Holiday Homestead Share #19

Today's holiday homestead share topic is winter flowers.  

Huh?  Winter flowers? What on earth can I post for winter flowers?  

I have to admit, I spent most of the day racking my brain to try to figure out which flowers bloom in winter, but it wasn't until I was halfway home that it occurred to me.

Pansies and Violas.  They bloom in winter.  I even had some a few years ago, and probably still have a photo of them...somewhere.  Yes, I do!  Here it is:

Then, I thought, well, duh!  My whatever cactus blooms in winter, too!  I could post a photo of it...or them....I've got several.  

They're not doing well at the moment, but in past years, they've been really pretty.  

I think I need to find a better place to put them out in the summer.  In my old house, I could put them on my front porch, because I had some really nice shade trees, so they got the bright indirect light they need.  Plus it was south facing, so they were protected from the driving rains.  But in this house, my front porch is south facing, but it is full, intense sun.  I've been putting them on my back porch, which faces north, but I think they're drowning in our heavy spring and summer rains.  Until I figure something out, I'll just bring them inside when it rains.

But I didn't really come here to talk about that.  

So, I was all set to talk about violas and cacti, but when I got home, I found something very special waiting for me in my mailbox.  See, around this time every year, the veterinary office sends out cards to everyone who has lost a beloved pet during the year.  

This year, they included with the card a pawprint thing that is embedded with seeds. 

In an ideal world, I could plant it and it would grow into beautiful flowers.  But this is me we're talking about.  I've never had success growing things from seeds, so I'll just hold on to this for a while, and imagine its potential.  

Maybe in the spring, I'll put it into a pot, and see what comes up.  

But for now, in the middle of winter, I'll just have to hold these flowers in my heart.  Right next to the memory of my Jesse.  

That's a flower that will never die. 

First Batch

The first batch of Christmas cards are decorated and ready to drop into the mail!  

I'm almost done with cards for this year.  Of course, I'm still waiting on the ones I ordered, and a couple more addresses before I can finish.  Which brings up the point, if you commented on my post that you want a card, but didn't give me your address....well, you're not getting a card.  At least, not until I get your address.  

I've got to make some more wax seals, as well.  I stopped pouring the melted wax directly onto the envelope because for some reason, the seal would end up roughly triangular in shape.  I never figured out what I was doing wrong, so a year or so ago, I started pouring the wax onto a silicone baking mat, then using glue dots to stick them to the envelopes. It works much better that way.  

Because I am...um... me, I spent the entire first half of the Texas vs. Kansas game to sort all my wax beads by color.  

It just always annoyed me to try to pick out specific colors from the little bags they came in.  Somewhere around here, I have some little boxes with compartments in them.  If I can find them, I can sort the beads into those, and not have to fool with it in the future.  

By the way, just a bit of unsolicited advice; if you ever decide you want to get into sealing wax and stamps, spring for the quality wax instead of this cheap stuff.  It melts so much more smoothly and makes nicer seals.  Not that this is bad wax.  It's just not great wax. So go for the great wax, even though it might cost a bit more. 

In other news, I made a simmer pot to put on top of my wood stove. 

It has pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon sticks, ginger, cloves, and just a drop of vanilla extract in it, and it also has the added benefit of humidifying the house during these dry winter days.  The downside to this is, my stove doesn't really get hot enough for this to steam like it needs to, so I ended up pouring it into my crock pot.

It can simmer there all day long, and will likely be much safer anyway. 

Apropos of nothing, look what I picked up at Walmart yesterday!  

 They were just so cute, I couldn't resist.  

Well, none of my friends claimed Jesse's unused food and treats, so yesterday I messaged someone who is involved with a local animal rescue group and offered it to her.  She came out this afternoon and picked it all up.  

Let me tell you, that woman likes to talk!  She talked so much, I missed Texas' first touchdown.  She was very appreciative of the stuff, though.  She kept asking me who I wanted her to give the food to.  I told her to give it to whoever needs it most.  She said she'd probably donate the dry food to the local pound, because they're always running low.  

That's about it for today.   I have to get off here because I need the computer to watch Bedlam, while I'll be watching LSU on the TV.  

Later, peeps. 

The Right To Vote

 Today I am thankful I live in a country where I have the right to vote.  

There are many countries where women aren't allowed to vote, but I live in America where I can make my voice heard.  

I'm even more thankful I live in a state that takes voter integrity seriously.  There is no early voting here, nor is there mail in voting.  However, we do have absentee voting, but you still have to go to the county clerk and show your ID to get an absentee ballot.  Not only that, my county recently switched back to paper ballots, which was cool.  At least there will be a paper trail if needs be. 

We didn't have a whole lot on the ballot this time around, just our congressman and a few judges -- most of whom ran unopposed.  I was in and out in about five minutes.  But hey, I got a sticker!  And I posted it on social media -- because everybody knows your vote doesn't count until you post your sticker on social media.

(That's a joke.  Because apparently some people don't know what humor is.)

