Word of the Day

Memosphere - The area above the head where a person looks while trying to remember something.

On the Road Again - Day 1

HTP and I got up early. Really. The thing is that nothing moves along as fast as you really want when you want. I packed up MY stuff last night. HTP packed up HIS stuff this morning. We headed down to breakfast. I had the fruit plate. It was far more fruit than any one person can eat at one sitting. I got a "doggy" bag. My dogs will never see this fruit. We checked out of the hotel/casino at 9 AM and headed off to connect with my folks.

At that point, we decided that we should probably look for a gas station to top off the tank before getting to my folks' place. This should have been a breeze. It wasn't. We finally settled on a gas station not far from the Vegas Strip. We paid $2.99/gal. Not bad really. But, of course, just when we got almost to my folks' place...a mere block away...there was a gas station that was charging $2.95/gal. and we wouldn't have had to drive all around Patty's barn to find it.

The next project was to load all our stuff back into the car. I'm not sure what happened between the time we left Arizona with all our stuff and the time we had to load it all back up again but it was even harder to load everything back this second time. Same stuff. Nothing more than what we had before. It just didn't want to fit right. But...finally...it did. We hit the road again with my folks following behind.

Walkie Talkie Check. My walkie talkies needed batteries. Why we didn't check them before we left Arizona, I'll never know. So? We stopped and bought batteries at a nearby Walgreens. I was just planning on running in to buy the batteries but there were four people ahead of me in line and the saleslady was nowhere in sight. Groan! Nothing comes easy when you want to get moving. We finally hit the road...finally...at around 10:40 AM.

We stopped for a quick lunch at St. George. Walked the dogs at various places and offered them bottled water and then walked them some more. We'd lost an hour crossing into Utah. One moment it was 1 PM and then presto it was 2 PM. Daylight savings time and time zones always amaze me.

We arrived at our hotel at 6:30 PM. Mountain Daylight Time. We enjoyed a nice supper at a local restaurant that overlooks Green River. I can only assume that the river is called Green River. That's the name of the town. Green River. I mean, why would the town be called Green River if the river that runs through it was the Virgin River or whatever?

Murphyism of the Day

Yellin's Law

The probability of winning the lottery is slightly greater if you buy a ticket.

Wake Up!

We Hit the Road Again Tomorrow

Word of the Day

Megaglopycorp - A major corporation which owns other large companies unrelated to their product or service.

In a nutshell, HTP and I have again been paid to spend a few...three... ( just enough, more would be too much) pleasureable days in Vegas. HTP got two Royal Flushes...in tandem. I got one...but I won't quible. I'm happy. We earned more than we spent....and I bought a couple more frogs and a some blinkies with some of my winnings. Blinkies? Blinkies are strobing lighted pins that you can wear. I got two ladybugs and an American flag this time. I already have two frogs and a couple of "Bring 'em Home Safe" ribbons. Why would anyone wear something like this when they're not in Vegas...The City of Lights? Well, why not?

We'll be continuing on our voyage to The Lake tomorrow morning after breakfast. All my bags are re-packed...almost. HTP will repack all his stuff tomorrow. I'll finish packing after I wash up tomorrow morning. HTP and I'll grab a bite to eat at The Harvest Cafe and then we'll head on to my folks' place where we'll load up our car before we hit the road. First stop? Green River, Utah.

Murphyism of the Day

R.C. Gallagher's Law

Change is inevitable-except from a vending machine.

Wake Up! 0 Days Until We Leave Arizona

Two Days and a Wake Up Until We Hit the Road Again

Word of the Day

Pizza Bones - Leftover pizza crusts.

And we're off and driving. We managed to fit everything into the car. Things are tight but I can still barely see out of the rear view mirror. Oh heck! Who needs a rear view mirror anyway, the side mirrors still work. Look out people we're on the road again.

There was no wait at The Dam. We got a bit of close scrutiny at the police checkpoint and at one point I was afraid that we'd end up having to unpack everything but they waved us on through. I guess there aren't too many Old Grey Frog terrorists on the road these days driving red Lincoln Navigators. HTP assures me that the next time we pass through that checkpoint, he's going to wear full terrorist regalia and see if they stop us then.

We stopped at my folks' place in Henderson to unload all our stuff. Well...most of it. Anyway, we didn't think it was too cool to leave our computers and #1 son's bass guitar sitting in the back of our car. There's no point in putting temptation in the way of wavering morals here in Vegas. We also dropped the dogs off at my folks' place. Thankfully, they don't seem to mind looking after our dogs while we spend three days here in Vegas.

Vegas! We're here! I already won! Not much but something. It's a start. HTP and I had supper at Billy Bob's. As we sat at our table waiting for our meal to come, I could hear the song by Leigh Greenwood that they played when my DD Daughter got her Eagle Globe and Anchor pin on the day she became a Marine. They play it in the park during the laser light show several times each night. I love that song.

Anyway, after a wonderful supper, I decided to return to the room. And what should I find? Our hostess left a bottle of champagne chilling in a crystal ice bucket along with two champagne glasses for us. The card she left wished us a Happy Anniversary. Not only did she book us into a suite, she gave us a bottle of champagne to enjoy. I love coming to Sam's Town. Our hostess has always been wonderful to us. I'm going to have to tuck the bottle into the fridge. Our anniversary is on Saturday. We'll have to save it and savor it later.

Murphyism of the Day

Zadra's Law of Biomechanics

The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Today and a Wake Up Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Pizzagony - Biting into hot pizza and burning the roof of your mouth.

On the last day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

I still can't finish packing completely today. You know the drill. I'll toss the stuff the last minute stuff into my small suitcase tomorrow morning before we head out the door. In the meantime, today is laundry day. There are exceptions to almost every rule. My Tuesday = Laundry rule has exceptions too. To maximize our clothing choices this summer and on our trip, I bent the Laundry Rule. I imagine I'll have to bend the rule again once we get to The Lake. I'll probably spend on of the weekend days washing clothes....if I can get some Yellow Out. The water at The Lake comes out a bit brown from the our taps for that first while at The Lake. It looks a bit rusty. Yellow Out makes the white look white as vs. not using Yellow Out and the resultant whites look like you soaked them in coffee. Not a good look.

HTP is going to pack up the computers today. He is going to set up the laptop for me so I won't go into a complete blithering withdrawal. But, I thought I'd quickly blog on my main computer so I wouldn't have to mess with the laptop keyboard. Why do they make that keyboard black. I suppose it's supposed to look classy but it's hard to see the keys, not that I actually look at the keys when I type...well sometimes and then when I have to look it's like searching in the dark for your glasses when it comes to finding this or that illusive symbol. I'm not fond of the feel of the laptop keyboard either. It just doesn't feel right. Oh well, we do have another keyboard that we can plug into the laptop. Maybe HTP will do that for me.

