When is the right time to pass on the stuff

I cleaned out Angela's old room yesterday, and it got me wondering what the statute of limitations is on keeping your kid's stuff. Our family is a little unique in that we've traveled and moved often, pulling together a household from nothing more times than I care to remember. This is in contrast to folks I know who grew up in one house, or folks who have lived in the same home all their adult lives and have accumulated a bunch of "stuff" from that lifetime. When the neighbor across the street died, the family had to bring in a bobcat to clear out the backyard. We lost count on the number of those big trash containers they brought in to clear out the "stuff" in the house.

We've never had that problem. I'm a tosser, not a saver, mostly by necessity. If you are shipping an entire family to Bulgaria in eight suitcases and as many boxes, you have to narrow it down. When we moved to Johannesburg, I thought it was a luxury to have a couple of 4x6 shipping containers. It's amazing what you can put into one of those. Actually, the giving up of one's "stuff" is a whole 'nother blog.

Today I'm thinking about those treasures we all accumulated as children, tweens, teenagers, then college students. The coming-home-from-the-hospital infant outfit, special blankie, first shoes, t-shirts, trophies, souvenirs, books, special toys or stuffed animals, photos of old boyfriends. We have one box for each daughter marked "keepsakes", but really, their keepsakes can't be contained in just that one box. Tessa has a lifelong love of shoes. Each time she gives away or throws out a pair of shoes it's like saying good-bye to a dear old friend. We also have a closet full of formals from various proms/dances/weddings. Getting two daughters through four years of high school and four years of college requires a LOT of fancy dresses! And one daughter isn't even finished with college yet!

So my question is, at what point is it the right time to hand over all that stuff to your adult children? I believe that at this moment Mark and I have retrieved all of our keepsakes from our parents' houses, including old yearbooks, my junior high drill team outfit (was I ever really that tiny?), and my wedding dress. But it took years for us to make that transfer - again, complicated by the fact that we were moving and often without a permanent place to call home.

I don't know the answer. I just know I want my children to always feel welcome in my/their home. I want them to know they always have a haven. If that means I should keep their things for a little longer, then I'm happy to. But really, I just crave a well-ordered life and a well-ordered home, and keeping closets full of things we don't use doesn't help to fulfill that desire.

While we're on the subject of keeping things from the past, here are a couple of photos of my parentals I found while creeping on my Mother's Facebook. She's in touch with some of her friends from high school and they've been sharing photos. My dad is the guy in the middle of all the girls (duh). The photo was taken on their senior trip. My mom is the cute blonde on the left in the second photo.

Serious and glorious lack of productivity

The best part about having days off in the middle of the week is that there's no one around to mess with your mojo. Or lack of.

How I've spent my days off so far...

Linkage and stuff

I have to share this site. YouVersion is an online, interactive Bible. It is soooo easy to look up topics, mark text, keep track of what you've already read. You can even change languages. I know a little Bulgarian from living there for a couple of years in the 90's, and I was able to switch to Bulgarian on one side and English on the other. Cooler than cool. There's even an app for that for my iPhone.

Another site I've been checking out is Twitip. If you need help exploring the Twitterverse (Twitter Universe) or want to learn about Twittiquette (Twitter Etiquette), it's the place to go. If you're new to Twitter or are thinking about trying it out, click here for some great tips (Twips?)

I'm teaching a Technical Communications course at a local university for five Monday nights, so I'm missing the last episodes of Dancing With The Stars. Major problem. But wait! Not such a big deal because I can watch it today on Hulu. The only thing I can't find on Hulu is Big Love. I love that show (definitely not for kids). But I can find just about anything else and watch it on my time. Cheaper than TiVo, although I'm still holding out for TiVo someday.

Well, that's all the linkage I've got for you today. I'm headed to have lunch with Angela at her elementary school. I've been missing her sweet self.

Hello world, what's new?

Whew, the last couple of weeks have been crazy at work, leading up to our big annual meeting and volunteer appreciation event, among other things. I've been planning, thinking and creating non-stop for weeks and it all turned out well. Fantastic even. So I'm thankful and relieved and happy to take a few days off.

Now I have time to think about what is going on in the world around me. Let's see. Swine flu? I'm somewhat confused by the mixed messages. It's near pandemic proportions says the World Health Organization, President Obama says it's a cause for concern but not alarm, photos of masked citizens riding the subways of the world fill the news. From what I read, the best way to prevent catching and/or spreading the swine flu is a complicated and technical procedure.

