So, What Exactly is Going on in My Life?

More Always Means Less

This was part of a note written by Dr. Bill Lawrence  to Pastor Andy at Irving Bible Church who was recently diagnosed with cancer.    When I read it the words came to life for me.     It is all about time;   making the most of it, wanting more of it, not having enough of it and not knowing when it will be over. 

“More always means less. There's always more out there somewhere. More opportunity, more recognition, more power, more control, more success, more money, more everything. But more always means less. You see, to get more of whatever we seek, we always end up with less time. That's what we do in life-we trade our time for whatever we gain. Now everything in life is finite, but nothing is more finite or more final than time. There's more of everything else, but there's never more of time. We kid ourselves into thinking we have more time. We say, "I think I'll put more time into sales or management or golf," but we don't really have more time, we just manage ourselves differently in the time we have. We'll never have more time. In fact we have no idea how much time we do have. We look at the game clock and think, "I have years to go before the game ends," but only the Timekeeper actually knows how much time we have. And He's not telling. So here's the deal. More means less. No matter how much more you get, in the end you always have less time. Now all of us need to go after more because that's the way life works. It's just that you need to make sure the more you're going after is worth the less time you'll have once you get it. . .so what "more" are you going after? At this point in your life what makes the "more" you're seeking worth the less time you will have once you get it?

Something to think about...

Help!

I think I may have a serious problem – here is why

ü  I notice the plants on the front porch need watering.

ü  As I turn on the hose in the front yard, I look over at my car and decide  needs washing.

ü  As I start toward the house to get the supplies, I notice that there is mail in the mailbox that I forgot to get earlier.

ü  I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

ü  I lay my car keys down on the table just inside the front door, go to put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

ü  So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

ü  But then I think, since I'm going to pass the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

ü  I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left. My extra checks are in my desk in my office, so I go to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

ü  I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the dining room table catches my eye--they need to be watered.

ü  I set the Coke down on the counter, only to see the dogs’ water bowl is empty.  

ü  I figure I better get water for them, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

ü  I set the bowls down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote I had been looking for earlier in the day, I left it on the kitchen counter.

ü  I realize that tonight when  go I to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen counter (who knows why it is there anyway)

ü  I decide to put it back in the bedroom where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

ü  I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the counter, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. 

ü I open the kitchen garbage can to throw the paper towels away I realize it is full as well.  Since it is next to the fridge I figure I better throw out a few old things from the fridge.

ü Then my cell phone rings, off to find the cell phone, I can hear it but can’t see it.   I find the phone and realize that it is almost dead and needs to be charged.

ü As I go off to find the charger I find myself head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

So t the end of the day:

----the car isn't washed,
----the bills aren't paid,
----there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,
----the flowers don't have enough water,
----there is still only 1 check in my check book,
----I can't find the remote,
----the dogs still need water - and now food,

----the kitchen garbage is full

----The fridge still has things in it that need to be thrown away
----and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

----And my cell phone is missing and when I call it it goes straight to voice mail…  I guess I did not make it to the charger???

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my email. 

ADD = Age Deficit Disorder

One Word: Amazing

Climbing back on the blog saddle

It surprises me as to how fast life is flying by!   It is hard to believe that May and June have come and gone, July is well on it's way to being over and Micheal Jackson is dead.   

OK, so it does not surprise me that he is dead but I can say I am over all the media coverage!    Great musician, loved Thriller and even burned a CD for my car about 3 months ago and retired it to the house about a week before he died. Leaving it in the house for another year or so  - I am so over the guy at this point.   Maybe next year I can stomach it again.   

Life has been so hectic lately but I have missed updating the ol' blog...    Here is a quick montage of the last few months and what has been going on...

A quick trip down to San Antonio with Clay, His friend Dave and a girl friend of his.  We had a great time at River Walk eating and drinking and a lot of relaxing!  

Mom, this one is for you!

Oh, I have not mention Clay yet have I?  Well, we have been dating for the last few months and having a grand time!    We took the plunge recently and took the crew over to his house for the 4th of July weekend, I think he is still traumatized or maybe I am?   They are a bit overwhelming  - all three of them. Along with his dog Rex, it made for a crazy stressed out dog weekend!  By the end of the weekend they all seemed to have it sorted out, thankfully.    I have to admit I was more then excited that he even entertained the idea.   I'll keep you all posted as to if we adventure down that road again! (thank you Clay for putting up with the all the dog drama)

The next adventure was  trip back to Tampa for work.  I was able to catch up with a few friends: Doug and Alex.   It was great to see them, although was to short as we were only able to fit in a quick dinner.  I did finally get to meet Alex's little doggies Sabastian and Isabella - two cute little Chi wa wa's! 

