Oof

No more snow for a few days, please; it hurts too much.  The snow stopped late Sat. night.  Hubby ran the snowblower earlier in the day so he could get out to work. That evening I shoveled our sidewalks and collected the snow on the driveway in convenient piles for snow-blowing later.  Sunday I checked on Dad's place.  His neighbor had kindly blown out the driveway.  Some hand shoveling was needed to finish the job; oh and the temperature had dropped to a high of 10 deg. F with a whopping wind chill.  By the time that was done I had no interest in spending any more time outside finishing my driveway.  The legal obligations to the city were fulfilled; it could wait.  The evening was spent sitting in front of the pellet stove shredding enough old records to fill a yard waste bag with shredded paper.  Monday was spent running more errands; then I finished clearing the snow from my driveway and from strategic places in the yard so that drainage would be possible when the spring thaw occurs.  The temperature was still frigid.  Yesterday the cold snap finally broke!  Then Hubby loaded the snowblower into the Element, we hauled it over to mom's house, snow-blowed a strip back to the garage, and parked it inside.  Then we grabbed a quick lunch at the Chinese restaurant, and while Hubby was at work, I mailed some stuff, paid our property taxes, paid mom's property taxes, did mom's banking, returned library stuff, and then trundled back over to mom's place to snow-blow her driveway.  When that was done, I loaded the snowblower into dad's truck which has been parked there for a while.  Thankfully, the old Dodge pickup started, and it only died once on the way back home.  (I think it might be an electrical problem exacerbated by winter weather; in the past I have noticed that it dies even more often if the radio is on in addition to the heat and headlights.  The problem seems to clear up once the truck has been running for a while.  Dad seems to think it is the carburetor while I think it is more likely an electrical problem.  Maybe it is both.)  I noticed on the way home that the left turn signal was blinking slower than the right one.  The snowblower was unloaded and parked back in its usual place; then I took the truck back over to mom's house to retrieve my car.  On the trip back to mom's house the left turn signal failed completely in the on position, so I had to switch it on & off to get it to blink.  Those stalk switches are really expensive to fix!  It is unlikely that the snow will melt before Christmas, so I guess it will be a white one.  But please Lord, we really do have enough to hold us for now!  Send it somewhere else please.

By the way, some southerner must have programmed the auto correct.  It doesn't recognize the verb forms snow-blow, snow-blowing, and snow-blowed.  It keeps trying to substitute snowplowing instead.  No you idiotic program - only professional snow removal companies and municipalities can afford snowplows.  The rest of us have to shovel it or blow it and pray the wind isn't against us.

Canine Perspective on the Postal Service

Ember has settled in nicely.  Unlike Chloe who could be lightly supervised in the yard while she searched for the perfect place to go potty, Ember has to be walked.  Hubby takes the morning rounds and they usually encounter the postwoman delivering mail.  Ember really likes seeing the postwoman.  The postwoman gives her treats &/or a good ear rub, and Ember gives her a hug.  On one morning hubby and Ember ran across the postwoman while she was at her truck.  The postwoman gave her a treat from a container.  Now Ember probably thinks the mail truck is completely filled with dog biscuits just for her.

Sweet

Greenwich Mean Time is sweet! It is possible to watch Grand Tour on Thursday evening in WI, because it is already Friday in Britain.

Operation Desert Stumble last week was a bit over the top - a mix of Groundhog Day and Monty Python's "How Not to Hide Sketch".  The only thing missing would have been the queen actress saying "I'm not dead yet."

Maybe they'll be back on topic this week.

Why did he have to open his big mouth?

If a retailer insults me for choosing the lesser of two evils at the voting booth, why should I shop at his store?  Bye bye Mr. Penzey.

Anyone know of a good online source for good quality Dutch processed cocoa?  (NO I don't mean Hershey's Special Dark - way too alkalized!)

The rest of the spices I can get from the Indian grocery store, at much lower prices too.  With some preparation, I can plant and harvest most of the herbs I need.  It was just a matter of convenience to find everything at one store.  But Penzey's will never smell nice again when the owner called me a racist.  He doesn't even know me.

Quote from Hubby

The weather was just "lovely" yesterday.  Hubby arrived home after work and said "I found something more slippery than slush."

I replied "What could possibly be more slippery than slush?"

Hubby said, "Pavement covered in mud and wet manure, and topped with slush.  - Oh, and the Element needs a good washing."

