Vote for Coop

I am going round and round online, trying to leave a comment on the GMA website for a friend of Benji's who's in the hunt as a finalist as the new GMA Guru.  His name is Cooper Boone--actually Dr. Boone, as he is licensed therapist, song writer C&W singer, fabulous cook, and all round hoot.  And here's the problem:  I can get in to leave the comment but when I have to log in, it throws me back out saying there's already someone by that email name.  No kidding...'cause it's ME, damn it!!  Anywho.....such is my dilemma and another cuppa joe has not improved the situation one iota, so I may just have to pull lout the heavy artillery and go take a shower.  Yep.  It always works.  I get in there and talk to God about whatever is on my mind, we visit, we laugh, sometimes I cry or get mad, and when I get out, whatever it was that was bugging me is either gone or just no longer matters.  Or, HE tells me another way to get where I'm going.  What a relief. 

I checked on Had last night and she was awake, eating ice cream with a fork.  OK...did that make you laugh because it sure did me.  It just goes to show ya that there's always more than one way to do something.  And if you are a little kid, whatever it is, is gonna be funny.

Last night, Wigman was groaning while Brian was over here.  After checking with the Vet, we decided to give him the stoner pain pills we'd gotten a few weeks ago, that made his legs go baby turtle since he just seemed uncomfortable.  Soooooo, since he's figured out the hiding the pill in sliced cheese trick, I decided we'd try peanut butter.  And since Brian was the one who was bugging me about it, I told him to give it to Pigglesworth.  Ohhhh, noooooo.  He couldn't possibly do it......so I had to.  And that's when the party started.....I practically had to mop afterwards.  We were both rolling on the floor watching Wig try to lick the peanut butter, off the roof of his mouth.  He loved the taste you could tell.....it was just that big old hunk he couldn't quite get his tongue around that was the problem.  And the more he made weird faces, the harder we laughed.  I finally had to help him a little, and then we went to pieces, again.  Who knew an old dog could provide such laughs.

Owwwwww!

This morning, the cutest small gal in the world had her tonsils and adenoids removed and is resting comfortably at home this afternoon, and I should know, because I just left after seeing her with.... my.... own.... eyes.  As a nurse, I'm just like that.....I want to see them for myself so I can get a handle on what I think.  None of this phoning it in stuff--nope.  I gotta see 'um.  Other than looking a little pale with some dark smudges under her eyes, she rooked mahvelous.  And when she wakes up, other than feeling droopy with one hell of a sore throat, she's going to do well since she's a tough little bird.  I took her some orange, lime, something else swirl sherbet for later, and her mom said she'd been really excited about eating ice cream and drinking Sprite. 

Her surgeon said her tonsils were so big they were touching, so it's great those are gone.  Ditto her adenoids.  Giver her a couple of weeks and she's going to be a brand new gal who can actually swallow, for Christmas.  I may just have to take her to Chif-a-laaaaaay when she feels better.

Red Alert

 Since it's December 1st, it's time to start your recognizance for Blue Bell Peppermint ice cream for the holidays.  I know this doesn't sound like something you need to stake out at Tom Thumb, but you seriously do, if you plan to serve it on top of anything chocolate for the holidays.   And if you're not, well, fine then 'cause I'm sure not coming.  On top of warm brownie pie, brownies, or Ina Garten's brownie pudding, its enough to make your holidays "bright", regardless of whatever else happens.  This stuff is like crack cocaine so you may have to ask for it, if it's not in the case.  Sometimes they keep a private stash in the back-- just like drug dealers. I had to ask for it last year and when the guy came out with two, I bought both of them.  And then the lady behind me saw them...... and all hell broke loose.  It was uuuuggleeee.  I got the last two.  Now, Braum's also makes a good one--- but I'm not going over to Braum's.  Nope.  Too dangerous.  It's too easy to get mugged by a hot fudge sundae.

Ohhhhhh, yes he did....

It's a real good thing Benji is back in Nash as he borrowed my car while he was here, and spilled booze in it.  Yep...my car now smells like the Boozemobile.  And yesterday I heard a weird clanking sound and wasn't sure where it was coming from, so I started the hunt.  Bingo...the trunk, and two bottles of remaining booze, thank you very much.  Since I ran out of time and energy yesterday, today's mission is to head for the car wash to remove the scent of Eau de Booze.  Fred's solution was just to leave the windows open...I'm having the carpet cleaned AND the car washed.  When I commented to Benji on the new fragrance, he wanted me to know he had "washed it (drive thru) and filled it with gas".  Yeah...nice job....the spill was on the inside, though, and we both laughed.

I have started my Christmas decorating and if nothing else, it should assure anyone visiting that I indeed have some form of ADD.  I started doing the mantle in the den but then got distracted looking at old pictures and  I haven't been back to the mantle since.  My Christmas juices usually take awhile to get going so I figure I'm actually ahead of where I usually am around this time of year.  Rationalization is great, isn't it?  And in a moment of true Christmas heresy, I am once again not putting up the big tree and I probably never will again. 
I always hated those small trees and thought they were soooo chuuuky until I had to put up a big one, year after year.  Now, I loooooove those little trees.  No muss, no fuss.  It works great in our big den for Christmas morning and unless I get a wild hair to change things, I put it back in the closet fully decorated, for the next year.  I call it Christmas a la easy.

I realize we have another month left to go but I've decided I'm already ready for a new year.  This past year has been a real doozie for lots of us, so I'd like to just fast forward to 2011.  I'm ready for some consistent cold weather and then some spring blooms, new leaves, new grass, etc. 