Alex, Victoria, Kristen, Doug and me - Dinner at Tony and Chiccios - Sushi...    Who knew there was Italian Sushi?

 

We did a dinner at Dianna's house.   Gae, me and Manny relaxing on the 20th floor condo over looking the water - such a relaxing night!

Have to admit we did do a bit of drinking - Tequila... need I say more?  L-R: Christina, Me, Matt, Sheila, Kevin and Melissa.  
Fun was had by all, thanks to Dianna for letting us use her condo for the get together!

A dinner with Clay and his daughter at the Melting Pot.   It was the strangest dinner I think any of us had in a long time.  The waiter was way to talkative, the managers was rude and they decided to run the vacuum cleaner during our dinner...  It might be the last time we go there!

 

 Another work trip!   This time down to Houston for a group meeting.

 

L-R: Me, Clay (yes another Clay in TX believe it or not!) Laura, Vicki, Amanda, Carrie, Catherine, Kristen, Wayne and Rhonda - GO TEXAS TEAM! 

Part of the "Texacagolina" Team: L-R:  Will (Chicago), Rhonda (San Antonio), Laura (Dallas) and Penny (NC).  the bestest Peeps in the world! 

More of the Bestest Peeps - Kristen and Pam! 

And More!   L-R: Penny, Rhonda, Jill and Victoria! 

The next adventure is a quick road trip with Grover to Clayton Lake (there we go with Clay again) to camp with my parents. It will be good to back in the car and doing a bit of traveling.   I am excited to see my parents and spend a few days with them in the great outdoors.   I'll report back on all the fun! 

PS for those who asked for an update on the Wyoming road trip  - it is still in the works  but may have to be put off until next year.  I have about 3/4 of the destinations mapped out and a Realtor or two waiting in the wings!  See you all soon! 

Desitination: Cabela's Partner in Crime: My Dad

The fun weekend came and went all too quickly (back in March!)      A quick trip to Love Field brought my dad to Dallas for his 1st visit since I moved here.    What a great time we had.

The 1st evening brought a quick tour of the neighborhood, an ever exciting 1st visit with the three little ones.  They behaved surprising well (I think it might have to do with the fact that he is so tall) Jet behaved like a champ and Ellie was insistent on getting as close to him as possible.      I think on a few occasions I spied Grover getting most of the loving - they made quick friends!

Destination Day: A quick breakfast at iHop and we hit the road for CABELA'S!    Excitement was in the air.  My dad is an avid outdoors-man and to finally after, all these years of buying through their catalog, get his hands on to real thing(s)!    

Of course we did the ever important photo ops of our arrival.    I must admit, I was just as excited to see Cabela's with him.  Who better but Mr. Outdoors? 

I am going to digress for a moment...   The weekend visit got me to thinking about the what I love about my Dad and the things that mean most to me about him. In thinking back through the years I found that there are many wonderful memories.  The most memorable moments (there are many more then this of course) of My dad coming into my life are: 

1. The Circus in Portland Oregon.  Just the two of us, no brother, no mother.  It was wonderful!   It made me feel special, like I was the most important person to him.    I don't remember having ever gone to the circus before that time, and only once after that in my early 20's.    The specifics of the day are gone but how I felt that day has stayed with me forever.   

2. Flying to Seattle.   My Dad, My Mom, Me and a really really really small little itty bitty plane, flown by him.  

3. My 1st Horse.   Zephyr.  who all but tried to kill me every chance he got.  Mean ass horse.  But my dad took me and we picked him out together.  He was a beautiful horse, just a real ass.    What more could a daughter want?   Nothing, a horse and a chance to live in the country.   I may have pissed and moaned about it as  kid, but I loved it.  I loved the snow, I loved the seclusion and the space. Building fences, chicken coops and all the fund stuff that comes with it.   The smell on a fresh snow day waiting for the school bus before the sun came up listening to the stillness in the air.   Collecting eggs in the mornings from the nasty chickens and experiencing the strange things that happens with fresh eggs when you have chickens.  Two funny Canada geese Poncho and Lefty.  My dad made up for the mean ass horse and when he got a wonderful big ol' horse for himself, Luke.    So damn big that I had to crawl up the hitching post to get on that sweet ol' horse.   

4. Camping.  One trip to the NW with My Mom,, Dad, Brother and Step Sister Barbara and two dogs...  in a bronco.   We did survive and I am here to tell about it!  The other memorable trip was just with my mom and dad up to the continental divide.  

So in the end, my dad gave me a childhood and a foundation that I will be forever grateful for.  I am also thankful for my mom (not only just for this); for making such a wise decision to fall in love with such a wonderful man.  The father that I did not know I needed so much until I grew up and look back on my childhood.