In other news, the plant announced last week that we will be off all of Thanksgiving week.  We're only getting paid for two days of it, though, so unless you saved your vacation days, well, you're getting a two day paycheck.  This is why I work all the overtime I possibly can, so I can put some by into savings for this type of thing.  They didn't say why, but I'm pretty sure it's because the housing market is softening.  

On the other hand, they put the sub brazers back on 9 hour shifts because we're so far behind.  We keep trying to tell them we can braze if we don't have parts, but they can't seem to wrap their heads around that.  I guess they think we're supposed to pull parts out of our behinds to braze.  Oh well, since I didn't blog yesterday, and this started yesterday, then yesterday's moment of thankfulness is for the overtime.  

The reason I didn't blog yesterday was because right after work, I went to the vet to pay Jesse's final bill.  I just didn't have it in me to settle up the day I'd taken him in.  I told the vet I'd be back Monday to do it, and he said it was OK.  

So I got there and after I'd paid, the receptionist asked me if I wanted my receip.  I said yes, because  I was thinking I could get one last thing with his name on it.  Alas, when she printed it out...it was blank.  All it had on it was my information and the amount paid.  Nothing about Jesse...or even what I was being billed for.  

They'd already deleted his records from their computer.  It was almost as if he'd never even existed.  That was just one more punch in the gut.  

I promise I'm going to stop moaning about this dog.  But not just yet. 

And finally, even though I' m not Catholic, I've decided to choose for myself a patron saint.  I chose Saint Nicholas -- the patron saint of sailors and unmarried people -- for many reasons, not the least of which is that he had no problem slapping the bajeebers out of a heretic.  

We're kindred spirits, me and him, because I also frequently feel the need to slap people. 

I just hope he's not also the patron saint of bad grammar...

Thankful

 Thank you to all of you for your kind words for my dog.  It means a lot. Pets really do become part of the family, and it's always hard to lose one. We know it's going to happen, but it still somehow takes us off guard. 

With Jesse, it was so sudden, too.  He was fine one minute, then suddenly he started stumbling and drooling and dry heaving and acting so odd, I tossed him into the car (not literally) and rushed him down to the vet's office.  As soon as the vet walked in and saw Jesse, I saw the look on the Dr's face, and we both knew.  He said it was some kind of neurological issue.  The vet used a big long word, but said it was like a form of doggie dementia.  I wonder if Jesse had had some sort of stroke, due to how suddenly it came on.  

Either way, there was nothing to be done for him.  Dr said, "Sometimes the right decision isn't the easy one."  

He also told me that he'd sometimes waited too long to make that call with his own dogs.  "And I'm supposed to be the expert, but it's a different story when it's your dog."  It's a different story when it's your heart that's breaking.  So, I signed the paper.  He gave Jesse the injection.  And I came home alone.  

All the things I'd planned on blogging about suddenly didn't seem so important.  

This does feel kind of weird.  I mean, except for those few years when I was in the Navy, this is the first time since I was 15 that I haven't had a dog.  I'm not planning on getting another one, either.  Maybe after I retire, but for right now, it's just not fair to the dog.  Sometimes working up to 12 hours a day, then when I come home, he wants attention because he's been alone all day, but all I want to do is sit and rest.  It led to much fussing between Jesse and I, and I don't want to put another dog through that.  

Maybe I should get some more cats and become a crazy cat lady, since being a crazy kraken lady just isn't financially feasible in these difficult times. 

Anyway, what I was going to talk about before ...all of that... is that hooray for me!  I've finally joined the 20th century!  How so?  I got a phone holder for my car!  

I probably won't use it all that much, but it'll be good for when I need to follow directions on Maps or something.  It is fully adjustable, which would have come in handy when I was coming back from Memphis last month and had to listen to the Navy game, but couldn't watch it. Not that I would have while I was driving...

It fits into the CD slot, which I never use, but the downside to that is, if I don't have the phone in the holder, it rattles something fierce.  

Or maybe that was just because I was speeding down a gravel road to get my dog to the vet...

I also ordered an outlet with USB ports, for when Cody and Brennan come to visit.  

This way, they won't have to hunt for a wall block, and I won't have to lose and outlet just to plug one in.   And I do plug things in there myself from time to time.  

Yes, those outlets were upside down.  There were only two outlets in the whole house that were like that, and they'd bugged me ever since I moved in.  I finally decided to do something about it, so yesterday, I cut the breaker off and turned that one right side up.  It wasn't too hard.  I just had to unscrew it and turn it around, then screw it back in.  I didn't do the other one, because it has things plugged in that I never unplug, so it's not as unsettling.  

Well, I guess this is long enough, so I'll tell you all the other useless stuff I was going to say another time.  But, just so this post isn't a total waste of your time, here is the scarf I'm working on right now. 

It's an adaptation of the Irish Hiking Scarf.  I added two more pattern repeats to make it just a bit wider.  I'm knitting it in Knit Picks Brava, which has got to be the softest acrylic I've ever seen.  It's a pretty easy pattern, but I had to set it down for a few minutes yesterday to watch LSU turn the Crimson Tide into the Pink Puddle.  That game finished just in time for me to turn over and watch the last inning of the Astros winning the World Series. 

