I washed my cell phone yesterday, necessitating a visit to the local At & T cell phone store. I cannot tell you how much I dislike going over there to conduct any business-it is for me, an exercise in patience above all.
First of all, what would seem to be a simple transaction takes much longer than you think it's going to. We waited in line for almost 20 mintues for service while other people were helped, and we were the second from the beginning of the line-this with three employees helping at the desk. Secondly, the cell phone guy, a young, long-haired, earring sporting, techno-geek kind of guy, seemed to be knowledgeable, but how do I know? I always get the feeling they are pulling one over on me. All I wanted to do was buy another phone, comparable to the phone I washed. My first statement was, I just want a phone I can call out on, and can get calls on. I don't need no camera, no internet, no Bluetooth, no nothing. Just a PHONE.
He looked at me. A phone, he seemed to be thinking. She just wants a phone. He handed me a razor thin black rectangle. Here's a phone, he says. And, he adds helpfully, it has a LARGE display screen. "Does it have a camera?" I queried. And here's the next thing he said to me-"You can't buy a phone without a camera."
There ya go. Did you know that you can't buy a phone without a camera these days? I had no idea. An hour later, I walk out with an inexpensive phone, similar to my old one, but red, and with a camera. The rebate is prepared to be mailed and we are prepared for our next cell phone bill. Just because you are "eligible" for an "upgrade" doesn't mean you are gonna walk out of there without spending more money than you think you should be spending. The guy starts pulling figures out of the air-18.00 connection, 30.00 card, 50.00 phone, 10.00 rebate, do you want insurance for 50.00, (n0), do you want to upgrade your rate plan for only 20.00 more (no), it goes on and on. It is NOT cheap to wash your phone and go get another one. Can't do it.
The lesson in patience continues at home. My old phone was comfortable for me. I liked the ring. I had a lot of numbers in there. I liked everything about it - now I have this stranger I have to get to know. Thankfully, my oldest son came over for supper. He showed me how to use the camera (you never know when you want to take a picture of something someday. With your PHONE.) He helped me with the ring tone. The Hallelujah Chorus is not available on this phone, so I had pick some other ring. He put a few numbers in there. Sigh.
********************
Thanksgiving was very nice. We spent the afternoon and evening at Rebekah's, and enjoyed my first attempt at brining a turkey. It was delicious, and I probably shall prepare future turkeys in this same way. Very tender, and a good flavor.
********************
Last night we had chili for dinner and played games afterward-Josh and Dan were home. I was asked about my chili recipe, but you know, I make it different every time it seems, so there's not much point in writing it down and saying, THIS is the recipe. Today we are going up to Kevin's for more food and visiting. I hope my readers have enjoyed the last couple of days and are mindful of blessings everywhere. I have a couple of other things on my mind and may post again pretty soon, so stay tuned.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Just stuff
Today was an intense day at work. I had a staffing in another building which I've been preparing for the last couple of months and everything went rather well, considering. I'm so glad it's over and done with-it's been like a cloud hanging over me ever since I was assigned the case. Tomorrow will be a day to catch up on reports and just kind of putter, and I will certainly enjoy three days off this week.
I took Lydia to the vet last Friday evening and she has gained about 5 pounds in the last 3 weeks I've had her. Her skin infection is clearing, and she's looking much better. This evening, I let her out to the backyard after she had her dinner, and a few minutes later, I heard her barking barking barking. I went out to see what all the noise was about, and held the door open for her. She came charging in, and stood in the hallway and looked at me. "What are you barking at, Lyd?" I asked, not expecting an answer. She looked at me and barked this time at ME, as if to say, I was ready to come in you dummy!
We had a scary time last Wednesday with her, when my daughter and I were arriving home after a session at the Dog Wash. As we were getting out of the car with Lydia on her leash, two stray dogs came running up from the neighbor's yard. One was a very large bull mastiff, at least 125 pounds or more, my husband estimated. The other was a yellow lab, very large, at least 80 pounds. To make a long story short, the mastiff picked a fight with Lyd, and I ended up trapping him in the front seat of my car. Animal control came and picked up both dogs. Lydia escaped without any harm, but we filled out witness reports, and will go to court next month. My daughter was the picture of coolness and calmness during this incident, and reflecting back, I'm surprised at how emotional I got.