I used up the last of the coffee this morning. I'll use up our last egg when I make breakfast. Most of the stuff that can't stay over the summer has been cleared out of the fridge. I'll be spending whatever time that I'm not doing laundry, cleaning the fridge and pantry. It's not too pleasant to come back to the odor of a rotten potato that escaped in the pantry....or a forest of sprouting onions. I know. It's happened to me. Once. Never again.

Needless to say, tomorrow and while we're on the road, I may or may not be able to blog. Don't worry about me if you note that I haven't blogged in days and days. We'll have our laptop. But... Enough said.

Murphyism of the Day

Luposchainsky's Hurry-Up-and Wait Principle

If you're early, it'll be canceled.
If you knock yourself out to be on time, you will have to wait.
If you're late, you will be too late.

One Day and a Wake Up Until We Leave Arizona (not including today)

Word of the Day

Pizzagomy - Loyalty to a single chain of pizza restaurants.

On the 12th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

OK. I have today and tomorrow and then that's it. Time to get crackin' . Old Grey Frog starts humming Jimmy Crack Corn and I Don't Care as she mindlessly starts rocking in a catatonic like state. Any minute now I'll go out and drain and clean that fountain. I did do the inventory of my canned goods this morning. Good thing. I didn't know that I had so many pints of green tomato pickles. I have all kinds of relish too. With only 6 quarts of canned tomatoes left , I'll need to hope my garden produces well enough to have enough to bring back with me next fall. I hope whatever will fit into whatever vehicle we bring back with us next fall.

Sometimes I really prefer not to know stuff. This morning I heard on the news that the mayor of Scottsdale is all upset because someone is opening a new restaurant called The Pink Taco in Scottsdale. She's threatening to deny them a liquor license if they don't change the name of their restaurant. Apparently her female sensibilities are outraged at the name. OK. My initial reaction and thought was, huh? I mean, one of my favorite Thai restaurants is called The Pink Pepper. So? Oh geez! I really didn't want to know what a pink taco was. EWWWW!!!!! I really didn't need to add to my education. When I got married my husband laughed himself silly because I didn't have a clue when people joked about beavers and cherries. He still laughs about it so don't tell him about this one. And now I have to deal with The Pink Taco? I really didn't want to know. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone that I run around in a clueless state and if there's something else I'm clueless about remember that you need to protect the innocence of clueless people like me.

And now, in my ever continuing efforts to educate the masses....

New Element Discovered

The recent hurricanes and gasoline issues are proof of the existence of a new chemical element. A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named *Governmentium*.

Governmentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take over four days to complete. Governmentium does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration! . This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass.

When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium- an element which radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Murphyism of the Day

Heid's Law of Lines

No matter how early you arrive, someone else got there first.

Two Days and a Wake Up Until We Leave Arizona (not including today)

Word of the Day

Pinhedocrat - A political party whose platform is to print new money for ridiculous projects

On the 11th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

I've never been very good on this countdown thing. Oh well...Christmas isn't until December and sometimes July. Anyway, we're still getting ready. HTP is going to go to the LDS genealogy place one more time before we head out so he can gather as much data as he can to bring with him to The Lake for those rainy days of summer will allow him an excuse to plant himself in front of his computer.

HTP also plans to top off our tank with gas. With the price of gas leaping .05/gal. per day (it was $3.05/gal. for the cheap stuff yesterday at our local Albertson's), it's a good think (note the Freudian slip) to keep the tank full. It's going to be a long hot summer. At least, that's the word from President Bush when he was asked about the high price of gas. We already knew that we needed to get a smaller/more gas efficient car when the price of gas hit $2/gal.

A hybrid car? Hybrid cars just won't cut it. Not yet. Invent something someone! Invent a car for me that will take me 2000 miles through icy, snow-covered, winding mountain roads, up and down at a speed faster than 35 mph on the interstate where the speed limit is listed at 65mph. It has to be big enough for me to pack up all our stuff and carry our two dogs. It has to be able to make it down my 1/2 mile dirt driveway and my folks' 3/4 mile rutted dirt driveway without getting stuck. It has to run for at least 10 hours a day without me having to plug it in somewhere. And if I do have to plug it in or fill it with something other than gasoline, there'd better be a place for me to do that. Everywhere. And it sure would be nice if I didn't have to pay a king's ransom for it this alternative fuel source.

Murphyism of the Day

Vile's Law of Advanced Linesmanship - Part III

1. A short line outside a building becomes a long line inside.

2. If you stand in one place long enough, you make a line.

Three Days Until We Leave Arizona (Not including today)

Word of the Day

Pictutint - The discoloration left on a wall after removing a picture that has been hanging.

On the 10th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

HTP and I "Preened" the yard, front and back. Preen is a pre-emergent weed control. As per instructions and since we don't get much rain here in Arizona, HTP and I watered the rocks. Now, we're supposed to have an barrier that will prevent weed seeds from germinating. Of course, this doesn't always work all that well but at least we tried. We still need to spray stuff on the existing weeds but that can wait until Wednesday. We also need to buy additional spray so our neighbor can spritz any hearty weed souls while we're gone. I don't even want to think of the weeds that will erupt from our soil when the monsoon season starts in July. Maybe I can get Arizona Daughter and her husband to come out and apply more pre-emergent at that time. Maybe.

There's still lots of stuff to do from the To Do list. Preening the yard wasn't even on the list. I'll have to add it and then check it off the list so it's more obvious that I'm working hard and accomplishing something. We also re-set the automatic sprinkler system so it'll work better for the desert summer heat. It was set for the winter temperatures up until today.


Murphyism of the Day

Vile's Law of Advanced Linesmanship - Part II

1. If you step out of a short line for a second, it becomes a long line.

2. If you're in a short line, the people in front let in their friends and relatives and make it a long line.

Four Days Until We Leave Arizona (Not including today)

Word of the Day

Photochop - To add unrealistic flair to digital imagery using computers.

On the 9th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

I loaded up all my houseplants and took them over to my friend's house. They were in the process of painting some of their rooms. My houseplants looked right at home. I'm sure they'll enjoy their visit. I reminded my dazed friends that their house would be a lot healthier with my visiting houseplants there to suck up all the bad air and produce wonderful new air. I don't think my friends expected quite so many houseplants but really ten houseplants isn't all that many. Right?

I stopped and bought a new outdoor plant on my way home. Iceplant. The rosemary that my Mom and Dad gave me didn't survive. So, when I got home, I disposed of its remains and planted iceplant in its place. Actually, it really isn't a true iceplant. It's Drosanthemum floribundum. A succulent. It loves the desert heat. I had the same stuff at our other homes and my folks even planted some cuttings from mine at their place in Kingman. It really is beautiful stuff. Unfortunately, every few years you have to rip it out and start again because it gets woody. Anyway, it only cost me $3 so if I have to rip it out in a few years, I'll rip it out.

