It's just me

Facebook Frustration

2009-11-22T19:59:00.000-06:00

Doggonit!! When I want to post something, I find myself being thwarted by Facebook, and I'm tired of it.

I post to the blog (as in The Blog, which is Marshall Ramsey's blog on the Clarion Ledger), but everyone is so all UP on Facebook, many go to fb instead of The Blog. Well, that's just fine. They can do as they will, but I, for one, am hanging with MR. He's been there for me through some of my toughest times and I am thankful for that.

OK, so my access most of the time is limited to this tiny little device known as a Blackberry; BB for short. My BB does NOT like fb. Period. I don't like not having ready access to other friends, but until I can get internet access on a real pc from home, I am limited to this scrawney little device.

So, I'll check in on fb when I can. Otherwise, if you want to find me, you can go to Marshall Ramsey's blog on the Clarion Ledger.

True Power

2009-11-05T15:12:00.006-06:00

Do you know what this is? I pass this little reminder of the power of nature pretty much every morning. Look closely. Do you know how much force it would have taken to wrap a piece of corrugated tin around a power line?

A WHOLE lot.

Look a little closer

On April 18 of 2008, a tornado formed in Copiah County and made its way north into southern Hinds County. When it crossed Lebanon Pinegrove Road, it took out several trees, some roofs, a barn and at least one brick mailbox. I’m thinking this tin came from the barn across the road, but there is really no telling. I just know that it had to take a considerable amount of force to wrap a piece of tin like a glove around two power lines at least 25 feet in the air.

Just think about it.

It looks a little like a large metal hand gripping the line. I know there are different weights of tin, and maybe this was really thin...but it doesn’t look like it.

I also find it interesting that it's bent back TOWARD the direction the tornado came from.

Like I said, I see this pretty much every morning. Sometimes I vary my route and don’t go this way into town, but every day that I do, I always look up at this. I find it a profound statement to mother nature’s fury. Her power. Her awesomeness (if that’s not a word, it should be). To think that the very air we breathe can become wind so strong it not only rips things apart, knocks things down and basically wreaks havoc, it can also place little momentoes to remind us we are only borrowing the space we take up on this earth.

It also serves as a reminder that we cannot control any aspect of nature, although mankind is constantly trying.

Ain’t happenin, folks. She’ll win every time.

Crystal Springs Fall Flower Show

2009-10-17T13:29:00.015-05:00

Every year I like to try to visit the Fall Flower Show at the Mississippi State Truck Crop Experiment Station in Crystal Springs.

This year was no exception. An added bonus was that I got to see some of my MRBA family.

As usual, there were lots of stunning flower displays:

It's hard to get a feel from this pic, but these angel trumpet blooms were almost a foot long:

And some humongous cabbages and other veggies:

Norman Winter was there:

You can't see it in the pic, but his name tag said "Norman Winter".

Oh, and yes, there were more KKK pumpkins. If you don't get it, check out the blog from last year: http://dhcoop.blogspot.com/2008/10/wha.html

It was very brisk (actually it was pretty darn cold and windy) but I came away with my 10 lb box of Vardaman sweet potatoes and some pretty pics.

Looking forward to next year!

Fetch!

2009-10-14T08:35:00.013-05:00

No, this pic is not a mistake. Well, it is a mistake, but I posted it because I'm trying to show what was happening while trying to take a pic of TJ in the act of retrieving.

In all the years I've owned cats, I've never had one actually retrieve a toy to be re-thrown.

Well, TJ does. But he moves SO fast, that I was having a hard time actually getting a pic of him before he got back up on to the arm of the sofa.

He was so close in this one, the glare from the flash ruined the shot.

Darn! Missed him again.

TJ has an obsession with paper that I get out of my purse, crumple up and throw for him. To the point where I have to watch him now because I've caught him a few times digging around in my purse for scraps of paper to pull out.

But, until the other night, he had not been bringing them back to me. Well, this particular night, he did. REPEATEDLY. I literally threw the thing 30 times before he finally got distracted by something else and stopped bringing it back. He would run back up on the arm of the couch, turn around, drop the thing in my hand and get back into position. I'd crumple it a bit more and toss it and he was OFF like a light. Flying across the room to grab it and RUN back up to the couch.

This picture looks pretty much identical one of the ones above, but I swear it's not the same picture. I just couldn't manage to be quick enough with the shot to get him far enough away not to glare against his fur.

Then FINALLY...

I GOT IT!! Far enough away not to glare, but close enough that you can see the excitement in his face just before he jumps back up on the arm of the couch.

He's about 5 months old now. I wonder if he'll keep this up into adulthood? It'll be interesting to find out.

I'll keep you posted.

Goodbye, my little JB

2009-10-10T09:08:00.014-05:00

He's gone. My little JB is gone. My precious, whining, foot biting little baby is gone.

I'm not quite sure where to begin, but I feel like I need to write a bit about JB in order to grieve properly. I keep hearing the cat door and anticipating him to come running in here, jumping up on the couch and meowing (whining) for attention. It's not him. He won't ever be coming in again...

JB was special in several ways. He was born in my closet back in May to the wild one I call Junior. He was one of six. At about six weeks, four of the six figured out how to use the cat door and became indoor/outdoor kitties. The other two, still unnamed at this point, showed no interest in going out.

Time passed and the kitties got bigger (and busier) and the lady that had said she would take them backed out at the last minute due to a coyote problem on her property. Oh crap! What to do now?? I have more cats than I can count because of all the wild cats that I can't catch having kittens, and how I have six that I have pretty well tamed, and no home for them!

Time rocks on and I continue to work with the six and have begun to establish relationships and names. The little calico was obvious - "Callie". There was one with this strange grey coloring with a partial white tail that I called "Possum". The extra large one of the bunch was a handsome orange tabby with a prominent white chest that I named "Tux". The runt of the litter was a tiny, solid black kittie that I called ...wait for it... "Runt". The pure orange tabby became "TJ" due to his looking so much like my friend's cat Tigger. Thus, Tigger Junior, or TJ. The last one I was having trouble with. He or she, since at the time I wasn't sure, was a beautiful, creamy white color, with orange ears and a tabby-like orange and white ringed tail (well, actually, the colors were not so pronounced at this stage, but got stronger over time). For the life of me, I couldn't "feel" a name for this cat. Historically, I'll get to know a cat and a name will come to me. It just happens. I can remember nights, sitting here on this couch with the little one walking all over me and meowing (he talked a LOT) and asking him "What AM I going to call you!" And he'd respond with a "MEOW".

One night he/she was just meowing and meowing and meowing and I said "You sure do whine a lot!! A light went on and I thought "OH!! whine = wine! I'll call you Merlot!! No...not the right color. It would have to be a white wine. OH! Kendall! I love Kendall Jackson chardonnay. Kendall it is! I was happy with the name choice. For one, that it suited the "whining", and also because I believe cats living in the same house need distintive sounding names. Kendall sounded nothing like Ringo, Gracie, Scooter, Bruno, or TJ. Of course, I also have Tammy Fay, Junior and Magma, but they are the truly wild ones. Anyway...

A day or two later, I was reading the Blog (and when I refer to the Blog, I'm talking about THE Blog of Marshall Ramsey on the Clarion Ledger where I have a huge family of friends) and something was going on with our friend, jb, and someone (probably tank) said something about his whining. We were all the time calling him whiney so I jumped in and threatened to name my whiney cat after him. That brought a rise out of him since he professes to hate cats and that clinched it. When I got home that night I called the little one JB and it stuck. From that point on, I got a kick out of calling the kitten JB and then talking about him on the Blog. It got to where my fellow bloggers were asking about JB.

It made it even funnier that, at this point, I still didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, so I made it a point to call him a girl every chance I got. It got to where I was posting some comment about JB regularly. Saying something like "JB did such-and-such. She is so cute!" Just to get a rise out of jb. I intentionally used capital JB to refer to the cat and lower case jb to refer to my friend. An added bonus was the JB loved my feet.

I don't remember exactly when it happened, or what circumstances caused it, but for some time now one of the things we pick on jb about is having a foot fettish. We love to pick on him about everything. It's part of his life on the Blog. So, when kitty JB developed a fondness for biting my feet and toes, I made sure the Blog knew about it. That got some laughs.

The time came when one of my Blog friends found a home that would take 4 kittens. I started naming the possibilities and she told me she thought I was too attached to JB and TJ to give them up. I got to thinking about it and knew she was right.

I took the other 4 (Callie, Possum, Tux & Runt) to the farm. JB and TJ were officially MINE. BTW, I'm writing with help now. TJ is participating. He's been a little lost without his buddy.

Time passed and I got more and more attached to JB and TJ. I enjoyed buying new toys for them, although their favorite toy was a crumpled piece of paper I would throw them every morning. Neither one ever showed any sign of interest in going outside. That was unusual, but fine with me.

TJ did run out the door one time and immediately freaked out and started acting like the wild cat that I know is in him. I got him back in and he hadn't gone out again until last night...but that's another story.

Then, this past Monday I was getting ready for work and saw JB watching one of the wild ones going out the cat door (yes, I'm still feeding several I've never laid a hand on) and the thought went thru my mind "Uh oh. I wonder if he'll try it." That night when I got home from work, no one met me when I got in the house. I made a quick walk thru calling to JB, TJ and Ringo and found none. By the time I got back to the kitchen, TJ was clinging to the screen door. Good! I got him and put him in and went looking for JB. He was beside my truck, but acting skittish. I finally caught him and brought him in and he immediately went back out the window (that's where the cat door is). I gave him a few minutes and went back out and caught him again. This time, I went over to the cat door (window) and pushed him thru. My intent was to make sure he knew how to get back in. He came back out. I turned him around and pushed him back in. We did this a few times and when he came back out again, I carried him back in the house and shut the door, feeling a little better that when/if he went back out, he would know how to come back in. He stayed in for a while, then I heard him leave. I was very anxious about it, but had to believe he would be okay. I was thrilled when I heard the door and he came running in. YES!! He now knows how to go in and out by himself!!

But, goodness!! He was filthy!! I don't know what he had gotten in to, but it didn't matter. TJ was SOOO happy he was in! I was too. This is the last picture I have of him. A joyful TJ getting in a neck bite on his best bud.

Well, I guess, since he was a late bloomer and didn't discover the great outdoors until he was over 5 months old, which is like being a teenager for a cat, he explored a little too far. I live WAY off the road and have never seen any of my cats near the road. Yesterday morning I was leaving for work after just posting on the Blog that JB must be exploring because he hadn't come in. I had no choice but to leave because I had to get to work. I left my driveway heading down the road and saw something creamy white in the road and started saying "OH NO! OH NO!". Then my eyes focused on the tail. A beautiful, orange and white ringed tail......

That's all I managed to get written this morning.

Since I wrote this, I have buried our little friend with the help of my Friend in CS.

He is now buried in the little pet cemetary my Friend established on his property. He's buried next to my beloved Merle and Friend's pup Babsy.

It's a beautiful place and I'll be able to visit as often as I wish. I'll fix him a little headstone. Something tells me it will involve a shoe.

Goodbye little friend. We'll miss you.

Just Jo

2009-10-05T13:35:00.006-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I am a member of the MRBA (Marshall Ramsey Bloggerholics Anonymous) and have developed quite a few friends there. It's like a huge disfunctional family with some unique characters and personalities.

About a year and a half ago we had a lady join in the fray on pretty much a daily basis that went by the name of JustjoGA. I went back and looked at her comments and it looks like she had been lurking for a while before she started posting on our Free For All every day. She was drawn to Marshall because of his cartoons, then started following the blog.

It wasn't long before we determined that she was the oldest member of our growing group, but very computer savvy to be in her late 60s. A delightful lady, she would join in each day and usually give us an update on the weather in her part of the world. She would jump in on most any of the conversations and was witty and very good with words. She called herself a "wordsmith"

We all have avatars, mine being the smiley frog, and we tend to get used to seeing the same avatar all the time for someone and it'll throw us off when it's changed. Jo was different. She made it a habit to change her avatar periodically. It might be a painting she had done, or something else that struck her fancy. It became "normal" for her avatar to be different regularly, just as it is "normal" to see the same avatar over and over for someone else. That was just Jo. Her latest and last one was a beautiful scene of fall colors.

When we've got a member that needs prayers, we pray for them. When something great happens to someone, we cheer for them. If someone doesn't check in periodically, we worry about them. That was the case with Jo. Her health had been failing and we had not heard from her all day yesterday. Her last post was Saturday night. We discussed it on the blog and MrsH posted a note to her on her facebook page and one of Jo's friends in Georgia saw it and responded that she had passed away in the wee hours yesterday morning. Cornpop saw the response on fb and immediately called me. I posted a comment on the blog and all of a sudden posts were flying, calls were being made to those that don't have access to the blog in the evenings, each of us trying to make sure the rest knew what had happened. All the while I'm crying my eyes out over our loss. People that had not posted a comment in months appeared on the blog offering up their condolences. I think we broke a record for number of posts on a Sunday because of it. Jo would be proud.

She would tell us periodically how much she enjoyed being included in our little world. I don't know if she realized how attached we had all gotten to her and how much we enjoyed having her as a part of the group.

When I pulled up my blog to write this, I saw that smiling face, right there in my followers. No way am I going to remove it.

We are going to miss our dear friend, but we know she is no longer in pain and can breathe again.

I hope she is looking down at all her "kids" as she'd call us and know that we love her dearly.