It has been 8 years since Coco, our last mutt, died of a heart attack in our kitchen. I've waited so long to get another dog because frankly, in one way, it's much easier to live without a dog than it is to live with one. If you don't have a dog, you don't ever have to think about the heartbreak that will come when days, months, or years down the road, this dog's life too, will be over. I asked myself on the way to work today, picturing Lydia looking at me with her ears up, why I would ever want to put myself through that again. Is it worth it?
My brother had a cute little rat terrier that was a part of his family for many years. This little dog came to an untimely end through circumstances that were no one's fault, and dog lover that he is, it was difficult for him to work through it. However, I think, I hope, that it is worth it. Lydia is already a part of this family and bonded to me-she's ornery and playful, and I have let her in. We'll see what happens.
I took Lydia to the vet last Friday evening and she has gained about 5 pounds in the last 3 weeks I've had her. Her skin infection is clearing, and she's looking much better. This evening, I let her out to the backyard after she had her dinner, and a few minutes later, I heard her barking barking barking. I went out to see what all the noise was about, and held the door open for her. She came charging in, and stood in the hallway and looked at me. "What are you barking at, Lyd?" I asked, not expecting an answer. She looked at me and barked this time at ME, as if to say, I was ready to come in you dummy!
We had a scary time last Wednesday with her, when my daughter and I were arriving home after a session at the Dog Wash. As we were getting out of the car with Lydia on her leash, two stray dogs came running up from the neighbor's yard. One was a very large bull mastiff, at least 125 pounds or more, my husband estimated. The other was a yellow lab, very large, at least 80 pounds. To make a long story short, the mastiff picked a fight with Lyd, and I ended up trapping him in the front seat of my car. Animal control came and picked up both dogs. Lydia escaped without any harm, but we filled out witness reports, and will go to court next month. My daughter was the picture of coolness and calmness during this incident, and reflecting back, I'm surprised at how emotional I got.
It has been 8 years since Coco, our last mutt, died of a heart attack in our kitchen. I've waited so long to get another dog because frankly, in one way, it's much easier to live without a dog than it is to live with one. If you don't have a dog, you don't ever have to think about the heartbreak that will come when days, months, or years down the road, this dog's life too, will be over. I asked myself on the way to work today, picturing Lydia looking at me with her ears up, why I would ever want to put myself through that again. Is it worth it?
My brother had a cute little rat terrier that was a part of his family for many years. This little dog came to an untimely end through circumstances that were no one's fault, and dog lover that he is, it was difficult for him to work through it. However, I think, I hope, that it is worth it. Lydia is already a part of this family and bonded to me-she's ornery and playful, and I have let her in. We'll see what happens.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A Special Day
Today is my 54th birthday. Not a milestone year by any means, but I'm sometimes amazed at how fast time flies by. Surely I can't be 54! Yes I can, and I am.
So I got home from work and my kids had arranged for a pizza delivery for dinner. In addition to my kids and my son-in-law, Michael and Tiffani joined us. What fun we had eating, talking, and we even played a couple of rounds of Liverpool Rummy. At around 8:00ish, Tiffani gave me a massage on her portable massage table-oh my goodness, it was really nice. After the massage I put on my flannels and joined the conversation while people were packing up to go home. It was a good day. She worked out a lot of stiffness in my shoulders and neck, and even worked on my hands-at 54, I'm having some swollen and painful joints in my fingers.
When I left school today, for just a minute or so, I was transported back in time. I walked out around 5:00 into moderately chilly conditions, with a little breeze blowing. The sun was getting low in the sky already, and the smell of wood smoke and maybe some burning leaves drifted into my senses. Oh, those smells! Immediately I thought of fall evenings at the home place, and my dad burning limbs and leaves. We sometimes made "weinie roasting" fires in the outdoor stone fire place and cooked hotdogs on cleaned tree branches or wire roasting sticks.
