What a Beautiful Memorial Day

It's a bit breezy, but the sun is out and it's a warm day. It's a good day to reflect on those who gave their lives for our country and all it stands for.

I had an uncle who was killed in WWII. His name was Freddie. He was my mother's brother. I never knew him, but I do know that he was killed at Totowa, I think that's the way it's spelled, in the Pacific. He was only 21. He was also a Marine.

He's the only one I knew of from the family who died in any war. I know that several were veterans. Dave is a veteran.

Do you remember the POW bracelets we all wore during the Vietnam war? I had one and still remember the name. It was Capt. Frederick Wozniak. He never made it home. As far as I know, he was never found. My heart goes out to his family and others like it who never knew what happened to their loved ones.

Vietnam was a shameful time for the way this country treated our returning soldiers. May none of our returning soldiers now and in the future ever be treated with such disrespect again.

Let us all remember those who have fallen and now serving with gratitude and pride. And may we all, whenever we see a soldier, thank him or her for their service. After all, they are choosing to do so, to serve our country and to protect everything we hold dear. Freedom does not come free and our soldiers who have passed and those who are living, deserve our respect, no matter how you feel about the war they may be serving in. May God Bless America.

The Rules for Having Our Dogs in the Van

Did I tell you that we took Jake and Rolli to the vet on Thursday for their shots and a nail trim. I gave them their pills earlier before we left, They get pills to calm them down, but they still did not want to cooperate when their nails were being trimmed. They were being down right little brats. But the vet got it done after almost, or it looked as, Jake was going to bite him. Luckily he didn't. Rolli fought too, but she just didn't want to cooperate. I think they were too excited because Dave was along for the drive. Usually they're pretty good.

Dave is usually up at the office on Thursdays, but he had to go in on Wednesday instead, so he worked at home on Thursday. Rolli loves going for car rides anyway, but she is even more excited when Dave decides to come along. She was so cute, even trying to sit on the storage thing between the seats. I usually have one of those little travel pillows sitting there for when she's in the car, but they were in the back. The only time that she's a lap dog is in the van. It's getting harder for her to jump up front though. I also had to help her get into the van. That's when I really notice how old she's getting.

I need to get them new harnesses. Jake's is too small for him and so is Rolli's. I don't like having to use their collars. They both get strapped in initially, but Rolli usually tries to move around the van, so I let her off of hers. We do have to keep her away from the front windows though since she has a tendency for stepping on the button for the window and having it go all the way down. She even jumped out once, but we were parked in the vet's parking lot. She just ran up to the door and then back to the van. Jake however, does stay strapped in, the same with Angel and Max when they're in the van.

The one thing we never do is stop somewhere when they're in the car unless there are two of us and one of us can stay in the car with them, especially on warm days so that the air conditioning can remain on. I see so many people leave their dogs in cars when it's in the 70s, 80s, and sometimes higher without a second thought. It really ticks me off. I have even gone to customer service or someone who can announce it and told them that there was a dog in a car that was in distress. It doesn't take long for that to happen. When it's warm, these guys stay home. After Monday they'll even have air conditioning after we put the units in the windows. It's supposed to get hot next week. They love the air conditioning.

Gotta Give Him Credit, He Was Only Trying to Help

Jake has had for the past day what we refer to as the "runs." it's not bad and he's acting like his old self otherwise, but because of it, we've had to clean him up a few times. For that very purpose, I had an old rag and towel in the bathroom. I had to do it early this morning, like at 2:00 and I guess Dave had to do it again after he let the dogs out this morning when he got up for work. Well, instead of using the old rag, I made the mistake of not moving the good one, so it is partially my fault, but anyway, he used the good one to clean up Jake.

In his defense, we do have an old green rag that looks similar to the good rag, so he might have mistaken the good rag for that one. I'm almost always the one who takes care of the dogs in situations like this, so I know which rag is to be used. I didn't say anything to Dave about him using the wrong rag, even though the old one was was sitting right next to the new one and you could tell the difference. I just went about doing what I was doing and after he left for work, threw both rags in the wash, with other things of course.