Rest in peace my dear friend, Jo. Rest in peace.

Get it OFF me!!!

2009-09-26T12:38:00.011-05:00

If you've been following me at all, you already know that I'm nuts about critters. Well, meet Joe.

Joe in the process of removing his little sweater.

We have anoles everywhere at the office, and there are a few that we've named. I'm not quite suire why we named this one Joe, but he's a big boy. A good bit bigger than CT (the crooked tail one), and still growing. Obviously. The other day I caught him in the midst of a big time molt and got some great shots.

He was girating and squirming and bobbing up and down, trying really hard to take his little white sweater off.

Bless his heart.

I was wishing I could reach over and help him.

I could tell that he was really irritated with the whole business, but it's a natural part of his growth. He doesn't have any choice.

Finally, he decided to head into the holly. I'm sure that running around in prickly leaves would help him in his process. I've seen them molting before, but this was the first time I had ever gotten such good pictures of it.

Milestone

2009-09-26T05:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I keep being reminded that it is anyway. A half century. 50 years. Ok, I made it this far. What next?? I'm overweight, my hair is falling out, having hot flashes (or power surges, if you will) and have too many cats. Oh well. Being 50 is better than the alternative, right??

Testing the BB

2009-09-19T05:25:00.001-05:00

This is my first attempt at posting to my blog from my Blackberry. I have been very negligent lately in my posting, just haven't been inspired, but am feeling the need to write a bit. So, I guess the drought is over. Literally. It's been raining for days.

I just watched a show on the Create channel (one of the PBS stations I get now) about the Cayman Islands. Good memories of my visits there, but wondering if I'll ever have the chance to go back. Maybe...

I have Ringo laying on my leg with his front leg pinning little JB down. JB's tail is flopping up and down and is exciting TJ, who is on the floor beside the chair. I'm wishing I knew how to take a picture and upload it with this device. Need to figure that out next. Now to see if this posts.

Andy Warhol....Are you KIDDING me??

2009-07-11T22:20:00.008-05:00

I had no idea.

That is, I had no idea that Andy Warhol was "in" to cats.

My friends just got back from their vacation at the Mensa Convention they always go to and the one this year was in Pittsburg, PA. I have been Ghost-sitting (friend's cat) for the past few years when they go on their adventures. They usually bring me something back as a happy, or "Thank You", if you will, when I "Ghost-sit". Last year they went to Denver and they brought me a fabulous necklace with a bear claw symbol and turquoise inlay. They go to the Labor Day festivities in New Orleans every year and last year brought me a pink tank top that says "I want to be Barbie, the B---- has Everything". This is the kind of guys they are. So, anyway, this year, they went to the Mensa Convention in Pittsburg and they went to the Andy Warhol Museum. I had NO IDEA that Andy Warhol was in to cats!!!

I'm THRILLED, to say the least, to get this book they brought me. It's called "CATS, CATS, CATS" and it contains a lot of drawings and quotes by Warhol. The cool thing is that, as I'm reading it, I can SOOOOO relate to what he's saying!!

"It's all in your attitude" YA THINK???

"What makes a person spend time being sad, when they could be happy?" Good question.

"People, I think, are the only things that know how to take more space than the space they're actually in."

Was Warhol a genious, or what??

He may have been defined as a genious later in life, but, I think his work prior to becoming famous for his Campbell's Soup cans and Marilyn speaks volumes.

"It's not what you are...its what they think you are".

Hey, that's my motto!

I love this one. "You have to be willing to get happy about nothing."

That is SO true.

I've already read thru the book and am looking forward to going thru it again. I'm also want to do some research into Warhol and his "cats". This book seems to indicate he had 25, all named "Sam".

It'll be interesting to see what I can find out.

And, I'm SURE you'll be subjected to more quotes from the book as the mood strikes me.

Maters!

2009-06-27T10:45:00.004-05:00

I just had my first tomato sandwich of the year. I just wish that it had been "Rooster maters".

"Rooster" as he is called, used to bring "maters" to sell when I had my little shop in Raymond. People would come in and specifically be looking for "Rooster maters" because he grew the best. I sold several hundred pounds of tomatoes for Rooster the three years I was in business.

When I went to the Tomato Festival in Crystal Springs this morning, I fully expected Rooster to be there. I was looking around for him and called him up on my cell. I did get in touch with him, but unfortunately, his "maters" came in early and not good. He's been through a divorce and problems with custody of a child, and just isn't into farming this year. Needless to say, I didn't get my "Rooster maters" that I expected.

I can remember well the days that Rooster would call me: "Ms. D__, how many buckets of maters you need today?" When they were coming in good, I'd get 3 or 4 buckets, which weighed about 25 pounds each, and I could pretty much sell 100 pounds of tomatoes within a couple of days. The season for "real" tomatoes isn't long. Yes, folks that have garden tomatoes harvest up till frost, but when you are dealing with tomatoes coming in from a farmer that has a few hundred plants all coming in at the same time, well, enjoy it while you can.

If I didn't sell them, I would put them up in the freezer myself. I did many a bag of tomatoes. Some plain, some with fresh basil and oregano from my little gardens in front of my shop. Just writing about it makes me sad and miss my place.

So, anyway...before I get all nostalgic about the fact that I couldn't make it as a small business, let me post another pic from the Tomato Festival in Crystal Springs.

There is no tomato that you can buy in a grocery store that compares to a "real" tomato grown locally with no gassing for color, no storage time, literally straight from the field.

Enjoy them while you can!

Here we go round the Mulberry bush!!!

2009-06-14T16:51:00.005-05:00

Have you ever had one??

I have memories of climbing the mulberry tree out by my Grandmother Reynolds' house. I don't remember being stained by the berries like I was today when I picked some to take to my Mom in the hospital. She was so surprised. She said it had been years since she had a mulberry.

You don't see many of them these days. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe people consider them worthless trees and cut them down? They aren't ugly trees. Nice, big green leaves. I can't say I noticed when it bloomed, so the bloom must not be very showy, but it obviously had to bloom or there wouldn't be fruit as there is now.

It looks a lot like a blackberry or dewberry, but is much sweeter. The fact that it grows on a tree is what facinates me.

My Mom told me they used to paint their fingernails with mulberries. She did admit that it was hard to do without getting their fingers covered with the juice.

Ya think???

As I was picking them I got stained like you can't believe. Of course I was eating as I was trying to get pics, but still...

I'm just glad my friend has a mulberry bush (which is actually a small tree) so that I could give my Mom a little taste of nostalgia today.

Even though after picking a few, it looks like I'm leaving a crime scene...

So, have you ever had a mulberry? Just curious...

1st Annual MRBA Picnic

2009-06-07T17:32:00.020-05:00

The MRBA gang.

The Grillmeister

Old Bopper & Blues4You

The Banner.....and pictures being taken of the banner by Cardinallady, Parrotmom & Old Bopper

Ok, I'm having trouble labeling pics, but we've got Ace, me and The Boss; Cardinallady tending her vegetables, little Jojo and his big sis, the birthday girl, Jazz in their fab sunglasses.

We had more food than we could eat!

MsRamona and Sprout (from the backside)

Candlefly or Moth? What do you call it?

2009-05-30T18:00:00.008-05:00

So, I was out on the porch the other morning and saw the most unusual candlefly I had ever seen. For those of you who are not from the South, a candlefly is what we call a moth.

It was so incredibly perfect with its markings, I felt compelled to research it. I found a cool website for butterfly and moth identification and it is a Clymene moth, in the Tiger moth family. I even found a site where a woman had seen one outside her church and though she had seen a sign.

Thus, the upside-down picture:

Now, do you get why she thought she was seeing a "sign"? I totally get it.

So, anyway, a while later, I was back out on the porch and our resident anole, CT (so named due to the crooked tail), came running across the porch.

He stopped in the little patch of shade just under the post where this lovely candlefly was resting. About the time I said "Oh no!! CT, don't do it!" (like a lizard can understand me), he pounced!!

Ok, so at this point, you can see that the Clymene has an orange hindwing. Because when CT got him, he was upside down in his mouth.

Let's just say it's nature at work, okay?

For more information on the Clymene moth: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3677

I am curious as to who refers to moths as "candleflies". I know a couple of my co-workers who are not Southern bred had no idea what I was talking about when I said it.

Have you ever heard that term?

The cutest little things

2009-05-23T13:20:00.003-05:00

Well, my little batch of babies is going to their new home tomorrow. I'm going to miss them, but it's time. They are pretty much running all over the house, and it's time for me to start working on the next batch. Yes, that's right, I never posted a blog about it, but Junior popped the first week of May, and her's are in my closet with eyes just about to open. I've got to start working on socializing them. They may be a little harder since every time Jr. catches me trying to pet them she growls ferociously and I'm afraid she'll move them out. Maybe not. Tammy Faye didn't.

Thankfully, it appears lil sis has found homes for this batch, too. Bless her. Now, if I can just catch TF and Jr.! That's the real challenge. I can't get within 10 feet of them without them bolting through the catdoor. hmmm, maybe if I had someone outside with a cage open on the ledge of the catdoor... may have to try something like that.

Anyway, my first batch of babies are just as cute as they can be and I've enjoyed them, but it's time.

When kneecaps misbehave...

2009-05-17T15:25:00.012-05:00

It ain't pretty. Yes, this is an actual picture of what my knee looked like within a few hours after the "incident"

Do you know what it's like to be walking along, I'll admit walking at a brisk pace, but nothing out of the ordinary, and suddenly, without warning, your knee just absolutely gives way? You have no knee. It doesn't exist. Well, let me tell you what happens. You end up on the floor. Crying (or cussing as was the case with me). Yelling "OMG MY F$#$ING KNEECAP JUST FELL OFF AGAIN!!!" or something to that effect.

At first, it doesn't really HURT per se... The nausea factor kicks in a bit when you realize that you've just grabbed a piece of falling body part and put it back where it belongs. Then the fun begins. This one was taken a short time after the "incident".

Then a short time later... it grows...

So anyway, to make a long story shorter, afterward you are writhing in pain and it looks like the pic that I posted at the top of this post.

I took this just a few minutes ago. This is what it looks like right now. I just removed the brace and wraps and you can see that the swelling has now dispersed itself throughout the whole area. Which is a good thing. Being an expert on this subject (since this is the THIRD time this has happened to this knee! ) I know what to expect.

I'll spare you the remaining pics, but suffice it to say, this really stinks. It means I'm back on ice packs and wraps and weeks of braces and a crutch.

Are we having fun yet?!?! LOL!!

Never seen it...

2009-04-26T15:23:00.002-05:00

Well, shoot! I had a whole blog post written about the pink locust and blogger ate it. Well, actually the computer locked up and my post disappeared, so I don't know if it was blogger or not.

Anyway, this is a beautiful plant that I want to learn more about.

What a treat!

2009-04-18T21:11:00.003-05:00

Early this morning my BIL said "Look at that bluebird out there! I haven't seen a bluebird in a long time". Well, I see bluebirds regularly so I kind of wondered why he hadn't, but I headed into the kitchen to see. I had my camera, because I don't have a good pic of a bluebird yet.

By the time I got in there, it was gone. I didn't think any more about it. Early this afternoon, lil sis says "oh I see the bluebird! Come here! Hurry!" So, I grab my camera again and run in there. She's telling me which tree it's in and I'm trying to see it, and finally do. I'm looking at it and I told her "I don't think that's a bluebird". Then it flew off and I didn't get a really good look, but the more I thought about it, it just COULDN'T be a bluebird. They don't normally go to bird feeders since they are primarily insectivorous, although they really are omnivorous, meaning they'll eat insects OR seeds, but primarly insects.

I kept peeking out the back door, just in case it came back, and finally, I looked out and there it was! Sitting on top of the shepherds hooks that hold her bird feeders. I hollered for lil sis and said "Come here, quick!". It flew on up onto a branch in a tree behind the feeders. There was no doubt in my mind at this point, it was an Indigo Bunting. I've only seen a few of these in my life. Absolutely spectacular!

Ok, so I know I couldn't zoom in as much as I'd like, but you get the general idea.

I'm hoping you can see the blue bird on the limb. The Indigo Bunting comes to Mississippi every year, migrating from South America. I called my Uncle H, who I consider to be my own personal bird expert, and he was looking at 11. Yes, ELEVEN of them in his yard at the moment I called. Of course, he also knows how to draw birds with his numerous bird feeders, including 7 thistle feeders. He said they'll come to a feeder, but they particularly like thistle seed thrown on the ground in short grass. He should know. He's been watching birds for years. I immediately called lil sis and told her that what Uncle H had said. He says the primary time for seeing the males (they are solid blue, the females are simple brown) come in to Mississippi in their prime up until about April 28. You might not ever even get the opportunity to see one of these fellas, but if you do, say a little thank you to our God who makes this possible. We are so blessed...

For more information on the indigo bunting, including their song, migratory habits, etc: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Indigo_Bunting/id

Just call me CAT LADY!

