The new dog in town.

My new neighbors have a big dog. A really big dog.

I haven't seen it yet but when I came home from work yesterday it barked at me when I opened my front door. It was so loud, I thought it was in my living room and took one step back before I realized it wasn't.

The week before I saw another neighbor walking his dog. It was so big I had to look twice, no - three times, to make sure it wasn't a deer. I think it was a giant greyhound. What looks like a giant greyhound, but is the size and color of a deer? A weimaraner?

I live in an apartment complex. If I had a dog as big as those, I'd rent one apartment for the dog and one for me because: When that dog lies around the house - he lies around the house. Where else would that dog lie? - anywhere he wants.

Heaven and Earth

Randy Pausch died today. I never knew him, never met him, never saw him except on TV, but I'm going to miss him. I was rooting for you, Randy. I thought you'd be here 10 years from now. I wanted to meet you and tell you how much fun I had learning Alice even though I'm an old lady. I wanted to see if you were really you.

Click here to read the MSNBC notice of his death.

You can read about his life in the inspirational book "The Last Lecture". I think he must have lived more every day of his dying than most of us will manage in a lifetime.

Today is Tuesday

Remember when I planted a cactus garden for my birthday and I said I gave it a month because even though cacti are suppose to be one of those hard to kill plants I always manage to kill them quickly?

I can't remember if that was last year or the year before, but I still have one cactus left. I replanted it a couple of weeks ago and it's actually growing. Of course, it was probably the least interesting looking cactus of the bunch. It doesn't even really look like a cactus, but it has one thing over them other plants. It still lives.

I repotted several plants at the same time and my other not-so-attractive plant now looks very nice. Last year I tried to send it on it's way (i.e., kill it off) by setting it outside and watering it infrequently. The plant (which I think is a type of aralia) consisted of a very skinny stick about 3 1/2 feet tall with 4 or 5 leaves at the top. And only the top. Not only was it scrawny and leafless, it listed badly to one side. Got the picture?

Well, it didn't die and it didn't freeze when it should have so I brought it back inside over the winter. It grew a few more leaves, but still looked like it was trying to grow horizontally. You should see it now. A new pot, some new soil, a little fertilizer. It doesn't lean and it has over a dozen leaves from top to bottom. I think I'll keep it after all.

The moral of the story is: Sometimes ugly has to survive. Anyway it can.

What I Want

Every weekend I watch a television show called New Tricks. The show is about 3 retired British police detectives who have been recruited to investigative unsolved crimes in a unit led by a younger, and female, Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman.

One of the detectives, Jack, is still completely devoted to his wife Mary who died several years ago after she was hit by a car. Jack has been haunted by the fact that the driver of the hit and run vehicle was never found - until last week. The unrepentant murderer confessed to Jack that he had done it and taunted him repeatedly that he had done it on purpose to stop Jack's investigation. So....... Jack tried to run over the man with his car, but Sandra ran into Jack's car and stopped him.

Then the 3 ex-detectives and Sandra covered up the attempted crime after arresting the almost murdered bad guy. To complicate matters, another police woman had been temporiarily assigned to their unit to spend her last few weeks before retirement. They thought she was sent there to spy on them, but in the end they learned she had also helped cover up the assassination attempt out of respect for Jack.

Now that's what I want. I want to work with a team that will help bury the body.

What's in a name

If I did have 2 donkeys, I'd name them Smart and Dumb.
Or maybe Fat and Lard.
Or maybe not.

Like a plastic sieve

I have a memory like a plastic sieve. One with big holes.

I had something interesting to tell you, but I can't remember what it was. Since I can't think of anything interesting to say, I'll go for educational.

Have you ever noticed that Queen Elizabeth Tudor (from the 1550's) is often portrayed with a sieve in her hand? (Elizabeth Images ) That's because she's known as 'The Virgin Queen" and that's because she never married. She took her job as queen quite seriously and wanted to do it herself.

And speaking of sieves, I've always wanted to try ore prospecting. I'd probably last a half day before I'd be crying to take my donkey and go home. (I like flush toilets and ice in my drinks.) Anyhoo, as the saying goes, I've been thinking of visiting the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas and prospect for diamonds. You can actually prospect for diamonds (for $6.50) and keep any you find. I think they call the sieve a screen but it serves the same purpose.


You can take pets into the park, but I'm not sure that includes donkeys. Do you know the difference between a burro and a donkey? Well, I do. (I just Googled it). A burro is a small donkey and often used as a pack animal because it's especially sure footed. So maybe I could get a burro in the park and look like a real prospector. It will probably be easier to manage the burro than grow a grizzled old beard.

Day in, Day out

Tick tock. Tick tock.

Seconds.
Minutes.
Hours.
Days.

Time's up.

Your time.
My time.
Their time.
Our time.

No time.

All the time in the world.

Happy 80th Birthday!

Today is my uncle's 8oth birthday. He's a good man, my Uncle Bob. A hard working, God loving, family man. Maybe that's how he got to be 80 without showing it, 'cause he's still good looking.

Happy, Happy Birthday

and Many, Many More!