1. Wash your hands often.
2. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
3. Don't pick your nose.
4. Stay home if you have a fever.

Wait. I'm pretty sure mothers everywhere have been drilling those things into the heads of their offspring for generations. I've always said just use the good sense the good Lord gave ya!

Now that we've solved that problem, what else is happening. Looks like there's a need to avoid raw alfalfa sprouts due to possible salmonella. Check. What else. GM is getting rid of the Pontiac. Duh! Oh, here's a stunner.

By Andrew Stern – Mon Apr 27, 12:15 am ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Children given stimulants to treat
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms score higher on math and
reading tests than children with the condition who do not get drugs, researchers
said on Monday.

Oh for crying out loud, I should certainly hope this would be the case. It doesn't appear to be a slow news day, but apparently stating the obvious is now newsworthy. Here's another good one for the use of common sense.

Fri Apr 24, 12:13 pm ET
ZURICH (Reuters) – A Swiss insurance worker lost her job after surfing popular social network site Facebook while off sick, her employer said Friday. The woman said she could not work in front of a computer as she needed to lie in the dark but
was then seen to be active on Facebook, which insurer Nationale Suisse said
in a statement had destroyed its trust in the employee.

If people would just listen to their mother, we wouldn't need to be reading all these headlines. That's my summary of today's news. And speaking of mothers, just another subtle reminder of what's coming up in a mere two weeks...Mother's Day! The Bible says, and I quote: "Treat your mama right and you'll score major points". That's from 1st Carinthians, if you want to look it up.

Conventioneering

Blogging today from the Tulsa Convention Center. I feel like I have a hangover from last nights wild party, but I spent the whole night drinking club soda with lime. So why does my head hurt? And where are all these people getting their steaming cups of coffee? Must.Have.Coffee.

This morning the convention attendees are in classes or something because the exhibit hall is short on customers and long on restless vendors wandering around checking out competitors' booths. I'm glad I only do this once a year. I could not earn my living by chatting up folks all day long from behind a draped table in my draped cubicle standing on cold concrete floors.

Someone just came and asked me for a tampon. Seriously, I'm flattered that I don't scream "post-menopausal" just by looking at me, but thanks to a surgeon's skill, I haven't had that equipment for about five years. But hey, thanks for asking.

Oops, here comes the onslaught. Gotta put on my game face. But first, must find caffeine.

Inheritance news

Dear children of mine, church home, alma mater - I am telling you all right now that when I die there will be no multi-million dollar trust fund like what was left by Wilma Davis McElmurry. Mrs. McElmerry, a Custer County, Oklahoma woman who spent 30 years as a teacher in Arapaho and Clinton, left 5 million dollars on her death to three different institutions.

I've heard that millionaires are often people who are just frugal, spending little of what they make, living simply. I've always been of the opinion that life is short and you can't take it with you so why not spend it. Not really a good plan for retirement.

Our financial goal at this point in our life is to be debt free at retirement, including a home with no mortgage. That, I believe, is a doable goal, even at our age. And we're on the right track.

We've spent almost 20 years, a good many of the money making years, working for ministries and non-profits, as our bank account shows. My only hope is that the investments we have made in our family and in serving others will be the "million dollar" legacy we pass on to the next generations.

Speaking of money, don't forget to find a place to join the Town Hall for Hope tonight. And watch this video. Pretty good, aye?

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Men don't think the way we do

Things they probably weren't thinking...

Old news

In case you were hiding under a rock last week, you might have missed the big ta do about Twitter. Ashton Kutcher beat out CNN for 1 million followers, and Oprah made her first tweet. Hello! Where has she been? Now people are whining that Twitter is slow due to the Oprah effect - 350,000 new people jumping in the system. Twitter denies there's a problem.

Knock knock

Who's there?

Orange

Orange who?

Orange you glad you're cool enough to already be on Twitter?

Ok then. Sorry. Annnyyywayy, here's a fun article on the subject. Just between you and me and Twitter

The other big news, of course, is the new dog in the White House. Old news now that it has been talked to death on every talk show. But I couldn't resist sharing these photos, in case you haven't seen them - from the official White House website. And just FYI, I'm fascinated by two people in the White House: Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer, and Reggie Love, Obama's body man.

