Notice of Violation

It was not that long ago that Houston drivers ran red lights a lot. Well they still do. Accidents happen when those drivers run the lights. They try to beat the light but frequently end up hitting another car or causing some other problems. So the City of Houston decided to put up red light cameras. Of course this created a lot of controversy as well as cash. Supposedly a lot of money has been collected from the tickets.

A lot of people have found a notice in their mail box from the Houston Police Department. Hey, Dummy, you ran a red light and we have it on camera! The dreaded Notice of Violation! I have never gotten one of these tickets in the mail. I have run an occasional red light. Shush, don't tell. Actually where I drive, there are no red light cameras. I usually do my duty like a good girl. I have had the occasional palpations while I wondered if the guy behind me is paying attention.

I could never imagine what the ticket would look like. Well, apparently one of my neighbors got a ticket recently. Some how this ticket ended up in the trash. Actually I found it blowing across the parking lot. Daisy tried to chase this piece of paper. So being curious, I picked it up. Yes Big Brother is watching. This informative piece of paper had the picture of the car's rear end and plate number. It had an official ticket form with all the information like where it happened, date, and time. Naturally it listed the violation (Art.XIX, Chapter 45). It also told the violator that she could view her images and video online. And of course it gave the addresses of the Walk-in Payment Center. I wonder how busy that place is? Of course it also gave the address of the Houston Municipal Court where the "images and video...will be submitted as evidence in the municipal court proceeding..."

There was something funny about this notice. The address of the Photo Enforcement Program for the Houston Police Department is in Mesa, Arizona! Yeah buddy! Run a red light in Houston, Texas and get a ticket from the Houston Police Department in Mesa, Arizona. Jeez!

Take a Few Minutes

Friends and families come in all shapes and sizes. The most important thing about them is just that-them. Today we are seeing more and more families coping with issues they had not planned to have. Frequently called "the sandwich generation", they must deal with raising children as well as caring for aging parents or grandparents. The very fact that these friends and family stay in touch is important to the well being of them all. Our time together is short. We may not think so but it is. We are all so busy with ourselves that we wake up one day and discover we forgot to call Aunt Bess. Now we can't because she passed away. We did not take the time. We think sadly, "if only... "

I remember the losses in my life. My parents, my in-laws and even some friends are gone. I can't get them back. Sometimes I will see some reminder that takes me back to another time and wish that I could talk to those I have lost. My mother and I did not always get along, especially when I was a teen. She was gone at 49. So many times I wish I could talk to her. My father lamented that she was the one who wanted grandchildren. He would rather have her. But as luck would have it, he lived to see the grandchildren she wanted. Over the years he became my best friend. Back then we had no IM or e-mail, we wrote letters or talked on the phone. Though he did not see them often, for a guy who didn't really care about having grandkids, he enjoyed them. Now he is just a fading memory for them.

We are only here a short time. We need to remember to take that time and use it well. Don't end up saying, "why didn't I?" I heard someone say "talk to me now, don't talk about me later cause I won't care then." Families and friends rush to the aid of those grieving for a loved one. This is comforting for sure. Then again, how many times have I heard someone say they had been meaning to stop by but... We all have busy lives. It is not always easy to drive across town to see that old uncle in the nursing home. Few of us like to visit nursing homes. They can be depressing. But sometimes there is no choice. We can't always cope with kids, work and parents or grandparents. Some of our friends or family are lucky enough to be independent until the end. Of course some of our old friends and family can be crabby and annoying. But we must remember it's better to talk to them now, rather than about them later.

Easter Bunnies Anyone? How about Some Eggs?

So we had Amanda and Pat over for dinner Sunday. Jimmy gave both of them chocolate Easter Bunnies as a joke, Hers was white chocolate and his was the regular one. I was going to make a cake but decided not to cause I could not find my cake cover. Can't leave a cake out on the counter without a cover here. Since the grass and weeds have started growing we are having some extra little unwanted guests fly in and around the house. Little brown bugs keep coming in the front door. They seem to be attracted to food or drink. They really liked my wine. I kept having to shoo them away from my glass. When I was in the kitchen they kept trying to sample the food as I was cooking. And to think they weren't even invited.

Jimmy got an unusual phone call Saturday from Bobby. He was at home with Brad while Traci went to pick up Cheyanne from her father's house. I guess he just needed to talk. Sometimes after your parent dies you have to find some communication. It was a nice call. We hear from them so rarely. Bobby is always busy and Traci is, well Traci. She is not much for communicating. Annie and I talked before they left to check out where they will be living since Jason will be starting a new job in a different town soon. Nothing was said by Pat about his pending move. Well, it was Easter.

Amanda brought her laptop. For a while there it looked like dueling laptops. I have been running a new security program on our pc. I downloaded the trial version. It looks like it would be something to get after we get the pc disk reformated. Right now I can do some things. But if I try to search for something, I still get taken to some odd place. I was trying to get to a bio on Charlton Heston but was maddenly always sent some place else. I just have a few things I need to try to get off here so that Amanda's friend can clean up this poor sick computer.

Our next door neighbors must have taken off a few days. It is spring break. One good thing I did notice. The poor lonely beer bottle has moved on. I hope it will be happy in it's new abode. Meanwhile Lady is a little miffed because Jimmy's laptop has taken over her lap space. She has to compete now. I almost got a cute picture of her with her head on the keyboard, but Jimmy made her move before I could take one.

Well, now I feel the call of an Easter egg. Even though we have no little kids around anymore, Jimmy still likes to dye those eggs. We dyed two dozen eggs. Wonder how long it will take to get bored with them for lunch? Ok, ok, now Daisy is pestering me to go out. The only problem is, will I be able to resist the chocolate cake Amanda and Pat brought as I pass it sitting on the counter. Now where is that leash?

Give Me Strength!

Well, here I am again. It looks like we are going to have to reformat the disk on the poor pc. One of Amanda's friends is going to help us with that as soon as we can get together. This is so very frustrating. Jimmy bought a flash drive to store our pictures and his music on while this thing gets fixed. This whole thing reminds me of men who dont read instructions. When he bought this pc it did not come with a recovery disk. In the first few pages of the manual were instructions to make one. Gee, that would have been nice. I dont have $200 to buy another Windows XP program. Of course now Jimmy discovered at least one virus in his music. He had already planned to buy a used laptop from a friend. He had saved up for this for a while. He finally got it yesterday. It is really nice. But when he put in the flash drive he discovered the virus. Crap!! I will be so glad to get this mess fixed.

Amanda and Pat will have Easter dinner with us. I guess this will be when Pat tells us that he will move to Odessa and that his former ex is pregnant. Oh Joy! Maybe I should did a foxhole and stay out of the line of fire? Dumb,dumb,dumb. A grown man making such thoughtless choices. I guess he is just another example of the current way people do things,backwards.

Well, I am going to try to concentrait on good thoughts. Happy Easter.

Surprises, Some Good, Some Not

As I write this I am fighting to regain control of the computer. The other night after Jimmy finished his poker game he checked his mail and finished answering his MSN Messenger chats. Apparently in the middle of all this some spyware and or trojan horses grabbed hold of our system. I worked all day yesterday using our spyware killer. It is still in trouble right now. Grrr! I asked him what in the world he did. Who knows. Along about noon he called me to ask about dinner. What? He never calls about dinner. Surprise we have tickets to the Houston Rodeo to see Toby Keith. I could not refuse because Toby Keith is one of Jimmy's favorites!

So we drove over to one of the bus locations and were wisked away to Reliant Stadium. I had forgotten how much walking is envolved in being at that stadium. Since it was late in the afternoo we skipped the animal exhibits. After all cattle all smell. When we walked into the crowd making it's way to the stadium where all the activities are held. Getting to the seats should be an event as far as I am concerned. On the way to our seats we had to fight the crowds going for food, drink, and all sorts of things for sale. Let's face it buying a meal at the rodeo is not cheap. Just imagine a hot dog for almost $6.00. Eventually we made it to our seats. We missed the tie-down roping and bareback riding contests. We did see some of the team roping and saddle bronc riding. Steer wrestling was fun, sort of. Some how wrestling a steer to the ground is not that fun to watch. At least to me. I did get a kick out of the barrel racing which is the women's contest where they race their horses around three barrels as fast as they can. Most of these racers are young, but there was one lady who was 64 in the race. Bull riding is painful to watch, muchless do. No wonder they have the rodeo clowns jumping around. I liked watching the clowns, especially the apprentice clown. The announcer kept talking all night about this clown in training. He danced around and acted silly. The crowd loved him. Of course then he had to take his final exam in the barrel. Yeah, get in the barrel and let a bull push you around. Is this guy nuts? Apparently so- the apprentice clown was Matt Lauer of the Today show. I wonder how he feels this morning.

One of the big hits of the rodeo is always the calf scramble where kids chase and grab a calf. It is not as easy as you would think. If these kids manage to catch and pull a calf into the center of the area, they get a calf to raise next year. I know those kids were tired.

Finally time for a little music. I am no much of a country music fan but I did enjoy Toby Keith. One of these days I might actually get used to the loud music and fireworks going off. Jumping nearly out of my seat every time the fireworks is so not cool. I actually did understand some of the lyrics of the songs over all the noise of the band. What was that you said? When we left I could not hear because of the buzzing in my ears.

More coffee, please. Since we did not get back until after midnight and got up before six, snore. Now it is back to work. Hey, virus scan, are you done yet? The spyware guys are waiting. Again. Surprise, what trojan horse? I need a nap.

