A Few Pictures Of My Daughter's New Puppy While You Wait For My Solution Post

Actually, this little girl belongs to my daughter Allison's boyfriend, but I have already claimed her as my grandpuppy. Her name is Zoey. Allison and Charley rescued her from a kill shelter. She is now 10 weeks old. You can probably tell that she is part German Shephard. She is as cute as can be and very wiggly!

I Think That I May Have Come Up With A Solution

Post will be up tomorrow! <:8)~

Correction

This picture of the rare Florida Squirrel has been making the rounds on the internet. (Special thanks to Jim's Little Blog for providing the above photo) It is truly a sight to behold. However, in the interest of scientific accuracy, I must correct this misconception. The Florida Squirrel pictured above is actually not as rare as has been indicated.

The true rarity, the Octogenarian Mouse, found primarily in the vicinity of Miami, Ocala and St. Petersburg is pictured below. It had recently been moved from the "of concern" list to the endangered species list until a new colony was discovered in Pasco County, Florida.

Please report any sighting of this species to the Florida Fresh Water and Game Commission or the Florida Audubon Society.

An Invitation

Since I am exhausted this evening, I am inviting my blogging friends to invent their own caption or story for this picture. I hope when I check back, that I will have many comments that will give me a few guffaws and belly laughs!

Ugh

If you are as old as you feel, I am currently 109.

Hallmark and Florists Everywhere Celebrate

Tomorrow is the day that florists and card shops everywhere relish. It is a day begun somewhere centuries ago that began with simple expressions of love and has been warped into a major gift giving holiday by card manufacturers. People everywhere drive themselves into a frenzy to do something to please the special people in their lives.

That being said, I personally don't see anything wrong with receiving candy, flowers or cards. Candy is yummy, flowers are beautiful, and cards can be either fun or sweet. It is however meaningless when the relationship being celebrated in not real. I would much rather get honest, verbal expressions of love than all of the "goodies" that usually come. I have had those things over the years in a relationship that was never real. I never got what I really wanted. Respect, love, friendship, intimacy, trust... those are the types of things that really matter.

So, if you have a special person in your life to celebrate tomorrow with, consider yourself lucky. But do take the time to impart to that person those things that are really the most important. The "goodies" don't mean much without it.

I will try to get off my soap box for my next post! ;o)

Solution For A Friend In Need

Ralph at Homespun Headlines has discovered that his mouse has gone belly up. Since I am a helpful person, I would like to recommend to Ralph that he acquire a model similar to the one I have pictured below...

I can assure you, Ralph, that you will find this type of mouse much more agreeable! Always glad to be of help to a friend!

A Day Well Rationalized

OK, so I lied... but not on purpose! I did NOT move any boxes into storage today. :o( I slept in for a bit...

By the time I got myself moving today, it was raining. I could have melted...

and then the Olympics were on...

So I had a lazy day and enjoyed every minute of it! But I do know that the storage chore still awaits. It is a hard thing to face some days. Other days I look forward to it. Today, sleeping in and watching the Olympics on a rainy day was much more fitting to my mood.

Moving Along...

Well, I have managed to get properly dressed the rest of this work week, although I did manage to burn some eggs I was boiling for egg salad. I wasn't feeling well and was lying on the couch watching TV. I fell asleep so soundly that several phone calls on my cell phone which was less than 1 foot from my head went unheard. However the pungent smell of burning eggs was enough to wake me up. What a mess! One of the eggs exploded and ended up on the burner as well. Such a wonderful aroma.

Tomorrow, I will move some things into storage that I have boxed and ready to go. I will wait until my son Matt is able to be home for the weekend to move some of the heavier furniture for me. It is a relief to be getting some of the clutter out of the house. So far Himself and I have agreed on who is getting what from the contents of the house. After 30 years in the same house we have enough for two households!

Another Irish Blessing

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Congratulations Mark!

We are singing your praises! Congratulations on your 1 year anniversary. Sorry we missed the party, but we hope this makes you feel special!

One year ago it began
An now I am a big fan
Please don't ever quit
We'd all miss your wit
You're certainly a humorous man

It's been a whole year it is true
Since the blogger bug bit into you
You've had a good run
But don't stop the fun
Without you we'd all be quite blue

So here's to another great year
Of bringing the world much more cheer
Please don't think us crass
As we all raise a glass
And toast you with a cold bubbly beer

Can I Get a Do-Over For Today?

Perhaps I needed a bit more sleep. Maybe I just got up on the wrong side of the bed. Do you think that my increased stress levels are having an impact? Could it be early onset of dementia? Something is certainly out of whack.

