What a Weekend!

I've decided it's either food poison or swine flu that brought me down this weekend. Friday afternoon I started with the chills and things went down hill from there. I tore the house apart looking for immodium and finally found the bottle with 1 pill left in it. Any relief will be welcome... Just to top things off I broke out in hives last night.

I hope things are going better with your weekend - I'm going back to bed......

Is Summer Over?

Yesterday I went out to survey all the work that the tree service had done and was shocked to see on of the neighbors' trees almost entirely yellow. This morning I noticed the hibiscus hedge has joined the color chorus and has shades of yellow running from one end to the other. The same for quite a few trees around the neighborhood. Almost two months early! Last summer was a cooler one and I we had a bad winter. This year it has been even cooler - I better load up my basement with groceries because I might not be getting out until spring......

A very busy morning

I just finished breakfast and it's noon - does that give you any idea of what my morning was like? The tree surgeon showed up before dawn and started in - several large branches had to come down, including stuff that had grown into the power lines. While he was here he also took out a large shrub at the end of the driveway that was blocking the way in and out. Every neighbor within a mile radius had to come and gawk, wave, and stop to chat. I've met more people in one morning than I have in the 4 full years I've been living here.

When the workmen left with the first load of branches I brought out Gertie. She got lots of ooh's and ahh's. The lady next door fell in love with her, said it reminded her of her first dog. Gertie loved being the center of all that attention.

Things have finally calmed down a bit and everyone has gone, Gertie and I are definitely taking a little nap this afternoon.....

How Clean is Your House

I love that program - it's on BBC America. Every time I want to just let things go I watch that show and I'm right back to scrubbing. Sunday I worked on mini-blinds. Whoever came up with that concept was just sadistic. If I could reach the top of the windows to take them down I'd soak them in the tup like the ladies from How Clean is Your House tell you to do. As it is, I'm using my swiffer duster.

Last night I plopped down in my chair and thought I really should straighten up the front room a bit but decided to turn on television instead. Have you seen the show Hoarders. OMG, I turned off the television and started cleaning immediately! All clutter dispersed and things are looking much better today.

Gertie and I have been chasing flies today. Each time I open the door to let her out a new fly seems to find its way in. So today we've been tracking them down - currently Gertie has caught 2, I've gotten 3. There seems to be just two left buzzing around. Of course she's jumping to catch them - I'm using my froggy fly swatter....

Weekend Dog Blogging

Gertie
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino

It was nice and bright today so I was able to get a pretty good picture of Gertie using my computer's camera. She's looking awful surprised because of this little object following her around, especially since she wanted to play with her ball instead.

Gertie and I went for a ride today. I've been trying to get her to be comfortable hopping in and out and riding around. She's gotten a lot better with willing to jump in the car, but she wants to sit in the driver's seat. A little coaxing and over to the passenger seat she'll go. We went to CVS so I could pick up my prescriptions. They had new people there and they weren't very dog friendly (or people friendly for that matter!) so she didn't get a treat. I think that's the first drive-thru window that she came away disappointed and she didn't handle it well at all. She made sure they knew she was disappointed, whining at the top of her lungs at them. Back home I made sure she got a small treat and she was happy with that.

It's a beautiful day here at Frog Central - the temps this afternoon just topped 70 degrees - nice and cool. A great day to have windows open and the air conditioning off. Also a great day for Gertie to play outside.

Friday Already

This week has flown right by. Yesterday I went out to do some window shopping but did not find anything exciting. We have a couple resale shops here in town and I'm hunting for either a new recliner or a small sofa. Everything was too low - if I sat on it I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get up!

Gertie has had a pretty good week too. She's taken a renewed interest in the bird - in that she wants to eat it! Poor Petey has been allowed out of the cage because Gertie gets too excited and tries to climb me to get at the bird. Petey almost became lunch the last time she was out and I don't want to see a repeat performance of that fiasco.

So I was made to feel rather old this morning - I received an e-mail outlining the 30th class reunion taking place this year. Yikes! 30 Years! I think this old man needs to go take a nap.....

Wednesday Evening And Dinner is Cooking

I've got about 15 minutes before dinner is finished cooking. I put the chicken marinade on last night and let it set until about an hour ago - it smells wonderful. It's a good thing that I put it together last night and only had to shove it in the oven today because I can barely move. A couple days of heavy cleaning and yesterday afternoon I ran out and did a number of errands, including a bit of shopping at the local IGA, finally took it's toll. I think the fact that it's been raining since last night didn't help either.

