It's another one of those absolutely glorious fall days. The temps are just right, the sky is full of fluffy white clouds and there is just enough breeze to move the leaves on the trees. It's one of those days that you don't want to be inside.........and therein lies the problem. Neighbor Guy doesn't want to be inside either.
You have to understand Neighbor Guy. He's 70 something years old, well preserved because of the amount of alcohol he consumes on an hourly basis, smokes pot, and has no filter on his mouth. That is probably due to the alcohol and pot smoking. For the most part, we've learned to ignore him.
Now Neighbor Guy has an old truck that he has been working on for 5 or 6 years. He worked on it for a long time himself and then took it off to a mechanic, who put in an engine and brought it back. Now when they brought it back, it sounded good, but Neighbor Guy didn't like that, so he's working on it again. Now it doesn't run at all unless you rev the engine as high as it will go for extended periods of time. Usually this is done at a time that D is on nights and sleeping during the day. Our bedroom is right next to their driveway where the truck sits. D has the window open to get the breeze. You see where this is going. Right?
Today, Neighbor Guy added a whole new dimension to the revving up of the motor for 10 minutes. He has a horn on the truck. Not your normal every day horn for a vehicle, but this one is a horn for a clown car. You know the sound I'm referring to I'm sure. It goes OOOOOGA...........OOOOOGA......Yes, that one. Today, he tried out the horn while revving up the engine. The engine revving, the horn blowing, Lucy barking because he was disturbing her, the cat flying into the house with her ears laid back and fur all ruffed up...........
Yes, it is just a normal day at the Pirate's Lair on Circus Street. A beautiful fall day filled with the wonderful fall sounds of revving engines and oooga horns and Neighbor Guy, and I get all this entertainment for free!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Window Cat
Sometimes I do manage to sneak outside when nobody is really paying attention, but what to do once I get out there? I stop, stare, look back at the door and wonder if leaving the safety of that door is really worth it? Once my feet touch the grass, I have no idea what to do and I lift each paw high in the air, wondering what that strange texture under my feet might be. It isn't like the floor that I can run on and slide around the corner, making my backside meet my nose. It isn't that rug that gives me such a thrill when I can make it slide from the back door, all the way to the front door. What to do, oh what to do? So I stand there until one of my humans picks me up and puts me back safely behind the door. Whew! That was close!
So I sit in the window, dreaming of what might have been, or what might be, knowing that just around the corner is a full bowl of food, fresh water, and beds for a wayward cat tucked into various corners, strictly for my comfort. There is always another 4 legged creature (the human calls them silly dogs) to snuggle up with if it's cold or raining, and do you know, I might have actually caught that creature and tried to eat it! Can you imagine, ME, eating raw meat? EEEEWWWW!!!!!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
My Day At A Glance
I knew it was going to be one of THOSE days when I woke up, couldn't go back to sleep, looked at the clock and it said 3:30 AM. I knew it was going to be one of THOSE days when I tried to go back to sleep after D got home from work. I even put in the most boring movie ever, and couldn't sleep. I knew it was going to be one of THOSE days when the 'Shake sprawled herself across me like Snoopy on his doghouse and dozed while I tried to doze. Apparently this is NOT a day for a Pirate to sleep.
It is one of those drizzly, gray days that is meant for staying inside. It's a day meant for reading or maybe even baking cookies. Nah, this Pirate doesn't bake cookies unless they are on a roll from the grocery store, and I have none of those on hand. Since D is sleeping, whatever I do has to be something relatively quiet so that means no loud music and dancing around the livingroom.
Perhaps I could go ghost hunting. Lucy seems to think we have something extra living up around our ceilings. From time to time she sits and gazes at one certain corner of the ceiling and then tries to hide. Of course, I have to remember that this IS Lucy I'm talking about, and sometimes the wag of her own tail scares her so badly she bolts to the back porch and hides under the glider. 'Shake and Annie just stare at her like she has lost her mind. (OK, so we all know she has, but I always try to give her the benefit of the doubt).
On another plane of thought, I could have a cup of coffee. That sounds like a winning idea to me.
So I raise my cup to my crazy, 4 legged girls, the ghost in the corner, and maybe even a dance around the livingroom when D wakes up.
