Queen Anne's Lace and Lilacs

Good Golly, Miss Molly!

I am happy to introduce to you our new baby, my birthday present, Miss Molly.  She turned eight weeks old yesterday.  She was born in Arkansas, and joined us last Friday.  These photos were taken those first few hours with her.

Molly (or, Mollie, if you're Bethany) is a Basset Hound.  She has been getting to know all of us, as well as all of our menagerie.  Even Little Girl (our black and white cat) has been playing with Molly, and Little Girl detests dogs.  Duchess, the Schnauzer, seems to be afraid of Molly, which is pretty funny - Duchess towers over Molly.  Mac, our Scottie, well, he's a typical guy.  He went over to check the situation out when we first introduced them, and pretty much has left the baby to all of the women folk since then. 

Bethany and Tim adore Molly.  Brett wonders why in the world we have another dog.  Evan has been curious to see the photos.  Oh!  Tim wonders why in the world we having another dog, too.  The point is...she is too stinkin' cute and adorable!!  And I am intentionally not thinking about all of the messes.  I just wish puppies wore diapers.  I never minded diapers.

I'll be taking many more photos, and posting them, as time goes by.  I would have posted these days ago, but I'm having trouble getting a lot of computer time - you know, I have to edit every blessed photo to some degree.  That always takes a bit of time.

I guess I should go grab Molly Moo from Bethany and take her outside for a little while.

Catching Up

Evan took and passed the required test to enter into student teaching.  The last thing Evan needed while preparing for the test was to deal with preparing for a hurricane.  He seemed a little on edge those days!

Speaking of the hurricane, Evan and Grandmother made it through Hurricane Ike with no damage to Grandmother's house (the other Houston Family Members were unharmed, as well).  Trees and debris are taking a while to clear, and the power is still out, but no one was hurt.  Evan must be thrilled the water has finally been declared safe. 

I had Evan on the phone through the nights of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - he has trouble falling asleep in total silence.  What a weirdo!  Ha!  Kidding, Evan:)  It was uneventful, for the most part, except for Sunday night.  Evan heard tapping on the window, the neighbors' dog started barking, and the excitement began.  Unfortunately, the only weapon Evan could find was a pan, but at least it was something.  After waking Grandmother and a thorough search of the house, nothing/no one was found.  Nerve wracking!

Let's see.  Oh!  On one of those nights, Tim brought me a cherry turnover from Sam's.  Their turnovers are fantastic!  Just make sure, should you decide to purchase a box, to get the lightest colored ones available.  Anyway.  I had eaten over half of it.  We were watching a movie on TV.  I happened to glance down at my hand.  I saw the back of the turnover.  It was GREEN!  Ack!!  I started spitting and spewing out turnover.  Unfortunately, I'd swallowed most of it.  Gross!  I brushed my teeth many times.  I went to bed and laid there waiting to get sick.  Tim got on the internet to see what needed to be done.  Turns out....nothing.  Unless one is allergic to penicillin, nothing happens.  Still, ugh!  Ptht! 

Tim, of course, made the best of the whole situation.  He's a saint, really, how he always manages to do that kind of thing.  (Sheesh!)  He became quite interested in the different molds:  Bread, dairy, etc.  For days, he held conferences on mold. 

I don't know when people will be healthy around here.  Bethany had some stomach ailment for a week.  Her friend had the Shanghai Flu at the same time, but Bethany's doctor didn't mention that.  Still.  A week of school missed.  Mere days after recovering, a sprained ankle was suffered in a basketball game.  And, I noticed sniffling and a nasal tone to her voice.  The ankle is still a problem, but Bethany is over the cold.  She never was too sick with that.  But, lo and behold, Tim came down with it - and you know how older people have a more difficult time with these illnesses than the youngsters.  So, Tim's had more severe symptoms, but he's getting better.

Up until Tim's illness, we were going for some wonderful rides around here.  We live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and there are so many places with fantastic views.  We also live in the "gold discovery" area, so there are historic places that are fun to visit, as well.  We've gone for rides down roads we've noticed but had no idea where they ended up.  Those have been most interesting!  Unfortunately,  I haven't had the camera most of the time.  I don't know why it's so hard to remember to grab it.  Maybe I'm more focused on getting Mac to sit calmly before he can go outside.  Or, thinking about the sweet tea we're going to grab at McDonald's to start the ride.

Speaking of Mac, he has learned to give "high fives."  He is so cute!  I'll have to get Bethany to do the high five while I take the picture.  Oh, Bethany!......

I hope you can see Mac's little black paw against his black coat (click photo for larger view).

We are sad that our summer shows have ended, especially "The Closer."  The fall shows are driving me crazy.  Apparently, only one new season opener will be showing each week (reality shows don't count - I hate those things!).  This could drag on forever.  Oh!  But there's one new show that I'm loving:  The Bonnie Hunt Show.  I discovered this one over at Jan's Daily Dish.  Now, I  haven't seen every episode (so if something bad has been on, don't get mad at me), but what I have seen has been funny.  Bonnie had Cloris Leachman on, and it was a bit crazy.  Seriously!  Cloris Leachman is the female, senior version of Robin Williams.