Arizona Daughter and her husband are coming for supper tonight. Should I serve a dessert? Maybe I should just go and get some ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. I don't want to heat up the house anymore than I have to. It's 94°F and it's only 1 PM.

Murphyism of the Day

Vile's Law of Advanced Linesmanship - Part I

1. If you're running for a short line, it suddenly becomes a long line.

2. When you're waiting in a long line, the people behind you are shunted to a new, short line.

Five Days Until We Leave Arizona (Not including today)

Word of the Day

Phonophatic - A person who keeps chattering on the phone at all hours about useless things.

On the 8th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

I'm kinda packed. All that can be packed is packed. I still have stuff to do from my To Do List but aside from that I'm done. Kinda. I do need to go out shopping today. And maybe HTP and I will be able to go and have sushi before we leave for The Lake. There aren't any sushi places near The Lake. I refuse to eat raw fish from The Lake. Access to fresh Albacore Tuna (raw)? I don't think so. I can't even get decent fresh shrimp. Anyway, such is life. You can't have everything everywhere. I don't have loons calling over the lake here in Arizona, or bald eagles, or black bears foraging on blueberry hill, or deer wandering across my back yard munching on my azalea or a full moon shining its dancing reflection on the surface of The Lake. However, I can go out and eat sushi tonight...one last time until we get back here in six months. I'll survive. And if I start going into withdrawal, I'll make do with my own homemade sushi made with bluegill caviar and cooked and smoked fish. I can do it. I've always been resourceful.

Details. Details. Stop the paper. Make sure our mail is forwarded. Make sure that the mail doesn't loop around endlessly so you have to call the Post Office at The Lake and make sure that they stop forwarding our mail from there and hold it for us. My health insurance won't talk to HTP so I'm the one who has to authorize our temporary change of billing address. Same goes for HTP's health insurance in reverse. They won't talk to me. DSL has been called. I called the credit card people who keep screwing up. Isn't this fun? It's a good thing we have To Do Lists.

Murphyism of the Day

Flugg's Rule

The slowest checker is always at the quick-checkout lane.

Six Days Until We Leave Arizona (Not including today)

Word of the Day

Pestariffic - A particularly pesty person.

On the 7th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

I finally put away the Christmas tins. They were really getting on my nerves. I suppose I should have put them away before this but there was always something more important to do. It was low on my priority list. Besides, in order to put them away, I had to drag out the ladder because the place where I keep them stored is a cupboard in the garage that I can't reach without a ladder. And I'm not all that short at 5'6". Anyway, it seemed like a good day to put away the Christmas tins because I needed the ladder to retrieve the dehydrator trays that were stored in a cupboard that I couldn't reach without a ladder. I've got a lot of cupboards out in the garage that I can't reach without a ladder. I had to move the car in order to get to the cupboard with the dehydrator trays. Anyway, I figured that as long as I'd moved the car and dragged out the ladder in order to get out the dehydrator trays that I want to bring to The Lake, I might as well put the Christmas tins away too....and the cookie presses that #1 son got me for Christmas that have been sitting in the kitchen since....Christmas. Check back in late November and I'll tell you all about how I'll be reversing this storage process. That which has to be stored away now will be needed then. I'm beginning to sound like HTP when we first got married. He never could figure out why a person needed to make the bed each morning because you'd just have to unmake it again that night in order to sleep in it. I'm not that bad. Really. Or do you think I've been influenced by all the years I've been married to HTP? Or maybe I'm just getting older but the bed still gets made every single morning. I just can't sleep in a bed that hasn't been made with wrinkled sheets. EWWWW!!!!

On a side note: I wonder if I should decorate the house for Halloween before we leave so when we get back I won't have to think about it and then decide not to because I'm too tired from our cross-country trek from Wisconsin to Arizona? Maybe not. I put away the ladder.

Murphyism of the Day

Langer's Law

If the line moves quickly, you're in the wrong line.

Seven Days Until We Leave Arizona (Not including today)

Word of the Day

Perfectional - Perfect and professional.

On the 6th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

Packing. We've only got a week left? I've got to clean out the fridge. I've got twenty-two eggs left. You'd think that would be plenty but you don't understand our diet. I use six eggs each morning. Just the whites. I refuse to buy more so they'll have to last. I'll make French toast. I do need to buy more bread. I'm down to enough to make lunch today.

I've done all the packing that I can do for right now. I've still got stuff to pack but there's really no point in packing everything because I'd just have to drag something out again when I needed to use it. Instead, I'm checking my lists...repeatedly. And I need to find those dehydrator trays that I want to bring to The Lake. They're in the garage in a cupboard blocked by the car. I'll have to move the car. Later.

The neighbor across the street left for parts north this morning. The snowbirds are migrating. I saw them packing up their car for the trip yesterday but I didn't bother them. I did go over there yesterday for a while when the neighbors started to gather. I'm not really nosey but we all kind of gathered in his driveway. That's what you do out here. That's a nice thing. And another neighbor and I discussed the fact that her computer crashed and she's going nuts. I can fully understand the pain. She needs to replace some of her trees too so I loaned her my landscaping book and gave her a couple of suggestions.

And the fire trucks came and then the rescue squad and then the ambulance...but not for us. HTP and I are just fine. That's the one thing that's hard about living in an active adult community. You see a lot of this sort of thing. I'm not sure what happened yet. They stopped at the house that's three houses down from us. Shirley's husband. I'm sure I'll hear more later today.

Murphyism of the Day

The Linear Accelerator Principle

The shorter the line, the slower it moves.

Eight Days Until We Leave Arizona (Not including today)

Word of the Day

Penatic - A pen fanatic.

On the 5th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

Laundry. Only one more laundry day before we leave for The Lake. I dragged the big suitcase out of the closet. And I dragged the small suitcase from the closet. I know. It's early days yet but I need to see how much I can cram into the suitcases because everything else has to go somewhere else. I want to limit the extra stuff that needs to find a spot in the car. I THINK I can close up the big suitcase without splitting the zipper. I think I can. I haven't quite finished putting everything into it as yet. I'm pretty sure that the stuff I'm putting into the big suitcase is the stuff that I won't need until we get to The Lake. As for the little suitcase, the suitcase that will have all the stuff I need during our trip, I'm only packing the stuff that I won't need until that first night in Vegas in it. It's way too early to pack all the stuff I'll need in it because I still need it. But, I now have an idea of how much space I'll have. HTP has his own suitcases for the trip. So, we'll have four suitcases altogether. He'll pack his own stuff. He has his own list. Will this all fit into the car? I have no idea.

Two tons of gravel coming right up. When we had the trees replaced, we lost some of the gravel in our backyard so I had to find someone to bring us some and spread it. I suppose HTP and I could have done the job, somehow. We got rid of our wheelbarrel but we're resourceful. The thing is, it's so close to the time when we're heading out the door here and I don't want HTP to throw out his back. Driving cross-country with someone who has a bad back isn't all that fun. So, we're getting it done. Today. Right now.

