tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221963392024-03-23T11:17:12.986-07:00Morning Martinipissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.comBlogger1190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-34265638558612815792013-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:002013-01-07T13:03:05.440-08:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LaP5b9i-6eA/UOs3jezs9HI/AAAAAAAAAo0/1KNABwgYGXA/s1600/IMG_0070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LaP5b9i-6eA/UOs3jezs9HI/AAAAAAAAAo0/1KNABwgYGXA/s400/IMG_0070.jpg" /></a></div>
Everyone was a little tired after the holidays, even Martini. Now we are rested and ready to begin a happy new year.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-11702441495662209662012-10-29T14:25:00.001-07:002012-10-29T14:25:28.003-07:00Our Little Beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ht-vtljt7ak/UI70D6hvhSI/AAAAAAAAAoc/Of8M5SohV64/s1600/IMG_2956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ht-vtljt7ak/UI70D6hvhSI/AAAAAAAAAoc/Of8M5SohV64/s400/IMG_2956.JPG" /></a></div>
Our little beauty will have his 6th birthday next week. He has spent four of those years with us. He has gone from the skinny little scraggly haired dog that we rescued to what you see today. He's our little charming beauty and he's smothered in love by us and everyone he meets.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-9921651261067406922012-09-15T11:05:00.000-07:002012-09-15T11:05:02.271-07:00Hello, Twenty First CenturyOur old bulldozer sized tv in the bedroom had a television stroke or something and the color began to look like what you would see if you had an LSD flashback. So today we leaped into the twenty first century and bought a flat screen tv. Boy, aren’t we something?
Then because our old tv in the living room was just hanging onto life by a thread we replaced that one too with a smart tv. Then we were feeling so frisky that we got the cable set up for HD-TV. I tell you, give us another ten years and we might do something else that everyone else did 15 years ago.
pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-35027406407236551062012-09-10T12:37:00.000-07:002012-09-10T12:37:02.911-07:00Hide and SneakNot only is Romney hiding his own tax records, he’s hiding what he will do to your future tax records if he becomes President.
I don’t want any President of this country to get into the white house by hiding things and sneaking around. That’s not the way we do things.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-23777452315563786662012-08-08T12:45:00.001-07:002012-08-08T12:45:03.115-07:00My CharmerI am so tired of the Olympics coverage. I just can’t get into it or sincerely care. So last night as an escape we took Martini to the pet supply store to purchase a mesh harness for him. The mesh takes the pressure away from his throat if he pulls on the leash. While we were there I heard a little girl’s voice saying to her mom, “Oh mom, look at that!”. I turned to see what she was talking about and then I knew. I was holding Martini in my arms and she was looking at what I was holding.
She started walking toward us with a look of amazement on her face. As she slowly approached, I told her she was welcome to pet him and he wouldn’t hurt her. She lightly touched his head and then began to pet him. She was staring at him as though he were some magical wonderful creature. She continued to pet him gently and look into his eyes. After about three or four minutes she placed both her hands on his head and brought his nose down so she could kiss it. Then she turned around and started to leave the store, when she got to the door she turned and waved a little wave to him.
Martini the lady charmer strikes again. Whether it is elderly ladies or little girls, he can charm them all and he’s so gentle with his charm.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-58764254755721307162012-06-26T13:56:00.000-07:002012-06-26T13:56:27.317-07:00For Romney, it's just another stepI think Mitt just wants the title of President and doesn't want to be bothered with the silly job of running the country. He presents no plans because he has none. He'll assign people to do the work for him and he'll just sit back and make deals with the monied men for prestige and profit....personal profit that is. As long as he can succeed where his father couldn't, he'll be good to go. Anyone who votes for him out of outrage at the present President is a damned fool.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-32368646644780488922012-06-11T07:25:00.000-07:002012-06-11T07:25:01.081-07:00Best Time of the YearThis is one of my most favorite times of the year, the time to start packing for vacation.
Getting my list made and gathering all the things we will need for a week at the beach. I have my new books all ready to go. Martini doesn’t know it yet but he will get a new toy to play with while we are there. My husband has his rods and reels ready along with his own beach reads.
