. My question is who has dirt on whom? Well at least there is loyalty here. Not much loyalty anywhere else it seems.

At least the Texans open training camp today. And the Astros are no longer in last place in their division, for now.

People never cease to amaze me. Who will do what next and will any one care?

Doctor, Oscar is Here

Oscar the grim reaper, I mean cat lives at a nursing home. He seems to have an uncanny ability to predict when a patient is going to die. He has been around since he was little and knows his way around. He apparently likes to roam the halls and visit the patients. When the patients are within hours of death he likes to lie down beside them.

Some say this is a little creepy, some are glad for the warning. I have mixed feelings. I like the idea that his warnings give the chance for families to make arrangements for final goodbyes.

Can you imagine when the nurse has to call a patient's doctor to tell him that his patient is near death. I can just imagine the conversation. A doctor who is the "I'm the doctor here" type might not appreciate a cat predicting a patient's death. Other people probably feel relieved that their loved one's suffering is nearly over.

On the other hand, this sounds like a Stephen King plot or something out of the "Twilight Zone". I can just hear Rod Serling now...Oscar the cat has come to visit Mr Jones. Hum.

Way to Go Craig!

Those of us who follow baseball here in Houston are a little sad now. Second baseman Craig Biggio announced that he will retire at the end of the season. We have watched him for twenty years and there is not much anyone can say that has not already been said. He has played baseball the way it should be played. He loved the game and respected it. He also respected the fans. He always had a good relationship with teammates. If ever a teammate needed advise, he was there. He had a good realtionship even with the media. The Astros will miss him on the field. When he started with the Astros as a catcher he never thought he would reach the milestones he has. He is actually hoping that he would be able to catch an inning in the last game. He says since the Astros will be playing the Braves, it will depend on them. If they are in the thick of the race, he wont disrupt the game. But it would be nice. Are you listening Atlanta?

He is well known in Houston and now he will get to spend more time with his family. He is also looking forward to spending more time with the Sunshine Kids for kids with cancer. I also suspect the Astros will not let him go away completely. I think he will always be involved with the team in some way.

To top off the emotional day in which he announced his retirement, he hit a grand slam home run to help the Astros win the game last night. B-G-O, B-G-O. Thanks for playing the game with us!

A Promise Kept

Look around the Michael Vick story--way around. While we are looking at him with disgust, look at Houston Texan player Ahman Green and the promise he kept. When he signed with the Texans football team earlier this year, he wanted the #30 jersey. But Jason Simmons had worn it since the very beginning. The two players made a deal. Green could have the jersey but it would cost him $25,000. They decided that money would go as a down payment on a house for someone in need. Yesterday the deal was done. Saying "I wanted to use my star power to help people" Green said that when "we have the opportunity to do that it's just overwhelming."

Regina Foster is a single mom with a seven year old autistic son. Her dream had been to give her son a home with a backyard instead of the apartment where they had been. Her dream looked impossible. Enter Ahman Green. A search was done. Foster was chosen from five finalists who met strict criteria including pledging to do 100 hours of community service and contributing at least $1500 toward the down payment. Foster had wanted a home for her son but discovered that the lack of money would make it hard for her to buy a home.

Both Green and Simmons were touched by Foster and her son.Green said it was hard to believe how a promise and a handshake could do so much good. Even team owner Bob McNair got into the spirit by adding another $25,000.

Foster admitted she knew nothing about football and even said she was not a Texans fan. "I just became one," she said. Then she said she would dedicate her son's room to the Texans. Green told her that the team would donate Texans gear for the room.

Take that Michael Vick! Look what you could have done.

New York-Boom!

The underground explosion in New York City should make us all think about our cities. So many of our cities have underground pipes just like they do in New York City. Many of these are very old. It is a little disconcerting to think that walking around a nice city could be dangerous. Let's see, we have crime, accidents, and terrorism to worry about. Now we must wonder what is going on UNDER our cities. It is astonishing to think about the age of the pipes in New York City. The underground "city" may be a disaster waiting to happen. Is what happend just an isolated incident? Maybe. But when considering the age of all this equipment, this could happen again. Who knows what could happen next time. There are many cities in this country with similar underground systems. Apparently, it is far too expensive to completely replace these systems. So what can be done? Do cities replace one pipe at a time? Do they keep their fingers crossed and hope? If something like this happens in New York City what do other cities think? It is like sitting on top of a volcano. Who knows when the volcano will blow? Look out below!