I was thrilled with the selection of Sarah Palin!  I love her!  McCain finally did something right!  Tim is being, oh, so very cautious, however (you can't blame him - he did support Al Gore, of all ridiculous things.  Oops!  I shouldn't speak of Mr. Gore this way.  If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have the internet, and therefore, this blog).  Anyway.  Governor Palin is not perfect, of course.  She's human.  And a politician (!).  Keeping both of those things in mind, I like her.  Sarah Palin is cute, her family is gorgeous, and I actually no longer dread the election.  Not as much, anyway.  But, the person who wins my vote has to have more than cuteness and the ability to give a good speech.   I will keep watching and listening to her.  Don't mess things up, Sarah.  Please.  I don't want to have to write in somebody's name.

Well, I know more things have happened around here the last few weeks.  I just can't remember what they are.  It seems like at least a couple of them were important, too.  Shoot! 

Summer Spectacular - UPDATED

Every year, the Saturday before the Fourth of July, our little town celebrates the holiday.  There are festivities all day long at the lake which, normally, Bethany attends with several of her friends.  In the evening, we have a pretty fantastic fireworks show.  We have a bit of a family tradition on this day, as well.  At 2:00 p.m., we start the brisket.  We eat when we get home from the show, about 10:00 p.m.

There were a couple of changes this year.  Bethany is at basketball camp at the coast for several days, and we miss her, of course.  And then, Tim decided this would be a great time to work on a number of projects around the house.  They were working from sunup to sundown (at least, that's what we're calling it).  Brett and Evan were pretty good sports about it.   Which is pretty surprising, actually - I lost my bet.   

We decided to take Mac with us to the lake.  He loves riding in the RV and doesn't get too rattled by such things as fireworks.  Duchess and Purl are a bit jumpy and don't really enjoy the whole noisy experience.  Tim took Mac for a walk, down past everyone lining the street.  Mac was a perfect gentleman.  He was calm, sat nicely, shook a few hands, and didn't bark or pull on the leash.   What a difference two or three years can make! 

As I said, the fireworks show was fantastic.  I'm always surprised at that, since we don't live in a large city.  I decided to take pictures and record tonight's show.  I took the still shots, and Evan worked the camcorder.  It took a little of the wonder and excitement out of it, trying to get good shots, but it wasn't so much of a hindrance. 

We saw a number of Cal Fire people.  We had been checking all day to see if the fireworks would be canceled, what with the 800 or 1,000 or so wildfires surrounding us (a bit extreme, certainly).  Arnie asked everyone to forgo the fireworks/firecrackers this year (the only thing he's ever said that I haven't totally disagreed with).  Fireworks are illegal in our county anyway, so that's not an issue for our kids.  But, we certainly would have missed the community show.  (Click photos for larger view)

UPDATE:  Who knew it would take 24 hours to get the video ready?!  Frustrating, to say the least.  Anyway, the song that the fireworks were choreographed to is "Stars and Stripes Forever," the Boston Pops Orchestra, directed by John Williams.  If you'd like to sing along, well, I only know one version.  (The singing doesn't start right at the beginning.  It starts at the "da duh da da duh da da duhhhhh da da duh da da duh da da duh duhhhh".....you know, the part with the trilling piccolos.)  Here goes:

Fight Song
Fight on, Haysville Junior High School!
Fight on for your honor forever.
Fight on for your red and your white;
They will bring you a victory tonight.  All right!
Remember the name that you serve,
And the school that is cheering you forever.
Fight on Haysville Junior High School.
Go on, and fight!
You'll win tonight!
Fight on forever.  Hey!

The Hawk vs. the Squirrel, Mac, and Me

Monday night, Tim and I were relaxing on the deck.  The sun had just set, and it was a pretty, calm evening (meaning, the dogs were not going berserk).  It was still light out, and the birds that come out at twilight were beginning their nightly calling.  I swear, it sounds like we live in the jungle sometimes.  I need to find out which birds are up there making those sounds.  Anyway, I digress.   We were discussing the "wind event" that was to begin Tuesday afternoon.  (You know, in California, it can't just be windy - it's an event.  A fire is a "fire event."  In Southern California, it can't just be fog - it's "the marine layer.")  Oops - I digressed again.  Suddenly!  Commotion overhead, in the trees.  Tim says calmly, "Hey, is that a hawk?"  I look up, and this huge hawk has gotten a hold of a baby squirrel and is trying to pull it out of the drey.  I start screaming, "HEY!  GO AWAY!"  The dogs go berserk, barking furiously and frantically - Mac is absolutely going insane.  The hawk lets go of the baby and flies away - leaves and little branches falling down on our heads.   

Not in my yard.