I was brought back to reality navigating traffic on the way home, and counted my blessings. It's been a good year, and I have much to be thankful for, especially for thoughtful kids who managed to make an ordinary birthday a great day.
So I got home from work and my kids had arranged for a pizza delivery for dinner. In addition to my kids and my son-in-law, Michael and Tiffani joined us. What fun we had eating, talking, and we even played a couple of rounds of Liverpool Rummy. At around 8:00ish, Tiffani gave me a massage on her portable massage table-oh my goodness, it was really nice. After the massage I put on my flannels and joined the conversation while people were packing up to go home. It was a good day. She worked out a lot of stiffness in my shoulders and neck, and even worked on my hands-at 54, I'm having some swollen and painful joints in my fingers.
When I left school today, for just a minute or so, I was transported back in time. I walked out around 5:00 into moderately chilly conditions, with a little breeze blowing. The sun was getting low in the sky already, and the smell of wood smoke and maybe some burning leaves drifted into my senses. Oh, those smells! Immediately I thought of fall evenings at the home place, and my dad burning limbs and leaves. We sometimes made "weinie roasting" fires in the outdoor stone fire place and cooked hotdogs on cleaned tree branches or wire roasting sticks.
I was brought back to reality navigating traffic on the way home, and counted my blessings. It's been a good year, and I have much to be thankful for, especially for thoughtful kids who managed to make an ordinary birthday a great day.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Election comments
I haven't commented about the election on this blog yet, but lots of blogs I read are discussing it and other issues. It's hard to communicate sometimes in this type of venue without having people misunderstand you, and that's one reason why I don't really talk about controversial issues ("evangelist" Todd Bentley aside). But, I feel like just posting some discussion, maybe asking some questions. If you feel like commenting, I'll post every comment I get, as long as it's respectful.
Most people I work with in the educational arena are members of the Democratic party, and are Obama supporters. Most of the people I go to church with, I assume, are probably more conservative, and voted for John McCain. In my immediate family, some of us went one way, some of us went the other. I would imagine my siblings and their families were quite diverse as well. I know Christians who voted for Barack Obama, and I know Christians who voted for John McCain. Therefore, I propose the following:
1. The election is over with-the people have spoken. Like it or not, we have elected our next president, Barack Hussein Obama. He will be sworn in as our next president of the United States. Christians are exhorted to pray for our leaders, and pray for President-elect Obama, we shall do, or else we will be guilty of not being obedient to what we are called to do.
2. There are among us family members and co-workers, Christians and nonbelievers, who have varying beliefs on key issues such as universal health care, military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the death penalty, abortion, environmental issues, and economic relief. We will always work with, go to church with, and live with those who disagree with us about beliefs we may hold dear. There is always room for respectful discussion and respectful disagreement.
3. Speaking of discussion- should it occur about your particular beliefs, be ready to defend your viewpoints and stand up for what you believe. Make your points, but listen to opposing viewpoints. Understand that you probably will never come to a "meeting of the minds", but you can always agree to disagree and remain in positive relationships with those you have philosophical differences with.
4. Finally, as a Christian and as a political conservative, I really do understand how some of my family of faith can become upset at those who they feel have sold out their values with a vote for Mr. Obama. I do get that. There are some Christians who are convinced that we are in for quite a tough time in the next 4 years and I have concerns about this as well. Our culture is not one that respects life, there have been millions of abortions in the last 20 years. We have turned from worshipping the Creator to worshipping the creation, we allow all manner of violence and filth into our living rooms via our cable connections, and we strive after things we think will make us happy at all costs. What conclusion can we come to? It is, obviously, that the political process will not save us from ourselves. Those who put their faith in any political leader no matter who it is, are seriously deluded. I fear that these days, we Christians are not salt and light, we are just like the world we live in and we are growing prouder of our sinfulness every minute. We have failed to live our lives with integrity, so why do we expect that our political leaders will?