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night, I Mean Day

Sorry Snoopy. It is not even 11 am and it is pouring down rain. Hey this is Houston, not Seattle! Lake Norma is filling up again. I guess I should be glad that at least the temperature is down. Daisy is not too happy though. I just pulled a fast one on Daisy. She was sitting by the door as she always does when she wants to go out. I opened the door. She looked at the rain and quickly changed her mind. Lady could care less. No wet fur for her.

I just don't understand people who think dog fighting is fun. Michael Vick, how do you explain this? We do not live in ancient Rome. There is no excuse for this kind of "entertainment". I have to wonder what the NFL will have to say about this. Some people do not like boxing, At least humans have a choice.

The Houston Texans have sold out two games already for this season. Gee, could it be the games against home town hero Vince Young and our other almost choice Reggie Bush? Yup!

This kind of day tends to make me feel trapped. It is no fun to try to go anywhere. The dogs don't want to do anything. Nap anyone?

Now Easy Bake Ovens are being recalled. What ever happend to quality control?

Merv Griffin is back in the hospital. I used to watch him all the time. Tammy Faye Baker is going to be on Larry King tonight. She continues to fight cancer too. She is said to weigh only 65 pounds. How much of that is eye makeup? I am reminded of the fact that many of the movie idols I grew up watching are very old. How do you replace Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor or Kirk Douglas?

At least the Astros don't play today. The trade deadline is approaching...

Ah yes, I see light outside. There is a break in the dark and stormy day. At least for a few minutes.

Thus ends another episode of Much Ado About Nothing.

Men Who Can Put Sheets on a Bed or Cot

As I trolled the news channels yesterday I saw something funny. The Senate was getting ready for an all-nighter. Here came the men with the beds. Ok, they were cots. But they still had sheets. I watched a couple of guys put sheets on these cots. See, a man can make a bed. So what if it is a cot, the theory is still the same. Put on the fitted sheet and then the top sheet. Some men insist that they can't do this. In reality they don't want to do this. I guess they think it is beneath them. Oh, for Heaven's sake, it's a bed, not brain surgery. I have an ex-husband who I never saw even attempt to make a bed. Why? He could change a tire but could (would)not make a bed. Ask him to make the bed and he turned into a puddle of jelly. I'm not talking hospital corners here, just get the sheets on the bed. Hospital corners? The only hospital corners he knew were the ones at the end of the hallway he found while trying to find my room in the maternity ward. Even my son has an aversion to making a bed. He can't tell me he does not know how because I taught him. He had to make his bed when he was a kid. What is it with men and beds. They waste no time getting into them, but can't figure out how to make them.

Sorry, but that is not true. It is there on the news. Men bringing in the cots and putting on the sheets for the Senators. Most of whom are men. I don't think that the guys bringing in the cots for the all night Senate session have any magical powers. They can however, put sheets on a bed. Yes it is possbile for a man to make a bed. It's right there on tape for the world to see.

Summertime, and So It Goes

It is summertime. Yes, that wonderful time of year when people think of family vacations and parents begin to hope for the first day of school. Children, though, dread that thought. The flowers are looking a little worse for wear in the heat of the day. Around here it is a guessing game as to when it will rain. Looks like this evening may be the time. Some places still have water. The water in back of the building finally dried up. I am about to name this area Lake Norma after our landlady. The water in the back is here more often than the yard man.

Then there are those of us who are in the middle of the summer doldrums. What to do, what to do. The tv and radio ads are flooding the airwaves with commercials for the Houston Texans. Buy season tickets. For the first time in six years season tickets are for sale. Well, let's see. The Houston Texans football team has had a less than stellar history. I think that the reason there are season tickets for sale now is because fans got tired of the team. Gee, I can't imagine why. Just what did David Carr do? Have no fear we have a new quarterback. Then some others of us are looking forward to college football. Longhorn fans want another National Championship. The Alabama Crimson Tide just would like to beat Auburn. Less than two months remain until college football. Rah, rah.

Sadly Astros fans are looking at the possiblity of not making the playoffs. So much hope, so little production. Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee can't do it all. Who will stay and who will go...

I'm about ready to have to re-read some books. I won't be able to get to a bookstore to buy any books for a while. What would I choose anyway? So many books, so little time.

just another long, hot summer to endure. Like the weathermen said last winter, think about how cool it is when it is 90 degrees. So I am. Wonder how my former neighbors like Alaska. Are they experiencing the summer doldrums? This evening maybe I'll see my Moonflowers blooming. I always seem to miss them. Lemonade anyone?