A Tattered Flag

It has been really windy here the last couple of days. As I walked Daisy this morning, I looked up at the American and Texas flags flying at the volunteer fire department building. I guess I am like everybody else and don't really pay much attention to the flags flying around at various places. But I was astonished to see how torn these two flags were as they flew proudly in the breeze. The American flag was still secured but as it waved in the wind, it was clearly in shreds. Then I looked at the Texas state flag which was in even worse shape. It was flapping wildly and holding on by one clip. At any moment I thought it could be torn completely off. It was even more torn than the American flag. I e-mailed my concern to the office manager.

Maybe it is just me. I find the sight of these two flags a disgrace. When I was a kid we were taught about the care of our American flag. I always thought that when our flag was too tattered it should be taken down, burned and then replaced. Maybe I am wrong about that. I don't know how expensive these flags are for companies to buy. But of all places I would think that a fire department would make sure their flags were kept in good conditon. People have fought and died for these symbols of freedom. Look at how many firemen and women lost their lives on 9/11. Texas has a long and storied history of the battle for freedom. Like I said, I never really gave flags much thought. I see them everywhere. As an American, I am embarrassed to see our flag is such bad shape. I can't help but feel sad.

The Beer Bottle Saga Continues

As I walked Daisy this morning I noticed two empty water bottles on the grass at the curb. Tisk, Tisk. I wondered if they would be interested in the lonely beer bottle. They could surely keep it company. Then I thought that maybe that would not be a good idea. Suppose one of them decided to stay and make a family? Is there any hope for a water bottle and a beer bottle? Of course if they made little bottles what would they be? Would they have near beer? Or would they have beer flavored water? It does not look promising, about like a dog and a cat. I don't think they will get along. But maybe they could keep the little guy company. I understand that the two beer bottles and five beer cans in my refrigerator may be leaving in the next few weeks. They have just about overstayed their time there. Would any of the cans or the two bottles consider visiting the lonely bottle? Will the loney beer bottle be able to find happiness with a beer can? Or would they have too many creative differences? Maybe the one of the beer bottles in my refrigerator will leave first. I sure hope that if one of them does go that the bottle next door will have a good pick up line. What's your sign is so lame. Only time will tell.

Are They Gone Yet?

At last the Texas primaries are over. Pant, pant. It seemed like every time I looked at any of the local news shows Hillary, Barack, Mike and John were all running around Texas. The local tv stations all raced ahead to get the best spots to report on all the candidates as they made their way across the state. From what color pantsuit Clinton wore to Obama's appearance at the Houston Rodeo. Wonder what Tim McGraw and Faith Hill thought? John McCain and Mike Huckabee ran around the state in a never ending dance of delegate hawking. Mr. Huckabee finally gave up the ghost and dropped out of the race. The McCain steamroller was just too much. And just where was Ralph Nader? Not here.

The one saving grace for me was that I never got any phone calls. Thank goodness. Of course the conventions are coming this summer. Maybe the Democratic convention will be fun. If things continue to be so tight, it could be a good fight. Good old fashioned political squabbling. Of course the Republican convention will not have much in the way of surprises. John McCain is now the man. Who will he pick for a running mate? There is still a lot to be decided on both sides.

For me I am glad they are now out of the state for a while. We have more important things to worry about. Will the Rockets make it into the playoffs? Most sports talking heads don't seem to take them seriously. They still are flying under the radar. So are our Astros. I watched a little bit of a couple of games. Spring training games being what they are, who cares? I still am hopeful that they will surprise all the naysayers.

Now that the politicians are gone (for now) I can get back to what is really important. Just when will my son come by to inform us of what we already know? At least I have been able to get this silly computer just about back to it's former "glory". Gotta love Microsoft. Spending more than half a day just to get the service packs and patches back up is as exciting as watching paint dry. And of course in true imitation of life, we still have the on-going beer bottle saga. Still there, still lonely. And so it goes...

Who Said Soap Operas Aren't Real?

John Lennon once said that life happens when you are making other plans. That is why I never make plans anymore. Thursday the computer crashed. Jimmy ended up having to do a full recovery on it. Ever since then I have been fighting to get this thing back up to speed. Friday Jimmy was supposed to buy a laptop from a friend. But that didn't happen because his friend had not finished getting things off and onto his new laptop. Saturday Jimmy had to try to fix his truck. Another friend from work who is a mechanic said he would come help him as well as his other friend. Neither of them showed up. Frustrated, Jimmy did as much as he could by himself. Finally he gave up. He was certainly depressed because nothing went right. He was really looking forward to being able to use the truck again instead of our Trans-Am and he was hoping to be able to set up his new laptop. Even his nightly poker game went badly.

Oh well, at least we were going to have a nice visit with his daughter Amanda on Sunday. She has shed her long locks for the now popular "bob" style. It looks nice and we had a nice late lunch and visit. That is until she dropped a bomb shell. She and my son Pat share living space. Since my son works odd hours we rarely get to see him. She told me that his ex-girlfriend had moved to Odessa and that she has a job. She never bothered to do that when she and my son were together. Pat had to do it all, working, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of her kid while she sat on her butt. Finally they broke up and he moved on to another girl but that did not last long. The bomb exploded when Amanda told me that Pat was moving to Odessa. It seems that his former room-mate is now pregant with his kid. Bang! That was the sound of my heart hitting the floor. Not one member of our family likes this woman. This is on top of the fact that he is not divorced from his first wife who had a kid that was not my son's. I am thinking this has the makings of a soap opera!

Let's see, my soap opera would have all the elements of the current stories on any soap opera today. Just look at the cast. We have Pat who spent a lot of time on probation during high school. He was even sent to live with his father until his father turned reverted to his old jerk ways which is why I left him in the first place. Then we have the oldest daughter who finally has, hopefully settled down now that she has a good husband and three kids. She had a child by her first short lived marriage. We had to talk her into keeping her first child whom she wanted to leave with her ex-husband. Luckily she changed her mind and we have a lovely 12 year old granddaughter. The middle daughter Annie and her husband have two great little boys, one of whom has some developmental issues. Then there is Amanda, the youngest and in some ways the oldest. She never really stays in a relationship for long. Now she is seeing a guy who was a good friend of all the kids when they were in school. Now he is in prison, hoping for parole in 2010. We have known this guy for years and don't think he is guilty but, that is another episode. I kid you not, you can't make this stuff up! That is unless you write for a soap opera! At least on tv I can get previews of the upcoming episodes! Now, let's see, I wonder which shoe will drop next. I know I am not dreaming. On the other hand if this were a dream I could wake up. Ha. Now where is my Daytime Emmy?

Poor Little Beer Bottle

Whenever I walk out the door I see a beer bottle on the ground next to my neighbor's trash can. Day after day lying there lonely. Every Saturday and Wednesday the neighor pulls his trash can to the curb so that the trash men can empty the trash. Later the neighbor pulls his can back to it's spot. He never thinks about putting the bottle in the trash. Why? The poor little bottle has been there next to the wall for weeks now. How come it is always forgotten? Day after day the sad little bottle lies in wait. It has been rained on, blown by the wind gusts, sniffed at by my dogs. Yet, it continues to stay right there. The guy occasionally brings home another 12-pack of bottles. Eventually the box and the other bottles find their way to the trash can so that they can meet their final reward at the dump. Yet day after day the lonely bottle never moves. No body cares. No one takes the time to pick it up. Soon ants may chose it as a shelter. Taking the garbage from inside to the trash can is a chore. It is such a long walk from inside their apartment. There may be four steps from the front door to the can.They always seem to have a lot of trash. Bag after bag and box after box find themselves to the trash. Yet the poor little beer bottle continues to lie there lonely and forgotten. Poor little bottle-maybe I should just do it a favor and drop it into the can myself. Then again, if I went to that trouble, it would just end up on the grass at the curb. Lonely again.

Quality Control?

It seems that everyday I find something has changed in whatever I buy. The large box of cereal which once had 25 ounces now has 20 ounces and a higher price. Canned goods have less in them. Prices are not going down. Gee, imagine that. Every time I see "new, or improved" I have to wonder what is new or improved. Sometimes the "new, low fat" just means it has 10% fat as opposed to 15%. What does "new formula" mean? Companies are getting sneakier in how they list ingredients or amounts of product. I've seen smaller containers of laundry detergent or softener which proudly say they are better than before. Sure they are.

A friend of my husband had time on his hands one day so he decided to test the truth on a package of AngelSoft toilet paper. He decided to count all the squares on the roll. I told you he had time on his hands. The toilet paper was advertized as having 200 sheets per roll. When he counted the sheets on a roll, he discovered the roll was short a few sheets. Instead of having 200 sheets, it had 158. So, he tried another roll and so on. He wrote the company. This company was very impressed with his concerns. After thanking him and promising to improve, they sent him some of the new 200 sheet paper rolls. Curious, he again counted the number on sheets on the rolls. There were 168 sheets, still not 200. Quality control must not be an exact science, at least for toilet paper.

Who Needs an Oscar When There Is Daisy

Well I have noticed the Oscar telecast was low rated. I guess the writers strike and any other thing was more interesting than a bunch of men and women in expensive clothes congratulating themselves. Their speeches to seem to ramble on as they thank everybody on the planet. But, they have yet to thank Daisy.

My dear daschund, Daisy thinks she should be the award winner of all awards. Just going out for business or exercise is cause for a media frenzy. Or so Daisy thinks. She can be in mid-poop and spy someone walking a street away and pose for the camera. That must be hard to do while being in a squat. I'm not saying she is self absorbed but she expects that all passers-by or drivers, workers or anyone else within range should take notice of her. I have to remind her that not everyone thinks she is adorable. Of course that does no good. She will see someone at the fire station and wag her tail and pose for them. If someone pulls into a driveway they must be coming to see her, right? That seems to be what she thinks. She will stop what ever she is doing and trot to that general direction. She thinks she is Queen of the World and everyone is her subject. At the very least all people within walking distance should come see and play with her. Unlike Lady who would rather consider others as invaders of her peace, Daisy welcomes all.

