Mindless Chatter - Weekend

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Congrats, Ron.  Glad the long, dry spell is over for you.  I couldn't believe the weather when I woke up this a.m. - cloudy, overcast, thunder rumbles and even a few big drops of rain.  Not enough to do any good, but it must be 30+ degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. I'd really love a nice, big thunderstorm like we had in June.

Joyce

I couldn't believe it either. Annie is really good at this. We weren't even supposed to get rain today, so what a wonderful surprise. DH got caught in it walking Sassy but said it felt good. It was a big warm early though and I thought they might be right about us hitting 94, but it's 3:00 and only 72 - yay!! I'm going to take advantage of the temps and clouds and go wash my car. It hasn't been washed in way too long.

We went an looked at another house yesterday. This one is in a development of million dollar homes and asking price is $749K and it's in foreclosure. The house is 4 bdrm/4 bath and about 4,000 sf. I've honestly never seen a master bdrm that large. I'd guess it was close to 1000 sf and the bathroom was amazing. They'd used slate tile in the shower and floors and the shower was huge. The whole house was pretty amazing but the exterior was horrid. I could get past the look of the totally dead grass and most of the bushes and small trees. You can work on that and bring it back or replace it. However, the entire backyard is full of huge boulders and many of them were the size of my car. DH was really trying to convince me we could make it work but I stood firm. They'd put a pool in, but because of the huge boulders, they'd put it over on the side and you couldn't even see it from inside the house. I also told him that when the dogs ran to the back of the property line barking at whatever, someone would have to hike thru the rocks to go get them and it wasn't going to be me. :)

Dawn, I would love to write a book, but I have ZERO writing skills.  I can't see a poorly written book being much of a success.

Brutus is doing great.  He went back to the vet today for a recheck, & his mouth is healing very well.  The swelling is totally gone.  The suture line looks good, & the vet says that the only bruising that he has is from having to have his mouth held open while they were sewing him up. 

My arm is doing all right.  I'm having a minor issue with one of the punctures, but nothing major.

Shooter has realized that he can manipulate Brutus just as he does Bevo.   I was munching on popcorn, & my phone rang.  I sat the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, & went to find the phone.  Shooter loves popcorn, so he was bouncing up to look at it on the table.  He always does this, but he can't make it onto the coffee table so it's no biggie.  I answered the phone & was walking back into the living room just in time to see Shooter run over to Brutus, & start tugging at his collar.  Brutus got up, & followed Shoe over to the coffee table.  Shooter, again, started bouncing & whining.  Bru looked a little confused at first, then he let out a huge sigh, stuck his nose into the bowl, & drug it off the edge of the table.  Shooter started gobbling, & Bru went back to his bed as if nothing had happened.  I yelled "Shooter" & the little monster stopped eating, & ran to jump into the bed with Bru.  He kept looking at Bru, as if to say "He did it.  I was just trying to clean up the mess!" 

I'm sitting out on my deck listening to my neighbors disco music blaring ha. Kinda fun. She's having a great time while raking leaves. Disco music and raking leaves. Who would have thunk it.

Sunshine doesn't appreciate it though. She's barking and whining.

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this before but I'm training lily to be a cadaver dog. Never would have thought in a million years we would do that but we are! She shows natural talent for it. Go figure.

Btw, I think bugsy and lily are long lost relatives. She is my personal garage mouse hunter / eater. So gross but wth, I don't want mice in my garage so I let her do it.

I aim to please, ladies. :)  So glad it has at least cooled down for you.  I'm beginning to wonder if we've had our summer & now it's Fall.    It's been in the high 50s to low 60s for the last week & leaves are starting to change.  At least the air is getting a little better for Maghee.

Edited to add:  ~LOL~ I can just see Shoe & Bru now.  I think you could have an hour weekly comedy show with the antics of your guys, Amanda.  Too funny.

I'm so glad that Brutus is healing well.  Now we just need to get you 100% again & life will be grand.

gradyupmybutt

I aim to please, ladies. :) 

How far do your skills go? I could use a little extra cash

i went out to wash my car and next thing I know, DH has taken over the job. Funny how that works

MIL just brought over a flat of beautiful homegrown tomatoes. I'm not sure what I'll do with all of them but I'll figure something out - yum!! I should try making salsa. Anyone have any easy recipes?