The "Bric" Hits the Alarm

No I did not throw a brick at the alarm clock. This is something that bothered me a little. We have all seen the stories of internet predators and how sneaky they can be. I have cautioned my grown children about the predators who frequent sites like MySpace. My kids all have accounts there. Maybe I'm a little paranoid about things. I like to think I'm careful.

Yesterday,I turned on my Yahoo IM which I sometimes do when one of my daughters is on line. While checking my e-mail I get a message that someone named "Bric" wants to connect with me on my Yahoo 360 blog. Ok, I said sure. After a brief check, I see that he is in Houston. So I agree to let him sign on as a friend. He opened a chat. We talked about Houston. Then he asked me where I lived. I told him the area. Then he wanted to know how old I was. I told him in jest, "two years older than God." Then he wanted to get my picture. I declined. I told him that the camera and I are not friends. He asked if I was married and what my husband did. This all seemed innocent enough until he started pushing for a picture and my age and marital status. That is when the alarm went off. Most people I know joke about age and pictures. He continued to press me for information. Considering we had only been chatting for about three minutes, the alarm in my head was getting louder.

I ended up signing out of my IM to turn him off. Maybe it is nothing, maybe something. I took another look at his 360 page. All his "friends" are young women. He noted that he is 48, married, and bored. Hum. So what should I think? Did I over-react? Was my intuition correct? I have always been fairly good at reading people. What will happen today when I want to IM Annie? I guess I have to make sure my radar and alarms are set. You never know who is lurking out here in cyberspace.

Ho-Hum

As I sit here today, I realize that I have reached the so what point. I find the local news boring. How many times in one hour do I need to hear the same story? The Houston Police Department wants new cars. Some of the cars have 160,000 miles on them. Ho hum. Our truck has more than that. Yes we all know it is hot outside. I don't need a perky weather girl to tell me that. Of course now is the time our AC decides it needs to be fed. The other night it ran on and on... It does help to have a friend in the AC business. The unit was almost out of freon. A shot of freon food and on to cooling. Maybe our electric bill will be lower? So much for the weather- it's supposed to rain this weekend.

Now I hear that President Bush is going to make a speech in a few minutes. Ho-hum. Think I've heard that tale of spin before. At least Lady Bird tried to beautify America. What about George? Song and dance man?

I planted some moonflower vines in front of the patio this spring. They are now climbing nicely. Maybe I will go outside tonight and see if those buds are ready to open. Or not. Then again Daisy will probably want to go out ten times.

I heard that Paris went partying again. Ho-hum. So what else is new?

I think my give a damn is busted. Who do you call to get that fixed? Is there a listing for give a damn fixers in the yellow pages? Funny, of all the commercials I see every day on tv, never do I see one for fixing a give a damn. I can go to Sonic, get a loan, see a lawyer, or buy furniture. I can't find a give a damn fixer. Oh well, I don't give a damn. Ho-hum. Tomorrow is another day. Maybe the PCH guys will finally make their way here to my place. After all I did enter today. They say I could win tomorrow. Right? Ho-hum. guess I won't worry about it. What was that? Some-one at the door? No just the dryer calling, not PCH. Ho-hum.

Don't Sprint to Sprint(to Complain)

How is this for customer service. Sprint/Nextel had decided to dump some 1,000 customers for complaining too much. The company said that some of these people had called with complaints as much as 40 times a month. No matter what the company did the customer was not satisfied. Hum...I can not imagine calling to complain that many times in a month. I guess it is possible to have a really bad problem with a phone or service. It makes me wonder what was going on. Are the phones that bad? I know that sometimes a phone doesn't work right or breaks. Jimmy's phone broke once. He took it back to the store and they gave him a new one. What kind of complaints does Sprint get that have made them decide to cancel those customers contracts? Is this a good business practice? With so many other cell phone companies out there, why would they want to get rid of customers? On the other hand I remember the trouble Amanda had trying to cancel the AOL service. That was a real mess. Apparently she was just one of thousands who had that problem. AOL ended up being reported to the FTC because of it. I guess I will have to remember not to complain more than a couple of times a year. After all we have been with Sprint for nearly eight years. Do you hear that Sprint? I wonder how much actual time/money it takes to service these complaining customers? Is it really more cost effective to get rid of those customers? I have to wonder who will win this war.