2009-04-16T09:47:00.005-05:00

Let me set the stage...I had two cats when I moved here. Ringo and Gracie. There was a solid white cat that had been abandoned on the premises that wouldn't let me near her. I gave her the name "Jewel" because of her emerald green eyes. It wasn't long after I came here that I realized that she had babies in the woods. I followed her one afternoon and found the four babies in a log down from my house. I started going down there every day to take food to her and to try to catch the kittens to start taming them. It didn't take me long to figure out that one of them was stone deaf (solid white with blue eyes). I managed to touch her (only because she didn't hear me coming) and tamed her and she became my Scooter. One of the four disappeared, and the other two I named, but have never laid a hand on. They were fast little boogers and I could never catch them. I named one of them Tammy Faye because of the radical coloring around her eyes that looks like smeared mascara. (She had to be a girl because she has at least three colors. It's extremely rare for a male cat to be born with more than two colors.) Magma got his/her name because he/she is solid black, the color of solid molten lava rock. A solid black cat could be either a male or female, so I figured Magma would work either way.

So, anyway, as the weeks wore on, I brought Scooter into the house, showed her how to use the cat door, etc. I then have Ringo, Gracie and Scooter coming and going as they please, I'm feeding Jewel, Magma and Tammy Faye outside and all is well. A few days after I had taught Scooter about the cat door, I came home and found Tammy Faye and Magma in my house. Undoubtedly, Scooter had shown them how it worked. A few days later, I came home and found Jewel in my bed. Apparently, she had been watching her kittens and figured it out, too. Ok, so now I'm up to six cats that I'm feeding, four of which I can actually touch, although Jewel was still real skitish.

Fast forward a few months and I'm planning on taking Scooter and Jewel to get "fixed up" and Jewel disappears. She then reappears a few days later with 3 kittens. CRAP! Ok, so I go about trying to catch and tame them, without success, except for yet another solid white, blue eyed deaf one that I had just started working with. Then I came home one day and found it dead. I hadn't even named it yet, so I just called it "Little One" when I buried it. The two others I named Bruno (he's a handsome young man) and Junior (who looks a lot like Tammy Faye).

Ok, so I then take Jewel and Scooter to get fixed, but I've still got four I can't catch.

Fast forward a couple more months and I'm not seeing as much of Tammy Faye and Magma, but I usually see Bruno and Junior every day. Bruno will actually let me touch him now and has joined me on the couch a few times, so he's going to get fixed up next week. Still can't lay a hand on the other three.

Then, last night, I came in the house and noticed that Ringo seemed a bit strange. He was kind of skulking in the hall looking into the living room. I went into the living room, and there on the couch was Tammy Faye. That totally surprised me since I've never seen her in my living room, much less on my couch. I said "Well hey there Tammy Faye!" and she took off like a bolt of lightening and went out the cat window. And this is what I saw:

HOLY CRAP!! SHE HAD KITTENS ON MY COUCH!!!

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW SHE WAS PREGNANT!!!

I'm freaking out and grabbed my phone and called lil sis and told her what I had found. She suggested 1) calm down and 2) find a box or something to put them in and put them by the cat door and put a lamp over the box. Maybe TF would come back to them, and maybe she wouldn't, but I had to see.

So, a short time later, I had dumped my laundry basket, lined it with a fleece blanket, scrubbed my hands and carefully placed the tiny babies in the basket.

Finally, TF came back and I stood in the doorway and watched her jump down and grab a kitten and dash back thru the cat door.

I don't know where she took them, but by 1:00 a.m. this morning, there were only two left. When I got up at 6, they were all gone.

What can I say? My "crazy cat lady" status has elevated to a new level!

You're Never too Old...

2009-04-13T09:50:00.010-05:00

...to hunt for Easter eggs. Saturday night, my lil sis called and informed me that she had gotten some dye and was in the process of dying some eggs and that Dad was going to hide them for us on Sunday. "Does Dad know about this?" I ask. "No, but he'll do it" she says. Well, of course he will! Our Dad would do anything in the world for us if he could.

Never mind that we are in our, um, LATE 40s. That is entirely beside the point. Never mind that we had no kiddies on the property to participate. Why, that's completely unnecessary! Who says you have to be a kid to hunt eggs? Who says we aren't kids locked in 40+ year old bodies???

The thing is, as I get older, I realize that my parents won't be around forever. I've had too many friends that have lost a parent and warn me to enjoy them while you can. Because they can be taken away on a moments notice, either by death or, worse, alzheimers.

Our father got a HUGE kick out of the fact that we wanted him to hide the eggs. He kept saying all morning how hard he was going to make it for us. I told him to hide them up high since lil sis is so short. Dad laughed and Mom pointed out that he's short too, so that probably wasn't going to happen.

When he got through hiding the eggs, he told us to come on out. I handed Mom my camera and showed her quickly how to take a picture. lil sis and I had our brand new Easter baskets (with sparkly beads, of course), and we ran outside. Dad told us the boundary lines and we were off! I found the first two, then lil sis found one. We were chasing each other around the yard trying to find hidy-holes acting like the kids we are. Mom and Dad were both laughing harder than I've heard them in a long time. It was a beautiful sound.

When it got down to where there were only a couple left, they started playing the "getting warmer"/"getting colder" game until the last one was found. lil sis ended up with 7 and I found 5.

Seeing the looks on my parents faces as they were watching us run all over the property was priceless. My Mom standing there with the camera brought back memories of her doing that when we were kids (like we aren't still kids). My Dad was simply beaming with joy.

There is not much of anything any more special than having a good time with your family, and above all, making your parents laugh.

MOM, She's Looking at Me!!!

2009-04-07T14:30:00.010-05:00

That's my big problem at the house right now. Scooter seems to take GREAT pleasure in pestering Gracie simply by looking at her.

You can remember pestering a sibling by just threatening to touch them, right?? Just staring at them?? Then it was "MOMMMM!!! She's staring at me!!" or "MOMMMM! She's touching me!" It's a wonder our Mom's didn't just say "SO WHAT! DEAL WITH IT!"

Wait a minute. Maybe she DID say that!

Anyway, Gracie gets all settled in her basket and suddenly Scooter jumps up in the chair and starts looking at her!

Gracie growls, which gets my attention, since I'm right behind her, and I grab the camera and it's ON!

Scooter puts her paw up on Gracie's bar and moves a little closer.

Scooter never actually TOUCHES Gracie, she's just staring at her.

Then she moves a little closer.

By this time, Gracie's ears are back and she's growling steady.

Now, keep in mind I'm steadily telling Scooter "NO!", like that does a bit of good since she's as deaf as a stump. She's completely ignoring my hand signal, which is shaking my finger in front of her. She is, very simply, being the pesky little sister.

When Scooter raises up and begins looking down on Gracie with her ears back, it's just too much. Gracie FLIES from the basket over to the buffet with Scooter right behind.

Gracie gives a warning hiss, but Scooter keeps on staring at her.

This goes on for a few minutes until Scooter sees something that distracts her, or gets bored with the game, or whatever, but she finally leaves Gracie alone. Gracie piles up in her "other" basket and glares at me, once again, for adopting this vexing little kitty.

The funny thing is, these girls eat from the same plate, have slept together, bathed each other, etc.

Sisters. Love 'em. Hate 'em. Still family.

Spoiled? Not me!

2009-04-07T11:43:00.004-05:00

No, I will not drink from the little white plastic cup you just filled.....

No, I will not drink from the green highball glass you filled and just set in front of me on the counter...

Well, YES! I will drink from the green glass, as long as it's sitting in the sink, at the appropriate height.

I'm thirsty...

For Clucky

2009-04-05T17:46:00.003-05:00

Ok, so this one is probably pretty obvious. I was at the "Chicken Nuggett" in Carthage yesterday for the monthly meeting of the Kosciusko Red Hatters to surprise Mom for her birthday. I saw these dudes and HAD to take a pic just for Clucky!!!

Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you girlfriend!!!

Now...this begs the question...two roosters, multiple eggs???

Do we even ever EAT roosters??? I think NOT!!

I hear they are tough...

I'm so proud of my Bug!!!

2009-03-31T09:08:00.006-05:00

This is when I wish I had internet access at home. But I don't, so I'm writing this in my journal and will type it up tomorrow.

I just got a phone call from my daughter. My oldest grandbabe just placed second in her category (needlework) at the Beta Club State Competition in Tupelo! That means she's going to the Nationals in Orlando in June!! WOO HOO!!

She knitted a blanket and randomly applied crochet bowes. The bows were inspired by my Mom, and lil sis helped teach her to crochet, but she did all of this herself. I'm so VERY proud of her! She's been knitting for a couple of years now and has gotten really good at it. It was her idea that just knitting the blanket wouldn't be good enough to win the competition. She wanted to add a little "umph" and thought it would help to have a combination of needlework techniques in the same piece. She asked my lil sis for help/ideas and lil sis suggested doing bows like some our Mom had done on a sweatshirt she had made for us years ago. So.... this is the result.

Oh, and she also had tryouts last week for high school cheerleader (she'll be a freshman) and she made it!!!

How about the fact that she's at the top academically in her class??

And did I mention that I'm SOOO VERY PROUD of her???

Ok, yes...

2009-03-29T13:35:00.007-05:00

I was messing with him.

He's a big ol fat cat and I couldn't resist...

I had to put "Coop" on Ghost to see how he would react.

It was pretty funny.

Then, suddenly, he's like WTF??? and turned on me.

It was all over then...

Bless his heart... :P

You want me to do WHAT??

2009-03-25T09:55:00.006-05:00

Yeah, he's grinning alright. He's laughing because he saw my BIL and Big Sis approaching for a ride and he's thinking, "This is a joke, right??"

But NOOOO, Mr. Camel-man in his white dress and little red turban wasn't kidding after all.

This is an actual excerpt from the email Big Sis sent me about their camel ride: "Did you notice, the camel that we rode--when we walked up and started making pictures, it was like he was grinning for the camera. But you should have heard him when D sat down!!!! He looked around at us and GROANED!!!!! Like "You have GOT to be kidding me!!!! I'm suppose to GET UP with these two HIPPOS on my back???"

She said it, I didn't! LOL!!

Anyway, it looks like it's all well because the camel with his happy little hat on appears to be quite content carrying his, ummm, "load".

Now for the bonus pictures. Big Sis says she is seeing LOTS of baby camels right now. I guess it's that time of year.

They are coming home some time in June and I can't WAIT to see them!

uh, that's Big Sis and BIL are coming home. NOT the camels. :)

For JB

2009-03-20T16:09:00.012-05:00

This is for you, my dear!!!!

We've picked on JB for a while now about his foot fetish.

Not that he REALLY has a foot fetish, but he's just fun to pick on!!

Well....this is just the beginning!!!

What's funny, is that after taking the sock off (ok, so it's chilly in here and I had my socks on), I went out with my trusty camera, then got fixated on the bees in the azaleas!! Sorry jb, but bees won out over my idea for taking pics of my feet in the flowers....

Sorry, jb, the bees were just really cool and mesmerizing.

But I love you anyway!!

And one last foot in the flowers just for you!!

LOL!!!

For My BFF G

2009-03-19T16:16:00.013-05:00

For my BFF G:

Your azaleas are beautiful right now.

A carpenter bee was enjoying the bounty...

Can't help but wonder what's up with this strange half pink petal thing going on...

They are absolutely glowing in the sun.

I sure wish you were here...

They really are beautiful.

I miss you so much...

Memories of an Iris

2009-03-19T10:25:00.006-05:00

I know I've mentioned how much I love my little place in the country. Right now, I am blessed by a tiny spot of brightness in the form of snow white iris in full bloom.

I cannot look at a white iris without thinking about my late husband, H. He loved to take pictures and one time, he took a closeup of a stark white iris and framed it and gave it to me as a gift. There was just something very simple and sweet about that little gift. He was very proud of the picture and it touched my heart that he wanted me to have it.

It's funny how little things will sometimes make me think of him. And miss him. He taught me so much in our short time (7 years) together. Besides being a great father to my child, he was the toughest, bravest, kindest man I've ever known. He's probably a huge part of the reason I have not had a successful relationship since. There will never be another H.

So, as I walked around this little clump of iris this morning and took pictures, I said a little prayer of thanks for the time I had with him.

And for the gift of the single white iris.

Wisteria

2009-03-17T13:30:00.011-05:00

Wisteria, did you change your face again?

Those of us who loved you when, can't even find you.

Wisteria, did you lose another man?

Did you make him understand that he can't touch you?

Wisteria, did he take you to the fair?

Were the folks that you met there the same that we met?

Wisteria, did he teach you how to dance?

Did he bring you paper fans to hide your secret?

Was he just like all the rest when he got to the sad part?

Did he stay a bit too long to save his heart?

Wisteria, are your lips still lily white?

Do they still bloom just at night and die at sunrise?

Rest in Peace Dan Fogelberg

Recognize this face?

2009-03-17T11:02:00.006-05:00

Of course you do! This is the infamous Charlie Daniels. I saw him at the Pearl River Resort last Saturday night. He puts on an awesome show!

I managed to get real close during the finale, which of course was "Devil Went Down to Georgia". But it's REALLY hard to get a picture of his actual face. Most pictures you see of him are exactly this. Head down, hat prominent, but you always know who it is. At one point, I did manage to catch him in profile while playing towards his guitarist.

He absolutely still rocks! He is an incredibly patriotic man, proud to be a redneck American. He brought me to tears more than once. When he played a tribute to our troops and I was sitting next to my nephew who is in the Air Force, I was bursting with pride. When he did How Great Thou Art in his very own special way, tears were streaming down my cheeks. Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes.

He may be in his 70s, but he never stopped, for over an hour and a half. Absolutely fabulous show. If you ever get a chance to go see him, do it. It's worth it. He is a true American treasure.