All those people on the red carpet have nothing on her. Like the beauty queen she thinks she is, she is always ready. And like the line in a old movie "I'm ready for my close-up" seems to be her anthem. Who needs an Oscar, anyway? There is always Daisy. After all, an Oscar statue won't keep you warm at night. Right Daisy?

Never Trust a Texas Weatherman - Or the Weather

I have seen the weather reports of snow, ice and other problems all over the country. Did the local forcasters get them all right? If you believe what you see on the national news programs I guess they did. After days of snow one could assume that at least one day the forcast was correct. What did the meteorologist see as he looked out the window or walked outside? Hey there is snow on the ground and clouds in the sky. Maybe I will put that in my five day forcast. Or they go outside and see rain. With the advent of the weather computers used by all the tv stations even the average viewer can watch the weather.

Maybe we tv watchers should take up the weather predicting. At least here in Houston, every time I watch the predictions I end up wondering why did they say that. In the last few weeks I have watched the weekly forcasts go from warm to cold, wet to dry. The trouble is when they say it will rain, it doesn't. When they say it will be cold, I end up turning on the air conditioner. Last night they all said beware of a strong line of thunderstorms. Nothing happened. This morning storms will be crossing the viewing area. They even had the time nailed down when they would show up. They just forgot something. Predicting the weather is a science, just not an exact science. Don't look now, those thunderstorms took a detour.

I grew up watching the weather. I had my own little weather station and instruments in my backyard. I think I got it as a present, one of those science project type of things. I even briefly toyed with the idea of being a weathercaster someday. When I learned how much math was involved I changed my mind. Math and I did not get along.

But these days I think I will stick to watching the tv guys and ask my dogs. They dogs seem to have a better idea of when it will be stormy. When it is cloudy outside and I can't get them to move out of the chair, I know it is going to rain. When they curl up under their blanket, it will be cold.

Lately the local weather people have warned us about all sorts of impending weather problems. This system is heading our way, or that won't come here. I think the weather likes to toy with us. Just as soon as the experts say something is going to happen - it doesn't. I was waiting for the rain today. Now the sun is shining. Oh well, there is a saying here in Texas, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute, it will change." So tomorrow it is supposed to be 74 and sunny. No rain, right?

It's Spring -Training That Is

Well, it is that time of year again when the teams pack up the equipment and players head out to training camp. Pitchers and catchers always start first, then the rest of the teams gather. Which team will ultimately grab the spotlight and end up in the World Series? On ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning, they discussed the teams and the two Mike's agreed that it looked like the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs could be the teams in the Series. They also said the the Brewers, Rockies, Red Sox and Yankees might have a hand in who ends up in post season play.

I'm going out on a limb here and say the Houston Astros could be a contender. Come on, quit laughing, it could happen. What is that noise? Who climbed up my tree and why do you have a saw? Saw the limb off behind me, well that is a good start.

The Astros will look differently this year. We have a new manager in Cecil Cooper. Several players including Everett, Birk and Qualls are gone. Biggio has retired. We still have Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee. Now we have Kazuo Matsui and Miguel Tejada in the infield. Outfield still has Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence along with Michael Bourn and others. Pitching is still anchored by Roy Oswalt with Bradon Backem Chris Sampson, Wandy Rodriguez and a host of others who will show off during training camp.

Of course pitching is suspect. And we don't know what, if anything, will happen with Tejada. Lance Berkman, one of the jokers on the team will be giving Hunter Pence a hard time for smashing through a glass door. Brad Ausmus is already talking about the ribbing Pence will get. "Hunter, there is a glass door there." will be said a lot.

On paper we have more power hitters than in seasons past. It will be harder for pitchers to pitch around our batting order. We have a lot of speed and hitters who want to win. The question remains with the pitching rotation. Other than dependable Oswalt, who do we expect to fill out the rotation and the bull pen? Hopefully, preseason will have several pitchers prove themselves worthy.

Call me an optimist, but since this team is different than years past, maybe this year will be the start of winning. Ok, go ahead and laugh now. Go Stros!

Ouch, That Might Leave a Mark

Remember the old movie where the rocket slams into the moon and the man in the moon is not happy? Here is a wild thought. NASA is rushing the shuttle Atlantis home so it won't be in the way when the Navy attempts to shoot down the wayward spy satellite. They don't want to take a chance with debris hitting the shuttle. Of course this is just wild speculation. Right? Or is it? The way things have been going with our space program and our satelitte systems there is a question in the back of the minds of a few people. I am sure it is just coincidence that the shuttle is on it's way home tomorrow. After all it did finish the intended mission. Of course how many years have we been looking for Bin Laden? I can see my car in our parking lot, but satellites can't find him. The mission to shoot down the satellite will cost $40 million. What if they miss? Yeah, I think it might be a good idea to get the shuttle back on earth before the Navy starts shooting. There is enough junk in space now. We certainly don't want to leave another mark on the shuttle. Those tiles cost money, you know.

Falling Satellite-Call Bruce Willis

So the US Navy is going to attempt to shoot a wayward spy satellite out of the sky. The satellite is about the size of a bus and has about 1000 pounds of toxic rocket in it. We certainly don't want this thing causing danger to us. Or maybe we just need an excuse to practice shooting down things. We are, after all, worried about China. So the USS Lake Erie will attempt to shoot the wayward satellite out of harm's way. What if they miss? I understand they may have a slight chance to try again. So what if the second try fails? Where is Bruce Willis when we need him.

All worries about danger and toxic fuel aside, just imagine if a piece of this fell, say on a house or a car. I can just see the call to the insurance company now. The phone rings at ABC Insurance Company.

Homeowner, " I need to make a claim on damage to my house".

Insurance agent. " All right, sir. How can we help you?"

Homeowner, " A satellite fell on my house."

Sounds of laughter can be heard over the phone as the homeowner tried to convince the agent that this really happened.

Agent, "Come on, this is a joke right? Who put you up to this?

Homeowner, "I am not kidding, a satellite fell on my house! If you don't believe me, get your adjusters out here to look!"

Agent, still laughing says "Ok, ok, what makes you so sure it was a satellite?"

By now the homeowner is fuming. "Look, I have had a policy with you for 20 years, are you going to help me or not? I am telling you it is a satellite!"

As the agent waves to his office mates to listen in he in all seriousness says,"Sir, I am sorry, but your homeowners policy does not cover damage by satellite."

By now the homeowner is livid. He screams at the agent. As he tries to regain his composure, he hears a loud rumbling. As he looks out his window, part of the satellite falls onto his car. He starts to cry.

The agent hearing this gets serious. "Sir, I am so sorry... Sir, are you crying? Why are you crying?"

The homeowner tells him through his tears," The satellite just fell on my car."

The the agent lets out an audible sigh. "Well sir, you'll have to call your car insurance company. We don't cover car damage."

Should have called Bruce Willis.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hubby surprised me this morning with two boxes of chocolate, a pot of tulips, and a cutle little toy bear. No wonder he kept hinting for me to go to bed last night. He had all the stuff in the car.

From the History Channel I found some interesting facts.

Did You Know?
There are many opinons as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that it was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. In any event, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St. Valentine became a patron saint of lovers. In the 1840s, Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first Valentine cards. The spirit of love continues as valentines are sent with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.
Looking for Love
- 188 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
- Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
- Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research)
- There are 119 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are:Hispanics: 153 men per 100 womenAsians (single race): 132 men per 100 women (This ratio is not significantly different from that for Hispanics or non-Hispanic whites.)Non-Hispanic whites (single race): 120 men per 100 womenBlacks (single race): 92 men per 100 women (The numbers of black men and women in this age group are not significantly different from one another.)
- There are 34 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) age 65 or older for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are:Hispanics: 38 men per 100 womenNon-Hispanic whites (single race): 33 men per 100 womenBlacks (single race): 33 men per 100 womenAsians (single race): 28 men per 100 women(Note: None of the ratios for the individual groups differ significantly from one another nor from the ratio for all people age 65 or older.)
- 904: The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.
Be Mine
- 2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.
- 147,300 marriages are performed in Nevada during 2005. So many couples "tie the knot" in the Silver State that it ranked fourth nationally in marriages, even though it's total population that year among states was 35th.
- The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men are 25.3 and 27.1 respectively, in 2005. The age for women rose 4.2 years in the last three decades. The age for men at first marriage is up 3.6 years.
- Men and women in northeastern states generally have a higher median age at first marriage than the national average. In Massachusetts, for example, women were a median of 27.4 years old and men 29.1 years of age at first marriage. States where people typically marry young include Utah, where women were a median of 21.9 years and men, 23.9 years.
- 57% and 60% of American women and men, respectively, are 15 or older and currently married (includes those who are separated).
- 72%: The percentage of men and women ages 30 to 34 in 2005 who had been married at some point in their lives - either currently or formerly.
- 4.9 million opposite-sex cohabitating couples maintained households in 2005. These couples comprised 4.3 percent of all households.
Candy is Dandy!
- 1,241: The number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2004. These establishments employed 43,322 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 136, followed by Pennsylvania with 122. (Source:http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html)
- 515 locations produced nonchocolate confectionary products in 2004. These establishments employed 22,234 people.
- The total value of shipments in 2004 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products was $13.9 billion. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $5.7 billion industry.
- 3,467 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2004. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets for Valentine's Day.
- The per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2005 was 25.7 pounds. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years; in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.
Flowers
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2005 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $397 million. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for nearly three-quarters of this amount ($289 million).
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2005 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $39 million. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were third in receipts ($39 million)to lilies ($76.9 million) and tulips ($39.1 million).
- There were 21,667 florists nationwide in 2004. These businesses employed 109,915 people.
Jewelry
- There were 28,772 jewelry stores in the United States in 2004. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2006, these stores sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise. (This figure has not been adjusted for seasonal variation, holiday or trading day differences or price changes). The merchandise at these locations could well have been produced at one of the nation's 1,864 jewelry manufacturing establishments. The manufacture of jewelry was an $9 billion industry in 2004.
Looking for Love? Try looking here...
Names of some romantic-sounding places:
Valentine, NE
Valentine, TX
Loveland, CO
Lovejoy, GA
Lovelock, NE
Love Valley, NC
Loveland, OH
Loveland Park, OH
Loveland, OK
Lovelady, TX
Loves Park, IL
Loving County, TX
Lovington, NM
Loving, NM
Love County, OK
Lovington, IL
Romeo, CO
Romeo, MI
Romeoville, IL
Sacred Heart, MN
Heart Butte, MT
South Heart, ND
- 21: Number of places named "rose". The red rose has long been a symbol of romantic love. Rose Hill, VA., is the most populous, with more than 15,000 residents.
Data courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau

Water, Water Everywhere, Again

When I took Daisy outside last night before bed, I noticed a lot of water running in fire house back yard. We did have a big series of thunderstorms come through around lunch time. But this had nothing to do with it. As Daisy and I walked around our building I saw water flowing from the same area which was hit by the truck recently. I guess it is a good thing that there is a drainage ditch along the road. The water had made the yard area into a lake and it continued to run quickly into the ditch. It looked like a little water fall into the ditch. I guess it is a good thing that the ditch drains fairly well. Otherwise we could have an even bigger problem if the water were to move along the yard into our area. When I came back inside I asked Jimmy if I should call someone. Of course not. All they will do at 11:00 at night would be to turn off the water, leaving all the residents with no water. And how come the cops did not see this when they did their drive arounds? Well it is now almost 8:00 am and the water is still flowing merrily along. Traffic has moved along and settled down from it's early morning crawl. The water is still running. When I took the dogs out this morning they both looked at me as if to ask "what is this mess?" More water, running again. Wonder how long it will take for someone to shut it off this time? Anybody got a row boat? How about an ark?

No, It Won't Be the Ides of March

It may soon be time for me to put in my earplugs and really start channel surfing. I heard the first ad this morning for the primary in Texas. Barack Obama was speaking. Wonder when we will get the Clinton ads. Hillary has already started visitiing the Lone Star State. We here in Texas will soon be under attack. I think I would rather have the flu. Obama will be making a stop here in Houston, but there is no word yet on when Hillary will show up. Hispanics really like her so this would be a good stop for her. Obama has opened some offices here. Millions of dollars will be spent here on ads. Sigh. I have heard that there will be phone calls from the candidates.

And to think that just a few months ago the pundits were saying that it would all be over before the Texas primary in March. Tisk, tisk, oh ye of little faith. Now Texas will be attacked like an insect swarm. Oh joy. Reporters will be here asking all sorts of questions of the candidates and those who plan to vote in the primary. Fort Bend County is already looking at the possibility that there will not be enough voting machines. They think that there may be more people trying to vote than in past years. So they are trying to encourage voters to vote early to avoid long lines.

Yeah, it is going to be a really fun few weeks. Maybe. Doesn't everybody want to listen to phone calls and radio and tv ads. And we can't forget all the local media trying to get the big story before anyone else. I actually remember when I enjoyed all the pre-election stuff. I even liked watching the conventions. I do remember being amazed by the speech Barack Obama gave at the last convention. Then I also remember voting for Goldwater. Somehow I feel that which ever party wins the election it will be another example of the more things change, the more they stay the same.

At least the Astros will be in spring training. So I will be looking forward to that. We'll have a lot of new players and a new manager. I would rather watch them play than watch the candidates dance for votes. Then again, I may just find time to clean out my closets. Et Tu , Brute?

Aw, Come On!

Will this ever end? The continuing saga of he said, he said just gets deeper and uglier. Now Bryan McNamee says he injected Roger Clemens' wife, Debbie with HGH before a photo shoot five years ago. No word reqarding if he kept the syringes, etc. Jeez... I guess next he will say he injected Roger's son Koby who is in the Astros farm system. I don't know what other people think but to me this is getting personal. On the other hand Clemens is making the rounds of the Congressial offices, having pictures taken with senators and congressmen and giving autographs. Hum...Where is Bryan McNamee? Is he getting his picture taken? Is Roger Clemens clean? He says so. YouTube even has a copy of a 1987 Zest commercial--Zestfully Clean as Zest soap used to say.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5iqpb6L7pY Boy he looks young!

In the middle of this the Houston Rockets seem to go almost unnoticed, but they have won six straight games and are only 4 1/2 games out of first place in their division. I don't follow basketball especially since the Rockets frequently start out like a house on fire, and then burn down. But there is hope among the fans.

Me,I am ready for the As the Stomach Churns soap opera to end. After all, the Houston Astros start Spring Training this week. Yipee! For once the team, at least on paper, is loaded with power hitters in the lineup. Well, we will still have to see if the clouds part over Miguel Tejada. Did,he take steroids, too? Maybe he went to the party Jose Canseco had a few years back where Canseco and Clemens discussed steroids and HGH. McNamee actually says Roger was at the party but Canseco says he was not. And so the soap opera continues...

CSI,Law & Order or Soap Opera?

Life imitates art so the saying goes. Well maybe. Maybe it imitates tv. All the Houston tv stations as well as the national networks have reported on the steroid scandal in baseball. Former Astros pitcher Roger Clemens is right smack in the middle. Yesterday his former trainer Bryan McNamee dropped a bombshell by saying that he has evidence proving that he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH. Clemens continues to deny that he ever took these. He even spoke on Capital Hill about this. So this is a he said, he said problem.

Daily soap operas don't have this much drama. They just take months to kill someone or weeks to discover who is the daddy of the pregnant tramp who was found dead. "CSI" deals with the evidence all the time. They gather the evidence, study it and decide how and who did the deed. Now Bryan McNamee says he has evidence that he did the deed. He says he has bloody gauze, vials, and syringes which he says are proof. Now it is time for the CSI boys at the feds lab to decide if there is indeed DNA evidence to prove this. If the results comeback with DNA of Roger Clemens it could prove that he has been lying all along. This could result in perjury charges. Then we go to the Law & Order and get a trial. This could get ugly.

Then there is my own question. Why would a trainer keep vials, gauze and syringes which he used on someone for seven years? That to me seems to be a little strange and premeditated. He knew what he was doing. Did he tell Clemens that he was injecting him with the steroids and HGH? Or did he tell him it was something else? Suddenly now he has produced this proof. Keeping this stuff for so long seems like the act of a person who has a grudge or wants to discredit someone. And so, in true soap style the scene is set for the Young and Restless to fight All My Children for The Guiding Light of truth for they have only One Life to Live.

The Little Things

Sometimes I think we need to stop and think about life. Many times we are so busy with work and family that we forget that sometimes little things mean more than we know. I remember years ago when I had my first job working in a records room of a hospital. I was about 20 years old and it was the first time I had my own money. One of my jobs was to go pick up records from various clinics and offices. As I walked around I saw a young girl in a waiting room. She seemed upset. I asked her what was wrong. She did not have enough money for a coke from the machine and her father was with her mother who had just had surgery. I did not usually have change in my pocket unless I was going on a break. This time for some reason I did have some in my pocket. I dug into my pocket and found enough change to pay for a drink. So I gave her the money. She thanked me and I thought "no big deal". She smiled, that was enough.

We went to the funeral of my son-in-law's mother last week. I usually avoid funerals as much as possible. But we knew that since she had been very sick this was about to happen. My son-in-law asked if we could come to the funeral. I could not help but feel that this was important to him. I did not know his mother very well. I had been around her a few times but we were not really close. I found out later that my son-in-law felt better than he had in a long time just by us coming. It was a long trip for us, but it was another little thing that mattered.

I've been thinking about an old song that Glen Campbell had on his "Galveston" album. It has always been a favorite of mine. Just a little small song on an album. "Friends" was a song he did not sing, but spoke. He spoke of how important friends are and how the seemingly little things we do for our friends are important. He spoke of how friends are never earned, they are a gift from the living God. A friend will warm you with a nod when you are hurting beyond words. They will answer the phone at two in the morning when you feel lost and with a few words of concern and encouragement make you realize you are not lost at all. Words we could all pay more attention these days. We may never know how or when something we say or do will help anyone. It doesn't cost a lot, either. It is the little things that mean a lot.

Ready to Dump Your Significant Jerk?

Today is "dump your significant jerk" day. In the spirit of the day I will try to decide who I would dump. I have so many choices. Let see, there is the guy that cut me off in traffic-nah, not good enough. Or I could choose the rude customer service person on the phone. Still not good enough. I could pick any politician. Getting closer, but still not good enough. Ok, I have come up with two.

One of my choices for significant jerk would have to be the New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick who left the field seemingly in a bad mood. Of course in true Super Bowl fashion one second was left on the play clock, people swarmed the field. Belichick hurried across the field, shook hands with Giants coach Tom Coughlin and left. He did not even come back when the officials made the fans and reporters get off the field so that the game could finish that last second. When a reporter caught him outside the locker room Belichick was still less than graceful in defeat. He never once had anything to say about the Giants. Some people think he was classless, unsportsman-like and disrespectful. I guess he won't win any good guy prizes this year.