Final comments:
No matter who you voted for, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, then the question remains:
How does one life a life worthy of Him who gave His life for you? The New Testament exhorts us that if indeed, we are Christians, we should shun evil, coarse conversations, gossip, and backbiting. The Apostle Paul challenges us to think about those things that are admirable, lovely, and good. Indeed, as James so eloquently states in his epistle, faith merely spoken of without actions to back it up, is dead. And so I exhort you, dear reader, that your character, who you are when no one is looking, is worth more than you can imagine, because although we your friends and family may not see or know your thoughts, the Father does. And your reputation with your family and friends is priceless - live then, as if you will be called to account tomorrow. This is living a life of integrity. It's rare these days, even inside the walls of the church.
Most people I work with in the educational arena are members of the Democratic party, and are Obama supporters. Most of the people I go to church with, I assume, are probably more conservative, and voted for John McCain. In my immediate family, some of us went one way, some of us went the other. I would imagine my siblings and their families were quite diverse as well. I know Christians who voted for Barack Obama, and I know Christians who voted for John McCain. Therefore, I propose the following:
1. The election is over with-the people have spoken. Like it or not, we have elected our next president, Barack Hussein Obama. He will be sworn in as our next president of the United States. Christians are exhorted to pray for our leaders, and pray for President-elect Obama, we shall do, or else we will be guilty of not being obedient to what we are called to do.
2. There are among us family members and co-workers, Christians and nonbelievers, who have varying beliefs on key issues such as universal health care, military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the death penalty, abortion, environmental issues, and economic relief. We will always work with, go to church with, and live with those who disagree with us about beliefs we may hold dear. There is always room for respectful discussion and respectful disagreement.
3. Speaking of discussion- should it occur about your particular beliefs, be ready to defend your viewpoints and stand up for what you believe. Make your points, but listen to opposing viewpoints. Understand that you probably will never come to a "meeting of the minds", but you can always agree to disagree and remain in positive relationships with those you have philosophical differences with.
4. Finally, as a Christian and as a political conservative, I really do understand how some of my family of faith can become upset at those who they feel have sold out their values with a vote for Mr. Obama. I do get that. There are some Christians who are convinced that we are in for quite a tough time in the next 4 years and I have concerns about this as well. Our culture is not one that respects life, there have been millions of abortions in the last 20 years. We have turned from worshipping the Creator to worshipping the creation, we allow all manner of violence and filth into our living rooms via our cable connections, and we strive after things we think will make us happy at all costs. What conclusion can we come to? It is, obviously, that the political process will not save us from ourselves. Those who put their faith in any political leader no matter who it is, are seriously deluded. I fear that these days, we Christians are not salt and light, we are just like the world we live in and we are growing prouder of our sinfulness every minute. We have failed to live our lives with integrity, so why do we expect that our political leaders will?
Final comments:
No matter who you voted for, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, then the question remains:
How does one life a life worthy of Him who gave His life for you? The New Testament exhorts us that if indeed, we are Christians, we should shun evil, coarse conversations, gossip, and backbiting. The Apostle Paul challenges us to think about those things that are admirable, lovely, and good. Indeed, as James so eloquently states in his epistle, faith merely spoken of without actions to back it up, is dead. And so I exhort you, dear reader, that your character, who you are when no one is looking, is worth more than you can imagine, because although we your friends and family may not see or know your thoughts, the Father does. And your reputation with your family and friends is priceless - live then, as if you will be called to account tomorrow. This is living a life of integrity. It's rare these days, even inside the walls of the church.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
So this is Lydia. My daughter took this picture at her first vet visit a week ago last Saturday. There are other pictures of her which show better what awful shape she was in. I'm so glad she took these because you can really see much improvement in this dog in just this short time of treatment, a good diet, and rest. If I get brave I'll post some before and after pics.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Lydia
Those of you who read my brother's blog have already read that I adopted an abandoned dog last weekend. I guess, not a big deal in the big picture, but kind of a big deal to me. When we were kids growing up, we always had dogs-I'm not sure if it was more my mom's idea or my dad's-I would guess mom's. When I had my own kids, we started out with Snapper, a dog someone gave my husband. Soon, Mickey joined Snapper-Mickey was a shepherd mix puppy-I'm not sure where we got her. Snapper and Mickey were given away a couple of years later and we every once in awhile, would feed a stray dog or have one given to us. We adopted a couple from the Humane Society with varying success. We had a dog we had to give up during an economic downturn when the kids were little-if you can't afford to buy groceries, you can't afford to feed a dog.