Murphyism of the Day

The Queue Principle

The longer you wait in line, the greater the likelihood that you are standing in the wrong line.

Nine Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Peetipated - When you think you have to go and you actually can't.

On the 4th day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

I packed up one box of stuff to go to The Lake. Stuff that I don't think I'll need until I get to The Lake. I hope. Recipe books, recipe file box, jam jars, lids and rings, clarinet music. The box is full. I'd tape it shut but there's no guarantee that I won't all of a sudden need something buried in that box between now and the day we leave. So...I'll wait and tape it up just before we stow it into the car. It's a Murphy's Law thing or, if you like, an Old Grey Frog Law. I've got another box started that has empty pint jars in it but that may have to stay here if we run out of space. I was going to go shopping for some summer clothes (skorts?) but I've changed my mind. We're down to single-digit days remaining here in Arizona. When we get to Wisconsin, I expect that it'll be COLD still. Even though it's 86°F right now in Arizona, I think I can survive nine days of our Arizona heat with the summer clothes I have and wait to buy whatever new summer stuff I need when I get to Wisconsin.

Murphyism of the Day

O'Brien's Variation on Etorre's Observation

If you change lines, the one you just left will start to move faster than the one you are now in.

Kenton's Corollary

Switching back screws up both lines and makes everybody angry.

Ten Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Peepage - 1. The stage little chicks are in before they grow up. 2. Easter Peeps Carnage.

On the 3rd day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

I organized all my loose-leaf recipes into a notebook so they wouldn't flop around so much when I pack them up to go to The Lake. I checked my list again and added a few more things. I can pack my clarinet and music because I won't need them now until I get to The Lake. Packing will commence in earnest tomorrow. How is all this going to fit into the car? I have no idea. Tetris. It's a good thing that I'm a whiz at Tetris.

Happy Easter!

I got up at 4 AM. Sunrise service. I got to the church at 5:15 AM. I was the clarinet part of the flute/organ/clarinet music that greeted the sun as it rose today. We ran through the music once to make sure we worked out all the knots. And we sounded wonderful...of course. I got home before HTP had even thought about breakfast. There were treats at the church but I decided to head on home. I made omelets (egg-white...no cheese) with salsa. Coffee. I think I need more coffee. I'll be putting the ham in the oven at 1 PM. It'll just be HTP and me this year. We decided to forego Easter baskets and Easter candy and Easter eggs. I do plan to make Easter dinner. Ham, grilled pineapple, scalloped potatoes, and broccoli. Unlike the first President Bush, I happen to like broccoli. We'll finish our Easter dinner and then we'll settle in to watch The Sopranos.

Murphyism of the Day

Etorre's Observation

The other line moves faster.

Eleven Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Pedanstrian - Someone who dances down the street.

On the 2nd day of getting ready to go to The Lake...

HTP called the DSL people and the Direct TV people to see what we need to do to make sure our computers run fast and we can watch The Soprano's at The Lake.

HTP decided that we can wait until next week to have the DSL hooked up. It takes a technician ( I refuse to call this person a technologist. Is that even a word?) about a week to ten days to finally get out to our little hamlet in order to flip the switch. I don't know where he's coming from. It only takes HTP and me four days to get to The Lake...though DD Daughter and I have made the trip in 28 hours. The DirecTV can wait until we get to The Lake. All we need to do is make a call after we get there. One year we had to wait until they sent us a different card for the decoder box and then we had to wait again because they sent this new card to the Arizona house instead of to The Lake.

We get a lot of confusion and mistakes because of our two homes. It seems that most times when you buy something the cashier will ask you your zipcode. Which one? Phone number? Which one? Address? Which one? I'm not complaining. It's just that it takes a bit to switch gears. Look at all the problems I had just ordering some garden plants.

I KNOW that our credit card company is going to give us problems again. They always do. Maybe I'd better add that to the list. Call credit card company and let them know that we're going to be traveling via Vegas to The Lake and then we'll be at The Lake for six months. If they need to call us for any reason, they need to call us at The Lake. Every spring I end up trying to use my credit card somewhere in rural Wisconsin and it'll be denied. The credit card company has called our Arizona home and left a message on our answering machine wanting to check to make sure that our card hasn't been stolen. They never call us at The Lake, so we don't have a clue that they think there might be a problem until we find ourselves standing in some line, embarrassed because our credit card has been denied. It happens every spring. HTP tells me that it's a good thing. They're just looking out for us. Pffft! I think they just don't like us.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's Asymmetry Principle

Things go wrong all at once, but things go right gradually.

Corollary

It takes no time at all to break something, but it takes forever to have something repaired.

Twelve Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Peboppin' Upsmack - The dance people do when they grab their ankle, thrust their legs wildly back and forth as well as banging their heads downward as if head banging at a concert.

OK. I think it's a sign. I've been humming The Twelve Days of Christmas ever since I thought about and wrote in this blog that I've got Twelve Days remaining before we hit the road.

On the 1st day of getting ready to go to The Lake...
HTP called the plumber to have the water reconnected.

Only...we've been getting ready to go to The Lake for at least a week now but things are heating up so I'll use a bit of poetic license. Anyway, HTP called Aaron the Plumber this morning to make sure that we'll have running water when we return to The Lake. Aaron told HTP that the ice was off Lake Chetek and that the temps at The Lake were in the 70's today. It's 93°F here right now and it's early yet. We also took Muggsy to the vet to have her stitches removed. Poor baby was so relieved that she wouldn't have to stay for a repeat performance of the last time we'd been to the vet. She started shedding profusely the second we got into the car. She started shaking the second I headed with her through the front door of the vet's office. It didn't help that there were two huge dogs waiting in the waiting room. One was a big Akita puppy. Big puppy wanted to play. The other was an Airdale. Both big dogs when compared to my little Chihuahua. HTP wondered why I was standing off to one side as far from the other dogs as possible. Here's your sign.

Murphyism of the Day

Paul's Law

You can't fall off the floor.

Thirteen Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

PEBKAC - Problem Exists Between the Keyboard And Chair.

The question is, do I feel lucky? We need to put pre-emergent weedkiller out. Unfortunately, the directions tell you that you need to do it just before it rains. In other words, it needs to get wet before it'll start working. But...this is a desert. We've got a chance of rain for tomorrow but... It's not like we've had a whole bunch of rain here. Oh well, I guess HTP and I can always drag out the hose and "rain" on the yard. Anyway, the stuff is supposed to last for three months. Hopefully it'll last a bit longer than that since we're going to be gone for six months. Oh well, if all else fails, we'll have Arizona daughter stop by and retreat the yard. I'm thinking that we'll start having weed problems again after the monsoon starts up. Monsoon = Dust Storms+Weed seeds+Rain. Rain+ Weed seeds = Weeds.

Murphyism of the Day

Fulton's Law of Gravity

The effort to catch a falling, breakable object will produce more destruction than if the object had been allowed to fall in the first place.

