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?

A Thought Went Through My Mind And Left

Ever have one of those days when you are totally blank on everything? I got up this morning at the usual 5:30 am time. Jimmy went to work and I took the dogs out. It would be nice if I could take them out together but that won't work. Lady moves at a turtle's pace while Daisy is in a hurry to see everything. And of course their personalities are polar opposite. Lady thinks any warm being she sees is intruding on her personal turf while Daisy is a party girl and expects that all will just have to be delighted to see her. Look Daisy , it is only 5:45 get it done. I need coffee.

So after Jimmy leaves and the dogs have been walked and fed, I sat down for a cup of coffee. I started thinking of what to do today. Nope, don't want to do that, takes too long, nah no energy for that. See where this is going? I started thinking about what I should write about here today. Let me see...maybe this, no wait maybe that. Then I had a brilliant idea. Then something distracted me. The brilliant idea I had left my mind.

Then I started flipping tv channels. Christmas sales and ads everywhere. A PINK Christmas tree. Boy that will wake you up! All the channels seemed to have ads or program segments about Christmas trees, decorating , cooking or gifts. Naturally I was prompted to think about our decorations. Maybe we should go to the storage building and get out some of them. Aw forget it. Too much trouble to try to get out that stuff. Last year my only homage to Christmas was a poinsettia plant. Let's face it when you move from a large 3 bedroom house with room to spare to a two bedroom townhouse elbow room is a priority. I thought about getting out one of our trees. We have five. Yes I said five. Two 7 footers, one with lights and one without. Then there are the three little table trees which I used in the extra bed rooms and one on the mantle. We decorated the whole house for years, so there is a lot of stuff. The kids and grandkids used to love the animated people we had. We had Santa sleeping and snoring in bed, one climbing a ladder, one soaking his feet as he said "oh my feet" and Santa in the tub singing "Santa in the tub, rub a dub dub". We even had him standing at a refrigerator looking for a snack. And of course we had elves working on the toys.

Then we have a Dickens Village town which took up two and a half full sheets of plywood for tables plus more added space. I always loved the "Christmas Carol" story and movies so I liked to set the town up as I thought it would appear in that time. Sadly I have no room for any of this now. Maybe that is why thoughts went through my head and left. Some where I keep hearing the song "We need a little Christmas". Ok, now that I have been thinking about all of that, I'm getting tired. Oh, hey I just thought about...never mind it's gone now. Where is the eggnog?

If You Are Reading This...

The old grey mare I mean computer still has some life. Of course I could not get it to come on at all yesterday. I even called my son to see if he could come over to help Jimmy figure it out. But he called later in the evening saying he would not be able to make it over here. However, she says keeping fingers crossed, we may have solved the problem. When Jimmy came home yesterday he took the tower apart again. It was then he noticed that the cable to the hard drive was not in tight. He re-set it and the computer worked- for a couple of minutes. So he took it apart again. The cable still was loose. So he put in a new cable and everything seems to now be working fine.

The next thing is to get the other hard drive to work and use it as a second. He had transfered all the info on the old drive just in case it crashed. The data seemed to transfer ok but when he tried to check the second drive it had some error messages about pathways and reading. Might as well be a foreign language to me. But maybe we will get it straight soon. Then we can start to clean up things.

During the absence of computer time yesterday I watched a little bit of a story on the History Channel about magnets. I am not really in to magnets but I found it interesting how magnets are used in things including computers. I remember the days of the big magnetic tapes spining around. In 1956 IBM created the magnetic disk which at the time only held small bits of data. Would you believe 20+ disks held 5MB of data? Now, Ohio State University is working on a plastic magnet which eventually would be in computers. This new type of magnet would allow a computer to boot up instantly! That really would be good. No more waiting impatiently for access to the computer. For now I am just happy my computer is now on and running. Think I'll give it a pat on the head or tower. Good computer, sit and be nice.

Well, let's see...

Excuse me while I try to quit sneaking a little turkey. I can't decide to fix some leftovers from turkey or the chili Jimmy made this weekend. Since the weather was cold and rainy, Jimmy made a bunch of chili this weekend. Most of it is now in the freezer for later, yum.