Texas won, too.  Even though Navy lost, it was still a good day for sports. 

Oh, and one more thing.  Since I missed yesterday's moment of thankfulness, I am thankful for the rain we got. 

And today's moment of thankfulness is for everyone who took the time to offer condolences.  It means more than you know. 

Jesse

 Why can’t dogs live forever?

Jesse

August 13, 2009 —November 4, 2022

We had a good run, Bubba.

I'm thankful for the 11 years I had with you.

Stormy Saturday

 Whew!  What a way to start a day...with a cat fight in my back yard at 6:00 this morning.  It was that orange stray again -- the one who had kittens in my woodpile last year -- coming into my yard to pick a fight with my cat.  I shooed her off, and told her next time, I was getting my water gun out.  

Then I had to turn around and shampoo the bedroom carpet because one of these critters urfed on it. I'm pretty sure it was the cat, because the puddle was too small for it to be the dog.  Oh well, that's life with pets.  Besides, it was almost time to shampoo it again anyway. 

 Other than that, my Saturday was just as you'd expect a Southern Fall Saturday to be.  I piddled a bit, did some yardwork, and ate the two bags of Halloween candy I'd bought just in case I get any trick or treaters, which better not happen now because I don't have any candy left.  

LSU and Texas both had the bye this week, so the Navy game was the only one I was really interested in, though I watched Auburn vs Arkansas, and plan on watching Ole Miss vs Texas A&M when it comes on.  Can't have a Saturday without football on.  While I was watching those football games, I spent a few moments straightening out my craft/snake/computer room.  

Believe it or not, this is not the before picture.  This is the I'm tired of fooling with this mess so I'll finish it later kind of in-between photo. It was much worse than this when I started.  Even the chair was stacked up with junk.  I really want to get rid of that whole computer desk, since I never use it any more, except to stack junk mail and bills on.    I could replace it with a smaller writing desk, and it would open up that whole space.   Years ago, I had a little roll-top desk.  It wasn't anything special, just a little one ordered from Sears, and I sold it back in 2006.  I don't know why, but now I sure wish I had it back. 

And of course, once my seemingly immortal snakes go to that great herpetarium in the sky, I've got plans to make myself a little den out of that room, with my writing desk, and spinning wheel, and a day bed in case I ever have company.  I may even put a fake fireplace in there.  I don't know.  I'll figure it out later. 

I finally got all those canna lilies dug up, and it makes that area look so much cleaner now. 

Let me tell you, there was a bunch of them. 

I'm going cut the stems and leaves off, then clean up the bulbs and advertise them in the local free-bees group.  Any that don't get picked up within a few weeks are going to get thrown into the fire.  I also have a bunch of Spider lilies I need to move out of the middle of my front yard, but they're going to have to wait a bit.  I'm about all dug out with this digging. 

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know, I managed to redneck my wind chime so that it chimes much better now. 

I used the top to a pre-made pie crust and just tied it to the anchor with scrap yarn.  It catches the wind much more easily, though it still has to be a pretty strong breeze to move the clapper. I'm wondering if I hang the whole thing from a chain or something, which might help it move better.  I'll have to see what I can come up with, and I'll let you know. 

In knitting news, I'm a bit lost without my blanket to work on.  Not really, because I've got lots of other projects to work on.  It's just that I've put so much focus on that one thing, it's kind of hard to suddenly switch gears. Still, I must knit, so I pulled out this old scarf that I've been working on for over a year, and picked it back up.  I am just that one small ball of yarn away from finishing it.

And finally, just because, here is a picture of Jesse.

I don't know if it's those vitamins I'm giving him or what, but boy howdy have his toots been stanky these last few days!

I hope he gets over it soon, because he can absolutely run you out of a room!

Jesse

 Yeah, it got a mite nippy last night.

I'm glad I broke down and turned on the heater.  Still haven't built a fire, though.  Right now, I have my Christmas cacti on top of my wood stove, so that wouldn't be a good idea.  It's supposed to warm up a bit tomorrow, so I'll be putting them back outside for a bit longer anyway.  My flower bed is toast, though.  Oh well, such is nature's way. 

If you'll recall, Jesse has been having trouble with his back legs.  I've been putting off taking him to the vet, because I'm kind of afraid of what the vet might say.  I'm not mentally or emotionally prepared to hear him recommend euthanasia.  Not just yet. 

I don't think Jesse is ready for it, either because for one thing, he doesn't appear to be in any pain.  If he did, there'd be no question, but he doesn't.  No signs of pain, his appetite is still good, and his energy level is high -- well, for a 13 year old dog anyway.  He's just got weakness in his back legs.  

I was sitting there at work, or standing, rather.  We aren't allowed to sit except for our lunch break.  But that's beside the point.  So, I was standing there at work when it occurred to me to try some of those hip and joint vitamins I've seen.  Despite it not being my regular shopping day, I went straight to Walmart after work and picked up some.