But for rudeness Belichick has nothing on the neighbor who lives in front of me. Ever since he and his wife moved in I have tried to be nice and cordial to him when ever he is outside with his pitbull. I have tried to speak to him on numerous occasions. All I get for my trouble is surliness. He refuses to speak or even acknowledge my efforts. At first I thought it was just me. But he is just as rude to Jimmy and even to Amanda when she lived here. Amanda tried to talk to him cause she liked his dog. She once had a pit bull, so she thought they would have something in common. Not a chance. So, I think I will call him my significant jerk and dump him. I feel better all ready. Ha!

So Who Will Pay That Water Bill?

Yesterday afternoon was shaping up to be an average day. That is until about 3:45 when I heard a kerthump. I figured it was the kid on the other side of the building. Our building is less than sound proof so I can frequently hear cabinet doors closing or the neighbor's upstairs bathroom toilet flush. I am used to hearing the kid run up and down the stairs. So I figured the noise was just another everyday happening. Maybe somebody moved some furniture? Then I hear frantic voices outside. Even Daisy looked toward the window.

Curious woman that I am, I went upstairs to take a look out of the upstairs window. Oh, boy! One of the electric company meter readers had run his truck into the water main behind the fire station. His right front wheel was up against the water pipe. Water was running madly all over the place. Why he was driving the truck around the yard is a mystery to me. This also just happened to be a day when the volunteer fire fighters were at the station. Ok, I figured this will be handled quickly. Oh no. For two hours the six fire guys and the four meter readers stood around taking pictures and calling people on their cell phones. That is two hours with water running all over the place. A tow truck drove by. The driver asked if he could help. They waved him off. Finally two cop cars show up. They stood around with the rest of the people for another hour. Meanwhile the water is still running. No-one seems to have any idea of how to turn the water off. The water valves are in a large metal vault behind the above ground pipe ends. Water is completely covering the yard and the vault holding the valves. Luckily there is a drainage ditch along the side of the road.

Finally they get a tow truck. In less than 5 minutes he was able to pull the truck out of harm's way. Great I think. Wrong. Water is still running everywhere. By now it is nearly 6:30. People are still wandering around trying to figure out how to turn off the water. Apparently they don't want to get their feet wet. By this time Jimmy had come home. He laughingly said maybe he should go over there and turn the water off for them. Nah, the water company can handle it. Right?

Around 7:00 the water company truck shows up with a generator and a pump. After another seemingly endless amount of time the water gets pumped out so that the water company guy can shut off the water. And of course, as a result we have no water. Finally the problem is solved. All this took about 4 hours and 15 people to fix this. I have to wonder what will happen to the electric company guy to created the problem. And why was he driving around in the grass anyway? Who will have to pay the water bill? I'm also a little disappointed that it took so many people so long to handle this problem. Talk about using time wisely? All those people standing around. Problem solving 101? I think they all failed that class.

Rolling Stones Gather New Kids?

This is proof positive that bands never die. We have all seen the ancient Rolling Stones go on tour again and again. I remember seeing the Who reunited some years ago. They filled the Astrodome. The Eagles kept fans guessing for a long time before they re-united. Van Halen will be playing again. This time with Wolfgang Van Halen. Come on Valerie, did you really have to name him that?

Even Boyz II Men have been every where lately. I can't remember when I last saw them. Now word has leaked that New Kids on the Block are about to re-unite. New Kids? Well, they may have to change the band name to Middle Age Men on the Block. Some people are all atwitter. Well let's just say some women are. Even Elizabeth Hasselbeck on "The View" was excited on the show today. Oh, boy. I can remember when my kids were given tickets to a New Kids concert by their aunt. They were sooo excited. That was the one time I actually felt compassion for my sister-in-law who took them to the concert. Such fun.

So now that the rumors of an empending tour are racing through the media and the net who will be next? Will 98 degrees come back? They could call themselves 98 degrees and on medication. The Back Street Boys could finally find their way out of the back streets. I always thought they were a pretty good group. But, that's just me. I happen to like harmony. Will Justine and Joey get the urge. Some how I think N'Sync is just too far out of sync to get back together. But you never know.

Let's face it. The Rolling Stones still draw big crowds and huge money. In the looks department, ah well they never were the type to bring home to mother. Words fail me when trying to describe these old men jumping around the stage. Then again, they have been around forever. Can the New Kids or any of the "boy bands" hope to compete with the staying power of the Stones? Well at least I can understand the words... Wonder what my granddaughter would think about them? Now which Kid did my girls like??

It's That Time of Year

"Hello boys and girls, do you know what time it is?" No, it's not Howdy Doody time. Besides if you were not watching tv in the 50's you don't even know the show. So what time of year is it? Super Bowl week! Yes it is the Monday of Super Bowl week. The hype will go on and on until late Sunday when we are subjected to all sorts of sights and sounds ending with the big game. Too bad none of my teams are playing. The Texans are looking toward the draft for help for next year. And my other teams, well... The Packers tried. The Cowboys kept seeing Jessica. Hey Tony, pay attention. Oh well.

We did have a Super Bowl game here in Houston. Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. Most people who went to the game liked Reliant Stadium, especially the players. On the other hand, the only thing this game will be remembered for will forever be "Wardrobe Malfunction". Thanks Janet and Justin!!

So now we have a week of interviews and speculation by sportwriters. How many clips will we see regarding Tom Brady? Is he injured, will he play? My guess? No and Yes. Personally I don't think he is hurt. Hey Giants, don't pay attention to the injury reports! How many times will Eli Manning and Tom Brady be asked the same dumb questions? Just imagine all that press following every movement and every word. Gotta fill all that tv time and newspaper space.

Finally Sunday will get here and things will begin in earnest. First there will be all the pre,pre,pregame festivities. That is to give you enough time to make sure you have enough snacks and drinks on hand.Then later in the afternoon you will have a chance to run out and restock all the stuff you finished off. Then there is the pre-game in which there will be dancers and singers who used to be popular killing time until the National Anthem. This will then be sung by a singer who will give new meaning to the word "butcher". Just sing it! I hate those vocal acrobatics some singers do. Frances Scott Key would surely have his ears covered, not to mention twist in his grave.

Finally the game will begin. And of course we can not forget those expensive commercials. In the past some of the commercials have been more entertaining than the game. We must also not forget to run to the bathroom at just the right time. Can't miss a play of the game. Or overload the sewer systems. I seem to remember a time when someone sent a bunch of kids to all the stadium restrooms to flush all the toilets at once. Testing anyone? At the end of the first half will be the much hyped half time "spectacular". Will Tom Petty make it grand? Will it be worth it? For that matter will the game be worth it?

Eventually after seemingly endless hours surrounding the Superbowl, a winner will be crowned, the trophy will be held up, probably by the winning quarterback and then all that paper will begin to rain down. What a mess. Will the Patriots have prevailed and gone on to a perfect season or will the Giants ruin the Patriots party? Will Eli finally get out of Peyton's shadow? I don't know. Me. I'm already looking forward to the Astros spring training. Just a few more weeks...

Hot Chocolate That Heats Itself

It was cold and rainy last night so we decided to try a new hot chocolate. It was in a can which heats itself. I had seen this technology featured in a story about canning on the History Channel. The can has the liquid, coffee, tea, soup, or chocolate, in a chamber and beneath this is another chamber with water and quicklime also known as calcium oxide. The outer cover of the can has a cover which is easy to hold even when the drink gets hot. Heating the container is simple. Turn the can upside down. Pull off the tamper proof foil bottom and push the button in. The directions are easy to follow and within 5 to 8 minutes the drink is hot. When the bottom cover is pulled off and the button pushed this allows water to run into a chamber with quicklime (calcium oxide). I was lousy in chemistry but water and calcium oxide combine into calcium hydroxide which heats the container.

When I saw this on the History Channel, I wondered if we could find this in any of the stores. The company producing these drinks is Hillside. I was suprised when we found a selection in WalMart. Now of course the way WalMart does things I won't be able to find it again. Since it comes in drinks and soup it is something that could be used anywhere. Jimmy and I stood in the kitchen last night watching the hot chocolate can just like two little kids. There is a pink dot on the side which turns white when the container is at the right temperature. I was really surprised to discover that the hot chocolate was very good. So far the company has four styles of coffee, two cocoas, two teas and two soups. The only problem, to me, is that it is a little pricey at nearly $3 each. I saw on the OnTech website that 12 packs of these are $34.99.

On the whole, I was impressed with the drink and the technology of the self heating cans. I understand that there are ways to self cool cans too. It seems to be a good idea. The FDA has deemed it safe. So the door is now open and I wonder what is next.

Cold Cereal for Breakfast Anyone?

As I stumble down the stairs for breakfast I get the bowl out of the cabinet and the milk out of the fridge. Then I get the cereal out of the freezer. Huh? What? Who puts a box of cereal in the freezer? I confess, I did. I blame to grocery sacker. Who else am I going to blame? When we went to the grocery store the other day the sacker put a bunch of the frozen items in one bag. When we got home I was in a hurry to get the stuff put away. Daisy was upstairs in our bedroom. I always put her in there when we go grocery shopping.This makes it easier cause she won't be underfoot as we bring in the groceries, nor will she be able to sneak out the door. Lady is too lazy but given the chance Daisy would bolt out the door and down the street. So as I started putting the groceries away, I checked each bag. Can goods were in one bag, Milk in another. Other things were in a bag for the refrigerator. Most of the time the bags are fairly well organized. But this time I guess the sacker thought one bag could hold another item. So he put the box of cereal in with the frozen dinners and other stuff that go in the freezer. So, I glanced into the bag and saw the frozen stuff. Without even thinking, I just dumped the bag in the freezer. I ran upstairs, got Daisy and took her outside. Then I got supper ready. Finally everything was done. We ate and later I washed the dishes. It was not until two days later when I went to get something out of the freezer did I realize that there was a box of cereal in the freezer. I guess it could have been worse. I could have put a frozen pizza in the pantry. As I took the cereal box out of the freezer, Jimmy asked why I had put it in the freezer. I had no logical answer. It does give new meaning to the phrase "cold cereal for breakfast". Now let's see, where did I put the laundry detergent?

