Homer, "Humpy" is waiting for you......

Well, another morning of waking up to snow!! Duane got me up at 6am (I didn't fall asleep until after 2am this morning, ugh!) to take Homie to the vet for his teeth cleaning. Got him there just fine, roads were clear... in fact, there was more slush on the roads the further I went towards Portland than out here in Gresham!! Poor baby, he was NOT happy with me, but actually did behave and "man up" while the tech took his vital signs. Got back home, walked Tuco, then proceded to wash Homer's trusty stuffed toy, "Humpy" named that for obvious reasons, ha!!

Humpy was dirty, spiney, needed a serious bath.... also had a hole in his foot, caused by a certain Chihuahua that likes to gut things..... sewed that, suds him up and soaked him, and Duane rinsed and wrung him out, and put him in the dryer for a while. Humpy was still a bit damp, we thought about putting him over one of the heating vents, but knew that un-named perpetrator would try to gut him again. Duane decided that since the sun seemed to be popping in and out, the best spot would be the half moon over the front room windows. I thought it looked like Humpy was watching for Homer to come home and couldn't resist the picture!!

Feeling Better!

Well, I was right!! It is a sinus infections, explains the return of the fever thing last Saturday and Sunday. I saw my regular GP yesterday, and he gave me amoxicillin and some prescription sudaphed. I only took one of the sudaphed's yesterday, and don't feel like I need it today. I take the horse-pill antibiotics for about 10 days. I don't know if it was nervous stomach or what, but after I took the first pill yesterday I had really bad cramps. I think it was nerves. Tomorrow is teeth cleaning day for Homer, I am already worried sick about him!! Poor baby, I look at him, and he doesn't know what's ahead!! He will probably be clued in the minute we get in the car in the morning and cry all the way down to the vet's office. I work until 11pm both tonight and tomorrow night. It will be a long day tomorrow!! I have to have Homer there at 7:40am.

We got a card and letter from Duane's folks today, Lois had a MRI last week, it included her brain. They concluded that she did suffer a stroke when she fell in Wayne's driveway while they were living up there a couple of years ago. That was brought up even back then, but not determined for sure one way or the other. She also said that while Dick was out walking the dogs the other day he saw cougar tracks in their neighborhood!! Yikes! That's too close!! I am glad they have a fence, and keep a close watch on their dogs. Well, had better finish lunch and put the finishing touches to getting ready for work, whoopie!!

Still feelin' icky!!

I called the doctor's office this morning, he can see me at 11am tomorrow, hopefully he will give me antibiotics and I can finally kick all of this yucky stuff! The appraiser will be here to look at the house for our loan transfer at 12:30pm, so I need to get into the shower and be ready when he gets here!! Oh yeah, Made of Honor was good, much better than Catch and Release!!

Sick again!!

Okay, this is getting a bit redundant, I am sick of getting sick!! Yesterday I got up feeling a bit sluggish, and as the day went on, it got worse and worse!! I went to bed about 6:30pm, light and noise were not a good thing for me!! My head hurt so bad, I thought it would explode..... Then my temp started to go up, peaked at 102 degrees. I called in sick, I am betting they are all planning a public flogging of me tomorrow, if I make it then.... I still feel like crap, my throat is sore, my head still has a dull ache. On the upside, I watched a movie this afternoon, Catch and Release with Jennifer Gardner... It was pretty good, but I will say I am glad I only paid 4.50 for it!! I have Made of Honor cued up and ready to go when I get off of here, I have been dorking around longer on the computer than I wanted to! Dad is driving me nuts, I swear he is sick too, he is coughing up a storm. I think I need to set up a check up with his GP soon. I always dread it, his doctor has a heavy patient load and it takes weeks sometimes to get in, then I never know from one week to the next what my days off are! Well, I am getting tired, on to the movie!!

Summers Family Farm

I just love this picture!! The little girl in the white dress is my maternal Grandmother, Ora Mae.

The family farm was in Macon County, Missouri. My second cousin sent this to me a while back, she had it totally restored, I guess it was pretty tattered before she had it done. I am so happy to have it!! My Grandma was such a tiny thing, always was!! Hard to believe I am genetically related to someone so small and dainty.... I have always said, I couldn't have inherited her petite size 8 dress and size 6 1/2 shoes, but I DID inherit her bad sense of direction, LOL!!