So, here we are arriving at Cabela's!   Just the two of us for a day of fun at the outdoor mega destination.   What a destination it was!   Made me want to pull out my gun, boots, buy one of everything and pack up for the middle of nowhere!     - ok, as long as there is internet connection to Zappos and delivery truck that can find me once I get to wherever "nowhere" might be.

We had a great time this weekend and I am still forever grateful that he is my Dad!   What a lucky girl I am.

      

Aruba Time!

  The month of February brought a fabulous trip with several of my co-workers!     I was invited to join the President's Club this year in Aruba and wow, what a beautiful island.     I am still sorting through pictures as well as I still need to gather a few more from my co-workers but here is a small taste if the fun we had. 

Of course there was plenty of drinks to be found on the island!    The celebration kicked up a notch on our last night in Aruba and we ended up going a little overboard.    Above is the tame picture of the night with Sheila, Allen, Amanda, Barbara, Rick and of course Me!  Poor Rick spent the entire day on Saturday subjected to female hormones starting with a snorkeling/sailing adventure that included more drinking with Christine, Sheila Barbara and myself that ended in a night of drinking surrounded again by a group of crazed women.  I am not sure he will ever be the same again but I must admit he was a trooper.   Sheila ended up the with all funny over-the-top photos and I hope to get my hands on those soon.

I will write more about Aruba and the adventures we had (well, at least the ones that are suitable to share!)  that include bull riding at a local bar, acrobats, rope swings and  more out of control women, one un-named  Rick the trooper.  I was an awesome trip with an awesome group of co-workers and friends.      I just can not say enough about the Island and highly recommend everyone figure out a way to visit Aruba for a vacation.  

This is from one of our free night dinners at the resort. From Left to Right
Billy, Linda, Bill, Cheryl, Christine, Mike, Perry, Me, Sheila, Barbara and Jada.

Dinner Again!    Me, Amanda and Sheila all dressed up for the awards dinner.

 

3900 Saturdays

A wonderful story about what is important in life that I received from www.simpletruths.com I have about 1850 marbles left, how many do you have left?

It's called 3900 Saturdays:  The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday morning. Perhaps its the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe its the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about a thousand marbles. I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

Well, Tom, it sure sounds like youre busy with your job. Im sure they pay you well but its a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Its too bad you missed your daughters dance recital, he continued; Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities. And thats when he began to explain his theory of a thousand marbles.

You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail, he went on, and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

Theres nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.

It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. Cmon honey, Im taking you and the kids to breakfast.

What brought this on? she asked with a smile.

Oh, nothing special, its just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while were out? I need to buy some marbles.

Turkey Weekend Fun

Turkey Fun was had by all!     We had a great Thanksgiving weekend in Denver this year.   The previous few months were tough on every and Mom had a great suggestion - Spend Thanksgiving in Denver this year at the Finley Home.      What a great idea, the excitement was contagious.     

My Mom (Grandma), Dad (grandpa), Owen, Austin and Susan (fabulous mom to Owen and Austin) packed in the truck for fun filled road trip to Denver and a quick flight for me from Dallas landed us all in Denver at the Finley Family home (Kathy, Ren, and three great little kitties; George who rules with an iron fist, Snowshoe & Zoe who spent the weekend in hiding, peeking out once or twice.

We had a wonderful weekend together and I am in hopes that we have created a new family tradition.   It's been ages since I have been able to relax with my family and it just what the doctor ordered!      Family, Food and Fun.   

Owen spent the 1st part of the trip building an engine, which he quickly completed!   Engine Education from Ren,  even I learned something new!  From Left to Right: Austin, Susan, Dad, Ren, Owen and Me.

Espresso Education - what a treat and no trip to the coffee shop needed! 

 

Meet The Proud Mr. Duff, dressed in his Thanksgiving finest! Way to cold to be in a skirt in my opinion!  But he looks great!

 

Breakfast with Owen (left) and Austin - Mmm more food -

 

Dad and Kathy - I forget just how tall he is!  

I am in love with Wii - Austin was hands down the Boxer of the weekend - By the end of the weekend he had knocked us all out - even my Mommy (aka Grandma).

On top of the Wii fun there was plenty of time to play on the computers - Both Owen (below) and Austin are computer whiz's... Along with Ren, the ultimate Computer Master!

Cupcake Baking - really, we needed more food

Ren's coming to the end of a very long (and painful) tattoo - It's quite amazing!

Ren and Tony (ok, so it's not Tony, that's Owen behind the birthday plate!)

Along with Turkey day came another birthday - at least the intentions were there!  After this many birthdays I feel confident my family knows my name  - even if the cake is a little bit off.    The cake itself was fabulous - red velvet and ice creams -- it just does not get better then this! 