Last year when we went I was so sick that I barely remember much of it. Then I came home and within less than a month I was in the hospital and scheduled for emergency surgery. Now I feel like a million dollars and can’t wait to enjoy the trip the way I could not last year. I feel like I’m getting a do-over and I’m gonna make the most of it all.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-21221611731547222722012-05-11T08:16:00.003-07:002012-05-11T08:16:52.735-07:00Romney blew it then and nowRomney blew a very important and teachable moment. He should have owned what he did and then go on to say how terribly hurtful bullying is for the person being bullied. He could say that at the time he was a kid doing a foolish thing but in retrospect he realizes it was so wrong. He could say for the rest of his life he will regret what he did. This might ring a bell with some kids as well as some adults.
As it is now, he is still a bully refusing to accept responsibility for his actions. That half-assed apology just makes him look like a jerk. If it sounds like a jerk, it's most likely a jerk.
Anyone who thinks kids don't remember crap done to them in high school is just wrong, at least in my opinion. Roger, I remember the terrible thing you said to me in the eighth grade and it still hurts when I think about itpissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-54468440601189820322012-05-04T12:46:00.001-07:002012-05-04T12:46:54.797-07:00BobcatI just happened to glance out the window this morning in time to see a full grown bobcat walking across my neighbor’s drive. This neighbor live across the street from me. At first I stared in fascination and then I realized, oh my god, that is a bobcat.
When we first moved into this house about 11 years ago we saw one beside our house as we were returning home from shopping. So this was not a really rare sighting but considering how the neighborhood has built up over the years, it was a surprise.
I am happy as can be to see there is some native wildlife still in existence in this area but at the same time I do have to think about this when I take Martini out on his leash before sunrise and after dark. I just hope the bobcat is as afraid of me as I am of him.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-43401708596130408212012-04-26T14:29:00.001-07:002012-04-26T14:29:43.244-07:00Rationale on FoxI was just watching a program on Fox. They were discussing whether the President is “too cool” to be President. One of the commentators said if he were ill he would rather go to a doctor who was a jerk than a doctor who was cool. Of course this commentator didn’t mention that a cool doctor could also be ever so competent as a doctor who was a jerk.
That’s the problem with the rationale on Fox, there isn’t any effort to use it wisely. They try to make their point without using any or all possible details. And did they really just call the likes of Romney, a jerk?pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-41235734861416485962012-04-22T08:56:00.002-07:002012-04-22T08:56:33.650-07:00Happy Earth DayHappy Earth Day to everyone from the earthlings here at my house.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-12572377058026340012012-04-18T13:01:00.000-07:002012-04-18T13:02:17.025-07:00Dick Clark has diedSuddenly I feel very old. He was such a big part of my introduction into listening to and watching good music and dance on television.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-34294280794922116262012-04-07T11:17:00.002-07:002012-04-07T11:21:05.635-07:00Happy Easter from Martini<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wAPaRXmLajg/T4CFeegRMwI/AAAAAAAAAoE/LYDEn1QGRUU/s1600/IMG_2912.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wAPaRXmLajg/T4CFeegRMwI/AAAAAAAAAoE/LYDEn1QGRUU/s400/IMG_2912.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728725484646249218" /></a><br />Martini wishes you lots of chocolate bunnies and other human treats this Easterpissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-7290802571468700502012-04-04T13:01:00.000-07:002012-04-04T13:02:34.267-07:00Worse than McCainOne of Newt’s supporters was on television today and made a pretty remarkable statement that really struck me as telling and something I had not thought about before. He said the republican party seems to have chosen Mitt Romney as their candidate, a man who lost to John McCain in the last presidential primary.<br /><br />I mean think about it. Mitt is so bad that in the last presidential primary he lost out to the likes of John McCain. Says a lot, doesn’t it?pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-11574330032398768572012-03-11T09:08:00.002-07:002012-03-11T09:23:19.566-07:00Did She Come to Say Goodbye?On July 18, 2007, I told you about a large gopher tortoise that I had fed at our old house which is across the street and about three lots to our west. I used to feed her bananas when she came to my backyard so I named her Hanna since it rhymed with banana. That day back on 2007 when she came to my backyard at this house, I took a banana out to her and showed you a photo of Hanna eating that banana. That was the last time I saw Hanna until yesterday afternoon.