Peter Piper Picked A Pack of Pickled Peppers

We inherited a new lawn fertilizer system, complete with a back up, and you know how Rick likes back ups!  Two stray dogs were outside when we woke up Friday morning.  I was hoping that the two of them would wander away as easily as they wandered down the driveway.  However, for compassionate Rick these two dogs touched a soft spot.  To him, when they first walked up, he felt as if they were saying, "Do you mind if we stop here?  We won't be a bother.  Please just don't beat us."  So, our compromise is that they can stay, but they cannot be indoor dogs.  And yes, we have named them.  Yesterday when Rick was driving home from the airport, he came upon a mini van that had one of those stick figure bumper stickers.  You know the ones where there are stick figures for everyone in the family, as well as for the family's pets.  Anyway, on this particular bumper sticker, the two dogs were named Peter and Piper.  Rick felt that was serendipitous, so the male is now Peter and the female is Piper.  Rick also liked the fact that they came as a pair--you know how Rick likes two of everything.  Seriously, that is why we had two White German Shepherds.

Peter has the body of a boxer and a face of a lab.  He has incredibly long legs and all of his big clod-hopper feet are white.  He is short-haired.   Piper has doberman or rottweiler markings, but I am not sure what else.  She is long-haired, smart and a thief.  I went to Wal-mart to get dog food and dog bowls.  Once home, I set a bag on the front steps and walked back to the car to get more.  Just so happened, that in the bag on the steps I had an open bag of Snickers.  She quickly stole one and ate the wrapper and all.  Thankfully it was a mini-bite size bar.  One of them also stuck their nose in Rick's coffee cup and splashed it all over the place.I am pretty sure it was her.  Both dogs are good natured and seemed to be relieved to be here.  When I was petting Piper, Peter came along and butted his head in so I would have to pet him.  That was such an Eric move.

So, we are dog owners as long as they want to stay.  To Rick, it just seems right.  I hope Piper is not pregnant.  Rick does too.

Seriously

Today I was on Victoria's Secret's website checking out their shoe sale when I came upon these winners.

Seriously, a sandal boot?  Can you imagine the tan lines you would get with these.  But it doesn't end there.  I then saw these..

It's a sock!  It's a boot!  It's a soot!  These stripe jobbies are actually by UGG.  Frankly, I find regular UGGS ugly but at least they have warm and comfortable on their side.  These.....well, I don't even know what to say.  Why in the heck would you want to look like your are running around in your stocking feet and in stockings that look like they belong to Pippy Longstocking?

Beep! Beep!

Ooooo, I'm just full of it today!  Lots to say is what I mean.  Last week Rick bought me my own golf cart.  He has wanted a second golf cart for a while now and when my sisters were here, he was embarrassed that I had to drive a dented golf cart.  (That man treats me good!)  Anyway, he got an amazing deal on the golf cart even though the guy who sold it to Rick thought he pulled one over Rick.  The seller told Rick that there was only a loose connection and that is why it did not run.  Rick went through it and discovered it was the speed regulator, which is a pricey part (about $700--$900).  The seller knew that (the seller is a well-known local seller who has a reputation of screwing people over) but what the seller did not know is that Rick is pretty resourceful and doesn't easily give up.  He found a used speed regulator in Abilene for $100.  I told Rick he needed to call the seller, thank him for the great golf cart and tell him it was a $5 wire that needed to be replaced.  (Enough of my revengeful thoughts.)  Now we have two golf carts and like the norm, I get the nicer one.  (That man treats me good!)  Rick is happy as a clam because we no longer have to share a golf cart and because you know how Rick likes his back ups.  The man seriously stresses if we do not have at least two of everything.  He doesn't like the thought of something breaking and not having a second one to use immediately.  You may laugh, but when our heating/cooling unit went, we had a back up unit and Rick had us being cooled once again within a few hours.  And when the coffee maker died, he grabbed the back up out of the base and we were merrily drinking our morning fix within minutes.  But I digress, below is MY golf cart.  Beep, beep!  Isn't it cute?!  (Have you noticed how I like parenthesis today?)  Here's a few more for good measure ((((())))))

What's My Excuse?

Since I revealed one of my quirks in the previous post, I might as well reveal another pathetic fact about myself.  Ever since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I am regularly out of touch.  By this I mean that I have to check my Outlook calendar to find out what the date is AND what day of the week it is AND I do this every day.  Glancing at a paper calendar does not help me because seeing all those days lined up in their grid offers no clue as to the date or day of week.  Actually my mom has the same problem but at least she has a reason--Alzheimer's.  What's my excuse?

Rick's Wednesday Picture

Today Katie and I got up early because we had oodles of errands to run.  However, we did not do two of the errands--renew the plate for the trailer and pay the property taxes--because I forgot the darn check book.  There's always tomorrow.