Fourteen Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Pear pressure - What teenage fruits sometimes have to endure.

Two weeks?! I'm out of here in two weeks?! I can do this. I feel like The Little Engine That Could. I think I can, I think I can. I just have to keep telling myself that I've got a list. Maybe I'd better take another look at it. Knowing me, I'm willing to bet that I'll feel a bit more like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland when I'm facing one week remaining.

Our AAA books and triptik came in the mail yesterday. I'm amazed that the mailperson managed to jam all that stuff into the mailbox yesterday. For some reason I received a mess of mail-order catalogs too. I had a hard time unjamming everything from our tiny little mailbox. Maybe I'd better bring a shoehorn next time. Do you suppose that's how the mailperson managed to get all that stuff jammed in there?

Murphyism of the Day

Law of Selective Gravity

An object will fall so as to do the most damage.

Jenning's Corollary

The chance of the bread falling with the buttered side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

Klipstein's Corollary

The most delicate component will be the one to drop.

Fifteen Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Pasturize - To convert into grassland.

The service rep from Burpee's e-mailed me this morning. Problem solved. They gave me a new order number. I have no idea what will happen to the plants that should arrive on my doorstep in Wisconsin on the 13th of April but Burpee's has promised to send an identical order out (my order) in Mid-May and they haven't run out of anything that I ordered.

With that problem off my back, I sallied forth to the beauty salon. I needed another anti-grey treatment. This salon is a bit expensive but I know that they won't screw things up. I try to limit my visits to this salon to twice during our winter stay here in Arizona. I can live with the skunk line for a certain extent of time.

So I was sitting there in the salon with my cool glass of water with a twist of lemon, waiting while my hair was processing. There were a bunch of us. I brought along a Sudoku book to keep me busy because from past experience I know that this salon only provides high class reading material. The sort of designer clothing and decorator magazines that leave you feeling totally depressed about your looks and your home. And then, to top it off they advertise sparkly objects that cost as much as most people make in a year. I avoid such books and magazines.

Anyway, as I was saying, I was sitting there in the salon with my cool glass of water with a twist of lemon. Right off the bat, I witnessed a true cellphone addict. Why do these people always feel like they have to talk loudly into a cell phone? She was on the phone when I was seated. Eventually she finished her long winded conversation. I breathed a silent sigh of relief and figured that I could now enjoy my puzzle without the background noise of her conversation. Wrong. She started twitching. She honestly starting twitching before she dug her cell phone out of her purse and made another call. Apparently she had to call someone to inform them that she was at the beauty salon. Then, no sooner than she started that conversation, she had to hang up on that person because she had another call coming in. She spent the entire time with that cellphone glued to her ear. Her technician came and finally took her away. Cell phone still glued to her ear, the last thing I heard her say as she exited the room was, "Gotta go. They want to wash this stuff out of my hair." I now know far more than I'd ever care to know about her coming Easter dinner plans for the family. The rest of us in the processing room heaved a vocal sigh of relief as she exited the room. Her sister is bringing a quarter of a sheet cake because she had some peanut brittle left over from Christmas that she was going to put out.

I really love going to this salon. It's usually so nice and quiet and relaxing. Plus, nothing feels quite so nice as having someone else wash and style your hair while you just sit there and let yourself be pampered.

I went shopping afterwards. I stopped and bought a few books to read. New books which I'm going to try and exercise restraint by NOT reading them all tonight. Then it was off to Lee-Lee's to buy Black Sesame Seed Salt. I found it. I tried to ask someone where to find the stuff but they don't speak English very well at Lee-Lee's. And I don't speak...Oriental. However, after traversing the aisles of this huge market (it really is big) I stumbled across my Black Sesame Seed Salt or Goma Shio. I couldn't remember the Goma Shio part and even if I had I probably would have gotten a blank stare or a slap in the face. Who knows what they would have thought I'd tried to say afterall? They certainly didn't understand me when I asked for Black Sesame Seed Salt. Anyway, mission accomplished. I now have enough of the stuff for me and my sister and whoever else may decide that they need some.

Murphyism of the Day

Law of Perversity of Nature

You cannot successfully determine beforehand which side of the bread to butter.

Sixteen Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Parasuit - One of TWO things you should wear if jumping out of perfectly good aeroplanes.

Once again I've been proved psychic. Do you remember when I ordered plants for my Wisconsin garden? I called Burpee's before I placed my order and was assured that my plants would not be sent to Wisconsin until Mid-May. I ordered my plants online and then I sent an email to the customer service to double make sure that my plants would not be delivered to Wisconsin until Mid-May. I received an e-mail from Burpee's Customer Service assuring me that my plants that would be going to Zone 3 would not be sent until Mid-May. Fine. I got an email just now. My Burpee's order has been sent via UPS and will arrive in Wisconsin on April 13th! SCREAM! I called Burpee's but, of course, no-one can help me right now because the customer service people left at 5 PM EST. I was told, "It looks like they shipped your order to Wisconsin but used your billing address for the zone. Arizona." Zone 10? Frustration. The psychic part? I KNEW that someone, somewhere was going to screw up this order. I KNEW IT! Oh well. I've got proof that they messed up, not me, because I've got my order and the customer service rep's email saved. I won't assume that they'll fix this because we all know that any time you assume you make an ASS out of U and ME. I EXPECT that they will fix this because this is a major company and they'd better not run out of my plants. Poor little fledgling plants freezing as they head on their way to a frozen empty address in Wisconsin and there's nothing I can do to stop things.

Murphyism of the Day

Allen's law

Almost anything is easier to get into than to get out of.

Seventeen Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Paranotic - Paranoid; psychotic.

HTP and I went to see Lucky Number SLeven last night. From the reviews, HTP warned me not to expect too much. The reviewers were wrong again. It was great! I want to go back and see it again. Wow! Another winner with Bruce Willis. I don't care what the elite reviewers say, I loved it. It was a bit confusing and artsy but so was The Sixth Sense and Twelve Monkeys and The Fifth Element. Anyway, now I want to see it again so I can catch the nuances that I missed because you don't really know what's going on until you get toward the end of the movie. Now that I know how everything shakes out, I want to see what clues I might have missed from the start of the film. Knowing HTP, I may have to wait until it comes out on DVD. He loved the movie too but we just don't get out to the movies all that often. I want to go see The DaVinci Code when it comes out too. The trailer looked wonderful. And...I read both Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code. I NEED to see that movie and I want to see it in a real movie theatre with really good sound. NOT the nearest movie theatre to our rural lakehome. I also want to see the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie. *Drool* And then there are a few animated movies coming out that look fun. Those may have to wait until they come out on DVD. HTP refuses to go see kiddie movies.

Murphyism of the Day

Schopenhauer's Law of Entropy

If you put a spoonful of wine in a barrel full of sewage, you get sewage.