Everybody have a great day now! I know I'm going to!
It is one of those drizzly, gray days that is meant for staying inside. It's a day meant for reading or maybe even baking cookies. Nah, this Pirate doesn't bake cookies unless they are on a roll from the grocery store, and I have none of those on hand. Since D is sleeping, whatever I do has to be something relatively quiet so that means no loud music and dancing around the livingroom.
Perhaps I could go ghost hunting. Lucy seems to think we have something extra living up around our ceilings. From time to time she sits and gazes at one certain corner of the ceiling and then tries to hide. Of course, I have to remember that this IS Lucy I'm talking about, and sometimes the wag of her own tail scares her so badly she bolts to the back porch and hides under the glider. 'Shake and Annie just stare at her like she has lost her mind. (OK, so we all know she has, but I always try to give her the benefit of the doubt).
On another plane of thought, I could have a cup of coffee. That sounds like a winning idea to me.
So I raise my cup to my crazy, 4 legged girls, the ghost in the corner, and maybe even a dance around the livingroom when D wakes up.
Everybody have a great day now! I know I'm going to!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Life Cycles
The following story touched me deeply today. I was already having trouble with Pat Robertson's "ok" to divorce your partner because "they are no longer there" and then I read this and my thoughts went back to my Mom.
In her last years, Mom had Alzhimers. She reached a point in time where she no longer knew me as I walked through the door. In her mind, her daughter was only 4, sometimes younger. The Mom who made my clothes, cooked my favorite foods, walked me to school, and spanked my little backside was no longer the Mom I knew.
I can never imagine my Dad saying, "Well, she doesn't know us so let's just leave her here and go find another wife and Mom." No, he stuck by her, doing the best he could and making sure her last years were comfortable, or as comfortable as they could be.
We really are coming into a time where the aged, the sick, the mentally challenged, are forgotten or ignored. It's scary to think that the time may very well come when these same people are given a shot, or a medication, that will remove them from life completely because they are no longer "useful". What kind of a life will my beautiful daughter and my wonderful sons have when they become "senior citizens"? What about those grandchildren that I love so much? Will they be cast aside like a pair of worn out shoes as they approach what should be their golden years?
Our nation is in a rapid downward spiral and now it seems that one of our "top" religious men is advocating just throwing all those years of marriage down the drain and getting on with life. I wonder where God was in that decision. I'm quite sure that HE wasn't consulted.
http://www.kendavis.com/commentary/what-would-pat-robertson-have-done-with-my-dad/
In her last years, Mom had Alzhimers. She reached a point in time where she no longer knew me as I walked through the door. In her mind, her daughter was only 4, sometimes younger. The Mom who made my clothes, cooked my favorite foods, walked me to school, and spanked my little backside was no longer the Mom I knew.
I can never imagine my Dad saying, "Well, she doesn't know us so let's just leave her here and go find another wife and Mom." No, he stuck by her, doing the best he could and making sure her last years were comfortable, or as comfortable as they could be.
We really are coming into a time where the aged, the sick, the mentally challenged, are forgotten or ignored. It's scary to think that the time may very well come when these same people are given a shot, or a medication, that will remove them from life completely because they are no longer "useful". What kind of a life will my beautiful daughter and my wonderful sons have when they become "senior citizens"? What about those grandchildren that I love so much? Will they be cast aside like a pair of worn out shoes as they approach what should be their golden years?
Our nation is in a rapid downward spiral and now it seems that one of our "top" religious men is advocating just throwing all those years of marriage down the drain and getting on with life. I wonder where God was in that decision. I'm quite sure that HE wasn't consulted.
http://www.kendavis.com/commentary/what-would-pat-robertson-have-done-with-my-dad/
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
An Obituary
London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were buried long ago in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and Maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they, themselves had failed to do, in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were buried long ago in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and Maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they, themselves had failed to do, in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Morning
10 years ago today, I sat with Danny on one side of me and Emma Rose in my lap and watched as the plane struck the 2nd tower. It was total disbelief that TWO planes had struck those towers and I listened as Katie Couric and Matt Lauer tried to figure out what was happening. The horror in their voices as they realized that this was a terrorist attack still haunts me today.
