Daydream Believer

I’ve been enjoying the IT commercials for Ebay during the Olympics. Why, you might ask? Well, because they have Davy Jones singing, “Daydream Believer
First, I have always liked that song and second, it makes me think back to New Years 1990 when I was in Athens, Greece sitting in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel waiting for Hubby to fly in (He was working a flight). I was sitting there waiting when I see a group of people walk into the lobby. Yep, you guessed it, it was Davy Jones and his family!
He looked great, and I thought how he had hardly aged at all since his days with the Monkee’s. I hated to bother him, but I couldn’t let the moment pass.
I went over and introduced myself, telling him that I have always enjoyed his music (gush, gush!!), and that I was really thrilled to meet him.
He was just the nicest person, as were his wife and kids I stood speaking with him for a while before their room was ready and they departed.
Yes, I got an autograph!
So when Hubby came in a while later and expected me to greet him with excitement, all I could talk about was Davy Jones! LOL!!
So listening to the IT commercials for Ebay brings that time quite happily back to me.

Being A Doggie Nurse

I can add a new item to my resume. I’m now a full fledged needle wielding doggie nurse to Shubi! I set up Shubi’s fluid bag on the door of our bedroom. Hubby sat in his chair and held Shubi in his lap. I took a deep breath and I placed the needle under Shubi’s skin and gave her 250 cc’s of fluid. At one point the fluid stopped running and I had to take the needle out and put it in another spot. But I did it and she got all her fluid. It didn’t seem to bother her at all.
I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to do it, that I would chicken out, but when I thought of my girl and what she needed I just pulled myself together and did it!
She slept for a while and I thought that perhaps my tender ministrations hadn’t done anything. But at dinner time tonight she perked up and ate some dog food, and then actually ate some of Hubby’s very lean pork. Now she is happily asleep again on the sofa curled up with Greta.
I’ll need to do this again tomorrow, as the Vet wants her to have this every day now. I know I can do it, and I also know that it really helped my girl. I hope next time will be a bit easier (for me).

Shubi…

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Friday was a strange day. Most of the morning I spent at the Vets Office with Shubi. She went in for blood work and because she is still not doing well, they taught me how to give her subcutaneous fluids. She will need me to give this to her daily now.
Yes, her kidneys are failing, and she doesn’t want to eat much. Yet, she runs and plays with the other dogs, and follows me from room to room. I don’t think she is ready to leave us yet. I’ve been trying to ask myself, how I will know when it is time? And then I hear a voice on the wind that says, “you will just know”.
So I have to have faith that I can care for her and give her all that she needs until her time here on earth is up. Still it breaks my heart knowing that my dearest friend will soon leave me.
I’m not ready for that! The truth is, I’ll never really be ready for that, will I?

Memories of Murdock Street

When I was a little girl my grandparents lived in Brighton, Massachusetts. They lived there until I was 10 years old, and then moved down to Cape Cod to be near us.
In my mind I can still see my grandparents house in Brighton. It was large with a down stairs apartment and then their part of the house on the second floor and then on the third floor another apartment. In the down stairs apartment lived my grandfather’s sister Hedwig and her husband Albert. What I remember most about them was Hedwig’s fabulous cooking. It seemed she always had cookies and hot cocoa when I would sneak down the back stairway to visit her.
The middle floor was my grandparents part of the house. It was very large with a screened porch in the front, a phone on a table in the hallway, and then a big living room which led into a large dining room with a bay window, I often sat there looking out of the windows. This led into a kitchen with an old fashioned pantry. I loved this little room because I could climb up on the counter and find cookies. (yes, I admit, I am a cookie monster!)
Off the kitchen was a hallway that led to a big bathroom, and then my grandparent’s bedroom next to that. I remember going into their bedroom in the early morning and climbing into bed with them for cuddles. Papa Fred and Grandma Honey really loved their grandchildren.
Upstairs was where my uncle, his wife and their two kids lived. Originally this was where my mother and uncle had their rooms when they were kids. When we stayed there I would sleep in my cousin’s room.
Being the baby of the family (both of my first cousins were 8 and 10 years older than me, and my brother was 7 years older and Mel is 5 years older), I was always the first one sent to bed. I hated that until I learned that if I snuck quietly into my aunt and uncles room I could open the floor grate and listen to the adults below.
My memories of Brighton are good ones. My grandparents were both still in good health and family parties were always a lot of fun. Back then when they had the parties for the family, everyone would come and I got to see my grandfather’s brother’s and their families. I remember once telling Papa’s brother how much he looked like my Papa and he laughed heartily.
Grandma’s older sister Tilly was always there too. She was my Godmother. She was always quick with a smile and often would play ragtime songs on the piano.
Tilly’s son was George and his wife my “Uncle Betty” (that I have written so much about), and their kids,
Janet and Larry.
Janet and I have always been close. She is just a year older than me and we were always inseparable at these family events. Larry was a year younger and I was grateful to him because I wasn’t the baby when he was around.
Funny how you can remember things from so long ago and find much that pleasures the mind and soul. So many of those people are gone now, and yet, in my mind I can walk through that house and they all come to life again.
Wonderful, warm memories for a Friday.

