Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you think the world became a more dangerous place on September 11, 2001 or did we just become more aware of the danger? How has your own life changed as a result of that day?

When I think back to that day, it seemed like life would never get back to "normal", and, maybe it's not the same as it was before 9/11; maybe we've just settled into a "new kind of normal".   The dangers were always there; it just came knocking on our front door when we weren't looking.  I remember being sooo mad at those people:  who did they think they were coming on our soil and doing something so unspeakable to us?

One good thing that came out of it is that people started getting their priorities back in order.  Family was back to being first.  I've heard of several people who were living away from family, who decided to move closer.  I'm one of them.  (It helped that I had a supportive husband who agreed to move to my hometown.)  We had the iodine tablets and a plan to meet up with the kids should anything happen.  The schools even had a plan; I'm not sure what the plan is here or at the universities where the 2 oldest boys are. For a long time I had an extra set of contacts in my pocketbook, and carried my glasses with me.  (When you're just about blind, you think about these things!)  

2. Did you think your parents were too strict when you were growing up? How about in hindsight?

Yep; I thought they were, but in hindsight...not nearly as strict as they could've been.  I have a high school friend whose parents were way more strict than mine:  there were about 7 or 8 years between her and her closest sibling, so they really kept her reined in.  

3. Share one random but candid fact about yourself.

I don't like the dark.  I think it's because I have a vivid imagination...I just don't like it.  I don't even like to go down to the basement to get the laundry out of the dryer after dark.  I'm just one big chicken!

4. Would your nearest and dearest describe you as simple or far too complicated?

5. What is your favorite stadium or carnival food?

You know it has to be something fried, right?  Like...funnel cakes!

6. Tornado, hurricane, earthquake...how many of these natural disasters have you experienced? Which event do you think would be the scariest?

We came close to experiencing a hurricane when we lived in SC, but it ended up making landfall farther north.  At a high school football game a few years ago, we came close to experiencing a tornado:  up close and personal.  Lesson learned:  when the announcer tells you to go inside the building, do it.  Don't think you're okay under the concrete stands.  We had an earth tremor in April 2010; I've actually felt a few in my lifetime, but nothing like what they felt in DC or what they have out west.    I think a tornado would be the worst...you don't really have much of a warning with it, and the devastation it brings is just unreal.  

  

7. Labor Day weekend is approaching so a work related question seems appropriate. Growing up, did your parents assign you regular chores? Were you paid for doing those chores? If you're a parent do you assign chores to your own children? Why or why not?

When I was growing up, we each had a chore that had to be done on Saturday before cartoons were turned on.  Mine was cleaning the bathroom.  To this day, I still hate cleaning the bathrooms.  We got a bit of an allowance, but I think I usually spent mine by walking down to a store and getting candy.  

Our kids weren't assigned chores, per se, other than keeping their rooms half-way decent and helping when  asked.  Looking back to when they were younger, I really should've asked a lot more than I did!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

After reading everybody's comments from yesterday's post, I realized it's hot everywhere.  From Sweet Tea's windshield cracking to my aunt bringing the animals into the garage at the risk of a fight, it's been one hot month.  To that I say:  Adios, August!

Now, high-tail it over to Joyce's to join in the hodgepodge!

How Hot Is It?

My aunt who lives in S. Tx. sent this video.  "When it's too hot out for even a dog to swim outside"



Persistent little thing, isn't he?
How hot is it where you are?