Coop's Big Adventure

2009-03-11T20:20:00.008-05:00

We got to the hospital around 6:20 since we were told to be there at 6:30. Of course, there was a pile of paperwork to sign.

Then it was off to take some bloodwork, blood pressure and temp.

After that was done, it was back to the waiting area to do just that. Wait. And wait.

I'd been told that the doctor likes to schedule surgeries where he doesn't keep people waiting for hours. Actually, it really wasn't too bad. I was taken to the "holding area" around 8 and the fun began. First donning a really cool blue backless number and a snazzy blue cap.

The anesthesiologist came by, followed by the doctor (who is pretty darn hot I might add) and talked about what was going to happen. Then the doctor autographed my hip so he would remember which one needed the work done.

After another wait of half an hour or so, they wheeled me into the operating room.

Oh, and for the record, if there was ever a time when I know for sure what my name is and my birth date, it is now. EVERY person that laid a hand on me today would look at my wrist band, then ask me what my name was and my date of birth.

Anyway, they gave me something into my iv that made me feel really good. Next thing I know, I've got an attractive bandage on my hip.

All in all, it was a very good experience, which is good because it was my first ever surgery. It would have sucked to have a bad "first time".

The staff at the hospital were all incredibly nice. The nurse that took care of me in the recovery room was exceptional and did a great job of explaining everything I needed to do post surgery.

So far, I'm still somewhat under the influence of drugs, but not really hurting and am hopeful that my days of non-stop hip pain are now over.

It's time...

2009-03-10T08:23:00.002-05:00

I've put it off long enough. The pain in my hip finally drove me to go see a doctor and the anticipated "you need a new hip" diagnosis ended up being "your hip looks fine". WHAT??? I saw the x-ray myself. My hip looks fine. WTF??? So WHY does it hurt so bad???

Anyway, after an MRI and a diagnosis of a torn labrum (yes, what A-Rod had), I'm now scheduled for a relatively non-invasive arthroscopic surgery tomorrow to fix the problem. Lil sis is going to come get me and take me home with her (because her house is all one level) to recover for a few days.

I could kick myself for postponing this for so long, but I had myself convinced my hip was a knarly knot of corroded bone and was going to need replacing. It's what I get for procrastinating.

Merle

2009-03-07T13:26:00.005-06:00

My little man kittie.

Watercolor losing Arden yesterday made me miss my Merle so much. He was such a good cat.

I adopted Merle after I started commuting to Dallas. Ringo got to where he was SO clingy (literally under my feet BEGGING for attention) on the weekends when I got home, that I decided he needed a companion. There was a girl at work (I'm sorry to say I don't remember her name) that had some kittens needing homes so I went over to her house and immediately fell in love with this little, tiny, orange tabby with a big M on his forehead. (I wish to goodness I had some pics of him, but he was pre-digital so I've got to do some digging).

Because of the "M", I knew his name was supposed to begin with it, but just wasn't "feeling" a name for him. Generally, as soon as I meet a cat I know what the name is supposed to be. Not with Merle. At the time, I was reading a novel where the lead character's name was Max. That didn't feel right. I was living in a little two story cabin up on the reservoir and my lil sis was staying with me a couple of times a week. She knew I was trying to "feel" the name for my new baby. One night, I remember it well, she walked in and proclaimed "I've got it!" "Merle!" I knew immediately that was the name. No, not Merle Haggard, no, not anything remotely resembling an association with anybody. The name "Merle" just felt right.

I'm one of those that believes that a cat's name cannot sound anything like any other cat you may have. Yes, I do believe cat's recognize and understand their names (unlike some people). But I knew, as soon as she said it, that was his name. Merle. Perfect.

Merle ended up being THE solution to my problem with my clingy cat, Ringo. I left EARLY on Monday mornings and wouldn't get back till Friday night commuting to Dallas. Lil sis was there a couple of times a week to feed, and at the time, I had a screened porch with an automatic litter box that took care of "personal" stuff.

I'd get home on Friday evenings and Merle and Ringo would just have the BEST time! I took pictures and would enjoy them all weekend. Then came the move. I moved to a house outside of Raymond, proceeded to get laid off and ended up moving to my shop. Of course, Merle and Ringo moved with me.

I'll have you know that when I finally got a little cottage 3 blocks from my shop (which had then closed due to the economy and running out of funds), he went EVERY day to "work". I knew he left every morning at daylight and didn't return until the sun was going down, but I wasn't sure where he went during the day. Then, one day I found him inside the shop (lots of access through the metal walls) and realized that he was going and spending his days "tending shop". Bless his heart. It was like he was responsible to make sure everything was okay there while I had gone back to work in the real world. I'm talking EVERY day. He left in the morning and would come home in the evening just like it was his job.

Then, a year ago at Thanksgiving, I came home after a couple of days with my parents and found him on the hassock, lying in a typical "Merle" position, but he was dead. I have no idea why. There didn't appear to be any trauma. He was only 5 years old, which is young for a cat. I called my friends in Crystal Springs and they offered me a place to bury him. They took a backhoe and dug a grave. Friend and a guy that worked for him reverently carried his box to the place and placed him in the grave. Friend's wife read a poem and we all cried. I will never forget that, ever.

Oh, and we had stopped by the former shop and got a stepping stone that Friend's wife had done a mosiac in. Friend had carved "Meryl" in the stone. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't spelled right. It doesn't matter. My baby boy Merle has a fabulous place to rest in peace. This is a pic I took while sitting next to his grave.

And right now he's doing his "job" and showing Watercolor's baby, Arden, the ropes in heaven.

The tree he is buried under...

Rest In Peace my darling Merle.

I just have one question...

2009-03-06T11:04:00.003-06:00

what's so freakin fancy about it???

That's one of those questions that's poked at me for years.

"Fancy" ketchup. WTF??? Ok, so is it made at a "fancy" factory? Is it made by a girl named "Fancy"? What makes it "fancier" than other ketchup?

It's not like it's dressed up or anything. It's a freakin packet of ketchup!!

But, hey, it's FANCY...

Coop and Cooper

2009-03-04T11:18:00.002-06:00

I was tickled to death to discover that Jen (choclablover within the MRBA) had actually named her little frog creations Coop (girl) and Cooper (boy).

I just placed an order on her Etsy to get me a Coop!

She is a very talented young lady and has made some absolutely darling aprons, pin cushion, ironing board covers, etc. Here is the link to her store:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6342903

Check it out!

Peep-Eye

2009-03-03T09:34:00.003-06:00

Ok, so my landlord needs to powerwash the side of my house.

That said, I wanted to share what I see pretty much every morning as I'm leaving. My Scooter baby lays on the table inside and props her head on the catdoor and looks out. She starts this usually as I'm finishing getting ready for work and is still doing it when I leave.

Yes, when it's 30 degrees outside and she's laying there with the window propped open on her head, she's letting heat out and cold in. Do I stop her? No. Is she spoiled? What do you think?!?

I showed this picture to my co-workers and one of them commented "Looks like, oh boy, she’s gone, now we can rumble." That may very well be what she's thinking. Maybe she's the designated lookout to make sure I'm gone. This morning I had to ride down to my landlord's place to drop off my rent check. When I drove back past my house, she was still laying there. I guess to make sure I was for real leaving.

After looking at this picture I decided that this spring, after it warms up, I want to paint some kind of mural on the board that their door is mounted in. I don't know what it will be yet, but I think it would be fun to have something painted there. Maybe some greenery or something.

Any suggestions?

Help some deserving children with their ballfield!

2009-03-02T15:18:00.004-06:00

My friend MsBlondie requested that the MRBA vote to help get the softball fields in Star, MS rebuilt. They were destroyed by a tornado last year.

They are trying to become a finalist in the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Plant A Seed program.

Click on the link below to vote: Thanks!!

http://www.frostedflakes.com/PLANT-A-SEED/FIELD/74321/FIELD.ASPX

Give it a Minute...

2009-03-01T06:10:00.002-06:00

That's what they say about the weather in Mississippi. If you don't like it, give it a minute, it will change

On Friday I was taking pictures of a lizard in 78 degree temps. This morning (Sunday) I'm taking pictures of snow.

Typical weather in Mississippi in February/March. Hot one day and freezing the next.

Well, I am doubting the accuracy of J's thermometer. It's saying 38, but it feels colder.

I can remember one time, years ago, maybe 1986 or so, that my daughter and her best friend were swimming in a pond, it was either in January or February, and 3 days later, I have pictures (somewhere) of them picking ice off of the shrubs.

I took these pics about 3:30 this morning and I'm thinking I need to go back out now that it's daylight and see if I can get a cute picture of Ghost in the snow.

CT is back!!!

2009-02-27T14:20:00.004-06:00

CT stands for "Crooked Tail". We watched this particular lizard all last year and have been wondering if he had left us. Cornpop and I were outside just now and she looked into the top of a nandina and said "Well looky here". I said, is it CT?? and she said she couldn't see his tail well enough. I leaned over the rail and YES! It's him!

Now, I know y'all think I'm nuts for naming lizards, bees, etc., but that's just me. The interesting thing about this particular lizard, and why we are able to identify him is the very end of his tail has a crook in it.

I kept thinking that during a molt, maybe it would straighten out, but it never did. We watched him grow up last year and he's considerably larger now.

We are happy to have the little feller back!

HHSMbRAMUVPPMRD

2009-02-26T09:25:00.002-06:00

When Big Sis first moved over to the United Arab Emirates, one of the first things she noticed was that when they referred to the head honcho of Dubai, they used his WHOLE title EVERY time they mentioned him in the news.

Newscaster: "His Highness, Shaikh Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai had a meeting today with so-and-so. His Highness, Shaikh Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai entertained guests this weekend. His Highness, Shaikh Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai went to the horse race with his sons" etc...

You get the idea.

It kind of freaked her out a bit, because it was just so unusual to hear. I mean, even in our country, newscasters refer to the President as "President Obama" only at the beginning of a report. From then on, he is "Mr. Obama".

Here's the email that I had from Big Sis this morning when I got in:

Subject: Hope this picture comes through
"A friend(L) and I went into Dubai yesterday. We were leaving town and had been talking about His Highness, Shaikh Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Suddenly, L screams!! "Oh, S#$%, HE is coming up beside us!!!!" And here comes His Highness, driving down the highway, right beside us!!!!!! I had my camera, (because there are a lot of camel babies around now) and started making pictures!!!! All I got was his vehicle!!! But note the license plate number!!!! When he is out and about, he has no body guards, no other support vehicles following or leading, he was in regular clothes!!! I REALLY hope one day, we will get to meet him. D and L's husband, R, were playing golf Saturday afternoon and R got a phone call. He told D that he HAD to take it!! He answered the phone, "Hello, your Highness" It was Shaikh Mohamad calling him about some equipment or something!!!!!!! So L's husband knows him!!! MAYBE one day we will get to meet him.

I got a few camel baby pictures, but I'll wait and try to get a few more before I send any of them.
Love,
me"

I got a BIG kick out of all of the exclamation points!!!!! LOL! Can you tell she was excited?!? I, too, hope she gets to meet him one day. But I hope she goes to the bathroom first, or she's liable to pee herself!

And I want to see the baby camels!!

It's clouds illusions I recall...

2009-02-25T13:38:00.003-06:00

Rows and floes of angel hair, and ice cream castles in the air, feather canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way....

When I walked outside yesterday morning, the clouds stopped me in my tracks. I, of course, ran back in and grabbed my camera and started taking pictures.

I can remember as a kid I used to lay in the grass and imagine the clouds were different things. Rather, I would decide what a particular cloud looked like. Me and my sisters or friends would say things like "That one looks like a horse!" Or, "look at that! It looks like a dog!

I'm willing to bet most folks have done that a few times in their life. Now, the thing about me is, I still do it.

For example: Can you see the face (actually it's sort of half a face of an alien in this one? Or a profile of a dinasour?

How about here? Can you see the face of Jack Frost (remember the movie with Michael Keaton)

or how about a couple of snub-nosed lizards having a face off?

I guess there are just some things you do that you never quite outgrow.

Well, I haven't anyway...

What do you see?

What I see...

2009-02-20T09:54:00.001-06:00

when I drive up to my house at night...

I love my little place in the country. People have asked me before if I am scared to be so far out in the country alone. Heck no. I love the solitude. And I REALLY love the trees.

My yard is full of massive cedars filled with spanish moss. There is a majesty to them that is hard to describe. They are so very old and I can't even imagine what they might have seen in their long lifetime.

There is also an incredibly beautiful crape myrtle that blooms pink in the summer. This time of year I can appreciate the beauty of it's bark and the interesting way it's limbs twist and turn.

Several years ago, I went on a vacation out to Oregon to visit a dear friend. During the course of a week with her, I got to experience both time on the ocean and time in the massive redwood forest. One day I was laying INSIDE a massive redwood looking up into the tree and came to a full realization of my soul. Given a choice of being around water or being around trees, I choose trees.

I belong in the trees.

I'm so proud!

2009-02-19T15:23:00.005-06:00

My first Marshall Ramsey original cartoon!!

For the story on how I came to be the proud owner of this one-of-a-kind drawing, click here: http://dhcoop.blogspot.com/2009/02/hearts-against-aids.html

WOOHOO!

I give you flowers...

2009-02-19T08:39:00.011-06:00

I was approaching the daffodil field and no one was behind me. Then I see a car coming up fast (as usual), so I turned my blinker on and pulled off to the side of the road.

