Your Packages are Here, Oh Wait They're for Me.

Every day is different. It's another chance. Sometimes it's good and sometimes not. And if you go back and think about the year before...well. Take last Valentine's Day. My son and his girlfriend took me to lunch. He gave me two roses. Last year said "Don't read anything into this" and gave me a book. This year he didn't give me a book.

"Your off Friday? That works out great! I've got three packages coming. Can you stay home and make sure they are delivered?" I said sure. It never entered my mind to even think what those three packages might be. He called me a couple of times during the day to ask it the packages arrived. "No, not yet." I said. Finally late in the afternoon after he had gotten home from work there was a knock on the door. Of course the three dogs went nuts. Guard dogs? No. Nosy, yes. I figured that it was his packages so I grabbed the dogs and tried to get them out of the way.

"Jill, it's for you..." he said. Just try wrestling with three dogs and answer the door. And how did he know the door was for me, anyway? So I open the door to discover a delivery person standing there with a big vase of a dozen red roses. Uh, for me? Oh and there was also a teddy bear and a box of chocolates. Click! Now, I see the light. The three packages were not for him but for me. Sneaky. Seems he had ordered all of this on-line. Sneaky. As much as I love to read, I'll take roses any day!

I will also never turn down Sunday morning breakfast made for me complete with a heart in the center of the plate. And I didn't have to wash the dishes either. Later we went to Fry's to drool over computers. A 1 terabyte hard drive sure would hold a lot of music or other stuff. Sigh... While there he decided to buy me a new mp3 player. So I picked out a nice blue 8 gig one. That's 2000 songs I could put on it. That's a lot of music, even for me. So far I've only put about 200 on it. Now I have to decide what else I put on it. A little country, a little rock and roll ( no Donny and Marie jokes here), Eagles, George Strait,Asleep at the Wheel, Rod Stewart. Billy Joel, etc. Now I have to figure out what else... Barry, Dave Koz, Nora Jones, Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis, Straight No Chaser, plus some old standards. Plus now I can add more of my jazz friends and some classical without driving other people nuts.

I'll be happy to answer the door if I can get roses.

Mozart Beyond the Grave

When Mozart passed away, he was buried in a churchyard. A couple days later, the town drunk was walking through the cemetery and heard some strange noise coming from the area where Mozart was buried.

Terrified, the drunk ran and got the priest to come and listen to it. The priest bent close to the grave and heard some faint, unrecognizable music coming from the grave. Frightened, the priest ran and got the town magistrate.

When the magistrate arrived, he bent his ear to the grave, listened for a moment, and said, "Ah, yes, that's Mozart's Ninth Symphony, being played backwards."

He listened a while longer, and said, "There's the Eighth Symphony, and it's backwards, too. Most puzzling."

So the magistrate kept listening; "There's the Seventh... the Sixth... the Fifth..."

Suddenly the realization of what was happening dawned on the magistrate; he stood up and announced to the crowd that had gathered in the cemetery, "My fellow citizens, there's nothing to worry about. It's just Mozart decomposing."

Image of WHAT?

Every so often we see news stories of some person who find the image of Jesus or Mary on a wall, tree, potato chip or piece of bread. We all wonder about the significance of that. What does it mean and why was this person "honored"? Sure those images are odd and make us wonder. But what if the image is not so "divine"? How about a snake? What does that mean?

We are having company later today. Since it is a dreary, cold day, Jimmy decided that chili would be good for supper. So I dug around it the closet where the big pot has been kept. We can make a lot of chili in that 10 gallon pot. As I brought it into the kitchen I took the top off. It was then I discovered something a little eerie. There was an image in the bottom of the pot of a coiled up snake. Huh? I did a double- take! What is that! I first thought that maybe it was marks from scraping the bottom of the pot. Nope it was a perfect picture of a snake. I could see that it was coiled around several times and very thin. I could distinctly see the head. Creepy to say the least. Now the next question is, what happened to the snake? I was reminded of the snake on Traci's porch in Waco. That one was moving. This one was just a picture in a pot.

Obviously we washed the pot and the image disappeared. So where is the snake? Is it still in the closet? Is it still alive? I don't think so. We were thinking of cleaning out that closet. Uh, well, now I'm no so sure. But curiosity is about to get the best of me. Do we have a house guest? Will I find remains of this snake somewhere in the house? Did it just take a nap in the pot and decide to move on to the outside world? I can't get the image of that snake out of my mind now. Is there a deeper meaning here?