Fill'er Up While I Watch the News

I've never tried this because I don't usually buy gas at WalMart. One local tv station apparently has a deal with WalMart to show the news at the gas pumps. Let's hope it is just the news. Some how I don't think it would be a good idea to watch a two hour movie while filling a car with gas. Can I have some popcorn? How 'bout a Coke? Who thought up this bright idea? Assuming that the gas pump tv's only show the local news, does anyone really want to wait around to see the news? Sure, filling the tank can take a few minutes. But do we really need to watch news then too? I don't think this will cause a traffic jam at the pumps. At least I haven't seen one yet. Of course when the local news is on, I'm not buying gas. On the other hand standing around waiting to fill the gas tank is a little boring sometimes. The news can be a little depressing, too. So how about a few short minutes of comedy. Would you rather start your day (or end it) with news or a few laughs? I'm sure there are a few out of work comedians who would love the gig.

Well.There Is One Good Thing

Jimmy has been hoping to replace his radiator in his truck for weeks now. They are just too expensive. But he had to get one because he will have to go to Austin Monday. The thought of buying a radiator for over $150 was a hard pill to swallow with our tight budget. While browsing around the net yesterday, he ran across a company that sells radiators. They apparently had locations here in Houston. Jimmy called them and discovered they had one for his truck. In addition they would deliver it to him for $120. Not bad service to deliver it right here.

Installing it should not be a problem. He thinks it should be easy to do. Then while looking under the hood, he discovered that the one of the drive belts has worn through about half way. Just great, I can see it breaking on the way to Austin. He decided to go ahead and pick one up in addition to some new anti-freeze and new radiator hoses. Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

Come On, Hit Us Aagin

Did you ever have one of those days when you wish you could just disappear? Yeah, I am going to rant now. That was fair warning. Yesterday I got the electric bill which turned out to be twice as much as I expected. It was only about $40 less than the same time last year for the big house we were renting. Ouch! I thought about calling the electric company-maybe they read it wrong. No, I do now want to pay $75 for them to re-read the meter. Maybe Jimmy can get one of the AC guys he knows to come out here at check the compressor. So, I'll just have to turn the thermostat up.

The guy did come to fix the roof. Yeah, the ladylady just knew it could not be the roof. Now we will have to wait till another hard rain to see if it works. That could be at any time. There is so much water at the back of the building I'm thinking of buying some fish!

Late in the evening on the 4th we heard some loud car noises that seemed to be coming from around the fire station which is right behind our building. We thought some kids were trying to race. The noise went on and on. Of course Daisy went nuts! So Jimmy, Amanda and I walked outside to see what was going on. We discovered that a couple of guys had a small suv stuck in the mud behind the firestation. They were spinning the wheels in an attempt to get away. It took them a good twenty minutes to get away. They left a mess! In hindsight we are now wondering if those guys were trying to steal stuff from the AC units.

When we got up this morning Jimmy discovered that some-one broke into his truck. He was really mad when he found that some of his tools were stolen. They stole a laser, a drill, and a nail gun set which added up to about $1500. Needless to say he went to work mad. He already needs a new radiator which went don't have the money to get right now. We just had to fix the ac in the car. We are wondering if the same guys who drove around the fire station are the same ones who broke into our truck. It is funny that neither of the front neighbors heard anything, but Daisy did. Maybe our neighbors sleep deeply. Their windows face the parking lot and one of them has a pit bull that frequently barks at things.

Ok, now that I have ranted, I'm off to watch Norah Jones sing.

Parking Outside (the Lines)

There are three buildings here which are fourplex townhouses. They are fairly close together and have small, tight parking lots. Each building has a lot with eight spaces, four on either side of the lot. So this, obviously, works out to two spaces per unit. A while back I was a little annoyed to discover that the neighbor who lives in the unit in front of us parks across two spaces. This neighbor only has one car. So why does he always take two spaces? Does he not know how to park? I would think he would want to park close to his front door. But no, he has to park outside the lines. I can't say it is because he has a new car which he does not want to be damaged. His car already has several large dents. So why can he not decide which space he wants? Sure, it is easier to just drive in and park without worry of space. I am very careful how I park my car. I make sure I park within the lines of the space. How come my neighbor is not so careful?

Then I noticed he is not the only one who does this. Apparently there is a least one unit in each of the three buildings with a resident who parks this way. I wonder why? I would still park in the proper space even if we had only one vehicle. I do think it is funny that residents with only one car all seem to take two spaces when they park. I guess I am just too used to thinking (and parking) inside the lines. Would it give me a sense of power to take two spaces to park one car? Hum. Yet another point to ponder.

So So

Seems like it is going to be another one of those days. More rain is expected. Again. I wonder what tomorrow will be like with rain expected for the day. Montgomery Gentry is headlining the 4th celebration. I don't follow country music so I am not really familiar with there songs. I will probably recognize some of their songs if I hear them. There is going to be a big fireworks display tomorrow night. It's billed as the nation's largest land based display and will be on tv here. Let's see do I watch that or do I watch the Astros?