The Big Game

"The" Big Game for Small Town High was played on Saturday.  I talked about the game here last year.  This year it was our turn to host.  Last year, the game was played on Thursday; this year it was on Saturday.  In all honesty, I expected the game to be over with by halftime.  STHS played last Saturday for a "kick-off classic" at our rival high school, and this week we played the rival high school.  If you don't feel like going back and reading last year's post, here's just a little bit of background:  If it's not the oldest rivalry, it's the most fierce in our state.  Rival High has 3 times more students than STHS.  When I was in high school, "the bridge" was painted several times each night during the week leading up to the game.  There were egg fights, and constant police-patrolling. If you were caught doing something you weren't suppose to do, you spent the time during the game at the police station.  There have been chickens and mice let loose in the school; there has been a rebel flag (our rival's flag) in the middle of our duck pond.  (The duck pond is at the bottom of the hill in front of the elementary school:  the middle & high schools are at the top of the hill.)  This year, the Rival HS declared a "throw-back" to the rivalry:  The windows of our high school were painted on, but they used the window paint that can be washed off as opposed to the "old days" when real paint was used!  There was also a rebel flag in the middle of the duck pond.  I think they'd better watch out next year:  What goes around, comes around!  Someone said that the bridge was painted quite a bit this week, too.  Aaaaah...nice to know some things eventually cycle around!
Since the game was on Saturday this year, the band boosters had an extra day to get ready for the concessions.  We usually have 2 concessions:  upper (behind the pressbox) that serves pizza, hot dogs, nachos & chili, popcorn, candy, and drinks, and lower that serves hamburgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, french fries, and drinks.  The last time we hosted the game, the athletic director had an ingenious idea to also have a couple of "satellite stations" that only served drinks and hot dogs.  That way, if someone just wanted a drink, they wouldn't have to stand in a long line.  We also had an additional drink-only stand this year.  Anyway, we got started on Friday afternoon, putting tables up and getting drinks ready to be iced down.  We also had to load drinks onto a big refrigerated truck.  The band had a practice run through on Friday that the parents were invited to; it was amazing that after they got through, everyone disappeared except for two parents who aren't on the executive board.  It took about 3 hours, but we got it done.  I didn't think my bed could feel any better than it did Friday night...until Saturday night.
Saturday was a LOOOOONNNGGG day.  And that doesn't even begin to describe it.  I got there around 11:10, and there were 4 people already in line, waiting for the gate to open at 3:00.  Yes, I said 3:00.  And, one of the band moms said there were a couple of people in line when she got there at 10:00.  Y'all:  the game didn't even start until 7:00.  Jerry Rice talked to each of the teams prior to the game and did the coin toss.  This is arguably the biggest game of the year, except for the state championships.
I managed to sit down for a few minutes a couple of times after I got to the school, but it was never for long.  My feet still hurt on Sunday.  I only got to watch a couple of plays, but it seemed to be a good game.  They scored, we scored.  They scored twice, we scored once.  They scored again, we scored.  Final score:  Rival: 26, Small Town:  19.  Coach was pleased with the kids' performance; last week after the game he said that if they don't play better during the rival game, it will be over by Thursday.  Yep, he wasn't too pleased with them last week.  Rival high school is in the 6A class, small town is 3A, so the ultimate goal this year is state championship #8 in a row.  If they keep playing like they played on Saturday, they should be able to meet that goal.
Back to concessions:  All of the band parents were amazing.  Once everybody knew what their job was, everything ran very smoothly.  It was hot, it was busy, but everybody did their job.  One of the moms who is an incredible organizer (don't know what we'd do without her!) left during the game to go home and rest so she could come back for the end of the game for cleanup.  She kept talking about how guilty she felt, but another mom told her that she had worked hard all week (much harder than most of us), so she deserved it.  Here's the scary thing:  that mom's son almost wasn't in band this year.  He decided at the last minute to play. I could've hugged his neck!  I don't know what we would've done without her.
To conclude:  I can't even begin to describe how glad I am that these last 3 weeks are over.  Even though the season has just started, it's all downhill from here.  Small Town's winning streak, which was the 2nd longest in the country, starts over next week.  Band parents are the bomb!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I need to apologize for the weird background below.  I have no idea what happened, and wasn't able to take the background off!

Jump on over to Joyce's to join in the hodgepodge!  Click on the above button, copy and paste the questions, and don't forget to link up!

1. What is something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly?
  Let's change this around:  What doesn't bother me if it's not done perfectly?  From loading the dishwasher to my job...it's a tough life.  *sigh*
2. Do you think a 6th sense exists? Explain. I do believe in a "gut feeling".   Sometimes there are things you just feel "aren't right".
3. Do you say your goodbyes slowly, quickly, or not at all? Oh, I hate goodbyes!  I guess I do it quickly and go on.
4. On a scale of 1-10, with ten being hot hot hot, what level of spice do you like in your food? What's your favorite 'spicy' dish? 2.  I like to enjoy my food; I don't want to be miserable eating!  I don't have a favorite spicy dish, since I don't eat anything spicy.
5. What is one of your all time favorite commercial jingles? Who remembers the old Alka-Seltzer commercial?  You know  "Plop- plop, fizz-fizz; oh, what a relief it is".  Here's why:  Once, when I was little (I have no idea how old I was), we went camping on the Outer Banks.  My sister & I went into the bathroom and heard this little girl (who was sitting on the toilet) singing that jingle.  It's stuck with me all these years!
6. Plane, train, boat or auto...your preferred method of travel?
If I'm going a long way:  plane.  I like to get there and enjoy being there.  Not a big fan of boats; I just haven't been around them very much.  When I went to NYC with a high school band I was a guard instructor for, we went to NYC from Atlanta by train.  It was awful.  I kept thinking we were going to derail.  It was noisy, cold, and I got zero sleep.
7. What is something you take for granted?
Electricity, good health, gasoline, indoor plumbing (yes, even here in E. Tn.!), etc.   You name it, I pretty much take it for granted.
8. Insert your own random thought here.

