Baby, it's cold outside....

As Amber Star says, we are in for a deep freeze,and I for one don't mind so much,but I got rid of my heavy winter gear when I moved back to Texas,bad plan as I see it now.I kept my old gloves I got almost 15 years ago at Chena Hot Springs,they have Alaska all over them,and I have sewn the fingers back together several times, I do have some other ones,the thinsulate ones are some of the best as far as I am concerned,but I love my old ones. If this keeps up, I may have to find me a heavy coat,I prefer to layer,love turtlenecks and thermals,so I can survive if need be. Oh heck,it is Texas, this won't last long,we'll be back to 100+ soon. And I do have my big wool socks.:)
And the up side of this cold spell,fleas might not be at epic proportions next summer,I can only hope.... with 3 big dogs and 3 cats,it can be a real problem,once they hit the dogs,the cats,which never go out, somehow manage to catch a few too.And Sissy is one of those cats which freak out if you try to apply Frontline,and yaks anything you try to put down her,like capstar.
She is paying me back for not letting them in the plantroom much by pooping in my bathtub in the front bathroom,I had to bring in my plants,and Baxter thinks I whipped him up some salads,so I have been keeping them in,till I figured out a way to keep him and Sissy out of the plants,they hate not being out there,it's all windows, and ledges,so they have great views,and it is my favorite room too,not heated,so I have the oil filled heaters out there,had the old gas dearborns,but decided those were too dangerous....Pye doesn't care,she is older and just wants warmth these days,mostly on the bed curled up in my blankets.
Oh yeah, this last week, I found out not only my wonderful mailman retired,but my insurance lady did too! Joe was the best mailman a person who shops online could ask for,he always put my packages in the carport by the door,and some of them were big and heavy,like the 2 antique oriental rugs I bought,and some of the many boxes of mosaic tiles... gonna miss you Joe,hope you have a great retirement!
The insurance lady was good too,except for the time I took the jeep in to show them the hail damage to the hood,and they just said, to wait till the season was over,thought that was a very cavalier attitude but then I suppose it made sense... still have the minor dings 3 years later,so actually I found I can live with them. I found out when they sent me a letter,and told me I was transfered to another insurance man here.... got a welcome kit from him,atlas,car paper work holder,trashbag,and a stinky car fragrance... man, it does smell,kinda like a vanilla,and I don't care for it.It's the thought,right?
So, that's my new year so far,changes are good,and I hope your year is going great..... and your changes are for the better.

I forget his name,but he is right!

Let's hear it for snow!

Last weeks snow,it was beautiful,and I had the
luck of not having to drive in it, so I enjoyed it
immensely.. having lived in Alaska, I do miss
the snows,they are like a quiet haven when they start.

Supposed to snow again today,but not as bad,and I'm off work again,(people,your dogs need grooming!) so I can sit and watch the poor souls that have to get out and take their lives in the hands,driving in Texas in bad weather is like having a death wish. One I don't have,and don't want.
Alaska driving is different,and not as scary ,once you get the hang of it,took me 2 winters,and then I was crazy happy with it,learned to drive all kinds of heavy equiptment,and even operate Nodwells... the time the electrical went out on the Freightliner ( big truck with a trailer)as I was driving down a snowy slippery hill was not so much,but after I got it stopped,and was still alive,the realization I did it was a freakin blast.
My daughter Eli,and I drove in a blizzard to Anchorage from Fairbanks one Christmas for shopping,now it wasn't supposed to snow that much,but our luck being what it was,it did.But we made it,and had so much fun.... one of my favorite memories with her... I still have the puffin picture she snuck off and had framed for me ,it's one of my favorite things,I look at it and remember that trip.I hope when my mind goes ,when I get older, I don't lose those type of memories,or of the kids.....

Merry Christmas.....

I named her Sugar...

As I write this ,she is living behind a donut shop and a liquor store... and has no way knowing what will happen to her this winter. The thought of her( I have named her Sugar) being out in the cold makes me cry.I wish I had more room,but you know how many I have now, and the city does have it's limits, but I'm willing to move to the country if anyone knows of a place for all of us. I've put her sweet face on pit mix rescues sites,and anywhere I can find,even emailed a dogless friend in Alaska,he is a pilot,so she would have to have a partime petsitter... you could do it Danno,you have friends that live nearby!!!

