Mixed Dog Breeds

Mixed dog breeds have come into a world of their own lately. They even have names for them. The Maltipoo, Peekapoo, and Labradoodle are quite popular but there are so many that the breeders have missed, I thought I would come up with some of my own. Here are my suggestions and I invite my readers to add their breeds to the list:

Purebred Canaan Dog + Chow Chow = Purina Dog Chow
Chocolate Lab + Maltese = Chocolate Malt
Cocker Spaniel + Bull Mastiff = Cock n'bull
Teacup poodle + Irish Setter = Tea Set
German Shepherd + Dalmation = Germination
Bloodhound + Kerry Blue Terrier = Blueblood
Whippet + Bull Dog = Bullwhip
Shih Tzu + Bird Dog = Shihtbird

The Three Purchase Categories

I have always said there are three categories of purchases:

#1. These are purchases you need and get excited about making and showing off to your friends; such as, new clothes, new shoes, new cars, new houses, etc.

#2. These are puchases you don't need but make anyway and get excited about making them and showing off to your friends; such as new golf clubs, new jewelry, new motorcycles, new boats, etc.

#3. These are the purchases you need but don't get excited about making and rarely ever show them off to your friends.

Today I had to purchase a new stove! Definitely a category # 3 ! The old stove would start out just fine - on broil or bake - then about halfway through the process, the oven would take on a life of its own, cut off, and the food would sit there sogging for the remaining part of the cooking cycle! I tried going the "repair route" but I think all those people probably get commission on every new item sold because they always tell you it will cost more to fix it than to buy a new one. The "sensor" I needed to repair my old stove was $500 and the new stove was $524. That sort of seemed like a no brainer so for all my friends and family out there who could care less about whether or not I have a new stove, I'm telling about it anyway and am enclosing a picture for your viewing enjoyment!

Today is My Day!

Today is National Left-Handers' Day. (If you don't believe it, look it up) Us lefties deserve a special day. After all, history has not been very kind to us. There is a strong association with things referred to on the left as being bad. The word "sinister" is from a Latin word that means "left", and a left-handed toast amounts to a curse, not a well-wish.

Just one generation ago, many left-handers were forced to change with the rod of the school marm hitting their left hand every time they tried to write with it. My uncle, who was born left-handed, was forced by his parents to switch to being right handed and it caused him to stutter so badly that he had to go to a speech therapist.

Growing up left handed in a right handed world is not easy. I spent most of my college years sitting sideways in a desk which had the arm and desk part of a chair on the right side. I can't really use a power saw, hedge clippers, or a can opener , vegetable peeler, knife sharpener or many other helpful tools and appliances without the threat of amputating my limbs. After ironing with the cord sticking in my stomach for years, I finally learned to iron right handed and the same thing with scissors - just finally gave in and started cutting stuff with my right hand.

Here's a leftie discrimination for you. You can play polo if you are right handed or left handed except polo rules state that you must hold your mallet in your right hand. DUH!

So, for all you lefties out there who struggle in our right-handed world, today is our day ! Enjoy it and go out and play a trumpet or trumbone or strum a guitar (oops, I forgot- you have to be right-handed to do that!)

US Junior Amateur in St. Louis

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the US Junior Amateur Golf Tournament in St. Louis. It was spectacular! The golf course was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect.

Grandson Will advanced to the top 32 out of a field of over 3100 junior amateur golfers and is now ranked number 81 out of a field of thousands of junior golfers throughout the world. I don't know how we could be more proud of his accomplishments. (And he still hugs his grandmom in front of people which is the thing I like most about him. )

World's Longest Yard Sale

It starts today! The 630 mile-long yard sale which goes through several states passes through the area where I live and there is quite possibly more junk than you could ever imagine amassed in one place! There are people who bring huge trucks and trailers to travel the entire distance picking up trinkets they don't want so they can sell them to someone else who doesn't want it so they can sell it to someone else - well, you get the picture. It is some sort of cult, I think. They call it perpetual junking.

Anyway, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I do not have to go out much for the next four days because getting from point A to point B is virtually impossible.

Breaking the Summer Slump

It seems as though I and my fellow bloggers have hit somewhat of a slump this summer. I look every morning and see very little new on the blogsphere so I decided to write an update of things going on in my life.

My grandson Will has been setting the woods on fire with his golf tournaments this summer. He qualified for the US Junior Amateur (only 155 qualified out of over 3000 who attempted to qualify). We are going to St. Louis next week to watch him for a couple of days. Today he is leading by three strokes in a Southeastern Junior Golf Tournament being played in Auburn- having 7 birdies in yesterday's round and finishing with an amazing 67! Way to go, Will!

This past weekend, we gave a little party for our friends, Jeff and Anna, who are getting married in September. It was lots of fun and all the wedding plans seem awesome! My daughter, Amy, will be in the wedding since she and Jeff have been friends since high school.

