Happy Birthday America!

Good Morning All;

As I come back on this morning, all is once again working quite well. (Hang on, I have to "knock on wood")... Even Flickr has uploaded my pictures without incident! (Nice Flickr)... And so without further adieu, I will try to have you all up~to~date in very short order!

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Kelli and Tim ready to go up on the roof!

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..."once a smart^$$, always a smart^$$...

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But that's OK, she gets the hot job; laying on the roof and working upside~down.

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While Roberta slaved away in the garden, (Her big toe as yet, UNinjured)!

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As she tries to hide behind the tiger lilys...

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Miss Punk and Mr. Miller hiding in the shade; being oddly quiet?

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Master Gabriel, bored, sets off to the woods all by himself!

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Then you all know what happened next to Bertas big toe... (She is such a klutz sometimes)! hehehe

CaseyAnne and Derek arrived with sandwiches for everyone! (Well, for everyone except Sewer~Mouth that is)...

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Derek having to share his sandwich with Mr. Miller!

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Derek had quickly stolen an old pair of earrings from the rummage sale items... And "Trouble" comes by the pair with those two...

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He looks SO funny!

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Monday came, and with Berta's little injury keeping her out of the garden; we all worked on rummage sale stuff. Still MOUNTAINS of bagged items to get through, but at least they are mostly sorted now...

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A sad toe...

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Compounded only by the hospital leaving the IV in her hand for more antibiotics...

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Master Gabriel playing with the price tags...

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...and yes, he put this on his forehead all by himself!

But I would think he is worth MUCH more than a quarter!

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Yesterday brought Roberta here on her way home from work to collect her little Escort, (assured to be all fixed by Mr. Ineptitude himself)...

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And also brought Berta sans vet wrap on her hand, but still in the boot

(as her big toe has gotten even bigger)! hehehe

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We took a little walk around (to check on the the safety of my blessed weeds)...

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She hides behind one of the trees she'd planted!

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Weeds and flowers all becoming "one"...

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Sadly, weeds and lawn also becoming "one"...

(I do promise to do something about this shortly)!

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Reunited!

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...and must leave to pick up Master Gabriel by 6PM...

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(As she struggles to make the "shift" from automatic back to 5 speed, and to also change from luxury to small car)! hehehe

...She had been driving the Buick Roadmaster since her Escort took sick...

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And so I have caught you all up on my news and pics... (Well, for the most part anyway)!

There was a bit of unintended hilarity 2 days ago. As it rained, (and me not wanting to go outside), gave the gun to Miss Casey as there was a gopher right out the back window... We opened the window, but as she took aim, she noticed the truck parked in the drive to the field. (Bad shot then, as there was someone standing right by that truck... She decided then to go outside)...

As quickly as she made that decision, she sees that migrant worker haul @$$ back into the pickup truck and quickly drive away...

HEHEHE...

What a hoot that was, as I can imagine what he might have been thinking, seeing the barrel of a gun sticking out one of my windows and taking aim...

(Yup, still laughing at THAT one)...

And so it was Miss Punks turn to get the gophers...

And she did!

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(OK, OK, so I admit we got these two a few days ago)...

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Still funny... Time for me to fly!

Have a glorious, grand and safe 4th!

XOXO
Anne

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How "Wise"...

Good Morning ALL!

Since the last time I have written, I have been busy. I have been frustrated. I have been happy. Sad. And everything inbetween too...

Guess that all means that I have been ALIVE!

Having been able to get online the other morning for a very short while, I did visit a few pages, insulted a few people, and just generally made the rounds...

Then came the agony of NOT being able to get back online, and when I did, I could not browse. Finally, after defragging yet again, and doing the cookie thing and all else, I gave in and made a call to Yahoo. The 1st guy, unable to do anything more for me than I had already done, finally put me through to a "level two" person. (And I sat on hold until I swore that my arm would fall off).

Finally, a "live" person picks up, and after the first sentence, we get disconnected... And I have this unbelievably sad dial tone in my ear.

She called me back momentarily... And I was on the line with her for 2+ hours. In the end, she said that it probably was something with my computer. I asked if that was the issue then why was Caseys laptop ALSO nonresponsive and unable to get online? So we went through it with her laptop too...