And lastly, I think my mantra for the holidays is going to be "Let it Go, Let it Go, Let it Go" sung to the tune of "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow". 

 

Adios Dinner

Last night was the Adios Dinner for my brother and his wife, at El Frequence (El Fenix).  What started out as just family, quickly morphed into almost family, with the waiter finally begging the stragglers to leave at 9 PM, so he could go home.  Welllllll....it just ain't a party if they don't beg you to leave, now is it?  My sister and I both had to shag out early for our respective runs to DFW--she was picking up at one terminal and we were dropping off at another, so all thoughts of one run flew out the window.  Plus, we were stopping by to pick up Andrea, Benji's GF, so that really wouldn't fly since we needed to go in, do the howdy with her mom and dad, meet their dog, Stella, and then head out.  Truthfully, it worked just fine...neither my sister or I could stand the thought of another bite of anything.  I realize that's blasphemy when speaking about Mexican food but I was one chip away from a food coma.

Now that the holiday is over, I'm aware of just how great it feels to get life back to normal, whatever that looks like at your house.  At mine, it just means back to my usual little schedule, and while holidays are fun for not having a schedule, there's just something comforting about getting back to the same old same old.  I guess it's that I both love and hate, structure.  It makes me feel safe, and yet sometimes I want to fight it.  Like a teenager.  And, I'm almost 57.  Please.

Lastly, here is a MLS shot of my brother's rental for the next two years.  Nice digs.

Lookey, heah...

Yesterday afternoon was just a blast.  After returning from Wide Awake Wylie, I decided it was the purrrfect day for a white trash fire on the driveway in my fire pit, with the puppies as my guests.  As long as I didn't have to keep chasing them out of the alley, or repeatedly retrieve Sis from Freddy's house, it would be superb.  And it was.  Freddy is Sis's BF and the cutest guy around and he would have been welcome to join us, chaperoned, of course.  I just don't want Sis getting a reputation always ho'in around at his house. 

This is the first year I can think of that I've had a fire inside, before having one outside, in my pit.  Some of the branches we lost in the last storm came in mighty handy, since they catch fire so much more quickly than my mini tree logs.  A fat wood stick, some leaves and a match was all it took to put me in bid'ness.  Shoooweee .... it was wonderful.  A blue sky, trees leaves every color imaginable, and sunning, snoozing pups.  The crackle, the pop, the smoke smell .....pure deee heeeeaven.  What more could a gal ask for?

  One of my neighbors, Sue, came by down the alley to see what I was doing and stayed to chat for quite awhile.  Her plan was to do her exercise walk but I think the allure of the fire pit got her.  Sue is an identical twin and retired school teacher who lost her sister, Ann, to breast cancer several years ago.  The two of them were inseparable, never married, and lived together all their lives so I was worried about how Sue might fare after Ann's death.  It took her a little while to grieve but then Sue hit the ground running and has remained one of the most positive people I know.  She loves to hike, travel, work in her yard, and has the highest squeakiest voice you've ever heard and for a really tall gal, it's just NOT what you'd expect to hear, coming out of her mouth.  I think she's from the deep, deep, South somewhere so that makes her accent even more hilarious.  She is a treasure.
I closed up shop right about the time the sun dropped down, the breeze picked up, and it started getting chilly.  I'd brought my O magazine outside with me to read, so technically, Oprah hung with me yesterday, too.  Not a shabby afternoon by a long shot.

Whew...

It's a day and a half after Thanksgiving and my cupboards are bare.  Between Fred taking food to the Ranch, and Benji hosting los amigos at the Farm, there's nothing but cold air in my frige.  Ditto the freezer.  Pizzas, eggs, bacon, sausage, rolls, turkey, you name it-- all hiked it out the back door.  And I love it.  Nothing makes me feel worse when I'm already FOF (full of food), than a stuffed refrigerator.  Ahhhh, I feel like I just walked 5 miles. 

My assignment this morning is to drive Brian to Wylie to pick up his Jeep.  He decided since he's no longer riding motorcycles, a CJ-7 sounded like a grrrrrreat idea.  I'm thinking not so much, but at 29, he gets to make those decisions for himself.  He knows how I feel since when he pulled up in our driveway, prior to having it worked on, I walked right past it, like it was invisible.  No comment.  Nuttin'.  Ahhhhh, the power of not saying anything.  He got it---loud and clear---and just sat there.  Neither one of us said a word. What's the old saying.....silence is golden?  Yeahhhhh, buddy.

Yesterday I went for a well deserved (I think) massage at 5 PM and then came home, showered, ate, and fell into bed.  With everyone gone, I put the pups to bed early and was asleep by 9:15pm.  What a dud... but today I feel grand.  I have a favorite massage therapist that I always request at the Massage Company and yesterday, in addition to a blissful massage, she gave me a Christmas stocking filled with goodies, as a thank you for being one of her "regulars".  Please.....how kind and thoughtful can you get.  And once I got home, I tore into it like a five year old on Christmas morning.  Let's face it....there's a little kid in all of us.

Wiggins is snoring below me in his bed, with sun shining in on him from the window beside me.  What a life.  Sixteen years of being treated like a dog King.  No wonder he's lived so long.  Sis is in my chair, hogging as usual, and patrolling all actions in the front yard. She just missed seeing two squirrels on the same tree out front, luckily for me, and I'm not gonna tell her.  Ohhh, noooo....they're back....and burying acorns right near us with their tails flicking...it's the tails that really get her....and the chirping.....they love to taunt her.  I'm glad she and I agree:  the only good squirrel is a dead squirrel.