Things to Remember This Holiday Season

1. Someone in this world loves you.
2. A smile from you can bring happiness to someone - even if they don't like you.
3. Every night someone thinks about you before they go to bed.
4. You mean the world to someone.
5. Without you, someone may not be living.
6. You are special.
7. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes out of it.
8. When you think the world has turned it's back on you, you probably turned your back
on the world.
9. When you think you have no chance to get what you want, believe in yourself and
sooner or later you will get it.
10.Always remember the compliments you receive, forget the rude remarks.
11.Tell someone how you feel about them. They will feel better when they know.
12.Thank God you are alive.

Replacing the Dynamic Duo isn't Easy

The Dynamic Duo, also known as Bailey and Landry has broken up. I'd like to say it was creative differences, but it wasn't. It seems their manager, Annie came to the conclusion that the workload of the fun loving twosome was more than she could handle. Maybe there just weren't enough hours in the day for all that had to be done. And of course traveling with the two of them plus two little boys would be a comedy of errors. Just visualizing Jason and Annie in the front seats while Skylar and Michael share the back seat with two labs. All of this in a Neon. I wonder who would actually drive the car?

The show must go on but the duets won't. Alas, like other great teams, times change. Look at history- Anthony and Cleopatra, Abbott and Costello, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Brad and Angie(the jury is still out on that one) where are they now? Nothing lasts forever. So Bailey and Landry are now working solo. A friend of the family took Landry and now Bailey patiently waits to see if she'll come back.Or maybe she wonders where she will go. Sadly due to the size and lack of time as soon as a good home can be found, Bailey will be working on a new act too.

In the middle of this gut-wrenching decision an interloper joined the group. Annie, ever the soft touch, drove into the driveway last week and discovered a tiny chihuahua sitting there. Lost and forelorn, the little thing was an instant hit with the boys. Jason suggested to Annie that she put a notice of "lost dog" in the paper. Seceretly hoping no-one would call, Annie reluctantly did it. So far there has not been much interest. So after getting a bath to rid him of an entire town of fleas Nacho has made himself at home. At least he will be easier to travel with compared to two labs. Only time will tell. Who knows how this sory will end.

We are going back to Waco for Thanksgiving so we will see how Nacho handles car rides.He's become Annie's little shadowman. At Christmas Annie, Jason, the boys and Nacho will go to El Paso to see Jason's family. The dachshund duo and I will stay in Waco. While the Dynamic Duo has broken up, the new star, Nacho, seems to enjoy his role. Not exactly the same as two black labs, but just try to keep up with what amounts to a barking Mexican Jumping Bean.Only time will tell what happens next.That's show biz.

I Go Out Walking

I go out walking, not a midnight, but during the day. Walking around the tiny hamlet of Ozona is a little like going back in time. Most of the buildings here are very old, some more than 100 years old. There are large mansion size old homes that must be over 50 years old as well as neighborhoods where the homes seem to be stuck in the 50's and 60's eras. Some homes are of brick or stone while others are made of stucco. There are others that make me think a siding salesman hit the jackpot. Once in a while there may be turkeys wandering around the yards.

I think my mother, who was an artist, would have enjoyed painting here. Just looking at the rustic buildings and the colors of the trees would have made her look for a place to sit and create. Walking around all the trees can be a bit of a trick sometimes. The oak trees are shedding the acorns. Walk by the local Church of Christ and my feet crunch constantly the acorns that have fallen on the sidewalk. I guess the squirrels have picked up all they want. If I really wanted to, I could probably bag a lot of pecans. Everyday I hear them fall onto the carport. Slap, bang, clunk is an ongoing sound. They fall on the lawns, driveways, and streets. Daisy can't figure out what to do with them. Sometimes I would like to shell a bunch of them and eat them for snacks.

Probably the most appealing sights to me are all these trees. Of course there are all the old oak and pecan trees. But there are others, too, like maple, hackberry and cypress. As I go out walking I can see the gradual color change of the leaves. I didn't see very much of this in Houston. As I look around at the trees swaying in the breeze I notice how vibrant the colors are. As the trees get ready to shed their leaves, Mother Nature takes control. Like my mother, she is an artist. There are trees still wearing green while others have been colored with the brilliant gold or yellow leaves. Others have been painted orange or dark red. My mind's eye must savor this because in a matter of weeks the leaves will give up and fall to the ground. The streets and lawns will be littered with dying leaves that will turn brown.

