skeet's stuff

Self Portrait Sunday for May 10, 2009

skeet — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:14:13 +0000

The plan was to spend the day having a hospital room picnic at my aunt’s bedside. She had surgery last Tuesday and a few complications afterwards. She’s feeling pretty good today and hoping to be released soon. I woke with a bit of a fever this morning, along with nausea and a splitting headache. I had a heat exhaustion episode while working in the yard yesterday, so that’s probably all that’s wrong with me. It didn’t seem prudent to expose Aunt Martha to anything, though, so I’ve stayed home “just in case.” Good day to catch up on laundry, webbby stuff and other chores. I’ll be getting a call from the kid sometime later today. He’ll wish me a Happy Mother’s Day and tell me that he’ll be mailing something special to me soon (his procrastination is one way you can tell he’s my son.) I’ve got numerous dogs and cats to keep me company while I stay busy and wait for my call. Hope you’re all having a wonderful Mother’s Day!

There’s still time for you to join in on the Self Portait Sunday fun. Take your own picture and put it on your blog. Then go post the link over at Midlife Musings. Cass hasn’t posted yet, but she’s Mom to eight wonderful kids, so she’s probably having a busy morning, don’t you think? When she gets time to update we can all visit with the other picture-takers and leave some more Mom’s Day wishes. We’d love to see your smiling face there!

Technorati Tags: meme, Mother’s Day 2009, Self Portrait Sunday

Backyard visitor

skeet — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:24:03 +0000

Just before sunset last night my cousin looked out the kitchen window and noticed that three of the cats were sitting in a circle staring at something just outside the fenced back yard. Three of the dogs were just inside the fence, focusing their gazes on the same area. We went out to investigate and found the fellow above, hissing and trying to strike at the cats.

Next door neighbor Tommy has a new handgun he’s been wanting to try out. It did the job. I may never walk outside again, at least until I get a good sturdy pair of snake boots!

Technorati Tags: outdoors, snake, moccasin, Texas outdoors, wildlife

Self Portrait Sunday for May 3, 2009

skeet — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:14:59 +0000

Yay me! I remembered Self Portrait Sunday while it’s still Sunday! I got up this morning & got dressed, hoping to meet up sometime today with my sister. Alas, she had to work, so I was all dressed up with no place to go. Just as well, because I needed a day to rest and recoup. I’ve been spending every day on the job hunt and that’s very wearing on body, mind and soul. I’m feeling rested and refreshed after a day of lazing around though, so I’ll be raring to go in the morning. Maybe tomorrow will be the day, hm?

Technorati Tags: photos, Self Portrait Sunday

Mystery flowers

skeet — Sat, 02 May 2009 23:21:26 +0000

Can anyone tell me what these flowers are? They sprang up spontaneously in my cousin’s yard a few years ago. When she saw their blooms she decided to transplant some into her garden and they’ve been thriving ever since.

They bloom in a variety of colors, from purest white to varying shades of pink and red. The blooms all grow out of the sturdy main stem rather than from little individual stems. The flowers are very delicate looking, much like hibiscus, but are much hardier. Hibiscus tend to wilt shorltly after cutting, whereas our mystery flowers stay bright and fresh in a vase.

I’m not familiar enough with the plants in this region (East Texas) to be able to identify our mystery blooms and my cousin doesn’t know either, so I’m hoping one of you will come to our rescue and tell us what these lovely flowers are.

Technorati Tags: gardening, flowers, mystery plants

Grey day

skeet — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:58:54 +0000

It’s dark and dreary today. We had a heavy storm overnight and are now enjoying a respite. I’ve just looked at the local weather radar and see that the bigger part of the storm system is still headed our way. (I’m close to Ennis on the map above. The storm is southwest of us and moving in a northeasterly direction.)

We’re so far out in the country that I can’t get any cell phone reception. I can see that I have voicemail messages waiting, but when I try to access them I get the same message every time - “searching for signal.” Since I’m still job-hunting I need to be able to respond to messages promptly, so I took my life in my hands this morning and went for a drive, heading in the direction of the nearest cell tower. I thought for a few minutes that I wouldn’t be able to get out of the driveway. It was hardpack dirt yesterday. Today it’s soup. I had to do some fancy maneuvering to get up the slope to the gravel part of the driveway, but had clear sailing after that.

About fifteen minutes away from the house I pulled over to the side of the road and called my voicemail again. I had three messages, but, alas - none was a job offer. I’ve applied for over thirty jobs in the last two weeks and had eight face-to-face interviews, but the search goes on. Maybe this week. Maybe after the storm clouds blow away they’ll leave their silver lining behind.

Technorati Tags: job search, Kaufman County, Texas, storm

I met Laurie Pooh!

skeet — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:48:25 +0000

One of the bonuses of having online friends is that we sometimes get to meet in real life. Today I met Laurie Pooh. She lives up to her name - very huggable like a Pooh Bear! And yes - her eyes really are that blue!

We had a delightful time over Cajun Food, but both of us thought my Dirty Rice tasted sorta, kinda TexMex - go figure! I’m not going to say it was bad, but I know Dirty Rice and this stuff wasn’t it. Maybe they think Texas appetites wouldn’t know the difference, ya think?

