Close encounters of the Bull Terrier kind

     This is for Linda.

     Over the years, my body has taken great punishment from our bull terriers.  Cement block noggins to nose or face are common.  Heads rammed into shins and other tender places too.

     One time Malcolm stepped directly in front of me at the top of the back porch steps while I was carrying a tray of hot dogs outside to put on the grill.  I didn’t see it coming, he never crossed in front of me like that before.  Need I say the hot dogs never made it to the grill?  I fell over my knee-high road block, flew far enough forward to land half on the lawn and half on the concrete sidewalk without knocking myself unconscious.

     My hip slammed into the concrete so hard that I had a hip to knee sized blackened bruise the likes I’d never seen before and hope I never see again.

     The Curmudgeon was on the second floor roof and didn’t hear my cries for help.  Malcolm did, but he was too busy snarfing down hot dogs to care.  Thank goodness my next door neighbor heard me and came to my rescue and helped me to my feet while I took inventory to see what body parts sustained damages.  As luck would have it, I didn’t break anything.

The culprit.

Shhhhhhh….

Poor Patty, all worn out from a busy day of barking at the UPS man, snoozing in her crate, and snoozing in Daddy’s chair.

Meanwhile, by seven p.m. Gavin is waiting for someone to tuck him in.

The harvest from the potted garden so far…

     So far we’ve enjoyed several fresh tomatoes, even gave G a couple.  We’ve had two nice eggplants.  One we had a week or two ago and one we enjoyed for our dinner last night.  We might get two or three more from the plants if the weather holds up.

     We did not get more than  two lousy looking peppers, the early and long  heat destroyed the plants.  I replanted the one pot with romaine lettuce and that is looking rather nice so far.

     I planted two pots, that are small enough to bring inside, with rosemary.  First sign of frost in they come!  We’ve enjoyed the pots of fresh rosemary, chives, and basil all summer.

Fair pictures!

Had our funnel cake, sausage sandwiches, and lemonade.  Got some giggles in, exhausted ourselves, and had some fun which G and I needed.

 

It’s fair week here.

     Starting today the Great Allentown Fair opens and will continue for an entire week.  As a teenager, I loved to go to the fair with my boyfriend, now known as The Curmudgeon.  He can no longer go since it takes walking.

     The last several years I haven’t gone.  However, this year G and I are going to go.  We’re both hungry for some funnel cake and other goodies that you can only get at the fair.

      I’ll bring The Curmudgeon a doggie bag.

     You all have a good one!

It’s all about balance

     Or so I’ve been told.  For The Curmudgeon it’s keeping it, or losing it.  At present he uses the rollator more than his cane and still manages to lose his balance.

     Oh wait, we’re not talking that sort of balance are we?  According to Dictionary.com:

bal·ance

[bal–uhns]  noun, verb, bal·anced, bal·anc·ing.

noun

1. a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.

2. something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.

3. mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.

4. a state of bodily equilibrium: He lost his balance and fell down the stairs.

5. an instrument for determining weight, typically by the equilibrium of a bar with a fulcrum at the center, from each end of which is suspended a scale or pan, one holding an object of known weight, and the other holding the object to be weighed.

verb (used with object)

18. to bring to or hold in equilibrium; poise: to balance a book on one’s head.

19. to arrange, adjust, or proportion the parts of symmetrically.

20. to be equal or proportionate to: I’m always happy when cash on hand balances expected expenses. One side of an equation must balance the other.

21. Accounting.

a. to add up the two sides of (an account) and determine the difference.

b. to make the necessary entries in (an account) so that the sums of the two sides will be equal.

c. to settle by paying what remains due on an account; equalize or adjust.

22. to weigh in a balance.

verb (used without object)

26. to have an equality or equivalence in weight, parts, etc.; be in equilibrium: The account doesn’t balance. Do these scales balance?

27. Accounting. to reckon or adjust accounts.

28. to waver or hesitate: He would balance and temporize endlessly before reaching a decision.

29. Dance. to move forward and backward or in opposite directions.

Idioms

30. in the balance, with the outcome in doubt or suspense: While the jury deliberated, his fate rested in the balance.

31. on balance, considering all aspects: On balance, the new product is doing well.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English balaunce  < Anglo-French; Old French balance  < Vulgar Latin *balancia,  variant of *bilancia,  equivalent to Late Latin bilanc-  (stem of bilanx  with double scales; Latin bi- bi-¹  + lanx  metal dish, pan of a pair of scales) + -ia -ia

Related forms

bal·ance·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms
3. poise, composure. 6. See remainder. 13. See symmetry.

     Wow, balance has many meanings.