The last dog we owned I've written about before-she was found with her littermates in a park near where my husband worked. We had been without a dog for awhile, and decided to give her a chance. She lived in our chaos for 10 years and died unexpectedly of a heart attack in the kitchen one evening. That was in September of 2001.
Seven years later, I was doing ok without having a dog, and really hadn't planned on getting another one, and as the thought crossed my mind from time to time, I dismissed it with the notion that I wouldn't ever go looking for a dog, and that when one who needed a family would cross my path, I would know it.
Lydia crossed my path a week ago Friday. She was hanging around over at my brother's house, and what a sight she was. Skinny, hair in patches, and the smell-oh my, she smelled. I went to QT and bought a couple of cans of dog food as she was miserably hungry, and fed her in his backyard. My intention was to take her to the Kansas Humane Society the next day, which was Saturday. As I drove over to pick her up Saturday morning, I had my daughter with me to help hold her in the car, and we discussed options. By Saturday afternoon, I had this dog at my house, having taken her to a vet who happened to be open. She passed the first two tests at the vet's office-if she had heartworms, I was done. If she had mange, I was done. She had neither.
So it's been a week of adjusting to and getting to know this dog. She has some problems-the vet said that every tooth in the front of her jaw is either broken or cracked. She's malnourished, and has a bacterial skin infection, mites, and some fungus. She's on antibiotic pills, a good diet, and gets a bath with a medicated shampoo twice a week. (Did you know there is a self-service Dog Wash here in town?) After all that, she STILL reeks. She isn't spayed, so we'll take care of that, but first, we have to determine her dental problems. I can't afford hundreds of dollars in dental bills, but we can get her assessed for free at the "dog dentist" and will see what we need to do. She appears to be eating ok. Because she doesn't have much hair, she will not be able to stay outside once it turns cold at night. Someone gave us an igloo doghouse, so today, I'll get a hose and wash it out, dry it, and see if I can make some bedding for her in there.
I've seen some vomiting (that's so lovely when a dog does it), so I'm not sure what that is about. She tends to wolf down her food, and has some scavenging behaviors due to what the vet estimates are about 3 months of living on her own. She is very needy, and when I come home from work or even if I haven't been gone that long, she is beside herself with delirious excitement to greet me-she can't believe I've come back. So she jumps on me, so we're working on that. She has begun barking at people who come up to the house, not a nasty bark but just a-you don't belong here and I'm letting mom know, bark.
Even if we are not able to keep her because of the dental work or other health problems which may crop up. I feel better knowing that she's lived well and been taken care of the last few weeks of her life. She's a nice girl, and will be a good companion. I kinda hope it works out that she can stay.
The last dog we owned I've written about before-she was found with her littermates in a park near where my husband worked. We had been without a dog for awhile, and decided to give her a chance. She lived in our chaos for 10 years and died unexpectedly of a heart attack in the kitchen one evening. That was in September of 2001.
Seven years later, I was doing ok without having a dog, and really hadn't planned on getting another one, and as the thought crossed my mind from time to time, I dismissed it with the notion that I wouldn't ever go looking for a dog, and that when one who needed a family would cross my path, I would know it.
Lydia crossed my path a week ago Friday. She was hanging around over at my brother's house, and what a sight she was. Skinny, hair in patches, and the smell-oh my, she smelled. I went to QT and bought a couple of cans of dog food as she was miserably hungry, and fed her in his backyard. My intention was to take her to the Kansas Humane Society the next day, which was Saturday. As I drove over to pick her up Saturday morning, I had my daughter with me to help hold her in the car, and we discussed options. By Saturday afternoon, I had this dog at my house, having taken her to a vet who happened to be open. She passed the first two tests at the vet's office-if she had heartworms, I was done. If she had mange, I was done. She had neither.
