My Dog

Most dogs like to go for car rides.  Juneau is no exception.  Most dogs are alerted to an impending car trip by the sight of their owner putting on their shoes and/or picking up their car keys.  Juneau is alerted by these signs as well.  But, the #1 surefire, 100% guaranteed sign of a car trip?  The one thing that gets him jumping and wooing and barking?  The sound of shipping tape coming off the roll.  Shipping tape equals packaging things and packaging things equals a trip to the post office.  A very intelligent (yet odd) dog.

Conversations With the Fam

My dear son overslept yesterday morning. 

Me:  So that's two mornings in a row you've overslept.  What happened?

Son:  I slept through my alarm.

Me:  You need a back-up alarm.  Do you have one?

Son:  Yes (pointing toward his bookshelf).

Me:  And... you already feel bad enough without me harping on it.

Son:  Yep.

*****

Walked into hubby's room.  Yes, we have separate bedrooms.  That's one of the reasons why we also have such a good and happy marriage.  I use the word "pop" instead of fart.  I was raised that way so I figure why stop now.

Me:  Hi.  (Sniff, sniff, sniff).  It smells like someone popped in here.

Hubby:  Someone did.  Several times.

Me:  Nice seeing you (quick exit).

Two Kinds of Pain

So, there are two kinds of pain.  The first is pain from something you've done to your body, or someone else has done to your body.  Or an injury, surgery, etc.  It was time for the epidural spinal injections today.  It's never a fun procedure, but there is an element of surprise as I never know if it will go well (minimal pain) or not so well (like the 4th of July inside my body).  Today was a fireworks kinda day.  It is still very tender and actually hurts a bit to breathe.  They say to take it easy for a day or two.  My husband agrees with them.  I, on the other hand, think taking it easy is incredibly boring and only gives you more time to focus on the pain.  As Gordon Ramsay would say, "Fuck me."

And speaking of Gordon, I've been watching some of the Hell's Kitchen seasons on YouTube.  We don't have cable TV at home, so I'm always a year or two or nine behind, which is fine with me.  Season 11 wrapped less than a month ago.  A very charming and talented young woman named Ja'Nel won.  Her prize was a year contract as Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, along with a salary of $250,000.00.  As hubby would say, "Saaaweeeet!"

The L.A. Times reported today that Ja'Nel will not be accepting the position in Las Vegas.  She cited personal reasons as her explanation.  Dug a little deeper and discovered Caesar's Palace has an exceptionally strict drug policy and Ja'Nel tested positive for cocaine.  Talk about PAIN!!  What an idiot, and what a slap in the face to the woman she beat out for the position, and those who were also in the running and missed the finals by a hair.  Wow.....

A Story

My son works as a Courtesy Clerk at our local Albertson's market.  Tonight while in the parking lot gathering carts, he saw a very dejected looking man with a dog.  Jacob approached the man and asked if he was okay.  The man stated he had hitchhiked here from Long Island, and was in need of money to buy food for his dog.  Jacob only had $1.00 in his wallet, but he gave it to the man.

As Jacob went back into the store, he felt God calling him to help this man.  He purchased a $12.00 bag of dog food, paid using his debit card, and walked outside to give it to the man.  He asked the man if they could pray together, and the man agreed.

A few minutes later one of the store managers approached Jacob and said she thought she saw the homeless man getting into a car parked around back.  Jacob rushed out, just in time to see the man driving by in his newer model, shiny car.  The man stopped and snickered as he drove past Jacob, saying "Maybe this will teach you a lesson."

Jacob told me this story when he got home from work.  Of course as a mother, my heart broke for him.  But even after being made a fool of, he remained strong in his conviction that offering help to a person he believed to be in need was the right thing to do.  He said he was angry at first, but he knew God would deal with the man.

Jacob said the store manager had spoken with him afterward, trying to make him feel better.  He told her about his faith, and why he did what he did. 

I wanted to cry, of course, but I kept it together and told him how proud I was of him and what a "together" kid he was.  I reminded him that we never know what kind of ripple effect our actions will cause.  Perhaps the store manager needed to hear about Jacob's faith.  Perhaps it made a difference in her life, or the life of someone she knows.   Lastly I told him after we are done being angry at this jerk, we need to pray for him.  Jacob laughed and said he knew that.

Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Not the first time I've seen it, or used it, but it's been a while.  Hubby brought some home from the store and now I think we shall always buy it, even if it costs more than regular foil.

WKRP in Orange County......

Remember the show?  And the theme song?  "Baby if you've ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me.  I'm livin' on the air in Cincinnati, Cincinnati WKRP."

A few months back I reached out to someone from my past.  When I say past, I mean PAST, like 30 years ago.  Last time we saw each other my son was six months old.  He is almost 19 now.  I have many wonderful memories of this person.  I wanted to hear how his life had played out.  Did he ever remarry, did he ever have kids, did he ever think of me?

Yes this person was a radio personality.  I don't know much about the world of radio DJ's, except it's a cruel industry and people never stay in one place for very long.  I also know they guard their identity and privacy with the same zeal a Secret Service agent does.  Always looking behind them, thinking some crazed fan is going to appear.  Please.

Bottom line: I was ignored.  I thought about pulling a Fatal Attraction Glenn Close card and finding a way to let him know "I will not be ignored."  Problem is, that isn't me.  Never has been.  I am trustworthy and I am discreet.  Guess I got my answer though, and it is what it is.  I'll still hold onto my memories, and always wish him well.

If I Ran the World

If I ran the world, there would be no reduced fat food.  There would also be no Pomeranians.

I have yet to taste anything "reduced fat" that even remotely compared to the original.  I suppose reduced fat food would be okay, if there were a way to keep my husband and son from buying it by mistake.

I'm not a fan of small, yappy dogs because they are, well, yappy!  For some reason the yap of a Pomeranian goes through my head like a knife.  So of course one resides in the house behind us.  His name is Toby and he's a yapping machine.  I fantasize about some gigantic bird of prey swooping down and taking Toby far, far away.  I know - I'm mean.

BIG A-S-S SPIDER!

The title says it all!!  I stole borrowed this image from Kenna's Facebook page.  Photo was taken at her house.  Spiders really don't bother me.  Now rodents...well, that's something else.

Invitation to the Prom

I did not know when a guy asked a girl to the prom, the custom was to make it big, and unusual!  Jacob made this sign, and if you look closely you can see a little bouquet of flowers in Kenna's hand.  He asked her at church.  Of course she said "yes."  They are so sweet together.  Each feeling blessed to have the love of the other one.

Bunny Bark

Here is the link where you can see how to make this incredible bark:

http://www.bloomingonbainbridge.com/2013/03/easter-bunny-bark.html

'Nuff said :).

A Note for Customers Outside the U.S.

If you are reading this post, you most likely have sent me a message on eBay, and I have replied with a link which has brought you here. 

As a seller on eBay, it has long been my practice to ship to Canada, Australia, and the U.K.  I will ship other places too, as long as we don't have a language barrier.  But due to a substantial rate increase in postal charges and the fact eBay charges me fees for not only the item I sell but also for the postage to ship the item, I am no longer selling to eBay buyers who live outside the U.S.

The good news is I can still provide service to those who would like to order my products.  I will list the item you want on another site I sell on, which is called Etsy.  Or, if a customer does not wish to use Etsy, I can simply email a PayPal invoice.

My email address is xposales@aol.com and I am always happy to answer any questions.  Thanks very much!

New ~ Wizard of Oz Knobs

New Wizard of Oz knobs just added to my Etsy store:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/127663876/wizard-of-oz-dorothy-cowardly-lion?ref=v1_other_1

College Time

My offspring-that-hatched is in the final stretch of his senior year in high school.  His college of choice is Multnomah University, located just across the river in Portland, Oregon.

"Multnomah University's mission is to equip Christian students through higher education to become biblically competent, academically proficient, spiritually formed, and culturally engaged servant leaders, shaped to be a transforming force in the church, community, and world."

 

 

Their mission statement is quite impressive.  He wants to become a Pastor.

 

So now begins a virtual mountain of paperwork to see what grants, loans or scholarships he is qualified for.  I'm so proud of my baby boy :).