Mmm... Cake and happy kids! 

 

I love my Mommy!

 

This one's for my Mommy!    Somehow Susan was able to stay away from the cake (other then a bite or two) more then I can say for myself!

 

Christmas - we're not even through Turkey day! 

 

I could go for a big piece of this cake now!

I just love thanksgiving and was sad to see it come to an end, but I am looking forward to next year.  Thank you Kathy and Ren for hosting such a great weekend for all of us!

Cissy Update! aka Cassie

I am so excited to have an update on our little Cissy!       

Here is the email update from the new family:

Cassie is doing great!!!  She chews things up but she is the sweetest.  Here are some pictures of her!!

Thank you for taking such great care of her.  She is totally potty trained and loves going on walks.  We have gone through a few leashes but she has fun.  We are still working on nipping but she means no harm.  

We love Cassie and she has been a great addition to our family.

Sincerely,

Danielle

I just can't tell you how happy I am to see Little Cissy growing up with her new family!    What a change from the flea covered little bitty thing she was.   I am so thankful that the previous owners had enough sense to hand her over to me.     She deserves to have a wonderful forever family of her own.      What more could a little puppy ask for then a new pink dress and pink bed to boot!     She has grown quite a bit from the day I gave her over to her new family...    but still has that cute little face and soulful eyes.      

Here's our little girl!

 

What a great start to the new year! 

Inspiration for the Day

Paul Dateh and inka one
One word, Wow!

Hip Hop Violin 

At the End. Yet at the Begining

As the year comes to an end I find myself deep in thought.  About the year gone by and the year ahead.   

I am struggling to wade through 1059 emails for work, have a desk and an office that is a disaster, clients and employees who need attention and  desperately wish that I had the time to dream of a tomorrow.  I know it is coming and I long to be able to dream of it.

They (whoever "they" are) always say we should live in the present.   I live in the present, the here, the now, the crisis of the day, the morning the afternoon, the hour and the minute.  In this day and age how can we escape the present?   It rings in on the crack'berry and the email ding that never stops.   They come in at 7pm, 9pm, 11pm, 6am, they never stop.  How's that for being present?   I got a call at 3:34am the other day, called 4 times; enough to get me out of bed thinking it was an emergency only to be hung up on.   I can remember what happened 10 years ago but so often forget the last 10 minutes of my life.  Then magically at 11pm I remember the 10 minutes that I has so easily been forgotten earlier in the day.   In the background of music I hear the ring or ding of the crack'berry, the computer email ding.   I often think I hear the crack'berry ring when in fact it is not.   

Is that an addiction?   Have I surpassed an alcohol addiction for one of crack'berry?     Is it plugged in?   Is the sound on?  Did I turn it off before I walked into the meeting?  Did I turn the sound back on after the meeting?   Did I get a new email?    Did I get a call?   Who was it?  Is is good news or bad news?  A happy client or a mad client?   Is it another crisis or is someone happy today?   Oh it's a fucking telemarketer, calling me on my cell phone.    Along with all the other calls and emails that came in on the damn thing.     I am addicted to it, I can't put it down or turn it off.  I never leave the house without it, matter of fact I treat it with as much care and love as I do for my dogs.   I clean it, charge it, love it, and hate it when it does bad things. 

A year of crack'berry and my personal addiction to it.  

We have an EAP at work, I wonder if there is a support group for Crack'berry addictions?   Would they deem me crazy?   How many of us are addicts?    

Hi, My name is Christie and I am an addict, a crack'berry addict.   This is hard for me to admit this now, in front of you, today.  I am also addicted to work.  It lives with me.  Day and night. It lies in wait, behind every door, in every drawer.  I feel guilt if I walk past it.   If I take a few minutes to water the plants, pet the dogs... it calls my name lying in wait around every corner.    

Ok I said it.

Is this what it is like to be addicted to something?  A pull so strong that you can't stop?   An urge to take one last look at it?   Check it just in case?   

That is what I am thinking about tonight as one year ends and the next soon begins.     I am not sure that is what the end of the year should be remembered by.   So I sit and ponder how I ended up here in crack'berry hell?    Is it something I can over come?  Has anyone else been able to overcome the power of it?  Am I alone?  Are there more of us out there?  Are they seeking treatment yet? Was it successful?

There are so many other parts of my life that are far more important, they deserve more attention then they are getting.    Is that how New Year Resolutions are born?    I don't usually make resolutions but this year may be different.    I am back to making a list. So far it is a bizarre list.  I have a notebook that I add to when things interest me.  It is full of a year of notes from things I read, heard, saw or just thought of.  I pulled a few things from it to remind me of a year. 

