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'Possum Chronicles, con't.

(I know this is not a 'possum! But it is a marsupial...)

We've had 'possum sightings everyday now. Yesterday, he was out during the day which makes me wonder if he's sick or just too young to realize that 'possums are supposed to sleep all day!

Thursday Thirteen

1. Love watching "America's Greatest Dog! The dogs are awesome, but some of the owners should be in the doghouse. The dogs do not belong in dresses or cute little outfits.
2. So Cal was shakin' yesterday. I didn't feel it even though some people did. We're about 135 mi. north of L.A. My cuz was in the thick of things and was ready to get under her desk. As a veteran of CA earthquakes, she said it was a doozie! My poor sister-in-law was at work, in a 100 year old brick building in Santa Ana. Not a good place to be!
3. If you missed the shots of Judge Judy crawling under her desk, you missed a lot!
4. It seems as though summer is getting longer. We just got our electric bill for the past month:
$500. Yes, I was thinking of crawling under my desk, too.
5. We have a 'possum that has taken up residence in our yard. The dogs discovered him the other night - it's just a baby - and he's been hanging around ever since. Darn. I hope he's gonna be okay.
6. I can't believe I missed the last "Next Design Star," on HGTV. The migraine I had knocked me out of commission. Darn!
7. I hate to admit that hubman and I watch "Big Brother."
8. Living in a mobile home park is so different than living in a regular subdivision. Hubman had parked our car in front while he cleaned out the carport. He forgot to move it back into the carport and at 10:15 p.m., the park manager rang our door bell and "reminded" us that it was after 10:00 and our car was out front. We've never done that before and naturally, the first time we do, we get "reminded." We're not rule breakers and we both felt like kids at camp. I do not like communal living!
9. The election "stuff" is getting on my nerves! I have never seen two worse candidates, ever. I do understand people wanting "change," but to choose someone who is a JUNIOR senator without much experience but who has a huge fan base, is absolutely ludicrous. Oh, isn't that Obama's favorite rapper? (If you missed Ludicrous praising Obama while he vulgarly dumps on Hillary, google it.)
10. I participate in several polls. One of them asks the question, "Do you consider yourself a citizen of: 1. My city or town, 2. America, or 3. The world. I always answer, America. We are all citizens of the world, but my loyalties are to America. Why is this even a concern? Ask George Soros about his determination to create a global government.
11. I fixed the best chicken tonight! I bought some of that Tequila Lime salsa and marinated some chicken thighs in it for a couple of hours then threw it on the grill. It was yummy!
12. I talked to my daughter today - my youngest - who is at Gulf Shores in Alabama. Her husband's family all gather there every summer for a week on the beach. There are a bunch of them, too! The house they are renting is three stories with 12 bedrooms. But it's small compared to the vacation house next door, which has 17 bedrooms. The grandkids are having a blast on the Sea-Doos. They have seen turtles and actually had some dolphin following them.
13. My oldest daughter has transferred to the federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma, which is right outside of Oklahoma City. My youngest and I are flying back in August to help her move into her new house. I've asked several blogger-buddies for ideas of things to do in OKC. We're obviously going to pay our respects at the site of the bombing, which was such a national tragedy. We've been told that there is a great museum and a botanical garden. Do any of you have any other ideas?
~~~Have a great Thursday, everyone~~~ Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday

For those of you who wondered, this is the moon setting
over the North Pole. Isn't it something?

Wordless Wednesday

Any ideas where this was taken? (Not by me!)
Leave your thoughts and I'll fill you in tomorrow!

Me Big Game Hunter...

The Girls, formally known as Katie and Zoe, started barking like mad tonight. They zipped out the doggie door and into the backyard on a mission. Hubman went out to see what was happening, and low and behold, a baby 'possum was hiding underneath a potted plant! The girls were going nuts trying to get to him. We locked them in the house and got a flashlight to check it out. He looked like a large kitten, not full grown. We lifted the planter and he scooted back a few feet into a flower bed, where thankfully, he rested for a few then took off, hopefully to mama's shelter.

I'm one of these weirdos that has an affinity with wildlife. I actually like and encourage it! We have a resident Blue Jay (Scrub Jay - no topknot), whom I named Leno. I'm trying to get him to take a peanut from my hand. Takes patience but we're working on it. I hate to see critters forced out due to overbuilding. Since the field behind us has been turned into a residential area, a lot of wildlife has been run out. Personally, I like 'possums. I'm not turned off by their rodent-like appearance. I think they're cute!


Opossum Facts - America's Only Marsupial

Opossums are among the most primitive mammals. Fossil ancestry goes back 70 Million years. They have survived by adapting to human habitat and being able to eat just about anything. They are beneficial in that they help to keep the balance of nature.