So it's been a week of adjusting to and getting to know this dog. She has some problems-the vet said that every tooth in the front of her jaw is either broken or cracked. She's malnourished, and has a bacterial skin infection, mites, and some fungus. She's on antibiotic pills, a good diet, and gets a bath with a medicated shampoo twice a week. (Did you know there is a self-service Dog Wash here in town?) After all that, she STILL reeks. She isn't spayed, so we'll take care of that, but first, we have to determine her dental problems. I can't afford hundreds of dollars in dental bills, but we can get her assessed for free at the "dog dentist" and will see what we need to do. She appears to be eating ok. Because she doesn't have much hair, she will not be able to stay outside once it turns cold at night. Someone gave us an igloo doghouse, so today, I'll get a hose and wash it out, dry it, and see if I can make some bedding for her in there.
I've seen some vomiting (that's so lovely when a dog does it), so I'm not sure what that is about. She tends to wolf down her food, and has some scavenging behaviors due to what the vet estimates are about 3 months of living on her own. She is very needy, and when I come home from work or even if I haven't been gone that long, she is beside herself with delirious excitement to greet me-she can't believe I've come back. So she jumps on me, so we're working on that. She has begun barking at people who come up to the house, not a nasty bark but just a-you don't belong here and I'm letting mom know, bark.
Even if we are not able to keep her because of the dental work or other health problems which may crop up. I feel better knowing that she's lived well and been taken care of the last few weeks of her life. She's a nice girl, and will be a good companion. I kinda hope it works out that she can stay.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
A broken camel
I'm sure you've heard of the old adage, "The straw that broke the camel's back." Well, I became a broken camel on Wednesday of this week. A little thing, a sort of minor thing, a not really big major thing, broke this camel's neck. I told someone I really didn't see it coming, but I'm not sure that's entirely true. In looking back, I think there were symptoms, I just chose to ignore them, thinking I could handle things. As a famous person once said, "How's that working for you?"
Thursday, I went to work in the morning, but by late morning, was really needing some intervention, so I took a 1/2 day off. What a wonderful day it was! I went to lunch with the old man and got outside to walk around Riverside Park. I went to the church and played the grand piano from 1:30 to almost 4:00. Came home and potted up some houseplants, ordered pizza for supper, and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Friday morning, I went back to work ready to face things, and to speak to the principal about my meltdown. She was understanding, and things were okay.
Last night we enjoyed a time at my brother's house, sort of celebrating with him and my other brother an event which could be a little sad, but in actuality, is just a part of life. Due to circumstances and events, he ended up owning the home place we grew on, located in another county, and although he raised his family there, the property in recent years became rundown and needed vast amounts of labor-intensive work. My brother moved away from it several years ago and rented it out, which is sort of the kiss of death for any property you own unless you can manage to monitor it well, but he, having moved 200 miles away, wasn't able to do that. So for the first time in possibly almost a hundred years, there is no one from our immediate family owning any land or interest in Harper County. But the house had truly become what he called"an albatross", so he was glad to sell it.
Well, time to get going. Have a great weekend.
Thursday, I went to work in the morning, but by late morning, was really needing some intervention, so I took a 1/2 day off. What a wonderful day it was! I went to lunch with the old man and got outside to walk around Riverside Park. I went to the church and played the grand piano from 1:30 to almost 4:00. Came home and potted up some houseplants, ordered pizza for supper, and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Friday morning, I went back to work ready to face things, and to speak to the principal about my meltdown. She was understanding, and things were okay.
Last night we enjoyed a time at my brother's house, sort of celebrating with him and my other brother an event which could be a little sad, but in actuality, is just a part of life. Due to circumstances and events, he ended up owning the home place we grew on, located in another county, and although he raised his family there, the property in recent years became rundown and needed vast amounts of labor-intensive work. My brother moved away from it several years ago and rented it out, which is sort of the kiss of death for any property you own unless you can manage to monitor it well, but he, having moved 200 miles away, wasn't able to do that. So for the first time in possibly almost a hundred years, there is no one from our immediate family owning any land or interest in Harper County. But the house had truly become what he called"an albatross", so he was glad to sell it.
Well, time to get going. Have a great weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)