I know not many people read this,figure maybe God could find a way for the right person to read it if I write it.... where are you???

I've taken food to her,and the first time I met her, she slowly came over ,and laid her head on my knee,and if that wasn't enough,I got a kiss.She looked like her spirit had just about been done in,I tell ya... The owner of the store said it took him a week and treats before she would come to him, I said it may have been a man that abused her,he is mad about that too... if only paybacks came in the form of 'back at ya' when it comes to abuse... of any animal or person. I could go on and on about her,just find it in your heart to come help her,if you can give her a good safe home... and tell your friends!!!

Contact me thru here.... and thanks for reading me!

I believe in animal rights, and high among them is the right to the gentle stroke of a human hand.
-Robert Brault-

IMHO...

I'm totally addicted to the Moderncat site,and I love the things that I discover on it. One of the authors on a book has found a site for the best thing since sliced bread as my Grandmother used to say... and the book is cute,but what she has on her blog blew me away.Her blog is:

http://www.dooce.com/

A doggie duvet that is totally cool and yet green to a point too,I have 3 cats and 3 big dogs,and big dog beds are crazy expensive,but these are awesome.

http://www.mollymutt.com/dog-duvets.html

You just take your old clothes,and make a bed with the duvet,how cool is that??? It keeps old blankets,pillows and clothes out of the landfills,what is better than that? Not all clothes are good enough to donate to the needy,so donate them to your dogsand cats.

I know I could make one,and I have a sewing machine,but you have to admire the talent in this .

I for one will be ordering one,or two,maybe I can put it on my Christmas list for my daughter.

Did ya get that Eli? :)

You can order a smaller one for cats, a 22x27 square duvet is 20.00 Now really ,can you beat that? Check them out,I believe in supporting small businesses,and this is a good one.

On that note,I have made a pact with myself NOT to go to Walmart anymore than I absolutely have to,and so far,it is great,I have a small local grocer here close,now I can't get everyting I can at WallyWorld,but then ,do I really need it?? I also found out Petsmart has the large bag of dog food cheaper than Walmart,almost 10.00 cheaper! I am tired of the walk from one end of the store whaich is probably several acres to the other end just for one or two items. I have problems with walking alot,and it is so much better to get in and get out,no more waiting forever in line if you go at the wrong time,and no more crowds,less rude people,less choices(to me that is a good thing) ya just get your stuff and go.

Box box stores maybe the rage for some people,and more power to em,but I like knowing the cashiers,and knowing it isn't such a big chore so much anymore. The parking lot alone puts me off,it's lke a sabbtical nowdays to get groceries. It's just my humble opinion....

What if everyone used the small stores again,and avoided the big ones,support the local ones,give back to the community,not the stock market? It'd be a freakin Nirvana for me I tell ya.

In Memory

Precious
1995-2009

Spring was so nice.... then came summer.

My baby birds living in the bluebird house.At least someone is using it..
Was watching the yard,and enjoying the morning,many moons ago before the heat wave,and found some of the houses I have were being used. I love being out there, the birds,lizards, dragonflies make it my own piece of heaven,till summer hits,then I like the nights.
That's when I miss Alaska,and it's beautiful summers,and mild temps.Plus ,with the long days,you can grow humongous flowers and veggies. Winters, I like it here,it is warm enough most of it to still be outside,except for a few for real winter days,then you still enjoy it,cuz you know it's only lasting a day,and the dogs and I run and play in the snow,for the hour or two it lasts....but we have fun!

Happenings here at home...