Yesterday I realized just what a little bubble I live in.  I've been so busy at work lately, I haven't had time to check the tv station online to see what's going on.  I got in my car a little after 3:00, and heard the person on the radio talking about an earthquake on the east coast, but he didn't say where.  I found out at 4:30 that it was in DC.  One lady at the band meeting said she actually felt it at her house.  

The talk radio station I was listening to was talking about dementia and alzheimers.  Then, they started talking about Pat Summit, the Lady Vols Coach who is a goddess around here.  She announced today that she had been diagnosed with early stage dementia-alzheimer's type.  In true Pat style, she said that there wasn't going to be a pity-party.  Pat's a true fighter; I wouldn't doubt it if she kicked its butt!

Beware of Thermal Imaging

CH shared this video with me the other day.  He sent me several, but this was by far the funniest to me!  Maybe it's just because I have boys...I don't know!



And now you know what a warped sense of humor I have!

The Help & Dialects

CH & I went to see "The Help" on Saturday afternoon.  CH didn't know anything about the book, but after watching the trailer, thought it would be worth seeing.  We walked into the theater (Thank you, Fandango:  No standing in line for tickets!) to find it almost filled....with women.  There was just a smattering of men here and there, and they were mostly elderly gentlemen sitting with their wives.  (BTW:  our local theater has a deal where you buy a bucket of popcorn-it's $12 right now- and you can bring it back and get it refilled for $2.50 until 2012.  The little girl with the cartoon voice at the concessions was quite the seller...she mentioned that we could bring it in if we were having a movie night at home and take the popcorn home!)  By the time the movie started, the theater was sold out.
What an awesome job they did with that movie!  They did an amazing job with bringing the characters to life, and stayed pretty true to the book.  There were a couple of things that were different, but not so much that it took away from the book.  The little girls that played Mae Mobley were adorable. But the best part:  the accents.   As a southern woman, I abhor watching movies or shows with fakey southern accents.  If you're from the south, I see you nodding your heads.  Y'all know what I'm talking about.
Some people think that all southern accents are the same.  They're not.  Even in Tennessee, East Tn. accents are different from Middle & West Tennessee.  Heck, even in the county where I live, you can tell what part of the county somebody is from by the way they talk.  You can tell if they're from the mountains as opposed to in town.
One show that absolutely kills me is "The Closer".  I like the show, but I had a hard time getting passed Kyra Sedgwick's fake southern accent.  I've never heard somebody talk like that in real life.  People think all Texans have a pronounced "drawl":  When my parents moved to Tn., people asked my mom if she was from NJ.   No lie.
You know who has a great southern accent?  Reese Witherspoon in "Sweet Home Alabama".  Perfect.  Of course, part of it may have to do with the fact that she was born in New Orleans and grew up in Nashville.  Some other women who did southern accents well were the women from "Designing Women", although Jean Smart's was a little forced.  Guess it helped that the other 3 were from the south.
You know what really gets to me?  When I watch a show and the character is an African-American with a southern accent.  In my whole life of living in the south, I've heard one African-American speaking with a southern accent:  Carolyn Peck, who grew up about an hour away from where I live.  And, she is bi-racial.  If you don't know who Carolyn Peck is, she was a basketball player at Vanderbilt who went on to be the head coach at Perdue and Florida; she now is a basketball analyst for women's college and professional basketball.    A-A's have their own accent.  Especially in the Low-country of SC with the heavy influence of Gullah.
So, that's my take on southern accents.  Just a brief note about northern accents:  When I watched the mini-series "The Kennedys" on netflix over the summer, Katie Holmes' rendition of Jackie Kennedy Onassis just about did me in.  She did a great job of looking the part of Jackie, but when she opened her mouth I about gagged.  You know those old mobsters movies that have the blond bimbo talking like they're just stupid?  That's what she sounded like.  I'm fairly certain Jackie didn't sound like that.  I'd even go so far to say that she was turning over in her grave.
If you're not from the South, I'd love to hear your take on southern accents:  Do you really believe that all southerners talk like Kyra in "The Closer"?  What about yankee accents on tv?  Are they pretty true, or do the actors over-emphasize those, too?