We're going to try these and see if they help any.  If not, then it's off to the vet we go, with the goal of making his remaining time here as comfortable and pain free as possible.  When he starts being in pain, then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

But look what I saw while I was there!

I exercised restraint.  I didn't buy it.  I did, however, pick up a half gallon of Blue Bell Christmas Cookies ice cream.  

It's the only thing that could have made me pass on the Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights Ice Cream. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get to knitting.  I'm watching something on the PBS app.  I don't know what it is.  Some British mystery show.  It's pretty good, even though I have no idea what it is. 

It's Friday, And....

 I am one pom pom shy of having a completed Jayne Hat.  

I'm already thinking about casting on another one using a larger needles size.  I knit this one with a U.S. 10, but for the next one, I'm considering going up to a 10.5 or 11.  I'm also thinking of tweaking the pattern just a bit.  I've been studying screenshots of the actual hat from the actual show, and there appears to be a couple of rounds of twisted stitches right where the orange joins the gold. 

I'm going to try to figure out how to get that worked into my pattern.  It shouldn't be too hard.  

In other news, as if my work weren't already a horrible place to work, starting Monday, in order to access vending machines, employees will now have to scan their employee IDs.  I guess they're bound and determined to enforce that whole water only thing.  I still don't understand what is so wrong with having a coffee or a coke at my stand.  Or even a pack of cookies.  

Now, I can understand that they wouldn't want people to set up hot plates and cook fish and french fries, but what's so wrong with a peanut butter cracker and juice?  

I'm telling you, if ADP thinks it's hard to find employees now, just wait until Milwaukee Tools opens up next year.  I know a lot of my friends are telling me to put in an application myself, but I just don't know.  My coworker and I were talking about it a yesterday.  We've both been out there 25+ years, and have a lot of seniority (not that that means anything out there, but still) and more importantly, a lot of vacation time built up.  That's a lot to throw away at this point in our careers.  Not only that, by the time it opens, I'll be 59 and just a few years away from retirement.  Too close to retirement to start completely over.  

Now, if I were much  younger and just starting out, then yeah, I'd be all over that. 

And finally, for some bad news.  Remember about a week and a half ago, when Jesse was having trouble with his back legs?  He seemed to get better for a while, then day before yesterday, he was having the same trouble.  I think I'm going to go ahead and take him to the vet next week.  He doesn't seem to be in any pain.  He just can't support his weight on his back legs.  

The weird thing is that it came on so suddenly.  I first thought he'd wrenched something jumping off the bed, but he hasn't been on the bed since all this started.  I did google his symptoms, and nothing I found sounds good at all.  We'll just have to see and hope for the best.

Still, given his age, I'm preparing for the worst...

Guess What?

Guess what we have at work?  Go on, guess!  Nah, you'll never guess, so I'll tell you.

We have a new HR director!  I didn't even know the last one had been fired.  Apparently, she'd gotten into an argument with someone in the front office and when all the dust had settled, she'd been let go.  I don't know any more details than that. 

We seem to be going through them like water out there.  

But anyway, he came out and visited with us on the floor today.  Rumor is, a particularly outspoken coworker had sent him a message that he needed to come out there.  He stopped to chat with me a bit, and asked where I was from.  I told him, and he said, "What's the nearest Louisiana city?"  I replied, "Lake Charles," and he asked, "Are you an LSU fan?"  Naturally, I replied in the affirmative.  Then he said, "That's going to be a problem."  

I said, "Why?  Are you a Mississippi State fan?"  He said, "Now you're cussing me twice!  I'm an Ole Miss fan!"  At that point, I raised my hand and shouted, "HAIL STATE!"    We chatted about football a few more moments, and he moved on to the next person. 

At least he's coming out and getting to know people.   The HR director two HR directors ago had worked there for an entire year before anyone even knew she was there. 

Guess what else we have?  A new production manager.  He's from Texas.  I haven't talked to him, but one of my other coworkers told him not to sell his house.   Nobody wants to break the news to him that he's only there so they'll have someone to blame if anything goes wrong. 

In other news, I briefly contemplated staying home yesterday to watch the queen's funeral, but I didn't.  Instead, I watched a video of it after I got home.  It ended up being better that way anyway, because the video was 9 hours long.  I fast forwarded through a lot of it -- like all the processional stuff when they were driving the hearse through London and out to Windsor Castle.  Even so, it was 7:00 PM before it was all said and done.  One good thing, at least YouTube didn't interrupt it every 30 seconds to run ads.  

Sometime during all that has been going on, I realized I've been negligent.  I completely forgot to tell you I'd finished reading Isaac's Storm, by Eric Larson.  It was a pretty good book.  Much more engaging than you'd think a book about weather would be.

Now, I'm reading The Arc Of The Scythe series, by Neil Schusterman. 

I'd gotten the first one years ago on a Kindle Daily Deal, and even though I enjoyed it, I didn't like it enough to pay $10 each for the next two, so I never got them. 