The little boy standing to my Grandma's left is Joel's (my cousin's) Grandpa. Every one in this photo has been passed away for years, I hope to travel there one day to see where Grandma grew up!!

I'm Pooped!!

It has been a long, long day!! Actually, it's tomorrow, I guess, wow. I had a full day here before even going to work this afternoon, cleaning the house, walking dogs, etc. We signed the mountain of papers to fax to the mortgage guy, had lunch at Chang's, then I went to work.
Got off at 11pm, then raced home to do some more typing and emails for Duane. Yeesh!!
Now, Duane has gone to bed, and I am still in my work clothes..... No rest for the wicked!! HA!!
Tomorrow (or do I say later today?) we plan to go to downtown Portland to have lunch and go to Powell's books so Duane can sell some of his hardback reference and old school books. It is supposed to be a really nice day, so it should be nice walking around downtown. Now it's to bed for me after the usual closing procedures, ha!! Last night I forgot to put on my mouth guard, and my jaw has been bugging me all day off and on. Serves me right!!

Last Hoorah for the Night....

So, let's see.... Finally went to Costco, got what I needed plus a few things, surprise..... Went to the bank, picked up Dad's blood pressure pills, exchanged some pants I bought the other day, got my nails done, had TCBY with Dad, stopped at Big Lots..... Watched the results show on American Idol, the guy I voted for was one of the 3 that got chosen for the 12 finalists, so that was a good thing!! Did some emailing for Duane tonight too. He is on his way home from Grant's Pass, should be home by 12:30am or so. He plans to work on the garage ceiling in the morning, while I clean the inside of the house. I didn't feel much like it when I got home this evening, so put it off until tomorrow. Boring stuff!! At least I don't have to be freaked out about Homer until next week, so that is a good thing!!

Homie Dodged the Bullet this time!!

The vet called last night, said that Homer's bloodwork came back okay, and he is cleared to have his teeth cleaned.... I called this morning and thought I had him all set up, and now the vet can't do it until next Thursday on the 26th. So, if I'm not off that day, the chore to take him in and go get him will fall on Duane. He said he would do it, thank goodness, I just want to get it done and over with now. I think it's harder on me than it is Homer, I worry myself sick about him. I will especially this time, since he had that allergic reaction the last time he had them cleaned.
Well, need to go, I am having my nails done this afternoon!!

Poor Homie!!

Poor Homer, he was so stressed out this morning at the Vet!! He did pretty well on the way down there, usually the minute I turn onto Stark St. he starts getting really nervous, he waited this time until we got into the parking lot. To make matters more stressful, they must have had some emergencies come in before we got there, our appointment was at 9:40am, and we didn't get into the examination room until almost 10:30am. Homer hyperventilates and pants ALOT, all he wants to do is get the heck outta there, and fast! He manned up pretty well during the exam, but when the vet took him back to draw blood he went all "Yorkie" on her. They had to muzzle him, and also wrapped him up in a blanket. I apologized as they were taking him in ahead of time, because I knew what he would do!! Heck, while I was brushing him out this morning, I must have hit a sore spot or pulled his hair, and he bit me!! Actually left a mark this time. I guess I would do the same thing if I were him. Now we wait for a day or so to get his blood results back, hopefully they won't be too bad....... Gotta go get lunch and stop at the store for a few things I forgot last night when I did my grocery shopping, I always miss something obvious, this time it was a cucumber for my salads!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I worked until 8pm last night, and back in at 9:30am this morning..... It was really busy yesterday, we made sales and then some for the day!! Today was just winding up when I left at 3pm. Hurried home, and we left for dinner at Adobe Rose, our favorite New Mexican - Mexican restaurant. Dinner was awesome as usual, and home we came. I tried to talk Duane into a family picture tonight, but he protested, said sometime soon!! I did snap a picture of him and Tuco, so at least got something today!! We took Dad with us, he always enjoys dinner at Adobe, and he bought dinner for our Valentine's. Oh yes, and while I was at work George popped in and said hi, that was a pleasant surprise! Tomorrow is back to 11-7:30pm, then off on Monday so I can take Homer to his Vet appointment. It is President's Day, so no mail, kids will be out of school, and banks will be closed. I don't like holidays that disrupt business as usual!!

A Somewhat Productive Day.....