What Do Buying a CD, Fire Trucks, and a Sprained Knee Have in Common?

Why can't I think of the right lottery numbers and then win? Of course that is assuming I bought a ticket with those numbers. Why do I remember something I was going to do in the morning, late in the afternoon? Why did I think about the tv reports of some recent apartment fires in Houston and wonder if they all had a common attic. Deep thoughts for me I guess. Maybe too deep.

Yesterday I had planned to go buy the new Barry Manilow cd, "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time" which has some classic love songs, many of which most of us have heard from movies, tv, Broadway or other singers. Remember to go get it, remember to go get it. I forgot. By the time I remembered it was late in the afternoon, not a good time in Houston. Nuts, guess I'll just have to wait.

Then Jimmy calls, he's driving home, be home about 5-5:30 depending on traffic. As we talked, I was watching the tv news and thought about recent fires during the cold weather. There were pictures of apartment fires which put many people out of their homes. I wondered how many of these big complexes had common attics instead of firewalls between units. Why did I think of that? Jimmy gets home. As he comes through the door he says the neighbors in the unit in front of us are trying to put out a fire under the covered patio roof. All they have is a garden hose. I go outside and see the smoke billowing from under the roof and in the patio area of their unit. Not good, I think. I leash up my three dogs and go outside. In the meantime, two cop cars, two fire trucks and five fire department vehicles show up, lights and sirens going full blast. I even watched as a third truck arrived but was waved off. This one had a high bucket ladder but since the fire was not on top of the building it wasn't needed. The fire, it seems, was just in a small area.

As I walked around to the parking lot I watched the fire fighters poke and chop and dig around the walls to see what is going on. The dogs are excited. Theater for Daisy- "Everybody here to see me!". The other two don't know what to think. Then I accidentally trip and nearly fall. Who wants to fall in front of a bunch of firemen? Not me, after all they aren't calendar guys. Somehow I managed to remain upright but felt a sharp pain behind my right knee. Not a good sign. Finally most of the fire people leave. That is all but the supervisor who had turned off all the electricity and gas to the four units of our townhouse building. Ok, all but the burned unit can turn back on their gas and electricity. Lights, no problem, got to reset all clocks, microwave and coffee maker. And since the gas company won't light (or re-light) pilot lights Jimmy has to go up into the attic way in the back and re-light the water heater. Not fun for him. But we did learn that our fourplex has firewall between units. That was the one good thing.

But now I am hobbling along with a sprained or torn knee ligaments. Ever try to go up or down stairs without a working knee? Of course the back of my knee throbbed all night long. I tried to take the dogs out this morning- nope, not gonna work! Anyone want to walk the dogs for me? Maybe I should just try to focus my thoughts on better things- say George Clooney??

Improvements in Hell??

An engineer died and ended up in Hell. Soon, he became dissatisfied with the level of comfort in Hell, and began designing and building improvements. After a while, they had flush toilets, air conditioning, escalators. The engineer was a pretty popular guy.

One day God called to Satan and said with a sneer, "So, how's it going down there in Hell?"

Satan replied, "Hey, things are great. We've got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there's no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next."God exclaimed, "What? You've got an engineer? That's a mistake--he should never have gotten down there in the first place. Send him back up here."

"No way," replied Satan. "I like having an engineer on the staff, and I'm keeping him."

God threatened, "Send him back up here now or I'll sue!"

Satan laughed and answered, "Yeah, right. And just where are YOU going to get a lawyer?"

One Never Knows What the Day Will Bring

I have always heard that we should look forward to the day. Tell that to someone who didn't get any sleep the night before! On the other hand for me, today is one of those what next days. At least it is starting out as a what next type of day. Now remember I didn't say bad, just what next?

Taking three dogs out early in the morning can be an adventure on a workday morning. Will they co-operate or not? Will they waste my time or not? I never know which one of the trio will be the winner. The Grand Dame Lady usually is dependable and gets her job done because she wants to get back inside so she can get onto her chair to survey the underlings' deeds. Daisy, on the other hand, is a social butterfly who thinks life should come to a stand still when she is showing off outside. Most of the time she adheres to the rules of the job. But not always. Rowdy is, well, a "what shall I do or not do today" type of dog. I never know. Of course when I'm in a hurry - he's not.

Then the Trans Am is picky in the colder weather. Sure it is easy to warm up. But just try to guess if it will get out of park and into gear easy. From one day to another I just never know. Today, language that would make a sailor blush came out of my mouth. I was not amused. As a result I have decided that today I will be THE drama queen just because I can.