How Well Do You Know Your Pet?

I saw an old clip of comedian Jonathan Winters the other day. I always loved his skits. In this clip he asked "do you take your clothes off in front of your dog?" While this seems to be a funny question, think about it. Do you? I have had both cats and dogs at one time or another. The cats I have had always seemed to tolerate us being in their world. My dogs, on the other hand, always wanted to be right in the middle of everything. So I thought about it. What do our dogs think about us naked. Do they notice that we have put on weight? "Hey, pop, you'r getting a little tubby around the middle". Or, "Put some clothes on, will ya!"

Most of us pay attention to the obvious comments our pets make. Let's see, I have heard the slap of the food dish as it went sailing across the room with no food in it. I have been chastised by Lady and Daisy for not moving fast enough to tend to their whims. Sometimes I think Daisy would like to be a fashion critic. "You're wearing that again?" "Hurry up, I've got things to do!" Lady likes to sleep in the bed right next to my husband. Not just curled up. Oh no, she had to lie in the bed on her back as if she were human. If we give her a funny look, she looks to us as if we are the crazy ones. But now I will have to watch the dogs a little closer. They do seem to have opinions on things we do here. Do they really have to watch me brush my teeth? Maybe I should just ask their opinions. After all they watch everything. "Either of you girls need a blanket?" "What do you mean you want me to move over?"

Wait for the Beep

Aren't answering machines fun? We have a land line at our house mainly for use of the internet. Our downstairs phone is on the computer desk. The other phone is a desk phone with a fax and answering machine. Rarely does anyone call here. My daughter does occasionally. Most of the calls we get are hang ups or people looking for my stepdaughter who used to live here. I quit answering the phones because when I would tell the caller that she was either not here or no longer lived here they still called.

We also are on the no call list so we really don't get many useless calls. But it does not stop calls from companies with whom there is a relationship like the cable company, electric company, banks, etc. So it is not surprising that Amanda still gets a lot of calls. She gets a lot of calls about her bills or her bank. You would think these guys would get the message. But, most of them are automated calls. That is what makes the calls so funny. One day the answering machine had a message from a collection agency. As the message ended it said something like, "this has been a message from a professional debt collection agency. Thank you and have a nice day." For some reason the idea of a collection agency saying thank you and have a nice day struck me funny. It did seem to be a bit ironic too. Then again it was a recorded call , not a live person.

Then there are the other messages that leave me perplexed. I guess these are recorded too. They never seem to start the message after the tone. I wonder what " call and get the lowest rates now, before they go up" was about? The message started somewhere in the middle. I never heard the first part. Oh well, DELETE, click. Then there are the calls that want a response. Yeah well, don't expect one. Three numbers don't make a telephone number. I really love those. Who are you and why are you calling? Ever wonder why we don't call back?

This is why I have a love/hate relationship with my answering machine. My daughter hates it and yells into the phone Mom, Mom until I finally answer the phone. I still can't figure out why when she calls I run upstairs to answer the phone. I guess I go to all the extra trouble to run upstairs because I want to make sure I delete what was on the answering machine. The downstairs phone doesn't have caller ID, so I don't usually answer on that phone. That is probably why Annie yells at me. Is she trying to make me get enough exercise by running up the stairs? I have been known to run up the stairs to see who was calling only to have them hang up before I get there. Then of course there are so silly ones which never seem to come out as a whole message. I don't know who they are cause they never seem to get the whole message out. I can't call a partial number. Ha, ha. Like I would really go to that trouble. I could print out the journal of calls. But why bother? I have nothing to say to them anyway. Too bad technology has not figured out how to make an automated calling system leave a whole message. They never seem to listen to the instructions which tell a caller to wait for the beep. Ha! Let's see, think I'll delete them all! Should have waited for the beep.

Good Thing I Don't Bet on Football

I was interested in watching the football games this weekend. But Saturday we went store browzing. It is rare to get Jimmy out of the house on week-ends so I gave up the afternoon game. We did get back in time to watch some of the late game. I had my ideas of which teams would win. Well the Packers won. I was glad, although I do like the Seahawks. But I figured the Packers would win. I also thought the Patriots would win. No brainers, right? Hey, I'm on a roll here. Not so fast oh little Texan fan...

We sat down Sunday to watch the other games. I figured Peyton Manning would lead the Colts to victory. Cough, cough. What happened here? Maybe it was a good thing that Jimmy kept changing the channel to movies. "Bad Company" was better than the game. I was irritated every time he flipped the channel. Maybe he knew something I didn't. We did see the last few minutes of the game. I thought the colts would pull out the win. I held a secret desire to have a Manning vs Manning Superbowl. But I was also hoping the Cowboys and Romo could put the distractions behind them and grab a win. I had been a Cowboys fan ever since one of the guys I went to high school with played safety for them in the 70's. Alas neither choice was to be. Well, at least the Manning boys' mother won't have to fret over them playing against each other. On the other hand did the New York Post hurt the Cowboys by planting a fake Jessica Simpson in the stands? So now Eli has to get tickets for Peyton. That is a twist.

So now the Chargers will play the Patriots and the Giants will play the Packers. Let's see. The Chargers have a good chance against the Patriots. And yet again a Manning will go for a title chance. Just not the Manning most people thought it would be. Will the Patriots go all the way to an undefeated season? Or will the ultimate upset occur ? All I know is that I am not an odds maker and I am very glad I did not have money on the games this weekend. I give up. But stranger things have happened. Only time will tell.

In My Next Life

Sitting in my chair surrounded by my two dogs, I came to a conclusion. If there is re-incarnation I want to come back as my dog(s). What a life. They get good food. Well, I guess it is good since they like it. They sleep in a nice warm kingsize bed. Most of all they have their people well trained. When they want to play, they pile the toys in front of me. When they do a good job, they know they will get a special treat. Yeah, stop bumping the back of my leg, Daisy! Daisy always lets me know when I don't give her a treat fast enough.

Daisy follows me everywhere. If I go to the kitchen, she's there. If I go to the bathroom, she is there knocking on the door. If I go to the bedroom for any length of time, she jumps on the bed to wait patiently for me to do something. Lady, on the other hand, doesn't follow me every where, just to my chair. The minute I sit down in the morning with a cup of coffee, there she is sitting up waiting to get into the chair beside me. Since she is ten years old, she need a little help getting in the chair. Then she worms her way into position so she can gaze at me with those big brown eyes. Yeah, I get suckered a lot! Daisy doesn't bother to beg for a spot. She just jumps on the arm of the chair and then pushes her way onto my lap. Sometimes I think Daisy tries to keep me from moving when she lays across my lap.

Yes, it is nice to be a dog in my house. They want for nothing. They give and get affection. They don't ask for money or to borrow the car. They are always happy to see me. How come my kids weren't that nice? Lady and Daisy have a great life. No wants, no worries. Well, occasionally they get in a hurry to go outside. They know what they have. Sometimes I wish I led their lives. Hey, my water dish is empty. Where is my food. Poof, it appears! Chilly, hop on the bed and dig under the covers. The only contest is who will get in my lap first.

Not all dogs are as lucky as they are. That is why I have often said I would like to be re-incarnated as my dog and live like they do. There are times when I have even thought having dogs was better than having kids. Yeah, think I will come back as a pampered pooch. Now if I can just find the right patsy, I mean human.

Change???

The candidates are polishing up the rhetoric and talking and talking and talking. Yawn. Just think we only have ten more months of this. Of course at some point the field will be narrowed to two and there will then be a sprint to the finish. Who will win the White House? At this point it is still a question. There are a lot of primaries to go and a lot of speeches still to be made. The one word that all of those running for the office of President of the United States is "change". Change? Even some news reports have caught on to this question. It seems like every one running for any office uses, or over uses the word. Watch MSNBC, Fox or CNN. What do we see? The word "change" is flowing like a river. Everyone says they plan to change the course of the country. They all want changes in government. Obviously, there will be change for the Republicans. Mr. Bush can't run again. Now the Republicans have to decide who will be the new standard of the party. Let's see, we had eight years of the elder George and eight years of the younger. Jeb is not available. So who do they choose? That will be a change, no Bush. Now what?


The Democrats are calling for change. At least that is the one word they use over and over. Clinton, Obama, Edwards and everybody else running keep telling us they want change for the country. I wonder if some people may be wary of Mrs. Clinton because of Bill. Some may feel that would not be a real change cause he would be "advising" Hillary. Yet Democrats keep saying they want change but isn't that what they tried recently? Gee. I thought that is what Nancy and all her pals wanted to do when they took control of the House. Right? What happend to all the changes they were going to make? They were not going to rubberstamp whatever Mr. Bush wanted. Yeah, they changed a lot. Now let me see, what were those promises they made? The Democrats promised change. They apparently forgot the old adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same". Did they change anything? Uh...

