Best day ever!

Hello — Sophie here.

Saturday Mumsy had a big day, so she fell asleep on the couch.

Left the internet up and running, did you Mumsy? Let me see if I can hop onto your chair…

Well, my day started at 4:30 AM — I see no reason to lie in my crate while my breakfast is sitting in that bag over in the corner. I started calling for Mumsy, but there was no response. I know that is not like her. She generally gets right up and coos to me,

“You stupid dog! Why can’t you sleep until 5:30?!

Ah…it is music to my ears!

Yesterday though I had to call for Mumsy for a half-hour before I heard her get up. She was a bit grumpy. I don’t get it.  Didn’t I look all cute and rolled over on my back, just waiting for my tummy to be skritched?

Open the crate door, Mumsy. See me all pretty?

She didn’t say a word but started banging around in that big box that holds all those clean-smelling dishes. The only time I am interested in that box is when the door opens and everything in it is deliciously stinky!

Look at me, Mumsy!

“QUIET!”

Oh I forgot. Sometimes Mumsy is really loud in the morning.

Finally she put all the dishes away, scratched my belly and let me out to do my business and — get this — if I do a good job, Mumsy has me park my behind on a little stand and then I get a treat!

How cool is that?!

Then Mumsy said:

“Sophie guess what! Your sister is coming to visit today!”

I guess I cocked my head funny or something because she repeated herself. She does that a lot too.

Plus she got me all excited for something that I had to…

…wait for.

That wait word — I sorta have a handle on it, but golly! How long is a wait anyways?

Wait wait wait.

My sister is coming!

I am waiting. I am looking out of the window, waiting.

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You know, sometimes when you wait long enough, good things happen!

I saw a car come up our driveway!!!

ARF ARF ARF ARF!!!

Let me translate: Sister is here! Sister is here!

“Quiet, Sophie!”

But Mumsy!

I ran to the back door.

Sister is here!!

Mumsy sighed. She does that a lot . Then she picked me up.

Next thing I knew we were down the stairs going into that other room — it’s a mess and my kind of room — and out the window I saw Sister!!

Squirm squirm squirm.

I put my paws out and reached for Sister.

“Stop it Sophie!”

“Sophie Sophie Sophie!” said Sister.

Up the steps we went and into the kitchen.

So did a wasp!!!

Sister and I went into the bathroom and closed the door.

I heard Mumsy running around, but couldn’t see a thing.

Sister and I came out of the bathroom. Mumsy was holding a swatter and looked exasperated.

Then Sister and Mumsy made up a plan!

1. Open the front door.

2. Wait.

3. Wait some more.

4. The wasp went to the door and Mumsy shut the other door.

5. The wasp was trapped!

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“Wanna go for a walk, Sophie?” asked Sister.

Do I want to go on a walk? Are you silly? Let’s go!

We went somewhere I’d never been before. Mumsy called it The River.

Lots of new stinky-wonderful smells to explore!

I watched a log float towards The Dam.

The Dam was LOUD.

The River lapped up towards me when I got too close…I didn’t know what to make of that.

We stayed for a long time.

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It was getting hot on the way home. That sidewalk was too close to my belly.

Ooooh! Look! Shade!!

I plopped right down on the shaded sidewalk and panted like crazy.

Mumsy picked me up and carried me the rest of the way home.

Finally! In the door I went and straight to my water bowl. It felt so good to lie in front of it.

I went into the living room and laid down on the tile in front of the fireplace. Yes, there was a “fire place” on my tummy and I wanted it to cool down.

Wasn’t very long and I was fast asleep.

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I missed part of Musmy and Sister’s best day ever.

When they were outside, they saw A DEER run across their front yard.

In town!

How’s the garden growin’?

Take a look see. Oh, and excuse the rocky ground — it’s hopeless:

This picture was before the radishes were thinned. The cilantro “es muy excelente” in tacos and salsa and chips. The pansies are for you, Grandma PoPo.

…and there is more garden than this. Tomatoes and zucchini are doing fine.

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.

——————

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.