Gertie has been very sympathetic. She crawled into my lap this morning and curled up and was content to lay there. This afternoon she crawled up into my arms and put her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. If nothing else I must be a comfortable pillow! LOL

The dinner bell is ready to ring and I'm going to go enjoy some honey mustard curry chicken - yummy.

Pre-Fall Cleaning

It's too late to call it Spring cleaning, and kind of late in the season to call it Summer, so I'll go with pre-fall. The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of activity here at Frog Central. Things are getting a good scrub from ceiling to floor, and I must say things are starting to look a bit better. I'm sure it will take this whole week to make it through the entire house, but I'm determined.

I forgot to marinate the chicken last night, so I've got it together tonight for tomorrow. It's a really good recipe - honey mustard curry chicken - yummy! Tonight I'm going to probably end up with canned soup.

It's been really hot here - up into the 90's. So it's been nice to stay inside with the air conditioning. Even Gertie, who loves the outside, only does what she has to and runs right back into the house. I've got a couple errands to run and the last thing I want to do is go out there to do them - even with air conditioning in the car! Maybe after a nap......

National Relaxation Day

Today is National Relaxation Day - hope you get a chance to put your feet up, unplug, and unwind.......

Today it was the internet

The other day the power was down for the majority of the day - today it was the cable and internet access. Today's paper said that the power went out because of work being done at one of the power substations. They shut it down to work on and rerouted power around it - when they went to turn it back on, they blew the whole system out. Apparently it's something they'll be working on for the next couple of months and they wanted everyone to know that it may happen again. I wish I had a whole house generator that automatically kicks in when the electricity goes out.

Today the power went down at wherever they have all the switches for the cable and internet access. And apparently they forgot to tell the guy that fixes it. He was apparently sitting there twiddling his thumbs wishing he had something to do while the cable is down for the whole town. It's kind of scary that they also run a local telephone exchange - communication doesn't seem to be their strong suit.

My toe is feeling better but I'm going to lose the toenail. Oh well, wouldn't be the first time. I think I'll be good enough to get out and do some grocery shopping tomorrow. I am in desperate need of fresh fruit and vegetables. And fresh batteries for my camera so I can get a picture of Gertie up for the weekend.

The Power is Back On

Yesterday, about mid-morning we lost power here at Frog Central. Indeed quite a bit of Tidy Town lost power. It was off for the majority of the day yesterday and then was spotty for quite a while after that. The power was off when I finally gave up trying to watch television and went to bed. This morning everything was back on and all my clocks were blinking, ready to be reset.

Today was the Children's Miracle Network at DQ - so I just got back from getting a blizzard treat for charity. It's a tasty way to do philanthropy.

One Stubbed Toe

I seem to stub my toes all the time and never really think anything about it (other than hopping around for 10 minutes). So yesterday when I stubbed my toe I ouched a bit (didn't you see the news that said swearing takes the pain away!) but then went on about my business. I walked through the living room to the kitchen then realized I forgot to bring my glass with me and turned around to get it - it was then I had a vision of that commercial where the painter walks out mad, "his red shoe leading the way" come to life. I saw bloody footprints across the floor. I then looked down to see my foot covered in blood. Good thing I didn't pass out - which I have been known to do when I see blood. Once I got everything cleaned up I realized that when I stubbed my toe I had ripped the nail all the way up and almost all the way off. Alright, then I almost passed out when I saw that.

A couple hours later with the blood letting over and getting over how much my toe really hurt - once I saw how bad it looked - I got up to get my glass of water, which was my original task and yes, you guess it, I immediately stubbed the same toe. Later Gertie ran in to it. I rolled over in the night and woke up screaming. Basically, I'm hopping around today on one foot. All errands put on hold because there is no way I can put a shoe on at the moment.

I will admit that I'm waking much more carefully today....

BBQ

I just got back from a barbeque held by the local emergency squads. We have an all volunteer force here in Flora and once a year they have a BBQ fundraiser to help buy equipment they need. I was surprised that it was so poorly attended. I think it might be because it is so darn hot! The temps are running right near 100 with a heat index over 100. I'm glad to be back in the air conditioning! This was only the second barbeque that I've been to this year. They just haven't been as abundant as in previous years.

Weekend Dog Blogging

I happened to realize that I have a camera on my computer and thought I'd give it a try. The picture didn't come out too bad at all. And it gave Gertie reason to stare at the computer - something she loves doing.

A Lazy Saturday

I'm enjoying a lazy Saturday with Gertie. We're playing with her newest squeaker toy - a turtle. When I received my fruits and nuts this last week for the fruitcake - the place had sent a stuffed elephant - their mascot. Gertie thought sure she have that elephant at any cost, but it really wasn't dog friendly and I'm sure would have been torn apart in two minutes. I had the turtle from the last purchases I made for her and had kept it back for just such an occasion. She forgot all about the elephant and loves to play with the turtle.