Friday Fragments

~  I struck GOLD!  I got an e-mail on Tues. informing me that my Starbucks Gold Card is in the mail!  Oh, happy day!  I wonder just how many lattes I had to buy to get it!

~  Football season officially starts around here on Friday.  Yep, it's "Week 0".  The Small Town's football team will be playing on Saturday evening at our rival high school, but we won't be playing them.  (Confused yet?)  In the past, we've had to travel to the next state to play a game.  This year, we will be playing in a "Kick-Off Classic"; a double-header between us and another school, then our rival school will be playing a private school from the big town.   Next year we will host the classic, since the rival game will be played at the rival school.  I plan on going to the movies to see "The Help".

~ I bit the bullet and joined Curves.  2 of my sisters (no, not "Debbie") are members close to their houses and they love it.  As I write this, I've had 1 workout.  I can't wait to try Zumba!  One of my sisters is now a certified instructor, and another sister zumbas.  I've gotta see what this craze is about!

~  After my workout, CH, OS, & I went out to eat at a local restaurant.  $5 burgers & fries and $2 drinks.  Isn't that the way you're suppose to do it:  workout and then indulge?

~  What a feeling of accomplishment!  I visited and commented on my "regular" blog stops on the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Maybe things are getting back to normal!

~  I finally got my hair cut yesterday.  I had to cancel my appointment that I had when CH had his surgery, and with school being crazy, just didn't have a chance to call and make another one.  After a few weeks, Michelle called me to make sure everything was okay!  How's that for customer service?

~  My new intern starts today.  I sure do hope she's as good as the other 2 I've had.  The clinical supervisor had great things to say about her, so she should do well.  I love having interns, especially during fall semester.  I love showing them what being a school SLP is really like:  all the IEP meetings, evaluations, and placements.  I get to be their first welcome to the real world!

~  Hope everybody has a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I can't believe we've been doing this for 40 weeks already!  To join in, click on the above button, copy and paste the questions, answer the questions, and link back up with Joyce.

1. Using what's in your frig right now what sort of meal would you be able to make for guests who are knocking at the front door this very minute?

HA!  Luckily I just went to the grocery store!  We're planning on having Pasta Sauce with Italian Sausage in a few days, so that's what I would fix, along with a salad.

2. What is something about yourself that you hope will change but that probably never will?
My weight.    

3. What's something about yourself that you hope will neverchange?
My compassion.  Sometimes I feel that it's fading fast! 

4. Do you usually send serious or funny greeting cards? Why?
It's rare for me to sent a greeting card at all.  What do people do with them after they read them?  It just seems like a waste.

When I send them, it's a funny one.  Who doesn't like to laugh?

5. Bird watching, shell gathering, or star gazing- your choice for whiling away the hours?
Bird watching.  I think I'm getting old.

6. Do you double or triple check things? If so, what?
I triple check the top that goes on my to-go coffee.  The last thing I want to happen is to tip the cup and have a lap-full of coffee!

7. What's your favorite place for people watching?
Oh, there are so many places:  the mall, the beach, a busy street.  There are a lot of interesting people out there!  One place I don't like to people watch:  Walmart.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

As I said in #1, I went to the grocery store yesterday.  It's no wonder the kids don't know how to bag...an assistant manager bagged my groceries and did an awful job.  I put my cold items together for a reason...because I want them bagged together!  That's Bagging 101, along with stacking the items in the bags, not just tossing them in there.  CH said that nobody cares about how their groceries are bagged, but I have to disagree on that one.  I had worked all day, did the grocery shopping for 2 weeks, and I was hot & tired.  The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was to search through every single bag for my cold & frozen stuff.  I wonder if I ticked him off when I started rearranging things as he started to put the sodas in the buggy?  Maybe when he did that, it should've given me a clue!

Just Dumb

I've done a couple of pretty dumb things this week:

1) On Sunday, after Mass, I ran into Panera.  A lot of the "weekday Mass gang" were there, in line with me.  I happened to turn around, and right behind me was one of my sisters.  And, behind her, a couple of other people from Church came in. I introduced my sister to everybody and went on my way.  Later that day, my mom called and asked which sister was at Panera, to which I replied "Debbie".  If you don't know me or my family, you may be wondering what was so dumb about that.  Brace yourself:  I don't have a sister named "Debbie"!  I have no idea why that name came out!