I do finally get online and each page takes a minimum of 10 minutes to load... I said heck with it; wondering if anyone has missed me, or if anyone has shared their own wisdoms and thoughts... I felt as though I was missing something major in my life... Even knowing it is a Holiday time and that some of you are not even around to be online...

But alls well that ends well. I am here. I am typing, and I need a bit of Sudafed. (Just be happy I am not writing phonetically this morning)! hehehe

A few residual problems here with respect to that day. My bookmarks do not work; nor can I even sign in to Flickr to upload a few photos for you. It will not even open that page for me to sign in with... Oh well. "TIME" will also cure that I am sure.

...And then you will be bombarded with pictures!!!

Sunday brought Roberta and Gabriel over; along with her friend Jessica... Roberta planted the last two trees I had saved. One for Gabriel. One for Lawrence too. Valeries and Isaiahs are on either side of the main driveway, both 8' maples that will grow strong... Just like themselves.

When Berta was done with those trees, everything seemed to happen at once...

Her mechanic showed up to (finally) fix her car and to replace the timing belt. (More on his ineptitude later)...

Kelli and Tim showed up to finish the roofing over the back entrance, bringing along Mr. Miller for Punkie to play with...

Casey and Derek came out, after stopping at Fleet Farm to pick up some extra supplies for us.

(It is these kinds of days that my yard begins to look like a Used Car Lot too)!

Roberta and I removed the grasses from by the sandbox so Master Gabriel could play without being tickled by the timothy stalks... I gave her my pitchfork so she might dig a few weeds out of the garden too. Master Gabriel, tiring of the sandbox, decided it was time to walk to the woods... And off he went...

Suddenly Roberta is saying for me to watch Gabriel for a minute while she sprints toward the house...

Why? She had put the pitchfork through her big toe.

Wrong thing to tell me about Master Gabriel, and I passed the buck off onto Jessica, (who had to make tracks to collect him, now 3/4's of the way to the woods by himself), and I went inside with Berta.

She would need a tetanus shot within the next 24 hours. And I cleaned it the best I could with the things I had here, mainly soap and water. (Roberta a bit hysterical while it was all happening too)... She did go in for her shot that evening, and they sent her home AFTER giving her IV antibiotics AND leaving the IV in her hand so she could return last night for another dose... She has a goofy shoe to wear, and her hand is wrapped in the vet wrap to protect the IV.

("Dr. Mom" has proclaimed that she WILL live)...

As for me, I did go back in to the dentist on Friday. UGH. And it actually got very interesting after they had done the xray to find where my mind~numbing pain was coming from... It was an extra wisdom tooth, and they had to remove it.

(WHAT??? I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth out about 25~30 years ago already)!!!

He said "It happens", that it was a wisdom tooth because it had those smaller roots and all. (personally I am thinking that those smaller roots just mean that there's more room for infection). I swear when that drains it tastes like a septic tank might... Just awful! No antibiotics either. But no more pain, except slightly, leftover from the infection, and gradually passing. No more tooth rubbing against the next one and not being able to get a piece of floss in there either. *Kinda proud of myself for sitting there, albeit WITH CaseyAnne, and letting him remove that tooth without having to be knocked out too! Less than ten minutes start to finish.

And NOW, I would like to order a whole new set of teeth! I am thinking that if a person can have extra wisdom teeth, then why not extra new ones all the way around?

The girls were here again yesterday and we got a whole bunch more stuff marked for my sale... The shed is very quickly filling, and I am making 'dents' with the things in the house too.

I am sure that most of you have plans for a Fantastic Fourth! I have none, and so must live vicariously through your own tales! hehehe Please tell me what your own exciting plans will be? Berta has to work, so Gabriel will be here (with Casey babysitting)...

Be safe, try to hang onto all of those fingers when you are setting off the fireworks...

Oh, and DO behave!

XOXO
Anne

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I Really HAVE Done a Few...

Sorry so late... and sorrier still that I do not have leftover minutes to be online and reading...