There are not many places here that cannot be reached by walking. But not every area has sidewalks. And of course being a small town I think those sidewalks are rolled up after sundown. Much of Ozona "shuts down" early. There is no WalMart or even a McDonalds. There is a Sonic. But there is no movie theater, certainly no "chain" stores. For those, it's 1 1/2 hour drive to San Angelo. Plan ahead is the key. Ozona is a relaxed sort of place. Nobody rushes, unless they are late for church. Most of the residents don't even lock the doors at night. They don't even worry about locking their car doors or leaving things in them. I can't get over that.

Walking around here makes me think of lots of different things. There is a certain peace here. "The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas" to quote an old song. But then I also think:

...The woods are lovey, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

From the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Epitaph to My PC

My dear computer it is hard to see you sit there waiting but not willing.
You worked hard for me, You helped me keep up with news and friends.
My thoughts of all kinds were kept on you, You never told unless I said to.
With you, I entangled myself in the world wide web.
I found prices on everything from air-fare to houses, cars and yes even computers.
I learned a lot of things thanks to your searches.
You and your big monitor companion were the top of the line when we bought you.
Was it seven years ago? More or less I can't remember. We've been through it all.
We moved you from several different homes. You never complained,well maybe a little.
You got sick when you were still under warranty. But you were fixed and continued on.
When I had no cd player, you happily played everything from oldies to the new stuff.Thanks to you and your partner, the monitor I could keep up with TV shows.
I even kept up with my sports teams when I could not see them on TV.
But you as you got older, you didn't want to work as hard. Disk boot failures, etc.
We thought about replacing you. Yes the newer machines are sleeker, smarter, faster.
You didn't complain when we had to to find a new place to live.
Off to Waco we went. A new life for both you and I. We even went to Ozona together.
Your virtual memory started complaining and you lost connection a lot.
Sometimes you buffered painfully slow. Then without warning, it happened.
I turned you off because we were going to Waco for Halloween trick or treating.
When we came back I pushed your button as usual. But something was not right.
As if to tell me your life's work was done, you left a message on the monitor.
"Dr. Jason" examined you. Sadly, your illness was terminal.
Oh I guess I could get you a new hard drive, but at your age? Maybe death is better.
I can't say "Dear PC,I don't think I like you anymore" as Rodney Carrington would.
I don't know how I will go on without you for I have resisted laptops. But...
For now I'll have to muddle through on the family pc's here and in Waco.
Twitter, Facebook, and the Malitz Muse will not be the same without you PC.
Rest in Peace PC. You did your job well. I will miss you.

Street Gang in Heaven?

One day St. Peter saw a street gang walking up to the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter ran to God and said, "God, there are some low-life street gang members at the Gates. What do I do?"

God relied, "Just do what you normally do with that type. Redirect them."

St. Peter went back to carry out the order, but he suddenly came running back and yelling, "God, God, they’re gone! They’re gone!"


"The street gang?"


"No, the Pearly Gates!"

There's Gotta Be a Pony in Here Somewhere.

There are days when we all have things go bad. I can certainly relate to that fact. Some of us handle things better than others.Me, I tend to get crabby. Me-crabby? Hell, yes. Sometimes I almost want to say "what the Hell did I do to deserve this?" It's then I have to remind myself of what I do have. What would I do without my daughters Annie and Traci? I don't even want to think of that. I'm very lucky and blessed to have them.

Then there are days when I finally make up my mind to look forward. Ok, I'll talk to Jason, see what he thinks. Hummm. Interesting. Then I talk to Bobby. Ok,they both think I can do this. So I start researching things. Well this might take a while to accomplish what I need to do. I need to do this, I need to do that. Oops, I stepped in that hole again. Now I have to brush off the shit and re-think things. Oh, ok, this is not impossible. Yeah, no car, no job. But, this is not insurmountable, keep looking ahead. Let me check out some things online. Uh...what is this?

Yet another problem I have found. Jeez, come on. Just how much of this shit do I have to shovel? After coming back from Traci's house for Halloween, I turn on my computer. What is this? According to my pc, it's dying. When I turned it on, it presented me with an ominous message. My hard drive might(is) bad. Jason checked it out for me. Yeah,it looks like the patient (pc) is terminal. Crap! More shit! In my mind's eye I see yet another roadblock. So, what do I do now? I'm lost.

Then this morning I see a Bible passage. Hebrews Chapter 10, verse 35 "Cast not away...your confidence which hath great recompence of reward". I guess I'm supposed to "keep the Faith, baby". I read somewhere that when problems keep being put in your way, the reason is that the Enemy knows you are improving and moving forward and this is his way to discourage you. Or it could just be that I keep getting into all this shit cause if I did deep enough I'm gonna find a pony and it will be a Grand Champion! I'd like to think so.