Update...

Guess I ought to give you all an update on Missy's snake bite. She is doing better each day. Her ability to move her finger is almost back to normal and no, it's not the one she flips at me, if she would ever do anything like that.. It's the ring finger of her right hand. The bruising is going away finally. The snake only got her with one fang on the ring finger of her right hand next to where the pinkie lays, between the first and second joint. Her second joint swelled (swolled=Okie) up about 4 times normal. We weren't sure that it wasn't going to burst open at any moment. It was so swollen that her finger was weeping sera out of the pores along the top of her finger. But the doctors and nurses watched her carefully through the night and determined that it was safe to bring her home, but if there was any more swelling, pain and/or fever I was to get her back to the ER, so she got watched a lot at home also. I know that she is feeling better because she announced this evening that she is going Friday to Noble's City Wide Garage sale and if anyone else wants to go she is leaving at 8 a.m. and that's that!!

Thank you Lord for the small miracles in our life.

Keep it between the lines and stay cool. This heat is dangerous.

SNAKE !!!

I guess I'm one of those people that kind of diddy-bop through life with my head in the clouds or in the place where the sun never shines, but I've never really worried about snakes. When I was a child I dreamed about rattlesnakes, a lot, but that's for another day. When I was much younger than I am now, I worked out in the oil patch down in southern Oklahoma, but that, too, is another story for another day. Yesterday it really came home to me about snakes. I have to say that I have piddled around all of this 3 acres and the only time I've seen a snake was when I was mowing on the riding mower. I go out with my girls and we play ball and we weed and we garden and a lot of the time I'm barefoot with no gloves on. If I see grass or weeds in the flower bed I pull 'em. Never a thought about it. Yesterday my roommate and I had been out pulling up grass around one of the flower beds and after 45 minutes or so we came in for a break and a cool down. I was messing on the computer and she went out to do
some more and in about two minutes was back at the front door and said, "I need your help." So I went out and she said "a snake bit me and I think you should see if you can find it." No panic, no problem. So I followed her out (did I mention that she was in her motorized wheelchair?) and she showed me where she had been digging out grass. I poked around and couldn't see anything and after a couple of minutes told her that I'd try to find it, but I thought we ought to go to the ER now because it takes 25-30 minutes to drive in. By the time we get to the ER, her finger is swelling pretty good and it is hurting like a big dog. It probably would have been hurting more than she realized if her back hadn't started spazzing really, really bad on the way in and that took her mind off the snake bite... I'm talking worse than I've seen her back grab her in over 20 years. Anyway, we got into the room and the doc comes in and makes all these marks on her hand to where the swelling is at that point and asks if we know what kind of snake got her. Of course neither of us did and he says that from the swelling and all he'd bet it was a poisonous snake. Okay, we can deal with that... she's in the hospital where they can take care of her. He decided after a couple of hours that he wanted her to stay and be observed overnight, which is also okay because he's pushed a lot of muscle relaxers and pain drugs into her iv and I figure she will sleep for the next couple of hours or weeks. I drove back to get her some things for overnight and decided that I needed to try to find 'the snake'. Here sister took the bag back in to town to the hospital and I go poking around (after I put on shoes and heavy gloves) digging around where she was earlier. By this time it's 100 degrees out so I'd dig and pull grass some and take a break, cool down and go back out and dig some more. Her sister got back as I was going out the third time and did not volunteer to come help me, but that's okay too because I didn't want to run over her jumping up if I find the little bugger and sure enough, the third time was the charm. I found it. Being a city girl I had no idea what kind it was when I saw it so I got the scoop out of the box where I keep the birdseed and managed to get it into it, twice. He jumped out once and the next time I covered it up with my digging tool and headed to the house... then realized I couldn't open the door without taking a chance on losing it, the snake, I mean, because I was holding the scoop with one hand and the digging tool with the other. I knocked on the sister's window, scaring her because she knew what I was doing and she was afraid it had gotten me also. Nope... just bring me something with a lid on it so I can call the hospital and see if they want me to bring it to them to identify. I got the snake contained, called the hospital and they didn't know what to do so the nurse was going to ask the doctor and call me back. While I waited I went looking, googled Oklahom snakes and as soon as I clicked on this picture -

http://www.oksnakes.org/index.cfm?snakeID=8&venomous=0&patterned=1&striped=0&solid=0&all=0


her sister and I both said "that's it!!!" A western pygmy rattlesnake, a baby because it didn't have any rattles yet. I called the hospital and told the nurse. She didn't know if the doc wanted to see it yet so I told her I'd put it in the freezer and put it to sleep and if the doc wanted it he could call.