Musings of a mind too tired to think straight, or…

…“Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” Margo Channing (Bette Davis, All About Eve)

• I love my little R2D2-like single serve coffee/tea/hot water (really?) maker. Had to retire the nifty 12 cuppa unit that J bought me a long time back — the hard water did a number on it…wah! Right this very minute I am enjoying a Dunkin Donut medium roast w/creamer. It is very good.
  
• However, I still can taste a bit of the bergamot from the loose leaf “Earl Grey, hot!” tea I had yesterday…hmmm. Must clean the filter better…
• DH will be late coming home tonight. I have no food to feed him.
  
• So glad work is over for the week.
• I spent too much time being Counselor Troi (without the hair extensions) one day at work — an inordinate amount, actually…so guess my workload is not obvious to others.
• So the next day I tried the wild-eyed, wild-hair look (well, it was windy out)…and suddenly I became leprous. I need to try that more often.
  
• DH wants to try raised bed gardening. He has no time to plan. I would, but…
• Really need to get the kitchen floor replaced. Think ugly and hard to keep clean.
• Got the new Jars of Clay CD today via Amazon…listened to part of it on the way back to work after lunch. Jury is still out, but it seems likeable.
• Why do wild violets have to be so prolific and hard to kill?
• Southern Cousin had two interviews this week…not sure if either will pan out.
• Hard to believe, I know, but seems my workplace has become a tornado shelter. I would explain, but…
• While cutting some more asparagus, I jammed a bit of last year’s asparagus fibrous material underneath my fingernail.
• OUCH!
• I wonder about that little boy who joined me and Sophie on our walk at the park. Nice kid. I hope he stays that way.
• I wish I had the yet-to-be-family room cleared of all the cardboard boxes we throw in there with such wild abandon.
• And I will abandon that idea once the weather gets hot. Like tomorrow.
• What?! GM is going to get rid of its Pontiac line?!
• What!!?
• Tomorrow is Sophie’s last class. She’s such a good dog. Even when she’s rotten. Did I tell you she’s just about got “sit pretty” down?! Yep.
  
• Wish we could go to rally, but it’s at a bad time schedule-wise. Sigh.
• Need to go see Mom & Dad.
• Can I have a serving of simpler times, please?
• Sympathetic co-worked threw a dollar in the lotto ticket pool for me so when the group wins big this weekend, I won’t be left to do it all in the department.
• I tried to tell them me being in on it will dash any hope of winning.
  
• I’ll have to remind them of that on Monday. Or maybe not.
  

‘Twas the morning of Thanksgiving…

…and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except Sophie and me.

Golly, this dog like to get up eeaarrly!

Like 5 AM.

Oh well.

It gives me time to put out all the foodstuffs I need to get the Thanksgiving feast going…must remember to put the fluff in the cranberry fluff…

Gee…what might today’s menu be?

• Turkey
• Stuffing
• mashed potatoes/gravy
• green bean casserole
• sweet potatoes with coconut/walnuts
• cranberry fluff
• pumpkin pie

Oh YUM!

…wasn’t really in the mood to “do” Thanksgiving, until I got all the cranberries chopped in the blender. That’s just a messy chore — worth it, of course — but still a mess to contend with.

You should have seen Soph the first time I turned on the blender!

She was in her crate…and she came unglued! I think she would have torn herself out of it if she could!

But I just kept chopping away and eventually she saw that it was no big deal and quieted down.

Soooo…later this morning J & H arrive — J’s bringing The Boys, Caesar and Hamlet. It’s been awhile since we’ve had ratties in the house. They will be safely tucked away in our bedroom — I hope Soph doesn’t notice. Someday we’ll have that family room done and more places to put people/pets/other stuff.

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Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

I am here…

…but just.

Have a bit of a rough go of it — but I suppose things will get better.

Sigh!

Spent a good two hours cleaning out the flower beds and bagging up all the oak leaves. My sadly neglected flowers managed pretty well on their own this year as did the weeds…

Oops. Well — guess there will be more to pull next year. More Preen to spread.

Something I wish I had a picture of: the ninebark! It loses its leaves for the winter, but not before turning a rich, dark burgandy — not bright like a burning bush — but rather deeper color.

Obviously words are failing. You’ll just have to trust me!

