Blog Archives
Name my Roomba
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We found a brand new Roomba in the MIL’s house. The box was unopened and everything was still in plastic bags and bubble wrap. The batteries that came with it sat for too long without being charged and wouldn’t accept a charge so I ordered a new battery for it.
The battery arrived today. After charging it, it was fun to watch the little sage green guy run about the downstairs chasing down and sweeping up all those wild killer dust bunnies. He’s so darned cute that I think he deserves a name.
Of course, I did this while the pups were secure in their crates because Gavin has a thing for noisy moving objects. See the picture above. That’s Gavin chasing his RC car. He wore out three of those before we decided it was too expensive a toy for him.
Posted in Dog related, Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Roomba, Writer, Writing
My family turned my husband into a foodie
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I spent most of today reading and watching the pups wrestle each other. The only real work I did was when it came to dinnertime.
I made one of DH’s favorite meals, leg of lamb with all the trimmings. He’d never had this meal before he began to date me. In fact many of his favorite meals he discovered at my family dinner table. This guy often managed to show up at our house in time to obtain a dinner invitation. He loved my grandmother and mother’s cooking.
Now his mother wasn’t a bad cook, she had some things that she made very well. She just didn’t offer the variety of meals that we got at my home. DH fell in love with all sorts of foods he’d never had at home. My family enjoyed introducing him to a new world of cuisine.
DH was daring and willing to try anything we offered. Later, I was to discover that he’d have dinner at home and then another dinner at our place. His parents had dinner at four and my family didn’t have dinner until six thirty. No wonder he had such perfect timing. He was no fool and he sure did love to eat. He still does.
Posted in Food
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Cooking, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Foodie, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Writer, Writing
More snow and panic shoppers
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We’ve more snow. It started snowing in the evening, it’s three in the morning Friday as I post this, and still the snow is coming down. I’m glad I did my regular grocery shopping in the afternoon on Thursday. My list had grown over the past three weeks, each time I planned to go shopping it snowed.
We were out of vegetables, milk, eggs, sugar, almost out of bread, and I had no snacks left for DH to munch on. There was one box of tissues left and that wasn’t a full one. Yes, it was time to shop. I dodged the impending snowstorm panic shoppers as I filled my list.
I pushed my cart into my favorite clerk’s line and joked with her about panic shoppers while she rang up my order. Another customer told us about how a friend of hers had stopped for milk on the way home from work before the last storm. (She has three small kids and was out of milk.) There was no milk in the case so she went to have a couple of other items checked out and the woman in front of her had eight gallons of milk. She practically begged the woman to spare her one for her kids. The woman rudely told her no. Geez, some people are real idiots.
Posted in Weather related
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Snow, Writer, Writing
I’m no car gal but…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I admit it. I’m hooked on watching the Barrett Jackson car auctions. For DH it’s the cars, for me it’s watching idiots spend enough money on one car to buy several homes. The amount of money they pay for these cars staggers me. To me, no car is worth that much.
Every time DH sees a 1955, Chevy Belair two-door sedan, go for a fortune, he about breaks down in tears since we sold ours for a song thirty years ago. I sit here and tell him I told ya so, I knew he should’ve hung on to that car. I wasn’t happy when he sold it.
However, at the time he was laid off from work, I worked two jobs for little money, and money was tight. DH insisted we sell it after someone stole the radiator and we couldn’t afford to replace it. We didn’t need the second car right then but it was his grandfather’s car and I hated seeing it go. I adored his grandfather. If it weren’t for that man, we wouldn’t have owned our house. He bought it from DH’s parents and held the mortgage for us. It broke our hearts when he died a few months before our wedding. No, I didn’t want to see that car go at all.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Automobile, Barrett Jackson, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Chevrolet, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Writer, Writing
Slip sliding away…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
What’s worse than having several inches of snow dumped on you? How about having freezing rain on top of it. Ah, yes freezing rain, this means a coating of ice over everything. The yard is a skating rink that neither the dogs nor DH and I appreciate.
Early yesterday morning, when DH took the dogs out as usual, he made the trip with Gavin safely but the trip outside with Patty was a real trip (or was that slip?) and fall. Patty, unencumbered by her daddy on the end of her leash managed to beat him inside. He, due to the ice coating everything, couldn’t get to his feet and had to crawl indoors.
He says that Patty thought that was great fun to watch and as he dragged himself in the door she thought it great fun to bounce around him and plaster his face with kisses. I don’t think he was amused but knowing Patty, she certainly was.
DH is a tad stiff and sore from his slip but none the worse for wear. He’s glad I wasn’t awake and nearby with a camera to catch the action. 😉
Posted in Dog related, Weather related
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Rescue Dogs, Snow, Writer, Writing
And then there was light…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
What difference a couple of working lights in the kitchen makes. Wow, I can actually see to work in there again. G and her husband were over Sunday; he climbed a ladder and replaced four fluorescent lights for me. DH couldn’t do it and my inner klutz came out when I attempted to get one end of the light in one side, then the other end in, the ladder wobbled badly, scaring the crap out of me, and I said to heck with it. For months, I’ve worked in dim lighting in there.