Now the fun has begun. I got a call from Amanda asking me to go into their bedroom to retrieve a letter that needs to be mailed. No problem, right? That door is kept locked. Why? Just how many times have your little kids gotten into something and smeared it or written on something with eyeliner, or worse. Ok, no problem. Typical bedroom door, no key needed. But it's locked from the inside. Just in case, they keep a tiny screwdriver above the door out of harm's way of small children. Since, I'm short I have to have a little extra height to get the "majic door opener". So in the best traditions of the CIA, and 007 I picked the lock, entered the room, grabbed the evidence, and sent it to the next operative. I thought of all those times I've seen movies or tv shows where someone gets a little case out of a pocket, grabs, a little instrument, sticks it into the lock and voila! The door opens!

So much for my foray into espionage. Like I said one never knows what the day will bring. I'm ready, I think. Any body need a dog whisperer, supernanny, or secret agent? I said I was THE drama queen today, remember.

Whatever Happened to Conway Twitty?

A young pastor moved to town and decided he would go around and introduce himself to the new congregation. He rang the first door bell and a lady came to the door. She stared at him as he introduced himself.

She said, “I can't believe how much you look like Conway Twitty, the country music singer.”

He replied, “Yes, ma’am, I hear that a lot.”

He went to the next house and the next, and every lady that came to the door said the same thing—that he looked like Conway Twitty.

At the last house, a shapely young lady came to the door with a towel around her. He started to introduce himself, but she loosened her towel, threw her arms in the air, and screamed, “Conway Twitty!”

The pastor stood there, stunned. Then he said, “Hello, darling!”

The New Year is Nearly Here

As I think about this last day of this year I hope that all of you will have a year that is better than the one ending tonight. For some, 2009 was good, others not so much. There is no sense in rehashing what went right or wrong. All we can do is say we survived. Hopefully we all learned something during the long(or short) days and nights of 2009. We must all learn to be content and at peace with ourselves. None of us know how long we will be here so we must vow to be and do the best we can.

In this coming year give someone a smile, say please and thank you. That costs nothing. When you have the urge to lash out in frustration or anger, stop and think, is this the best I can do? You will make mistakes. Learn from them. None of us is perfect. Remember your family because they are not always right and they frequently make you mad, but they are your family. Sometimes you want to disown them. Just remember they hurt and heal just as you do. Time and patience are the great healers.

Enjoy your friends and cherish them because if you don't they may vanish like smoke. Remember friends are never earned, they are a gift from a loving God.After all those friends picked you to be a friend. Treat your co-workers kindly too. Some of them may not be as smart as you are. Give them a break even though you might want to smack them on the back of the head.

Live each day as if it were your last. You never know, it might be. Smile at yourself when you look into the mirror. After all, you will be another year older sometime in 2010.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sometimes I Know How She Feels!

An elderly woman in her nineties had a visitor from her church come to see her at the nursing home.

“How are you?” the visitor asked.

“Oh,” said the elderly woman, “I’m just worried sick!”

“You look like you’re in good health. They take good care of you here, don’t they?”

“Oh, yes, they take good care of me here.”

“Do you have any pain?” the visitor asked.

“No, I can’t say I do,” the elderly woman replied.

“Then what has you worried sick?” the visitor asked.

The elderly woman leaned in and explained, “All of my closest friends have already died and gone to heaven. I’m sure they are all wondering where I went!”

Chloe's Gift- With a Little Help From The Biggio Elves

Her name was Chloe and a form of cancer took her just two days before her ninth birthday. With the help of her family, her friends, and Craig Biggio and his family, Chloe's spirit lives on in each teddy bear handed out.

It happened Tuesday morning at the Clinical Care Unit at Texas Children's Hospital. Build-a-Bears for every sick child and it was all Chloe's idea.

"It came straight from her head. Build-a-Bear was one of Chloe's favorite things to do, to go to the stores and build bears. The first time she decided to do it for the patients was her first year that she spent in the hospital on chemotherapy which was December 2006. She said she knew she would be in the hospital that Christmas, but she also knew that she would not be the only one there so she wanted all the patients on the floor to have a bear. That's how it started," said Chloe's mother, Joyce Castillo. "Chloe physically went around and handed out the bears."

It just so happened that at the same time Chloe was in the hospital, Craig's son Connor was in Texas Children's successfully fighting a blood infection.