Some of them may make sense to you others only to me and Grover ate a few along the way.

• Family, Friends
• Carolyn Myss
• Negative to positive
• Birds
• Ellie, Jet  Grover
• Brain Tanning
• Are horrible things good things?
• Camera
• conscienceness, Quantum Physics
• Side roads
• Decisions made based on fear?  What compels me enough to break through fear? Am I afraid? 
• F Stop - a good explanation of it? 
• Nerite Snails
• Bamboo fiber
• 1295 a day
• APD
• Downsizing my life, my belongings: Simplify, less complicated, less stuff
• Tomatoes, blueberries, potting bench, Raised beds
• Giving 
• Alaska
• Tomorrow
• MC
• Primal Pet Foods
• Hampshire Timber Frame cottage 1400
• Dig deep and move forward
• Measure 100 times, buy once
• South Dakota
• Thankful everyday

I have to admit that there is one great thing over the last year I have done for myself. I took the time each day to focus on it.   I did not realize how important it was to me until I started getting close to the end.   It gave me back a power and belief in myself that I had somehow lost along the way.   I now wake up feeling like a new person, embarrassed that I grew so far away from myself and did not realize where I had ended up.  But even with my crack'berry addiction I managed to find a very important part of myself that had slipped away.  

Me.  I found me, the old me.  The me I know I am.  The me that drives me.  The me that even drove me to my addiction.  But it is me I found.   I am not sure I know me any more, but I found me.    I think the new year will be spent figuring out just who that me is.    It may have to wait patiently as the crack'berry rings in or the email dings again but it will not be forgotten, not for one day or one minute.

So as the year closes, I am me again.  And for 2008 and for me; I am thankful.

My Blood is Boiling this Morning & no its not Tequila!

I am sitting here contemplating the US auto maker bailout debate watching my blood pressure raise with each article I read.    If, as a US citizen, I am expected to be financially responsible, pay my bills on time, pay my taxes on time and in the proper way then I wholly expect that my fellow citizens including the US auto makers do the same!    

Is it my responsibility that they did not have the for-sight to be competitive?  Did I not have to make financial decisions based on my income?   Did I not skip buying the big fancy Hummer H-3 that I have dreamed about for years?    Skip the kitchen re-do that desperately needs to be done, the plumbing Issues that have cropped up over the last few months?     I work my ass off every day and do a lot of planning to ensure that tomorrow there is enough money to pay bills, buy food and have a few pleasures along the way.     I do not expect that anyone will come save my ass if I over do it and spend beyond my abilities.     I too have to stay competitive in my job, think about today and then plan for tomorrow.     I get that what I do is on a smaller scale but at the end of the day I have my own business - me and as I have to plan so do they.   

I am livid that my representatives would even consider that a short term bail out is the answer.     Then we have the United Auto Workers (UAW).     I'd like to see the concessions they are making to help the problem, of which high paying wages are one of the problems that keep the US Auto Makers from being competitive.   What are they willing to do?        Not a lot from what I can see.    So as I sit and watch my 401k tank, plan for my business strategy next year, my blood continues to boil.   

So...   I am off to dream of more interesting times and give my blood pressure a rest.  I have managed to sort through the rest of the pictures from my trip home.  

I found a very interesting ghost town on the way home.    About 2 hours or so outside of Albuquerque is a tiny little town called Cuevos New Mexico.   The Highway runs smack dab down the middle of the town.   One side of the town has life to it (not much: gas, a little store) and a few uninhabited buildings.

The other side of the the highway holds what for the most part appears to have some life - not much but at least a stopping point in the middle of nowhere!  

The little ghost town was amazing!    The old homes and business of days gone by made for quite a fun morning.   It was very cold and windy and at the end of my time there I spent about 20 minutes pulling cactus thorns out of my feet.  But well worth it.  Here is what I found that morning.

Here is the culprit for the cactus in my feet - note to self - don't wear mules when trekking around an old over grown ghost town. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, the church appears to be used from time to time.  The grass is manicured and the all windows appear to be in good condition with a lock on the door giving hint that there is life around this area.  

 

Road Trip!

The Road trip came and went all to soon.      One of the reasons I made the move to Texas 2 years ago (it has been 2 years now) was to be able to spend more time with my family.    Being in Florida seemed to make traveling home much more difficult.  It may have only been in my mind but it sure did not happen as often as it is now.     The great news is now that I am here I have been able to get home many times so far and many more trips planned.    

For those of you who have never had the opportunity to travel to NM, I strongly suggest that you go at least once in your life time.    You will not be disappointed.    The beauty is not the normal beauty for a destination point such as a lush tropical get away.  Rather it is one of stark beauty.    Open expanses of land to high mountain vistas.  Warm year round temperate weather to the south and amazing summers and winter wonderland to the north.