Opossums are often mistaken for rats. They are not rodents, they are marsupials. They are not aggressive toward humans or pets but they will attempt to defend themselves if cornered. They are relatively disease free. They do not carry Parvo virus, distemper or rabies. They are actually an excellent animal to have around your property because they eat rats, mice, snails, slugs and insects. They also eat over ripe fruit that has fallen to the ground. They are called "omnivores" because they meat as well as vegetables and fruit.
Opossums are nest builders. They are also nocturnal. They spend much of the day in their dens. At night, they forage for food. They are excellent climbers using all their hands, feet and tail to grasp.

Manic Monday - Storm

For more beautiful storm photos, try here:

It was a dark and stormy night....(how many others will think of that line, I wonder).

I absolutely love a great big, flashing, thundering storm! I spent a couple of weeks in Arkansas with my husband's family after he passed away. They lived in an extremely rural area and there were no street lights or lights from nearby houses. I was lucky to be there for a combination full moon and thunderstorm.

My sister-in-law lived on property that sat up above a pond. The moon was full and looked like Carnival glass, colors swirled all around each other; deep blues, purples and pinks. As the thunder boomed, you could see the lightning almost simultaneously! I've never heard or seen anything like it!!! It was as though someone was playing a tom-tom - boom, boom, boom - and flashing a light switch at the same time! And this fabulous light show was reflected in the pond so you had color and lights that were dazzling, more so because of the lack of any "city lighting."

Because it was July and extremely humid no one feared lightning storms causing any fires because everything was so damp, including me! All of the kids sat on the porch with us and we talked and watched God's handiwork. The kids started dozing off and around midnight we all climbed into the house and into bed. But I will never forget that hot, humid night in Arkansas, seeing the most amazing storm ever!

For more stormy thoughts, check out Mo and Manic Monday!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Although I'd like to claim it, this isn't an original photo...and
I don't know to whom the credit goes.

Photo Hunt - What Is That?

Looks like pasta on acid, right? It's actually the top of a cactus in my backyard that was left by the previous owner. I was gonna toss it - it's in a pot - but it kind of grew on me (NO pun intended!). Anyway, I took this photo several months ago while playing around with different effects.

Please Visit TNChick for more "What IS that?"

Thursday Thirteen - Random

1. All the fires in California? Well, we are near the Piute fire. We had mountain T-storms which helped with the fire containment, only to cause major flooding in the Lake Isabella area! Nature is one big mess this year! Several firemen were trapped where they had been putting out the fires only to get stuck in the muddy roads...
2. I have approximate 1 1/2 hrs of watering outside because our sprinkler system doesn't work well and I have a gazillion hanging and potted plants. When it's real hot, the dogs sit inside, looking out the doggie door laughing at me, out in the heat. I swear they're laughing...
3. I have a alien tomato plant that sprung up out of nowhere in a shady flowerbed. And it's starting to put out flowers! It's no where near my other tomatoes so who knows what goes on after "lights out."
4. We had dinner last Sunday at "Famous Dave's BBQ." It's new in town and was our first trip. We usually don't to chain restaurants but the kids insisted that we'd love it. I ordered the pulled pork and ribs, with cole slaw and green beans. Would you believe I had four meals off that stuff?
It was absolutely delicious. We took a piece of pecan pie home. I hate to say this but it was even better than my mom's.
5. Hubman and I are both gimping around with stiff limbs. Both of us get up out of a chair and walk like we're 80 years old! Both of us have bad knees and hips. Maybe we can get a discount on replacements...At least we can laugh about it.
6. Speaking of aches and pains - I have a sink in the corner of the kitchen. I have always loved corner sinks. This one is so far back from the windows I can't open them without standing on a stool and reaching w-a-y over the sink! I pulled down some butt-ugly wallpaper but because of where the window placement is, I can't reach the places that need to be re-papered! Not even on a ladder. I've also made some valences and am replacing the mini-blinds but can't reach anything! I tried kneeling on the counter top but my knee and hip hurt so bad I could barely get back down. I'm currently looking for a very skinny younger handyman to finish the paper and curtains and hang the blinds for me. Any Keebler Elves available?
7. My youngest and I are going to fly back to Oklahoma in time to help daughter #1 move into her new house. In August. In Oklahoma. In the middle of August....
8. My cockatiel, Spike, needs his wings clipped again. He's the little guy who escaped last fall and flew off clear down the road. Hubman was able to find him by whistling. Now, he thinks it's funny to come flying out of his room and landing on our shoulders. Ha, ha... If you ask him if he's a "geezer bird, "he shakes his head, "yeah....." Daughter #2 gave him to me in 1992 so he's older than some of my grandkids.