I left the autumn fire and autumn joy sedum for “winter interest” — and also because right now they are still gorgeous with their yellow green foliage and dark brick red flower heads

Next spring I’ll be moving the goldenrod to the vacant space next to the new porch. Right now it gets hidden by the hibiscus and ninebark. It’s way too pretty to have a backseat any longer.

Oh! And there were a couple pansies bravely blooming under the leaves on the north side of the house — it was the blue one with the little black monkey face.

Didn’t get around to cutting down the asparagus or nepeta — hopefully there will be one more good weekend to finish up before the snow gets here.

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NP: Sarah Conner Chronicles

Where’s the Sophinator? In her bed in the dining room. We went for a cold but good walk at noon today. Soph was very cooperative.

What was supper? Comfort food: Cheeseburgers, krispy oven fries, baked beans, cottage cheese.

Oh, and it’s official

…and likely to get worse.

I wore two different shoes to work one day last week.

Uh, yep.

In my younger years, getting further in the distance as I type, I would have been mortified at the situation.

But now I am finding it easier to roll my eyes at myself and go on.

Hurrah for my advanced years!

• Here’s to wearing striped oversized shirts and flowered elastizied-waist pants — at the same time!
• Here’s to all the creaking and twinges while rolling out of bed in the morning!
• Here’s to a memory wandering all over the place, barely settling for long before off on another tangent!

Testing…testing

A curious thing happened on the way to transitioning from gas-permeable contact lenses to soft contacts: I now have astigmatism. Or it was always there, just better managed by  harder lenses.

Phooey.

I noticed my reading vision was deteriorating slowly but surely over the last three months. I was making up words to hymns and songs during church since I couldn’t read my cheat sheet…hmmm…

And then at work… I was mixing up 3s, 5s, 6s, 8s and 9s. Not good for someone who has to be accurate with numbers all day long.

Not good at all. So I tried wearing reading glasses to make my right eye do all the reading work while my left eye went to the beach or something. By the end of the day, neither eye was wanting to work right.

So another trip to my eye doctor and two weeks later I am trying out a high-power, super-duper reading lens in my left eye in a last ditch effort to avoid reading glasses.

The results have been so-so. Still see a lot of shadows especially on the computer screen.

Double dog phooey.

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NP: The Munsters — apparently DH has fallen asleep while channel surfing.

Where’s Sophie? — I wore her out this evening…she’s asleep in her bed and would not get up even to be on DH’s lap.

Latest rant? — Our cable company has taken two channels away from our basic subscription and moved them to a higher priced package. Thank you very much. You don’t care much for me as a customer any more than I care for your services.

Good-bye! Good-bye!

Today’s high-wind advisory and freeze warning over night = bye bye flowers… <sniff!>

Yesterday afternoon we took the air conditioner out of the window and taped plastic over the downstairs windows. Ran out of time for replacing the window well covers. Cranked up the furnace and it seems to be working okay.

Soph and I nearly blew away this afternoon during our walkie. Wasn’t a particularly productive walk training-wise — Sophie alternated between wanting to chase leaves and wanting to eat worms.

…and I have been fighting a headache all day long.

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NP: Antiques Roadshow

What’s for supper? beef and broccoli stir fry. No no no…out of a BAG! Don’t mistake me for someone who could manage that on her own.

Where’s Sophie? In her bed in the dining room.

Major plan this week? Attending the “Pack the Park” rally on Saturday. The governor is closing our state parks and historical sites because of budget problems…don’t get me started. What a legacy he making for himself. Anyway — we are supposed to register our support for the parks by visiting them on November 1st. The gov is closing two parks that are major tourist draws for O-town and the surrounding area — the economic effects will be tremendous.

Shirley Feeney: I’m fun! I’m fun…

This is how I shall spend my day off tomorrow:

1. Lawyer consultation. Getting all in order.
2. Early voting. Beat the rush.
3. DH haircut while I go to bank.
4. Insurance review.  Told you I was fun.
5. My yearly doctor visit.
6. DH’s yearly doctor visit.
7. Dash over to R-town to Menards for that plastic window insulation stuff.

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NP: Local newscast

Also playing: cold, cold rain on the air conditioner.