We had a nice trip to the cabin on Weiss Lake on the 4th. Eric almost tore up something he might need later when he was slung off a float device which was being pulled behind a boat traveling at about 50 mph. Another participant broke two ribs trying the same stunt! I think we probably need to stick to swimming with noodles and forget the motorized water vehicles.

We are enjoying summer and all it brings but are also already talking about football season which is right around the corner.

How about some new posts from my fellow bloggers. Chuck's trip out west, Amy and Eric's fabulous new loft, Susan's golfing excursions, and Heidi's new job would be a good place to start!

Celebrating the 4th of July

Tomorrow I will go with my family to the lake to celebrate the 4th of July. It is probably one of my most memorable holidays. From the time I was very young, I remember celebrating the 4th with family. When I was 6 years old we celebrated by building a new swing in the back yard, cutting watermelon with my grandparents and saying the Pledge of Allegiance (and yes, I still remember that day as if it were yesterday.) Watching the fireworks display at the Hamilton Drive-In was another childhood favorite way to celebrate the 4th.

For many years, we celebrated the 4th at my brother's house where we cooked out, sang songs, wore red, white and blue and saluted the flag. The most memorable of those occasions was July 4th, 1990. Our beloved dad passed away on July 1st and was buried on July 3rd. There was some concern that it would not be appropriate to celebrate so soon after his funeral but as we discussed our options, we decided that was exactly what he would want us to do. He was a true patriot and would have wanted us to continue to remember our country's heritage and the freedoms we enjoy. So we proudly sang the National Anthem with tears streaming down our faces.

Tomorrow, I will proudly celebrate with my wonderful family. We have been blessed in a thousand ways and we are fortunate to live in a country where we can pause for a day and thank God for the opportunity to live in America!

Happy 4th of July!

Bottled Water Reaches $15 Billion Mark

Today, it was announced that we are now paying $15 billion annually for bottled water and yes, I buy my share of it too but I did a little research and found some interesting statistics.

The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands and found the following:

1/4 of bottled water is bottled tap water.

Much that claims it is "spring water" is brought to the surface by a pump in a well and is then treated with chemicals.

5 brands were sent to a microbiologist to be tested for bacteria and there was no difference in bacteria content in the bottled water and tap water.

Bottled water regulations are inadequate to assure consumers of purity or safety.

Everest water is not from Mt. Everest. It is from Corpus Christi, Texas. Glacier Clear water is not from a glacier in Alaska, it is tap water from Greenville, Tennessee.

Dasani and Aquafina are both reprocessed tap water.

On a final note, a taste test was conducted in NYC and testers were to rate water tastes as bad, average or great. K-Mart brand (which was also the cheapest) won. Aquafina (which is reprocessed tap water) ranked second, Iceland Spring and plain tap water tied for third and Evian (most expensive) ranked dead last.

So, if there is no evidence that bottled water is healthier and there is no evidence that it tastes better, I guess we are just spending $15 billion a year on hype!

But if buying bottled water makes us drink more of it, which we all know is good for us, I say, "carry on!"

Remembering Hazel

My sister-in-law's mother died last night shortly before her 96th birthday! The last seven years of her life were spent in the same nursing home and in the same room where my mother spent her last three years.

Being residents of the Alzheimer's unit was never without interesting moments. While it is sad to watch a loved one's world get smaller and smaller as the disease strips them of their ability to remember much to talk about, there are still many fond memories of their life as "roomies".

They had separate closets but it didn't really matter a whole lot because if they saw a dress or sweater they liked, they just put it on! They both wore dresses and hose every day because that was the daily attire of their generation.

The could entertain themselves for hours looking at a newspaper, reading the same story over and over. They frequently read to each other - the same story, of course.

They could also be in the same room with little conversation taking place but they somehow knew if one needed something and the other one was quick to report it.

Mother and Hazel were friends and they were bound together by a strong family relationship. They were fighters - both living much longer than most of us and they milked all they could out of life on this earth.

Thank you, Hazel, for a life well-lived. You will be loved and fondly-remembered by all who knew you.

A Great Idea !

For the past 30 years, my son has been in a wheelchair and I have watched scores of times as able-bodied people have parked in handicapped spaces, jumped out of their car, and run in a store, taking up the only space in the lot so they wouldn't have to be inconvenienced ! Other than trying to control my utter contempt for the perpetrator, there has been nothing else I could do ----- until now!

Check out this site: www.caughtya.org. You can now just take a picture with your cell phone of the license number of the person illegally parked, send it to this site anonymously, and they will do the rest ! Incidentally, they are always illegally parked unless their vehicle has a tag, or handicapped sticker clearly visible.