9. Watched BB10 tonight. (Mo does a wonderful recap.) Brian was voted off unanimously tonight. Just a little bit too cocky for his own good....
10. I keep telling myself that I need a life. Watching BB10 three nights a week? Gadzooks!
11. I have discovered the joys of Mojitos. I can't drink much alcohol because of surgery I had. Sugars go straight to the gut so a couple of healthy sips of a cocktail and I have to stop...But I had a Marguerita the other night and managed to drink half of it before giving it to hubman. And this is a good thing because....Well, they tell us to drink red wine - and St. Paul said a "little wine is good for the stomach's sake...." I have absolutely no palate for wine. All of it's good if you throw in some 7-Up. Okay, those of you who appreciate good wine, just ignore that!
12. Good news! It's only going to be 99 degrees tomorrow. Whooopie!
13. I have about 200 boxes in this house that are going to storage, come hell or high water! This mess is a place, you know? Okay, I tend to exaggerate a bit here and there....but we still have stuff that has no home, except in boxes in the living room. ARGHHHHH! And it's driving me crazy (and it's a short trip!)
Happy Thursday, y'all.

Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday

See more Photos at Wordless Wednesday

If it's Tuesday, I Must Be Ranting!

We lost another great journalist this week. Tony Snow, former Press Secretary for Pres. Bush, passed away after a valiant fight with colon cancer. He, along with Tim Russert, exemplify quality, not only in their public persona but as men, fathers, and husbands, as well. Their word was their bond and they both chose to put their families first. Tony will be missed by many.

To my rant: Why is it necessary for the extreme leftist freaks to write hateful things on the Daily Kos and Arrianna Huff and Puffington's blogs? Ms. Huffington at least, had the graciousness to delete the slime from her website. But others gleefully reported Mr. Snow's death as something to cheer about. Heaven forbid, should anyone on the right make idiotic comments when Sen. Kennedy passes away, they'll be garroted publicly.

Why is there such a rampant hatred on the extreme left for conservatives? I don't get it... And when a man dies, leaving a wife and three children to mourn his loss, why do those hateful people find it necessary to act as though they have no moral fiber whatsoever? What do they hope to accomplish? If, as they claim, to want to unify us as a nation, rhetoric such as that is not going to get it done. They don't care for unity - and their hateful words are a testament to that.

Manic Monday - Bug

DON'T BUG ME!!! And get off of MY bed!

Cats are very well known for their disdain of all humanoids. The expression on
"Cuz Cat," otherwise known as Sugar, definitely says "I don't like you, I don't
need you, you bother me. Oh, and don't forget to fill up my food bowl!"

Really, Sugar lives up to her name - she is a real sweetie! I just managed
to catch her in one of those "kitty don't care" moods!

Footnote: What's bugging me right now is the gigantic
grasshopper that's feasting on my tomato plants!

Check out Mo's Manic Monday!

Photo Hunt - Support

SUPPORT

How does a mom get to be so blessed with two wonderful daughters! They are not only sisters but they're friends. They don't fuss and argue (thank goodness!) but they are the first on the scene if one needs the other.
The youngest lost her husband 2 1/2 years ago and her big sis was right beside her all the way.
If you are familiar with the story in the New Testament about Mary and Martha, well, my oldest is Martha and the youngest is Mary. Martha was the one who saw about the needs of others and Mary was the one who sat at Jesus' feet ...Both equally loved but with different purposes in life.
Now, we're losing my oldest who's moving across many states for a promotion. She's earned it and is eagerly looking forward to the move. But we will miss her. Deeply. Support. It's what a family is all about!

Please visit TNChick for all the support you'll ever need!

Signing on - again...

HELLO! I think my wireless set-up is complete. I've said that about 100 times so far but this time, I really think it's working. I say that with bated breath, afraid to put a hex on things...
I think last time I was out of commission was my computer.

Okay, it's going to be a long, hot summer and we're breathing smoke from lots of fires, primarily the Piute fire just east of us, about 30-40 miles. It was 100 here at noon today but only made it up to 109. I was afraid it was going to be worse.

I really feel for all the people who are being impacted by all the fires in the state. Our firefighters are frazzles and need replacements. I do not know how these guys and gals can suit up in the gear they have to wear and then add all the tools and packs! And it isn't as though they're heading to the North Pole! Sheeesh, it's gotta be nearly 1000 degrees where they are and I cannot for the life of me figure out how they manage. God bless 'em!
So, hopefully I can catch up with everyone this week. I know, more bated breath....
Blessings!

Happy Birthday, America!!!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FLAG! With all that is wrong in the world,
concentrate on what's right! We still have many blessings, unlike
a lot of others...in spite of the price of gas!
I cannot think of any other country I'd rather live in -
GOD BLESS AMERICA!