I replied, "Eew, thankfully you made it home ok."

Please drive carefully folks, winter's coming back.

Canine Perspective vs. Human Perspective

Ember's perspective

"My people love me so much and think I am really special.

They take me for walks, and because I am so very special they even collect my poops, save them in a plastic bag, and keep them forever in a special memories can outside."

Human perspective

To quote a song by Bill the Cat, "You stink, but we still love you."  We feel sorry for the poor garbage man who has to pick up the bag with dog poop, cat litter, and dead mice in it.  Thankfully, the lid on that trash can fits very tightly.

Big Surprise

Voter ID significantly reduces voter fraud.

Well maybe it is not such a big surprise after all.

Without all the dead an imaginary people voting in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, etc., Wisconsin actually voted for a Republican presidential candidate.

The last time that happened was for Ronald Reagan.

Let the significance of that sink in for a bit.

Some Days

I envy my dog.

On most days her most difficult problem to solve is finding the most comfortable napping position.

See

Ok, now let's go outside!

Please, please, pretty please.

"Mom, please I'm jealous of you now.

You have thumbs and can turn doorknobs."

Running Amok

So, did the employee leave the keys in an unlocked vehicle?  Or did he pick the employee's pocket for the car keys?  Or did he hot-wire it?

Silver Alert

Duh Moments

Duh #1
Hubby had to go in to work on one of his days off to attend the monthly safety meeting.  As you can probably imagine, with the meetings being every month it can be difficult for management to have any new topics of discussion after a while.  Hubby works at a cheese factory.  Milk goes in; cheese, cream, and whey products come out.  With the Safe Quality Foods Act, even more labels are required.  So here he was sitting in a safety meeting on his day off with several of his fellow employees, when a management person stated that per regulations all bills of lading for outgoing product must include the label "Warning: this product contains milk."  He did his best not to burst out laughing.

Duh #2
On the news they reported that "Traffic is expected to be heavy for the first Green Bay Packer's game."
(If it wasn't, the next news report would be for freeze warnings in hell.)

Here We Go Again

As the Garden Grows

Small Beginnings

Garden Gone Wild

Chinese Chrysanthemums, Sunflower, Morning Glories, and a Carrot Gone to Seed Battling it out for Sunshine, Space, and Water.

Sunflowers Reaching for the Sky

The Not So Dwarf Apple Trees Running Amok Again

Oh, did I mention Dad regraded part of his back yard to reduce some drainage problems then tilled the whole thing.  (This picture was taken before weeding and hilling was finished.)  Pumpkins in the left rear, pole beans, broccoli (mostly eaten by critters) hiding behind the pole beans, a row of bush beans (first growth nibbled to the stems, but managed to grow back), two rows of potatoes, one row of beets, two rows of carrots, one row with Swiss chard, turnips, rutabagas, and Chinese cabbage.

Not shown are the three hills of zucchini, approx. 18 tomato plants, and the cucumbers.

The garden is chugging along nicely, the root crops patiently lurking until harvest time approaches.  But in the meantime, we have beans, beans, beans, beans.

(Sing this to the Pinky and the Brain theme song,

substituting beans for Brain)

Narf

The beans at my house have been in a battle with hungry voles, but the ones at dad's house are doing Great.

You might even imagine they are trying to take over the world.

Settling In Nicely

A few more pictures of Ember,

or at least let's try to take some pictures.

 Avert glance to the right

Avert glance to the left 

Ok, that's better, but the sequence does bear a striking resemblance to mug shots.

The dog chair is once again occupied.  

Another pose

Missed the one where she was on her back, twitching her legs and woofing in her sleep.  Although only video would really do that justice.

Ok, seriously are you done with that camera yet?

You're disturbing my nap.

Welcome to the Family

We broke down and bought another dog.  Her name is Ember.  She is a red standard poodle.  She has retired from making puppies for her previous owner.  She seems a bit shy right now, but give her time.  She tolerated her bath quite well.  Tomorrow she gets a summer haircut.  She already has hubby wrapped around her paw.  

 See, she's got the pet me thing down pat.  Her favorite thing so far seems to be getting her chin scratched.  Not sure if the front paws turned under is a stress reaction or just a personal quirk.  Guess we'll see as she comes out of her shell and shows her personality some more.

And yes the purple collar is temporary.

I'm thinking blue would look nicer.

