Miles Davis

Uh, oh....somebody smells bad and it's not the kind that a bath/shower or brushing teeth will fix. It's an internal bad that's got to either clear up on it's own or will require a trip to the Vet. It seems yesterday, on the trip home, Wiggles got car sick and though he's all rehydrated and has eaten, he's still a tad on the stinky. Post bath (me) and tooth brushing (Fred).

Since he turns sixteen tomorrow, that's not real surprising but for a man who has always smelled PERFECT, this is just wrong. My plan is to give him a few days to recover and then pursue it. Since he's never gotten car sick before--EVER--I'm hoping this is not bad news. Just maybe more heat and excitement than one old man could handle, since when he goes to the Farm, he barely eats at all, as does Sis. Too much to see and do or too many naps to take, in his case. He gets a half of an acid reducer every morning, wrapped in cheese, since he tends to be stinky breathed anyway, but this smell is different.

I have been known, on occasion, to fix him cooked ground meat and a little rice, to settle his tummy so that may be his dinner. And, yes, I always give Fat Girl some, too, although since she was out in the backyard "hunting" at 3 AM, barking and yelping, I may skip her.

We have a new wiener dog in the family. My niece, who just graduated from UT, got herself a long haired chocolate and tan man-dog she named Miles--for Miles Davis--since he's a brown man and a cool dude. That makes six, since my brother has two, and his oldest daughter has one, Jack, who looks just like Wiggles. Now that his youngest has joined the crowd, we technically have enough to hold our own wiener dog race, minus Elvis and Wiggles. Elvis is older than Wiggles, so those two could just hand out the prizes. And since Miles is so young, we'd have to let him win. He's little....

Blue Lake Green beans sans can!

I just trudged up to the garden to water and this is what I harvested. There are more that need just a few more days to be the right size and we'll be having them for dinner. This may be about the only thing we ever get to eat so I'm hoping they hurry up. The tomatoes still look good--they just seem to be s-l-o-w growing. Ditto the squash.

Last trip up there I gathered some dried poppy flower heads to harvest the seeds. Since I was in a hurry with no container to put the seed heads in, I just tossed them in my purse for the ride home which would have probably been OK, if I'd remembered they were in there. Several days later I reached down to a handful of tee-tiny poppy seeds, all over the inside bottom of my purse. Awwww, hell....guess I needed to clean it out anyway and now I have them labeled in a zip lock (which I probably need to change to something paper, to avoid moisture.)

I'm not exactly sure when to broadcast the poppy seeds for later growth. I know they bloomed here in April and May so it looks like I may have another research project. I know when they die back they have an enormous root below ground but that's about all I know right now. Bruce says if I get really good at raising poppies, maybe I can start my own Black Tar heroin business.
Funny guy.

Ready to GO!!

I should be packing but I'd much rather drink coffee and blog. My red cloisonne (Chinese) clock from mom is happily ticking away in the living room and I LOVE IT. Yesterday, we had a minor problem when the clock face got loaded on the truck for the re-sale place but the guys located it and delivered it here. Since my old floors are a tad uneven in places...hey, this house is older than I am....we had to level the clock to getter' ticking accurately. Oh, baby...not only is she ticking but she's keeping great time and I'm waiting to see if she chimes the hour. She always has but if she doesn't, that won't bother me in the least since at midnight, that's a lot of chiming. (And, no, she did not chime and it's a little past 9 AM.) Minor detail. Doesn't make the list for today. Maybe next week.

We haven't told Sis and "Mr. Pigglesworth" that we are going to the Farm but their farm radar is on and once we start putting stuff in the car, the frenzy will begin. From a previous post, you all know they will camp out beside the car and will not come inside. They will not go potty or come get a last minute drink of water--they're not budging. It's like a dog sit-in. Muff doesn't care that we leave but he does like to climb in bags to "roost" so you have to be sure he's not in one. He does enjoy watching all the action, though, as Bruce tries to fit everything we own, into the car. It's for one night but you'd think it was for a week. I guess he just likes to take his toys.