A case of the Mondays

Wow that was a short weekend, considering I worked eleven hours on Saturday. I'll take a day off in a couple of weeks to make up for it, but not this week. It's gonna be a busy one. Yesterday I slept and lounged and went to church online and did not leave the house. My idea of a restful day is when I don't set foot outside my front door.

Oh, I did manage to squeeze in "Marley and Me" and bawled like a baby. And I have to say I've been much nicer to our dogs since then. I also joined Facebook. Lame. Yes, I know I said it would never happen. The peer pressure was just too great. But please note that I did NOT ask anyone under 39 to be my friend! They can friend me if they so desire, but I'm not going to make the first move. I wouldn't want to intrude on the secret life of twenty-somethings. Not that anything on Facebook could be considered secret.

Also just thought I'd throw in a little pic for your Monday morning, since I mentioned firemen in a recent post. Read more about it at The Lost Ogle. And have a great day!

Where am I?

I'm wondering if all hotels have the same decorating company. Is there a HotelMart where all chains go to buy the same nondescript furniture and stripy bed skirt and patterned window treatment? Because I could be taken blindfolded to one of these rooms and wouldn't know if I had landed in a Holiday Inn Express, a Comfort Inn, or another similar chain. The hotel room I'm in at the moment has no artwork on display whatsoever, which I find a refreshing change from what is usually screwed to the walls. Is it really necessary to use screws to attach the paintings? Do people walk off with more than the towels? Once I stayed in a hotel where the remote was screwed to the bedside table. That was seriously irritating. Another hotel had you check out a remote from the front desk. Is there a black market for TV remotes that I don't know about? Don't you need a TV to go with the remote?

I'm hanging out and working in the Atoka area and just came back from dinner. My coworker and I asked at the front desk for a restaurant recommendation, then left in search of the suggested Mexican place. We jumped in her truck, buckled in, tuned the radio to a good station, pulled out of the parking lot and...into the parking lot across the street. Somehow the fact that the restaurant was just across the street got lost in the telling. Or maybe in the listening. Hope nobody was watching the two women from "the city" who by all appearances were too lazy to walk across the road.

I've noticed that these chain hotels are trying to find ways to distinguish themselves from one another, since the decor/architecture/breakfast spread are all so cookie cutter. This hotel has one of those massage chairs in the lobby that you can use for free. I'm just not all about stretching out in a chair and letting my body parts get jiggled while folks pass by on their way in and out of the building. Now if they wanted to put one in each room, I'd be all over that.

Another hotel I stayed in recently offered "Happy Hour" where you could grab a beer or diet coke out of a cooler between the hours of 6:00pm and 8:00pm. I think they threw in a Snickers candy bar fo' free. It's not like I'm staying in the No-tell Motels. I usually stay in the best place I can find as I travel around Oklahoma. Me and the oil workers hanging out eating our fruit loops and waffles in the morning. My favorite time was when I stayed in a hotel where they were having a firemen's convention. That was some seriously pleasant eye candy to go with my morning coffee.

Did I really just say eye candy? Wow. I've sunk to a new low. I'm going to go read Tolstoy and listen to something from Rigoletto to improve my high-brow quotient. Or, I could just watch "John and Kate Plus Eight" on cable.

Where's my purse. I need the remote.

Unlikely literature

I am not much of a poetry reader. I like things and people that are straightforward and transparent. No trying to guess what they mean. No reading between the lines required. That's probably why I enjoy Wilma McDaniel's poetry. It hardy and down to earth, like life in Oklahoma.


Wilma McDaniel was born in Stroud, OK in the middle of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918. That same pandemic took the life of my own great grandfather, incidentally. McDaniel migrated with her family, like characters in Grapes of Wrath, to California during the 1930s. It is said she wrote a poem a day, scribbling on any scrap of paper, and storing them in shoe boxes. She wasn't published until she was 50 years old. If you went to school in Oklahoma you probably read one of her poems in a textbook somewhere along the way. But she's new to me and I'm enjoying the sturdiness of her writing. Here's one for example:

"Burned in the Test" by Wilma McDaniel

I have wasted so much sunrise
scraping oatmeal
from a charred pot

I have often profaned
bright noon
into three pm
waiting by the phone
for a call that never came

Why can't I be satisfied
to soak a pot overnight
and be content with new shoestrings
when the old ones snap

I have spent a cat's lifetime
tying short pieces together

I have glued broken handles
on many cups
waited days to find out
they never hold
and been burned in the test

Or how about a poem by Ethan Coen, one of the famous Coen brothers responsible for Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Burn After Reading. He calls himself a recreational writer. I kind of like that title. I enjoyed his poem "The Drunken Driver Has The Right of Way". Here's an excerpt.

