You can run, but you can't slide....

Yes, Allie the dog was at it again! This time, I was injured in the process and not just my impervious pride.

It seems that wild animals pass through our property at all times during the night. I don't know what kind of wild animals, other than deer (which I've seen), moles (which I've seen evidence of and quite possibly Stanley (cat) had one in his mouth one day) and apparently - armadillo's. The latter of which is to be partly blamed for my most recent bruises (physically and ego-ally -?).

A few nights ago (night being a relative term as it was more like 3:30 a.m.) Allie was on one of her barking rants so of course, Sam joined in. There is no sleeping during these duets and the quickest way to dispense of the noise is to let them outside. Who lets them out (me or Alan) depends mostly on who can pretend to still be sleeping the longest; didn't everyone play this game when their children were babies? Maybe that's just us...anyway, I digress. I ended up giving in to the high pitched barks and stomped into the living room to let them out. Because the dog run is so far from the house, we have a chain that we will put Allie on (because otherwise she runs...and just runs...so nuff said) for these short stints to do her duties. However, because their was an underlying motivation for their wanting out, the chain would have to wait - because Allie had no patience. Though I had hold of her collar, as soon as I opened the door, she took off like like a, well, like a crazy dog!! And, to make matters worse....since I know what happens when she runs...I refused to let go of her collar (at first) and so I was dragged along for the ride - flat on my face and out the door.
It wasn't a cold night, even though it's November, so of course - I was in me 'skivvies'. My fingers were (temporarily) squished in Allie's collar, but I quickly let go when I realized I needed my hands to break my fall as well as to stop the bleeding on my shins (they were scraped across the door jamb).

Lucky for us (luck - being another one of those 'relative Burch terms') the object of Allie and Sam's affection was hiding right in the bushes next to the house and Allie didn't run far. In fact, I thought she was digging at a plastic bucket, deep inside the bushes from the sound it was making as she stomped both of her feet to the ground. Who knew that Armadillo's roll up into a protective ball when they are scared?

Since Allie had only made it as far as the bushes, I was able to use the closes thing to the door (a mop) to hook her collar and drag her out. All the while, Alan is hollering from the bedroom "What is all that noise???"
I yelled "Allie got loose and I'm hurt really bad..."
His reply "Dang it....now I gotta chase her...."
...No...no - I'm fine really....AND I already caught her, so you just go right back to sleep. . . . .Oy!

Needless to say, I've got bruises on my legs (thighs, hips and shins) and my fingers lost some skin...but I'm happy to report that the Armadillo and Allie are just fine. . . .

Running Down a Dream

My three best friends and I recently attended a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Concert in The Woodland's Texas - the last concert of his 2008 tour. In my reflections of the GREAT time that we had, I got to thinking (something that will have all three of these same friends groaning....). Who really is Tom Petty's biggest fan? So, I think if you can answer any of the following, you might just be Tom Petty's biggest fan.





You Might be Tom Petty's Biggest Fan if:

1. You have over 270 of his greatest hits on your I-pod


2. You know the set list of all his concerts


3. You know his biography, probably better than he knows himself


4. You know that Johnny Depp appeared in his 1991 music video, "Into the Great Wide Open"


5. You know his date and year of birth


6. You know that Tom is ranked number 9 on rock.com's top 25 solo rock artists of all time.


7. You know that "Free Falling" is ranked number 82 on rock.com's top 500 classic rock songs of all time.


8. You know his character on "King of the Hill" is named Lucky


9. You know the names of his two daughters


10. You can name the artists for whom Tom played back-up guitar and/or vocals on their albums


11. You can name all the instruments that Tom can play and which songs he plays them


12. You can name all the previous names of his current band, the Heartbreakers, as well as original members, et. al.


13. You know that Tom talked Benmont Tench, Jr. into letting his son, Benmont Tench III drop out of college to join his band.


14. If you know that screaming "Whoooo - Tom Petty" and high-fiving every stranger you meet DOES NOT make you Tom Petty's number one fan.





I have determined, through non-funded research, that my friend Cathy Littleton is most likely THE MOST knowledgable person on Tom Petty to ever hit the streets, and she loves the man more than anyone else I know (and I know A LOT of people). She may not know who "made the pizza'' in the Travelling Wilburys DVD, released in 2007, but it has been determined, through additional research, that no one but ONE person in the whole world gives a rats ass about that fact.