If you put a spoonful of sewage in a barrel full of wine, you get sewage.

Eighteen Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Parannoy - Annoy someone and make them paranoid at the same time.

It's starting to heat up here in Arizona. 83°F and it's only just past noon. It usually doesn't reach the hottest part of the day until 5 PM. Actually, 83°F doesn't feel all that hot. Not like if that was the temperature in Minnesota or Wisconsin. There's a nice cool breeze blowing in the open window by my computer desk. The sweet smell of the citrus blossoms ride that breeze and I can hear the water as it splashes in the fountain. This is my favorite time of year. It won't stay like this. Soon the temperatures will climb to triple digits. Having lived here for over twenty years, I know the realities of living in Arizona. It's time to head north for the summer months. Like a migrating bird. Who'd have ever thought that I'd morph into that species Arizonans, with a decided lack of affection, call The Snowbird. Many of my species have already started their northern flight. Soon, HTP and I will follow.

We're off to see a movie with friends tonight. Lucky Number SLeven. I'm not sure if I'll like it or not. We're going to have dinner at Abuelo's...unless they're over-crowded. They don't take reservations. I hope they have chips and salsa to hold us over while we wait. A margarita or two might be nice too.

Murphyism of the Day

MacPherson's Theory of Entropy

It requires less energy to take an object out of its proper place than to put it back.

Nineteen Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Papiddywaddy - The wrinkles you get on your face from your sheets after a long night of sleeping.

We're steadily whittling down the To Do list of stuff that has to be accomplished before we hit the road. HTP went off to get his eyes checked. My eyes are fine so I stayed home. I edited my lists from last year and we're working on them. I need to go out shopping at our local Oriental Market (Lee Lee's) to buy some things that I can't get in the rural grocery stores near our home in Wisconsin. Black sesame seed salt. I have black sesame seed salt here in Arizona but I gave the last of mine in Wisconsin to my sister. She became addicted to the stuff and asked me to bring her some more. It's on the list. Black sesame seed salt for me and some for my sister. I need to buy some Garlic Chili Sauce too. I might be able to buy that at the grocery store in Wisconsin but I have my doubts. We use it as a condiment for stir-fry. Anyway, that's on the list too.

My sister has Big Butt Beer on her list of stuff to buy for me. I'd buy my own beer but Big Butt Beer is a seasonal beer that they stop producing at around the time I get back to Wisconsin. Leinies doesn't export it to other states...at least not to Arizona. So, the only way I can get it is for my sister to buy it and set it aside for me. Big Butt is a bock beer. Leinies calls it a dopplebock beer. No matter. Whatever you call it, I like it. I wish I could find my Big Butt t-shirt. My kids stole it.

Kids do that. They "borrow" stuff. It's not so bad now that I'm an almost empty-nester but it still happens on occasion. I just got a new t-shirt that I'm going to have to guard with my life. Dorkfish Charter Tours - You Hook'em, We'll Cook'em! I love it. Hey Sis! If you're reading this, I got it from the Bill Engvall website. I'm debating about getting another for my Mom. What do you think? Think she'd wear it? We all really need to do more fishing this coming summer.

Murphyism of the Day

Harper's Law

You never find an article until you replace it.

Twenty Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Mapamystry - Method of divination used to discover the whereabouts of missing parents.

I'm a bit cranky today. Normally I try to keep politics and serious stuff out of my blog. But I'm really getting angry that we've got all these politicians in Washington DC who don't seem to do anything about anything. They promise you the world, they get your vote, and then they go to Washington DC and attend parties, travel, and flap their gums. Nothing gets done. They don't listen to the people who voted for them anymore. They listen to polls created by biased liberal media. Guess what guys! People are really angry at you right now because you aren't taking care of this illegal alien crap. Let me be perfectly clear. I have nothing against legal immigration. Most of us are descendants of immigrants. Immigration is a wonderful thing. LEGAL IMMIGRATION. I don't care how many illegal aliens are marching in our streets! Call in the National Guard and get rid of them. What part of illegal don't you guys understand? We're being invaded! Someone said that our politicians are afraid to alienate the Hispanic voters. Well guess what? Your alienated the rest of us. And we're still in the majority despite the fact that illegals are flooding over our borders. And now you want to make them all legal and set them on a path to citizenship? So they can vote? And make Spanish our official language? How about we all start flying the Mexican flag instead of the Stars and Stripes. Let's vote on that too.

I'm cranky because I just got finished answering some stupid poll questions that I think the Democratic party here in Arizona generated. I have a sneaking suspicion that my answers won't be acceptable.

1. How pressing is the illegal immigration problem for the state of Arizona?

a. Illegal immigration is the most pressing issue facing Arizona
b. Illegal immigration is equally important to issues like education and transportation
c. Illegal immigration is somewhat important but not as important as education and transportation
d. Illegal immigration is not an important issue

(Want to pick one of the above?) How about they're all intertwined other than that last one? How about if we get rid of those illegals who we're all supporting with our tax dollars and who don't really want to learn English and assimilate because afterall, this really should be Mexico anyway, maybe the problems finding the money and resources for education and transportation will magically go away? I answered a.

2. Do you think building a wall along the border is a realistic solution to illegal immigration?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure
d. Other opinion

What kind of question is that? Do you REALLY think a wall along the border is REALISTIC? I bet you watch the Art Bell show too. YES! I do think a wall is realistic. And I think we should hire "guest workers" to build it along with the illegals in our prison system who we're housing for $60 a day. Heck! I can stay at a nice hotel for that and have my own bathroom. And while we're at it, let's make them build a few detention facilities right there at the border to house anyone who decides they'd be better off sneaking across our borders instead of going about the process of coming here legally. I'm told it's complicated. Turn off the spigot, stick a finger in the leaking dike, stop the flow...then argue about how we're going to deal with mopping up this mess. Pffft! Maybe we should have sent a few good plumbers to Washington DC. I answered a.

3. Do you support a guest worker program for illegal immigrants that would allow illegal immigrants that have jobs to apply for legal temporary worker status?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure
d. Other opinion

Yes. I answered a. But you don't go about doing stuff like that until you clean up the mess you have marching down the street carrying Mexican flags scream "Si, se puede!" Which doesn't mean "Yes, we can!" like our local media seems to think. And you need to tell these guys that this is The United States of America not Mexico. We don't look kindly on kids who decide that the Mexican flag looks a lot better flying on the flagpole by the ROTC building in Apache Junction. That war was already fought and Mexico lost. Arizona is no longer a territory of Mexico...and neither is California, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado or Wisconsin.