The wind was blowing HARD and I wasn't sure if the pics would come out. I got out of my car and walked across the road to get a better shot.

The wind was whipping them pretty hard.

Mission accomplished!

Well, foot!

2009-02-18T09:07:00.003-06:00

That's what my Mom says when she's disgusted.

"Well, foot!" Now, where that comes from, I have no idea, but it came to mind when I created this post and didn't want to title it "Well, sh!t!", or "Well, crap!"

I passed a field of daffodils the other day going to work and wished there was no one behind me so I could stop and take a picture. I decided to go that route again this morning in hopes that I could get the shot. Right before I came to the field, a car was coming up fast behind me. Darn it! I slowed as much as I could, rolled my window down, and got this picture.

Obviously, it's a bad picture, but you can get the general sense that this is a HUGE field of daffodils. I've already decided that I need to go by again and actually PARK on the side of the road to take some pics. It is really beautiful.

Now, back to the subject of expressions. My Mom is in the hospital right now and heavy on my mind, so I guess that's why I'm led to thinking about some of the expressions she uses. I've never heard my mother say a cuss word in all of my life. But, she DOES use exclamations from time to time that, I guess, are common amongst people of her generation.

"Well, foot!" - substitute as demonstrated above. Could mean Shit! or Crap!

"Well, I'll be John Brown!". Now, keep in mind, for YEARS I thought my Mom was saying "Well, I'll be jun brown". I had no IDEA what it meant, but I heard her say it a LOT. Along comes google and I looked into it. John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish all slavery. ...he was hanged for revolt and treason.

So, I guess the expression "Well I'll be John Brown" equates to "just hang me!"

I did google "Well, foot!" but didn't get any results. Perhaps she made that one up on her own...

Do you have any memories of expressions your parents use or used? Just curious.

Oh, and I WILL get a pic of that field before it's finished blooming. I MUST!

Ok, so I couldn't stand it...

2009-02-17T10:46:00.007-06:00

I've done 5 posts about something other than cats and I couldn't stand it any longer.

That's because I got treated to something I hadn't seen before during the night last night. I was awake with extreme hip pain and saw Bruno jump up into Scooter's chair. I figured the next thing I'd see was Scooter bailing out of the chair. Nope. So I reached out and gently swiveled the chair so I could see them. Obviously, grabbing the camera was my next action.

Scooter bathed Bruno a minute, then gave herself a little bath, then they snuggled down to sleep.

I envied them.

HeARTS Against AIDS

2009-02-15T06:52:00.009-06:00

I joke about how I shouldn't be allowed to go to silent auctions because I'm bound to come home with something I do NOT need. Case in point being a 4 foot tall metal flamingo that I got the last time. Scooter is a full grown cat so that should give you some perspective as to how big this sucker is. It was just one of those things that I HAD to have once I put my name on the bid form.

Well, last night, I went to the HeARTS Against Aids benefit and spied a Marshall Ramsey original cartoon in the silent auction.

Needless to say, there was no WAY I was walking out of there without bidding on it.

I placed my bid and circled the room and came back and saw that someone had outbid me. Well! That just won't do! So I upped the bid, went and got a drink and looked around some more and circled back in on the prize. There was quite a good turnout for the event.

I upped the bid again and asked someone for the time. There was an hour left. hmmm, well let me see, circle around and hover, but don't look too conspicuous about what you are after in case someone else is after it. In this case, CLEARLY someone else was after it because they kept OUTBIDDING me!! WHO IS THIS BEAST! I placed another bid and circled and looped back and THERE he is, upping my bid. mmmmm Do I know this person? Is he MRBA?? Does he DESERVE this original Marshall Ramsey print as much as I do??? I think NOT!

So, I bid again and hover and circle and take more pictures and bid on a cheese tray made from a flattened Grey Goose bottle.

I circled some more and when there was about 20 minutes left I saw the guy (handsome young man) go over and up the bid on the MR original. HOW DARE HE!?! It's MINE!!!! At this point, I would have probably paid a ridulous amount for the thing because I was so determined to have it.

I decided to take preemptive action. I walked over to the guy (by this time he had already seen that it was me he was bidding against) and just asked him "Should I know you? Are you MRBA?" He laughed and admitted to being a lurker, he knew exactly what I meant by "MRBA" but isn't in a position where he is able to post. He said he had posted a couple of times right after the blog was begun but I don't remember what name he said he used. I said "I'm dhcoop". He laughed again and literally bowed to me and said "Then I defer to you. I will not bid any more. You can have it"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA It's now MINE! *doing the happy dance*

Mockingbird Sky

2009-02-12T10:22:00.003-06:00

I've gotten to where I try to remember to take my camera with me when I go outside for break, just in case I see something worth taking a pic of. Most of the time when I do see something, I don't have it with me. I got lucky today. CornPop and I were outside and a mockingbird flew into the top of the bay tree by the porch. It was singing in response to another mockingbird in the bushes.

I love the way the pic shows how incredibly blue the sky is today.

4 & 20 Blackbirds...

2009-02-07T15:46:00.010-06:00

...baked in a pie?

I think not.

When I told friend in CS my tale of the starling show I saw the other day, he told me of a time when, as a boy, he asked his mother if she would bake a blackbird pie with ALL of the birds he could bring in. He had seen a large flock of blackbirds descending on their property, but he didn't tell her this. She said yes, so he set out with his shotgun. He said that he crept up behind a tree and BLOWWW! BLOWWW! (his words) As the story goes, he went out with a Piggly Wiggly bag and picked up more blackbirds than would fit in the bag (this was long enough ago that it had to be paper, not plastic). He took them back to the house and gave them to his mother, who was overwhelmed (my word, not his), but she baked him a blackbird pie. He described layers of bird breasts and dumplings... ewww

Now, I had just seen the starling spectacle, but was a little skeptical of his story, particularly when he told me some of them were red-winged blackbirds. I had my doubts that red-wing blackbirds would be amongst your regular, run of the mill blackbirds. So....

This morning I was sitting in my living room with the doors open where I could see thru the storm doors to my yard. Suddenly, a huge flock of birds started landing in the woods outside my house. A cacophony of bird calls filled my ears. I thought I was being visited by a flock of starlings. Cool! I grabbed my camera and ran outside.

I started trying to get some pics of the birds landing in the trees and on the ground. It was awesome! But, I realized fairly quickly, these weren't European starlings. No. They really were BLACKBIRDS. Within a few seconds after I started taking pics, they got spooked and took flight.

The sound was indescribable!! I've never heard anything like it! They took off directly over me.

I was taking pictures as fast as my little camera could handle it. I was standing just under the
edge of my porch and snapping as fast as I could.

Now, the cool thing is, once I took the pictures, I looked back and, sure enough, it looks like there are some red-winged blackbirds in the mix! If you'll zoom in on the pics you'll see what I mean.

I googled it this afternoon and sure enough, different types of blackbirds will migrate together. I had no idea. Interesting. And thought provoking. Wouldn't it be nice if humans could take some lessons from nature?

It was a wonderful experience and I'm thankfull to have had it.

God is wonderful.

Tagged!

2009-02-07T15:08:00.005-06:00

Jen (aka choclablover) tagged me with a photo challenge. Here are the rules:

1) Go to the 4th folder in my computer where you store your pictures.
2) Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
3) Explain the picture.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same.

I happen to be down in CS where I have my own folder of pics, which contains multiple folders. The fourth folder contains pics I took in Hazlehurst when Big Sis and BIL were about to head back to the UAE. The fourth pic in that folder happens to be of my BIL's kids.

This was taken at the BIL's family Thanksgiving gathering.

I am going to tag

tgtank: http://tanksgetaway.blogspot.com/

MMrsH: http://mrshatlarge.blogspot.com/

Clucky: http://flinky23.blogspot.com/

tnmsu: http://johnnybeaver.wordpress.com/

Have fun!

For The Birds

2009-02-06T10:28:00.004-06:00

The starlings, that is.

The past several days on my drive in, I had been noticing more and more birds congregating in and around the pecan groves I pass. This morning, I started seeing them well ahead of where I've been seeing them, then realized that it was like a continuous highway in the sky. They were undulating in and around the trees like a long black ribbon. I wish I could have gotten a better shot, but this was the best I could do and still stay on the road.

I got to wondering exactly what it was I was seeing. I know that every year at a particular time we seem to see large numbers of starlings traveling together. That led me to google "starling migration". Interestingly enough, I can't really find any information specifically about what prompts the migration, where they are going or where they are coming from. I'm going to keep looking though.

However, I did learn a few very interesting (to me at least) facts about these birds. European Starlings are not native to the United States. In 1890 and 1891, 60 to 100 were released in New York's Central Park as part of a misguided effort to bring every bird mentioned in the works of Shakespeare into the US. They now number over 200 MILLION and are considered a pest by many. A migrating flock can number 100,000 birds. They roost communally in flocks that may contain as many as a million birds.

Get this - both the male and female starling CAN MIMIC HUMAN SPEECH and some people keep them as pets. Who knew?? One website I found is specifically for people who have them. They are actually quite beautiful birds.

Anyhoo, if you have any interest, here's a link to some more info on starlings: http://www.sialis.org/starlingbio.htm

Momma's Little Helper

2009-02-05T09:08:00.007-06:00

Where the heck is my notepad?? Or my fabulous binder notebook that CornPop gave me??? I can't find either one of them. So...I'm writing on the back of a Medication Guide for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs that happened to be laying on the end table beside me.

When I turned the TV on, Katie Couric was just beginning an interview with Taylor Swift. I've heard of her, but since I don't listen to music on the radio (I listen to PRM), I can't say I've ever heard her sing. Anyway, this little lady is quite impressive!

Ok, so I'm trying to write something about this young lady for my blog, when suddenly, I'm getting some help...

Of course, I have my trusty camera handy and start taking shots of my little helper.

Alrighty then...

So, this post was originally supposed to be about how cool I thought Taylor Swift was and it ended up being about WHAT??? A CAT!

No surprise there.

I am apparently not capable of writing about anything else.

Well, unless you count lizards, dogs, trees, flowers and fungus.

Oh, and for the record, yes the book I'm using to write on is The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama. It should not come as any surprise that particular book stays on the table beside me at all times.

Go figure...

Introducing.......

2009-02-04T08:40:00.010-06:00

.....BRUNO!

Ok, so I can't do more than a couple of non-cat posts without then following with catnews.

Meet Bruno. He is one of the wild kitties that I've been feeding for months that I have been unable to actually touch. I named him Bruno (hoping it's a boy) because even as a little, tiny kittie, he had such a masculine, tough look. Most kittens have kind of a sweet little face. Not Bruno. He's looked like a tough guy from go.

A few days ago, I had to get up early in the morning to potty. Didn't turn the light on (hoping I can go back to sleep afterwards) and, of course, am joined in the bathroom by Scooter and Ringo (as usual). I'm sitting there petting them both and suddenly, little Bruno joins us. He actually stuck his face out and sniffed my hand, then ran off. After a couple more days of this same morning ritual, he let me pet him and actually rolled over on his back for me to scratch him! Anyone who has ever had a cat knows that a cat allowing a belly scratch is almost unheard of. Cats just don't get into belly exposure.

Anyway, another couple of days passed and I woke up with extra pressure on my legs. My hip was hurting bad and I needed to move but didn't want to disturb whoever was asleep there. Too bad. Hip pain was awful and I HAD to turn over. I slowly started moving my legs and saw Scooter get up and then realized the little weight on my thighs was none other than Bruno! I felt around in the dark for my camera and started making pictures.

He is really handsome. Ivory colored with blue eyes, orange tinted ears, nose and feet, and a perfectly ringed orange and ivory tail.

He's not but a few months old, yet he has the look of a very mature cat.

The good news is that this is yet another kitty that I will now be able to take to the vet (when he gets old enough) and have "fixed up". The bad news is he now thinks my feet are playtoys to grab and bite while I'm trying to sleep.

It tickled me when he reached out and "touched" Ringo who was trying to sleep on the hassock.

Then he had to get up and "test drive" Gracie's basket. Fortunately, she had already gone out for her morning constitutional.

I thought he was going to go over the edge, but he managed to not tip it all the way.

The thing is, if it turns out it's actually a girl, Bruno may not be the best name choice. Oh well...I'll think of something.

Two words...

2009-02-02T13:25:00.002-06:00

...and I have no idea what they are.

Last night I saw something on TV and it struck me as something I wanted to blog about. I knew I'd never remember it today if I didn't write myself a note. I thought, all I need to remember is two words...

So I dug out a pen and piece of paper and wrote the two words down. I THOUGHT I had put the piece of paper in my purse. Apparently not.

When I got to the office today I dug around in my purse for the paper. Nothing. Darn it! All I needed was those two words to prompt me in writing a blog.

I do know it wasn't about cats or trees or lizards or fungus, but I have NO idea what it was!

Maybe I'll find that little piece of paper tonight...

Blame it on the Moon

2009-01-30T08:42:00.007-06:00

Well, I tried to take a picture of the moon last night for my friend, Chase, who was having a tough day yesterday and wanted to blame it on a full moon.

The moon last night was a banana shaped sliver with a bright planet (I'm assuming Mars or Venus) just above and to the left.

I was driving home and kept seeing it and decided to dig my camera out of my purse and take a picture for Chase.