"We got a knock on the door and it's Chloe and her Dad. She doesn't recognize me, but the Dad does. He says, 'Chloe, this is one of the Astros.' And she goes, 'Is that my favorite player, Jeff Bagwell?' And I go, 'No I'm not, but he's my favorite player too," said Craig Biggio. "That's how we started a relationship. She's a very special girl. Unfortunately, she's not here anymore, she lost her fight, but we didn't want to see this go away."

Craig and Patti's daughter Quin had a birthday party with her friend Kaitlyn and instead of gifts, they asked for Build-a-Bear certificates and everyone made a bear. So did Chloe's friends and family and Tuesday they brightened up a lot of faces at that special time of year.

"It makes me feel really great to make other kids feel happy, even when they're sick," said Quin.

It's a tradition Chloe started and her family and the Biggios will see to it that. That's what Chloe wanted.

"We lost Chloe about 18 months ago, We want to continue to honor our daughter and her legacy. We know how much this meant to her," said Castillo.

Craig said, "One of her last days here, I brought Jeff Bagwell up and she got to meet him. They're a very special family and she was a tremendous girl."

For everyone who's helping continue Chloe's dream, one little lady said it all.

"Thank you!" she said.

Craig helped Chloe get involved with the Sunshine Kids and she participated as long as she could. A big heart in a little girl who was thinking of others. It's a real Christmas story.


(Copyright ©2009 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Easy Come, Easy Go- Well Maybe

I have survived the first week of Nanny Duty. Right now it is eerily quiet because they are now watching a cartoon show instead of racing around the house. First they emptied the toys out of the toy box and used it as a hiding place. Then the three year old decided to race his litle Nascar 24 around the house. He can't be Spiderman today because his little costume has a number of holes. Actually if he sneezes it might just fall apart. He just doesn't get the fact that without his costume he has no powers. Oh well powers come and go with kids.

After several years without money, it was good to have a little extra. Of course that little extra came and went quickly. Funny how that happens. We decided to use the extra money to get new sheets and a comforter set for the bed. After eight years it was time for something new. The last new set we got was around the time my grandson Brad was born. Eight years is a long time for a bed set. The skirt was so ripped up I tripped and bitched a lot. So we splurged on a new set. We went from green cotton to brown suede. We bought some light chocolate milk sheets which were 400 thread count, very soft. Now I wonder what the 800 count feels like.

We also bought some dvds and cds which I had been looking at for a while. I'd been debating with myself on getting this and when I found a good deal, I took it. I also salivated over PCs and laptops at Fryes...Hey Santa...Sigh.

Then I thought of easy come, easy go. A week's work done and so was the money. It's a good thing I'm part Scottish. In other words tight with money. Now I have to wait another week. Funny how things add up. I just thought all that money was mine...

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same.

I knew what to expect when I moved back to Houston for the most part. Houston traffic has not changed. The Texans are still waiting to improve. In other words, no championship again this year. People are still the same. The dogs, Lady and Daisy got right back into the rhythm of things. Of course now they have to put up with Rowdy. Two girls against one boy. And of course now there are two cages in the dining area with two rabbits in them. Well, after all it did freeze and we didn't want the rabbits to get too cold. I can't believe the dogs haven't try to bother them.

Sometimes things just fall into place unexpectedly. I started work as a nanny for Amanda's boyfriend's kids. He's had some problems with childcare, but he's lucky because his company is very understanding about his situation as a single dad. It was timing I guess because I was thinking of trying to figure out how to make a little extra money. Amanda asked if I would be interested and of course I said sure. So I go to their house and watch the two little ones all day while dad works and the older child, David goes to school. The two younger ones are a boy,three and a girl, two.

Sometimes I do feel like SuperNanny Jr. At two and three, the kids think that can do what they want. I sometimes think that the older one thinks he can push me around. Ha He apparently has never met the immovable object...me. And of course the word "no" seens sometimes to be spoken in a foreign language to him. If I say no, or stop, he just looks at me...Yeah, just keep pushing kiddo. I do think that after a couple of days he is begining to realize that I don't play that game.

Amanda texted me the other day to ask how it was going. I said fine. I haven't killed the kids yet and the house is still standing. Of course that was before I untied them and pulled the tape off their mouths. No, I didn't really do that! I do remember those days when my kids were little and tried to battle me. They lost that war too.

It's not a bad gig for some extra money. Now where did I put my extra set of eyes...oh yeah! Hey kids quit swinging from the ceiling fans!

What Do You Mean I Can Only Pick One?