I'm a little concerned about our computer. We've been getting a lot of "disk boot failure, insert system disk..." errors. Gee when we bought this computer it did not come with a system disk. And guess who did not think about making one . Wasn't me! For some reason since it has been chilly in this house the last few days it doesn't want to come on. I've been lucky because I have turned it on and it eventually warms up to run. I don't know if being cold has anything to do with it but...

As a result, I think Jimmy is going to try to transfer a bunch of his music to another disk as a back up. I know we need to clean the tower of dust since it hasn't been cleaned in a while. The way this desk is set up the tower sits in a space that makes it hard to plug and upplug things because you can't see in the back. Of course I guess we could always move the desk, but that is really hard to do. There is not enough light under the desk to see well and it is not easy to get to the tower back.

So, all of you in the blogosphere please say prayers and light candles for our hard drive.Hopefully we will be able to get things moved over and fix the problems for at least a while. As you can tell I am not too confident. Then again, a guy who lives down the street is a "mobile geek" with his own business. I hope we won't need him. Positive thoughts! We will be able to fix things until we can get a new drive, right? Right?

Almost Thanksgiving

Well as I sit here sweating after vacuuming, dusting and slinging the mop around, I feel the place is ready. Not perfect, but ready. We have all the fixings. The turkey is sitting in the refrigerator defrosting. Since we are not going to be able to join the rest of the family in Waco, we will be eating here. Amanda and Pat are supposed to join us. I am looking forward, sort of, to the annual D&C of the turkey. Can you tell I used to work around a lot of gynocologists? Oh yeah, I so enjoy digging into that turkey to get the giblets and neck out. How did I get elected to do this every year? Easy, I have the smallest hands. Funny we never seem to use the giblets or neck. We tried it once-too much trouble. I will leave the stuffing to Jimmy. He likes to make that. Of course I always seem to be the one who has to chop the onions and celery and what ever else needs to be chopped. The only thing we wish we had this year is a smoker. We have had that in past years and like it best. But not this year because we don't have the room to do it.

As I said I am sweating and the AC is running. We are supposed to hit possibly near record temperatures today. We will see. I can say right now it is very humid and cloudy right now. Watching the weather forcasters on tv, they say a cold front is on the way and is near central Texas and should be here this evening. This front may bring a little snow to the panhandle and north Texas, but not here. All we will get is rain for a few days. But the temperatures should have a bone chilling drop into the 40's and 50's if not lower. Well it is about time! I bought some wood for the fireplace. Right now it is still sitting in the trunk of the car. At least we could have a warm fire in the fireplace tomorrow if we need it. One of these days I will figure out how to heat the downstairs without overheating the upstairs. Ugh.

Well I'm off to rest my back which is complaining now. That is what I get for giving the dogs a bath. I hope you all will have a peaceful and safe Thanksgiving. And to one of my blogging friends I hope you have a happy birthday! And you thought I didn't know!

Grab a Box of Wine

I'm in a hurry. How come this store has some large bottles of red wines but no white wines. I need a large bottle of white wine. The last time Jan was here I had to get an extra bottle of her favorite wine. I'm not saying she drinks a lot but the word lush comes to mind. Oh wait, that is what she calls Daisy.

Why is it when I am in a hurry I can't find what I want. Ok, I guess that I will just grab the box of wine. Wine in a box is such a strange concept to me. I get the box home. I put it in the refrigerator to cool down for later. Of course I have to move things around to make room. Note to self, a box of wine takes up more room than a bottle of the same stuff. And I thought I had only had to move things around for the turkey.Ha!

Ok, then comes the grand opening. I take the box out. Let me see, how do I open the box? Ah, push tab one, then push tab two, pull down tab three. Why do I get the feeling I am about to do an episiotomy? I'll just make a little cut down here so the baby will have an easier time coming out, ok? Tell that to the bag of wine. After I did the first three steps, I look for the pour spout. This is not as easy as it looks. Reaching around in the box for that slippery, shinny bag, oh yeah. Where is a gynocologist when you need him? I finally grab hold of that shinny little bag and rotate the shoulders, I mean pull up the pour spout so I can see it. Is it a boy or a girl? Can't tell by the spout. Finally I find how to pull out the spout so that I can pour the wine. Turn the knob on the bag counter clockwise. Where is the opening? Good thing I am not in a hurry for a glass of this wine. Oh, I see it. It is not a screw cap or cork. Ok, I don't have to remove the top of this. So I have to hold the box upright to clear the baby , I mean pour the wine. Finally a glass of wine is born, I mean poured. Ah, here's to you, or me.