I got up this morning like any other day. I took a shower, put on deodorant, brushed my teeth, got dressed, had my usual cup of tea and some grapefruit sections, fed the cats, grabbed my lunch for later, and then headed out the door. I saw one of my neighbors outside and talked to her for a few minutes before I got in my car and drove to work. Everything seemed fine.

When I arrived at work, I put my lunch in the refrigerator in the lunchroom, checked my mailbox, picked up the work in the tray on my door, and turned on my computer. I briefly spoke to the Parish Manager, Cathy, and mentioned to her that I hoped that it was okay that I had worn a jeans outfit with matching vest for the day since it was cold. I thought the vest dressed it up enough to get away with. She was fine with the outfit. It's a church, but we are fairly casual. I settled in to get some work done. So far, so good.

About 11:00 AM, I decided to take a break and fix a cup of hot tea. I got out my cup, put in a tea bag, put sugar in the cup, turned on the hot pot and waited for the water to boil. As I stood there waiting for the water to boil, I noticed that I felt a bit funny. Since no one else was in the room, out of habit I decided to adjust my bra to see if that was the problem. That was the problem, but not in the way I thought. There was no bra. I was a bit surprised.

That is something that I have never done before. Good grief! Here I was, in the church offices and missing an essential garment for work. I finished my tea and went back to have another visit with the Parish Manager, Cathy. When she caught her breath after an extended period of time in hysterical laughter, she then told Sr. Pat, who then also had a few good laughs. We decided that since I had a vest on, I could probably get away with it. Okay, good enough.

At this point I could hardly contain my own laughter, and decided to trek on down the hall and let Robin in on the joke. I went into her office and said "Guess what I did today?" She asked me several questions the last of which was "Did you put on mismatched shoes?" I laughed and told her that no, my shoes were fine but I had forgotten to put on a bra this morning. We both laughed. Ha, Ha, Ha.

I then happened to step a bit to the left. Robin looked down and exclaimed, "You DID! You wore two mismatched shoes!!!" Laugh, Laugh, Guffaw! Yup. Sure enough. I looked down, and I had on one navy blue loafer and one black loafer with a tassel. Good grief... AGAIN! What more could go wrong. I was sure that I was losing it. So, of course, I had to go tell Cathy what else I had managed to mess up today. Fr. Mike was in the room at the time and thought it was quite funny. Then Cathy told him what else I had goofed up. He chuckled and asked me if I was sure that I was wearing underwear. Yes, we are a fun group. So the day continued.

My torture was finally over and I went home for the day. Or so I thought. I went on my nightly walk with my neighbor, Rosie. We both had a good laugh after I told her about my day. I went home. I fixed a cup of decaffeinated hot tea. I turned on the TV. I changed into my PJs and put on my slippers. The slippers were both from the same pair. And I got them on the right feet.

I was sitting on the couch in the family room thinking about this evening's post when my cell phone rang. It was the Parish Manager, Cathy. We chit-chatted for a minute when she said, " I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you this, but... "

No, not something else!?! Yes, something else. It seems that when I ran the bills through the postage meter before leaving for the day, I had somehow managed to set the amount to $ .01 as well as adding a day to the meter date. Luckily, Cathy had glanced at the outgoing mail and caught the mistake. She had to re-run the pieces of mail to get the correct postage on each piece.

Please refer to the first paragraph of tonight's post. I am going to bed now.

An Irish Blessing

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

May the saddest day of your future be no worse
Than the happiest day of your past.

Food For Thought

Ever consider what pets must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!
- - - Anne Tyler "The Accidental Tourist"

Rhodent's Rodent Resources

Occasionally, I have people ask me where I get my pictures for this blog. I don't want to seem difficult, but it is actually a difficult question to answer. Generally, if they are not pictures that I have taken myself or have been sent to me, I get them by searching on Google images. Many of the ones that I find are not from their original posting.

I suppose I should be more concerned about copyright problems, but it is hard to tell their origin. I have tried to make sure that I use the pictures only once... I'm sure that there are a few pictures that I have used twice. Also, since I do not profit any moolah from their use, and don't claim them as my own, I would hope that I will be okay. When I find a particular sight that has a lot of wonderful pictures, like The Dapper Rat, I try to mention them occasionally as they do sell items with their photos on them... great photos!

When I started this blog, I had mice and squirrels more in mind than rats. I even blogged once about my dislike of rats. Then in searching for pictures, I discovered the world of fancy rats. I am now so taken with them that I am looking forward to someday having a few myself. (I currently have cats, so it will have to wait for a bit) I have discovered that not only are rats very intelligent, but they also have a lot more personality than mice. Just look through the photos that I post. Most of them are young fancy rats, not mice. So, I have made it part of my posting to introduce bloggers to how cute they can be. Aren't they? (Cliff, you don't need to answer that... I already know what you think!)