Vacation

Hubby has a week off work.  Oh, what will we do with the time?  This morning we slept ridiculously late, had brunch, and hubby is watching The Rocketeer.  It is worth it just to see a Gee-Bee reproduction flying, (more fun to see one in person though).  We still miss Chloe.  I am of the opinion that we should get another dog before we develop bad habits that we will have to break when we get another dog.  You know, like leaving a bowl of popcorn or any other food unattended, throwing away food wrappers in any garbage can rather than the locking kitchen can, sleeping really late rather than getting up to take a dog out, etc.

Metrology

is the only occupation in which the person gets to stay employed even when his or her forecast is wrong a lot of the time.  Yes, I'm grumbling.  It was supposed to be sunny and clear all this afternoon.  Maybe it will finish raining and dry before it gets dark.  There is plenty of mowing and weeding to do.

Overshadowed

I couldn't give a rat's behind right now about the news, silly internet jokes, or sunny skies, because we had to have Chloe euthanized yesterday.  She was the only dog I actually chose to bring into my home.  She will be missed terribly.

R.I.P. Chloe 2005-2016

So If We Can't Hunt Them,

Can we relocate them to a certain judge's backyard instead?

Too Many Wolves!

I wonder what or who they will eat next?

Or Wait for Winter to Take Care of It

A Little Snake Problem

Just in time for summer tourism.

What do you want to bet some college student at UW-Zero couldn't take his pet home for summer?

Why Oh Why

Did they ever construct roundabouts in this town?  (Oh yeah, it was a pork barrel project courtesy of former governor Diamond Jim Doyle.  Wanna bet he has friends in the road construction business?)  It seems people don't know how to use these new roundabouts.  Someone driving a white Chrysler sedan clipped my rear bumper because he or she failed to yield as I exited the roundabout.  It made a ding in the rear bumper that bounced back out, but as far as I know the person just kept on going.  If their car is damaged, they can pay for it because it was their fault anyhow.  If I hadn't stepped on it when I saw them pulling into the roundabout, it probably would have t-boned my car at the back seat. Then on the return trip from mom's place while exiting another roundabout another person in a brand new Dodge muscle car started meandering into my lane.  A quick application of the horn instructed her to get back where she belonged.  Glancing in the rear view mirror after that little adventure provided another shocker.  The Porsche Panamera that was behind the Dodge then proceeded to do an illegal 3/4 rotation around the roundabout from the outside lane.  That might explain why they both had fairly new cars; maybe they wrecked their old ones.

So folks when using roundabouts in the good ole USA, remember to yield to the folks coming from the left, and stay in your lane until you have exited the roundabout!  Checking the news tonight gave me plenty of explanation.  Country USA is happening in Oshkosh.  So I guess that means the summer tourism season has begun, and Wisconsin has been invaded by tourists who don't know where they are going and are quite possibly drunk to boot.  Note to the folks from down south, our northern beer has a much higher alcohol content.  Don't try to drink a six pack of Point Bock all by yourself!

A reminder arrived from the tire shop the other day.  Apparently the car is due for routine tire rotation.  Might as well get the alignment checked as well to make sure that little shove didn't bend anything severely out of shape.

Grow a Little Faster Please

The constant harassment of dive bombing, squawking robins is getting old.  And the kennel needs weeding.

Nest Wars

Yes, the robins are at it again.

Ever since I trimmed off their favorite branch from the tree in the front yard, it seems like they have been trying to put their nest in more and more inconvenient places.

This year they built it inside the covered bird feeder,

which wouldn't be so bad except that it is next to Chloe's kennel.

As a result, I can't stick Chloe out in the kennel to dry after giving her a bath, without ma and pa robin having a cow.  It also isn't possible to give Tigger the cat her spring shower until after the silly birds have fledged.  Tigger might find her dry time more entertaining than usual; then again, she might get her eyes pecked out.  I'm not interested in finding out who would win that battle.

Oh, and they squawk at everything,
we are getting really tired of angry robin noises wafting in the windows.

Once they move out, it will be time to hang that feeder from the tree in the front yard.  Maybe next year they will take the hint.

No Matter Who Is Running

for political office,

I will hang up on you when you call my house

with pre-recorded messages.

Don't Waste My Time!

Some Flowers

Happy Mother's Day

To All Moms

(And the nice thing about pictures is 
that there is no watering required.)