Laurie didn’t come empty-handed. She brought me a “Welcome to Texas” goody bag. Isn’t she a sweetheart? That tee-shirt is important, so pay attention. Each year Laurie participates in the Dallas Breast Cancer 3-Day, a fundraising effort in support of Susan G. Koman For the Cure. Her readers (and some of mine) supported her last year and I hope you’ll do the same again this year. She’s having a major fundraiser on Thursday, April 16th and you’ll enjoy helping her out. If you live in the area, just go to On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina on State Highway 121 in McKinney for dinner that night and you’ll be supporting this great cause. The restaurant is donating a portion of their proceeds that night, so all you have to do is show up and eat. And hey - go early. The first 25 diners to show up with Laurie’s flyer (just ask - she’ll get you one!) will also get a goody bag. You already know Laurie does great gifts so go and get you some!

Technorati Tags: friends, fundraisers, Laurie, Laurie Pooh, lunch, Susan G Koman for the Cure

You’ve asked about Lance

skeet — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:06:53 +0000

Mahalo to all of you who have asked how Lance is doing. He tolerated the flight from Honolulu to Dallas well, though he was a little subdued for a few days afterwards. His weight-loss continued for the first week or so that we were here, but I think he’s actually gaining a little of it back now. It’s taken a while to find a routine that works. He was having digestive upsets after most feedings and losing all of the food. Now I’m feeding him three or four small meals a day & that seems to work. I’m assuming that the liver tumor is causing the tummy troubles.

We’re staying with my cousin, who has five dogs and five cats. I think that helped Lance come out of his funk because he’s a very social critter. He can’t have any unsupervised social time with the other animals out in the fenced yard because he’s too rough in his play with the cats. He does well with all of them as long as there are folks around to calm him down when he gets a little overly-enthusiastic. He and Rock seem to be forming a special bond. Rock joins us on most of the walks we take each day.

When Rock finds the perfect patch of sun, he’s ready for a nap. Lance always seems hesitant to continue our walks without him, as if he thinks he should stand guard while Rock snoozes.

There’s ample reason to be on alert. The yard is full of coyote tracks each morning. Beagles are scent hounds, of course, and Lance is using his natural instincts each time we walk, whether in the yard or in the woods out back. He gets excited at the cottontails we startle from the underbrush and wants to give chase. I’ve seen a few snakes, but never when Lance was with me, so I don’t know yet how he’ll react to them. I’d be happy if we never find out! There are also raccoons, opossums and other critters nearby, but I haven’t come across their evidence yet. It’s the coyotes and rabbits that leave the most signs.

Mind you, I haven’t actually seen a coyote yet. The size of their footprints compared to the size of Lance’s paw have convinced me that knowing about them without meeting them is perfectly acceptable! I haven’t had any occasion to venture far from the house in the dark. Since the coyotes seem to rule the nights around here, I can’t imagine that anything short of a roaring house fire would persuade me to do so.

All-in-all Lance is doing very well for a dog with two serious health conditions. He’s adapted well to his new environment and seems contented. There’s one thing that hasn’t changed at all. Wherever I am is where he wants to be. You can’t see my foot under the quilt rubbing his belly, but he knows it’s there. I think he’d like it best if we stayed just like this, all day every day!

Technorati Tags: beagle, cat, country living, coyote, Lance, Rock

Self Portrait Sunday for March 29, 2009

skeet — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:02:02 +0000

Not the greatest picture, but I wanted to show off my great-niece, Lily. Today was the second time I’ve been with her. The first time she wanted nothing to do with me. Today she let me feed her then decided I was okay for lap time. She doesn’t take well to strangers, so I’m happy with the progress. We’re getting there!

Join us each week at Midlife Musings and see who else takes their own picture for Self Portrait Sunday.

Technorati Tags: baby, Lily, meme, photo, self portrait

Self Portrait Sunday for March 22, 2009

skeet — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:33:21 +0000

Yes, I’m as tired as I look. I was burning leaves until the sun went down. I took my photo right after I came in, which was right before I took a nice long shower. I’m feeling refreshed and a lot less gritty and smokey, but no less tired. I’m a little wired up, though, so maybe I’ll watch some TV before I go to bed. Is there anything on at (checking clock) 9:30 on a Sunday night? I miss Iron Chef, but cousin Kim doesn’t get cable channels. She had a dish & realized she was rarely watching anything other than networks so she had the service cancelled. Missing my regular TV shows is a small price to pay, considering the level of hospitality she’s offered, so I don’t mind doing without it for a while. I sold my TV a few days before I moved. I’ll probably get a new plasma screen set for the new place, one that will go on the wall or maybe on a nice plasma mount. Have to get the house sold first and then buy a new one, of course, but I’ll be buying quite a few new things for my home once everything settles down. Someday soon, I hope!

Gah! Must be tirder than I thought. I hit “publish” before reminding you to visit all of the Self Portrait Sunday folks over at Cass’s place!

Technorati Tags: meme, self portrait

Back with family

skeet — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:39:57 +0000

Care to take a guess who’s the youngest of the siblings? Wrong! That old man is my baby brother. No one is sure why he keeps maturing while I stay so young and good looking. Lady Clarirol and a good moisturizer, I suppose. Still, no matter what our ages, we’ve never been able to deny a familial relationship and I’m thinking we never will. When we were younger everyone thought that my older brother and I held the strongest resemblance among the sibs. Older brother is gone now, but Steve and I seem to look more alike as the years go by.

Technorati Tags: brothers, family, family resemblance, siblings