Painted Poodle!

Hi Y'all! Has anyone ever seen a painted poodle? We'll I am the owner of a 40 pound one. He is currently wearing shades of purple, white and red, with a touch of lime green on his toenails! It was a "do it himself" job, too! Yep, Ollie, the dementia-driven standard, and formerly all black, wooly-bear poodle managed to tip over the trash can in my ground floor art studio. He was searching for wayward pretzels or goldfish crackers that were tossed away by my young art students, at the end of their session. While searching for said snacks, Olliebear pawed through some of the aluminim foil that had covered th paint palettes. That is how he managed to paint himself! Oh, and he also managed to paint the floor, which I had to get down on my hands and knees and SCRUB up! And the Obamas want to get a puppy for their girls in the White House? At least that pup will have it's own staff. But, now that I think aboput it, Ollie has HIS own staff, too. It is ME!

Occupational Hazzard!

Hi Y'all! I know that every line of work has it's share of occupational hazzards. Fishermen deal with heavy seas and seasickness. Those who work the night shift have to endure sleepiness or sleeplessnes, depending their body clock and schedule. Airline pilots and flight attendants have to heal with adjusting to time changes. Teacher have to deal with GERMS!
Guess what? I CAUGHT 'em! Yep, I DO wish that I was not such a good catcher, because I think that I caught a LU-LU this time. Scratchy throat, watery eyes, congestion, and that feverish feeling. in general. . . YUK! I have not had this crud in a while!
I am off to try to find Emergen-C, which was suggested by Barefoot in the Park. That, plenty of fluids, some aspirin, chicken soup and rest is my Rx! Say a prayer and wish me luck. We have an out of town wedding to attend for the weekend, and I was SO looking forward to a fun few days at the coast! I'll keep you posted how my regimen of trying to feel better goes! Meanwhile, WASH those hands and REFUSE to get into an elevator with a coughing person. The hardest part, though, is refusing the hug from a child. . . even though they have a runny nose! That is when we should toss a kiss(from a long distance) and pass on the hugs! Stay well and mostly germ-free!

Post Election Blues

Hi Y'all! My phone is no longer ringing incessantly, with recorded voices urging me to vote for a specific candidate! Why, in one day, I had calls from Barack and Michelle Obama, as well as Richard Petty and Andy Griffith! What a popular girl that I MUST be! Everyone wanted to talk with me and to tell me that MY vote was necessary. So, after all of this attention and adulation, the phone is silent. I no longer have the urge to tune into Fox News, CNBC and C-span, just to check on the mood of the nation. The country has gone BLUE instead of red this time. The pendulum has swung a different way. Maybe it is for the best. We just have to hope so, and support the new administration. The American people have spoken loud and clear! At any rate, I am going to have to turn my attention to something else for a while, other than politics. Suggestions, other than cleaning my closet, will be accepted! That would NOT be a cure for the Post Election Blues!

Boo-Hoo!

Boo-Hoo, Y'all! This was the MOST BLAH Halloween ever! I suppose that I am really just a kid inside. Being well over the age of 12, I no longer dress in costume. but I DO love to decorate thee house and get treats ready for all who drop by to ring the door bell. Annie B was gone for the weekend with friends to the mountains to celebrate a birthday, so the Hubby was at home with me, along with the BIG POODLE.
Hubs helped to put out the giggling ghostie on the front porch, and I replaced the usual American flag with a spookier one that I made years ago, just for the evening. I brought out the silver(and appropriately tarnished) candlabras to give the front hall a spooky glow. There was a HUGE bowl of candy treats for visiting gobleins and special home-made cupcakes for special neighbors and/or my students.
It got dark, and the candles were all lit in the jack-o-lantern, with a funny ghost hanging from the yellow and red leafed oak tree in the front yard. We were READY!
I now know what it means to have a party and nobody comes. FEW children rang the bell. Rare for a Halloween here. Not certain why, but we had only 6 trick or treaters. . .TOTAL! BUMMER!
Saturday, the decs were removed and stowed for a more festive year. The candy has been bagged and was taken to Sunday School, to treat my students for good behavior(and to help ME from wearing the extra calories). I am bummed that it was a HO-Hum Halloween! Maybe everyone was at home sick. . . of all of the Election Madness! Stay tuned for that tomorrow. I vote for no more Boo-Hoo Halloweens! All treats. . . no tricks!