Just who is the idiot who dreamed up a box of wine? How dare he think it is easy to open! Right! The spout is easy to pop out pouring the wine is so easy. I think I have the hang of it now. That is after I cleaned up the spilled wine from the counter. So which is easier, opening a box of wine and pouring it, or having a baby? After a lot of pain and work they both come out ok. At least I can toss the box after it is empty.

The New Feel of a New Grocery Store

A new grocery store opened this week. The H.E.B grocery chain is trying some new things. I guess they may have lost some business to WalMart in the past. The new Vintage Market opened Nov. 14th. We thought we would wait a couple of days to check it out. Let's face it, anything new draws a crowd. So we waited until Friday. Bad idea. I guess because it was payday and the weekend before Thanksgiving it was packed. I even got hugged by a live shopping bag. Don't ask-it even hugged my husband. But it was an interesting tour. That is when we could weave around the crowds. We got a turkey for 27 cents a pound. We looked at a lot of different things. It had a 7,000 sq. ft. meat market with nice selections. How about 17 kinds of apples? It had 42 feet of seafood. I don't really care for that but it was ok. I even saw pots and pans, glasses and dinnerware for sale. Very stylish, too. Every so often they had cooking shows and samples. They have a very large wine area featuring 3000 wines. I would have loved to check that more closely but the place was mobbed. Of course when you have free wine tasting I guess that is to be expected. 3,000 wines and I could not find the one I usually buy. So since I would be having company over the holiday I decided to grab a "box of chablis". Ever try to open a box of wine? I think delivering a baby would be easier!

While we were impressed with the store, I think we will wait for a while to go back. The place was crowed and everybody seemed to get in my way and on my nerves. Just try to look at a variety of items while people are crowding around and pushing baskets everywhere. Every isle I went to seemed to have a backlog of people trying to see what was there. It reminded me of Black Friday. I went to Black Friday once. I have decided to skip it ever since. I don't care if they offer a $1000 plasma, HD tv for $10! I will just not fight the crowds. I would rather take my time finding what I want then have people running over me in the isles or kids blabbing on their cell phones standing in my way. Besides if I want to look at 400 varieties of cheese, it is going to take me a while. But at least it is something different. Maybe in a couple of weeks? Maybe then I can find my way around it a little easier. Hope springs eternal, until someone runs over my foot with a basket.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or Whatever

Tis the season and so on. The holiday season is fast approaching. I have a hard time thinking that Thanksgiving is next Thursay. So once again we are moving to the season of discontent. Do we say Merry Christmas, Happy Hollidays and so on. The Sea-Tac airport in Seattle got into trouble last year because they had Christmas displays featuring Christmas trees. But a Rabbi apparently took offense because they did not include a Menorah. And let's not forget Kwanzaa. So, in an effort to please everybody (not gonna happen) they put up a new display of a happy winter scene. Somehow it is just not the same.

Then we have a problem in Sidney, Australia. Santa Claus must now say "ha,ha,ha" instead of "ho,ho,ho" because "ho,ho,ho" may be offensive to women. Aw, come on! Ask any child, Santa says "ho,ho,ho"! I'm sorry, but I think that jolly old elf has always said "ho,ho,ho". Just ask Rudolph, and Prancer, Dancer, Dasher and the rest of the reindeer. I don't think my mother was offended, neither was I. But some people think the "ho" is too close to the US slang for prostitute. Maybe it's because the Aussies live "down under"? I certainly hope the PC police here in the good old USA don't decide to make the Santas here say "ha,ha,ha" It just won't be the same.

I don't know what to think anymore. I guess for this holiday season I will just have to say, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa. Ah, forget it. I'll do my thing, you do yours. You won't hurt my feelings no matter what you say, even "ho,ho,ho".

Do You Know Where Your Trash Can Is?

I guess some people just can't seem to find the trash can. Most people have a kitchen trash can and a bathroom trash can. The bathroom one is frequently part of a set which includes a toothbrush holder, soap dish, and cup. Those are usually fairly easy to find. After all it matches the bathroom decor.