My camera has an option for "Scene", so I put it on that and slowed WAY down and took a shot. No good. It hesitates a LONG time to actually take the shot, then it processes it. The picture came out like you see here. I drove along a little further and came to a place where I could see it well, slowed WAY down and tried again.

Well, crap. Here I am on a dark road in the middle of nowhere Hinds County and am trying to make a dang picture of the freakin moon for someone I've only met once. But, doggonnit, he's special to me and I REALLY wanted to do this.

So, I kept rolling along, looking for an opportunity with no one on the road and a good view of the moon and finally came to a complete stop, rolled my window down and took a shot. The camera hesitated, finally clicked, then processed and I got this:

It was at this point I realized that, obviously, I cannot hold the camera still enough during the long hesitation and processing time with low light conditions. But what a cool shot! It's like some kind of giant ethereal birds or something.

Even though I was not successful in taking the picture that I had in mind, I still managed to get a shot I wanted to share.

So, Chase, little bro, this is for you. I wanted you to know you were on my mind last night, just as so many of my other MRBA friends were.

I love you all.

Harmony at Home

2009-01-24T12:02:00.006-06:00

Well, I guess Tank is REALLY going to sign me up for eharmony when she sees this, but that's okay.

I get picked on a LOT about being the cat lady since I seem to be constantly taking pictures of my kittiekids and posting them on my blog...but that's okay too. I love my kitties and am proud to show them off.

Now, for the story here...It is HIGHLY unusual for Gracie to get in my lap. I can pick Ringo up and throw him over my shoulder, put him in my lap, hug him, whatever... Gracie, on the other hand, is NOT a lap kittie. She's usually in her basket or outside. She's her own cat. If you have cats, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't have cats, well, you are missing something. I'm just sayin...

Anyway, Gracie decided this morning to get in my lap. Since it is such a rare thing, I sure wasn't going to get up and disturb her. Well, what do you know, Scooter (my adopted deaf baby) decided to join us. I was SURE Gracie would bolt. She tolerates Scooter, but normally doesn't really allow her to be in her "space", although she has gotten a lot more friendly than she used to be. I managed to reach over and grab my camera out of my purse and began to take pictures.

Scooter was working HARD on bathing Gracie's ears and the top of her head, and her face, well, you get the picture...

They then fell asleep together, in my lap, for the first time.

Ok. So I know I take a lot of pictures of my kittiekids, and I know my life seems to revolve around them, but they give me great pleasure. I had a sense of joy this morning when my two little girls were lying there together as they never had before.

Sometimes in life you just have to learn to appreciate the little things that bring you pleasure. In my case, it happens to be my kittiekids. And having harmony in my home.

Contrails of Life

2009-01-23T10:01:00.006-06:00

As I was driving in to work this morning, I noticed the sky was filled with contrails. There were no real clouds, just contrails. That's the trails of condensation left by passing aircraft.

I don't think that there are that many planes actually leaving from or coming to Jackson, but clearly, there is a lot of traffic OVER Jackson.

I'm sure it's like this all the time, but when the air is as clear as it is, temps on the ground are somewhat warm, and the air in the sky is much cooler, you get to really see them. It's like an entire highway in the sky.

They start out as thin streams behind the aircraft, then they gradually disperse into wider and wider lines until they begin to look like big long clouds. Actually, I guess they are really big long clouds, just man-made.

They criss-cross and form unintentional patterns all over the blue sky, until they all blend together into whiteness.

Seems to me like a lot of people are pushing along thru life, sometimes crossing the paths of others, sometimes causing an effect, sometimes not. When it comes down to it, though, it's all blended together in the end.

Mother, Mother, Pine Tree

2009-01-19T15:14:00.004-06:00

I had a wonderful experience yesterday with my Dad. He drove me all over his property on the back of his 4 wheeler. He was showing me how his pine trees are growing and all of the places that the deer are crossing. He showed me his "blinds" where he goes to sit and watch for deer and told me of the experiences he's had sitting there watching.

No, he hasn't killed a deer in years, but just being out there means something to him. And it meant something to me experiencing it with him.

This huge pine tree is on one part of his property and I'm sorry I didn't get a better picture of the pine forest she has created for him. But, suffice it to say that she has been prolific. Once an area that we used to go and fish in a little pond filled with catfish, is now a magnificent pine forest, all because of this mother pine. She has done well for him.

All I know is that it meant a lot for me, a woman approaching her half-century mark, riding on the back of a 4-wheeler with her Dad, who was proudly pointing out the places that the deer are crossing, and the pines are growing.

It was a great day.

Facination

2009-01-16T22:56:00.005-06:00

Do you ever click on my pics to see them full size? This is my deaf baby, Scooter, TOTALLY facinated by me crocheting. PLEASE click on it so you can see how pretty she is.

She actually had her head turned COMPLETELY upside down, but it's hard to take a pic while crocheting, so I missed the totally head upside down shot.

I'm still blown away by the fact that she is completely deaf, but she's a part of my life now, and watching her watch life is facinating.

Oh, and it's also hard as heck to crochet with a cat in your lap that can't hear you say NO!

Why me, Lord?

2009-01-16T22:28:00.007-06:00

Ever feel like that? Why me, Lord? Hell, I do all the time. A lot of good it does me. By the way, the pic is of Jessie. Jessie James as friend in CS calls him. He loves his Aunt D (that's me).

I've just spent hours trying to get a fender and steering column for son of friend in CS on ebay. I managed to get the fender, but not the steering column and I feel awful about it. WHY??? Am I making money from this? NO. Do I have a vested interest in this?? NO. But I did try. I really did.

What it boils down to is WHY DO I DO THIS?? I don't know.

Little Pine Peters

2009-01-16T10:34:00.005-06:00

It's that time of year. Pine trees everywhere are covered with the little purple peters that will bless us with yellow cars in a mere few weeks (although as cold as it is at this moment, it's hard to think of that now).

Last year, a co-worker and I were walking from our other office across the road and she walked into a pine branch and got conked on the

head. That made us stop and laugh and see what it was that she had run into. We realized the pine tree we had just walked under was completely COVERED with clusters of beautiful purple pods. I automatically assumed that they were little baby pine cones. That's what they looked like.

I ended up picking a couple (yeah, I know) and taking them back to the office with us. I happen to work with some guys who know a little bit about trees and I showed my little purple prize to my boss. He then explained to me that, no, that was not a baby pine cone. That little purple thing was going to be what would provide the pollen that would be turning all the cars in the parking lot yellow soon. He instructed me to look again at the branches and he said I'd see little tiny pine cones up further on the branch. Well...

I'll be darn. There it is. A little tiny pine cone.

So, anyway, in case you ever wondered what it was that caused the incredible amount of yellowness that we experience in the spring, blame it on the little purple peters.

Facinating Fungii

2009-01-13T08:41:00.005-06:00

When I was leaving the lakehouse Sunday morning I saw something beside the driveway that made me stop the car and reach into my purse for my camera. This is when I realized that I had left my camera in the house because I had taken it out to take pictures of Ghost the night before.

I backed up and went back inside to retrieve the camera and told T & J that I had just seen something very cool beside the drive and realized I had left my camera. They laughed and said they knew what I was talking about. T called it a toadstool.

Well, this is no toadstool, but it's definitely a fungus of some type. I went to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungii to see what I could find and might as well have been reading a foreign language. Fungii are complex little buggers.

What I found facinating about this thing was that it was HARD. I mean like a rock. But, it was able to grow up around resurrection fern, leaves and twigs like they weren't there.

OK, I know I'm strange, but I find things like this totally facinating.

Encroachment?

2009-01-10T10:31:00.009-06:00

Yep. I grabbed the camera as soon as I realized my deaf baby Scooter was scoping out Gracie's basket.

Fortunately, Gracie was out for her early morning constitution and didn't witness this.

I'm afraid she wouldn't have been real happy if she had jumped up to her perch and found Scooter lounging in her spot.

In order to keep peace in the house, right after making these pics, I enticed little Scooter to join me on the couch just in case Gracie made an appearance.

Because THIS is what this basket is supposed to look like:

And when we are all in our respective places, it looks like this:

Note that Ringo has no problem with Scooter "encroaching" on him. In fact she seems to completely disregard the fact that she is actually laying on him. Sometimes he protests, but she usually wins and they end up lounging together in a big bundle.

Most of the time I try to express some thought or meaning in my blog posts. This is very simply an indulgence in my kittiekids behavior and sharing how beautiful they are.

Although, now that I think about it, there is somewhat of a lesson here. Some personalities allow encroachment on their territory easier than others. Food for thought...

The Most Beautiful Boy in the Whole Wide World...

2009-01-04T08:56:00.004-06:00

is my Ringo.

It's funny, though. He adopted me in November of 2001 and has been with me ever since and I had no IDEA his tongue was this long.

I swear, I never saw this happen. I was FINALLY going to get a picture of my main squeeze AWAKE, looking straight at me, since 99% of the time he looks like the pic above, but NO, it wasn't meant to be. He somehow managed to lick the TOP of his nose right in the midst of me taking his picture.

But he's still the most beautiful boy in the whole wide world!

If only...

2008-12-28T11:53:00.002-06:00

...we could all do this. Wouldn't that be nice?? Lounging carelessly on the nice, soft blanky on the sofa. Not a care in the world. Your snuggle buddy right beside you. Knowing that when you wake up, there will be a plate of food ready for you in the kitchen. Knowing that all of your needs would be met at your demand.

Yep, it would be nice. If only...

Precarious Position

2008-12-21T07:31:00.000-06:00

Ever feel like that? Like you are in a precarious position?

Webster's definition or precarious:

pre-car-i-ous -adjective
1. dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure: a precarious livelihood.
2. dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
3. exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky: the precarious life of an underseas diver.
4. having insufficient, little, or no foundation: a precarious assumption.

Precarious. I think I'm feeling like that right now. I have several other friends that are feeling the same way. I think of Ben, Jen, Chase, JB, and many others, all dealing with life issues that fit within this definition.

Gracie, bless her heart, doesn't seem to know that her basket could fall at any minute. She's completely content, unaware that she's on the verge, the very precipice. No, all is well in her little world. But, in fact, she's in quite a precarious position. And oblivious to it.

You know, I think that those of us that are feeling like we are in a precarious position, would probably much prefer to be completely oblivious of it. I envy Gracie right now.

Think About It

2008-12-16T09:46:00.004-06:00

Written VERY early last Saturday morning...

I find myself once again up too early on a Saturday morning watching Marty Stouffer's Wild America. I was caught up in the story of the mating rituals of the Spruce Grouse, also known as the Franklin's Grouse.

The male grouse spends it's days jumping from trees in what is called "flutter flights" trying to get the attention of a female. One male jumps and flutters to the ground, making as much noise as possible and clapping its wings up over his back making a sound like a gunshot, then another male does the same. All the while, they are being observed by a female. After a period of days, or even weeks, the female finally makes her choice and joins the male in his territory.

At this point, the combs over the male's eyes begin to swell with blood and turn bright red. After a few more days of him performing a strutting fan tail dance, they finally mate.

Now, here's the kicker. After all the effort the male has put in to attracting the female, once they mate, she goes back to her own space, makes a nest, has the babies and raises the brood on her own. If she happens to wander back into his turf, he will run her off.

It is interesting to me how creatures of all species have certain parallels. Think about it. A male going out of his way to show out, impress and win the admiration and love of a female, only to leave her on her own when he succeeds in winning the prize.

That's not to say that all males are prone to this behavior, but look around. There are an awful lot of females raising broods on their own...

Negligent

2008-12-01T08:45:00.002-06:00

I have been seriously negligent in updating my blog while vacationing and holidaying (not a word, but it works for me). This is partly due to lack of time and partly due to lack of an inspiration, but I'm going to try to do better this week.

Something hit me last night that I wanted to blog about, but I don't remember what it was. I need to start writing those things down.

So...I'll try to make up for my negligence this week.

Deaf Innocence

2008-11-14T14:01:00.006-06:00

I find myself feeling the need to have a picture to motivate writing a blog post, but after I found myself crying tears of relief hearing that my little Scooter was fine after getting "fixed up", I pulled out my camera and started looking at all the pictures I have taken of her. In this particular one, I got totally facinated by how pink her little nose and ears and feeties were. You would have thought I was stoned or something (I wasn't) the night I took a close up of her gripping her little toes.

The picture is a little blurry, but you get the idea.

She is totally, completely white, with beautiful blue eyes. She is also totally, completely stone deaf.

Having a deaf kitten in the house has been a little bit of a challenge, as in when she jumps up on something she shouldn't and can't hear me yell "NO!", but it's also been a joy. I've learned to get her attention by stomping on the floor to cause a vibration that makes her look at me. Then I can shake my finger and she's learned that means "NO!" Of course, I still say it, even though she can't hear it.

I watch her facination with things that are moving, that she can't hear. Her eyes convey such trust and pureness, and when she looks at me, I can't help but wonder what is going thru her mind.

Which brings me to my point. Until this morning, this little deaf baby has only seen probably 3 human beings in her short life. Suddenly, her most trusted human has put her in a little black carrier, transported her in a car and deposited her with strangers that begin sticking things in her and putting her back in a cage. All of this in complete silence. The vet says I'm probably taking this a lot harder than she is. By tomorrow after I'm able to bring her home, she'll forget all about it. I hope so. I would hate to think that I've caused a little being so much trauma. Of course, it would be far worse to have allowed a deaf cat to get pregnant and have kittens she wouldn't be able to hear call for her, and would have a huge chance of being deaf themselves.