Would you believe the first words out of mouth when the lights went on were, “crap, now I need to clean.” Oh yeah, NOW I could see the dust and dirt I’d missed. Guess what I did yesterday? Uh huh, I cleaned. First thing I cleaned was the hutch we’d brought over from the MIL’s house since it was very dusty. Then I proceeded to scrub the rest of the kitchen except for the floor.
Why didn’t I do the floor? I didn’t do it because we’re having another snowstorm. The floor can wait until after the dogs and DH finish tracking more snow in.
I hope y’all have a sunny and warm day. I wish we were.
Posted in Misc, Weather related
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Snow, Writer, Writing
You know its time for a yard sale when…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
You begin to ask if anyone is looking for a Shawnee Tom the piper’s son teapot in excellent condition. How about the flowerpot salt and pepper shakers DH’s mother bought with the teapot way back before she married his dad? No, those WON’T be in the yard sale.
Then there’s the darling silk and seed pearl headband hat circa 1950 we found that looks as though it was never worn along with three pair of white gloves all different. It’s getting interesting because the deeper we dig, the nicer the stuff we find.
We haven’t even finished clearing the one bedroom yet. However, It’s the next bedroom that should really be interesting since it’s almost floor to ceiling with ‘stuff’ OMG.
While doing this project G and I have both vowed to clean out our dressers, attics, and basements. I do believe we’ll have yard sale signs up this summer. I guess this is a good thing.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Collecting, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Garage sale, Home, Kitchenware, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Shaker (salt and pepper), Shawnee teapots, Writer, Writing
Somehow, things need to change
Posted by doggonedmysteries
You’d think that after two falls in the nursing home that they’d actually keep a closer eye on DH’s mother. Nope, she’s now had five falls. Three falls from her wheelchair and two from her bed. These people are supposed to be taking care of her and at a premium cost no less. Angry doesn’t begin to describe how we feel.
It sickens me that they can get away with this because we have nowhere else to turn. From what I’ve seen on the government ratings, this nursing home is rated three stars higher than the one in which my sister put our mother. This sickens me more.
There is no easy solution, we can’t take care of his mother here, the house is too small and DH has enough to deal with, with his MS. I am not a nurse or a doctor and I am not qualified to take on her care as well as his. Thus, she must be in a nursing home.
There should be more inspections and tighter regulations on nursing homes to raise the quality of care in ALL of them.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Long-term care, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Nursing home, Post A Day, Writer, Writing
Smile DH, it’s your birthday
Posted by doggonedmysteries
It’s DH’s birthday today. He’s not exactly doing cartwheels over it. He’s rolling down the backside of his 50s. I’m tempted to drag him out to dinner sometime next week to ‘sort of’ celebrate. It isn’t easy to get him to go out. It’s not that he’s hard to please it’s that he finds many things difficult to chew.
The man needs a new set of choppers but I can’t talk him into going to get them. They aren’t something that I can go buy for him. If I bought him a new lounge chair or some clothing, I can do that without him because I know what he likes and what sizes he wears. However, for new teeth, he needs to be there.
Maybe by this time next year I’ll have him convinced and wearing a new smile.
Say cheese!
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Writer, Writing
Where have our little birds gone?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
G and I were talking the other day and during the conversation, I mentioned that I hadn’t had any birds at my suet feeders in a while. She remarked that they haven’t had to put out fresh suet for quite a while either.
In fact, the only birds I’ve seen lately are crows, grackles, and the occasional mourning dove. Where are my woodpeckers, juncos, titmice, cardinals, and sparrows? It dawned on us that we haven’t heard any birdsongs for a month.
We’ve never had such a bird empty winter before. I do hope spring brings them back and they aren’t gone due to some devastation. I miss my happy little birds.
Tags: Author, Bird, Bird feeder, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Snow, Writer, Writing
What are your comfort foods?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Everyone has their favorite comfort foods and when it’s cold outside we crave them. Who doesn’t like a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup? Then there the hearty meals DH loves like a pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and lots of gravy. I go for old family favorites like scalloped potatoes and ham or a nourishing home made soup.
We both love breakfasts for dinner like sausage and pancakes or French toast. We don’t eat them often but often enough to make us happy.
Even the pups have their own form of comfort foods. They love having left over egg-foo-young gravy and rice on their kibble. They know that when we have Chinese food delivered they will get some so they get all excited when it arrives.
How about you, what are your comfort foods?
Posted in Food
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Food, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Writer, Writing
Snow, snow everywhere
Posted by doggonedmysteries
This is some winter. Forty-nine of the fifty states have snow right now. I wonder how often that has happened.
It’s snowing. It’s snowing a lot. I have to say, that not having to shovel it makes it look prettier than usual. The dogs didn’t want to go out. I had to boot them out the door for their last trip outside tonight. Gavin went a bit more willingly than Patty did. However, neither one stayed out any longer than was necessary. I don’t blame them. I didn’t want to be out there either. A hot cup of coffee tasted good after that.
It looks as though G and I won’t be going over to the MIL’s house tomorrow. We will wait until the roads are clear again. Cleaning out the house isn’t worth risking our necks over. There’s always next week.
I hope we don’t have too many more snowstorms. I need my hose to thaw out so I can add water to the pond. Spring can’t get here too soon to suit me.
Y’all stay warm and have a good day.
Posted in Weather related
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Snow, Writer, Writing
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