Snickers and Treats

The little rascal Sam is escaping again.  The a/c heat people were out yesterday for the bi-annual checkup (it's my nephew's best friend - they grew up together so I've know him since they were both kids).  I usually can't herd Sam into another room and shut the door when there's something going on at the house.  And he really wants to climb the attic stairs again.  Sorry buddy, but that isn't happening again.


So as they were leaving and we were chit-chatting about his daughter (she's 2 and they are thinking about another one and oh it is so hard to remember those little boys are all grown adults - they are still cute too!), Sam escapes between my legs and runs like the wind.  He flies down the sidewalk and gets under the truck (why do they do that?  does he think it's like a safe place?).  Anyway, the guys watch him so he doesn't escape farther (there are some mighty big dogs around) while I go get some treats.  When I dash back outside, Sam moved and was now under their van.  Dried shrimp treats to the rescue.   Whew!  Ok Ok it was MY fault for leaving the glass door open a crack while we were talking. 


Where was Millie during all this disruption?  She was watching and snickering from the couch.  In fact, Blake mentioned he'd never seen her before (well, that's because she usually goes and hides). 


So later, I go get the mail, and Sam escapes again.  Darn it!  That really made me mad.  He usually never tries to go out the front door.  So I manage to get him - I was afraid if I went inside to get treats, he  would disappear.  He's in sooo much trouble but I'm glad most of the neighbors were still at work and the kids weren't walking home from school yet. 

And Miss Millie?  Oh yes, she was watching and snickering from the couch again. 


Then this morning I was taking out the garbage and when I was coming back in and while the garage door was almost down, Sam escapes and gets out before the garage door shuts. He was running as though his life depended on it.   I swear it took forever for the garage door to raise so I could chase him.  Scared as I was, he was just walking under my SUV checking out the world.  I was really afraid the dogs next door would start barking like crazy (there are always rescue dogs next door waiting for their new home and they are my alarm system).  I didn't want Sam to freak out and get even more scared.  Even when Sam and Millie are safe in our backyard with me as their supervisor, they don't like it when the dogs bark and head to the back door in a hurry.


This time, Millie was sound asleep and the noise did not interrupt her morning snooze.   So I didn't have to listen to her snicker at us.  I'm really not sure if it's me or if it's Sam that makes her snicker...

My Goodness .. Time Flies

How does time fly by so quickly?   

I'm not sure how it does...

But it does...

So take some time to watch butterflies...

Spring is Springing

Oh I love when Spring starts springing.  The budding trees are always so darn pretty. 

And of course the little green things peeping out of the ground.  Now those green things had all better be the beautiful plants that seeded from last year.... but I'm sure there are a few weeds in there. 

 I guess I should've put down weed prevention stuff in January this year! When the berries were out for the birds.  I've read that the birds get drunk on these berries but I've yet to see a drunken bird.

I just love the oxalis.  I have 3 different kinds and usually, at least one is above ground.  This time of the year, there are the winter ones not yet ready to leave and the spring ones busting out next to them.

And this little guy is still lonely.

Saturday Night Special

 A party!  A party!  Yea!   A friend had a get-together Saturday night at her new place downtown.  She lives in the old Sears building that has been converted to apartments.  It is soooo nice (well, all but the parking).   The new entry is still mostly recognizable (old white tile is cool) and the hallways are really wide with hardware floors (the skinny strips and concrete columns) and all the doors are nice.  The doors are offset from the hallway so people can put out by the door just like a house.

And inside!  OMGosh the windows.  And exposed brick.  And a claw tub.  And of course, modern appliances. 

Isn't the sunset pretty?  The view of the new bridge was nice but the fireworks to celebrate the new bridge were awesome!  The Omni hotel had a light show too and the poor old Reunion Tower tried hard but I guess it is just too old for much light show fun.   And yes, you won't find the pictures of the new bridge here because between the sunset and fireworks, I was too busy gawking to take pictures.

Wow, and next you will see the Saturday Night Special at my house!

 The cats were not happy that they were not invited...

Cemeteries

I am not afraid of cemeteries.  In fact, I enjoy them.  For starters, they can't talk back and yell ( I don't believe in ghosts - every time I go where ghosts always appear,  they chose not to appear when I'm there - the tour guides scratch their heads because they are used to seeing ghosts and I'm snickering in the back knowing it is my charm that frightened the ghosts away - guess my 2nd job should be ghost-buster).  Such nice quiet calm places.  And all kinds of history go along with the graves.

I'm searching for the gravesite of my great grandparents first child.  He was born in Sherman TX and died in Sherman TX.  But they actually lived outside Sherman in the country.  He died of scarlet fever when he was a child.  Family history says that 15-20 years ago, some of the family got together to purchase a new marker for his grave.  Now if I could just figure out where that grave is located.  There are lots of cemeteries in the county where they lived and the county where they went to church and worked.

While searching cemeteries, I decided to take pictures of gravestones to upload into Find-A-Grave and I actually uploaded some yesterday.  I've added information to my family but never for someone else.  And wouldn't you know, after I entered the first 2, I got an email from a family member  pointing out a typo!  My first entry and I made a typo.  Well, it is fixed and I'll be triple careful from now on.

It turns out that pictures loaded to Find A Grave are automatically copyrighted to the person taking the photo.   So the pictures I took for 1 family had requested photos in Ancestry.com and I wrote telling them the photos were ready and they could use the photos as they desired with my permission.  Seems there have been cases where family members have been notified by Ancestry.com to remove photos because a non-family member took the photo, loaded it to Find A Grave, then family members copied the pictures to their Ancestry.com accounts; all because the non-family member complained.  Well, I am here to say photos I take in cemeteries for families can be used by the family; I'm doing this for them, not for personal gain.  Anything else is downright silly.

Oh, and if you find this subject icky or scary, please bypass it.  Although if you got to this point, it's toooooo late!