Uh Oh

Last night, while speaking to Michael, who was heading back to the office to pick up a payment from someone, I made a mistake and used the words... BuhBye...in .. the... car.

The dogs heads shot up and they went zooming down the hallway then back, grinning from ear to ear, tongues flapping because I said those majic words Buhbye in the car.  So off they all went.  Charlie, Kali and the old Fart.  They took their regular positions: Kali in the back seat, Charlie and Michael up front.  Out, stop, money, back and they were home after a whole 15 minutes...tops.

They stampeded into the house, grinning tongues flapping, skidding down the hallway because they missed the turn into the craft room, and plowing into a heap of dogs (if two can be called a heap) against the wall. 

I don't want to even imagine what it would be like if we said the magic words adding one more.... CHICKEN.  The dogs are downright goofy about chicken. 

Later Charlie comes into the craft room with that look in his eye.  the "Uh, mom, there is something on the stove that nobady is eating so...CAN I HAVE IT?  I told him he had to wait till my show was over.  PBS no commercials.  So just as the show is ending, in comes Kali with a look that I don't quite understand so I ask her to show me.  She leads me out of the craft room, checking over her shoulder to make sure I'm coming, then goes to Charlie as if to tell him that it's now his turn to lead me into the kitchen where CHICKEN was waiting to be eaten.  So now I'm being double teamed. 

Is it possible that the dogs are smarter are me?

Somedays I think trees are smarter are me.

Randomnezz

Just stuff that floats through myhead today.

Got home yesterday to find the front door WIDE OPEN.  And I mean so wide open it looked as if we didn't even have a door.  Can't figure out how that happened since we all left the house through the kitchen door.. Even thought the house is basically new we are having problems with doors catching when you close them.  That is why we always have to lock the top lock on that door when we let the dogs out that way.  So all I can think is that one of the dogs unlocked the door from inside because they didn't feel like using the doggy door. 

BTW all was well inside.  Nothing missing.

Am I the only person in Elkridge who gets things from China?  I've had to take packages to their  correct owners because, it seems, if it comes from China in a brown padded envelope it must be for me... even though one package was labled for a Carlos Ramierz, another for a man and the other day there was a brown box on my door step for THE CHINESE PEOPLE ACROSS THE STREET!  This last package came from Amazon but I suppose since it was going TO chinese, I should get it.  So now I am very careful to make sure the package is for me and not some random person.  Besides.  I think I've worn out the stuff I want from China through e-bay anyway.

Hey, free shipping and under a dollar.  How could I resist. 

I want a puppy.  A little cuddly love bug of all my own.  Michael says we can get one but I know with the other two dogs in the house, the pack will expand to three and I STILL won't have a doggy of my own.  So no puppy.

Still no great crafting inspiration tho I did paint the metal seahorses that Michael so disliked in the bathroom.  I decopauged a bit of the one I painted yellow and have ideas to spruce up the other two only I find myself sitting at the craft table staring blankly at the TV getting nothing done.  I wonder if going back on my Prozac will help.  I just wish it didn't give me such a case of indigestion.

Onto Elkridge's murder trial.  I've mentioned it before.  I slightly knew the victim, we were volunteer mothers our sons in the same class, and it is heart wrenching to think that , not only had her husband killed her, but buried her under their shed in the yard where their kids played.

Well the trial has come and gone.  He's found guilty of second degree murder, sentencing is in August, and yet I am even more unsettled.

Now I am not a rocket scientist.  I'd like to think I have a good brain and that common sense is a part of that.  I am now wondering just how stupid people think that other people are.  For instance.....The defense for this trial was thus.... The husband didn't kill his wife.  The wife committed suicide (then buried herself under the shed. poured concrete on top of herself) ( wouldn't you think that the husband would have noticed a newly poured concrete floor and said something to somebody).  The wife was killed by somebody else.  Again, shed, concrete, wasn't the husband suspicious?  It wasn't the wife under the shed.. though the remains had the wife's purse, jewelry and photos of her family.  I guess some robber came in, stole the stuff then decided to hide out in a hole dug under the shed and pour concrete on him/herself.  It wasn't the wife under the shed at all.  The husband killed someone else and buried them under the shed with his wife's stuff.  Really now..

The never did DNA on the bones though they did do a dental comparison.  In fact, the bones, which was all that was left of her, had been cremated before the trial even began.  Guess who paid for the cremation... the husband.  If it wasn't his wife why did he pay to get them cremated?  Why didn't the authorities hold onto the bones until trial instead of releasing them to the family?  It wasn't like the sons were going to hold onto them.  No they wanted their mother to have a proper ending. 