My destination was Albuquerque; or better known as home.    I have wanted to take the drive from Dallas to Albuq. for some time now and the opportunity finally presented itself.   It was quite a drive, 10 hours headed there and 13 hours back to Dallas.     I am so glad I did it.     It was a break from my daily life with hundreds of miles with nothing but my thoughts.     

Each mile made me realize that the landscape I was driving through is what reminds me of home.   Big blue skies, and a landscape that has every color imaginable.

The Landscape outside of Dallas was flat and full of cotton, cows (smelly), huge windmills and Oil Rigs.   

Here is the cotton...   miles and miles of cotton - who knew?

Cows,  need I say more?  Other then the fact I could smell them long before I could see them!

 

It was bad enough to drive past them, let alone drive behind them!

Wind Mills (a Wind Farm I suppose) - They are Huge!

And Oil,    small little rigs everywhere along the way from Dallas up to Amarillo.

 

Here are a few more pictures of the drive -  Flat Flat Flat.    Miles of flat.   I can see why settlers of years gone by kept going west.   

 

Finally a hill in TX.

New Mexico!  (still flat as you can see)

The excitement finally settled in, only 300 or so miles to go!

At a quick stop in Santa Rosa NM for gas I kept noticing a bush that appeared to be moving.   I had to take a closer look at it before I left.   it was about 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide and was covered in Monarch Butterflies!    There must have been a hundred of them on the bush. So many that it looked alive as they moved from one flower to the other.  I had forgotten that they are migratory and were headed south for the winter.

Great Gas prices throughout the trip, I just had to share!   Finally they are coming down!

 

Getting really close now - Ever wonder where Pine Nuts come from? Pinon Trees - they are everywhere now! 

Mountains!  I am really close now.  

This is the back side of Sandia - Home is only about an hour away now!

 

I have made my way through the mountain pass and in the home stretch.  Not a great shot from the highway but in the distance you can see the 3 extinct volcano's in the distance.  Home is at the base of the escarpment (dark line just below them) and there is a national park at their front door.  It is truly amazing to visit the Petroglyph National Monument.   A short walk into the monument from their front door and you will start to see some of the 20,000 different symbols that were carved into the stone thousands of years ago.   it is absolutely amazing!

 

So close now!   I am off to down load the rest of the pictures from the trip and will post more of them soon.     

Check back soon - I was able to spend some time at a Ghost Town in NM and hope to have some amazing photos!     

Cissy Has Gone Home

Yesterday was a sad day but a good day.      Cissy found a new home.

Last weekend was spent hunting for a rescue group to work with and finally found one.   

City Pet Rescue

They were able to post Cissy on their website and link her to Petfinder.com  and shortly their after a family with 3 kids (11, 9, 7) and Mom and Dad met me at a pet adoption open house to meet her.    Of course they fell in love with her.  She was unsure of what was going on and stuck close to my legs, trying to hide.    But in the end it was good to know that she was going to a new family that was very excited to have her.     It was really hard to watch her go as she was an amazing little puppy.   She was doing great with Sit and Down and even knew "Paw" already.     

Grover is very happy that she has moved on to a new home.    He did enjoy playing with her but was really struggling with jealousy issues.      He spent the last week living under my desk and following me from room to room.   He would lash at at her when she got to close to him and he was not in the mood to play.    Relief came to him yesterday when I came home without her.    He has not been under my desk once and is not following me around any more.     As a matter of fact he is sleeping/watching birds from the bed in my bedroom.  Back to loving life.

Jet and Ellie spent a few hours looking for her.  At 1st they did not care for her but in the end they enjoyed playing with her and spent a few hours each day romping around with her.  I think Ellie enjoyed playing with her the most! 

I am hoping to hear from the new family via email about how she is doing.    Their mother indicated that their oldest daughter had already put the picture of Cissy as a screen saver on her computer last week in anticipation of getting her.

My fingers are crossed for Cissy  now known as "Cassy".     As a precaution I did have her micro-chipped in my name in the event she shows up at a shelter later on in her life.

Please wish Cassy a wonderful new life!  

Do your part, please consider adopting a pound puppy!

Can you imagine 2 million little Cissy's being put to death every year?    Or Two million Grover"s or Ellie's? 

Earthshaking Statistics -- The Figures

Although most people are aware that there are more dogs and cats being born than there are people willing to adopt them -- the actual number of unwanted dogs and cats is staggering.