I'm getting back into the swing of things here. Lady and Daisy have a new playmate. Rowdy is a tiny mini dapple dachshund. So far they seem to get along. I'm not even going to try to explain the rabbits. Yes I said rabbits. I don't plan to walk them.

Part of getting back into the routine has been watching football. Until this last game I really thought the Houston Texans had a chance to get into the playoffs. Now it's just another version of wait till next year. But I have discovered that I am in the middle of a serious conflict. No, not between Jimmy and me or the three dogs, but football. I've tried to keep up with the progress of my two favorite college teams,Texas and Alabama. All season long Florida, Texas and Alabama continued to win. Florida held the #1 ranking all season, followed by Texas and Alabama as either #2 or #3. Each took on their rivals and won the games. Sometimes they won pretty, other times they all won ugly. As good as Florida has been over the last couple of years, I was positive they would win the SEC Championship, putting them against Texas in the BCS National Championship game. But oh no, the Football Gods had a wicked sense of humor. I knew it would culminate with the annual conference championship fight of Florida vs Alabama. Florida, being the better team, would beat Alabama. I would be sad, but I figured Texas could beat the Gators for the National Championship. At least my Horns could be #1. So who is the idiot who threw the monkey wrench into the mix? What I didn't expect was for the Crimson Tide to roll all over the Gators! I watched the game and could not believe what I was seeing! Bama had not played this well all season as far as I could see. Now things started to get dicey. Huh?? Alabama beat Florida??! Hum, now what? I assumed that Texas would beat the 9-3 Nebraska team for the Big 12 title. Once again the Football Gods played a dirty trick on me. The Longhorns actually, to me, lost that game! With one second left in the game the Horns kicked a field goal to win the game. The whole game was hard to watch. Talk about a nail biting type of game! Yikes! How in the world...???!!! I had visions of the BCS folks pulling their hair out. If Texas lost, chaos would have erupted like a volcano. TCU and Cincinnati would have screamed for a shot at the championship. Even Boise State would have said they deserved consideration. But by the grace of the Football Gods, the Horns eked out a literal last second win. Whew!

But alas I now find myself with a question. Who do I pick to win? All year I watched my teams continue to win. Now that they are playing each other for that football trophy and bragging rites of "We're #1!" I'm conflicted. Texas or Alabama? Longhorns or Crimson Tide? Why me? Why do I have to pick one over the other? I'm a longtime Texas fan and I'm a lifelong Alabama fan. What do you mean I can only pick one?! Ok, which one?

Back Home in Houston- So Where's the Snow?

I think it's called back to basics. I'm trying to remember what and how to do things here. I haven't cooked in over eight months. So how do I turn that stove on?

The neighborhood hasn't changed much but I'm not thrilled with what has been done with the street at the front of the neighborhood. The powers that be have finally decided that the street must be widened. Perry Road is a very busy place for sure. But by widening it we've lost our yard. The dogs have no place to walk other than the neighborhood streets. I'm not thrilled about that and neither are they.

When Lady and Daisy walked in, they discovered a new dog in the house. That must have been a come down. Rowdy is a male mini-dachshund, dapple colored. He thinks he is in charge.The girls don't think so. They are getting along well though. But Rowdy does not seem to get the message that he is supposed to do somethings outside. Of course dachshunds are stubborn. But so am I.

Oh there are two more additions here. Two dwarf rabbits that were Amanda's but she didn't have room for them when she moved. Now they have taken up residence on the patio. Let's see- three dogs, two rabbits and two fish tanks. Just your average zoo.

All week long the weather forecasters talked about snow on Friday. How come it always snows around me but not where I want it? It snowed here last year on Dec.10th. With today's snow it is the earliest ever snowfall. So where's mine? It snowed in the little town where we used to live and it still falls. So far, I'm disappointed cause I've only seen a few flakes. So where is the 3-5 inches in my neighborhood? Ah ha! I see two flakes flying freely. Hey! Come back here! Drop all those inches right here! I want to see what three little dogs would do in a snow drift! Would you believe disappear?

Oh joy, now the dogs want to go out. Oh wow, what do I see? Another flake...

Things to Remember This Holiday Season

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

Replacing the Dynamic Duo isn't Easy

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

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

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

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

I Go Out Walking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Epitaph to My PC

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

Street Gang in Heaven?

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

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

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

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


"The street gang?"


"No, the Pearly Gates!"

There's Gotta Be a Pony in Here Somewhere.

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

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

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

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