I got Missy out of the hospital this morning. They didn't have to administer anti-venom which is a good thing because they say it makes you sicker than a dog... and you can put money on it that I won't be going out barefoot and pulling grass willy-nilly without my heavy gloves on again, because, as my brother put it, where there's smoke there's fire and snakes don't birth one baby at a time. When we got home I pulled the snake out of the freezer and made her look at it and sure enough it was the same one she saw after she got bit... or it's twin (or triplet or ???). But any way you look at it, it's one less venomous snake on our place and, no, Missy didn't want me to try to fry up rattlesnake for her...

Home...

I don't know about the rest of you, but there's always been certain landmarks that hold meanings for me. When I drive home from Texas and see this particular view, it means, more than any other scenery, I'm almost home. I know, I know... I cross the Red River, the border between Texas and Oklahoma, and that, too, is an indicator, but this particular area has always defined "home", and I find my foot a little heavier on the gas and a little more anxious to get home and get back to my furbabies, my flowers and my garden.

Well, I'm home, the babies were very excited to see me and I'm back in touch with the land... digging potatoes, onions, picking tomatoes,weeding, watering and mowing and it was 100 degrees out yesterday and is supposed to get to 101 today... Whew. If I ever win the lottery I'll get a small tractor with an air conditioner... among other things. Crap, I've got to remember to buy the dang lottery tickets.

Stay cool...

A Cat's Tale...(or Tail)

You've heard me refer to my brothers as having as warped a sense of humor as I have... I thought it was time for an introduction and an example of familial weirdness.

The instigator, the guy behind the camera, my baby brother... The innocent bystander, his wife and the mother to the kitty babies we are going to visit in this blog today.















This is the incentive. We call her Dot. She is a laser point.















This is the perpetrator, Molly, a Maine Coon kitty approximately 4 months old.





















This is Samson, the cat from Hell, the bedeviler of Dallas, a wonderful black lab that has gone over the rainbow bridge. Sam would jump on him, bite him and generally just drive the poor old man to distraction. Dallas asked God to send someone to be his payback to Samson.

















My brother, while entertaining us all with Molly chasing Dot, decided to see what she would do if Dot was on Sam... this is the first hit...

















Next thing you know Molly jumps on Sam and the wrestling match was on. Check out the teeth at the top of the photo...

















Miss Molly, satisfied that her job is done, licks her chops and settles for, oh, maybe a minute..
















Okay, Pop, I've rested... Got another assignment for me? I'm ready to go again.















God did good...

This tale (or tail) will, I'm sure, re-visit us from time to time...coinciding with my Ft. Worth visits.

Hug you children a lot, be they 2 legged or 4 legged, furry or not.

Have a good weekend.

Meandering Along...

I drove to Big D on Saturday to visit my school friend. I figured since it was a Saturday and mid-day when I got there that traffic would be no problem.... but then I've always been such an optimist that I'm considered in some areas of the world extremely naive. I was clocking along, traffic was moving smooth and I thought, hey, no problemo. About 3 miles from my exit that all changed. I was leery of exiting the highway because it's been years since I did any driving in Dallas and don't remember back roads and short cuts. So I'm sitting in traffic, moving, oh, maybe 2 miles an hour... gotta go like a race horse on diuretics and my truck starts getting hot enough that the a/c says NO MAS. I had to turn off the a/c and open the windows and it was only 101 according to the temperature sign on one of the big buildings. I decided that I'd have to exit and while in line waiting to exit, the dang traffic started to move on out. Wouldn't ya know.... I jumped back on the freeway an was at my friend's in no time. Never did figure out what was the problem. While I had a really good visit, good food, a swim and lots of talk and laughter... I still hate driving in Dallas, but I will do it again someday for another visit.