When I was able to regain my thought patterns and realize what was happening, I sent the kids to another room to play. This was too much for adults to handle and I didn't want to traumatize them by causing them to realize this was real. This wasn't a movie. Danny asked what happened and I told him the plane wrecked into that building. He shared with me that it sure caused a lot of smoke.
Yes, it caused a lot of smoke, a lot of chaos, a lot of deaths, a lot of heartache, but most of all, it created a lot of fear. Fear that hasn't really ever left since that day. It's almost every day that we hear of "planned attacks" or maybe there is a new threat coming from somewhere in a place of which we've never heard. Our lives after September 11, 2001, have never had that same joyous abandon of life before that date. We no longer believe that we are indestructable because that day showed us that we are. We no longer take everything, like our freedom, for granted, because it has come with a high price tag attached.
The smoke that so impressed a little 4 year old in Tennessee that day, still binds us. It binds us in hatred and in fear of what can happen to us at a moment's notice. It keeps us looking over our shoulders, wondering where the next attack might happen or if another attack will happen here on our soil.
I choose to not live in that fear, though I will admit, sometimes it's hard not to. I choose to live by the verse I used in my status today. John 14:27 which says, " Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Let's live with HIS peace today, and tomorrow, and for all days afterwards...............
Monday, September 5, 2011
Rain
It's one of those early Fall mornings when the air is cool, the fog is sitting on the ridges, the crickets are in full chorus, and you know it is a day to rejoice.
Yesterday was a day to rejoice too. We had rain. Hard rain. It didn't last all evening, but it was wonderful while it was here. Since thunder was involved, Lucy and Annie chose to be in their crate, covered up, but Milkshake and I sat in the rocking chair, in front of the front door and watched the rain fall. When the blowing wind caused the rain to blow through the front door, we shut the door and moved to the swing on the back porch.
What a wonderful sound to hear the rain pelting the roof, to see it hitting the water in the pool, and to smell the rain. What a sweet, refreshing scent the rain gives us! It can't be reproduced in a can or a candle, though man has tried. It just can't be done.
I am not a person who actually likes rain. Especially in the winter months. I find rain in the winter very depressing, but on those days, I find myself a book or a movie, a blanket, and lose myself in a world of fantasy. At this point in time however, rain is more than welcomed. Everything was so dry. Our yards were all brown for the most part and felt like straw when walked on, so this Pirate is really enjoying the rain.
I hear the rain falling this morning. Right now it's a gentle rain with a cool breeze dropping in once in a while. From what I understand, it's going to get heavier today and will last longer than a normal summer rain. Well, we're ready for it. Stocked up on coffee, have some books ready on the Nook, and who knows, we may just pull TWO rocking chairs in front of the door and watch the rain fall.
Yesterday was a day to rejoice too. We had rain. Hard rain. It didn't last all evening, but it was wonderful while it was here. Since thunder was involved, Lucy and Annie chose to be in their crate, covered up, but Milkshake and I sat in the rocking chair, in front of the front door and watched the rain fall. When the blowing wind caused the rain to blow through the front door, we shut the door and moved to the swing on the back porch.
What a wonderful sound to hear the rain pelting the roof, to see it hitting the water in the pool, and to smell the rain. What a sweet, refreshing scent the rain gives us! It can't be reproduced in a can or a candle, though man has tried. It just can't be done.
I am not a person who actually likes rain. Especially in the winter months. I find rain in the winter very depressing, but on those days, I find myself a book or a movie, a blanket, and lose myself in a world of fantasy. At this point in time however, rain is more than welcomed. Everything was so dry. Our yards were all brown for the most part and felt like straw when walked on, so this Pirate is really enjoying the rain.
I hear the rain falling this morning. Right now it's a gentle rain with a cool breeze dropping in once in a while. From what I understand, it's going to get heavier today and will last longer than a normal summer rain. Well, we're ready for it. Stocked up on coffee, have some books ready on the Nook, and who knows, we may just pull TWO rocking chairs in front of the door and watch the rain fall.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
I Live On Circus Street
I love my little house. I love the fact that it's so weather tight and easy to maintain. I even love the street I live on, solely for its entertainment value. I've never lived anywhere like this before. Here is an example..........Follow closely so you don't lose track of the clowns.