Also this morning, Dave went to give Jake a quarter of a Pepto Bismol pill (yes, you can give dogs Pepto Bismol, just make sure it's in pill form), but instead of putting it down his throat or wrapping it in something like cheese, he just gave it to him then got mad when Jake spit it out. He brought in another one and I gave it to Jake. Since my hands are also a lot smaller, it's also easier for me to do it. I'm also usually the one who gives all the dogs their pills anyway, so I'm used to it. All was good with the world, at least the Jake situation after that. It really doesn't take a whole lot to please him, but in all honesty, he hates when he has to get cleaned off in these situations. I don't blame him.

What I really need to do is to cut the hair back there so it's not so long. I keep telling myself that I will, but I never do. Rolli needs the same thing done. She's also has long hair back there. She doesn't like getting cleaned back there either. Maybe I'll buy a pair of clippers. That would probably be a lot easier than scissors. I'll have to give that some serious thought. After all, I'm the one in charge of grooming too.

Come On, Let's Rumble

Remember when we were kids and we heard rumbles of thunder, we used to say that the angels were bowling up in heaven? That's exactly what it sounded like just now. We're in for more thunderstorms again today.

Do you also notice that the weather guy or girl hardly says thunder showers anymore, it's almost always thunderstorms, at least it is around here. This time of year we also have to watch out for severe storms. We're pretty used to them by now, but we still don't like them. We saw one tornado and that was quite enough, thank you very much!

The dogs are really good about thunderstorms, they mostly sleep through them. If the storms become too loud, they do wake up, but they don't get really nervous and look for places to hide. We used to have a dog when I was growing up that did that. She was a German shepherd and would try to find the smallest places to hide.

The dogs don't like the storm cellar though. I don't blame them, I don't like it either. We try to keep from having to go into it as much as possible. Dave is looking into ways of replacing it since it's flooded out a few times, making it inhabitable. It's also dark and damp, like an old cellar. We lived in a house that had a basement like that when we first moved here to Iowa. That basement definitely fell into the classification of dark and damp. I hated going down there to do laundry.

We can use a few showers about now to water the crops in the field, but not a lot, not a washout. My heart goes out to all of those farmers down south who have had their crops flooded. We've seen that here in Iowa too.

It's here, the rain that is. It's coming down pretty good, thank goodness no one has to go anywhere today. I hate driving in heavy rain. The mailman just came before it started, so that's taken care of. Rolli was outside but I brought her in when I got the mail, so all pups are accounted for. She likes being outside when it's warm.

More thunder. I take that back about the dogs not minding it. Max doesn't like it much, but he's still pretty good about it.

Rambles for Another Day

I have done it, I got past the plateau I was on. I was struggling for a couple of weeks trying to get past it. I had gained a pound back and couldn't lose it, but I did. I am again five pounds within my first goal.

All of the pups are asleep here in the living room. Angel is here on the couch with me, Max is in Dave's chair, Rolli is in their chair, or was; and Jake is on the floor.

It's kind of gloomy outside and we're expecting storms again and again, some could be strong. The chance of rain is also expected through Sunday, but at least the crops will get watered and so will my flowers I planted a couple weeks ago. I still have the other bed to clean out but the irises I transplanted last year have really come up in full glory and are ready to burst with blooms. I'm still debating on what else to plant in there. Ah, I think I just thought of what to plant.

I need to get up off my duff. I've had computer problems and have been trying to figure them out for two days without bothering Dave. I have a temporary fix, but I'm thinking that I may have to upgrade Ubuntu to make it work correctly. We will see.

Well, here I go, I will see you all later. Have a great day.

The Past is What Made Us Who We are Today

Someone very close to me recently told me that I need to quit living in the past. The truth is, I don't but I do tend to remember it, both good and bad.

The past is what made us who we are today. If it weren't for things that happened then, we wouldn't be who we are now.

I admit, I tend to be a little too sensitive, especially when it comes to criticism and especially from my sisters. Both are older and let me tell you, both were tough to follow behind when we were growing up. The oldest was always considered really smart and talented, especially at sewing. When we got married and had kids, she was always the better mother and her kids were preferred by our mother over mine, or so that was the way it seemed.

The second oldest, the one whose a year older than me was always the smart, pretty, actually more like gorgeous and to top it off, popular one. When we were in high school and I told people that she was my sister, no one, unless they knew us before, would believe me. I guess I was cute enough, but I wasn't pretty or popular like she was. Those were some tough shoes to fill.