**This was in my inbox; and I shall "respectfully" submit them to you.**

We ALL need to SMILE, and have a bit of fun!!!

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Now go have a great afternoon!!!

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I double~dog~dare ya...

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~HOW TO CONFUSE PEOPLE~

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Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%,

extra dark,

17 inch paper,

99 copies.

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In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."

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Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."

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If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.

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Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.

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Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."

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Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."

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Practice making fax and modem noises.

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Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.

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Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.

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Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."

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Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.

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Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.

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Holler random numbers while someone is counting.

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Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."

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Staple pages in the middle of the page.

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Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.

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Honk and wave to strangers.

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Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.

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TYPE EVERYTHING ALL IN UPPERCASE

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type only in lowercase

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dont use any punctuation either

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Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.

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Repeat the following conversation a dozen times:

"DO YOU HEAR THAT?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now."

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As much as possible, skip rather than walk.

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Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin.

When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.

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Ask people what gender they are.

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While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.

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Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.

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Sing along at the opera.

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Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.

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Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

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Time for me to get outside, in accordance with the prophecy...

XOXO
Anne

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***Oh and DO let me know which one(s) you think I might have done! hehehe?

And, FESS UP to the ones that YOU have done too!

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."LIGHTBULB STOLEN FROM HERE

I Killed it. I Broke it...

So already this morning I have done a bit of mowing, pulled a few weeds, and done a bit of tilling....

Since it is not yet even 80 degrees, I would have done even MORE of that tilling; ...except for this.....

One VERY Dead Simplicity Tractor/Tiller...

....Do you suppose if I just leave it there that it could somehow be made invisible to the naked eye???

...Just a thought...

XOXO
Anne

PS Now would somebody PLEASE send me a very good looking, hard working, very available capable DENTIST? (Attributes do not have to be in that order of importance)...

...See, I broke one of those teeth things too...

Dang! What a day already!

I sure hope yours is much MUCH better!

.COUNTER: 000000000000000000000001

hehehe

Out Back~ Hot and Humid~ *UGH*

Good Morning All;

So busy, and Mother Nature doing her level best to cook us all too. Low 90's predicted for today... and I do wish they would be wrong about that...

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The blue haze in the background is humidity, not smoke...

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A bit of watering though, and the flowers LOVE the summer!

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As does the garden, (and it's ever~present weeds)! Grrrr....

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My Tiger~Lilys do not seem to mind the weeds, or the heat...

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Roberta has Sundays and Mondays off. Herself and Master Gabriel stopped in bright and early. (And of course she had to go stand in even MORE weeds)!

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The little blackbirds have left their nest in the old mailbox...

(Mama and Daddy blackbird are working on their 2nd batch of babies too)!

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Went down to Kelli and Tims last night; (and caught her "lawnmowers" in action in the backyard)!

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Breezie, May and the little kitty, PITA, (yes, it's an acronym)...

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Their place is always SO beautiful, even down by the pond...

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And right before he jumped in there, Mr. Miller had tried to cool off a bit...

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And to scratch his back too!

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I had left Miss Punk at home, as I can only imagine how upset she would be with the horses. But she doesn't mind because it is much cooler inside than outside. Not knowing what she does when I leave her home, I set up my little pocket recorder to hear what she did as I left.

Casey had a doctor appointment yesterday, and I had gone to town to meet her there. I turned on the recorder before I left. Checking it upon my return there was not a sound, save for the fan in the background. Happy she is calm when I go without here. I had stopped at Woodmans Market last week and had Punk in the car. I asked the guy by parcel pick up if I could park in the shade for just 5 minutes. He asked why? I told him I didn't want to leave Punk in the sun... Seeing her, he said "absolutely!" (Guess they got along famously while I ran in and got a few things too)!

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But back to Kellis... She has a huge tree in the backyard. it does not bear fruit or nuts, but it smells like a bit of heaven... Am thinking that perhaps one of you might know what kind of tree it is?

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Look closely ...even the butterflys love it!

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And of course there are things that pop up here too; (and some that I put in), that I do not know what they are...

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But I do know they are pretty!

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Aw heck, enough of this. And for those of you that wrote, I thank you for missing me too! Have been trying to catch up when I have a few minutes here. And am failing miserably with that, but still making a wee bit of progress none~the~less...