Programming

So what did I do all day yesterday? Yep, you guessed it…I spent all day programming my new laptop. Things were going pretty well, when McCaffee Anti-Virus and I had a little trouble understanding what the other one wanted.
This resulted in my having to go back in time on the machine (isn’t time travel wonderful?), and then start the programming all over again.
I was a bit frustrated for a while, but after this one glitch, the rest of the entries went well. The machine is now programmed and meeting my needs. Just a few more minor things to tweak and it’ll be completely done.
One thing that is different is the scroll bar on the laptop. It’s quite a bit different from my other computer. I think I like the other one better, but in time I will get the hang of this one.
I love the ultra bright screen! You really can see things much better with this. And the color is so rich.
I think Hubby is probably a bit sick of me spending all this time on the machine, but he is relieved that he doesn’t have to schlep out to Wal-mart and get me a card and a box of candy for Valentines Day next week!

It’s Here!!!

My new laptop arrived right on schedule this morning! I have been spending every moment since, setting it up and getting it all laid out with my preferances!

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I have to say, this one is not only faster than my last laptop, but also is smarter! The program automatically set up into our network, and it has really been easy to set everything else up. Best of all, the built in Network card works like a charm and I am getting high mbps sitting all the way at the other end of the house from the router! Something that wasn’t possible with the old laptop.
I told Hubby that he is off the hook for having to buy me a Valentines present this year!

This and That

It was a banner day in our house! I had gotten a coupon in the mail from “Jockey” for $20.00! Now Hubby is not one to scoff at a twenty dollar bill, so off we went to the local “Jockey Outlet”. I had a good idea what I wanted. Yes, what most girls want and almost always need. New underwear! I looked around, found the best sale ones I could find, that just happened to be covered with a pink rose pattern, two ladies T-shirts, and Hubby got his tall mans v-neck T-shirts. The total price of this was $5.25 after we used the coupon! Not too bad.
I needed to get canned dog food and a few other items at Wal-mart, and after assembling my order I saw the 20 items or less isle and headed for that. I was putting my items up on the counter when this man behind me began talking loudly about this being a 20 item or less isle and how “some people don’t follow the rules”! I ticked the items off in my head again and saw I had exactly 20 items! So I turned and smiled at this mathematical midget and finished my order!
We stopped and got gas at $2.22 a gallon at BJ’s Warehouse. Not bad as everywhere else seemed to be $2.33 or more.
Shubi is eating pretty well. I’m still giving her chicken and rice, but I also cooked an egg and she ate that right up. Still, she does not want any dry food or her dog cookies, and she mostly lies around sleeping.

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I still have a fever. But it is only 99.6 (f). I feel pretty lousy but as I have no plans for today I will just hang out.
As I mentioned yesterday I’ve been following my laptop from China. I saw on the FedEx tracker that it is on it’s way to New Hampshire, and supposed to be delivered later today! Once it arrives I’ll be busy getting it all set up. What fun!!

