Thank you, Julia…

…I just made — and am presently eating — an omelet a la Julia Child. It is soooo very good!

The weather was gorgeous for the three day Labor Day weekend around here. Let’s see:

Saturday I went to see Julie & Julia in R-town with H and Southern Cousin. What a fun movie! Meryl Streep did an excellent job of portraying Julia Child. H and I agreed it would have been better just to have a biographical film of Julia, but this one was fine.

Soph and I then had a big adventure Sunday, when I decided that we should cross the highway downtown and head towards the park on the other side of town.

First we were nearly run over by a driver doing an illegal “turn on red”… I mean really! How could you consider plowing over a pretty little dog as Sophie?

Next once we were across the highway, I saw a woman walking a dog…um…two dogs and one was crossing the road towards us.

Ah yes.

You have seen the invisible dog on a leash? This was a dog on an invisible leash – a pug mix type dog – and it was headed our way.

Lucky! Lucky! The woman was also crossing the street and hollering for the pug. Looked to me that she was holding the business end of a retractable leash… an invisible leash.

Well — whatever she was doing — I was scooping up Sophie and wondering if the pug was serious or not…

“…Uh — are you going to be able to get your dog…do you need help?”  I ventured.

No…they got this dog from a shelter…it doesn’t know it’s name…Lucky! Lucky, come here!

What?! Dear Lord, this is wrong in so many ways…

But away the dog walker (?) went, away from us, because Lucky (might want to consider changing your name, doggie) changed directions and was going to the tanning salon, I guess.

Soph and I went on our way — past McDonalds — but we didn’t quite make it to the other park. Nice as the weather was, it was getting humid and Soph was a-panting pretty good. So we turned around and went home. Like usual Sophie gulped down some water and came into the living room to stretch out on the cool tile.

Monday H came by for lunch. DH grilled hamburgers and brat patties outside while I had the baked beans, coleslaw and peach cobbler ready inside. It was YUM. Afterwards Hil, Soph and I went to the state park and visited the Chief — a huge statue formally known as the Eternal Indian – or something like that. Soph is always just a bit intimidated by the Chief, but she is getting a bit better. However, her tail doesn’t make an appearance until we are going away from him…

Anyways — today is Tuesday, so back to work for me.

Need to exercise first if I ever can tear myself away from this blogging thing…

Sunday doin’s

…recently back from a lovely afternoon with Southern Cousin, which included going to the theatre to see The Proposal, a walk, and a trip to Culvers for a turtle sundae.

During our conversation at Culvers, I found out she didn’t know who Victor Borge was. He is always good for a laugh and since she’s been needing one, I sent her the link to youtube.

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Before that trip to R-town, I was outside filming the flowers and while finishing that up, a lady came by walking a Pembroke corgi! How cute!

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NP: Late night news.

Soph?: Sacked out on the floor — she piddled her bedding so it took a trip to the washer/dryer.

Mood-o-meter: Somewhat melancholy. My knees hurt.

And now for another bulleted list:

• I really must not confuse a burst of energy with a reason to overextend myself. I got my second wind late last Thursday and made pulled chicken, potato salad, carrot salad, and fruit salad for the holiday weekend — and went to bed at midnight. Mind you, I’d been getting, oh, five hours of sleep on the previous days.
• And because of the aforementioned stupidity, I felt like I was sleep-walking until late Sunday afternoon. That’s right. My kids come to visit and find their mother in a different time zone.  I told them it will get worse.
• It already has.
• I get this wild idea. Since Sophie has been waking me up at 4:30 AM every morning, why don’t I shuffle her feeding times to 5:30 AM and 5:30 PM — maybe her clock is in her stomach.
• And indeed it is in her stomach. Sophie is not pleased that I am making her wait for her din-dins.
• However, it seems to be working!!! Soph slept past 4:30 AM!
• Now if I can manage to set the first alarm on our clock (5:3o AM) to come on instead of the second — which comes on at 4:30 AM.
• That’s right. I am awake and Sophie is snoozing still.
• I am hopeless.

Three day weekend~

…and it all starts an hour early, thanks to my boss! I will be out the door at 3:30 PM today and headed for the grocery store to get all the fixin’s for the holiday. If all goes well, DH, J and H will be home and we are having a cookout and who knows what over the long weekend.

My unreasonable plan is to do all the prep-cooking/housecleaning tonight. If I were ten years younger, I just might pull it off. However I’ll likely run out of steam early and throw in the towel.

Make ahead: Mr Food’s pulled chicken. Sounds good to me and it looks pretty easy. Or I’ll make porcupines. Or both.