This Should Ruin Their Demographics

So Barnes & Noble sent me a lovely coupon code for 20% off one item plus free shipping, just so it would arrive in time for Mother's Day.  Since we haven't been able to find much of anything at their store lately to total enough for free shipping, we bought Top Gear Season 22.  That should leave them scratching their heads and asking, "Is someone really going to give THAT to her mother for Mother's Day?"  Sure beats chick flicks.  I could have been a mom, maybe.  For the sake of the coupon, I'm counting Chloe.

Conversation with Hubby

So the grocery store had some lamb on sale.  Since mom & stepfather are now in assisted living, I figured that there would actually be some time to cook.  Having gathered some of the ingredients on one of several leisurely shopping expeditions this week, it was time to make lamb curry.  (I had to add a local Indian grocery store to the expedition list, because Penzey's tandoori seasoning is not hot & spicy.  Note, the Indian grocery probably has way better prices on peppercorns too.)  Being still a bit tired (or lazy) I opted for pre-ground spices rather than toasting them and getting the coffee grinder dirty as well.   I had forgotten to get fresh ginger.  The piece in the fridge looked like a mummy's toe, so some ground powdered ginger went into the prefab "hot curry spice blend" along with some more cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric, and a dash of ground cardamom.  After chopping up onions, and pressing some garlic, all was ready.  The onions and garlic were browned in butter and olive oil.  (No, I don't see the point of ghee.  My fridge works fine, and Wisconsin is called the dairy state for a very good reason.  I personally find clarified butter to be rather tasteless and a bit disgusting.)  Then the spice blend was thrown in to bloom in the oil & butter.  Next went the cut up chunks of lamb, that had been trimmed of as much fat as possible.  Once the chunks were browned the lamb bone was thrown in and tomato juice was added to cover.  (Nope, I didn't buy coconut milk either.  This is not authentic, and I don't care.)  Then it was reheated up to a boil and  then turned down to a high simmer/low boil for 1 1/2 hours.  Hubby enjoyed the smell when he came home.  (Note, I had also made a backup stew of beef and potatoes in the pressure cooker, because Indian food doesn't always agree with his insides.  Hence the following discussion.)

Me:  "Hubby, would you like to try some lamb curry?"

Hubby:  "Maybe just a taste.  The color is a bit brown for my liking."

Me:  "So your trouble with curry is that it is basically the same color when it goes in as when it comes back out the other end?"

Hubby:  "Yes, exactly."

Me:  "Then explain to me why you like chocolate."

Hubby:  "Chocolate is a slightly different shade of brown, which makes it better somehow."

And that is the reason why I didn't take a picture of the curry.  (Or maybe I'm still being lazy/resting.  And I need to add ginger and garlic to the shopping list.)

Celebrate Freedom

Mom & Stepfather are firmly ensconced and settling in to a secure lock-down assisted living facility.  Unfortunately, they didn't sleep well last night and therefore didn't want to go to church this morning.  Their loss is my gain.  Time to enjoy my second real day off in four years.  I have the whole day free to enjoy with hubby and Chloe - oh, the possibilities!

Celebrate

Think - Freedom

Time to get out and enjoy the Blue Skies!

Lousy Search Engine

So the newspaper had a coupon.

I figured I should check the store website to see if they still carry the tennis shoes with velcro closure for mom.

First I tried searching the brand, but they were all lace-up.

So I tried searching for "womens shoe velcro"

This it what the search engine produced.

Seriously?

How is this item in any way related to women's shoes?

It did make me laugh.

Maybe it will make you laugh too.

Somebody Caught a Big One

A good day fishing

If Dogs Could Talk

The conversation might run something like this.

Chloe: "Hi mom, so glad you're home.  I need a haircut."

Me: "Chloe, I'm so sorry.  Things have been so busy with looking for assisted living facilities for mom & stepfather.  I really know you desperately need a haircut.  When I came home this afternoon, you greeted me with one of my wool socks in you mouth instead of your flat fox squeaky toy."

Chloe:  "My I feel sheepish.  I thought something was a bit off.  I couldn't find the squeaker, and it tasted like a sheep with toe jam.  Can you please pencil me in for a full shave?"

Chloe: "Aah, that's better, found the squeaky and it tastes like my drool-still waiting for that haircut mom."