Cough, Cough

I woke up yesterday and my throat was feeling sore. All I could think was, No Way! I simply can’t be sick. I took my temperature, 100. (F) and so I planned to take some aspirin and just lay low. It was not to be. Just as I settled down to watch Regis and Kelly, Hubby starts looking for some paperwork, convinced I have somehow misplaced it.
Now in all fairness, I have previously been guilty of such crimes, but in this case, I knew quite certainly, that I hadn’t touched the papers in question. Of course, this did not get me off the hook. As Hubby is laid up with his knee, I was the chief searcher for his mission of “find the papers”. I looked in all the usual places that one stashes papers, but they weren’t there. After over half an hour of searching, I asked if he could have put them away? Of course not!
Still, I figured it was time to go into the closet and see if they were in the document binders. He was so sure they were not there. Imagine his shock when the papers were located there?
I was hoping this would end my duties, but no. Hubby was not going to let me rest. It was then that the issue of my poor filing system came into play.
Now I admit, I hate to file. I put off this task until the file box is so full that the papers are falling on the floor and I need to do some penance for some other sin. But I really didn’t feel like doing it yesterday.
After much arguing discussion, I started filing at 1 o’clock and didn’t finish until nearly three. All I wanted was a hot cup of tea and to sit.
I checked e-mail, answered a phone call and then wham, time to cook dinner.
By the time dinner ended I was having chills. I wrapped up in an afghan, which didn’t work. I broke out the heavy comforter and wrapped up in that, two pairs of socks, my pajamas, a sweatshirt and bathrobe, and sat doing nothing while I watched tv.
This morning my temperature is down to 99.6 (F) but I still feel crummy. I can’t lie around today either as I need to go to the grocery store and resupply.
One piece of really good news is, that I got a message from FedEx that my laptop is en-route. I got a tracking number and I have been following it from Shanghai, China, to Anchorage Alaska, to Indianapolis, IN. I expect it to be here in another two days.
Hubby is gifting me with a new machine since my current laptop is slowly dying of incurable memory failure! So despite the fact that he made me file yesterday when I was feverish, I still think he is wonderful! lol!

What’s So Funny?

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This was how Greta slept during the Super Bowl!

I love watching the Super Bowl. No, I’m not really a big football fan, but I just love the commercials! While the game is on, I tend to do things like wash the dishes, walk the dogs, or even type on my blog. But once the action stops and the commercials come on, I stop and pay strict attention!
You had to love Harrison Ford reading Dr. Suess type prose about winning and football. One must wonder if he’s been practicing on Calista Flockharts little boy, Liam.
The funny commercials so far have been The Fed-Ex ad with the two cavemen, and I also liked the Disney commercial with all the football players practicing their MVP answer to what they are going to do now that they have won the Super Bowl? “I’m going to Disney World!”
The Fabio add was hysterical.
Hugh Heffner’s ad for Desperate Housewives was also a hoot. One must wonder what Heff offers those gorgeous gals so that they hang all over him at his age? I know. The ability to print their naked pictures in his magazine. Gotta tell you, that wouldn’t do it for me!
I’m not too thrilled with the Pepsi ads or the godaddy.com adds either. They are just kind of creepy.
I keep waiting for the commercial to end all commercials, but so far they just haven’t done it for me. I mean, the Jessica Simpson ad for Pizza Hut with the young teen boy fainting in ecstasy at her mere closeness, was cute, but not one I would nominate for the Commercial Hall of Fame.

The Rolling Stones performed one of my least favorite songs, “Start Me Up” at halftime. Come on, these are the most uninspired lyrics of my generation! The only good thing was that it looks like Mick has finally found a good hair colorist. The gray is gone and it doesn’t look too fake. But Keith Richards? My Lord! The man looks positively like a walking corpse! They all look like they could use a good meal.
Sorry if you are an avid Stones Fan. They just don’t do it for me either.

My hearty congratulations to The Pittsburg Steeler’s and their fans! They played one heck of a game!

Shubi is Home

Well, our girl is home. Shubi started to eat for our Vet late Saturday night and then ate a little more on Sunday morning. So he felt she could come home. I boiled chicken and made plain white rice and this will be what she eats for the next few days.
She does seem hungry, which is a very good thing, but we know with kidney failure that can all change quite rapidly. We choose to hold good thoughts that Shubi will continue to eat and at least stabilize.
So, she is doing okay, and my big plan for this Super Bowl Sunday is to sit and cuddle with my girl and enjoy her!