A couple of days ago, Amazon had them marked down to $2.99 each, so I said, "I can pay $3 for a book."  Of course, it's been so long since I read the first one, I have to re-read it because I've forgotten what it's all about. 

It's a pretty good book, young adult dystopian.  It's set in a futuristic world in which no one dies any more.  Once people have aged, they can do what they call "turning the corner" in which they are re-set to a younger age.  Even people who die accidentally can be revived.  Since no one dies naturally any more, people called Scythes are used to keep population under control, by randomly selecting people to be gleaned.  

The story follows two teenagers, Rowan and Citra, as they apprentice to become Scythes.  That's as far as I've gotten right now.  The kids have just been recruited by the Scythe and are about to start their training.  

And finally, I'm concerned about Jesse.  When I got home from work this evening, he seemed to have some sort of weakness in his back legs.  They kept falling out from under him, and it's almost like he couldn't support his weight.  He doesn't seem to be in any pain, though, and he's perky enough in every other way, so I'm going to keep an eye on him and see if he gets better.  If not, it'll be another trip to the vet for him.  

Given his age, every time something happens, I think this is going to be the time....

No Idea

I have no idea what day it is.  Seriously. 

Between the holiday Monday, and a vacation day today, I have no idea what day it is.  On some level, I know it's Friday, but it sure doesn't feel like it.  Still, it must be because I got my paycheck.  Which I promptly spent most of at Walmart, and I have no idea what I bought that was so expensive. 

I mean, yeah, I bought a new case of cat food, and a new bottle of carpet shampoo, and a bag of frozen chicken nuggets...just those three things was $50 right there. 

I also bought Jesse a couple of cans of high dollar dog food, because he'd stopped vomiting thanks to the meds the vet gave him, but he still wasn't really eating.  He'd eaten that can of tuna, but was just picking at his regular food.  I thought if I gave him something he couldn't resist, it might kick his appetite in gear.  

Then I spoiled him and bought him a new food bowl.  Or maybe that was spoiling myself, just a bit.  This way, I won't have to keep dumping his dry food back into the bin when I feed him his canned food, then washing and refilling his bowl with more dry food when he's done.  Having a separate bowl will make things so much easier on me. 

All that to say, Jesse is feeling better, and has started eating again.  And thankfully, has not puked in the bed again.   I'm glad of that.  I don't think I can wash all of that bedding again so soon. 

OK, so remember when I talked about getting some decorations for my front porch? I fully intended to pick up a fake hay bale and fake pumpkin to put out there, and maybe some fall garland to add the final touches.  Once I got to the store and saw how much all that stuff cost, I decided the porch would have to remain undecorated for another year.  The only thing I picked up was a couple of garlands, and even they had gone up so much since the last time I bought any.  I added it to the garland I already had on my  mantle, to make it look fuller. 

While wandering down the Fall decoration aisle, who should catch my eye but this little lady?

They have a scarecrow man, too, which I might pick up next week.  He'll look just right on the other side of that shelf.  I'll have to move the mug and luminaria, but they're used to being shuffled around like that. 

Now, I have to leave you with some sad news.  The Harvest Moon rises tonight, and I won't be able to see it due to cloud cover and rain.  I'm bummed.  It's been a family tradition since my childhood go all go out and watch the Harvest Moon rise.  I don't really know why.  It's just something we always did with our dad. This will be the first time in ages that I've missed it.  

But I think I'll have my hot chocolate and Harvest Moon cookies anyway.  

It's tradition. 

What A Wednesday

 It all started Tuesday night.  

I got home from work as per my usual, gave Jesse his can of dog food, as per my usual.  He didn't eat it, not as per his usual.  He usually scarfs down his canned food like it's going out of style.  I thought that was odd, but didn't worry too much about it.  

About an hour later, he puked in the living room floor.  That was definitely unusual, but I still didn't worry too much.  I cleaned it up, and we went on about our business.  

Sometime later, I headed down the hall to take a shower, and found another pile of dog puke in the hall -- with my foot.  This time, I started to worry, but still not too much.  Dogs eat nasty things and get upset stomachs.  I cleaned it up and took my shower.  

A few minutes later, Jesse came into the kitchen where I was.  His head was down and his tail was between his legs -- typical guilty dog behavior.  I tried to comfort him, but every time I petted him, he flinched.  I told him he wasn't in trouble.  He couldn't help getting sick.  It wasn't his fault.  Eventually he calmed down, and I went to bed.

As soon as I crawled into the bed...

"These sheets feel wet.  Why do these sheets feel wet?   Jesse!" 

Sure enough, he'd puked right in the middle of the bed.  He'd already puked up what little food was left in his stomach, so this was mostly water.  It soaked all the way through to the mattress pad.  Thank goodness I had an allergy bag over my mattress, or it would have gotten soaked, too. 

So, instead of snuggling down for a long summer's nap, I was changing sheets in the middle of my night.  Not just the sheets, but the blankets and comforters, too.  I got the blanket off of Cody's bed, and the extra comforter out of the closet and was able to sleep warmly enough. I put a load into the washer and went to bed, hoping that would be the end of it. 