'The Drunken Driver Has the Right Of Way'
by Ethan Coen

The loudest have the final say,
The wanton win, the rash hold sway,
The realist's rules of order say
The drunken driver has the right of way.

The Kubla Khan can butt in line;
The biggest brute can take what's mine;
When heavyweights break wind, that's fine;
No matter what a judge might say,
The drunken driver has the right of way.

The guiltiest feel free of guilt;
Who care not, bloom; who worry, wilt;
Plans better laid are rarely built
For forethought seldom wins the day;
The drunken driver has the right of way.

Now that's the kind of poetry I can understand!

There's Hope?

Dave Ramsey, money manager guru, author and national radio dude, is "choosing not to participate in this recession". You can do that? Who knew?

More than 5,000 - that's FIVE THOUSAND - locations so far have registered to host folks for this nation-wide town hall meeting. Dave, who is never boring, will be answering questions from folks live by satellite, from youtube, from twitter, facebook...you name a social media, he'll be using it to communicate and answer questions. It's all about how to be financially healthy in this "difficult economic time". I'm excited to hear what he has to say.

And the really cool part is that it's being broadcast from right here in Oklahoma City. Yep, our little city is the epicenter for HOPE. Now that's just spectacular. So go - click away and find out where you can participate. Not in the recession - in the Town Hall for Hope!!!

It's raining big, beefy, manly men

On March 5th I uploaded a picture of the notice from the city stating that they would replace our water main on that date. In city construction speak, that means "we will at some point in the next two to three months replace your water main." I had hoped to chronicle the excitement - woohoo- but it has been like watching toenails grow. Occasionally there were signs of some action when we returned home from work. A little spray paint here, a yellow flag there, some hieroglyphics on the road itself. A pile of sand and another of dirt unloaded at the corner, providing entertainment for the delight of the neighborhood children, and something new and different to blow through my front door with our recent high winds. Not much else. Until Good Friday.

On that day the manly men and their manly machines invaded our street, digging holes, putting in new pipe, and back filling with what was left of the sand and dirt. By yesterday morning they were at my house. I didn't leave early enough, and was trapped in the house for a few hours, my only option being to drive through my soggy front yard to escape. Darn. I had to stay home. I wasn't complaining.

Today I came home a little early from work and had to play dodge-the-large-earth-moving-machines-and-beefy-dudes-wielding-shovels with my car. As I write, we do not have water, the gas line is ruptured, and it's almost quittin' time. School just let out and all the little children are running the obstacle course, most having to circle almost to my front porch, trying to reach their respective homes. The joys of progress.

Frankly, I don't mind the mess if it means the city infrastructure is being updated. Our house was built in 1937 and I'm sure the water line is of the same age. The weird thing is that I've always loved the taste of our water. I'm wondering if it will taste the same after the leaking pipe has been replaced.

And I'm also quite sure that we are not getting curbs. And I so wanted to join the ranks of true suburbia and get curbs. Sidewalks are, I know, out of our league, but a curb seems a small thing to wish for.

Unsolicited Advice

Tessa was home this weekend. Although she was sick and missed most of the Easter festivities, I still had the opportunity to offer some unsolicited advice. Because that's my job as Mom and Head General Manager of my children's universe. Truthfully, I gave up trying to manage their universe about the time they went off to college. I really don't have much leverage. I mean, what can I do, take away car keys, limit television, enforce a curfew? Not from long distance. I figure I did what I could in the first 20 years and it's up the them now. But I sometimes can't resist throwing little tidbits of wisdom in here and there.

Which got me to wondering what things my mother tried to tell me when I wasn't listening. And because it's Monday and you know what I love on a Monday. Everybody in unison. Because on a Monday Cari loves...all together now..."a good list".

5 Things My Mother Probably Told Me While I Wasn't Listening

1. Wear more lipstick. Life needs more color.
2. There's no such thing as "safe" sex.
3. Don't wait for a Prince Charming to rescue you. Sometimes you have to rescue yourself before your prince will seem charming.
4. Donuts make you fat.
5. Sometimes life sucks, sometimes it doesn't. Get over yourself.