Anyway the jury wasn't as stupid as they thought and did the right thing.  Yet, so much damage has been left behind, i wonder if anyone will fully recover.  I hate to think of what is going through the sons' minds now knowing for certain that thier mother was where they thought she was for so long.  I bury my animals with more dignity.  Poor Christine.  I hope she is at rest now.

So that's me and my brain, which I sometimes think has a mind of its own.  Till next time.

Just Stuff

We got a chance to sit on the deck this weekend.  For once no rain.  I really like this deck and will probably be spending a good deal of time on it this spring and summer.  First of all it is so firmly built that it give you a sense of security and just high enough off the ground that you know you are off the ground, if that makes any sense,  It faces the backyard and the pool and the bamboo so we don't have to look at Hagatha and her minions across the street.  Our big back yard backs up on another big back yard which we can't see anyway because of the bamboo.  It's just very serene and once I fill the big pot I bought with plants and move the orange tree out it wll be even better.

The dogs are already great fans of the deck just to go out and lounge and it's the only place outdoors that the last and ancient cat Chloe will go.  Yesterday Charlie took up residence sprawled in front of the steps leading down to the grass and it looked as if he was protecting us, blocking us from marauders coming up the stairs.  There were no marauders, of course, only Kali doing something on the pile of cut and dried bamboo that made it clunk and rustle and nearly chime against each other.

I know I have said it before but the dogs LOVE the yard.  When I think of last year and the cramped yard in the rental house and the small porch out front that was their only territory it makes  my heart hurt.  Not to mention Crabby Appleton next door to us who would pet Kali but not Charlie because he didn't like "that dog".  Hey A-hole you either pet one or none.  Now the dogs can start at out back fence and run full out to the front fence and get up a good speed as they do it.  Then they can explore the stands of bamboo and the perimeter of the fence not to mention under the deck, under the porch and anywhere they darn well please.
Kali has already started her first hole project.  I find it amazing that she can dig straight down, more neatly than I would using a shovel.  I think she's hunting for moles.

Charlie on the other hand buries  It's usually his bones, that's when he doesn't bring them in to me in the craft room for me to hold onto them for him.  Someday, in the far future, archiologists will be digging up the yard and wonder if there was some great extinction event that took place there instead of one big dog burying his bones. I wonder if he knows that Emily, Mutley, Ollie, Rocco, Neba, Pip, Twirly, Patchwick, Honey, Poppy, Robin, Bum Bum, BUmmy Rubbits, Iggy Juana, Patty and crew are all burried there under his feet.

My but there will be a gag waiting for me when it's my turn to go over the rainbow bridge.  Can't wait.

Life

Life is sometimes like riding in a car with one square wheel.  You still move along but with a bump and a jerk and a gritting of your teeth.

Teeth.  Shudder.  I need denturez.  Upper plate this time because my teeth have been breaking at an unheard of rate and now I look like I should be one of the three MacBeth witches.  Now I know why they were always stirring a pot of something liquid... they could no longer chew.  I can chew, sort of.

So now I need to search for dentures and think I have found a place but the price makes me shudder even though we have the money in the bank.  I hate to use it but I hate the way I look more.  That's why I have a pig as my facebook photo.  I have never been a beauty, ask my  mother,  but now... shudder.  I'm not scared of going to the dentist.  I'm always in so much pain, I can handle pain and this one has basically given me the total cost.  the only blip there would be if the teeth extraction is normal or complicated.  As you can imagine, complicated costs more.  Again, I hate to spend the money.

So I can do pain and money but what really has be hesitating is work, the job, the business.  Months ago I was supposed to teach Michael how to do what I do so he could take over, but ti didn't happen.  the man wastes so much time at work I doubt he will ever get caught up while I hate leaving work for the next day.  However, I think I have figured out on which day would be the best for the extractions to give me as much time to get over the pain and become human once more.  I think.  I seem to be in charge of so much in the office that I anticipate regular phone calls with questions that he should know the answer to but doesn't.  Oh well, such is life.

As for that square wheel... I still haven't gotten to Artway (the storefront for Polymer Clay Express ) my favorite store in the world.  I can't go by myself because it would through Michael for a loop.  We did try to go to only have something go snafu and, while we ere nearly there, we had to turn around and come back.  It's about an hour from home, if we take the backways, and slightly shorter by highways.  It was a belt that snapped and a pulley froze... Translation... the hamster fell off the wheel.