Rejection Dejection...

I get so frustrated when my body rejects me. I was going to leave today to go visit a friend in Big D (the place I hate to drive in) and then go to Fort Worth to see family for a few days. I had running around I had to do yesterday, from pillar to post on the map, and was in the dang car driving for what seemed like hours....(7, I think) and I'm so wiped out I had to postpone my trip for a day. Fibromyalgia sucks big time. I know there could be a lot worse things to have to deal with, but this one is mine and I get angry, frustrated and depressed when my body says no more, thank you very much, but you have to lay it down. For all my life I've done pretty much anything I've wanted to do physically. I could go to work and come home and repaint the house, mow the lawn, weed eat and clean up, get up and do it again the next day. Now driving all over hell and half of Oklahoma puts me down for at least a day. Crap. I hate it, it sucks and now on to other and better things...

One of the reasons for going to visit down south, other than the fact that I also have to deal with withdrawal from my funny and slightly off the bubble sibs, is I'm going to help my baby Bro put tile on the walls of the shower in the master bath at their home. I love to do stuff like that, demo stuff and make it better than before. I don't claim to be a decorator, but I know what looks good to me and since he was born on my 3rd birthday (a Friday the 13th), I know what looks good to him and I feel like I can contribute to making something better for him and his wife. Other than that, we'll just hang out and laugh and enjoy each others company, maybe go see our oldest brother and get some coneflowers from my middle brother before I come home. Sis, I don't know if I'll make it out west this trip, but will talk to you at least.

But rest assured, I'm taking my 'puter with me so if I have any flashes of enlightenment, hilarity or bitchin'... I can pass it on...

That's all folks...

My most precious Chloe Pearl...

Let me introduce you to the Lady of the Manor... Chloe Pearl... Chloe was born on Jan. 1st, 2000. I had lost my beloved Sophie, a black miniature schnauzer, due to a freak accident a year before and a friend had been telling me that his mini-schnauzer was expecting... I just kept telling him I wasn't ready yet, my heart was still aching. About a week or 10 days after Midge (Chloe's mom) had whelped the puppies, Jerry e-mailed me photos of the litter of 5. I wrote him back and said I don't think so. Three more weeks passed, another e-mail... photos and description of each individual puppy. When I saw the photo of the only girl in the litter of 5 puppies I told my roommate that she looked like a Chloe. The next Saturday she was doing some work at the office and she called and said you need to get up here... It was only about 5 minutes from the house and when I got there, Jerry had Midge and the pups playing out in the grassy area in front of the frame shop. Needless to say I saw her and I was done for... she went back home with me. She is quite the calm lady, the matriarch when necessary with SueSue, and one of the most laid back dogs I've ever had...except for her voice. She can fry your eardrums when she starts barking. She never has quite gotten the concept of "little voice". It is her job to alert us if anyone opens the gate, drives by on the road or if that damn gnat farts a quarter of a mile away, and she, by God, is going to do her job. It is the only thing that keeps her from being pretty near perfect, but I think that would have been a pretty big burden for a little dog to carry.

Here's a few more shots of Miss Precious, Chloe Pearl...




What more could you want? I'm here...



Mom got me a baby... silly name, SueSue Marie...





Do I look like I want to play right now?



The inspector...


I'm learning about posting the photos, now if I can figure out how to get this stupid underline off I will have learned something else this week. I don't know how I got it on, and I don't know how to get it off, but I'm going to go ahead and post this and then I'll work on it. Dang this stuff is hard on an old, technologically challenged woman.

Later, y'all...

It's a skunk thing...

I've been trying to think of a good description for my blog and, suddenly, it came to me... I like to play the "devil's advocate". All that means is that I enjoy offering alternative scenarios to different comments, theories and the like, and I especially enjoy doing this with my brothers, because they are mostly as weird as I am, and close friends that enjoy verbal sparring...