Tentative 4th of July menu: steak, potato salad, corn on the cob, carrot salad, fruit.

Anyway — I am off to write up a grocery list — have a great and safe July 4th!

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NP: Local weather report

Where’s Soph? Looking out the window

Mood-o-meter: anxious

The rains came down

Been terribly wet in this neck of the woods all spring. So when the rain came last Friday, well — so much of the same thing all over again, that my main interest was: would the ceiling upstairs stop leaking since we had the chimney replaced?

It poured while I was at work, and over the noon hour I hurried home, and with Sophie in tow — went upstairs, holding my breath.

NO PUDDLE! Whee!

Back at work, I kept track of the radar in the afternoon, and as I was leaving for home I knew that we were going to be in for it again. DH was busy mowing the lawn — yay, he was home before me! After he’d finished, he mentioned going across the river to the restaurant for supper.

I doubted that it was a real good idea, given the kind of weather we were about to get, but hunger can do weird things to my mind…

So off we went. Got the first parking spot next to the door — and got hit by a few raindrops as we went in. The hostess always gives us a hard time and laughed at our state of dampness. I told her I had expected her to come out to our car with an umbrella — she laughed again and showed us to a booth.

It kept getting darker and darker and rain came down first vertically then horizontally…

The weather radio went off in the restaurant, but it was hard to hear what the message was. Our waitress was getting fidgety…

We packed up our takehomeatray, paid the bill and waited in the entryway for a chance to run to the car.

And waited and waited.

It was absolutely pouring and blowing something fierce.

Then we looked out the window toward the road.

There was a flash flood coming down the hill and across the parking lot entrance. It was a thing to behold. I’ve never been so close to watch water rise that fast.

We decided we’d better get out while we could, so we dashed to the car, “forded” the stream and made it home.

Sigh.

The ceiling went back to leaking — now I am wondering if we are suffering a lack of step flashing between the back dormer and roof.

The basement was leaking in three newish places.

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NP: Antiques Roadshow

Temperature in the car as I left work today: 139 degrees. Onehundredthirtynine.

Sophie? Well, she must know how hot it is outside, because she is not even hinting at going for a walkie.

Mood-o-meter: It has been a long week already.

It is a bit warmish out…

…so instead of a walkie, Sopher and I are playing a game.

It doesn’t have a name. I wouldn’t call it “fetch” exactly. It’s more of an “exchange.”

To play this game you need several destuffed stuffed animals with holes in them. Take two of the bigger formerly stuffed stuffed animals and shove in smaller stuffless animals.

You now have  two stuffed animals that are full of formerly stuffed animals.

Throw one of the now-stuffed (formerly unstuffed stuffed) animals for Sophie to catch. Whilst she is catching it, hold out the other newly stuffed animal out for her see — shaking it vigorously, but not so’s to make the small destuffed animals to come out.

Sophie then abandons the first animal — which she has had time to destuff — and is attracted to the second fully stuffed animal.

Throw it! She will chase it!

Then go get the first unstuffed stuffed then destuffed animal and restuff it.

Repeat.

Now isn’t that fun?

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NP: The local weathercast.

On the telly tonight: Lark Rise To Candle…was it “ford?”

Dinner tonight: BBQ, carrots, coleslaw.

Mood-o-meter: A bit excited. I may have found a new source for Cook family genealogy info from a relative in Massachusetts! Also a bit down: DH will be working late tonight.

Instant delayed gratification

Went to R-town and H carted me and my Sears gift card around to the mall  in search of

• a new microwave (Sharp 1.0 cubic foot, 1100 watt, white 16 inches deep)
• a corded/cordless phone combo with answering machine. Must fit phone cubbyhole.

Our ten year old microwave has been acting old lately:

• the digital display is losing its digits
• it comes on with a shut of its door instead of waiting politely for instructions from the operator
• and even after such instructions it is not reliable to be actually shooting microwaves at the foodstuffs lodged within.

The old phone?

• I pulled it off the wall and broke the hanger on it.
• The extension cord has been duct taped to the receiver, otherwise we have found ourselves truly disconnected from our callers.  Not really an emergency replacement issue…but I want a new unit that will work in the hallway and in the family room (exciting news: a fellow is coming by in a couple weeks to give us an estimate for finishing the family room! If all goes well, maybe it will be DONE by Thanksgiving!)

However I went away sad from Sears.

They had my microwave in black, but said they thought they could order it in white. We’ll see.