Now the light over the stove went out.  This light is part of the microwave above the stove and whiel I got the hatch open, I twisted the bulb without making the proper sacrifice to the appliance bulb gods and I snapped it off.  I think it was a push and twist and not just a twist and twist.  So now I have a bulb base stuck in it AND the opening where the bulb goes is so narrow not only do I scrape my knuckles but there is no way I can get any tool in there to get the bits out.  Sigh.  HOwever... ta tata ta ta TAH! I have come up with a solution of sorts, tho it looks funny.  Before christmas, Dollar Tree had LAMPS for sale at, yes, $1.00 a piece.  I bought five.  Three with a base and two that clamp AND they came with bulbs.  So now I put one of the clamp ones to work hanging onto the bottom edge of a cabinet.  You see, silly me, when I chose the ceiling fan lights for the house I got them with frosted glass which wasn't the brightest idea (groan) and in the kitchen the ceiling light fan isn't even above the kitchen area but the eating area and so it can be awfully dim in there.  So I stuck a red clamp on lamp to the cabinets and it works well.  Even tho the husband hasn't yet noticed it.

More house news... we got CURTAINS for the living room.  I like the color of the living room but I don't LIKE the living room and the brown turd sofa.  we weren't going to curtain the windows since we appreciate the sunlight so much but I had to do something.  Now I don't know if you've shopped for curtains lately but many of them now come with these big old ugly eyelets along the top that, I suppose, make them slide better along the rod but PHEW they are ugly.  they remind me of  shower curtains or a craft project gone wild though I have no idea where you would even GET eyelets that big.  So no eyelets, no frilly frou frou, no ruffles or swags or valances, just curtains, please.

We were in Pier One of all places and found the perfect pair of curtains.  Printed but not too girly or flowery, and just the right colors.  Now I just need a curtain rod for them and dare I hope for someone to install the curtain rods?  Guess I'll be doing them and that ought to be a sight to see as my eye isn't always all that straight and I am always too impatient to do things the proper way.  Hay if I could slap them up on the window with tape, I would.    Of course the curtains would be doing anything to help the turd sofa but I hope, at least, it'll distract me from the turdiness, because we'll have CURTAINS!  Which we will probably never close but that's beside the point. 

there will be pictures eventually.

So I suppose that's it.  I'm eager to get out on that deck and sit in the sun but it's not quite warm enough yet.  We did look at a deck set that Michael wanted but it was so big and our deck not the largest that it would seem to be all table and chairs and no deck.  Maybe I;'ll just do what the dogs do when they go out on the deck and jsut lay down on the planks and sleep in the sun.  Until Charlie comes over and kisses my face and then rolls over on me as his version of a hug.  That's a lot of Charlie and a lot of hug.

And with sprng comes Charlie's projectile shedding. 'Nuff said.

Britizh TV

Since one of our local PBS stations have gone strictly British, I find myself watching no network TV.  Instead I switch on WETA UK (447 for those local with verizon) or BBC America and only if there is nothing of interest do I go to other cable channels.

So I was wondering why I like british Tv so much and here is what I cam up with.

Dr. Who... well of course, who wouldn't like zipping around multiple universes and times in a blue box that is bigger on the inside.  The 10th Doctor however will always be my favorite.

British mysteries where people die and sometimes horribly but you don't actually SEE it.  My favorites are Old Dogs, Vera, Murder in Paradise and Poriot (sp?).

OLd people.  British Tv has no qualms about having shows with old people, which in America it seems that old on Tv happens at the age of 40 while the British let their wrinkles show and don't give a fig about them.

Large people.... yep you can be large on British TV and no one makes a crack about it.

The not so attractive people... Nope you don't have to be beautiful to be on British TV, youjust have to be talented

And plain old talent that it not pigeonholed into a single genre.  For instance a woman who shows up on Dr. who pops up in a comedy, a period piece and a mystery.  The guy with the go funny eye shows up in dramas etc. 

Oh I almost forgot that british accent, though I must admit the scottish accents take a bit of listening but who else but the British could say fart Fah- t and make it sound classy?  Not that the British do actually fart... sorry fah-t.