Let's see.... First, I got all the stuff done last night that I had set out to do!! That's pretty good for me, and was settled in front of the TV for American Idol at 8pm!! Duane and I both slept in until 9am this morning, and despite our late start got a lot accomplished. We are in the early stages of restructuring our loan on our property.... Switching the loan from the property to our house to get a better interest rate. Maybe securing one around 5 percent or less sounds way better than the 9 percent we are paying now!! It seems like a pretty sure thing that we will be stuck here for a while, so we may as well take advantage of the bad times and low rates available. Duane got his back adjusted, it feels a lot better, but the Doctor did tell him that using an exercise ball and/or an inversion table would probably be the best thing long term. So,we are going to shop around, I already found a table on Amazon for a pretty good price with free shipping if we don't see anything else around here. I got Homer's pre-dental appointment made for Monday morning, I'm not sure who to feel the most sorry for, me, Homer or the Vet!! HA!!
Well, it's almost bed time, and back to work tomorrow, oh joy!! See ya later!!

About Halfway.....

Let's see, got the oil changed in my car, went to the post office, got Dad's inhaler's, and beat my head against the wall trying to add a ticker to my blog!! Got food prepped for the dogs for the next several days, doing laundry, gonna clean bathrooms, vacuum, mop, and make salads for the next few days. That should take me up to American Idol time, 8pm. After that, I plan to go to bed early. I guess I had too much caffeine yesterday, I didn't settle down until almost 2am this morning!! I had lunch with Duane before he left for work, poor thing, his back is still a mess. I called the Chiro and he sees him tomorrow afternoon at 2pm. We have errands to run, have to go to Costco for one thing. Not sure what else besides lunch and the doctor appt. Well, I am putting off the inevitable, so will start on the house cleaning now!! Will update on my progress later!! I know, yawn, yawn, yawn!!

Brush burning on the property.....

This was in November, it is so much fun to burn stuff!! Duane got a bunch of brush cut down, and some more limbs cut before both his chainsaw and back gave out last week!! He said we would go back soon and burn some more, yay!!

The Day at Lucky Eagle!

Well, first, let me start by correcting a few facts from my entry last night!! First, the casino is in Rochester, WA, not Grand Mound, even though they are not far apart..... Also, the bus usually pulls in around 5:30pm at the Senior Center, in fact, we got there about 15 minutes early!! I did really well today, more than doubled my money!! Yahoo!! I actually exercised some restraint, and quit while I was ahead, HA!! Dad did pretty good too, he was ahead 3o bucks and won a free lunch for next time on the trip home! I have been working on laundry and paperwork since I 've been home, fun stuff. I will have a busy day trying to clean house and do errands, guess it won't be boring!! My cousin's wife (on Mom's side) called tonight and left a message, they will be in the area in the next few days and want to see us if they can.... I haven't seen them in years, last time was at my maternal Grandmother's funeral when I was 17 years old!! I will call them back tomorrow. We only have Thursday open as a window to see them, if they are down here over the weekend one or both of us will be at work. Timing is everything, I guess! Well, it's been a long day, and I think I have had enough, so bye for now!!

Bright and Ugly!!

Oh Boy!! Tomorrow morning Dad and I will head on the Senior bus to Lucky Eagle Casino in Grand Mound, WA. Play bingo on the way up, when we get there play slots, eat lunch, some more slots, then bingo again on the ride home!! The whole day is pretty much blown, we have to get there to get signed in by 8am, then won't get back to the center until around 6:30pm. Ugh.

I have so much to do around here that I could use the time more wisely, but since none of Dad's other cronie's are going, I don't want to make him go up alone. Not that he would be really alone, a bus full of old codgers isn't exactly alone...... Oh well, I won't be going in March, so he hopefully will have someone to buddy up with by then again. Well, I have chores to do, and have to get up way too early for me to even think about, so had better get to it!! Here is a Central Oregon Sunset I caught out the window of our pickup a few months ago, we were on our way back to Sisters from working on our property.

Slight Change in Plans.....