Did you know:

• An estimated 52 million dogs and 57 million cats live with U.S. families.
• For every human born, 7 puppies and kittens are born.
• One female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in 7 years.
• One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in 6 years.
• More than 12 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year. Millions more are abandoned in rural and urban areas.
• As many as 25% of dogs entering shelters each year are purebreds.
• Approximately 61% of all dogs entering shelters are killed.
• Approximately 75% of all cats entering shelters are killed.
• It costs approximately $100 to capture, house, feed, and eventually kill each stray animal -- a cost which you, the taxpayer, eventually pay.

Please help reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats by spaying/neutering your pet(s). There are many non-profit organizations that offer low-cost spaying/neutering programs if you need financial assistance.

   

I swear I won't end up as crazy dog lady!

Its been quite some time since I have been able to post.   There have been several ups and downs over the past month or so.    For now I am going to focus in the "ups". 

Here we go, another doggie from the hood.    

Meet Cissy,   she is one of two dogs my often drunk and irresponsible neighbors owned.    The other one was just as cute but in the end "disappeared".     I befriended the two of them several weeks ago as they were left outside to fend for themselves and often ran across the street to see me.    Covered in Fleas and too small to be safe outside, I spoke with the owners on several occasions to gage if they were actually taking care of the two of them...   one of the puppies ended up with what appeared to be a broken leg and then disappeared the next day.   One of the homes residents told me that the owner took the puppy to the park and came home without him.  Off to the park I went to try and find the little one, to no avail.     The other owner showed up on my door step and asked if I wanted Cissy.   How could I possibly say no.      Off to the vet only to find out that she is about 10 weeks old...   and a real cutie! 

The current crew were not to happy at 1st but seem to be coming around a bit.     Ellie is living on the back of the couch, out of puppy teeth range.  Jet can't be bothered with her puppy antics and Grover loves having a play mate.      I spent yesterday searching for a rescue group to help me find her a home and next Saturday we are off to a rescue group open house in hopes of finding her a new home.       I would love to keep her but the thought of having 4 dogs is a bit overwhelming!   She is such a cutie, very well behaved but she still ads up to 4, one to many for even me! 

Here is the 1st meeting after a trip to the vet and an hour in the bathroom with a bottle of flea shampoo and another half hour picking about 100 fleas off her!   Yuk!   I then spent the rest of the weekend washing my doggies and flea spraying the house.

 

Wish me luck in finding her a wonderful new home and if you want to adopt her please let me know!

Yet Another Exciting Saturday!

I have very exciting news... I have baby fish!   I have loved planted tanks for quite sometime now and currently have 3.  They are all pretty small, all under 8g.    I started an experiment back in March/April to see if I could get my Corydoras Hastatus to breed.    

Well they did!    About a month ago or so I saw a very tiny Cory swimming at the front of the tank, I then became afraid to trim the tank or change the water.   So I have been nursing it along until today.   Major over haul was in the works, pulled out all the plants and to my surprise I found at least 3!     I took the following video with my camera to catch the little guys (or girls).      Sorry for the poor video as I had just pulled all the plants out and it was a cloudy mess.    Anyone ready for escargot?   I am hunting snails tonight as I have way to many that were hiding in all the plants.  

In the 1st video the shoal of Cory's that you see are all under 1inch and you will notice 1 much smaller Cory in the background just behind the larger ones and then the really tiny one swimming against the glass.   The 2nd video shows the little baby fish darting from one side of the tank and the others following him.   They are very hard to see as they blend in with the gravel but they are there.  This is half the reason I did not realize there was more then one baby!

Baby Fishies!

Never a Dull Moment Around Here

As usual it starts as a normal Saturday,  Watering day.  I am out front setting up the sprinkler to ward off further dead plants!  Today will be around 105 degrees so I thought it best to get a jump on watering.    Minding my own business I notice a dog walking up the street, I call over to him and he comes a running!  I was kneeling down and he ran right up to me and flopped down for a little dog love.   He's a friendly guy.  No tag of course. The sad part of my neighborhood is that it seems that few people seem to really care about their dogs.    There are more dogs running lose, under weight and with no tags or they are just left alone the the back yard.  

The funny part, at least to me, was a jogger that ran by and around the corner.  Well that got this guys attention and he sprinted after him.  about 45 seconds later I see a the jogger run by for his life, the dog in hot pursuit!  That man can run!   I jump up and start yelling "He's Friendly - He's Friendly"!!!     The guy finally stops and of course the dog runs up to him and sits at his feet for a pet.   The poor guy was terrified!    I can't blame him.  With so many lose dogs in the hood' I carry bear mace when I walk my guys just in case.   One would think with a 150lb dog you would not need it but some of the dogs are really aggressive.  

So here he is.  A very pretty boy!  

And a few more of him making friends!