At this point I wonder if there will be any real change. Our country has some real problems. We need someone with courage and determination. Just saying we need a change won't mean anything. Tears won't mean anything. Hoarseness from speaking won't mean anything. Shaking hands won't mean anything. We live in a country that used to be admired and feared. We have a country like no other, a model of democracy. We must change. We must change for the better. Politicians can talk about change and how they want to make this country better. But talk is one thing, action is another. Ultimately, in November, we will have to make the choice. We will be able to choose the leaders of our government. Who we choose to represent us could change the course of History. Then again, we have hoped for change before. We have even voted for change. Will we see any? I guess that will depend on a person's point of view. Think I'll change the tv channel. Wonder what movie is on TMC. Probably one I have seen before, kind of like the politicians.

Should Have Sent It By Snail Mail

Love conquers all , but not for politicians. Houston Republicans are all up in arms over the love life of the District Attorney. Chuck Rosenthal was elected District Attorney in 2001. Prior to his election he had been Assistant DA for 30 years. He had planned to run for re-election, but his e-mail love notes got in the way. Several tv stations got hold of them and posted them on their websites. When the Republican Party found out they asked him not to run. At first he refused to drop out of the race. The Republicans quickly gathered together to try to find a viable candidate to replace him in the upcoming election. Finally Rosenthal decided not to run for re-election and resigned as Harris County District Attorney.

Now the question is why did a seemingly smart man use the Harris County computer system to send romantic e-mails to his executive assistant? Maybe since he is married he did not want his wife to know so he did not use his personal computer? Most companies frown on employees using business computers for personal use. Of course employees do it anyway. But sending love notes to the person with whom an employee is having an affair? Bad idea! When in doubt don't leave a trace on the company computer. That is just dumb. I worked in a hospital where an ER employee got into hot water for using the business office computers to play games while he was on duty. At least this guy was not the local DA.

Guess this should be a lesson. Employees should not use company computers for sending love notes. At least they should delete them before the bosses see them. And by all means politicians need to be more careful with their private trysts. Just ask Bill Clinton. So a 30 year career as an assistant and 6 years as an elected District Attoney ended. Maybe if the e-mails had not been discovered, he would still be a candidate? Should have used snail-mail. Maybe he should have texted her on his personal cell phone? Tisk,tisk.

Is It New Year Yet?

I hope everyone had fun during all the New Year's stuff. Hopefully we will all have a better 2008. I am still trying to remember where the week-end went. Jimmy had an extra day off since they did not work Monday. My daughter, Annie and her family came down to visit. They were going to come in on Friday but that would have put them here around midnight so they decided to go to Waco and spend the night with my other daughter, Traci and her family. So we expected Annie to come in around early afternoon. Yeah, that worked out well. They did not get here until 11:00pm on Saturday. So much for not having to wait up for them. We enjoyed seeing them again. The boys have grown a lot. The boys loved the aquarium. Ever watch a five year old boy lick the glass of an aquarium? I have yet to figurre out why he did that. They did have fun feeding the fish. Wonder if the fish did? I had forgotten how much energy five and three year old boys have. I also had forgotten how loud little boys are. They did actually manage to tire out Daisy. They chased her around and around the living room. That was one pooped dog!

On New Year's Eve Annie and Jason went to Amanda's for a party. Jimmy and I, on the other hand, struggled to stay awake long enough to see the New Year in. As we watched tv we also watched the clock. When the clock hit nine, we groaned that we had three more hours to wait. I guess for the people having parties time flew by, but not for us. All we could think about was going to bed. Sleep was more important.

I was quite proud of Daisy this year. She did not freak out nearly as much as she did the last couple of years during the fireworks. She only barked a few times. But neither she nor Lady wanted to go out to do their business with all the noise. They looked at me as if to say that they would rather wait to finish in the morning. I can't really blame them.

After they got on the road late yesterday afternoon, we relaxed in the quite of the empty house. Even the dogs quietly relaxed. It took a lot of energy to chase those boys around. Then came the nasty realization. The holidays are over. Jimmy wondered where the time to relax went. All those days off came to an end. It almost felt like we missed it all. It is New Year's, right? 2008?

Do Fish Get Bored?

I have read that watching fish in an aquarium can lower blood pressure. Maybe it is so. But I also have to wonder about those little guys. What do they think as they swim around and around, back and forth. Do they communicate with each other? I know they all seem to fight for a spot at the top when it is feeding time. They seem to enjoy chasing each other around. The mollies like to chase each other around. The zebras and tetras like to swim around together. The red tipped shark likes to hide in the cubby holes of the rock. Then there is the fish that likes to clean the glass and rocks. What a job. Who caught all those fish? After watching them race around, up and down and across, I wonder. What do they do for fun? I would think it would get boring quickly. Just imagine going around and around all day getting nothing done. Sounds like some jobs I have had. Seems a little boring to me. But then again I am not a fish.

Holiday Thoughts

I hope everyone had a happy and merry Christmas. Anyone swimming in wrapping paper? I noticed this year that one of the local tv stations did a story warning people about putting the trash out so that the robbers could see who got what. Jeez, think I said that last year. So now I noticed that some of my neighbors have heeded the advice of the news reporters. They put the trash in black plastic bags so it was not as obvious what gifts they got. Well at least it is a little better. I have not taken Daisy for a walk this morning yet because it is raining. Then again the trash came today so the big boxes and bags did not have to stay out long.

We splurged this year and got a (another) tree this year. We did not even put one up last year cause all our decorations are in storage. So this year we found a 6 ft. prelit-multi-colored tree on sale for $25. Yeah, right in our price range! It actually fit in our tiny living room. Of course Jimmy had to climb over a lot of stuff to get to the ornament container which had fallen down in the storage building. To my great surprise, only two ornaments were broken. Too bad one was a favorite of mine. Oh well.

We also decided not to get any gifts this year. Since Jimmy has been wanting an aquarium for a long time we found a little ten gallon one on sale the same day we found a tree. He still wants to get a bigger one like we used to have some day. Right now we just don't have the room. We said that this would be our present. Then we had to get some fish. Fish have gotten a lot more expensive since the last time we had an aquarium! Fish that used to be less than a dollar are at least three or four dollars now. So now we have some neon tetras, mollys, and zebra fish. Back and forth they go. Wonder what they think while swiming around an aquarium?

Well at least we didn't have to worry about all the trashed wrapping paper and boxes. Since the company decided to take off Christmas Eve also, Jimmy had some extra time off. Then he wondered where time went. It takes a lot to time to find just the right fish, I guess. Then he had to play endless hours of poker with his buddies. One evening he actually played all night. 5:am he came to bed. Didn't get much rest that day. He really was enjoying the game, I guess, right? Later in the day I just could not resist the urge to show him the clock on the computer.It does tell time!

Then I just had to make fudge. It is not really Christmas without some fudge. We both love it. When the kids were home we never got much because they got to it first! Now, I found myself thinking about how long I had to stand there waiting for the mix to boil! I don't remember it taking that long.

At least we had a nice quiet holiday. New Year's will not be so quiet cause Annie and Jason will be here with the boys. And Amanda will probably join in and hang out with them. Oh well. Now where can I go to hide from all the noise? Oh yeah, I need to stock up on the vodka! Happy holidays, right? Valentine's is right around the corner. At least WalMart already has the stuff out! Can I hibernate now?

Which Fragrance Will You Buy?

Ah yes, it is one week until Christmas. People are feverishly looking for gifts. Commercials tell us what to buy and where to get it. They are all trying to catch our attention. I was thinking of different gifts that I have gotten or given over the years. One of the traditional gifts has always been fragrances. It was something that could be give to just about anyone. Parents liked them. Kids did too. Over the years it has become a big business.

Women now have so many fragrances from which to choose. Once we thought we were special when we got Channel #5. Men were given Old Spice. Now there are almost too many to choose from to decide. Victoria Secret has several. Most high end department stores have expensive choices for both women and men. It seems like almost every designer has a line of perfumes and colognes to go along with their clothing lines. What celebrity doesn't have one these days? Somehow I don't think I will be buying any perfume from Ms. Spears. I see that Stetson is still around. I can't believe that Brut has been around since 1964. Joe Namath sold it. Of course he wore panty hose in a commercial too, but that is another story.

What does a man buy for his girl or wife? There is so much to choose from. Does he sneak into the bathroom and look at what she uses. Or does he just ask? Maybe he asks the kid what kind Mom uses. Women don't really worry about what cologne to get for the man. They buy the one they like. And of course these days there are a lot of choices.

And then I saw the commercial for just the right man. Of course he must like stock car racing. A special fragrance for the man who loves racing-Daytona 500. So what does a cologne named for a car race smell like? Motor oil and sweat? How about a little fuel behind the ears. Mix in a little smoking tire and brakes smell. Ummm, just what a manly man wants. Just tell Santa!

What Now?

Now that the Mitchell Report has blown the lid off major league baseball, what are we, the fans, to think? What about the sports writers who ultimately have to decide which player gets voted into the Hall of Fame? This has been baseball's dirty little secret for years. There have been players who flatly denied any involvement to those who smile while saying they didn't knowingly take any banned substance.

Mitchell says he thinks there should not be any punishment, Selig is not so quick to forgive. He says what ever happens should be on a case by case basis. What about the records? What about the bottom line of the teams? After all baseball means big money. Big players want big contracts. Home runs and strike outs fill ball parks. We tend to laugh at the loose purse strings of the New York Yankees every time some player signs a new contract. To get good players, an owner needs to be willing to shell out lots of money. Top players attract crowds.

The smaller fans are the ones who have been the most disappointed. How can a ten year old kid look up to a hero player now if that player may have taken the banned drugs to gain power, or strength? These kids hear the talks about "work ethic" and want to be like the players. I saw a clip of some young boys looking at the list. One commented on Roger Clemens by saying"...so much for work ethic."