     I am working on finding my balance.  I can’t tell you how many yoga and meditation DVDs and CDs I have.  And then there are all the Kindle meditation and yoga books waiting for me to read them.  Yoohoo balance where are you?

     I hope you too will find your balance.  You all have a good one!

Gated at last.

     The gate for the stairs arrived yesterday.  Once I got it installed, I stood back, looked at it, and shook my head wondering why the hell I hadn’t bought one a long time ago.  It just needs a little more tightening to get the gap out.

     It is easy for The Curmudgeon to open and impossible for Gavin or Patty to get through when closed.  They are allowed upstairs by invitation only.  They don’t mind, they have the couch, The Curmudgeon’s chair, and their crates to snooze on/in.  The perfect burglar alarms, they have free run of the entire downstairs.

     Gavin likes his crate covered.  LOL!  It’s the funniest thing to see when he piles out of the crate from under his blanket drape.  Patty prefers The Curmudgeon’s chair for most of the night but eventually she heads to her crate.

     Next project for me to tackle?  Who knows.

     You all have a good one!

Saving for a rainy day…

     I’m still looking for a buyer for my guitar and case.  Guitar Center wasn’t interested since it doesn’t have a label.  A while back another place valued it (with the case) at around $350.00.

     Yesterday, I sold all our old coins  and made a nice little sum of cash to add to our savings account.  I was happily surprised as to how much we got for them.  Every bit helps. 

     Next, I need to find a buyer or buyers for the antique china, The Shawnee Tom the Piper’s Son and S&P Shakers, the Lionel trains, and the two old toy firetrucks. (One is quite large.)  I can’t see the sense in storing them any longer when we could use the money to save for a rainy day.  That rainy day isn’t far off at the rate The Curmudgeon’s health is going.

     You all have a good one!

It’s amazing how one simple movement can wreck your day or possibly week.

         I walked in from the back porch with a casserole in my hands and didn’t get the door closed tight behind me, so I backed up and went to bump it with my butt.

     Well, I didn’t back up far enough and when I went to bump the door closed I managed to somehow, at that instant, throw my lower back way out of whack.  Can you say ouch?  Can you say smart move, lady?  I said that and more.  Lots. More.

     After all the worry about throwing my back out by trying to lift The Curmudgeon, I went and did it anyway, brilliantly, and in the dumbest possible way ever.

     Yep, right about there…      While I’m nursing my back, I hope you all have a good day.

Zzzzzzz’s like crazy

     My allergies were acting up the other night.  Therefore, I took two Benadryl before bed instead of the usual one.  I did not hear a single sound until one in the afternoon.  LOL!

     Talk about zonked out.  The fact that I got only three hours of sleep the night before didn’t help either.  It’s a good thing The Curmudgeon had a decent day and didn’t need me.  We agree, I probably needed it.

     He claims that the dogs were well-behaved and didn’t ask to out as often as usual.  I’m not sure about that, they are real stinkers at times.  He may have been sparing me some guilt.

      I do believe he had them up very early and that’s why they wanted their naps so bad by two o’clock that Gavin even resorted to scolding me.  At seven last night they were begging to go to bed.  My dogs are not night owls like their Mommy.

     Now, it is time for me to scoot out of here and make sure they get their late night out.

     You all have a good one!

Check please!

     I am so bored with cooking dinners!  I can stand in front of the freezer or fridge staring at the contents forever and my mind goes blank on what to make.

     It’s not that I lack ingredients, my freezer and cupboards are loaded with food.  I guess what I lack is inspiration, energy, interest, and ideas.  I’m sure I am not the only one who feels this way.

     I could eat a sandwich every night for dinner and it wouldn’t phase me a bit.  However, The Curmudgeon is not that fond of them.  I enjoy going out to dinner, but he doesn’t, he hates going anywhere these days.

     I could order in, but then I still have to do the dishes…

     You all have a good one.

Photo of a typical refrigerator with its door open. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A thank you to our local firemen.

Yesterday began with a call to my phone at 8:30 a.m., The Curmudgeon’s voice swam into my dreams and yanked me awake.  “I can’t get up.”  Four words that send me into a heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, wide-awake, on my feet dash for wherever he is.

Once I found him, I knew I couldn’t get him up.  I called the neighbor, he didn’t answer his phone.  I asked The Curmudgeon what he thought we should do, I wasn’t going to attempt to lift him since my back is just beginning to feel better.

The Curmudgeon decided to call 911.  I am so glad he did.  Four fireman showed up at the door, they had him up and in his chair in mere seconds.  Thank you so much guys!!!

     Patty says, “Diz my Daddy.  I takez care ob himz.