Puff, the Magic Dragon: 2013

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Dashing through the snow

Okay, here in Texas (well, Dallas at least), we don't so much have snow as we do ice. Last week we had just that, in spades!

Juneau and Sitka were pretty enthused about the cold weather, although Poquito was not interested in the least. He rarely crawled out from under the blankets for the duration.

I was really ready for a thaw after being stuck at home for four days!

Monday, December 02, 2013

The ghost has been at it again

Last night my ghost stole the end of my shower curtain rod. I've had trouble getting curtain rods to stay up in my shower ever since I moved back into this house. Last night, I gave up and got a new rod, since the other one was in the bottom of the bathtub...again! To make getting the shower curtain off the old rod easy, I just unscrewed the end. I laid it down along with old rod, then I put up the new one.

I got in the shower (to actually shower) and when I got out, the end of the rod was gone. I looked everywhere--and it just vanished.

My ghost probably put it with the picture of my dad that still hasn't turned up.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

A little Sitka love

Poor Sitka doesn't get much attention, picture-wise, on this blog. That's only because she's camera shy; in contrast, Juneau's a camera hog. But tonight, I actually got a good picture of her!

Isn't she a pretty girl? She's already got her snow nose* ready for any potential bad weather tomorrow and Monday.

*for those of you who don't own snow dogs, a "snow nose" is a (most often) temporary loss of pigment in the center of the nose. A pink to brown light stripe appears in the center of the nose, with the edges remaining black. The nose returns to full black color during the longer daylight months. Once thought to be a winter-only condition, dogs in warmer southern climates have also been reported to have snow nose, also called winter nose. As dogs age, the snow nose may stay around all year long. From: http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesconditionsfaqs/f/snow_nose.htm

Monday, November 11, 2013

Seller's remorse

Predictably, I am having seller's remorse about letting go of a few things in my estate sale. Two that come to mind are my bird cage and my yellow kitchen cart. A month ago, I didn't want them, but now that they're gone, I can think of at least one place I could use both of them! In fact, now I am nearly obsessed with finding replacements. Crazy, huh?

I can't decide what's worse: selling something and then wanting it back, or not buying something and wishing that you did!

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

I think I have a ghost!

Do you believe in ghosts? Spirits? Things that go "bump" in the night? I confess that I do believe in them. I know a number of people--all well-educated and completely trustworthy--who have had brushes with "otherworldly" experiences. In fact, my best friend is one of them! But that's her story to tell.

I have my own to tell!

Several months ago, an old flower arrangement in my bathroom was inexplicably thrown to the floor when no one was in the room. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom at about 3am and when I came back in at 7am, the arrangement looked as though it had been lifted and forcefully thrown to the floor. Flowers and leaves were everywhere! I was sleeping in the den at the time and the doors to the back of the house were shut--so the dogs weren't to blame either. I jokingly blamed it on my mother's spirit, trying to tell me to get rid of the old arrangement and put something better-looking in its place.

Then just last week (right in time for Halloween, I suppose), something else weird happened. I was digging through the desk drawer and found an old picture of my father as a little boy. It was such a cute picture of him, wearing overalls. Mom carried it with her in her purse. I also found a note that my father had written to my mom from 1960 or so that she carried, and a photostatic copy of their marriage license. All these were so neat, I pulled them out and put them on the desk to take to Hobby Lobby and have framed.

Just before I got ready to leave the house, I moved the little pile of documents and the picture to the coffee table so I wouldn't forget them. I got ready to go, picked up the little pile, and left the house. When I got into my car, I checked to make sure I still had everything. The little picture of daddy was gone. I retraced the few steps I had taken (just from the house to the car)--nothing! I looked everywhere--in the drawer where I'd found the picture, the coffee table, under the coffee table. It was totally gone!

Call me crazy, but I think mom took it because she likes it so much! Just to be on the safe side, I told her it was okay, that she could have the picture if she wanted it. It's totally the kind of thing I could see mom doing!