OK...time for a coffee refill and to pack up steaks, twice baked potatoes, salad gear, and dessert (ice cream and fresh sliced strawberries.) We've got to eat, after all. Rocking in the rocking chairs on the screened in porch burns calories. Not to mention the visitin'.

This last update: I just got back from the garden and my Blue Lake green beans are almost ready to pick, my squash are putting out like a slutty high schooler, and the tomato count is up to seven big ones and some smaller guys lagging behind. The basil variety I chose to try up there is just weird. It's starting to kick into gear but the leaves are so small, and I'm used to the big old Genovese ones that almost cover a tomato slice. A few random Genovese basil plants are coming up from last years crop--fine by me. I have two in pots outside my back door that I've already cut back! Two beets are trying to make a go of it and the carrots are down to two twiggy little things that are just sad looking. I'm going to keep at them because ya just never know. They might surprise me.

Hadley in Scooter-mode

Day is done...almost gone, the sun, and I am pooped but delighted that both of my pals sailed through their respective surgeries, my stuff got delivered and arranged, and I am pulling together stuff to take to the Farm for tomorrow. We ran to Snuffer's for a burger and decided to barricade Sis in the Utility room while we were gone so that Wigman could eat his dinner unchallenged and in relative peace. I put up a doggie gate and out the door we went. Oh, not so, Kemmosabe. Do you even wanna guess who knocked down the gate, appalled that we would have the audacity to do such a thing to a girl of her ilk?? Yep, Sis did, and her voice commander didn't even reprimand her. What a pushover. She has that man totally whipped.

One of my pals today had surgery where I found out Bruce will be having his, so I got to give it the once over, early this morning (6 AM), and then again this afternoon. Wowser. Vedddy, veddy nice and when I went back after the move to see my friend (she's spending the night), I was visiting with the staff, and when they found out I was also a nurse, they comped by parking. Well, hell yeah! That works.

I also made an afternoon run by to see Hudson, Hadley and Avery and hit a total home run--all three bases were loaded (awake) and though a little tired from swimming lessons, Hudson and Hadley were funny as always, and Avery was just one big gummy grin. Hudson had to dig in my purse for "yife savers"---my mom got him started on this so the tradition has to continue. Red is always the favorite and since I didn't have any, my sister Go-Go saved the day with some in her purse. Well, I hope so....they are her grandkids after all.

Friday

The weekend's almost here and since I know everyone will have a lot going on, I'm posting early. Two dear friends are having surgery today and I am sending my love and prayers to both. You go, gals. Let's getter dun'!!
One is having "elective" surgery after losing 100 pounds and has asked me to be there, and I'm going. I can't stay for the whole procedure (5 hours) because coincidentally, today is also the FINAL move of mom's stuff out of her condo. So, I'll be at the hospital at 6 AM for my pal, shag to mom's around 8:30 AM to meet the trucks (yep, 2 of them) , follow one of them to my house to unload some things and move a few things I can't move, and then if necessary, shag back to Presby. Meanwhile, I'll be waiting for an update on my other pal, whose surgery is right nearby as well. I'm going to drop dinner off to her house mid afternoon so I'll get the scoopage then. Her sister will be with her or I'd have to go lie down on a copier somewhere to clone myself, since I'd want to be with her as well. Truthfully, I don't think the world needs two of me. One is almost too much sometimes. Just ask Fred. He knows.

We are off to the Farm Saturday with some friends we haven't seen in literally ages, never mind their oldest is one of my Godchildren. They are the kick back, put your feet up, and laugh your fanny off types where nothing is ever a big deal. I have some hilarious stories about the four of us that I'll have to share sometime. I included the stories in a cook book I wrote for the boys, Shut up and Cook, that ended up going out to most of my side of the family--nieces and nephews, who wanted a copy. One of my nieces found the stories rather enlightening and very entertaining, and wanted to know if I knew any on her mom, my sister. I had to take the 5th on that one. I'm not touching that.