4. Do you believe measures such as increasing penalties on illegal immigrants and those that harbor illegal immigrants will help curb illegal immigration?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure
d. Other opinion

Why was the question posed like that? What do you mean? What part of the word illegal don't you understand? If I saw a neighbor rob a bank and didn't report it...couldn't I go to jail for being complicity to a crime? You don't like the law. Change it. That's the way it should be done. You can't pick and chose what laws you follow and which ones you can break. Though...I must say that the fireworks laws in Wisconsin are really dumb and stupid. If I want to blow my fingers off, I'm an adult and I think I should be allowed the privilege to harm myself and pay for my own medical. I don't need Mommy and Daddy government to protect me. I'm just waiting for them to make us all put up child-proof fences around the lakes to protect people from drowning.

5. Do you support Governor Napolitano's decision to send National Guard troops to the border to combat illegal immigration?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure
d. Other opinion

Now that question was hilarious. I can see Re-Elect Governor Napolitano signs all over it. Hah! Did you realize that the only National Guard troops that have been sent to the border are asked to fix trucks and shuffle papers? I bet you thought they got to carry guns. Do you know how many she sent? You don't need many to fix a few border agent cars. Oh well..The Arizona National Guard deserve a little rest and relaxation. Now...ask me if I think the National Guard should be sent to the border in a full capacity to stem a major invasion? YES!!!!! Good grief! We've got Mexican troops helping drug dealers cross the border. And they're shooting at the border patrol.

6. Which solution do you believe will best deal with the illegal immigration problem?

a. More resources at the border to combat illegal immigration
b. Increased penalties for illegal immigrants and those who harbor illegal immigrants
c. More sanctions for employers who hire illegal immigrants
d. Creating a guest worker program to bring more illegal immigrants into the system
e. Blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants
f. Other opinion

Why do they ask you a question and then only give you one option for an answer? I want more resources a the border to protect a border fence and discourage ILLEGAL immigrants. Let me repeat and punctuate that illegal part. Yes, we need to provide penalties to discourage ILLEGAL activities. Yes, we need to sanction employers who hire ILLEGAL immigrants. There's laws already on the books that cover that but no-one is enforcing the laws that we already have. Why don't we create a whole bunch more laws that everyone will ignore. Yes, we need a guest worker program but I don't want to bring any more ILLEGAL immigrants over here. I want to bring LEGAL immigrants over here. Again...can you guys look up that word ILLEGAL but I guess I should be happy you aren't referring to the ILLEGAL immigrants as UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS. NO! I don't think we need a blanket amnesty program for ILLEGAL immigrants. We did that before under President Reagan and look where we are. They're still processing the amnesty paperwork for that bunch of ILLEGALS. Why not send out engraved invitations to come on over? My daughter didn't need that job at McDonald's to pay for her college education. I speak enough Spanish to make myself understood at the drive-thru. Who cares if the driver who just hit my car had insurance or not? I've got under-insured motorist insurance to cover for those who don't bother to follow state laws. Waiting ten hours in the hospital emergency room to be seen by a doctor isn't all that long. Of course, that sixteen hour wait the other day was a bit excessive. And then last month they shut the emergency room down because they were too crowded. But...sure, let's over-burden our health systems, our education systems, and what's a few more dollars in taxes in the whole scheme of things. Think of the money we'll all save if we just get rid of the border guards and open erase any border lines?

7. Whose responsibility do you believe it is to combat illegal immigration?

a. The federal government
b. The State of Arizona
c. Both
d. Neither
e. Other opinion

I answered both. c. If the federal government can't see that there's a problem, the State had better get off it's duff and take care of the problem here in the State of Arizona. California needs to take care of the problem in California. Each state needs to take care of problems that occur in their own state. And the federal government needs to get out of the way and stay out of the way. If they want to help, go send diplomats over to Mexico so that Mexicans can stay in Mexico rather than enjoy the Mexico that they want to create here in Arizona. Encourage Mexico to create its own free government schools. Encourage Mexico to provide for their own poor instead of exporting them to other countries.

*******

So? Are you tired of my ranting yet? A friend of mine sent me the following:

If you are ready for the adventure of a lifetime, TRY THIS:

Enter Mexico illegally. Never mind immigration quotas, visas, international law, or any of that nonsense.

Once there, demand that the local government provide free medical care for you and your entire family. Demand bilingual nurses and doctors. Demand free bilingual local government forms, bulletins, etc.

Procreate abundantly. Deflect any criticism of this allegedly irresponsible reproductive behavior with, "It is a cultural U.S.A. thing. You would not understand, pal."

Keep your American identity strong. Fly Old Glory from your rooftop, or proudly display it in your front window or on your car bumper. Speak only English at home and in public and insist that your children do likewise.

Demand classes on American culture in the Mexican school system. Demand a local Mexican driver license. This will afford other legal rights and will go far to legitimize your unauthorized, illegal, presence in Mexico.

Drive around with no liability insurance and ignore local traffic laws. Insist that local Mexican law enforcement teach English to all its officers.

Good luck! You'll be demanding for the rest of time or soon be dead. Because it will never happen. It will not happen in Mexico or any other country in the world except right here in the United States, Land of the naive and stupid, idiotic politically correct politicians.

****

I'm going to quote someone I heard today who suggested a new immigration policy for us in the U.S.A. I don't always agree with him but it sure made me think. He said,

"First, if you immigrate to the United States of America, you must speak the native language. You have to be a professional or an investor. We are not going to take unskilled workers. You will not be allowed. There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools, no special ballots for elections, no government business will be conducted in your native language. Foreigners will not have the right to vote, I don't care how long they are here, nor will they ever be allowed to hold political office.

According to this new law, if you're in our country, you cannot be a burden to taxpayers. You are not entitled, ever, to welfare, to food stamps, or other government goodies. You can come if you invest here, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage. If you don't now have that amount of money, you can't come and invest. You have to stay home. If you do come and you want to buy land, okay, but we're going to restrict your options. You will not be allowed to buy waterfront property in the United States. That will be reserved for citizens naturally born in this country.

In fact, as a foreigner, you must relinquish individual rights to property. These are our new laws.

Another thing. You don't have the right to protest when you come here. You're allowed no demonstrations, you cannot wave a foreign flag, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies, or you get sent home. You're a foreigner. You shut your mouth or you get out, and if you come here illegally, you go straight to jail and we're going to hunt you down 'til we find you.

I can imagine many of you think that these laws are pretty harsh. I imagine today some of you probably are going, "Yeah! Yeah!" Well, let me tell you this, folks. Every one of these laws I just mentioned are actual laws of Mexico, today. I just read you Mexican immigration law. That's how the Mexican government handles immigrants to their country. Yet Mexicans and others come here illegally, they protest in our streets, they get on our welfare program, and we have members of the United States Senate, both parties, doing handstands and back flips, going through every contortion possible to allow it to continue so that it doesn't make these people mad, resulting in votes against these linguini-spined populations.

--Rush Limbaugh

*****

I know I'm rather long-winded today. I just had to rant a bit. In twenty days, I'll be back in Wisconsin where the ILLEGAL immigrant issue won't be so visible and where neighbors will wonder what all the screaming is about.