This morning, I got up and things seemed a bit better.  Jesse hadn't puked at all during the night, so I thought he was over it, and that was that.  

It wasn't. 

When I got home, Jesse had puked 4 more times --I'd shut him out of the bedroom before I left for work so at least none of them were on the bed this time--and off to the vet we went.   Where Jesse puked on the exam room floor. 

The doctor checked him out really well, but couldn't find anything wrong with Jesse.  His temperature was normal, he didn't seem to have a stomach ache, his lungs and heart sounded good.  They did some bloodwork, which also came back normal.  The vet said I'd probably been right.  He'd eaten something that didn't agree with him.  I asked if it were possible that Jesse had caught something from my cat.  She'd been sick last week, but she'd bounced back by the next day.   He said it was possible, but highly unlikely.  It was much more likely he'd just eaten or drank something nasty and it had upset his stomach.  

The vet gave Jesse some pretty stout anti-nausea medicine -- but he's still not interested in eating.  I even tried to bribe him with eggs and milk, but no dice.  I'm trying not to worry, but it's hard given that Jesse is 13 years old.  At least he's drinking water, and I'm hoping the meds kick in soon.

In better news, I finished a sock.

And I joined the last ball of yarn to this scarf.

As for my other WIPs, nothing has changed since last week.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go worry about my dog.  

You Know It's Bad

 You know it's bad when you call your dog by the wrong name.  And you only have one dog. 

It's even worse when you call your son by the wrong name, and you only have one son.  But that one I have an excuse for.  See, when Cody was little, he reminded me sooo much of my younger brother I called him Scott until he was 8.  Now, half the time I call my brother Cody -- instead of Scott.  

Which brings us to today -- when I called Jesse Cody.  Instead of Jesse.  

I can't even blame sleep deprivation for that.  

Yep.  They gave us the news today.  No more overtime.  Starting tomorrow, I'm back on 8 hour shifts.  I'll be glad for the extra time, but will miss those paychecks.  Now this isn't anything to be alarmed about.  Our work is largely seasonable, and there is always a fall slowdown.  It isn't usually this early, but it's also not that unusual.  

In other news, my plumbing woes continue.  This morning, I got the following email from the Angi site:

Hi Becky ,

I hope all is well. After looking into your project, I regret to inform you we do not have any pros in our network who can complete your job in a timely manner. I will go ahead and refund your $25 deposit, which will be reflected back on your card in a few business days. We are always growing our network of professionals, so please feel free to reach out in the future with any new home improvement projects. Best of luck with your project!

Figures.  I've even been blown off by the Angi site.  Sigh....I'm getting seriously frustrated over this.  I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.  Am I not being assertive enough?  Should I yell at the plumbers?  Cuss them out?  Lower my voice and pretend to be a man?  Will that get them to show up and do the job?  I just understand why I can't get anyone to show up.  I mean, I'm not asking them to sacrifice their firstborn.  I just want my sewer line repaired.  

Anyway,  I've got a couple more numbers to call before I'll have to figure out how to do it myself.  Wish me luck.  In the meantime, I got a full sized tarp to cover that hole instead of that old shower curtain. 

Hopefully, it'll keep the mud out of the hole in my sewer line.  Surely, I'll be able to find somebody somewhere who will fix this.  Someday my plumber will come....

Well, it would seem the ants have found my hummingbird feeder.  I could see them crawling up the pole I have it hung on.  When I brought it inside and washed it out, there had to be hundreds of little ant bodies in it, so I picked up a new one.  

This one has an ant moat, so as long as I keep it full, I should have no more problems with ants.  Except that I keep misspelling ant.  I type aunt every time, and have to go back and correct myself.  I have no idea what that's all about. 

I've long since given up trying to find and explanation for such things. 

Whelp, I Did It

 Whelp, I did it.  

I ripped out that scarf -- again -- and cast it on ... um...again. 

I'd decided it was just too wide after all.  The first time, I'd cast on 56 stitches.  The second time, it was 76, so this time I split the difference and cast on 68.  I think I've finally got it right.   At least, it had better be right, because I don't think my yarn will hold up to yet another trip to the frog pond.  

But the good news is I finished the hat!

Into the gift drawer it will go, and I'll cast on another one here in a little bit.  

I wish I had something more exciting to tell you, but there really hasn't been much going on today, unless you want to hear about me shampooing the carpet or washing the bedding.  Jesse hates bedding washing day, by the way -- which is different from my normal weekly sheet change.  Bedding washing day is when I strip and wash everything, including the mattress pad and comforters.  It usually takes most of the day to get it all washed and dried, and during that time, Jesse isn't allowed in the bedroom.  

He doesn't like being kept out of the bedroom, even though when I'm home he lays by my chair most of the time anyway.  Even so, he's always glad when I tell him I'm done and he can go get back on the bed again.  