What did your mother say when you weren't listening?

Good (it's) Friday

I grew up in a church that didn't put a lot of emphasis on liturgical celebrations. I'm not even sure if that is what you would call it. We didn't really "do" advent or lent. Of course, Christ's birth, death and resurrection were recognized and celebrated. But not by means of a liturgical calendar. We celebrated Jesus with dramatic reenactments of the crucifixion, cantatas, good preaching, and an altar call accompanied by multiple rounds of "Just as I Am".

As a result, I'm not really well versed in things like Maundy Thursday, giving things up for lent or not eating fish on Friday. Err, maybe my Catholic friends used to eat fish on Friday instead of meat.

What I do know is that today is Good Friday, although I've never been completely clear why it's not called Sacrificial Friday or Bad Friday. I also know that "Sunday's a comin'" as many a good preacher has announced from the pulpit (pronounced pool-pit if your preacher's from the deep south).

All I know is that I'm thankful that there was a resurrection following the suffering and death of Christ, much like there will be new life for those folks who lost everything in last nights fires that swept across Oklahoma. And the tornadoes. Last night was a heart breaker. My heart is heavy this morning for those who find themselves unexpectedly homeless, picking through the ashes of what was once the vortex around which their lives whirled.

I don't know about you, but even in its humble, eternally under-remodeling state, home is where the whirlwind of life quiets down for just a little while. It's where I long to be when I'm away. It's where I can wear my sweatpants with dried paint on the butt and no one judges. I'm at peace at home, resting, refueling and refreshing for another dash into the crazy, busy life that I lead.

Just as I am, without one plea

But that thy blood was shed for me

And that thou bidd’st me come to thee

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

-Charlotte Elliott-

In search of a well ordered life

It appears that the little dog, Sadie, has grown thumbs herself. Or maybe Winnie has been teaching doggie door opening classes while we were away. For the last couple of nights Sadie has managed to open the bedroom door while we snore, and go curl up on the comfy couch in the living room.

Yesterday evening Mark turned on the sprinkler in the front yard. Guess what was still running when we got up this morning. Let's just say the "lawn" is well watered. Lawn is in quotes because the front yard hasn't quite achieved that lawn quality yet.

I can't find my camera. I'm so bummed. I got it for my birthday and I really liked it and now it has gone missing.

At this moment a load of laundry is washing that has been washed several times but never put in the dryer because we keep forgetting it's there.

Do you see a pattern? I think we need to tighten up this ship.

If I were a mop, where would I be?

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." Hal Borland

Have you been reading and hearing about "surviving" the current economy until you could choke on it? Me too. But I've also been trying to not live in the false security of thinking it won't touch my family. Besides, a little belt tightening never hurt anyone.

Mary Hunt is an old hand, err, how about an experienced hand, at living frugally. I started reading her stuff when I was a much younger woman. Today she was talking about making your own cleaning supplies, not because they are better for the environment, but because they are cheap! Here's one for window cleaner:

Window Cleaner: 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 quarts warm water. Add cornstarch to water and mix well. Scrub mixture on window using a soft cloth. Use a clean dry cloth to dry and shine the glass. Your windows will sparkle for days.

The problem with these kinds of things is that they take time and energy, two things I'm seriously short of. But wouldn't it be so much better than continuing to buy all those plastic bottles and containers? (she says to herself in a pathetically unconvincing voice).

Even Real Simple, one of my favorite magazines, got into the act last month with their natural cleaning ideas. I mean, seriously, who knew what you could do with ketchup!

The really funny thing, in a sad sort of way, is that here I am talking about cleaning and my house is a complete disaster right now. Whenever we're working on renovating one room, the rest of the house gets ignored. The use of ANY kind of cleaning supply, green or otherwise, would be a big improvement! (Sigh)

Inquiring minds want to know

Thought I'd update you on a few things since I know you've been wondering what happened since I last posted about these topics. Because I know you have nothing better to do than wonder what is going on in my life. Well...

First, Tessa survived the solo on Saturday at Spring Sing. She did very well and is glad it's over. She had an entourage of 9 family members and friends and the grans came bearing a dozen red roses, so she was happy. We finished the night at Hideaway in Stillwater where, OMG, they were having a bad service night. Asking us to repeat our drink order 5 times to 3 different people(not kidding), bringing out a mini instead of a medium pizza, and completely forgetting one whole pizza didn't make for the best impression for those who had never been there. Usually they're way more on the ball than that. Thankfully we got out of there without any member of our party going ballistic. We were having a good time being together and the food was sort of incidental.