But the kitchen trash can is a different matter. Some people have this can under the sink. However this is usually small and doesn't hold much. Others have a tall kitchen trash can which holds a little more. Even trash bags are made to order for this. Yeah, go right to the isle and pick out the tall kitchen bags to put in the trash can. The 13 gallon ones fit fine. So how come some people can find the box of trash bags in the store but can't find the can at home?

Go to the pantry and on the floor you will find a nice plastic trash receptacle with one of those plastic bags sitting in it waiting to load up with unwanted items. So many things find their way to this. Empty milk cartons find their way there. Empty bread wrappers meet their end there. Even the tv dinner boxes end up there.

So how come some things can't seem to navigate their way to their natural end? Oh, maybe it is because someone never seems to find his way to the door. It would seem to be so easy. Finish using something? Walk into the kitchen, open the pantry door and toss the used item into the awaiting place. It is such a simple thing to do, right? So how come I find trash waiting on the desk in the living room, or the dining table or kitchen counter? It is not like we need GPS to find the place to put the trash. It does not take that many steps to walk there. Buy something at the store? Open the box as it sits on the table. Take out the item. Then walk 10 steps from the dining area to the pantry door. Put said box in trash. Need candy or a soda? Go to refrigerator. Take out the candy, unwrap it, walk the three steps from the kitchen counter and put it in the trash. Those poor peanutbutter cup wrappers won't get there by themselves. Remember that soda bottle that kept you company on the desk while you played poker on the computer? Give it a fitting end by taking it to the trash where it can mingle with the other daily discards. It might enjoy chatting with the grocery story ads that came in the mail today.

Maybe it is a guy thing. Maybe men really don't know where the trash can is kept. Try asking the wife. I am sure she will be able to tell you where to go (to find the trash can).

Rah, Rah What?

I happened to find myself in WalMart this morning when I discovered that not only did I have to dodge the Christmas decorations, but the pep squad too. W-A-L-M-A-R-T, clap, clap, rah, rah and so on. I saw a WalMart pep rally once when I was in Phoenix. My daughter used to work there and she hated them. Some things just should not be seen by the public. I have not been "lucky" enough to be in any of the stores here while the associates were having an employee rally. As I stood in line a lady behind me rolled her eyes. The clerk at the counter looked like she wanted to crawl under the counter. I really did not know what to do. My first instinct was to snicker or at least try to keep myself from laughing. After all, to WalMart, this is serious. As I looked around at other customers I noticed that they all seemed to wonder what they should do. We all looked at each other for clues. Everyone was trying to keep a straight face. Let's see do we look at this as a joke and laugh or do we get grumpy and think they are wasting our time. Let's face it, those 10 of 15 people were not at their assigned spots. They were standing in the middle of a sales area, clapping in unison while doing cheers for WalMart. It reminded me of being in a resturant and hoping no one tells the waiter that it is my birthday so they won't circle the table while singing happy birthday to me. And yet those employees seemed to be happy to be cheering. Or maybe not. Rah, rah, go WalMart, go. Yeah, I am going out the door as fast as I can.Snicker, snicker.

Just Thought You Might Like to Know

In case you had not noticed Halloween is over and the race is on! Christmas commercials are already appearing on tv. Some even before Halloween was over. WalMart is getting a jump on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, by having a big sale early tomorrow. Those who like to get bargains be ready! WalMart is advertising electronics at big savings. They will be pushing a laptop for $338.

Where Walmart goes, other stores soon follow. Get your running shoes on. And don't forget your football helmet and pads. You are going to need protection. What's that? Do I hear "I'll be home for Christmas" ? Yes, it is part on a commercial on tv this morning.

Start thinking aboutwhat you want to buy and where you want to put the tree. Don't forget those outside lights which twinkle along the rooftops and yards. And don't forget to clean the carpets and make the house look nice. Get those decorations out of the attic.

Just think this is a great time of year! You can pick up some of your favorite Halloween candy on sale while you fight the crowds looking for Christmas gift bargains. Leave it to WalMart to get a jump on holiday shopping. After all, it's only November 1st. What will they do for the day after Thanksgiving? Dare we wait for better deals?

So it is time to start counting how many times we will see those wonderful commercials in one day and get into the spirit. It's time to shop. Christmas is at hand. Ready-set-go! Get away from all those commercials and make those cash registers ring!