Well,been quite a while since I've posted,so in a nutshell.
1.Thanksgiving night last year,with all the kids here,my neighbors shed burnt down,I was sleeping in the plant room with the dogs,so the kids could have my bed,and woke up to a really big blaze of fire outside my windows.I thought it was morning at first,lots of sirens and firetrucks later,it was out,shed a total loss,and melted part of my siding on my workshop,you might like to envision me running around in the dark,yelling 911! Fire! Call 911! to get a chuckle.
It was something the kids talked about for days...LOL
2. In January,I found a great shop to work in,decided it was work for another shop,or be poor while trying to start my own.It is a nice little shop,and people are great there.I'm glad it worked out the way it did.
Many of my clients have followed me,so it's like home to boot.
3.Spring is here,and some of my plants I never thought I'd see again came back!! Thought the heat last summer did em in,it did me...
4. Just finished building my compost bin out of materials I had lying around in the workshop.Bonus for recycling! The piece of wire fencing wasn't cuttin it, so I spent 2 hours working on this baby,check it out,I'm not Martha in the garden,but I'm happy... Mollie is checking it out in the picture. Homemade compost is great, and free! And a place to put the gazillions of leaves I have every fall too, except for the ones that go in the pond cause I forgot to put the netting over it.
So, that's about it for now,going to go work on domestic goddess chores.ugh.

Major life changes

It's been a while since I've posted,and so many things have happened.
I basically have started a new venture ,quit my job of 7 1/2 yrs,and starting on my own.To a degree,I am working in an established grooming shop,doing like hair stylists do,renting a space to do my clients.
The job I left was not fitting to my way of customer service,and was becoming somewhat of a hindrance to my sanity to say the least.
That being said, I'm trying to start over,with a few of my old clients,and hoping more find me.
The main thing I have to say about this,is the loyalty of some of them.A few had talked to me,urging me to do this,and for them I thank you. Though I have done this in the worst of economic times, I feel better already... stress is a something that can effect you in many ways,for me it was severe depression and dreading each day I had to go into work. The small business I started with had become a behemoth of a mismanaged fiasco.
Although I love what I do,where you do it can be a large part of how well you do your job. I really care about my clients,they are a big part of my life,and I treat them as my own furbabies....
Also,in the midst of all this chaos,comes the holidays,I have my daughter coming for a week! We don't get to see each other much,she lives in Seattle,and though we talk on the phone,email,and play Scrabble online,it just doesn't replace a big hug when one of you needs it.
And my other daughter,actually a stepdaughter,but I hate to use that,it just doesn't feel right, I consider her my own too,is coming for a night with her 3 kids,this will be the first time in years we have had a holiday together in years .
So,the head count will be;
3 adults,3 children under 10, 3 big dogs,and 4 cats..... woohoo!
If this doesn't get you in the holiday spirit,nothing will.Or at least a gotta clean the house ,bathe the dogs,shop for food mood. All of which I do on a regular basis,but this means serious cleaning,bathing,and shopping.
And BTW, the game Scrabulous is no more, after undergoing serious legal issues, it has been renamed Lexulous.Works the same ,and we are still serious scrabble gamers,my family and friends. Check it out,if you love Scrabble, this is the game for you,you'll be hurrying to check your email to see if it is your turn.
Gotta go to work now,woohoo!
I sincerely hope anyone reading this has a better day than yesterday,and not a good a day as tomorrow.... God bless the troops!

Kittehs rock!

Ok,one more. For all us Scrabble and cat lovers..... this site has some of the funniest stuff.




more animals

Nuff said.

This just cracks me up.Nuff said.


more animals

Procrastination is my middle name...

To help with my constant procrastination,I have found a website called 43things.com . It tracks your goals and you can see others goals too.
Here's mine,
http://www.43things.com/person/Pyewacketcat

Such a list might be a help for some, I figure it can't hurt at this point.Maybe just have too much on the plate as it is... reading some other peoples lists,I find that I'm not alone in procrastinating,woohoo!
You can cheer others goals,and send comments,I have a cheer for quitting smoking so far.
One of my daughter's goals is to live closer to me, cheered that for sure! I miss getting to see her,we play Scrabble on email,another cool site is:
http://www.scrabulous.com/
But it's not the same as when we play in person,with her friends when I go see her.
When I go to Seattle,I get to ride Ferries, I love em! Seattle is a great place to visit,but too busy for me to live there,I couldn't afford to live away from the city and commute...

And they say life is like a box of chocolates....