Their phone selection consisted of two models. Not enough to make a good comparison.

Then I went away mad from the mall.

On our way to Penney’s, I heard a little dog bark, turned my head and we were walking by Furry Babies, which when translated means “puppies in baby beds.”

Puppies. in. baby. beds.

No, this is not cute.  It’s DISGUSTING!

I may have said a bad word as we went by. Well, maybe not so much a bad word as an accurate description.

<soapbox mode: on>Folks, these are canines, not humans…if you must buy from one of these outfits, find out where they got their dogs — don’t encourage puppy mills! — and take your little one right to your vet for a good going over. Some of these puppies have been separated from their mothers too soon. Ask the vet for some puppy raising techniques and go take some obedience classes as soon as the vet says the puppy is old enough.  <soapbox mode: off>

Next destination was the Goodwill store. Three blouses later I was about ready to leave when I spotted:

It’s a pewter tea set. Not likely to set Antiques Roadshow afire…but I had to have it. H had to rescue two coffee mugs she took a shine to…so guess we are a bit hopeless, huh?

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NP: the floor fan and Soph pushing her food cube around.

What’s for supper? Homemade pizza with pepperoni, green olives and a bit of onion.

I know…

…it often seem like I just arrived on this planet…

I’ve recently discovered Cameo apples — and are they ever good.

Just sayin’….

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NP: The news, the fan, the air conditioner.

Mood-o-meter: I hate “power surges”.

How’s about that dog?: Started training Soph to weave between my legs. Since she has a good grasp of “wait” she is no longer bolting after the Cheerio and messing me up.

Hulu tonight: Burn Notice!!!!!

Mumsflower’s kitchen

…is nothing like Martha Stewart’s.

But I didn’t let that stop me when H pointed me in the direction of Martha’s rhubarb crumb bar recipe.

I am still waiting to see the results, but let’s just say in the process I dirtied up every bowl I have in the house, save one — the one I am eating popcorn out of right now (sorry, DH, who is eating his popcorn straight from the bag). In fact, I switched the contents of one bowl for another three times due to size issues and the contents thereof.

Seemed to be a awful lot of work for something that got scooped into an 8×8 inch pan.

Oh yeah — I had forgotten what completely from scratch means.

However another reason to go to all this trouble is my dad:

Here he is on his Grandpa’s farm — what? maybe eight years old?

Just about the time Gone with the Wind was made.

Anyway, the crumb bars are for him — H and I are going to visit my folks this weekend — and if’n I don’t forget, the crumb bars are coming with us.

Sorry again, DH.

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NP: The dishwasher — what else?!

Where’s Soph?: looking out the window.  She was continually underfoot during the making of the crumb bars — barked at the mixer, but I didn’t chase her with it…

Next on the list: finish up my church stuff.

Fer cryin’ out loud

Sophie and I went for a walkie in the late afternoon.

This time I thought we’d try the route that gives her the most trouble — going through downtown O-town.

You can read about the start of her troubles here.

So it had been a while since we went this way — and Sophie is showing signs of improvement. Something still bothers her in this area of town…but we made it fairly well. She still tries to do her “spin move” to take us back in the opposite  direction, but I make sure we forge ahead.

Down the street to the traffic lights we went, hanging a left to walk past the dollar store , then another left past the video store.

She was tugging a bit by then –since we were going in the direction she wamted to go — so I had to manage the “don’t pulls”, “slow down, Sophs”, and spinning around to disrupt her pulling…

We were just about to the bank, when I heard a belligerent yell.

Oh great.

As it happened, we were just about to the tavern…

Not again.

We slowed down at the bank entrance and here came two loud twenty-somethings walking toward us.

Hey, look at that! There’s your little puppy… Hey little puppy…

Sigh.

Can I pet your puppy?

Cringe.

Talk about the  nanoseconds it takes for prayer to be answered — sometimes.

Uh, no…she bites. Sorry…

(Odd this came to mind:  Melly, what a cool liar you are! – Scarlett O’Hara.  It was somewhat truthful — Soph’ll mouth you good when she’s in the mood.)

Had to be answered prayer.

Awwww… that little dog? Hey, it bites…

Soph and I didn’t miss a beat.

Walkwalkwalkwalk!

I don’t think Soph was traumatized as much I was dismayed for yet another incident of this sort.  We just hurried home, she gulped water to cool off and plopped herself on the cool tile of the fireplace.

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NP: The Lawrence Welk show.  Stop laughing. I can hear you.

Next on the list: making potato salad

Where’s Sophie?: sacked out on the floor