Before Katie took her afternoon nap, she requested that I put a pony tail in her hair.  While I was combing her hair, I spotted a tick latched on to her scalp.  I managed to extract it and keep the head intact.  Katie said it didn't hurt despite the fact that the removed tick had a piece of skin in his mouth.  This is the second tick that Katie has gotten in her life.  The first time she was not even a year old and I totally freaked out.  I was still in the new mommy stage where I checked her while she was sleeping to make sure she was still breathing, so seeing a tick on her neck sent me in a panic.  I had visions of her having Lyme Disease for the rest of her life.  Long story short, I called Rick crying--he was on a business trip--and he called our "neighbor" Marion.  (Neighbor is in quotes because at the time Marion and James lived about 2 miles from us.  Around here, that is a neighbor.)  Marion who is a nurse,  drove over and removed the tick for me because I could not get it to release and was sure I was hurting Katie when I tried to do so.  I remember sitting on the front steps holding Katie and waiting for Marion to arrive while tears slid down my cheeks.  Based on my reaction to this afternoon's tick, I have really toughened up over the last few years.

Anyway, here's the purpose of this post.

 The pictures are from mid-May.  Katie was doing her ballerine (she does not say ballerina, she says ballerine) moves on the sidewalk.  Which reminds me, the other day I signed her up for Cinderella's Enchanting Dance Camp at Abilene Ballet Theater.  It is a one week class and they meet for 1 1/2 hrs per day.  I had called ABT a few weeks back and spoke to the studio director, Lisa.  What a nice lady.  If Katie really likes the dance camp I will then sign her up for lessons in the fall.  The regular classes meet once a week for about 1 hour.

Threatening storm clouds have been skirting the horizon for the last few hours.  I had to scramble to get various tools, a compressor and an air tank out of the impending rain.  I managed to get everything picked up, but my back hurts from wheeling the compressor into the shop with the air tank still attached.  Why didn't I detach the air hose, you ask.  Well, here is a little known, true fact about me.  I hate the sound that is made when you disconnect an air hose from a compressor.  Don't know why, but my dislike of the sound could be classified as a phobia.  (Of course I had to marry a man with numerous compressors in all shapes and sizes.  Isn't it funny when God shows his sense of humor?  NOT!)  Next time you are around me and you want to see me jump, disconnect an air hose from a compressor.  You are guaranteed a good laugh.  Any hoodles, we got a few rain drops, but not enough to get the sidewalk wet.  The people that lease our land are planting cotton today, so from here on out I will be closely following the weather.  Like I have said before, I never imagined that I would take such a serious interest in rain.  So that's my excitement for the day.  Ciao!

Outdoor Guest and Rick's Tuesday Picture

Rick grilled steaks last night for dinner and they were a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y delicious. Katie even ate some, which is saying a lot for the natural vegetarian. While Rick was in the outdoor living area, he saw a house cat bounding through the bushes. Tonight when Katie and I went to do the garbage, that cat was underneath Rick's truck. I got him a bowl of water, but he ran when I approached him. About 15 minutes later, I found him in a tree. Here is our current outdoor guest.

He--and he is a he--is either a beige cat or a dirty white one and his tale is ringed with darker brown stripes.  He looks pretty healthy and is not neutered, so he has been fairing pretty well in the wild.  If he is someone's cat, he was their outdoor cat and has no problem perching in a tree.  Let's hope he manages to evade the coyotes again tonight.

In other news, Rick left for Phoenix this afternoon, so here are a few pictures for him.

The above is a picture of the first time that Katie wrote her name for her Daddy.  Don't ask me what the "word" above her name is supposed to say.

Katie trying on Rick's fighter helmet.  This picture will come in handy if she does fulfill her dream to fly jets.

Holding tight to Daddy.

Memorial Day Blues

Today is Memorial Day.  For some people, Memorial Day weekend is a three day party and celebration to kick off the start of summer.  Here at Corinth West we will have a quiet day at home, a day filled with gratefullness, humility and sadness.

This mood started last night when we watched the movie Taking Chance.  Taking Chance is about Marine Lt.Col Mike Strobl who volunteers to escort the body of Marine Pfc.Chance Phelps, who was killed in Iraq, back to Chance's home town for his burial.  It's one of those movies that helps drive home the point of how much loss people in this country have suffered.  It makes you question war--each and every war.

This morning Taking Chance and the reason for Memorial Day was still on my mind.  I was surfing the web when I came upon this story Final Salute which was originally published in the Rocky Mountain News.  The slide show accompanying the story does not load, but if you search Final Salute or Katherine Cathey, you will find some powerful photos that show the loss of one family.   Take a moment and read the story today, Memorial Day, and I guarantee you will be grateful and humbled by the sacrifice that sons, daughters, husbands, wives, sisters and brothers have made.  I am not just talking about the sacrifices of those killed in action, but also of those that stood by the grave sites and mourned the lives cut short. 

(The above photo, which was taken by the U.S. Department of Defense, shows flag-draped coffins of U.S .war casualties aboard a cargo plane in Dover, Del)