Being the youngest sister, I never felt like I measured up. Even now at times, I feel the same way, especially when I'm criticized for something by one of them, no matter what it is or how small, it seems to reaffirm those feelings. You're probably saying to yourself, "How utterly stupid," and yes, a part of me knows that intellectually, but not emotionally.

I have so much to be thankful for, a husband who adores me, two sons who have never been involved with drugs and have gone on to further their educations. Both also are working, one in a very successful career following in his dad's footsteps. We even own a house out in the country. But let one of my sisters criticize me one itsy tiny bit, and I'm thrown back to being that little girl whose not good enough, who will never measure up, be it being smart, pretty, whatever; it doesn't really matter, but it causes me to lash out, to defend myself, to try to convince myself and at the same time in my mind, convince them that I am too good enough.

I know they probably don't understand how after all these years and not even living in the same state, I could still feel this way and to tell the truth, I don't either, but it's deeply intertwined into who I am. Believe me, I've tried to overcome it, tried to convince myself otherwise, and hopefully one of these days, I'll finally succeed.

To my sisters: I hope this explains a little as to why I react in cases where you are concerned. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense to you, and it's something I have been working on to try to overcome. I guess a lot of times I feel that I haven't stuck up for myself when I felt criticized by you. That has been why I have lashed out lately, I feel that I should finally defend myself, to prove that I am good enough, at being a mother, whatever. But there's just something about being criticized when it comes from family, it just seems to cut right to the core, if you know what I mean. At least I hope you do. I do love you and still to this day, look up to you. Maybe that's where I got stuck, the looking up part. I should really think of us as equals.

Max the Mutt, the Puppy Butt

The rain has finally stopped and the sun is poking through the clouds that are finally breaking up, or at least trying to. ☺

Poor Max got his paws washed again this morning. He loves digging in mud, heck he likes digging in just about anything he can dig in. This morning in the back yard, it was mud and lots of it. Well, as soon as Dave saw that Max's paws were muddy, he hauled out a bucket of warm water and stuck each of Max's paws in it and washed them off. Max was not happy, he never is when it comes to getting his paws washed, even just getting them wiped off makes him unhappy. Being a terrorist, um I mean, terrier, it's in his very make up to dig. That's what terriers are meant to do, dig and chase things. But he knows that if he has muddy paws and we see them, if we say, "Stop," he'd better stop.

Lord forbid if something gets into the back yard because Max will chase it. A couple times a stray cat got back there and got away with all but one life gone. He scared their lives right out of them. He did have the other dogs back there with him, but he was the fastest and therefore the first to almost get the cats. The first time David was out there so he picked up the cat and put it over the fence. The second time, the cat got out on its own. I haven't seen either one since.

He won't chase ours though because he knows he's not allowed to, but even then, sometimes the thrill of the chase will overtake him and he'll try. There are baby gates on all of the bedrooms though, so the cats know that as long as they get to the other side of those gates, they'll be fine and then they sit there as if to tell him, "You think you're so smart." Little do they know that he actually knows how to open the gates if they're not locked, at least the one to our room anyway, but he never does if they're in there. He knows that he will be in big trouble if he does. So instead, he'll sit in the hallway and bark and growl at them.

Have you ever seen a dog fly, Max does that too. Okay, it's not really flying, it's more like leaping over a building in a single bound, only with Max, it's leaping over the yard in a single bound. He leaps pretty far too. He's even been known to leap over one of the other dogs if they're in his way coming out the back door. He's also been known to push them off the small landing we have at the back door in his rush to get outside. Then he goes leaping across the yard, stops, checks things out, sometimes he lets out a "roo" or two, and then if someone calls him, comes leaping back into the house. He doesn't run, he leaps. It's so funny to watch. If no one calls him, he'll stay out there and torment Rolli until she growls at him and chases him around the yard or come to the back door and scratch until someone lets him in.

Even with his love for the outdoors, Max won't go out if it's raining, if he can help it. He hates the rain. He'll step out on the landing and then turn around and come right back in. He's also like that with snow, but more so with rain. Unless he really has to do something, then he'll do it as fast as possible and make a beeline for the door.