And the last one.    I am thinking at this point the Husky breed is definitely not the breed for me.   They seem to be pretty good escape artists! 

I am off to finish watering in an attempt to keep my plants alive.    It has been about 3 months since my neighborhood has had any rain other then one good downpour about 4 weeks ago!  Rain Rain, where are you Rain?

Wildlife Everywhere

It's Sunday and it appears that everyone is hungry.    I spent the morning assessing the damage form being away for two days and was surprised how extensive it was.     Half of the Sunflowers are missing their flowers.   Several of my Impatiens under the covered patio are eaten to the nub.    They were over 15 inches tall!    Grovers been on the hunt again and two dead mice (total so far this year is about 12).  We have had no rain for about 2 months until last Tuesday and none since.   Three of the trees in the raised bed and the Magnolia tree are just hanging on.   And the grass...   there really is no grass just weeds.           Many of the flowers are blooming and add great color, although you can't quite tell from the photos as I took them early in the morning before the sun came up.

Here is the most resent photo of the entire back yard.  (please ignore the weeds!)

Squirrels and construction.   The neighbor next to the one behind me is now adding on to his house or shed...    I am now officially engulfed by sheds, garages and houses!   I think the next stage in my life will include space.   At least an acre or two with no neighbors with multiple sheds!.     I am so tired of staring at the back of my neighbors buildings. The only good news is the neighbor behind me finally put siding on the back of his garage.   I am thankful for that!

I was hoping to save the seed heads for winter but I see the squirrel had other ideas!

Between the squirrels and the leaf cutters this year has been pretty hard on the plants.

Here is my favorite bird, he loves to frequents the peanut feeder several times a day.    Not a great picture as I can't get close to them outside and was forced to take the picture from inside the house.

Happy Sunday!

Waterfront Property

Looks to be a hot day around these parts but the good news is that I now have water front property!   The bad news: its a broken water line right under the sidewalk in front of my house.  Darn.   I see deconstruction in my  sidewalks future.   And at this moment I hear it also.     The city dump truck has just pulled up and I suppose a digger will be here soon!   Running out front to see whats going to happen next!

Good news it does not look like they have to dig up the sidewalk!   They have a big backhoe and are digging in the easement instead.   They have now created a big pool in the front easement waiting for the pump to make a dent in it, then they will patch it.  

The great news is that my back faucet had a crack in for the last few months and I bought a new hose bid could never get the water shut off open.  So they did it for me and changed out the hose bid.    It is turning in to a good day after all.     One Issue down (hose bib) and one more to go (waterline break).

You can see the water percolating up from in between the sidewalk edges.  After speaking with my neighbor she said that she saw it when she got home last night as she thought I had watered the plants late and did not think anything of it.

A you can see from above all the water running down the block,    whoops!

Here is what they found:    Water water, everywhere water!

Of course I could not resist watching and spent the morning joking with the guys, never seen a water line repaired.  The kid below was the new man on the crew and he was the lucky one to do the dirty work of  cleaning away the stone and dirt from around the pipe so they could patch it.   I had to ask them if they always made th new guy do all the hard work.  And no they don't, they send the new guys in the small holes to train them. They went on to say the big holes are too dangerous and the possibility of drowning is very real.   It looked like a normal work crew, three guys standing around watching one man in the hole digging.   OK three guys and a girl...     Now I know what it is like to be on a construction crew...  everyone standing around looking at the one doing the work.   Classic!

Well, here it is fixed!   Look just beyond the patch and what do you see?   bedrock!   Solid stone.  about 1 1/2 feet of dirt and the rest is stone.   I have one last area in my back yard that I wanted to plant in and now I know why I have been unable to make any progress digging.   It's all stone!    It is a wonder we have any large trees around here.

 

One step down and almost done!

Meet the fine gentlemen from the City of Dallas: Dallas Water Utilities that did this fine work on a Saturday afternoon.   5 hours and thousands of gallons of water; it took 4 guys, a backhoe, 2 trucks, a water pump, a few shovels, one heavy duty patch and 4 Strawberry Popsicles (donated by your very own blogger) to help beat the heat and we're done.   Hope you Saturday was more entertaining then mine! 

15 Minutes of Fame!

Ok, so it is not my 15 minutes of fame (that came and went about 4 years ago)  but it is for Little Miss Ellie and Grover.  

Last year I photos taken of the kids and towards the end of the session Little Miss Ellie and Grover were feeling their biscuits and decided to play.  The end result was a series of the greatest pictures.     Low and behold they have been posted on the photographers site.   

If you are in the Dallas area, she is an amazing animal photographer and worth a visit.  

Here is the link:

Grover and Little Miss Ellie Play time!