2) A few weeks ago, the president of our Council of Catholic Women (CCW) sent out an e-mail, asking ladies if they were interested in going to a Global Women meeting.  I e-mailed her back, letting her know I would go.  I kept meaning to  check my e-mail to see when the meeting was, but I kept forgetting every time I was on e-mail.  I got a call from her yesterday to see if I was still planning on going.  I told her I would go.  I had no idea what this meeting was about, and, even as we were walking into the meeting, there was no way I was going to let on that I didn't know.  That was the dumb thing.  The reason for the meeting was no laughing matter:  human trafficking.  That's the kind of stuff you hear about on a Lifetime movie, not the kind of stuff you think is happening in your own backyard.  Some of the ladies in that meeting are really knowledgeable about it.
There's a program called "Free the Girls".  It was started by someone in Denver.  Bras are donated to ladies in Mozambique since bras are a status symbol.  If a woman isn't wearing a bra, she's "fair game".    The young lady who was talking about this was inspiring.  She knew so much about the whole trafficking issue, I just had no idea.  I'm just so incredibly sheltered...even now as an adult.

So, after reading this post, if there was any doubt as to why I haven't been posting much lately, I think I've cleared it up!  And, it's just Tuesday!!!

Where Does the Time Go?

I've been really, really bad at blogging lately.  I have no idea where my time is going, especially since school started back.  It's not that I have nothing to say...I've been doing "stuff" lately, I just haven't been blogging about it.
Not only have I been terrible about posting; I've also been bad about reading.  All of a sudden I have no time.  What the heck am I doing?  If somebody knows, fill me in!  (And, no, I haven't been spending my spare time vacuuming!)
I finally started seeing students last Wednesday.  I was so ready to just get started.  And now I feel like I need a break!  You laugh, but I'm serious.  I was talking with another Speech Pathologist (SLP) the other day, and we both agreed that we just felt overwhelmed this year.  Aside from the difficulty with scheduling, everything else is the same.  Scheduling seems to get more difficult every year with the increased demands on the teachers to get in all of their instruction.  Maybe it's just that the teachers are more stressed this year and it's filtering to us.
The state has a new teacher evaluation this year, which means more observations and a little bit more paperwork.  Teachers that are used to getting the top rating will be lucky if they get a '3' (out of 5) this year.  We've been told a '3' is where you want to be.  Ms. Principal told us that if you get a '5', you're Jesus.
Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of blogging very, very soon.  For those of you who are sticking with me, thanks!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday, so it must be time for another Hodgepodge!  To play along, click on the about button, copy and paste the questions, answer, then link up!

1. If you could work for any one government agency which would you choose and why? (if you're in the US here's a helpful list)

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.  Seriously, because I think we must have a bunch of people in there who haven't been in a classroom in a looooong time (if ever).

 

2. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

I hate drama, which is why God gave me boys.  This is actually a hard question for me, because I can't think of a time when someone didn't apologize for something they did to me.

 

3. What is your favorite meatless supper?

Cookies.  Or popcorn.

 

4. Wednesday August 10th is National Lazy Day...will you be celebrating? If so, tell us how so we can be lazy too. 

Where do you find these things?  Talk about random!  Since I'll be working, I don't think I'd better participate!

5. As a child did you have any special back to school traditions and if so, what were they? If you're a parent did you carry on those traditions with your own children?

I remember getting new shoes and a few new clothes.  I remember being so excited before that first day:  putting my clothes out, all the way down to my socks and shoes.  And the smell of new notebooks!  Remember that?

 

6. Write a summer tongue twister.

She sells seashells by the seashore.  (You just said to "write" one; you didn't say it had to be original!)

 

7. Would you be interested in observing a surgery or do you turn away when the nurse brings out the needle? 

I don't turn away at a needle, but I don't think I could observe a surgery.  When CH had his surgery, my stomach would do flip-flops looking at his incisions.  Guess it's a good thing I didn't become a nurse like I was planning when I was in high school! 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

The Help opens up today.  The trailer looks very good; hope it's as good as the book!  Is anybody planning on seeing it over the weekend?