So, broaden your horizons and learn more about this wonderful creature. Have you been surprised how cute they can be?

It's Raining, It's Pouring... The Old Man Is Being Evacuated By The National Guard

From WTVT.com:

"Friday was a terrible day in parts of the Tampa Bay Area. In Pinellas County, the roof caved in on the Bed, Bath and Beyond store near the Tyrone Mall in St. Petersburg sending customers scrambling. Only one employee had minor injuries. But a huge hole opened up in the store's roof. And the roof of the Treasure Island Community Center also couldn't hold up in the torrential rain. The roof collapsed, but no one was inside at the time and no one was hurt. Elsewhere, the record rainfall caused street flooding all over Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, stranding motorists and causing crashes. The storm also knocked out power to thousands of people in Pinellas County. The storm dumped between 12 and 15 inches of rain in some places."

We had a bit more rain today than we have had in a very long time... 4th wettest day in recorded history according to the local news. The National Guard had to be used in parts of the center of the county to help evacuate people in flooded homes. It was a wild day.

The Verdict Is In

Word Cloud

This is something I found on another blog.
You can make a "word cloud"
that reflects the most commonly used words on your blog,
with words used more often larger, etc etc.
It's kind of cool.

I will do another one after a few more posts to see how it has changed.

It's Today And I'm Not Sure What To Think

Yup. Today is Groundhog Day! Phil makes his predictions each year on this very day. Most years nothing very exciting happens...

This year however, has me a bit concerned. Things seem to be a somewhat different. Phil and his cousins all over the country have emerged with a different attitude...

I am a bit concerned about what this could mean...

What do you think it could mean?

Some Chit Chat And A Limerick

It's Wednesday, I'm home earlier than usual, and I have time to post before I go on my nightly walk with my neighbor, Rosie. We have recently started to walk together in the evening, and I really enjoy the time spent with her. We get a chance to really talk without interruption. I need the exercise, but the company is even more important.

I have had to change some of my summer plans due to my upcoming divorce. Originally, I had planned on taking my taking my mom on an Alaskan cruise in August. We talked about it and looked at some different trip possibilities, but it turned out to be too expensive for me... especially when I added in the airfare. So I regrouped. My church is getting a group together for an Eastern Caribbean cruise in November which is much more affordable. It is not Alaska with its glaciers and whales, but it is a nice group of people. My roommate from last summer's cruise has someone else to go with so I will take my mom with me. If any of my blogger buddies out there want to join in on the group for the cruise, email me and I will send you the information.

I hope that someday I will get to do the Alaskan cruise. It has been a dream of mine for a very long time! It is actually what got me interested in cruising in the first place. Over the years I have had numerous friends that have taken Alaskan cruises and they all come back raving about how wonderful their trip was. Someday...

I haven't made much progress in my hunt for a new home. I do have some possibilities, but there are some things that have to fall into place for me first. Keep me in your prayers regarding that... please!

Work is still piled high, but I decided that I needed to just leave it for tomorrow. Sometimes it is necessary to do that... even when I am not totally caught up. Perhaps I should take a picture of my desk at work to give you an idea... no, that would be too humiliating. I'll just leave it to your imagination.

Currently, I am looking forward to a visit with my oldest son in Connecticut later this month. I still have to get airline reservations. Hopefully, "L" will be joining me for the trip. It should be fun. Jason can be a lot of fun, and when two or more of my kids get together it is usually hilarious!

Rhodent's been in quite a funk
Her house hopes were rapidly sunk
She had hoped to buy
A house that did lie
On her street and it wasn't just junk

The couple who wanted to sell
Changed their minds when she rang their front bell
The wife thought they should
Since his health was not good
But he wanted to wait until well

His heart then needed three stints
Selling the house made no sense
The health care is great
In the warm sunshine state
Looks like Rhodent will be checking out rents

Perhaps in a one year, maybe two
I can't wait much more than a few
They'll be willing to sell
Though you never can tell
I don't know what I'm going to do

I don't mean to seem such a louse
I shouldn't now covet their house
But it's perfect for me
And lovely to see
And it's captured the heart of this mouse

A Bit Whiney

I am a bit tired tonight. You can see by my eyes that I am in poor shape. It was a busy day today. As soon as I get to a point where I think I have caught up, a new report to complete arrives to be added to the pile on my desk. Actually, I should admit that "pile" is not exactly accurate... it should be plural.

There is actually two main purposes to this post. Please pay attention. The first purpose is to allow me to whine. The second and most important purpose is to ensure that you will all feel sorry for me... and maybe leave reassuring comments. Yes, pitying comments would be good.