Ron, that is awesome news!!!!  I'm so happy for you!

Ugh....I've been fighting a cold the last few days.  I have drank so much juice today that I was starting to feel nauseous from it.  I needed something carbonated to help settle my stomach, and the only carbonated beverage in my fridge is, well, beer.   I'm sipping it, and it seems to be helping, but I can't taste anything, so that's a bummer, lol.

And don't worry, folks, I haven't taken any cold medicine in about 4-5 hours.

I was going to be so productive this weekend!  My house is filthy, but I have zero energy to clean.  Oh, well, I guess it can wait...BF actually offered to do some cleaning, until he realized college football was on.  Men and their priorities, lol.

cakana

How far do your skills go? I could use a little extra cash

i went out to wash my car and next thing I know, DH has taken over the job. Funny how that works

MIL just brought over a flat of beautiful homegrown tomatoes. I'm not sure what I'll do with all of them but I'll figure something out - yum!! I should try making salsa. Anyone have any easy recipes?

I can't help you with the cash thing but I sure can put a hurting on fresh homegrown tomatoes.    To me the only good thing about summer are tomato sandwiches.  YUM!

 That's so sweet of your DH!!

New, still unnamed, cat came home today. She's currently gazing out of the tote in the closet and having a stand off once in awhile with my other Persian.  He's such a great guy, he's curious and not at all alarmed. The other cats haven't taken notice of her yet.  

And it's too hot for the dogs to play in the yard, so they're having a wrestling match on my livingroom floor.

cakana

MIL just brought over a flat of beautiful homegrown tomatoes. I'm not sure what I'll do with all of them but I'll figure something out - yum!! I should try making salsa. Anyone have any easy recipes?

I rough chop the tomatoes, some green onions, jalepenos, cilantro and give it all a whir in the blender.  Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. I don't really have a recipe, I just eyeball the amounts based on what we like. Sometimes I add some garlic and lime juice. 'Mater sandwiches sound good too! :)   For some reason this made me hungry for fried green tomatoes. 

Amanda I saw a show on Food TV about the annual Spamarama in Austin.  Apparently if you consume enough alcoholic beverages, you can make just about anything out of Spam.   I will admit to enjoying a Spam sandwich with hot mustard.  I haven't had one in years. 

JackieG

Apparently if you consume enough alcoholic beverages, you can make just about anything out of Spam. 

Maybe there's a fine line between "enough" and too much. The idea of drinking too much and having consumed a bunch of Span...well

Thanks for the recipe Jackie. I checked Epicurious and it was about the same with their recipes as for yours. I think I'll make some tomorrow. I'm a salsa fanatic.

The sun came out and it's a gorgeous evening here. I wish it were possible to plan gatherings knowing what the weather would be. This would a perfect evening for a BBQ outside.

Heather, there aren't many people who drink beer when they are sick....Welcome to the club!!

Jackie, I am almost embarrassed to admit this...DH & two of his friends entered Spamarama in 2008.  There was, in fact, a lot of alcohol involved.  It wasn't held this year.  Apparently, Hormel didn't want to sponsor it.  DH swore that not holding it killed their profits.  "Who would buy spam if they weren't entering a contest?"

My DH is being a jacka$$ tonight.

yum Jackie!  That recipe is pretty much pico de gallo (maybe I missed it somewhere :) ) and I LOVE that stuff!  There is a recipe I saw posted on a blog the other day that looks so good to me and I can't stop thinking about it.  I am going to have hubby grill some chicken tomorrow night when he grills our dinner so I can make it this week.  It is sort of a mexican chicken salad. 

I have been stressed to the max this week...it all got topped off yesterday when I realized that I had an extra tax return to prepare that I was under the impression was finished which added and entire day of work.  The one that I have been working on is probably the most complicated one I do b/c it has so many entities going into it, and it always seems to be the one we leave until the deadline for some reason.  I managed to finish it today and I am celebrating with some wine tonight!