I went to take a picture of Gertie yesterday to put up an the brand new batteries I had put in are dead. Ugh! They're expensive, and to think I only took about 6 pictures with them did not go over well. So I've got batteries on the list for the store again this week.

I woke up this morning - yes, I slept last night, thank goodness - and my toothache was gone. Hallelujah! The last two days were spent in a fog from the Vicadin. While it takes the pain away I hate the daze it causes.

The weather here has turned really bad this weekend. The temps today are hovering right around 100 with heat indexes up to 105. Heat warnings are up and I know just from opening the door to let Gertie out to do her business that a wall of hot and humid air hits you and takes your breath away. Thank goodness I have cooked enough ahead that I won't have to cook at all this weekend. Just some microwave warm-ups. Well, I'm off to play a bit with Gertie and then I think we'll retire for a siesta......

Toothache

The worst pain is a toothache and last night I laid down with a doosey. Today I'm going on about 10 minutes of sleep as a result. A whiskey mouthwash this morning has eased the pain a bit. I think today is going to be a soft foods day.....

Yesterday I spent the day in the kitchen. I made pancakes for breakfast, a pork roast for lunch, and a nice big salad for dinner. Between cooking and cleaning up (and Gertie mopping up floor spills) I was exhausted by the time I sat down to watch a little television last night.

I think I'm going to go have another whiskey mouthwash and lay down for a nap......

You Can't Flush Rawhide

Yesterday afternoon Gertie was settled with her rawhide treat and I thought a perfect time to get 2 minutes to myself. No such luck as I felt her nose on my leg as I walked to the bathroom. Now Gertie has this fun little thing she does with her treats and toys where she flicks them into the air and then chases after them. Shadow used to do the same thing. You can see where I'm going with this. Just as I lifted the lid on the toilet Gertie chose that moment to flip her rawhide treat. Kerplunk! It landed in the toilet. My first thought was to just hit the flush, but I'm sure it not only wouldn't go down, but would be a very expensive plumbing bill. The next thought was how do I get it out. The toilet bowl brush got it to the lip and with a paper towel I was able to get it into the trash. Gertie couldn't understand why I didn't give it back to her! LOL A new rawhide treat and a closed bathroom door served us both well after that.

The weatherman said that summer has returned and indeed it has with a vengance. We were under the threat of major storms and possible tornado activity all day yesterday. The heat has returned - we're in the 90's every day this week and possible 100 for the weekend. Hazy, hot, and humid! Thank goodness for central air.

I received the last of the fruit for my fruitcake yesterday and I am looking forward to getting started. Now all I have to do is check the liquor supply........

Grocery Shopping

Spent the morning at the grocery store getting some of the basics. My knee wasn't cooperating so it took a bit longer than I would have hoped. By the time I got home I didn't think I was going to be able to make it back inside. Gertie helped me put the groceries away - well, she poked her nose in every bag to be sure I got everything she needed. I had bought her some new treats - Old Roy chew sticks. Gertie is fun to watch with a new treat because she isn't sure what she should do with it at first. She nudged and nudged the treat and finally gave it a try - next thing I know she's chewing with gusto and soon it was gone.

I had to take a nap this afternoon and get my leg up - that and a pain killer helped with the pain a bit. I'm still hobbling but able to get around the house. And I've got my walker to hang on so if my knee gives out I can hop to a chair.

I received half of the fruits I need for my fruitcake - the rest should be here tomorrow and then I can start getting things together and soaking in some alcohol. Yummy!

Guess it's time to go make a salad and enjoy some evening television......

A Good Weekend

Gertie and I have been enjoying the weekend. It's been a bit cooler and rained a little last night, but all in all, we've been having a good time. The lawn guy showed up yesterday and I spent quite a bit of time outside with him working on getting the flower beds cleaned up a bit. Everything looks pretty good now. The only thing left to do is work on pruning the hibiscus hedge. They've gotten so tall they're interfering with the wires and need to be trimmed down to a more respectable height.

Gertie has had fun with her lawn cut - it's better for doing her business. That business includes chasing rabbits - they seem to be pretty plentiful this year after a couple years absence. A huge katydid type bug landed in the grass next to her and she had great fun with it - tying to eat it - while I had a canniption fit screaming at her to drop it, which she finally did.

Tomorrow I'm off to the grocery store to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables. For the tonight I'm going to go watch Merlin and then The Next Design Star - two pretty good programs.