This is Really "Off the Chain"

You may have noticed that I like my new expression "off the chain" (stolen from my son-in-law) but there are some things that defy comprehension and this is one of them ----

According to MSN, Paris Hilton's orange-colored prison jumpsuit and underwear are on sale on Ebay - the togs she rejected because they didn't fit properly! I imagine it would be hard to find prison attire which would fit as properly as the designer clothes to which she is accustomed. Wish I could help the government get rid of its surplus clothing but I think I'll just save myself the humiliation of trying to fit into it.

Cruise Bound !!!!

For months, our family has been planning a cruise to the Caribbean and the time has finally arrived !!! We leave this weekend and will visit the Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

We plan to eat great food, laugh our heads off, do a lot of "vegging", and enjoy each other's company.

Bon Voyage !

And the Winner is . . . . Susan !

After weeks of anticipation, last night's winner of the American Idol family pool was Susan T. ! She was teased by some for having ZERO points leading up to last night's competition but because she was the only person who picked Jordin Sparks to win and she also had two more of the top four so her total points were 240 and she won $210.

Thanks to all who participated - it was lots of fun !

Need to Make a Payment ?

If you need to make a payment on anything, there is a Quick-Shop on Godfrey Ave. in Fort Payne that will take it.

Ready for the Cruise

My son, Kirk, rolled into my office today and said, "I'm ready for the cruise!". It may be a long week ! :)

Idol Update and Other Stuff

So I cannot be accused of being stale at my blogging, I wanted to update Idol watchers. When Melinda was voted off last week, it sort of blew the heck out of the pool but smiling in the background is Susan who is the only one in the bunch who picked Jordin to win. If she is chosen the American Idol, she stands to make millions of dollars in record sales and Susan stands to win $210.

If Blake wins, it throws the whole thing into a tail spin since no one picked him to win. I could probably figure out the winner but it would take an hour or more and that is absolutely an hour I don't have at this point.

To my fellow bloggers, I continue to check your blogs every morning and Chuck continues to tell me that it snowed on April 6th, Susan continues to show pictures of the prom which took place in March and Amy continues to tell about her hair compliment !

In that period of time, Susan's son Will has made a name for himself in the golfing world, Chuck has been to Ireland and has bought a gorgeous new house, and Amy has been diligently training at a gym, has had a wonderful trip to Kentucky where she attended a horse race, and is moving into a cool new place so how about some new stuff to read guys??

One week from tomorrow, our family is going on a cruise ! We are all so excited ! I'll post some pics and some fun stuff when we get back !

More Than Meets the Eye

This is more than just a picture of a flower in my yard. It is the first attempt at taking a picture on my phone and sending it directly to my blog without going through a computer.

I learned how to do it myself - NOT ! I had the able assistance of my son-in-law . Thanks, e !

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And I Was Thinking of Giving a Wal-mart Gift Card

Presently, I have 9 graduation invitations in my drawer waiting for me to decide on a gift to send. An internet article on graduation gifts caught my eye so I clicked on it and read it.

Skin resurfacing, liposuction, breast implants and nose jobs now show up at the top of many grad's wish list. From 2002 to 2006, cosmetic surgery performed on kids from ages 13 to 19 doubled to 244,124 including 47,000 nose jobs and 9000 breast implants.

I am attempting to be "Open for Renovation" and not let myself get outdated in my thinking, but I may have to give up on that one.

Time Flies - and Occasionally Stands Still

Friday night the phone rang and it was Jane and Dianne.

To set the stage, Jane and Dianne were my closest friends throughout my school years. Most people referred to us as The Three Muskateers - one was rarely seen without the other two. We went to the same school, same church, were in the same clubs at school, in the band and the list could go on and on. Almost every weekend we spent the night with each other. We spent thousands of hours in the summers at Dianne's parents' lake house.

Janes' dad was killed in a wreck when we were in junior high school and we spent several nights at her house piled up in her bed grieving over a lost parent.

Dianne was in a serious boating accident in high school almost losing her leg and we spent lots of nights piled in a hospital bed grieving for our injured friend.

They were one year ahead of me in school and the bond was so close that I went to summer school and skipped my senior year in high so that I could enroll in the same college at the same time they went to college.

Time, circumstances, and distance separated us over the years and when they called Friday night, thery were in town for their 50th high school reunion! We made a plan to meet on Saturday. It had been many years since I had seen either of them.

Some things change drastically over time and some things never change. We don't look the same (one of us has gray hair and two of us are still very "naturally" blond); we don't act quite the same (thank goodness ) but we feel the same. True friendship never changes. It's amazing how our minds can recall the minutia of seemingly insignificant events - events that become the cornerstone of the memories of a happy life lived so many years ago.

We reminisced, showed pictures of children and grandchildren and told silly stories (we would probably have told a few more if Jane had not brought her serious-minded husband along) and we had an absolute blast !

Occasionally time stands still and allows us to recapture moments that might otherwise be forgotten.

Thanks for the visit, girls ! I will always love you.