What about the players who have not used these drugs. How does this make them feel? There are, for example, very good defensive players who do not have home run power. They work hard to improve their skills. Yet these players don't get the large paychecks the "stars" do.

Baseball, and sports in general, will have to think long and hard about the business of sports. And they will have to consider the health of the players. The WWE has already had tragedies because of steriods. There have been baseball players who died possibly because of drugs. Players and teams want to win, but at what cost?

Snow Anyone?

Just trying to get into the spirit. I don't think we'll get snow for Christmas. So I guess I will just have to look at the snow from my Dickens Village. The people are running around London.

No snow here, no room for the village. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...I will not ruin the song by singing.

Message From a Mockingbird

Maybe it is just me. Are the mockingbirds really talking to me? Like most of us I have days when I am happier than others. Some days I feel absolutely depressed. I find myself walking Daisy thinking about things. The sparrows are chattering over each other like the women on "The View". All right all ready. The occasional bluejay is being bossy. Walking around the neighborhood I hear all these birds competing with each other for "air time" or talking about whatever birds so. What I have noticed is that when I feel unhappy for what ever reason, a mockingbird will be sitting in a tree near me singing. Why does the mockingbird always sound so cheerful? And how come I always see him then? It seems like when Daisy has to stop to do her business, I look up to see a mockingbird singing a cheerful little song. Why is he so stinking cheerful? Is he trying to tell me something? Maybe. I find myself listening to him. Sitting in that nearly bare tree just a few feet above me, he seems to sing just for me. I get it finally. Keep singing Mr. Mockingbird. Thanks for the message you sent from above. Ok, Daisy, let's go.

Another Circle Completed.

We recently received an invitation to Jimmy's nephew's college graduation. Chris is now 25, married and has a little boy. We had debated going at all. Jimmy's sister Jean did not even send Amanda a card when she graduated from high school. That really hurt Amanda's feelings. So Jimmy decided that we would do an "in your face" visit since his sister didn't make any effort for Amanda. I looked at it as more of "maybe she forgot" and let's be the "better person" attitude. We have not seen or heard from Jean for a couple of years. The family is slowly getting smaller. Other than cousins and an aunt who all live far away Jimmy and Jean are just about all that is left since their parents died a few years ago. We figured "what the heck" we'll probably never see them since it is a big place. I think the Man Upstairs had a different idea. As we walked around trying to find some seats, who do we see walking the hallway carrying a small child? Jean. She looked at Jimmy in shock. I think she was happy that we came. And just who was the small child? Her grandson who is the mirror image of his father. Looks like there may be a little payback growing here. Jean said he acts just like Chris did as a child.

After the ceremony we went to congratulate Chris. We had not seen him since before he got married. Was this the same kid? The kid dear mother tried to control his entire life. This was the child who had his life structured and planned from day one. Jean kept him on a short, tight leash. Jimmy and I used to say to each other, "Just wait till he goes away to school!" As things usually happen when he went away to school in Chicago, he discovered freedom and made some mistakes which shattered his mother's dreams for his future-as she saw it. He came home and had to start over again under the microscope of his mother. Older and wiser now he decided to take charge of his own life. He moved out and went back to school at the University of Houston-Victoria campus. Then came the girl friend (not good enough for Mom) and then the baby. Mom still has ideas of what he should do. But when I looked into his eyes I saw a different Chris-now a man. Taller with a little more weight, he knew he was not his mother's boy anymore.

Now Chris is grown up with a little "Chris" of his own. He wants to teach but he is not sure about where. He thinks he might get his Masters (Mother pushing again) but not for a while. He has a family now. According to Jean, her grandson is just like Chris in many ways. Jimmy laughed when he told her that it soon will be "payback time". Now Chris will get to see life from the other side as an official adult. Jimmy and I looked at each other with that famous Yoggi Berra line in mind. "deja vu all over again". Another circle of life.

If It's the Holiday Season, There Must be Grinchs

I have been thinking of Christmas. Who hasn't? All the commercials bombarding the airwaves with "joy". Then I thought about our decorations sleeping peacefully in the storage building. Once in a while I think about getting in among all the stuff. Maybe I could actually find something I could use here. Then I realize how much trouble it would be to try to get the stuff out. I feel a little like saying forget it.

Then I think about all the homes in our neighborhood with decorations on the lawns. Then I have to think about the rash of destruction some Grinchs have done lately. Anyone who has been to WalMart looking a decorations knows how expensive some of these out door decorations are. A large inflated snowman is over $100 dollars. So why to some idiots think it is such fun to cut holes in them or steal them? Do they need some decorations? Do they have children who would like to see them? Maybe they don't have any money. I know the feeling because decorations have become big business and big attention getters. Why do they do this? Are they just mean spirited?

I just don't understand what is so funny about slicing up these things. I remember last year seeing a news story where a home owner actually put security cameras in his front yard so he could get pictures of the Grinchs. Sure enough the pictures were broadcast on all the local channels. The dastardly evil doers were seen enjoying ripping apart the decorations. Respect of private property meant nothing to them.

Then of course I find myself thinking about punishment. What would be a good punishment for them. Jailhouse food for the holidays? Community service? Buying new decorations for the owners? I just don't know. Maybe they should be made to be human decorations? Maybe they should have to wear costumes of the season and stand still on the lawns of the homeowners. It is enough to make Santa frown.

GPS, Maps or Asking

There are a couple of interesting holiday commercials on now. I have to laugh at both of them. One shows a man driving around lost going through bad neighborhoods or around places he'd been before. Even the moose knew he was lost. Then there is the one where the woman is seen buying a GPS device at a store and then getting into the car. She then sets up the device for the man telling him it is an early present. After all we all know men don't ask directions. Then I remembered some occasions from years ago.

When I was a kid I remember being in the car with my parents on various trips. Some of these were just short little junkets, others were longer. My dear father was notorious for getting lost. It was kind of a joke between my parents. When ever we went somewhere new it seemed that he always ended up in the wrong side of town or going in circles. My mother kept asking him to stop and ask someone for directions. Nope. Eventually he always found his way out. Better later than not at all, I guess.

Then there was my ex-husband. He was the type who was "always right". He would never ask for help. He always knew where he was going. Going anywhere with him was an adventure into a black hole. Even the kids realized we were lost. Just imagine a 5 year old telling daddy, "We saw that McDonalds already, Daddy". Of course this would really set of fireworks. Just imagine.

"Daddy are we lost?" says the 8 year old.

"Of course not", snorts Daddy.

"But Daddy, we have been going in circles", one of the 5 year old twins says.

Not to be told anything by a child, he would continue on while grousing at us all. I would ask him to please stop and ask someone for directions. But of course he was never wrong and thus never lost. That would of course start the war. Soon the kids would be crying and he and I would sit silently while he tried to find his way to where we needed to go. Then the inevitable would happen. From the back seat came those dreaded words no lost parent wants to hear. "I have to go to the bathroom." It didn't matter who said it.

"Come on," I would say. "Just find a gas station and ask for directions."

"I know where I am going." he would roar.

"Mommy, I'm hungry" pleaded at least one kid every five minutes. This was in addition to the incessant reminders that bathroom breaks were needed by someone.

Finally I would see a convenience store. "Just stop here so I can take the kids to the bathroom," I would plead. Finally he relented and sat in the car pouting while I took the kids inside. Then after the kids had their breaks, We got back into the car.

"Ok, let's just go up to the next stop light" I said.

"Why" Mr Know It All said.

I retorted, "Just do it!"

We get to the stop light and I suggest he turn left. He wants to know why. I tell him to just give it a try. Crabbing all the way he makes the turn. Then what do we see at the end of the street? The place we had been trying to find for the last three hours.

"Well, here we are kids, told you I'd find it" he says as he puffs out his chest with pride.

"Thanks Mom", the kids say in unison.

"What did they mean by that", he said, none too happy with me.

"Oh, when I took the kids to the bathroom at the store, I asked for directions." I didn't say what I was really thinking. Smiling at him, I resisted the urge to be smug.

At least now, with the aid of GPS men can save their pride.

It is December 1st, Do You Know Where...

Ok, so the Grinch(me) has to move on and try to figure out the season's decorating. I know where my stuff is. Do you? Are you tree lights in a tangled mess in a box in the attic? Have you checked to make sure all those lights work? Have you bought your tree yet. Have you changed bags in the vacuum cleaner so you can pick up all those pesky little needles on the floor after you take the tree down? Where are the hangers for all those ornaments. I always think I have enough hangers and yet I still seem to end up with less than I need. Do you wax nostalgic when you look at those ornaments? I still have a few that I got when my kids were babies. I gave up using that silver tinsel years ago. For a while I used strings of beads as a garland around the tree. Once I even was patient enough to string popcorn and cranberrys together. What was I thinking. Of course I had to remember to put the ornaments the kids got or made in school. Believe me, those eagle eyed kids would scour the tree to make sure they were in plain sight.

Did you find the door wreath yet? Are you going to put lights around the outside of your house again, even though you vowed last year you would not get on that ladder again? Did you get out all the lawn decorations? Many places have neighborhood contests to see who had the best. Many people actually made and painted these themselves. Now you can buy all sorts of moves, blinks, jumps, laughs and sings. Then of course some yards get those expensive blow up snow globes, snowmen and Santas. They always look funny to me when you go by in the morning and they are flat and grumpy.

As yet we have not decided if we will put any thing up. Trying to find stuff in that storage building is about like trying to find buried treasure. I am thinking none of this stuff is going to be easy to get to and by the time we could get to it I would be Grinchlike again. Ho,Ho,Ho! I can still say that, can't I?