Yesterday mid-morning, I answer the phone at work, and it's Duane calling from the property.
He moved wrong, or maybe it's just the fact that his back was already out of whack that it didn't take much to send it into orbit.... he said that he was in pain, could hardly stand upright!! He said he was taking a break from bucking brush, and would give it another try. I called him back on my lunch break, and yes, he had to give it up. So, he dorked around town, talked to a guy that makes custom furniture, had lunch, and started for home. By the time I got home, he had showered and settled in here, but was not feeling good at all. I had a pinched nerve in my right lower back about 3 weeks ago, and he said it felt to him just as I had described mine, grabbing, aching pain!! I went to the chiropractor, and my pelvis was very out of place. I am sure that Duane's is too, along with all the other daily things he does to abuse himself!! I called to see if by chance the doctor might work on Saturdays, but surprise, surprise, he doesn't!! Poor baby, he was doing his best unintentional impression of my Dad moving around all day today. I bought some of those icy-hot patches, he will try one tomorrow when he attempts to go to work. It was hard enough today for him to even step up on a curb, let alone climb into a big truck! Guess we will see what happens!! I get to work 11am to 8pm, the same on Monday, oh joy!! I am going to the casino with Dad again on Tuesday, will be the last time for a while. It messes up everyone's days off in the department with hours so tight and no flexibility. I have Tues, Wed, and Thur off this next week, so there goes another week of only one day off for us together. I am so sick of it, wish I could stay home and just be a housewife, or only work a couple of 4 hour shifts a week just for spending money and to get out of the house. But, right now it's just not in the cards, maybe in a couple of years or so, after we get settled (if we ever can get there) into our new home in Central Oregon. I have to call the Vet on Monday and set Homer up for his pre-dental cleaning check up and bloodwork. I have gotten to the point of hating to take either dog in, they are both so obnoxious!! Homer never used to be, he would always "man up" and behave for them. Since he had that bad ear infection a couple of years ago, he has gotten kind of "squirelly" about a lot of things, including letting a stranger touch him in any way without getting bit. So, I get the happy job of putting a muzzle on him. Tuco is the same way, but he's always been like that since he has reached adulthood. Heck, Tuco still to this day hasn't made up with Duane's Dad, probably never will!! Tuco has a small circle of friends!! Well, now I am even starting to bore myself, so will stop this ramble!! Night all!!

Susie and Holly August 2008

Susie took me to a gal's place not far from where she lives in Weiser Idaho, that she sold some of her goats to. This gal is trying to start a petting zoo! She had a Camel (pictured here with Suz and Holly) a Zebra, goats of course, a brama bull, a couple of reindeer, turkeys, a buffalo, a couple of evil looking ostriches....I am probably forgetting something, but it sounds like Noah's ark, huh? It was fun, but kinda scary, the bull, turkey and ostriches were running loose, and the camel gave me a love bite on my t-shirt! It was a fun trip, did lots of shopping, stayed at a Shilo Inn near Boise on Susie's birthday and lived it up in the pool and hot tub!! I hope I can go back up this year, we always try to celebrate either her birthday or mine together.

All packed up and gone already!!

We went and got the taxes thing done this morning, good news, we get a refund!! We should, we both claim zero and have ALOT taken our of our checks!! Then, we went to the Sportsman's Show at the Expo Center. It is always fun, lots to see, even for me!! I got a custom gold chain cut and made on the spot, it is really pretty!! Also, we got some yummy teriyaki and also some sweet flavored jerky. As always, lots of testosterone and hunting dogs at the show!! LOL!

We had lunch afterwards at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, then home to get Duane packed up to head to Prineville. He decided to go tonight, so he could get an early start in the morning.

I packed him snacks, cereal, and he took the cooler with yogurt, applesauce and his rice milk. He is complete with paper towels, toilet paper, and will stop for ice and water, so he should be set!!

I just hope he will be warm in his sleeping bag. I am going to try to post another picture, this one will be my best friend Susie and her daughter Holly last Summer when I went over to Idaho for Susie's birthday.

Duane's goin' to the property!!

So, I got split days off this week, so Duane's going over to work on the property by himself!! (sniff, sniff...) He is going to "rough it" and sleep in the back of his pickup in a sleeping bag!! He has a little space heater, so can use that if he gets really cold. He looked into staying in a nearby RV park, but they want 30 bucks a night to hook up and use the facilities. That's off season!! He'll pass on that. Said to expect him home dirty and stinky, I said "Duh!" I worked on the house all afternoon, got it all cleaned from top to bottom!! Dad went around with me during the early afternoon and did errands, so it's 11:30pm and I'm pooped!! A glass of milk and a snack, and off to bed for me. We see the tax guy tomorrow morning at 9am. Never thought I'd see the day when I would call that an early appt. but it's here, ha!! Duane working nights and me working mid shifts has made us both sort of turn into night owls. Well, once again I posted a picture, and I'm not quite sure what I did, so with that sense of accomplishment I will say goodnight!!!