I expect tonight to have Ringo fussing at me, wondering where she is since they've become fairly regular snuggle buddies.

The one to the left was made when she was a bit younger.

The one below was made a couple of nights ago.

At least I can talk to him and tell him she'll be home in the morning. And he'll give me the slow blink that I know means he loves me and believes that all will be well.

When I do get little Scooter home. I will do everything I can to reassure her that this is her PERMANENT home, that she is safe, and she is loved.

She can then resume her innocent life in complete silence.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2008-11-07T09:45:00.008-06:00

I've always been facinated by the way an anole (lizard) can change colors based on it's environment. The other day, I was fortunate enough to be able to capture images of one going from bright green to brown as a result of encountering fresh pine straw.

How cool would it be to be able to change color just to blend in? Then again, would you really WANT to live a camouflaged life? Of course, now that I think about it, I guess some folks do. I don't know. Kind of thought provoking, though...

They're BAAACCKKKK

2008-11-06T13:14:00.004-06:00

I wrote the other day about the little lizard paradise being wiped out and replaced with the skimpy pansies. I didn't see any lizards at all for two days. I finally saw two yesterday and then got this pic this morning of a little guy perched on the handrail looking down into what used to be heaven with a very puzzled look on his face. I can imagine him thinking "Crap! It looks even worse from up here!"

Maybe he had climbed up the post to get a better look to see if there was anything left of his magnificent kingdom. No such luck.

The next time I see him (assuming it's the same one), he is now down amongst the pansies surveying the damage.

Bless his heart. He's thinking "Good grief! Now WHY did they have to go and do this?? With this much space between the flowers, I'll spend more time brown than I do green and I HATE being brown!"

Well, of course, that might NOT be what he's thinking at all, but I'll bet it's something along those lines.

Your Caption Here...

2008-11-05T05:20:00.002-06:00

Being up a little early (actually WAY too early) after live blogging the election last night with my MRBA buds, I find myself wanting to do a little blog myself.

I decided to look through my camera for a picture to inspire me this morning. I've had this one in there for a while, just waiting on the right moment to bring it out. I do believe now is the time.

So, WHAT exactly is happening here?

You know how you feel when someone takes a picture of you when you least expect it and you are making some awful face? Yep. Or when you are taking a bite of food and your mouth isn't quite closed? Yep. Of course, Gracie wasn't eating, but if she were able to talk, she'd probably be cussing me BIG TIME for showing this pic of her in public. Talk about your unflattering faces! This would be one of those.

Let's see. She could be saying...

WHAT???

Or, perhaps...

NAAAAA

I don't know. I am not that creative. I can't think of anything cute to use as a caption for this picture. What say you?

Paradise Lost...

2008-11-04T09:30:00.005-06:00

Lizard paradise, anyway...

Overnight, the lush, beautiful jungle inhabited by a number of anoles has been transformed into a somewhat bleak place with a few scraggly pansies.

Yes, I know that at some point over the winter, the pansies will fill out and be pretty, but in the meantime, I can't help but be a little sad for the little lizards who lost their beautiful home.

I think it was too soon to dismantle the flower bed, but apparently our landscaper felt differently. So we've gone from this:

To this:

Kinda sucks, don'cha think?

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:20:00.013-05:00

In keeping with the spirit of the day, I thought I would post the pic I've been using this week in lieu of my usual avatar, the happy frog.

This is a Surinam horned frog. A quote from the article I read: "Surinam horned frogs are also known as pac-man frogs, due to their large mouths which are 1.6 times wider than the length of their body. They are mostly nocturnal and live among the leaf litter in the rain forest area of the Amazon Basin of South America. This species are avid feeders, employing a sit-and-wait ambush on their prey."

This one is doing a good job in the "sit-and-wait" category.

I guess the reason this particular article caught my attention when I saw the picture posted on Yahoo the other day was that they said the Bronx Zoo gives pumpkins to animals every year "as a form of behavioral enrichment to stimulate animals both mentally and physically".

Now, I'm all about loving critters, but I can honestly say I would have NEVER thought about giving a pumpkin to an animal to "stimulate" them either mentally or physically. This led me to do a little research. I googled "zoo pumpkins to animals" and was surprised to find a number of zoos that give pumpkins to their animals every year, particularly to elephants, chimps, gorillas, bears and such. They even have an annual "Pumpkin Bash" event at one zoo in Washington.

I've read about several other zoos that have assorted pumpkin smashing events and the animals seem to get into it.

I love the hippo!

The bear seems to be getting into it as well.

And you have to admit, this does look like a mentally and physically stimulated frog.

Someone out there decided "Hey, you know what? I'll bet if we give pumpkins to the animals, they will be mentally and physically stimulated!"

Or, it was the result of one of those studies the government spends a gazillion dollars on.

Either way, all over the world right at this moment, there are a lot of behaviorilly enriched, mentally and physically stimulated animals!

Happy Halloween!

If I were a lizard...

2008-10-30T09:36:00.010-05:00

...I'd want to live here.

We have a flower bed outside my office that is absolutely bursting with colors. Over the summer, I have watched the lizards hoping through the leaves and blossoms, happily munching on insects.

I've often looked into the flower bed and watched a tiny lizard jump from one plant to another, grab a tiny insect and munch it down. I got to thinking what an amazing place this must seem to such a tiny creature.

I mean, seriously, how cool would it be to come out of your tiny little egg and find yourself in an awesome, flower-filled jungle, with very little chance of a predator finding you and making lunch out of you?

No cats around to bite your tail off. No real competition for food other than your little brother and sister lizards. You'd have it made!

Then, I get to thinking, how weird is it that I think about what a lizard feels and thinks? Is it strange to apply human thoughts and feelings to a tiny little amphibian? Maybe. But it is who I am and what I do. Some people find God in church and in other things. I see God in every blossom in the bed. In every little lizard that hops freely between the plants, living his ultra secure life in such a beautiful place.

Quite frankly, I think more people should take the time to do a little lizard watching. Maybe they would appreciate God's work just a little bit more.

What's wrong with my legs?

2008-10-29T09:29:00.010-05:00

Hi. My name is Trip. Since my Aunt Dhcoop doesn't seem to be in the mood to write, I hijacked her blog for a bit.

I'm not sure if my momma was a labrador or a Jack Russell Terrier, but I know that she was one or the other. The people at PetSmart told my female human that much. But they didn't really know much else about me.

If my momma was a lab, then my dad was a very ambitious Jack Russell. If my momma was a Jack Russell, then my daddy probably should be jailed as a pervert. For that reason, I like to believe that my mom was the lab and my dad was overly ambitious. That makes me feel better.

One way or the other, I was "shorted" in the leg department. I have bulk. Not much on speed. But, by golly, I am SOLID. No, I don't know my heritage, but I'm one tough mamma jamma. See me here putting some of my mojo on my puppy niece Meg?

I may only be 5 months old, but this 7 month old British Fox Red Lab puppy ain't got NUTHIN on me!

My Aunt coop laughs at me. She thinks my legs are funny looking. Hey, it's not my fault! I did the best I could with what I had to work with! And, what really matters is I can run with the big dogs.

Little Pitchers...

2008-10-27T09:28:00.009-05:00

You know the old saying, little pitchers have big ears? Well, they also have big eyes and big brains and big mouths. I looked that saying up this morning because it kept coming to mind after my experience Saturday night. It basically means that people should be careful what they say around children. The saying comes from the resemblence of the ear to the handle of a pitcher.

Saturday night in the kitchen at my mother's house, I was busy doing something at the sink and listening to my son-in-law proudly talking about how my youngest granddaughter (7) told him the other night how she would be able to read the book he was reading by the end of the year. He's currently working on a 500+page book of the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Apparently, her teacher had told the class that by the end of this year, they would be able to read anything their parents could read.

Well, the book I am currently reading was laying on the bar. It is the autobiography of Saul Hudson, or "Slash" for those of you familiar with Guns N Roses (my daughter had a huge crush on Slash when she was a teen so I wanted to read the book). I was busily slicing bell peppers and onions and heard the Peanut say "what's this word?" and my SIL answered "weed". Apparently she pointed to another word and I heard him say "bust". "weed bust". I whipped around and realized the Peanut had the book "Slash" open in front of her and she was intently trying to read it. Holy Smokes! I've read enough of the book to be thankful that she wasn't pointing to a four letter word that begins with "f", and I don't mean food.

I quickly said, "Peanut, let me find you a better book to read" and went running down the hall to my father's closet that also serves as a library. I came back with The Adventures of Peter Rabbit and The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh. We went and sat on the couch and she started reading Peter Rabbit to me.

Did you know that in something like the third paragraph of that story the momma rabbit is warning the kiddy rabbits not to go into a certain garden because their daddy did and had an "accident" and is being baked in a pie?!? Damn! I didn't remember that AT ALL! I don't want my little Peanut reading about traumatized little rabbits whose dad was eaten in a pie!

About that time, Dad said supper was ready so we put the book down. Thank goodness for small favors, huh?

Anyway, the whole Peter Rabbit thing was just an aside because it freaked me out just about as much as her saying "weed bust". But the real moral of the story is, not only do you have to be careful about what you SAY around children, but be careful of what you leave lying around when they are in an extra hungry mood for reading material.

I can just hear the little Peanut in class today asking her teacher, "What is a weed bust? I was reading my Grandy's book this weekend..."

Photography at 50

2008-10-25T11:04:00.006-05:00

I wondered what would happen if I took a picture going up the Natchez Trace at 50 miles an hour with the window rolled down. This is the result. It is an area of the Trace that is a swampy area where I believe a tornado went through a few years ago and I've always found the trees to be interesting looking. My analysis is that it would be best to come to a complete stop before taking a shot.

The drive up to KO was absolutely beautiful this morning. There were several times I wanted to stop and take pictures, but didn't. I was facinated by the steam coming off the big rolls of hay in the fields; the red tints on the east side of the cypress trees near the reservoir; the lone great blue heron squatting in the shallows of the water. All were beautiful, but for now, are pictures in my mind.

Super Scribbler

2008-10-24T10:30:00.009-05:00

I've been tagged for this award by MrsH, who authors Mrs. H. At Large. I must say this is quite an honor. Unfortunately, most of the people I would choose to tag have already been tagged, so I'm going to have to change the rules a bit.

I am not nearly the writer that some of my fellow bloggers are, but I do enjoy having a place to express my feelings and show off pictures from time to time.

If Mrs H had not already tagged Jen and Johnny Beaver, I would have picked them as two of my choices to tag, and certainly Mrs H herself since I enjoy reading her blog as well. Others already tagged that I read and enjoy are Stacey, Supermom, Clucky, Watercolor and Old Bopper. But, since they have already received the award, I choose:

1. Cardinallady. Our resident reporter blogger. Cardinallady is a writer by profession and you can tell it on her blog. Her posts are heartfelt and sometimes invoke memories I haven't thought of in years.

2. tgtank. I've never met her, but I feel like she's an old friend. Her blog, Tanks Getaway, is filled with her thoughts and feelings and pictures of her beautiful girls.

3. Mrs. Jones. Now, this one is really special. I've never known such an articulate feline. Her blog, Feline Observations, contains brief, concise posts about what's happening in her life with her humans and other creatures. And, she types really well for a cat!

Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

An OH SH!T Moment?

2008-10-23T09:52:00.005-05:00

Sure looks like it.

Gracie just can't quite bring herself to like Scooter, although she is much more tolerant of her than she was when she moved in with us. But when Scooter jumped up on to Gracie's "spot", she didn't like it very much. Since Scooter can't hear ANYTHING, no amount of growling or hissing gets the point across that she isn't welcome. And, bless her heart, Scooter wasn't trying to start any trouble, she was just jumping up there to say Hi! to Gracie. Not good.

I loved the picture because it captured the very second before Gracie hissed and flew off her perch to her chair, where she settled down and stared at me like 'WHY DID YOU LET THAT CREATURE INTO OUR HOME" and 'I'M NOT HAPPY WITH YOU AT THE MOMENT". See the look?

I get that regularly.

Confederate Rose

2008-10-23T09:16:00.005-05:00

I was up at my parents when the confederate rose in their yard was in all it's glory. I took a ton of pictures and created a screensaver for them. I used this pic to set as the desktop wallpaper on their computer. They were thrilled.

I believe they got their original cuttings of this plant from Big Sis in the UAE (well, the cuttings didn't come from the UAE, but from Crystal Springs when she was living there).

ANYWAY, I decided this morning to post a few of the pics so that Big Sis could see them. She'll be home in a few weeks and I'm SOO EXCITED! I can't wait to see her. But Big Sis, until you get home, here's a couple more of the shots I took of the confederate rose.

The Great Pumpkin likes Cats

2008-10-22T12:26:00.005-05:00

I took this pic last night when Ringo and Scooter decided to take a prolonged nap on my leg. I held the camera way out and thought a got a pretty good shot. Upon looking at it today on the computer, I realized that it looks like a deflated Great Pumpkin is about to eat my cats.

Ok, I know I'm a little heavy, but please keep in mind this shirt is HUGE so it's not all me under the scary face.

They were just so precious, I couldn't resist!

This is my favorite of my snuggle-buddies.

I want to be...