Time to fly...

I hope you are all comfortable at the very least... And do not overdo anything in this weather. I see Canada is even in the middle of the "oven" so no use to run away there either. I shall take a run to Sault Ste. Marie as soon as it cools off a bit! I miss it so...

Stay cool and try to have a grand Tuesday!

XOXO
Anne

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Just Two Things...

Good Morning All;

Hope your Saturday has begun in a lovely way!

Mine sure didn't...

And so I have just a few things to say...

THING #1

As I awoke this morning (about 4 hours ago), I realized quickly that the hand under me was not my own. Colder than my own hand as I reached to touch it. And when I moved, it did not move with me... Kind of a freaky thing when I KNOW I went to sleep alone... I rolled over quickly, and ran into the dog? What the heck. Checking again, the hand that was so nicely tucked under me really did come along with me. Yup, a dead hand. It didn't 'work' for quite a while. And I could not even feel it! But Casey did take me in for a shot yesterday, so I was definitely in my own little coma world when I fell to sleep...

THING #2

Do not ever EVER stop at a rummage sale when you have just gotten a shot of demerol. One has a tendency to forget about the recent injection when one wants to take a bicycle for a test ride.

Nuff said.

Have a great day!

XOXO
Anne

It's A/shame(d)...

Good Morning All;

What a very busy day I had... Worse~so for Casey as she had another dentist appointment. She has the sedation dentistry, (which didn't work all that well for her last time)... This time the Dr. changed her meds, and she came through with flying colors! She has one undescended, and crooked tooth that has yet to be removed, and has to go to an oral surgeon for that. The Dr. said that she can finish up everything then at that one appointment. She said that her, plus her nurse and assistant will just go with Casey that day as they do not do oral surgery at her clinic. Yay! I am so happy that this is finally all getting done for her!!! Remebering that she had to schedule her senior pictures early to have them done before she had that baby tooth out... It has been a long time happening for her, and she has been very patient with it all too.

This picture was taken exactly one year ago today. Miss Punk, almost 3 months old, waiting for me to get the mail. (Notice the very literal windsick behind her too)! hehehe

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"FEROCIOUS" (WELL~DEFINED)!!!

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After I had dropped Casey off for 7AM, I stopped at Petco Groomers to see if they might have any openings to get Miss Punkin in...

...They did...

...I had parked right in front of the door. Big mistake. As I walked out, Punk actually cried... Taking a peek as I got in the car, she was plastered half onto their counter, and I could see her shaking through the glass... (Reminded me of what some parents go through, bringing their child to that first day of kindergarten)... The only difference being that Punk has been there about 4 or 5 times already. (We really DO have to do something about this separation anxiety of hers)... But what?

In the meantime, since my Xanax was still working, I went to WalMart. Trying to find a very decent all in one CD player. Will have to maybe go to Best Buy for that now... But I did pick up a few necessities; (and yes, I forgot to get Punk her new pool)...

After the storm and the hail we received the other day, I dumped out that old pool. Something had commited suicide in it too. .

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not too sure what it is... ???

WHERE the heck are all these weird bugs coming from anyway???

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.When the storm hit, Punk and I were in the kitchen.

The hail came first. Shocked as I was when it hit, Punk had NO idea what that noise was. She actually growled, then hit the floor, spread~eagle style!!! She is such a little shy thing with those magical firsts. Quite funny to see. Nice to have the precip, but still must go out and check for damage all over.

After the storm ended Punk and I took a little walk....

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Yes I have some pretty high arches....

Being that we'd left so very early yesterday morning, I was beat by the time I finally got Casey home in the afternoon, (think the Xanax does that to me). Casey and I both napped. She was down a few hours ago, and had very little pain, thank God. .

Ran into my little man Isaiahs dad at Walmart- (he is store manager); and it should have come as no surprise that Jenne is not letting him even talk to his son. I do not know what is up with these 2 eldest daughters of mine... If any of you can possibly figure it out, please let me know. He said he had called down to Texas this past Sunday (Fathers Day), and he was not even allowed to talk to Isaiah. I am thinking that these 2 are very unwisely burning their bridges, and have no way to repair/replace them.

