GardenGrrl's WunderBlog

Roxies Houseguest

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 9:27 AM GMT on November 25, 2008

Ahh the Holidays. Let the Silly Season Begin!

With the holidays come visitors, relatives and that nice stray person you spontaneously invite to have dinner when you find out they are spending the day alone.

That is really what this time is about. Reconnecting and fellowship. Fun and over-eating. Or if your naturally grumpy, bringing up old arguments and traditional family fights. I prefer the fun and over-eating part.

To deal with the grumpy and negative people I have learned a new mantra, it goes like this; "I am nuetral like Switzerland, I am nuetral like Switzerland, La, La, La,..." Repeat this silently to yourself when cornered by some dark cloud, scan for an exit, give them a big hug and flee!

This years first holiday guest is a little black and white Shitzhu puppy named Scruffy that we are babysitting. Roxie is fantastically happy to have a playmate as energetic as she is. They really are a hoot to watch!

Syd the cockatoo, is also watching them very closely, kind of like he is thinking up recipes or something. Am very greatful that Syd can't operate the oven.

The house is loud and alive with the thunder of puppy feet, squawking parrots and laughing humans. The season is here and I hope it's nice outside next week so we can decorate.

Be Kinder than necessary with others.
Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Peace from the blog porch.

Roxies Houseguest

Updated: 9:29 AM GMT on November 25, 2008

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Where's My Winter Stuff?

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 9:05 AM GMT on November 20, 2008

We had our first really hard frost this week in North Texas. Then it warmed up. The hardier plants are confused. The more tender ones have melted and a few stubborn Zinnias continue to chug along.

Because of my schedule this years flower garden is a patch work quilt of perennials and volunteers that sprang up from seeds of flowers past. The Zinnias came out in force, sprouting wherever they pleased. The garden seems to enjoy doing it's own thing asking only for water and the occaisional shower of Miracle Grow.

Sometimes I think my possesions also like to do their own thing or perhaps take vacations without telling me. With the sporatic cold weather it has come time to hunt down the knit scarf, hat and gloves from last year.
I have a habit of putting things away in a neat safe place only to forget where that is.

There is a box in the front closet clearly marked, "Winter things", and sure enough there are a few winter things in it, but not the ones I'm looking for. They have undoubtably joined the waffle maker, some jewelery and a few expired credit cards that I put in a "safe place", some where...in another dimension.

Once, in another house, I misplaced a four foot iguana named Bruce. He eventually showed up a few weeks later on top of the towels in the bathroom linen closet. It was a bit of a surprise as I had just put the warm towels in there and had come back with sheets. Another time I found a lost ferret when I picked up some discarded clothes from the bathroom floor. Hmmmmm, maybe the wafflemaker is under the bathtub.

Hope it stays warm this week while I'm at work. I'm thinking that my scarf is most likely at Walmart now waiting to be purchased.

Laugh at what frustrates you.

First Frost

Updated: 9:06 AM GMT on November 20, 2008

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Roxie Graduates Puppy School

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 7:55 AM GMT on November 12, 2008

Monday was a banner day for weather and dogs in North Texas. The morning started with patchy cells dotting the local radar. Making it look a bit like a case of chicken pox instead of rain cells. Towards evening the storm front gathered and regrouped into an impressive line of thunderstorms.

Checking the radar we decided to leave for Roxies' class just a tad early and watched the storm chase us all the way to PetsMart in the rear view mirror. We got inside the door our arrival announced with a boom of thunder and fanfare of rain beating hard on the metal roof. It was the kind of rain that brought everyone to the front of the store to look out at the cause of the roof ruckus.

Roxie of course just grinned like she always does bobbing around on her leash greeting people and pets. Puppy class seems to be the highlight of her week. She knows when it's class time and sits by the front door waiting for us slow moving people to hurry up and take her to the fun place. I'm actually kind of sad tonight was graduation. It was fun for us too.

When we got home and there was two and a half inches of rain in the rain gauge. We also found out Roxie likes to wade through puddles. She's a dawg.

Enjoy the little things.

Roxie Graduates

Updated: 7:56 AM GMT on November 12, 2008

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I Have A Dream -MLK

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 6:43 AM GMT on November 05, 2008

I say to you today my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this Nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it's creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream today.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great Nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King. Full text Link

Today, November 4th, 2008 is truly historic. With it comes a solemn burden that no man or party can carry alone. Tonight a great patriot and a man with incredible class, stood before America. He knows how heavy the burden is.
This great man standing before America asked us all to work together as one Nation to solve the huge problems before us. This great leader and patriot pledged his support.

Let us all now follow Senator John McCain in welcoming and supporting our new President, Barack Obama.

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I'm Hallucinating Hawks.

Posted by: GardenGrrl, 8:54 AM GMT on November 04, 2008

I have come to the conclusion that when I walk the dog without my camera, I hallucinate hawks and other raptors. With no camera and a happy bouncy dog I see hawks circle over head. Sometimes there will be two red tailed hawks engaged in an aerial dance. Once I even heard an owl, then saw it's silloette in the moon light on a big bare branch.

It takes less than thirty seconds to grab my camera off the kitchen table and head back out up the hill...To an empty sky. I guess if I'm going to hallucinate things, hawks aren't all that bad.

It took one year and a new camera to catch a shot of "The Pidgeon Bandit" ( a sharp shinned hawk) who just recently swooped directly across my windshield while coming home. Oh how that bird taunts me. Eventually, if the dancing hawks are not a figment of my imagination, my camera will catch them too.

Visualize what you want from life and patiently pursue it.

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