To clarify...one of our good friends lived in the country and there were periods of time, usually spring, when we would go to visit that we would see what seemed to be an unusual amount of road-kill, particularly possums and skunks, on the two laned, no shouldered country roads. Now, our friend (who is a retired art teacher) and I both have enjoyed skunk memorabilia and spirited conversations at times and we started discussing the abundance of carcasses on the road. I, of course, had to ask if she, or anyone else in the conversation, thought that where you ran over the skunk mattered as to how bad your car would smell after hitting one, i.e. if you ran over it's head would your vehicle get the full aromatic spray treatment, or if you ran over it's butt would it seal it's little blow hole before it had a chance to spray?.... Or.... if you were the 2nd or 3rd or 75th that hit it before the vultures had a chance to clean up the mess and you hit it a little further up on it's back, would you still be able to escape the pervading skunk odor. We continued with various aspects of this discussion, and we both managed to stretch it out to a number of other theories to the point that now, anytime I get into a discussion where I, or a brother or a friend, start to offer up other aspects for discussions or possibilities, my roommate (who is also a retired teacher) just shakes her head and states, "This is a skunk thing."

So if you've stopped by and see in my blog the statement "it's a skunk thing" you now will know that I'm referring to something that has been stretched out into the totally idiotic realm of possibility.... kind of like this blog.

Stay cool...

Heeeeerrrrreeeee's SueSue...

This is my SueSue as a wee one. She didn't want to be far from mom when she got sleepy. Chloe was always close by (see pup foot) in case she woke up and wanted to play. The reason I decided to write first about SueSue, she's our almost firecracker baby. She was born on July 2nd, 2003, and has been creating a ruckus ever since. She loves to play ball, tug, schnauzer chase and anything else she can think up. Before we moved to the country she would chase the squirrels in the backyard. Now she has found the joy of rabbits. She loves to play in snow. She just loves to play. She is our blonde dog, our ditzy girl, our forever puppy girl and my cuddle baby. You probably will get tired of hearing dog stories, but my girls keep me smiling, keep me going and sometimes keep me sane. Here are just a few more SueSue pics...



I've been helping mom water...


Okay, mom, time to play with my holy roller...

This is just a small sampling of life with SueSue... Chloe will be introduced soon. I hope you enjoy pups because these girls are major in my life and there will be more stories in the future.

Have a good day....

Happy 4th...

Happy 4th of July!!! I'll admit it... I get almost teary when I hear our national anthem, I love to see our Stars and Stripes waving in the breeze and I take pride in knowing brothers, sisters, nephews and friends (those I "know" and those I've never physically met, such as Shmoops) have served our country in a multitude of ways and helped to protect our way of life. I just want to thank each and every one of you and let you know your commitment and dedication is appreciated. Too many times we forget to say "thank you", assuming that you know your service a gift we can never thank you enough for, but I, for one, felt the need this special day to say "Thank You!!!" You are held in a special place in my heart and in my prayers.

Now everybody go out and have a great time with family and friends, play at the lake or the pool, enjoy those hot dogs and hamburgers and all the trimmings at the picnics and get sunburned and have a great day, but somewhere in the back of your head, be thankful for those who insure that we get to celebrate this day every year.

Okay...I'm off my soapbox for today. I love you all and have a great day!!! Play safe!!!

Helen

Family Matters...

I love my family. I have three brothers and one sister that is living. It seems like I never have enough visiting time with any of them. My middle brother has been here since Friday on a visit and we have been spending some quality time together. Been out to eat a couple of times, celebrated his birthday (68th for all those who want to know), been to visit his youngest daughter at the farmer's market and generally just spend time talking or not. Somehow even not talking is comforting at times, so it hasn't bothered me to give up my beloved lap top to Bro to do his thing, to read instead of writing to all you all, to have no excuse not to go weed or mow the yard or fix the flat on the riding mower or fix the gas weed-eater.... nope, no bother to me... Well, I'll be back soon, Bro just got up and he will be ready to read as soon as he gets some caffeine and a smoke out on the porch. Don't give up on me... there are still a few flashes of brilliance to share with the world. I'm going to enjoy my Bro for another day or two...