Best Hubby

My hubby is just the best!  I got out our vacuum cleaner yesterday, vacuumed the kitchen area, and then started to vacuum the rug in the living room.  Usually when I change the level thingy on the vacuum, I can feel it in how hard I have to push the vacuum on the rug.  But, yesterday when I did it, nothing happened.  Absolutely nothing.  Everything seemed to be working okay, and then I opened up the bag container.  Talk about a mess!  The  opening of the bag had popped off of its holder.  So, I cleaned up, put it back on, and tried it again.  No difference.  CH suggested that we trash it and get a new one.
It's been a great vacuum cleaner for the past 13-14 years.  We talked about getting a Dyson before, so I got on the laptop and looked around to see if there was a difference in price between the stores that have them.  As I was doing that, I ran across a Hoover (same brand as our current one) that was more than 1/2 the price of a Dyson.  The reviews were wonderful. 
Buying a new vacuum is a very serious matter, especially since you can't try it out first and decide if it's going to work as well as the other one.  The Hoover has served us well, but I knew that Dysons had a great reputation.  I just wasn't sure if I wanted to spend that much money on a vacuum.  But, as CH said, how often do we have to buy one?
In the end, we got another Hoover Windtunnel, but this one is bagless.  And it has a retractable cord.  After I vacuumed the living room rug, I had to empty the canister.  Pepper (our Jack Russell mix) is a shedder.  The fur in that canister could've been used to make another dog.  I was amazed at how well it worked!  And the noise, or lack of! 
I've only used it once, but I'm extremely happy with our choice!  Hoover didn't let us down!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday, so it's time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge, sponsored by Joyce.  Want to join in?  Click on the above button, copy & paste the questions, answer, then link up! It's that easy!

1. Share a favorite song lyric.

"Sometimes the very thing you're looking for

Is the one thing you can't see"

from "Save the Best for Last", sung by Vanessa Williams

I better not see 'I can't think of one' on anybody's paper. That's an automatic F in the Wednesday Hodgepodge you know.

2. When was the last time someone yelled at you?

Honestly, I can't remember.  CH isn't a "yeller" (we balance each other out!), and I've always tried to avoid doing anything to make someone yell at me!

 

3. Money, fame, happiness...are they mutually exclusive? 

I don't think so.  I think it's possible to have all three, as long as the person who has them keeps his/her head on straight.

4. What is your favorite dish to prepare for family and friends that doesn't require turning on the stove, oven or an outdoor grill?

Chicken salad.  This one is really easy:  chicken, cream cheese, grapes, pineapple, almonds.  Mix together and put on a croissant or other bread, and you're good to go!

 

5. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. What is one thing you could do this week to simplify your life? Will you do it?

Being the simpleton I am, I've trimmed my life to be pretty darned simple!

 

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being 100% and 1 being not at all) how tuned in are you to your country's national political scene?

I would say about a 6.  I get so disgusted with politics, it's better "simplify my life" and just refuse to listen to it!

7. What are your final parting words to the month of July?

SO LONG!

 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

The "Uninvited Guest" is outta here!  This morning, I opened the pantry and saw him scurry. I moved the sticky trap to the upper left corner (this is the side of the pantry where there isn't any food), and about 5 minutes later, I heard him moving the trap. When I looked, he was under the trap; he had flipped it over.   I got the broom (thinking I would just knock him out since he was already stuck),  but when I hit the trap, it just flipped it back over.  Hmmmm...what to do?  I did what any wife would do:  I woke up CH and got him to dispose of it.  Hopefully he was the only one!

Guest: EWWWW!

I spent yesterday evening doing something I had no intention of doing:  cleaning out the pantry.  Yes, thanks to an uninvited house guest, I got to go through every piece of food in the pantry to check for signs of his feasts.  Most of it was untouched:  the bread, the crackers, the cereal.  There were tell-tale signs that he has a sweet-tooth; a fondness for chocolate.  Remember this?

 That was the last straw. That little so-and-so helped himself to a big chunk out of the corner.  War has been declared.  I threw out a bunch of food that was questionable and put everything else in plastic containers.  A trap has been set.
I have no clue how we went through several winters without any guests, and now that it's blazing hot, we have one.  Guess it's just too hot out there, even for mice!

You never know...

Friday night, my sister & I ventured down to a grill to hear my oldest brother's band play.  It was hot & humid (they played outside), but they were worth it!  It's so interesting to people watch, especially when some of those people are 40+ years old and act like they're college-age.  There was this one woman who looked great from the back, but then she turned around, and....UUUGH!  She had a bit of a belly on her that totally negated the back!  She was wearing a little halter top that showed off her tramp stamp, but at least it covered her belly.
Then, there was her friend.  Let me just say:  I don't care how much you've had to drink; there are just some people who shouldn't be up dancing in front of a bunch of people they don't know!  It reminded me of this:


Okay, it wasn't quite like that; at least Elaine moved around a bit!