Happy Easter Late

Hope you had a blessed Easter

and didn't put yourselves into a chocolate induced coma.
(that includes the after Easter candy clearance sales)

In case you hadn't guessed,

things are a tad busy around here.

I'm Dreaming of

A White Easter...

just like the ones

before global warming

became the rage.

Yes, it snowed.

Tomorrow is Good Friday.

The snow will probably still be here on

Easter Sunday.

See, the reason you color the hard boiled eggs is so that they are easier to find in a snow bank.

Ever Have One of Those Days

when you wish you could be a dog instead?

Kind of like this?

You can just see her thinking,
"ooh - ok now a little to the left please."
To be allowed to hang around the house all day would be sweet,
but eating dog food would be pretty lousy.

Stepfather's Alzheimers is getting bad.
Nuff said.

Road Hazard

Keep your eyes peeled if you're in the neighborhood.

Bison on the loose

Guess What

This big, old wreck of a house, yard, driveway, and the unattached garage are all ours now.

We paid off the mortgage.  We still have to pay property taxes for the luxury of having sidewalks that have to be shoveled, and roads, and city water, and sewers, and all that other city dweller stuff, but that expense is fairly manageable.

The next thing on the to do list is to get some estimates to re-shingle the house roof.  The west side has taken a gradual beating over the last few years with storms.  Unfortunately, it can't really be chalked up to one particular storm so the homeowner's insurance is very unlikely to cover any of it.  On the plus side, if it isn't an insurance job, the roofers can give an accurate estimate rather than trying to lowball it and come back with unexpected expenses like they tend to do on storm damage insurance jobs.

Oh, and the garage doors need replacing.

And I need to finish the work on the 1st floor.

And, and, and, ....

Ah, the "fun" never ends.

Remind me again why we bought a house.

Oh, yes, partly it was to have the simple freedoms that renters don't have, like being able to hang pictures wherever you want them and paint the walls whatever color you like.  And let us not forget the freedom to dig holes in the lawn and plant stuff and give the shrubbery police fits when the rose bush on the corner gets too tall for their liking.

Warmer Days

We have had a couple of warmer days this week with lots of melting happening.  I know it is still winter, but it does make it a bit easier to haul mom & stepfather to church on Sunday without the worry of "Will she turn into a frozen mom-sickle on the way out to the car?"  Sometimes I do wonder if it is worth the trouble, because neither of them remember anything beyond the last 5-10 minutes.  At least it helps keep them in a routine.  On the plus side, on the way home from dropping them off after church, a few rare sights appeared on the road.  First was a Maserati, and then there was a Corvette.  Although I probably could never justify buying things like that, they sure are pretty.  Hey, looking is free.  It was nice to have a Maserati Sunday, rather than a Buick Sunday.  (Cause face it, being stuck behind a Buick toodling 5 mph below the speed limit just takes the fun out of the day.)

As far as my car goes, it will be visiting the shop tomorrow.  The check engine light was traced back to a dead oxygen sensor.  Thankfully, Honda designed the civic with two for redundancy sake, so the car can still run until the bad one is replaced.  It is also getting the clutch replaced.  The mechanic said it isn't worn out yet, but I would rather schedule it than have it go at a really inconvenient time.  If it were just me, I could just walk if it went suddenly.  But if mom were in the car during bad weather, it would make for a bad situation.  And since this is our trusty mechanic's slow time of the year for business, it is a good fit.  Plus I did some online searches last week for used replacement cars that have four doors, capacious trunks for hauling mom's wheelchair, and manual transmissions.  The pickings were slim, and I really didn't like any of them.  At least the civic is tolerable.

Better Late than Never

Belated Happy Valentine's Day

Went looking through my photo library for something pretty and red to put in this post.  Since it has been particularly cold outside, I have really been missing summer.  Oh, and the check engine light on my car decided to turn itself on, so I have been driving dad's red truck because my car is at the mechanic until he solves the mystery of why the check engine light is illuminated.  Replacing the gas cap didn't fix it, so it was time for the mechanic to plug it in for some diagnostics.  So, a flashback to summer will now commence.  There is definitely a wide variety.

Hope you find something you like.