Some other things my recent "research" has led me to think about:

It's Cheaper to Just Bite Your Nails

I've been a nail biter all my life. The only time my nails were ever long (naturally) was when I smoked, and then later in life when I had my kids. (note to the surgeon general: I quit smoking, LONG before I ever decided on children)

After my kids, it was back to biting as usual. I'm not just a nail biter either; I bite my nails down to the quick, cuticle and all. If my fingers aren't sore or bleeding, then my work is not done! Yes, it's a nasty habit. Smoking was a worse habit but it was easier to quit than biting my nails. I can't even stop biting when Alan taps my hands out of my mouth and tells me to stop. If there's one hanging; it's coming off baby!!!

So, I recently decided that enough is enough! I had acryllic nails put on. Don't ask me the name of the place because I can't remember. All I know is there's a nail shop on every corner in this town and I went to the one closest to my job. Very nice Vietnamese couple run the place (I know - it could still be any shop in town) and they were very patient as I tried to explain what I wanted. Apparently, not only did I want square-round, acryllic nails, but I also wanted a pedicure and an eyebrow wax. I turned down the latter two, explaining that 1) I didn't have time for a pedicure and 2) I barely have eyebrows as it is.


I'm sorry, but I think it's going to be cheaper and more satisfying to just bite my nails again. My thumb looks hideous and this guy ALSO thought I should wax my eyebrows!!!

It's off to salon #4 and if it's not a good one....then yes...the nails are coming off!!

Summer Colds: a rant

The only thing worse than getting that stuffy nose, headache, sore throat and cough is coming down with it in the heat of summer. There's no desire for hot tea and toast or snuggling deep into your down comforter. A nice, hot steam bath - out of the question. You can get that just walking outside in the Texas heat anyway.

So, this weekend - I was sick. And we had a full schedule of events planned, what with it being summer and the kids being their usual, busy selves. I may have even ran a fever, but who can tell; it was over 100 degrees and I was on a three-day benadryl binge.

I'm pretty sure this crap has settled into my lungs now and I'm in for the long haul with a nasty case of bronchitis and a nice, lengthy sinus infection, complete with watery, crusted eyes and a tight jaw which has the added effect of a comfy toothache.

I love summer.

I know, this whole post could have best been said with a simple "I don't feel too good" - but where's the fun in that?

Eddie Money Knew What He Was Talking About

Why do all the milestones that our children accomplish also have to serve as a constant reminder that we are getting older? I know it's impossible to make time stand still, and really - who would want to freeze this economy in the state it is in? But I miss so many of the cute things my kids used to do when they were small, so much that sometimes I wish I could go back and do it all over. But as Eddie Money reminded us - I can't go back I know.

So, I must resign myself to the fact that my son is now driving, my daughter doesn't want to hang around me so much anymore and I'm spending twice as much on hair color as I used to. Long gone are the days of "mommy, daddy - look what I can do." They have been replaced with "Do you have to look at me? Quit staring!" and those lovely, extremely exaggerated sighs and groans. When did I become my mother? I guess a bigger question I should ask myself, is when did my children become me and how did I never see it coming?

People always say - "Enjoy your kids now, it goes by so fast." I remember thinking to myself that I couldn't wait until my kids could walk, could talk, etc. How could I know that no sooner does someone speak the words "time with your kids goes by fast" and before you can grasp the meaning of what they have said it's gone.

I think I'm growing sentimental about turning 40 (still have 7 months....it's really going to fly). I hope the next 40 years are as great as the previous. I hope they don't go by as fast and I pray every day that my kids will cherish every moment I spent with them. I know I do.

How to Sex a Cat

And by that, I mean - how to tell if it's a boy or a girl.

Recently, we took our youngest two kittens in to be spayed. Laverne and Shirley; they are so cute and completely inseparable. They are also identical. It was hard enough not to let them have anything to eat after 7:00 p.m. the night before; I didn't really care who was who, as long as they didn't eat.

When the hubster dropped them at the vet, the tech asked him which one was Laverne and which one was Shirley. He said "I don't know - it doesn't really matter...we just pretend to tell them apart."

Of course, the vet was sure this couldn't be so, but upon closer inspection, he and his tech agreed that they were pretty much twins. Or so they thought.

Shirley went first...got her shots, her worming and blood tests and then she went under the knife.

Next was Laverne. All was quite well until the minor surgery, which turned into exploratory surgery, failed to turn up a uterus. Poor Laverne, as it turns out, is actually a VERNE. To tell you the truth, I wasn't upset at all about the poor guy having two sets of stitches (which the vet most humbly did not charge us for). I was more testy about the fact that it totally ruined my naming strategy!!! Lenny and Squiggy go in next week!!! What am I supposed to tell them about Laverne!?!?

And you can just forget about Carmine!!!