Favorite Things

Good Morning, Y'all! As I enjoy the golden sunlight streaming though the window this morning,I have to reflect on the beauty of this time of year, and some of my favorite things. The oak tree, that is turning to GOLD outside my window absoltutely takes my breath away! Tucker, the neighbor's labradoodle, curled up in a pool of sunshine on his side porch, right next to a gathering of his family's pumpkins, just makes me SMILE! The taste of coffee and a bagel(multi-grain, of course!)shared with my friend, Lee, this morning was a treat. Heading to the Farmer's Market(truely my FAVORITE spot in town!) to purchase a flat of pansies(the one's with the little "faces" on them)and then bringing them home to plant on a sunny fall afternoon gets me excited. Happiness is not found in the big, expensive "stuff" in life, but in the special times spent with friends and family, enjoying the simple things that surround us. Each day is a gift, if we only slow down long enough to notice and enjoy it! May you enjoy today, as a gift from God!

Crunch Time!

Hi Y'all! I have been absent due to a minor funk, caused by a fender bender at the local shopping center. IT was MY fender that was bent, but I did not cause the bending! It was a Beavis and Butthead wanna-be and his buddy, driving a 15 year old Pathfinder, that hit the gas in reverse, and in turn, hit me.
Now, I am quite grateful to have NOT been hurt. I am also quite appreciative that this young man was driving a car that carried insurance. However, he did not have his license or his registration. As any good momma would do, I told him to call someone to bring it to him, or he would be in far worse trouble than if he just had a minor moving violation. The friend did arrive and brought the goods before the police arrived.
I must say, the officer was wonderful, as was the lovely lady who just happened to witness the accident. I really believe that this guy thought that this was MY fault and that he could get out of it, had it not been for the witness. He actually thought that I hit HIM! The officer handled that well as soon as he arrived, letting the young man know immediately that the person backing out of a parking space does NOT have the right of way. Interesting that this guy missed that info along the way.
At any rate, I have had to get snarly with the rental car folks(of which I am now driving Sam, the silver gray Impala!) and the insurance folks, who initally said that their client was not responsible(another case of denial!) and then claimed that they would only repair it with used parts. Long story made short, getting snarly sometimes can work in one's favor! Snarly MOI refused that and I am having the full repairs done with new parts.
I LOVE my little blue Passat wagon. It is not(according to Annie B) a "cool" car, but I adore it. It is so comfy, good on gas and can zip in and out of traffic with ease with very few blind spots! I could probably make a commerecial for V-Dubs! The family has THREE right now, and we all love them!
I'll let y'all know next week if the crunch in the right fender restores my cutie -patootie car back to it's original condition. Sam the silver Impala just won't do, in the long run! I am just a V-Dub driving Mama, who misses my seat heaters, leather seats and really good radio in Patty the Passat. Im looking forward to many more good miles with my car, once the crunch time is over!

Trip to the neighborhood bookstore

Hi Y"all! I am just back from the neighborhood bookstore. I really like to support the independent bookseller in town, but, it is a bit of a drive, and with the gas prices on the high side, I chose to shop this evening at the nearest store. That would be Borders, just a few minutes and a couple of right turns in the VW away. Plus, I had downloaded a 25% off coupon.That is ALWAYS an incentive to shop!
My goal this evening was to purchase the book for my college alum book club, that meets in a couple of weeks. Our fam is headed for the coast this weekend, and rain is predicted. Reading may be a chosen activity, depending on the severity of the weather. "The Bible Salesman" by Clyde Edgerton is the current selection. I went right to the book, that is only available in hardback, at this time, picking it up and heading toward the check out counter.
I have to mention that it is extremely difficult for me to pass by the bargain bins without taking a look. The titles of books ALWAYS draw me in. I am in constant amazement just HOW certain books could ever be published in the first place! I wonder just who would this book appeal to, and what would make someone buy it? Some times I can figure it out and other times, I just have to shake my head in disbelief!
For example, there is a new book out. . .a memoir of a woman who was a child star on the Brady Bunch years ago. I will have to admit that I did watch that in my childhood. At this time in my life, I really have no interest who this woman dated and what she did while on that show! It was no surprise that, even as a new release, her memoir was 40% off!
The most unusual book was one titled "BANANAS: the Story of the Most Perfect Fruit." Now this attention grabber was in the 5.99 bin. I had to wonder, just what would have led someone to WRITE a book about their favorite fruit. What publishing house would have agreed to publish this volume? And the most burning question of all would be, WHY BANANAS? Inquiring minds want to know! Now be honest, don't YOU want to know?