I found how I want to be buried.Well, really I want to be cremated,but I'm not sure Beth will go for that.So,having a plan B works for me...

http://www.creativecoffins.com/index.html

I want to be a BIG box of chocolates!
Can you imagine,now what kind of music goes with that?
I guess my thoughts of Carol Kings "Way over yonder" will work out ok.
And ,actually,they are non toxic cardboard,so I can be cremated in it.
Burn,baby,burn comes to mind here.
You have so many options on the way to go now, you can even feed the fishies.Well,you really are made into a home for them.But if you aren't against water,fish or sharks,this could be it.

https://www.nmreef.com/AboutTheReef.aspx

I though the picture of the reef was more relaxing than the coffins.That's just me.Must be the heat here,making me think of these options.

"Cremation is growing in popularity as funeral and burial costs escalate and we see, almost daily, old cemeteries being moved to make way for new roads, shopping centers, etc. A case in point occurred in St. Louis last year, when the bodies of several hundred nuns were exhumed from an old church cemetery to make way for more pavement."
Found in an article on cremation.... how sad is that??
No longer will you be laid to rest,you're laid to wait for the new road.

Plant swappin

I have found a new site that I really enjoy, it's http://www.plantswap.net/


I am a DavesGarden addict too. And of course,there's P.Allen Smith,which has the most amazing gardens.....


After all, I am trying to learn how to keep plants alive,and make them happy,it ain't easy in Texas,at least not for me. Look up hubris,you'll get my drift....


I love growing things,vines are my new black this year,I have have started:

clematis,about 10 different ones,Silver Star Vinery is great for these!morning glories,white,blue and purple.
hyacinth bean vine,it was my mothers favorite.....
canary vine
chocolate vine,blooms are supposed to smell like chocolate,low fat!
so far,they are doing well.


I have more vine seeds to plant,
butterfly pea,blue
corkscrew vine
fairy vine
strangler or latex vine..despite the names,it is a pretty vine
white cypress vine

I'm going for a secret garden kinda thing,my daughter and I loved that movie,still watch it when I catch it on the tube. There was a lady that lived next to us when I was a kid,she had a yard like that,still remember her and her garden and the beautiful overgrown everything.
Gardening is in my blood,my grandmother and mother both had green thumbs,I'm working on mine,it is a bit light on the green.

My other passion is water plants,lilies,both miniature and regular size,mosiac plant,pickerels,and I learned you can put hostas in water! This is cool,and it is working for me too. It's the gardening I can do without worrying about plants dying from me forgetting them.
So if you have seeds to trade, info to share,or just like reading about plants,check out these sites, it is addictive,but what a great one to have.....

What is the Deal??

After I left Hobby Lobby the other day(I was going to use my 40% coupon for yet another goodie for the garden)I find that yard aisle is gone,and in it's place Christmas is going up!!! I had to think about how many months we have until the season is even near.This is early July,and as far as I know it is still in Dec. Soooo,do the math,this is getting rediculous,I will NOT think about it till at least Oct. I did not look,nor do I plan to,I'm still working on the YARD,people.... get a grip on the commercialism.

When I lived in Alaska,there was a time when I did relish the thought of Christmas earlier,but it snowed there .A lot. In Sept. even. And the days got shorter,it just lent to the early holiday episodes,you know,where you think about the tree,what you'll do with it this year,when you see the long aisles of decorations and stuff.And ,up there,back then ,you didn't have the choices you do in the lower 48,so you did need to be more diligent on hunting down new stuff that you really don't need,but heck,it's Christmas!

.

Started a new reuseit group...

I have started this group,hoping to help Mother Earth with the vast amount of unneeded waste going to our landfills,so much is easily reused.
I do try to recycle,reuse and keep the trash at a minimum,it's not that hard.
My daughter lives in Seattle, where it is a way of life,when I first went to see her,she let me know I didn't do it right,that she'd do it for me. We're talking trash here,but it is important to know what to throw away,and to recycle. I did call her the trash nazi at first,but I'm learning....
The point is, when we were kids, there wasn't all the crap there is now,you used it till there was no more,like machines,lawnmowers,tools,cars too.Now everyone has to has the newest,even if their old one is 1 or 2 yrs old...I have been guilty of it too.
I now am learning the impact of that lifestyle on the only planet we have,and changing my ways. I do still buy plants each spring,but I keep the little pots to start seeds in too.
Building a greenhouse out of old wood windows,and hope to be able to have a seed cache,so I won't buy more plastic. And have plants to trade for others I want.
Some of my friends and I trade stuff too,well, we pass it on to each other,we joke about going to each others houses,and seeing our old place there.
I don't take anything to the dump if it can possibly be used again.Just have to find the right person that needs it,I say.
So,here I am,not saving the world,just trying to help it.