Murphyism of the Day

Glatum's Law of Materialistic Acquisitiveness

The perceived usefulness of an article is inversely proportional to its actual usefulness once bought and paid for.

Twenty-One Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Overgraduate - A person with postgraduate qualifications.

Muggsy's back home safe and sound. She's a bit sore. I have to bring her back to the vet in a couple of weeks to have them remove her stitches. Poor baby. From what I can see, whatever they did to get rid of that cyst on her back looks painful. I'm told that she was a wonderful patient. Poor baby.

HTP took the car in to get the brakes fixed this morning. That's OK. I didn't plan on running off to the store today. We need to get the car all set for our return trip to Wisconsin. Three weeks! I'm not in a panic. No point in it. But maybe it's time to dig out and revise the lists that I made last year. Have List(s), Will Travel.

Murphyism of the Day

Gillette's Law of Household Moving

What you lost during your first move you find during your second move.

Twenty-Two Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Outrance - Opposite of entrance.

Poor Muggsy! I felt so sorry for her this morning. Muggsy's the youngest of our two chihuahuas. We had to take her to the vet this morning for her dental appointment and some minor surgery. NO FOOD OR WATER AFTER 10 PM last night. So, this morning I still couldn't give her any food or water. But I did have to feed Mancha. I did feed Mancha outside so Muggsy wouldn't have to watch the event. Muggsy loves to eat. Eating her 1/2 cup of food is the highlight of her day. She gobbles that stuff down so fast at times she chokes herself. Anyway, this morning, Muggsy didn't get fed. She sat in her kennel and cried real tears. Poor baby! She just didn't understand....that things wouldn't improve. They had to extract some bad teeth and remove a cyst on her back. Oh well, maybe she'll be happy to see me when I go pick her up from the vet. Maybe she'll even forgive me. I'll have to ask them if I can feed her. She'll forgive anyone who feeds her. She'll love anyone who feeds her.

Murphyism fo the Day

Richard's Complementary Rules of Ownership

1. If you keep anything long enough you can throw it away.

2. If you throw anything away, you will need it as soon as it is no longer accessible.

Twenty-Three Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Outgopoofen- Exhaust vapors from a German-made automobile.

Allergies. HTP and I staked the trees in the front of the house so their trunks won't be so wimpy...eventually. I already blogged about how you need to do this and why. Anyway, now I'm sneezing up a storm. Lovely. HTP went back out and sprayed the weeds in the front with weed-killer. He ran out of weed-killer before the job was done. There are a lot of weeds. So, it's off to the store for us to get more weed-killer. Tomorrow. We'll finish up that job tomorrow. I don't care if we get a complaint notice like one of our neighbors. It'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

I didn't make the prime rib last night on the grill. HTP threw a fit so I guess I'll have to try that experiment another day. As it was, I ended up over-cooking the meat. Pout. I really need a new meat thermometer. I hate well done meat. I guess I'm part vampire. Oh well, it wasn't awful. The French Silk pie made up for it.

Murphyism of the Day

Bloch's Rebuttal to Boob's Law

You always find something in the first place you look, but you never find it the first time you look there.

Twenty-Four Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Ouppy - Older urban professional.

Church. I played for the third service. WE played for the third service. I don't sit up there and play solo. Our group consists of three guitarists, a drummer, a flautist, a clarinetist (that's me), a pianist, and a vocalist.

On the way home from church I stopped at the grocery store. This is starting to become a daily event. However, my excuse is that Arizona daughter and her husband are coming over for supper. I needed food. This is one of those opportunities when HTP and I can cheat a bit. I bought potatoes so I can make mashed potatoes. I bought cheeses, and sausage and hummus and spinach dip along with crackers and pita bread. I think we're going to sit down and watch the first three episodes of The Sopranos. At 9 PM the fourth episode comes on and they can't watch that one until they've seen the first three. They don't have HBO. Anyway, I need the munchies for while we're watching The Sopranos....since they're coming over at 4 PM and supper isn't until 6 PM.

I'm making Prime Rib. Experiment time. I'm going to throw the thing on the grill at 500°F for 45 minutes and then bring it inside to toss into a pre-heated 500°F oven which I will promptly turn off. Then...no-one gets to touch that oven door for 2 hours....or until the temperature of the meat reaches 140°F...medium rare. I've usually cooked my prime rib inside at 500°F but the smoke detectors all go off because of the splattered fat that burns on the sides of the oven. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how much a 500°F oven can heat up a house either. I'm hoping that I can avoid that by doing the first part on the grill on indirect heat. I'll let you know how it goes. Ah well, I'm off to peel the potatoes, quarter the pita bread and cut some cheese.

Murphyism of the Day

Boob's Law

You always find something in the last place you look.

Old Grey's Commentary on Boob's Law

Although you should always find something in the last place you look, such will not be the case if that something has been disappeared or stolen.

Twenty-Five Days Until We Leave Arizona

Word of the Day

Onlyest - The only one.

HTP picked Arizona daughter and her husband up at the airport last night. They're back. I haven't got the details as yet but Arizona daughter told HTP that she'd call us sometime today or tomorrow. I imagine that they're really tired. They flew from Kentucky to New Jersey? On the way to Arizona? Not exactly a direct flight.

I haven't heard from DD Daughter. She was supposed to go see the doctor again yesterday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything is OK. She's still having problems with her broken hip. I'm a firm believer that whatever happens in life happens for a reason. We may never know why but you play the cards you're dealt. Whatever happens with it, I hope she realizes how proud we all of all she's done this past year. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DEVIL DOG DAUGHTER! A year ago yesterday we all watched as she received her Eagle Globe and Anchor pin. A year ago today, we watched in pride as our own Devil Dog Daughter graduated from Parris Island.

I haven't heard from #1 son either. If I had to take the kind of classes he's taking at the University, I wouldn't even have time to breath much less call my folks. We did hear that he's going to be living at one of the student apartments next year. Dorm life was a bit cramped for #1 son but I'm glad he had a chance to experience that aspect of college life. I know that I'll never forget my fond memories of dorm life. I'm still best friends with my college roomie and "my sister" who lived down the hall from us. #1 son is still looking for an internship for the summer. I've got my fingers crossed. And there's a prayer on my lips that he survives finals. I hope he realizes how proud we are of him...regardless of the results. Study Hard #1 Son! We love you even if you don't speak English anymore.

Me? I have church tomorrow. I need to find the time to go through this music today. Some of it I've played before but some of it....? I may be going out shopping with Arizona daughter. I need to see if I can find my Packing List and To Do List from last year. I can't believe how fast this winter has gone. I'll be on the road again a month from today.

Murphyism of the Day

Advanced Law of the Search

The first place to look for anything is the last place you would expect to find it.

Old Grey's Corollary for the Advanced Law of the Search

When you look for anything in the last place that you expect to find it...it won't be there. Thereby making the last place you would look for something the first place you would look for something and thereby the law still applies.