I even like the British Antiques Roadshow that once had a presenter who looked like a pug.  Really.  On America's Antiques Roadshow a person goes crazy if something is appraised at a couple thousand or more.  On the british version a painting is worth 250,000 pouds and the owner blinks once and simply murmurs 'Brilliant"

Oh and 'Brilliant"  Imagine saying Brilliant instead of Good or that's nice.  Brilliant conjures fireworks and ticker tapes and parties.

So there you go, me and my British TV.

Not Nice

I often find myself being a not so nice person and do you know what?  I really don't care.

Being nice hasn't gotten me anywhere.  Niceness is rarely reciprocated and I am tired of smiling and turning the other cheek.  The cheek left facing the world is really starting to sting.

For instance....

There is this Mommy Blogger I used to follow.  I found her funny and her daughter, then daughters delightful but then Mommy Blooger got too big for her britches flying off here and there, running marathons, going to Africa, rubbing shoulders and hob nobbing with the slightly famous.  Frankly it got boring, her telling us she was going to appear on this show and that.  Who cares really.  The people she was telling on her blog were already reading her so why did we have to know she was out there trolling for more.

Ok.  all of that I could put up with but then SHE BOUGHT A HOUSE.  Not a house, a mansion with god knows how many rooms.  A house so big they all had to carry cell phones so they could locate each other.  By this time she and her husband both were only blogging for a living and, while they were popular then, I wondered how long would it last.  People eventually grow tired of things, then where would professional bloggers be?  I thought it was stupid to take on so much house but I wasn't paying the mortgage and so what.

But then she began to furnish the house and we were treated to what seemed like photos of every single thing going into that house; from rugs to baby furniture to dog beds.  It was like she was shoving all of this into our faces.  yes, I might have been a little jealous living in a small run down home that hadn't seen a new whatever in ages.  Then my house burned, had to be rebuilt and hopefully I wasn't smearing my new stuff onto everyone's faces.  I hope not.  I would hope that my new sofa aka the Big Brown Turd did not rouse jealousy in anyone.  Though I suspect the fairy door might.

So I stopped reading Mommy Blogger and , bored, I looked at her blog yesterday.

She had to sell the mansion.  I guess that's what happens when you throw your husband out.  The one that was paying half the bills.  She had to sell the mansion and I was happy.  Yes, I know, shame on me, but I was happy she was thrown off that high horse of hers.  It's a bit of a pay back for having to wade through the look at my kincknacks see how they reflect the light and look at all this stuff we got for free phases of her life. 

No.  I do not wish to make a living with my writing.

I can really understand how excited someone is with a trip or a new house but really, post after post, facebook after facebook.  OK, we get it already.  You have this hoo haa house or are on this splenderifidous trip and it's good for you but what about people who might not have so much?  (I'm not talking about myself here)  Federal government employees are forced  to lose a day's pay each week.  Unemployment is, or has run out for many.  People can't find jobs, feed their kids and are in danger of losing their homes. Is it any wonder that I'm happy Mommy Blogger had to down size?

So I'm not nice.  So there.  So not nice that I am going to throw my latest purchase in everyone's face.
Ready?  eight cans of catfood and a pack of rawhide chews for the dogs.  Look at me.  woo hoo.

Now What am I Going to DO?

I've stopped crafting.  I don't know if it's for now or forever.  All I do know is that it took me ages to do something rather simple and it looked like crap when I was finished with it.  I just can't craft decently since the fire and so I give up.  Fire won.

So there I sit in the craft room at the table watching TV not knowing what to do with myself.  Can't watch TV in the living room because Michael has claimed that and the rocker which leaves me with the turd colored sofa unless Charlie and Kali are spread all across it.  I have no seat in the living room so into the craft room I go.  Yes, I know... MIchael has a TV in his room and he could watch it in there but the few times I have sat in his chair, some remark was made and I was booted out of it.  Truthfully I don't much like the living room.  I HATE HATE HATE that sofa that we had to buy for Michael to get that damned recliner.  We have very little furniture in it and it feels king of sterile.  I have only one TV... hey I don't rate a tray table, I'm certainly not going tor ate two tvs!

So there I sit with my hands in my lap watching tv.  Sigh.  It is pretty sad if you think about it and lately I have... been thinking about it I mean.  All in all my life has been pretty sad and by now you'd think I'd have gotten used to it.  There is one great consolation... I'm 61... I certainly can't expect to be around forever and I am anxious to cross that rainbow bridge... I have some dogs and cats and hopefully pigs waiting for me.  Now THAT is heavenly.