Hiring a honest worker...

I have found in the past 4 years of owning my old house,I have done better work than most of the people I hired. I don't use big companies ,as a rule,I try to use a guy that needs to feed his family.It has been a real PITA, have some of the worst work to show for my trouble and money.I may as well have burned the money,or given it to a charity .

The day of the honest little man is gone as far as I can see, even the place I work at has gone bigtime,and pains me to see it.Money is the bottom line now,not good service.

Let's recap the jobs I hired out.

1.Rewiring the 1925 house to code,not done right,and has never come back to fix the outlets that still don't work, despite countless calls,and running into him at HD.

2.Having central heat/ac put in, never came back to check the complaint I have about the noisy unit outside. And they put a hole in the ceiling while up in the attic.

3. Having a slatted door put on the pantry,the one that was here was a old thing that was 4 in. short of the floor to vent the gas water heater. They put the door in upside down!

4.Having the old original bathroom renovated.Started in Jan. Still needs to come finish the trim,months later,haven't heard from him either.

5.The worst of all,hiring a person to lay the flagstone in the backyard.

Jesus,Mary and Joseph,would you have paid for this?? I did,I don't stiff people,I just pay and cry.

I can not for the life of me understand why people take a job ,and don't do their best,or worse,try to do something you have no friggin clue of what you are doing... you do that kind of work at your OWN home,not for pay at others homes. And to act like you know what you are doing,well,frankly,it pisses me off to watch them ,and think,I could have done that well.

Because I am a woman alone,I have been conned in these and more cases,buying a tool for instance.I go to HD or Lowes,try to find a guy that knows what I need,what do I get? Some BOZO that knows no more than I do,but talks down to me.... now that makes me furious.And I walk away,saying,never mind,I'll figure it out.And most of the time,I do.

I could go on,but I have to go do a job now... and I'll do it right.

So I went to Winstar today with some friends,had a good time,but I kept thinking how the money could be spent on more plants,it's a sickness. I still have lots of plants coming in from various coops I am in,so maybe it was just as well,less to plant and water.

Winstar is another world,lots of zombies plugging away at the machines,though there was a nice older lady that won 12,500.00 across the aisle from us,she was so cute,said she didn't even smoke,and she was wanting a cigarette.That's what I'd want. No,wait, I'd need the defibrillator. I can't imagine winning that much.

Has anyone noticed how Tommy Lee Jones' face seems to be melting? Saw him on a Barnett Shale commercial,he's for it of course,and while I like my men rugged,that's a stretch for me.What happened?He quit the collagen? The sun got to him? He has always been one of my favorites,but now,the thought(or fantasy )of waking up next to him is not what it used to be.But then,I'm one to talk.

The squirrels are taking a break,they were out in force yesterday ,while I was working in the yard,I think it's too hot for them too,haven't seen them this afternoon.... maybe break was what we all needed here.

Well. I think I might have busted the critter that kept getting my fish out of my pond. Bless it's heart.

I went out the other night,and caught his butt going up in the space they have torn in the ceiling of the workshop,gotta find someone to fix that too.... glad I didn't let the dogs out a moment earlier,I'd have had a mess on my hands.He/she sat there watching me,so I went and grabbed the camera.

Today, I put in a new bed for some hostas,ferns,and heucheras. Tried one of the little watering kits,you know,the ones that have a billion pieces,you lay the tiny hose out,then go back and cut and put in the t's and drippers.BS is all I can say to that crap. Who invented these damn things? Someone on crack I figure,and a whole lotta time.

Tomorrow,I'm going with friends to Winstar for the day,going to blow money on something other than plants this month. :)Been waiting on the guy that is supposed to be laying the flagstone to show up,I'm thinking he is getting replaced next weekend.Another reason I try to do things around here,you can't get a job done right anymore,unless you're Trump I guess. I heard about another guy a friend uses,may try him next week.