Other than that, I haven't done anything but sit inside watching it...RAIN!!!  Yes, we are getting rain!  So much rain, it left a puddle in my driveway!

We have a long way to go before we're out of drought conditions, but any rain is better than no rain.  

By the way, I was a bit bummed, I was going to start watching my 4th Of July movies today, but alas, none of them are on any of my streaming services, which means I'm going to have to get out of my chair, tromp all the way across my living room, and put the DVDs into the player one by one.  

First-world problems, eh?  

And finally, your America moment for today -- an oldie but a goodie:

(Ignore the fact that it is America-hating Stephen Colbert saying it.  Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.)

Random Thoughts Of A Saturday Evening

 1.  I almost forgot to let Jesse back in this morning.  I'd gotten up at my usual time, and let him out to do his business.  I got ready for work as usual.  Just before I was about to walk out the door, I decided to fill his water dish.  Walking into the bedroom, I noticed he wasn't on the bed.  I thought he must be in the closet, but no, he wasn't in there, either.  That's when I realized I'd forgotten to let him back inside.  

I ran -- figuratively speaking, I don't run in real life -- and opened the back door, and there he was, patiently waiting on the back step.  I'm just glad I realized I'd left him outside before I left for work.  It's way too hot for him to be outside all day.  

2.  Yes, I am praying for my air conditioner this week.  Literally.  

And next week as well, because it's supposed to be even hotter.  You know it's hot when you see it's only supposed to get up to 91' tomorrow, and you're excited about it. 

Please, Lord, don't let my conditioner of air konk out this week!

3.  I know one thing, I will not be mowing this weekend!  What will I be doing instead?  I'll be watching my new special edition Blu-rays of The Chosen.  

I love special editions of stuff -- behind the scenes videos, director's commentary, round table Bible discussions about the episodes -- all of it.  

4.  How hot is it?  It's so hot, that my numbers are peeling off my mailbox.  

I bought new ones, and will probably get out early in the morning before it gets too hot and replace them.  Or I may just wait until the heat dome lifts.  No point in putting new ones on if they're just going to peel off anyway. 

5.  I don't know what these things are.  I think they're a variety of Cosmos, but I'm not completely sure.  They came out of the packet of wildflower seeds I bought.  

I do know one thing, though.  If they don't bloom soon, they're going to be composted.  

6.  I am by no means a germophobe, but when your lunch table at work looks like this

every day, yeah, that's why I carry sanitizing wipes with me.  That's just nasty.   We are supposed to have a cleaning crew, but obviously, they don't do their job very well.  

7.  I went on a bit of a spending spree here these last few weeks.  One of the things I bought was some more of that Scott's Weed & Feed Southern formula.  I'm not going to show you a picture of it.  You can look it up if you want to.  I'm telling you, though.  The stuff works.  My front yard has grass in it now!  It's still got a little bit of dollar weed, but even that looks sickly and dying.    Best of all, I haven't seen a single ant bed since I put it down.  I think I might put some behind the fence, too, to keep the dollar weed from spreading back into my yard. 

8.  I'd gotten Cody one of these record cleaning systems for Christmas, and he seemed pleased with it.  

I'd asked him to bring it down and clean some of my records last month when they came to take me to the oral surgeon, but he didn't.  I don't know what was going on with him that day.  He didn't even bring his laundry, which I told him he was welcome to do.  Anyway, since it'll likely be Thanksgiving before I see them again, I splurged and bought one of my own.  I felt like it would come in handy since most of my records came from eBay.  Plus, I spilled something sticky on one of my Christmas records when I was doing my baking last year.  That needs to be cleaned, too.  

9.  I also bought a hat. 

And some new work boots, but those were kind of a necessity.  I need new work jeans, too, but it's so difficult to find 100% cotton jeans that don't cost $80 + these days.  

10.  Speaking of hats, knitting is coming along right nicely.  

This is why most crafters have more than one project going at the same time.  When one gets dull, switching to another for a while can bring back a missing mojo.  I'm still working on the scarf, but it doesn't look much different. 

11.  Well, I'm off to watch my new DVD.  Laters.  

Jesse

It was that time again.  Time for Jesse to go get his checkup.  I know he was thrilled, but it's something that has to be done, so I called the up vet this morning and made him an appointment.  They were able to get us in today, so I loaded him up in the car, and off to the vet we went. 

He's still camera shy, by the way.  As long as I've had him, that's something I've never been able to get him over-- that, and a fear of belts. 

For those of you who may be new to the blog, I adopted Jesse from the local animal shelter some 10 years ago.  They estimated him to be about 2 years old.  He was skinny as a rail, and scared of everything.  He's doing much better now, but I still haven't cured him of his fear of lights and noise.  In fact, he's so afraid of noise, I have to be careful I don't put his food into his bowl too loudly, or he's ducking and running for cover. 

Anyway, he got a clean bill of health from the vet-- as much as a 12 year old dog can have a clean bill of health. The vet did come in and sat down and discussed some non urgent age related issued we would need to look at soon, like getting his teeth cleaned, and we talked about the heart murmur they found a year or so ago.  There really isn't much to do about that, but it can be concerning if he ever needs anesthesia for anything.  