I have not ever felt shame for my own children in 30 years of trials and tribulations... And yes, there were plenty of those same trials... But no shame, before now that is.

I am ashamed for TTII. (Simply because they do not seem to have the sense to be ashamed of themselves).

Good. Bad. Or ugly; kids need to know their 'other' parent. Since I did not have the pleasure of having that other parent around when they were little, there was certainly NO denying visits, ever. Nor did I do that after Dennis and I divorced. (I never had to, these guys just simply divorced their kids too)...

So where does TTII get their ideas from now?

I have read more than a few of your own blogs, especially during these last two Mothers/Fathers Day months here... The general idea is that "children learn what they live"... (Know that I used to agree with that too). Just not anymore...

Oh, enough of this garbage... Time to get dressed and get outside... Soon anyway...

Speaking of garbage, it is friday... Must go roll my dumpster down...

Have a grand weekend!

XOXO
Anne

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Mulberry Bellys, and STINK!

Good Morning All!

I have been awake for the past couple of hours...

And very RUDELY awakened too.

...I had fallen to sleep on the couch once more, and was sound asleep when I heard Punkie begin to pace. This is that vague state of awareness that all mothers have when their babies make noise during the night. the awareness you have when you wonder if this is the real deal, or if they will go right back to sleep...

Miss Punk crawled onto the couch, licked my face. I was 'aware' that she had her face pressed to the window.

Then the bark came. Shrill. Loud in the dark of the night. Telling her to shush herself, she lay back down. A few minutes later came the warm, (no "HOT") penetration to my still sleeping nose.

"Permeation" is a better word...

Somewhere old Pepe~le~Pew had been wandering about in the night. And since I have not yet checked, I do not know if it is a matter of road kill, or if Miss Punk had startled the PEW right out of him... A very nasty way to wake up. (And in a manner that does not allow one to fall back to sleep either). It seemed to come in every window... I shall nap yet, because 2 and a half hours of sleep will not get me too far today.

Yesterday was a wonderful break from the hot and muggies. Our own high was about 69, with a nice breeze. (AND I didn't have to water my plants either)! Today should also be quite nice as I try to mow a bit more lawn. The trail to the woods is getting quite long...

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With Miss Punk actually losing the bottom of her legs in it all...

(She was being very impatient waiting for Mama Milly and myself).

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Shadows growing long too!

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But I cannot put these dogs off as they somehow KNOW that some of the mulberries are ripe already...

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The venison get the best of the 'reachables'...

(The dogs share with me)!

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And I knew we would have a problem as soon as Miss Milly began rolling in the grass under the tree; and Miss Punk decided to try to jump to catch a few of them. (Not a good thing for her to be doing with her backside bent out of shape)... Grabbing a branch and giving it a good shake kept those 2 occupied for about 5 seconds. After that I couldn't pick them fast enough.

There is a black walnut tree about 20 feet away, and another about 30 feet away. i always keep an eye on these fruits too because they are just so yummy! Looking up, I saw this...

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Perhaps some kind of fungus?

These things are about 2" long, 'shrimpish' in color, (and just plain wierd)!

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Speaking of funny colors, Miss Milly had a big old mulberry stain on her face!

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Oops, I guess I didn't upload that one... Mea culpa...

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And then the "Smiling Contest" between the two dogs seemed to begin...

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Miss Mama Milly with a HUGE smile...

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AND

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Little Miss Punk putting her best smile forward too!

(Sorry it's tipsy; the pic was shot from the hip)....

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Time then to head back home. Checking on my little weedpatch, I find this growing in the middle of the wildflowers...

Does anyone know what the big plant in the front is?

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I wish I was more botanically inclined and knowledgeable (sp) too...

(And I wish I knew how to spell that word)! hehehe

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Since I have forgotten how to spell, I believe I shall take that as my cue to go try to nap a bit more!

I hope you all have a grand Wednesday! (Leave comments silently please, I shall be fast asleep)!

ZZZzzzzzzzz.......

XOXO
Anne