2008-10-21T10:19:00.003-05:00

Gracie. That's what I want to be today. Sprawled out on the hassock (not calling it an ottoman for certain reasons) with my frog blanket.

Yep, Gracie has it made. 24/7 food and water. Comfy places to lounge. A human to hold her and stroke her when she wants it, but not when she doesn't.

Yessiree. I'd trade places with her today. Wonder if she could get my desk cleaned off?

The Frog Farm

2008-10-20T08:59:00.010-05:00

One of the highlights of my visit to the Crystal Springs Fall Flower Show Saturday, in addition to seeing several MRBA, was finding a little booth marked Frog Farm. There was a really nice lady there that handed me a card describing "Frog Farm Collection"

"Finely sculptured by hand one at a time, each piece is a true work of art and one of lasting delight. But art is a very personal thing, so, at the Frog Farm Studio/Garden, we make many colors and three sizes available for your specific taste. That way, every folk art sulpture is an original piece created for you. For a look, come to: The Frog Farm Sculpture Garden, where frogs, other amphibians, birds, and reptiles frolic. Located in: Historic Harriston, 186 Old Highway 61, 2.5 miles off Highway 61 South, Harriston, MS 601-786-6448"

She also had a photo album of this place and there were some really cool extra large sculptures of frogs, snakes, birds, etc. I think it would be worth a road trip some day.

This little bugger caught my eye and I had to have it:

I think he looks really cute sitting amongst some bird sculptures I have (and right next to the oil lamp I bought from Watercolor's father at Chimneyville last year)

I love frogs, but don't actually "collect" them, although I do have friends occasionally give me frog things. This is just a piece of frog art that I found cute and I wanted it. It'll be a reminder of a beautiful day when I got to meet new friends and enjoy this incredible weather.

WHA?

2008-10-19T16:34:00.003-05:00

Do you see cute gourds painted like pumpkins with little ghosts on top? Well, that's not what one little old lady saw when she looked at them.

My friend, Bellasera, and I were having lunch at the Crystal Springs Flower Show yesterday. Bellasera had bought a cute little painted pumpkin (actually, I think it's the one on the far left in the pic) and I made a picture of this little grouping.

The ladies at the table were admiring B's pumpkin so I pulled this pic up on my camera to show them. One of the ladies said "looks like Ku Klux Klan on top" or something to that effect. I'm not sure her exact words since my brain froze when she said KKK.

WHA??? How in the world would ANYONE's mind go to the KKK when looking at a cute gourd painted like a pumkin with a ghost on top? It just blew me away.

Anyway, I had a great time seeing my parents and Crystalbutterfly, and meeting Bellasera, clstigger and mickeymouselover for the first time. The flowers were absolutely beautiful, as was the weather.

Bellasera and I weren't really sure how to react to the lady's comment. Maybe she has some memory that I can't even comprehend. Hell, I don't WANT to comprehend it. Bless her heart.

Night Visitor

2008-10-17T08:47:00.010-05:00

When I first moved to this little house in the country, I adopted an outdoor stray cat, which meant I was leaving food outside, while continuing to feed my kids indoors.

One night, I heard a commotion on the side porch and heard what sounded like the plate falling from the table I had been feeding Jewel (the stray) on. Sure enough, I went out the back door and saw a young possum coming around the corner headed to the back porch. I watched him proceed to climb up my fishing rod (he was fairly small) on to a table. I had just cleaned the litter box earlier and the double bagged doody was sitting on that table to be later taken to the garbage. The little booger started fondling that bag and I thought Oh no you don't! I'm not going to be cleaning up the mess you'll make when you tear this bag open! So I walked on out to the table. Now, keep in mind that possums don't have great vision. The little one didn't even see me coming. He had a hold on the bag and I reached over and grabbed the handles and pulled. After a brief game of tug-of-war with this little possum, he finally looked up and saw me. You've never seen how fast a possum can run when they want to! He flew off that porch in a flash and I took the doody bag on out to the garbage.

Well, anyway, it seems that the little possum has been thriving on the Purina Cat Chow I provide.

He looks quite healthy. Shiny coat and all. I ran him off three times last night and finally gave up.

Oh well, all God's creatures gotta eat, right?

Find the lizard

2008-10-15T10:27:00.001-05:00

Can you find the lizard in this picture?

oops!

2008-10-15T08:55:00.001-05:00

I usually take pretty much the same route every morning coming in to work. But, you know how sometimes you are led to do something for some reason you don't know? Well, I believe that's just what happened this morning.

Instead of taking my usual left on to DG road, something told me to proceed down LPG road to M road, then on to the highway. So, I did. Shortly after crossing DG road, I see what appears to be a horse approaching me FAST. My window kept fogging up so I was fighting with wipers and the defroster when I realized there was NO ONE ON THE HORSE!!

I knew that I had to alert someone that there was a horse running wild because this time of morning, there are school buses everywhere and all kinds of cars speeding to work. Actually, there shouldn't be a horse running wild ANY time of the day, but that's not the issue. Someone had to be told.

I had slowed WAY down for fear it would run out in front of me, then I see two huge bucket trucks approaching. I started frantically blinking my lights till I saw them slowing down. They had seen the animal. I grabbed my phone out of my purse, flipped it open and hit the "S" to get to the Sheriff's department number I had stored.

Now, I must digress a moment. This particular phone used to be my lil sis'. My phone died one weekend when I was up in Attala county with her and she had a spare since my BIL had just bought her an iphone. I put my sims card in it and I had a new phone. The thing is, it has all of her numbers stored in the phone memory. Adding my sims card meant that there are a whole bunch of duplicate numbers and entries. Oh well... I'll get around to deleting them some day.

So...I have hit the "S" and see the entry for "Sheriff" and hit the button. Keep in mind that I'm now driving very slowly down a country road, trying to look in my rear view mirror to make sure the galloping horse hasn't caused a school bus to crash.

RING RING RING

Lady: Sheriff's department
Me: I'm on LPG road between DG and M and there is a horse galloping down the road.
Lady: What county are you in?
Me: uh Hinds
Lady: WHAT county are you in?
Me: HINDS!
Lady: *chuckle* Honey, you've called the Attala County jail.
Me: I'm sorry!

I hung up and said some bad words. Then, instead of trying to once again locate the "S" and figure out MY Sheriff entry, I just called 911. I got a very nice dispatcher who immediately recognized the road names I was giving out and said me calling was absolutely the right thing to do.

Needless to say, it's time to clean some numbers out of my phone.

49 and Grounded

2008-10-14T08:35:00.001-05:00

This weekend was really tough for a dear friend of mine and I had agreed to go see the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua on Monday night. Unfortunately, I made that commitment without thinking about the fact that my normal Monday night routine involves watching Dancing with the Stars...with my Mom. I usually call about every other commercial break and we talk about the dance, the costumes, and the scores. Well...at some point today I realized I was going to miss DWTS because of the movie commitment, and fully intended to call Mom and give her a heads up. Then, I forgot...

I have expressed my feelings for the MRBA (Marshall Ramsey Bloggerholics Anonymous) on more than one occasion, and now have a new reason. The MRBA kept my Mom from having a heart attack. Well, maybe not literally, but here's what happened...

I told the blog early in the day that me and friend were going to see the BHC movie that evening. I NEVER go to the movies so that, in itself, was unusual. Then, right before logging off for the day, I posted "Well, folks, it's off to the movies for me. TTFN!"

DWTS begins, and after a couple of dances, I haven't called Mom. She gets concerned. After four dances, she's really worried and she tries to call me. No answer. Of course my phone is on silent because I'm at the MOVIES. Then she calls lil sis in a panic because I haven't called, and am not answering my phone (because it's on SILENT). Lil sis tries to call and of course doesn't get me because MY PHONE IS ON SILENT BECAUSE I'M AT THE MOVIE.

So then, lil sis has enough sense to think "she would have told the blog where she was heading. Let me check the blog!" Eureka! So, she logs on and sees my last entry. Knowing that I NEVER go to the movies, she knew I wouldn't be flippant about a comment like that and assumed it was real. But, she still posted a request for confirmation (at this point she had not gone back early enough in the day to see my affirmative comment about which movie I was actually going to).

Thank goodness Bellasera responded and confirmed I was, in fact, going to the movies. So...lil sis calls Mom and tells her where I am which comforts her somewhat.

ANYWAY...I came out of the movie and had missed calls from both lil sis and Mom & Dad and knew I had some splainin to do! I called lil sis first and was given the Readers Digest version of You are In So Much Trouble, then I called Mom & Dad. I explained what had happened and after Mom finished letting me know that I had scared her half to death, she happily proceeded to give me a recap of the whole show (including scores since she keeps notes). All was well.

I called lil sis back and she laughingly said "So, are you grounded?"

I'm 49 years old. My life includes watching DWTS on Monday night on the phone with my parents. People I've never met know my whereabouts when my own family does not. Funny? Hell yes!

Once again I'm thankful for the MRBA because we keep up with each other to the extent that when my parents couldn't find me someone knew where I was.

Oh, and for the record, the movie was great! Not like anything I had ever seen. Good story, good cinematography. I give it a large bag!

Mom is looking forward to meeting some of the MRBA in Crystal Springs this weekend at the Fall Show. Should be interesting. She is fully expecting I will get a scolding for not having let her know I would be out of pocket Monday night. Lil sis is gleefully awating the comments about me being my age but still in trouble for not checking in.

Oh well...at least I got the Senior Citizens discount at the movie!

TTFN!

What the HECK??

2008-10-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning (now typing at 12:30 p.m.) wide awake. I woke up at 3:30, stopped up and with a sore throat, cussing my boss who has been coming to work sick and I'm wondering if I'm coming down with something. Now I'm wide awake and have been writing (yes, HAND writing) on a note pad - I don't have internet access at home) some blog posts I want to do later when I can get to a computer.

Suddenly, I see I have what appears to be a yellow jacket flying around the light I'm sitting next to. I'm pretty much the type to hate killing insects, but a stinging wasp in my home is fair game. So, I picked up my Audubon Field Guide to North American Birds that sits beside me and whacked the crap out of it and it fell to the floor.

I continued writing, and a short time later, I saw that, apparently, I had not killed it, because it was up flying around again. DAMN! It finally landed again on the wall near me and I hit it again. This time with more force. THEN I realized that I had, in fact, an already dead yellow jacket on the floor. So, this HAD to be a second one. WTH?? Where are they coming from??

By this time, Scooter, my little blessed deafasapost kittie, is facinated by mommy banging a book on the wall (and then the floor when it wouldn't die) and decides to investigate. I hear a BZZZZ and Scooter makes an EXTREMELY hasty exit from the room and out the cat door. I managed to kill another one and it landed in my extremely campy camel ashtray that Big Sis in the UAE sent me (see pic if I manage to upload it). There is now another flying around inside my colorfully painted lamp shade (another pic if I manage to load it).

WTH??? Where are they coming from?? Why do I suddenly have four or five yellow jackets in my house at 6 o'clock in the morning?? Or any time?? Is there a nest in the wall and they are coming out of the face plate?? I know it's not flush with the wall, but I didn't see them come out, WTH??? I just don't know

Well, Scooter just came back in and is licking her left front paw and I think it looks a little swollen. Bless her heart.

I don't know what's going on and how they are getting in, but I hope it stops!!!

Um is contagious

2008-10-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

I was trying to listen to an interview on NPR last night with some man and woman that are supposed to be experts on the subject of the economy and found that I was so distracted by the number of "um"s being used by the man being interviewed that I wasn't hearing what he was saying. "blah blah, um blah , um, blah, um, blah blah" GOOD GRIEF!! Where did this guy come from?!? The worst part is that it's not the first time I've heard this dude being interviewed on NPR. I didn't have anything to write his name on the first time and didn't catch the name last night, but since he is supposedly some "expert" of some type on the economy...WTF??? Maybe THAT's what's wrong! Nobody can listen to these guys!

I also observed that not too long in to the interview, the woman who, at the beginning, was extremely well spoken, started doing it. Not as bad but she started using "um" more and more as the interview went on.

THEN, the NPR commentator doing the interview started doing it! Before long, the whole thing is:

NPR: blah blah, um blah um blah blah um blah?
Man: blah um blah um blah blah um
Woman: blah blah blah blah um blah

WTF???

My conclusion is that "um" is contagious and is the reason for our economy's downfall.

As I sit here now writing this (I was writing on a notepad, now I'm typing), I had sort of tuned out the TV. I thought I was through writing and started watching a bit of the Wall Street Journal Report and I SAW it happen!! Radio is one thing. You are HEARING it. This time, I SAW it! The discussion had something to do with education and school vouchers and the Commentator, Maria something or other was interviewing the Governor of somewhere (Roy Romer?) and a Michelle Rey (?). The Guv is doing fine then Michelle starts adding "um" and "uh" more and more, then the Guv caught it, THEN, by the time they got to the last question, the Commentator was doing it! "Blah blah um, uh, blah uh, blah?

I'm telling you. It's contagious!!!

New Blog

2008-10-11T09:17:00.000-05:00

Now I just have to figure out how this sucker works and get my font, background, etc., set the way I want it. hmmm

Blogging

2008-10-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

I have decided that I want to set up a blog outside the Clarion Ledger site. I think one of the things that has been keeping me from opening up on my thoughts, issues, whatever, is that when I do, it ends up on the front page of the CL for a while. There may be times when I want that to happen, but I think I would do better with a blog that didn't advertise every time I want to say something.