On the bright side, I was commended because Jesse is a good, healthy weight.  Overweightness in dogs is just as bad as overweightness in humans.  It affects their heart and joints and other organs, just like it does to people. 

Once we got home from Jesse's doctor visit, I said to myself, "Self, you really ought to run to the store while you're dressed."  

I needed to go back to the store, because I'd forgotten some vitally important ingredients for one of my Christmas Eve dishes I always make.  Not because I was waiting until the last minute.  

I went back and forth for a minute::  I need to go, but I don't want to go, but I need to go, but I don't want to go, maybe I'll go tomorrow -- you know, the usual.  I finally convinced myself to go ahead and go, so I won't have that trip hanging over my head for the rest of the week.  I got the things I'd forgotten, and that's it for me.  If I've forgotten anything else, we'll just have to do without this year.

We're going to have to do without the gumdrop cookies as it is, because I have not been able to find gumdrops this year.  They may have had some earlier, but when I tried to find them, I couldn't.  I haven't been able to find the Pearson's mint patties either.  So, thank you for that, Brandon.  

While I was at the store, I ran in to Edna Who Loves To See Her Name In My Blog.  She used to work out at the plant until she retired a couple of years ago.  We chatted for a good bit, blocking the aisles and catching up on all the gossip.  She asked about work, asked about my Stalker, asked about the plumber, and mentioned my piano concert.

Edna told me she'd taken piano lessons as a child, and was so bad, her teacher taught her to crochet instead. I told her I'd taken lessons as a child, too, until my mother made me quit because I kept forgetting what day my lessons were on, and I'd walk home after school, instead of going and getting in the car for my mother to drive my to the piano teacher's house.  

Then I told her about this morning...Yes, I got a second song recorded this morning.  "You know, I'm not very good, because I'm trying to teach myself, and I don't have a lot of time to practice, because, well, you know where I work,"  I told her.  

Anyway, I've been working up a few songs, and I've gotten to where I can play them through pretty well, provided I slow myself down.  I can play them 100 times perfectly, but as soon as I turn on the camera, it's like I've never seen this music before.  I don't understand it, because it's not like there's anyone standing over me putting pressure on me.  

Even so, it took me five tries -- five tries-- to get a recording that I felt was acceptable.  

Edna thought that was hysterical.  You know what I think is hysterical?  This:

But I digress.  

Where was I?  Oh yes...it took me five tries to successfully record the song, but I finally got it done, so now you will have two songs in your Christmas concert.  At least.  I'm going to try to get a couple more songs recorded.  Even though I'm getting short on time. 

One thing I've noticed, though, is when I first start recording, the sound is really low, then it increases after a few seconds.  It's not me doing it.  

It's the camera, so don't hold that one against me. 

The flubs and sour notes you can, but not the wonky volume issues. 

Relaxing Saturday

Well, it's been relaxing since I got home from work, that is.  I'm telling you, you have no idea how freeing it is to come home from a 9 hour shift and not have to worry about mowing.  It's wonderful having just that one burden lifted from my shoulders.  I still need to get out and mow the bit behind the back fence, as it's looking a bit jungle-ish, but that won't take long.  Otherwise, laundry, dishes, sweeping, dusting, and boom!  I'm done!

I've decided since I won't be having to mow, I'm going to try to get things shaped up out in the yard.  I've got a lot of weeds and junk growing up through my roses that need to be cut out and cleaned up. I cut something out of my crepe myrtle this evening, but I'm not sure what it is.  Whatever, it didn't need to be there, so now it's not. That's all I got done, because it's still so humid outside.  And I'm tired.  And lazy.  But mostly tired.

I'm getting too old for all these long, long hours. 

Thank you to those of you who have asked.  Jesse is back to his old self today, with no sign of a hurting foot.  I don't think it's arthritis, because it came on so suddenly.  Just the way he was acting leads me to believe it was an injury or wasp sting, or something similar.  

My house has these built in shelves in my laundry room.  

Since I moved in some 6 years ago, I've just been using them for storage...shoving miscellaneous stuff here and there just to get it out of the way. Here lately, though, I've been seriously considering cleaning them off and using them as pantry space.  Therein lies the rub.  I have mice.  

I've got a lot fewer mice now that I have a cat, but I still have mice.  This means everything I store on these shelves needs to be in either a can or a plastic container.  While I was at Wally World yesterday, I picked up a storage box and filled it up with pasta. 

I'm not sure if I should be proud or a little scared of how much pasta I have.  That's not all of it, by the way.  I still have more in the cabinet.  What can I say?  Ibotta has had some good deals on it lately.  I'm stocking up while I can.  

I also decided I needed to stock up on beans and rice, just to be on the safe side.  

I'm not a really big fan of beans, but we are in the weak men make hard times arc of the cycle.  Can't be too careful.  

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to run claim my piano bench while the cat is napping in my chair.  

Laters.