I got an iphone this week and although I haven't had much time to play with it yet, I can tell that it is already a really addictive toy!  I need to find an app though to send pic messages to other cell phones rather than email addresses....anyone have one they suggest?

Amanda, I am so glad they arrested that creep!  I really hope he gets what he deserves and am so glad that you and Brutus only came out of the whole thing with fairly minor damage compared to what could have happened.  They always say people who commit those types of crimes tend to escalate eventually so who knows what he was planning in his sick little pea brained mind.  I just hope this is the worst of your year and that it is downhill from here on out for you.  You deserve a break if anyone does! 

Cathy, I think you made a good decision on that house.  You guys (and the dogs) enjoy your patio, pool and back yard too much to spend the next few years hauling boulders.  When I make salsa I just chop up two or three big tomatoes, toss in a couple of cans of drained Rotel (I mix mild and medium), a diced red onion, a bunch of cilantro, salt, pepper and a heavy dose of garlic powder. If I'm feeling extra creative, I get a bowl of it and mix in a can of drained Mexi-corn and black beans.

Joyce

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Cathy, I think you made a good decision on that house.  You guys (and the dogs) enjoy your patio, pool and back yard too much to spend the next few years hauling boulders.  When I make salsa I just chop up two or three big tomatoes, toss in a couple of cans of drained Rotel (I mix mild and medium), a diced red onion, a bunch of cilantro, salt, pepper and a heavy dose of garlic powder. If I'm feeling extra creative, I get a bowl of it and mix in a can of drained Mexi-corn and black beans.

Joyce

Now, I'm getting hungry and I just had breakfast. Last night, I made chili. Bunch of dice onion and garlic. Brown that in with a 1 or 1.5 lbs package of ground turkey (85/15). While that's browning in a skillet, start a big saucepan going with a can of beans. We used black but you can use red or kidney beans. A can of rotel of whatever flavor combination you can get. A bit of water, beer, or wine, whichever you prefer, though I would suggest red wine if your going to use wine. Either your favorite packet of chili seasoning or about a 1/3 cup mix that you can make from chili powder, cumin, pepper, red pepper, and the secret ingredient to any outstanding chili, cocoa powder. Heat that up while the meat and onions and garlic are browning. When the meat is done, combine that into the saucepan, stir, reduce heat to low and simmer for no more than about 10 minutes or so. Serve as you like, sometimes with grated cheese as a topping. It's great for a cool, rainy night.

calliecritturs

Oh Ron, this makes MY heart just **SING**!!  This is absolutely marvelous ... and I'm SO glad you shared the *how* of how you got this job.  You kept your eyes open, but it wasn't like you were whining that the other job wasn't good enough for you.  You've made the best of what you could and you kept moving forward

As usual, you express it perfectly. Yes, I have been thankful for the job I found and have been working. It was a cut in pay and sometimes, there wasn't 40 hours. And even 40 hours might be 10 hours of half wage drive time in a week. So, keeping eyes open was a big key. Opportunities present themselves from time to time. Carpe that diem when it arrives. What's the worst that could happen? Someone says no and you are no worse off than before. Or, someone says yes and you take the next step.

Again, I've imagined myself teaching but wasn't sure how to get in that door. First step, step through the door when it opens.

Former co-workers I have known for years also see this as a good and fitting thing for me. Something that would really suit me and for some of the same reasons you mention. Because I can have the patience of Job.

I am excited about getting the teacher training, though it represents another shear vertical learning curve, but I have confidence that I can take  the face of that rock. I did so before with Shadow and learning about dogs. And it's a pattern I have been through before when taking on a new subject. I have the technical knowledge skills and all the theory, as much as any engineer would know, though I don't have the degree. Which is not to say that I'm an engineer. That's a specific set of credentials.

And it's nice to start off a mindless chatter with something good. Not that everyone has bad things going on. Sometimes, though, hearing of someone else's good fortune can be a blessing to you, in general.

Now, I'm getting Monty Python's "Life of Brian" end scene stuck in my head.

 "Always look on the bright side of life ....."