The guy next door has "friends" that drop by to visit quite often. This week they've been there every day. Today, I'm sitting inside, enjoying my lunch and the breeze blowing through the house and I hear all this yelling. So being the nosy pirate that I am, I get up and look out the door. These friends are in an argument. There are 3 of them, 2 guys and a girl. The guy in the back seat, gets out and starts walking. The other 2 holler at him and he gets back in the car. They get about 5 feet and the guy on the passenger side gets out, slams the door and starts walking. The girl who is driving, is yelling, cussing, carrying on. They go another 10 feet and the guy gets back in the car. They get to the stop sign, which from where the 2nd guy got out, is about 30 feet. Maybe. The car stops, the girl gets out, and takes off!!! The 2 guys sit there for a minute and the guy in the passenger side gets out and follows the girl. This leaves the car blocking the street and the 3rd guy in the back seat. He finally opens the door, gets out, yelling, throwing his arms around and gets in the drivers seat and makes it to the street that comes off 411, where he parks. Suddenly, the second guy comes and gets in the car, the woman comes stomping down the street, gets in the drivers side, the guy who moved the car, gets out and jumps in the back seat and they go roaring off into the wild blue yonder.
WHY would I want to watch TV when I have the circus just outside my front door????
The guy next door has "friends" that drop by to visit quite often. This week they've been there every day. Today, I'm sitting inside, enjoying my lunch and the breeze blowing through the house and I hear all this yelling. So being the nosy pirate that I am, I get up and look out the door. These friends are in an argument. There are 3 of them, 2 guys and a girl. The guy in the back seat, gets out and starts walking. The other 2 holler at him and he gets back in the car. They get about 5 feet and the guy on the passenger side gets out, slams the door and starts walking. The girl who is driving, is yelling, cussing, carrying on. They go another 10 feet and the guy gets back in the car. They get to the stop sign, which from where the 2nd guy got out, is about 30 feet. Maybe. The car stops, the girl gets out, and takes off!!! The 2 guys sit there for a minute and the guy in the passenger side gets out and follows the girl. This leaves the car blocking the street and the 3rd guy in the back seat. He finally opens the door, gets out, yelling, throwing his arms around and gets in the drivers seat and makes it to the street that comes off 411, where he parks. Suddenly, the second guy comes and gets in the car, the woman comes stomping down the street, gets in the drivers side, the guy who moved the car, gets out and jumps in the back seat and they go roaring off into the wild blue yonder.
WHY would I want to watch TV when I have the circus just outside my front door????
September Already!
Wow, it's September 1 already! Where has the year gone? 2/3 of it has already passed and it seems like just yesterday I was whining because it was so cold! I saw on the weather report that though it's still going to be in the 90's for most of this week, next week it drops down to the 80's. Hopefully the fall will be kind and let the temps drop slowly so it isn't such a shock to the ole system.
The days are winding down. It's now dark before 9 pm, and isn't daylight until well after 6. Some of the trees, probably due to lack of rain, are changing colors and losing their leaves. Our full color probably won't happen until the first part of November. However, without rain, we will just have various shades of brown and that will be sad.
I'm not looking forward to the cold, rainy days of late fall and winter, because I love the sunshine and warmth so much. Perhaps I should just buy myself a sunlamp, dump a truckload of sand in my livingroom, set up a palm tree or two, some beach chairs, and imagine myself right into a warmer climate until next May. I'm sure that wouldn't cause a problem.. Would it?
The days are winding down. It's now dark before 9 pm, and isn't daylight until well after 6. Some of the trees, probably due to lack of rain, are changing colors and losing their leaves. Our full color probably won't happen until the first part of November. However, without rain, we will just have various shades of brown and that will be sad.
I'm not looking forward to the cold, rainy days of late fall and winter, because I love the sunshine and warmth so much. Perhaps I should just buy myself a sunlamp, dump a truckload of sand in my livingroom, set up a palm tree or two, some beach chairs, and imagine myself right into a warmer climate until next May. I'm sure that wouldn't cause a problem.. Would it?
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