I'm hoping Roy Oswalt gets picked for the All-Stars. I tried to vote but couldn't get in earlier. I'll try later. At least we will have Carlos Lee playing in the game. Too bad we could not get Craig Biggio voted in. I'm wondering about the rest of our season. One of the sportscasters who has been trying to stay positive reported that the Astros would probably not make it to the playoffs. According to him the team would have to win better than 55 games and lose only 25 games the rest of the season to have a chance. That was sobering. Of course the front runners could do a belly flop, right? It's been known to happen. Oh well, we can look forward to Biggio breaking a few more records maybe. I wonder if he will retire at season's end? He's playing so well. It's hard to believe that a 40 year old make can run the bases as fast as he does.

Right now I am waiting for the roofer to come look at the roof. Yesterday it was leaking in the hall bathroom and also downstairs in front of the fireplace. When I called the landlady she thought it might be the drip pan from the heating unit. Jeez...Hey lady, this happened while the rain was falling. It doesn't leak any other time. Besides the heating unit is on the other side. Right now I just hope the guy does not show up when Amanda is in the shower. Right now she is still sleeping. When she gets up she takes a long shower. With my luck that's when he'll show up.

I think Daisy misses her wine friend. Jan had to fend off Daisy more than once while she was drinking wine. I think Daisy is a lush in training.

So, I am still thinking about the way my son is living. Ugh. I guess neither he or his girlfriend have been formerly introduced to the vacuum cleaner that is taking up space in the corner of the kitchen. And I thought I hated housework!

My tomato plants are procreating well. The small cherry type is really going wild. I can't keep up. It's a good thing we like them. At least we like salads.

So I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July.

Pant, Pant, Wine Anyone?

Ah, yes peace is back. It was an interesting few days. Our "blind dates" were nice people. Jan was a lot of fun. Like so many people these days she has to take her laptop with her to keep in touch with the office. Sonny Jourgenson who was a quarterback for the Washington Redskins football team is one of her clients. The one thing I was not prepared for was how much that she drinks. Man, she would start at about 4:30 and keep going till she went back to the hotel. I should have bought two bottles! Of course then Daisy had to try to get some of that wine too. I learned a while back not to leave a glass of wine within her reach. Who knew I'd have a lush for a dog.

Jeff was a day late getting here due to having to drive in the rain. Driving a U-Haul type truck is not fun in good weather much less in thunderstorms. He is very happy to be moving back to Alabama. His wife, Christine, makes good money as a financial analyst for a major company. I have to wonder a little about them though. We never saw her. We met Jeff in the motel lobby and then went to dinner while his wife visited her family. Listening to their radio conversations makes me wonder about them. I did not hear him say one good thing about her and she apparently controls a large part of their lives. Due to severe health problems he is now retired at 49. His wife is 18 years younger than he is. We went to dinner and had a nice visit. I just have an odd feeling about their relationship. Oh well.

Then we were supposed to go out to eat with my son Friday after our "Dates" left, but he cancelled Thursday night saying he did not have the money. He, instead, invited us to an afternoom barbeque at his place on Saturday. Now he lives way out at the edge of town in a tiny trailer. Ok, no problem. Money is tight. I get that. So imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw how filthy the place was. He lives in this little place with his girlfriend and her four year old son. Apparently the girlfriend and a vacuum cleaner have never met. There was dirt and trash everywhere. The carpet had stains and dirt all over it. Even the furniture was dirty. When I sat down on the couch to eat, I nearly gagged from the smell of urine. I don't know if this was from the little boy or the two little dogs. This just upset me no end. I am furious at my son for allowing such a lack of care in his home. I would say they live in a pig sty, but pigs are cleaner!

So now I have a new bottle of wine. This bottle should last longer than two days. Then of course we have just discovered that the roof is leaking in the upstairs bathroom fan and in the recessed light in front of the fireplace. I called the landlady this morning. She tried to tell me that it was the heating unit drip pan. Uh, this leaking is on the other side of the house. Jeez. Then the roofer called to talk to me. Since it is still raining he will try to get out here tomorrow. Yeah, it is supposed to rain tomorrow.

But we are getting a nice Virginia ham. Jan is going to send us one. That is nice. Now I have to go finish the laundry. That is if the roof is not leaking there too. Apparently they have had trouble there too. Oh my. This might be a three glass of wine evening.