Sat-Nav Voices

A few years back hubby and I borrowed dad's GPS when we had to take a trip.  In general we found the directions to be a bit iffy (probably because dad hadn't paid to update the data in a while).  We also found the voice rather annoying.  The other day we were watching an episode of Top Gear in which Richard Hammond loved the car, but he was puzzled why the the voice for the sat-nav sounded like a women's prison warder (translation for American English = warden).  Hubby and I turned to each other and said, "So we're not the only ones who don't like the sat-nav voice."  Then hubby said, "I wonder what would happen if someone did a Marilyn Monroe voice for sat-nav?  Even if they got lost, they probably wouldn't mind."  Then I asked "What would happen if someone did Mae West sat-nav directions?"  Hubby replied, "They would probably get so distracted, that they'd have an accident."  Then we got to thinking what would happen if Ferrari contracted with Sophia Loren to do their sat-nav voice?  Oh, and not to leave the female drivers out of the loop, who wouldn't want sat nav directions by Vin Diesel, James Earl Jones, or Bruce Willis?  Unfortunately, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Sterling Holloway have all passed.  How cool would that be if the voice of Winnie the Pooh gave you driving directions?  So if you had your choice of voices to give you sat-nav directions, who would you pick?

Does it Help

to know what's wrong, when the doctor can't actually do anything about it?  There's an 80% blockage in an artery in mom's neck, but operating could make things much worse.  So, first do no wrong, and get her affairs in order.  Oh, and don't feed her a lot at once, because a big meal causes blood to rush to her stomach to digest the food, and then her brain gets less blood and oxygen.  Then things get interesting in a Tower of Babel sort of way.  Apparently it is called aphasia.  She was mostly back to normal yesterday and today thankfully.  She even seemed to have gotten a bit of a sense of humor back.  Of course, keeping her from eating all the time is next to impossible.  Cue the theme song for Mission Impossible, and prepare for a tantrum.

Oh, it snowed Tuesday.  Entirely too fitting for groundhog day.  I and the snowblower are tired.  Cleared my driveway, mom's driveway, and dad's driveway.  I used at least a gallon of gas in the snowblower and managed to lose the plug for the gas can spout, drat.  Have to buy a new plug on Wed.  Hope y'all are warm and dry.  And to those not feeling well, hope you get better soon.

Would Love To

Do a cheerful post, but hubby broke a tooth today shortly before he went to work.  (Yes, he worked with it that way.)  We'll have to see if he can make it through tomorrow and go to the dentist on Monday, if the website listing the ones in our dental plan actually works.  Thankfully, he has the next two days off work.

But it doesn't end with that.  I was finishing some chores at mom's this evening while mom & stepfather were polishing off their supper.  Then mom started mixing up her words and when I asked her how many fingers I was holding up she said she couldn't see them.  When we told her we were taking her to the ER, she got angry and the symptoms seemed to clear up a bit.  She refused to go out to the car.  I called 911, and she got an ambulance ride instead.  After lots of tests, the doctor concluded that she probably had a TIA (Transient ischemic attack).  She has been admitted to the hospital.  They will run more tests Sunday morning.

So how was your Saturday?  Fun would be nice, but at this stage I would settle for dull and boring.

Sleep sweet y'all.

Silly Thoughts

I know that I have been spending a bit too much time taking care of forgetful old folks when I think "What if someone made a TV show called Assisted Living Boot Camp?  What would happen if the nursing assistants were replaced with drill sergeants?  One thing wouldn't need to change though - the cafeteria food."

Some of the lines might go like this.
"No, Put your clothes back on!  It is supper time, not bedtime."

"No, you can't have more to eat.  You just ate breakfast 15 minutes ago."

"No, you can't have more to eat.  You just ate lunch 10 minutes ago."

"No, you can't have more to eat.  You just had supper 20 minutes ago."

To the spouse of the one who wants to eat all the time - "Did you remember to eat breakfast?"

"No, it is Tuesday not Sunday; we're not going to church."

"Go to the bathroom and change into a clean pair of jeans.  The shirts in last week's laundry were very lonely."

"Wash your hair.  No, you can't send it out.  The reattachment process is quite painful."

Time to Smile

Another lap of the sun has been completed.

Today has been a bit damp here,

leaving most folks who ventured outside feeling like

a soggy doggy

or

a drenched cat.

Over the last year there have been bright and sunny days.

Blue days.

Ok, so if someone gave me this one and paid registration and insurance that would be pretty sweet (but extremely unlikely).

Some days were in the pink.

All in all, I've made it through another year with most of my

Intact.

So, it's time to howl along with the music.

And say bring on the next year.