Naturally, we didn't have the camera handy.  By the time we grabbed it and ran back outside, everything had settled down.  You can see the drey and the squirrel on the branch beside it (click photo for a larger view).  The peace was shattered.  I was no longer in relaxation mode, on the lookout for that hawk.  And there Tim sat calmly, rocking in his chair.

Three in a Row

The only time the dogs are all calm at the same time is when they hear someone enter the house.  They line up at the back door, and wait to see who it is.  I've been trying to teach whoever is being greeted by the dogs to make them sit and be calm.  So far, Bethany's the only one I've been able to get to cooperate - at least for this photo session.  I keep telling everyone that, according to The Dog Whisperer, a hyper dog is not a happy dog.   I'm finding that training people is possibly more difficult than training dogs.  Click photo for a larger view.

Catching Up

I had planned to take a day off from my blogging in celebration of the KU victory (the university canceled classes the next day, and I wanted to feel a part of that!), and it turned out to be a vacation for the rest of the week.  Tim and I have been working on getting a video clip up here, and it's turning out to take forever.  I thought the hardest part would be finding a shot putting song, but that only ended up taking a few minutes.  It's not specifically for that particular sport, but it does quite nicely.  Hopefully, the clip will be ready in a day or two.  And not a week or two.

It wasn't a super busy week, but some amusing things did happen.  Now, I realize that most (or all) of these little gems may fall under the "you had to be there" category.  So if you could just close your eyes and pretend you're there, you might find yourself chuckling audibly.

1)  Tim decided to take Evan's KU hat  (blue, with a yellow 'K' on the front) to work on Monday.  He was so excited to have found something to display his Jayhawk spirit!  He  showed it to everyone who stopped by his cubicle, and then he placed it on the top of his filing cabinet.  One guy stopped by, and while Tim was showing him the hat - and giving the guy his own pre-game analysis, I'm sure - the guy asks, "Why does this say "Cats" on the back?"   Tim looked, was totally confused ("Well, isn't there a Kansas "Cats" team?" - and there is, Kansas State Wildcats - we don't care about them!), and some of the light faded from his eyes.

When he got home from work, he related this incident to me.  I'm like, "Cats.  Huh.  That's not KU."  Neither one of us could figure out what the deal with this hat was.  Finally, Brett came home.  He knew immediately.  The hat was Evan's Klein High School hat.  They're the "Bearkats."  I thought it was hilarious - and a bit embarrassing!  (And, yeah....thanks, Evan, for neglecting to mention it.)

2)  We've got a choir of frogs outside our bedroom window.  When twilight hits, their cacophony begins.  It lasts all night long (I discovered that if you softly yell, "Hey," they stop chirping immediately - this has created hours of entertainment  pleasure for me.  Now, if I could just get the dogs to respond that nicely.). 

So we're out on the deck talking, Tim and me.  Mac and Purl are laying down near us.  Twilight strikes, and the frogs start chiming in.  I said, "Wouldn't you like to go down there and see if you can find those frogs?"  Before Tim could reply, Mac (our Scottie) jumped up on him.  Mac was all smiling and wiggling and looking as if to say, "Yes!  I've been waiting for this!"  (Yes, I know, you had to be there.  Remember...pretending...)

3)  This isn't so funny - just a bit surprising.  A few months ago, Brett stepped on Bethany's hair straightener and broke it.  I had forgotten about it, because the expected fit thrown by Bethany didn't occur.  Months went by, and then Bethany asked if she could get a new hair straightener, since hers was broken.  I said, "Wow, that's pretty good.  Brett broke it so long ago, I forgot all about it."  She said, "What?"  I said, "It's been months since Brett stepped on it."  She said, "Oh, I thought I broke it from using it so much."  A fight with Brett, totally missed. 

Well, thankfully, one of her friends had told her about The World's Greatest Hair Straightener - a "Chi."  Turns out they're quite expensive.  Bethany's work, taking care of numerous cats for several months, paid for her new Chi.  It arrived a few days ago.  I haven't seen her this excited about something for years.  Her eyes shine when she talks about it - and she talks about it with everyone!   She actually takes care of it!  We'll see how long that lasts.

I do have to admit, it is a superior straightener.  I thought the other ones worked just fine.  Nope, no comparison.  The difference with this Chi is totally amazing.  Perfectly straight, shiny, soft hair, and it lasts all day.  So if you're ever in the market, think Chi.

Good news!  We checked on the Pennsylvania branch of the family.  They're doing pretty good.  There have been a couple of additions to the family, so naturally, they're asking for a couple more guns and Bibles.   We're  hoping to get this taken care of before their bitterness and anger become totally unmanageable.  Brother!  Clingy people are so demanding and irritating.

I took pictures of our newly potted flowers on April 1st.  I was noticing, as I made this layout, how they've already changed.  Yes, the squirrels and the dogs have found a number of them to be quite tasty.  Click photo to see a larger view.