Right now Max is here on the couch snoozing away. I guess he wore himself out earlier. He leads such a tough puppy life, let me tell ya. If only we could all have a life as tough as his. But he's definitely loved and he knows it and that's all he asks.

Weather, Mishaps, and the Right Shoes

Well, we're back to the cool, rainy weather again. It was like that yesterday too. We're not supposed to see any sunshine until tomorrow. I hope they're wrong and we get some today. But it could be worse, Iowa typically gets its last frost about now and the temps aren't supposed to fall that low at night, so that is good.

I did something to my middle toe on my right foot on Tuesday and I don't know what I did, but I noticed that night when I took my shoe off, the ball of my foot right there hurt and it felt swollen. The toe was also a little black and blue. The next day it felt better, but the bruising was worse. Now the bruising is better, but it hurts again. The weird thing is I can't figure out how it happened. I don't remember hitting my foot on anything. I mean I did lose my balance once while putting up the curtain rods I needed for the valances I put up in the bedroom, but I don't remember hitting my foot on anything on the way down.

The fall itself, if you had seen it in action, you probably would have laughed silly, hopefully after you realized that I was okay that is. I had taken my shoes off because I didn't want to get the cover on the bed dirty, well actually I took the one on my right foot off, had that foot on the bed and was standing on the nightstand with my left foot, which still had the shoe on. Well, that wasn't working, so I tried to balance myself on the frame of the bed, we have a water bed frame, and to say the least, I have such a terrible sense of balance, it's a wonder I can stand without falling over. But anyway, there I was trying to balance and the next thing I know, I'm falling backwards and my butt bounces off of the little folding stool I had next to the bed and I fall on to the doggy bed on the floor. I think I might have bent the stool a little, but thankfully the fact that my butt bounced and I hit the doggy bed saved me from serious injury. I guess I could have hit my foot then, but nothing hurt except that I had a slight neck and headache from lurching my neck forward. It actually felt like I had a slight case of whiplash, but my foot felt fine, until I took my shoe off later that is.

I don't think I'll ever solve the mystery of how I hurt my foot, but when I saw the injury the next day, I was really worried that I might have broken my toe. I couldn't help but think that that was all I needed, since I was wearing heels to the wedding and if it was broken, whether it would be healed by then. And if it was healed, whether I would still be able to wear heels.

I mean, I bought three pairs of heels trying to find just the right pair, which I did, that was the third pair. It might still be the first pair though too, I haven't really decided yet. The first pair are more comfortable but the heel is skinnier. The third pair are the style I wanted and even designer shoes that I got on eBay at a steal, but they run a little tight. So, I probably won't make my final decision until the day of the wedding when I then put on a pair of one or the other and go. I bet you're wondering about the second pair I bought, all three were bought on eBay by the way; they didn't even make the cut. As soon as I tried them on, I knew they were not going to work. You know how you just know these things? I just knew it with that pair. Maybe I'll still take them along. They might work with another outfit, but I still have another pair I bought awhile back that might go better. Decisions, decisions...

Hey, it looks like the sun just might make an appearance today. I'm hoping it succeeds. I know it's trying.

Yea, We're Back!

The blog site was down for a couple days, so I couldn't write any new posts. But it's back up and running again.

There were more tornadoes here on Wednesday. Two touched down in a little town west of here called Lenox. The town was pretty much destroyed but at least there were no deaths. A 10 year old even hid in a dryer after his mother called him from across town to warn him about the tornado that was burrowing down on their house. It saved his life.

Yesterday the weather was gorgeous here, but up north they had more bad storms. We had storms come through overnight, but nothing serious and today, it's just plain miserable and cool. It's supposed to be cooler this weekend.

Wednesday afternoon I had to take the comforter from our bed to the laundry mat before I packed it away for the summer. While I was there, this guy walked in to do his and from the beginning, he made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I was really uneasy while he was there and kept a very close eye on him and the way he was acting, which is what was making me really feel uneasy. Luckily others came in while he was there, but it took awhile. When he left, he looked at me and we stared at each other for a minute. He also had this smirk on his face which made me glad that I was no longer alone.

I don't know, maybe I was just being paranoid and I really had nothing to worry about, but my intuition is usually correct. I'm going to trust my intuition.