Hmmm, how's the world's fastest kitchen remodel going, you ask?

Next question.

OK, so it's possibly the world's slowest kitchen remodel. What can I say. Half the kitchen - the part with the appliances, is pretty much done. The other half, where the kitchen table sits, is now under major construction. Old houses are always full of surprises. This weekend we peeled back a layer of really ugly paneling to find...another layer of really ugly paneling...and under that...siding. Yep. One wall of our kitchen was at some point the outside wall of the house. Yay! At some point I thought about just painting the siding and calling it unique, but then we decided it would be weird unique, not cool unique. So here comes the sheetrock. We hope to be done by 2011.

How is the battle of the bulge going? Wow, you people ask tough questions. It's going. That's about all I'm going to say on that subject. Let's just say I haven't given up, a few battles have been won, but the war is going to be protracted and full of casualties. Baked goods beware. You are on the terrorist list and will find yourself living out your days at Gitmo.

I just thought of something. Gitmo would be a really good name for a convenience store. You know, like Shop 'n Go or Quicktrip. Their jingle could go "When times are tuff, go where you can git mo' stuff." I know. I'm a marketing genious.

Mark just got back from the grocery store, so I'm going to go unload the food and stop wasting your time.

I would never make a good stage mom

You know how at the Olympics or some other big sporting events there is occasionally a mother who refuses to watch her progeny? The mom who just can't deal with the stress, would rather pace, praying and sweating, outside the stadium than sit inside and have a nervous breakdown? That's how I feel today.

It's a long story. Here it is in brief because 1) I have to go to work soon and B) I really do need to go to work soon.

So my youngest child, Tessa, was born with a musical gift. She did NOT get that from her mother. She most definitely got it from her father, who has an amazing ear for music. Actually, Angela has a musical gift too, but it's not for singing, it's for languages. That girl can hear the lilt and rhythm of a language and mimic it perfectly.

So Tessa's first solo vocal performance that I can remember was at the age of 4 when in a Christmas pageant she sang "Away in a Manager" solo because her duet partner got sick at the last minute. It was perfect and on pitch and beautiful. From that time on she starred in many a role in church and school productions, dreaming of making it big in the music industry.

In 5th grade she won a singing contest and was asked to perform the piece at an award dinner. Long story short, for the first time in her life she froze, got confused, and burst into tears. Since then she's sung in public off and on, but usually not solo.

Fast forward to this weekend, where she is scheduled to sing a solo as a small part of a big production in the giganto arena at the State's University. Why not just dive in? Who needs to start small. She has invited grandparents, aunty, sister and brother-in-law to watch. Rehearsals have been going very well, she's once again day dreaming about a singing career. Until yesterday.

They had a bad rehearsal, her solo sucked, and now she's freaking out. And I'm considering faking a sudden illness so I can just spend the performance on my knees somewhere, begging the God of the Universe to have mercy and give her what she needs to get through it and do well, and reestablish the love of singing that He gave her from such an early age. Lord God, let her forget herself and get lost in the joy that is singing, filled up and overflowing with the knowledge that you give good gifts, and that her gift of music is wrapped with peace and confidence and sheer, unadulterated FUN.

And God, while you're at it...help me not to throw up.

Maybe we need a nannie cam for the dogs

We are pretty sure Winnie, our golden retriever/lab mix, has thumbs. She keeps them well hidden, but she's somehow able to open the back door. I came home from work yesterday to find her wandering around inside the house, looking a little dazed, probably because I had interrupted her napping on my pillow. I always look a little dazed too when a perfectly good nap is interrupted. The little dog, Sadie, was pouty all evening, having been left out in the cold while Winnie spent the day in luxury. I'm thinking we should try to train Winnie to grab a diet coke out of the fridge and make good use of her door opening skills. I hear dogs can be trained to do such things. That could come in handy.

Is it a sign of middle age that I'm talking about my dogs like they are people? Or like anyone cares what my dogs are doing? Frightening.

I gotta go. I forgot to take my meds. The weather must be changing again. My knees are stiff and achy. Have I told you about my new recipe for Tuna Casserole?

Just kidding - I was practicing for next year...after all, it's all downhill from here. This slippery slope leads right into "the home".