Shooooweee...Sister got in some kind of trouble last night with her Daddy. Apparently there was some kind of voice command failure on her part--an act of "squirrel drop" defiance. By the third voice command to drop it, she finally got thumped on the lip and still hung on to her kill. That girl is playin' with fire. The tug of war that thus ensued was nasty and I hit the den door pronto. Their kill count for the week is now up to three and I think she may have to get put on hunting probation until her manners improve. And truth be told, I'm tired of finding dead squirrels in the trash cans. Yick.

Happy Memorial Day to all and keep it safe!

For some reason, this did not post, as scheduled.

Fred, Fred, Fred...

Oh, Lawsie.....it looks like I'll be opening up Parkland North again, with Fred as my patient this go round. In his quest to cease snoring, he has opened up a real can of worms for himself ranging from the need for braces and some oral work to sinus surgery and a tonsillectomy. All of this at 56 years of age. I told him I could do the tonsillectomy if he'd just lie still long enough for me to either insert my pliers or the old wood burning set the boys used to have. You know...the kind where you burned your initials into stuff. Hey...it could work....I might need to practice a little, though. That's why the pliers might be more fun...all I'd have to do is grab and snip, then use the wood burning thingy to cauterize. Or, just burn the tonsils out. No muss, no fuss. Either way, I'm good.

He tried to tell me that when they remove the nasal packing, post op, "there's no more painful thing IN THE WORLD". OK...my restraint at NOT biting for that was other worldly. All this from a man who has never even had surgery, except for his wisdom teeth. He's been on every message board and website reading about what he has to have done and while I agree it won't be any fun, easy on the drama, wouldja? I've already told him the tonsillectomy alone will be ugly and while he can do this in one surgery or two, he might as well do it in one since HE WON'T GO BACK AFTER THE FIRST ONE. And besides, anything he has to have done is always fifty times worse than anyone else, 'cause it's him.

Can you even imagine the fodder this will generate for me to blog about?? And while I wish he didn't have to do this, part of me can hardly wait to see how Fred copes with this. The clue truck is just about to hit him and my guess is it's not gonna be a four cylinder one.

Funeral plans...and Kate G.

Got any? Me, either, but after watching CBS News Sunday morning, I'm thinking it might be a good idea. Specifically, they had a thing on caskets--and not just any old caskets. These were over the top. There was the double one for two that looked like it came with everything except room service, the one shaped like a green onion for the mom who was a terrific gardener, and an eagle with folding wings, (to fit into the burial hole) for someone so inclined. Side bar:There's also some guy in North Texas buried in his favorite car which just seems odd to me. That just seems like a waste of a car but whatever.
All I could think of was three Harris males trying to decide what to bury ME in. A large cake pan? (since I do like to cook) A giant coffee filter? ( since I do love coffee) Now, I'm as eco friendly as the next person so I've had to re-think my burial idea. I've always told Bruce and the boys that I wanted to be "char-barred"(cremated), and then put in a zip lock bag to later be sprinkled where ever I decided. At first it was going to be in a few special spots in Estes Park and they were supposed to go, take me, and make a fun trip out of it. Now, I'm having to re- think the zip lock idea. Not very eco friendly. A paper sack, maybe?? And what about airport security?? How do you explain "that's my wife/mother inside this sack, so don't spill her"....wellllllll......they may just have to drive.

And if for some reason you missed the final of DWTS last night, and Kate Gosselin's l-a-s-t attempt at dancing, go on line and watch it. I had left the room for a second and when I returned, I thought for a second she was just walking to her place to start the dance. Uh, noooooo....not so much. She was actually almost to the end of her walk, and if her performance doesn't slay you, watching Tom Bergeron and Brook Burke try not to laugh hysterically afterwards, will. Best laugh I've had in ages.