How about you? Any ghost stories you'd like to share?

Monday, October 21, 2013

A better day

After having such a sad day yesterday, I consoled myself by buying some new patio furniture, since my patio is barren. I also took some pictures of my babies. As usual, Sitka wasn't having it, and Poquito was making funny faces, but Juneau--well, he's my photogenic child:

His hair is slowly growing back where he had surgery on top of his head.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

It's all gone...

Today is one of those days where I've walked around sighing a lot. And crying. Sighing and crying.

It was the last day of my estate sale, and while I am happy to be rid of all that extraneous stuff, it also made me sad. Sad to see things go that have been in my family for my whole life, or even longer. Yes, I know I couldn't keep everything. Yes, there was a lot of stuff that was just "stuff"--no sentimental value. But there were a lot of things that I loved too.

In fact most of the stuff didn't sell. Things I would have expected people to snatch up were left over. I wanted to snatch it back--but I didn't. A reseller came in and took the lot. I watched the ornate white wrought iron bird cage that safely held my canaries go. And the vintage yellow kitchen cart that came from a friend's mother. And my blue willow china from when I got married.

I picked out a couple of things to keep: the kitchen stool we had way back when we lived in Dallas, and I took with me to Baylor for my first apartment; a typing table from Wade College back in the day. I used to type catalog cards on it almost everyday. A duck decoy from my dad's study.

I thought I'd feel relieved when the house was cleared out. I probably will...next week. Right now I just feel sad and alone. So alone.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Happy birthday, Mom!

Today would have been my mom's 85th birthday! Just like I did for daddy back on his birthday in March, I'll share a few things about her, things that made me love her!

1. She was the most organized person I've ever met! Yet, despite this, she once managed to lose a bunch of jewelry that she had hidden when we went on vacation. She didn't find it until a couple of years later, stuffed in a hatbox!

2. I never saw her inebriated or even tipsy, but she did love a cocktail--and it was rumored that in her younger days she could drink my dad's fraternity brothers under the table.

3. She smoked from her college days until 1989, and hid it from her father. She finally quit cold turkey after I got married, after several previous failed attempts to quit.

4. Mom loved to talk, but even her friends said that she was hard to get to know. When told that, she was completely mystified.

5. Raised a Catholic, she left the church when she got married because of she didn't believe in their stand on birth control.

6. She collected thimbles and amassed a collection of nearly 4000 of them!

7. She had a soft spot for children and dogs--and both loved her.

8. While she often read, I wouldn't have called her a "reader" like I am. She only read when she had nothing else to do.

9. Until I was in college, she was 6' tall and weighed 110 pounds. She finally started to gain some weight when she quit smoking.

10. She loved watching football! One year I took her to a Cowboys game for her birthday (actually, at the time, the owners of the college where I work had a box, and they invited us to go to a game with them. So, not only did she get to experience her first live professional football game, she also got the pleasure of sitting in a luxury box!)

11. Mom was really good with numbers. She always helped me with math and would have made a wonderful accountant.

12. When she was in high school, she was in the Rainbow Girls, a masonic organization. Despite the organization fighting her membership because she was Catholic, she rose to the position of Worthy Advisor (like the president).

13. She didn't start quilting until after my dad passed away. From 1989 until 2011, she made and quilted over 100 quilts, and won several state fair and quilting exhibition ribbons for her work!

14. After my dad passed away, she began tutoring at my old elementary school. She tutored there twice a week for 21 years.

15. After I was born with so many physical problems, she refused to let me see any of them as a hindrance or even anything to be considered. I grew up happily unaware that I was different than anyone else.

Mom was such a big part of my life, especially after my divorce. I miss her every day and will love her even after I'm gone. Happy birthday, mom!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Somebody got his stitches out today

Juneau had surgery on top of his head while I was in Seattle in order to remove some little growths that he kept scratching and making bleed. He got his stitches out today and is a happy boy! His hair is slowly growing back, but you can still see the "reverse Mohawk" on top of his head.