Boy, this blog is really becoming a bummer. Let's see, we need some good news. I now have my permanent teeth and the sore spots are getting better. Best of all, they're paid for. Now I won't be so embarrassed when we go back home for my niece's wedding, unless I trip and fall in my heels since I don't wear heels all that often. I can't wait, four weeks from today, we will be in Pittsburgh. I cannot wait!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

As Mr. Rogers would say.

It looks like spring has finally taken hold and hopefully the cold nights and days are behind us for awhile. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the lilacs blooming, just a perfect spring day. Who cannot love a day like today? It's been like this for the last few days now, during the day. It still got cold at night though.

Dave and I have been riding our bikes, I love my new bike by the way. Well, last night instead of riding our bikes, we decided to walk. We also decided to go in the opposite direction than we had been going. On the way, our neighbor drove by and stopped and started talking with Dave. I had my cell phone on me so I decided take some pictures while they did so. A few minutes later our neighbor decided to head on home, but right before he drove off, a big skunk passed in front of him and he pointed it out to us. Needless to say, we decided not to continue in that direction and headed back towards home ourselves. We didn't want to take the chance of it spotting us and possibly spraying. That's all we needed. I was also thinking that it was a good thing we didn't have the dogs with us because I know they would have wanted to chase the thing. This morning we were woken to them barking at another one, or maybe it was the same one; who knows how far those things travel. I tried to go back to sleep, but Angel would have none of it, so I was as I like to put it, "touched by an Angel," or licked until I got out of bed. I had to get up for personal reasons anyway, but still, I would have liked to have slept in for a little longer. Going back to bed was also an impossible dream, since I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, so at a little after 6:00am, I was wide awake, on a Saturday no less.

Today we have plans to go up to Des Moines again. I want to stop at Lowes to check out their perennials. I'm tired of always having to replant flowers every year, but maybe I'll get some anyway. I need to clean out the flower beds tomorrow.

I need to get off of this thing, so I will see you all later. Have a great day.

Another Year Older, But I'm Not Sure About Wiser

Today is my birthday and so far, it's been pretty nice. The weather is beautiful and I've gotten so many birthday wishes that they made my day. My sister called me last night to wish me an early happy birthday and I got a card from a friend whose been going through a rough time this past year. That was a really nice surprise.

I can't believe that I'm 55, I don't feel that old. I feel like I'm still in my 20s most of the time, until I look in the mirror that is, then it hits me. I'm sure that others feel the same way when they reach certain ages.

Actually I think my 40s were harder to accept than my 50s have been. I hated turning 40. It felt like I was losing my youth. I don't feel that way now. I like to think that I'm not getting older, but rather better.

I used to dread turning 55, that was the age my dad was when he passed away. I'm more confident that I'll live a longer, healthier life now than I was say, a few years ago. Now that I think about it, I guess I have gotten a little wiser.

Long Lost Son Returns

Kenneth and Elicia drove up from Kansas City yesterday since they couldn't come last week for Easter due to Kenneth not feeling well. It was a gorgeous day weather-wise, but windy (the weather guy called it breezy). I really enjoy their visits. Max liked it too because Elicia was spoiling him rotten. He loves being spoiled, but you all know that already. When I mentioned that to Elicia, Kenneth was joking about how we said that if/when we ever become grandparents, we'll be able to spoil the grandkids and then send them back home. He said that Elicia was just returning the favor.

We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving, so it was nice that they stayed longer than usual. Elicia and I were comparing our cell phones; we both have Samsungs, but different models. I told Kenneth that I wanted all the bells and whistles and was sick of Tracfone, so that's why I went with a plan. I still have my Tracfone. It's in the car in case of emergencies and I don't have my other one.

The one thing that bugs Dave and I, we went and bought a sofa bed so that they wouldn't have to make the three hour drive back down late at night, they left here last night at 10:00, but yet they stayed only once. Maybe if we get the RV we want to get, they'll feel better about staying in it instead of in the house. It'll be like a guest cottage on the property, one that we can take with us on vacation. We're waiting until we come back from Pittsburgh though until we make our final decision on that. Anyway, I told Kenneth to call today to let us know they made it back okay. I'm sure they slept in this morning. I know I did.