<br /><br />Mr. Pop had Martini on his leash and was about to take him out the front door. When he opened the door there was Hanna. She was about three feet from our door on the tiles which form the entrance way up to our door. Of course Martini was interested in her so we let him sniff her a bit. We came in the house and talked about how strange it was for her to be where she was.<br /><br />Later I checked outside and Hanna had crawled under the hedge. This morning she was still there, exactly where we had last seen her yesterday. Mr. Pop went out and checked to see if she was okay. Sadly she wasn’t. Hanna is dying. (I am crying as I write this because it seems that Hanna had come to say goodbye). I know rationally that is not the case but it sure does seem that way.<br /><br />Update: While I was typing this post, Mr. Pop went to the store and brought home some bananas. I peeled one and took it out to Hanna. To my amazement, she is eating it. Maybe she'll be okay after all. We're keeping our fingers crossed.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-66011095728323890902012-02-27T12:55:00.001-08:002012-02-27T12:56:42.968-08:00Learning from Painted BuntingsSeveral years ago I purchased a very small lemon grass plant and planted it in our garden. To my surprise the little plant grew into a very large lemon grass plant. It grew so large that it took over half our garden space. We decided to dig up the plant and move it to the border of our yard and the vacant lot next door. Over the years lemon grass plants have sprung up and taken over about half the vacant lot. When the plants bloom and then go to seed the plants are over six feet tall.<br /><br />Also several years ago a pair of sparrows discovered our bird-feeders and the vines on our privacy fence. They felt the vines were a perfect place to build their nest and with the abundance of food in the feeders they had found bird paradise. Now these years later there are literally dozens of sparrow living in the vines and dining on the seed.<br /><br />Last year when the migrating painted buntings arrived they discovered they loved the lemon grass seeds on the many plants next door. Apparently the sparrows were watching as the buntings carefully lit on the stems of seeds and pecked all the seeds from them that they could hold.<br /><br />This year when the painted buntings once again arrived they flew to the lemon grass seeds and partied down. This year the sparrows seemed to take notice of what their migrating friends were up to. Within only a few days the sparrows followed suit and now not only are there painted buntings feeding from the lemon grass seeds, so are all the sparrows. There are times when you can look out over the many large lemon grass plants and see little birds gently perched on the seed shoots and enjoying the bounty.<br /><br />Nature provides some of the best entertainment life has to offer.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-74394341419717276562012-02-09T12:48:00.001-08:002012-02-09T12:48:50.121-08:00Three Years with MartiniThis past Sunday we celebrated three years of having Martini here to share his life with us. Yes, it’s been three years since the foster mother brought his sweet self into our house.<br /><br />Since he is a big fan of animals on television, we watched the Puppy Bowl with him. At one point he got up and went to his toy box to select a toy to have with him while he watched. I guess he kinda wanted to get in on the action.<br /><br />It seems almost impossible that he’s been with us that long. Maybe that is due to every day bringing new fun and surprises with him. I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect dog if I had had him tailor made. He’s just the best!pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-87872106536225119302012-01-30T14:18:00.000-08:002012-01-30T14:22:18.431-08:00Time to Give ThanksThank goodness the Republicans vote in Florida’s primary tomorrow. All of us down here have been smothered for over a month now with negative Republican ads on television. To watch and listen to these ads, as the candidates attack one another, it makes you wonder why anyone would vote for any of them. <br /> <br />We are packed and heading to the coast of Georgia tomorrow. Fred the Cat will be at the cat hotel also known as the vet’s boarding facility. Martini will be traveling with us and adding to his travel log of the southern United States. He loves riding in the car so much that he doesn’t care where he’s going.<br /><br />This is a business trip for Mr. Pop but it’s a fun trip for Martini and me. We’ve already scoped out a cool dog boutique near where we will be staying so I have a feeling a shopping trip is in order.<br /><br />Hopefully by the time we return next weekend all the Republican candidates will be long gone and we will be spared their ads until they finally pick Newt or Mitt. Are those great first names for candidates or what? Sounds like things you wouldn’t want in your flower garden, and especially not in our White House.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-73577530776450288772012-01-10T14:43:00.000-08:002012-01-10T14:44:46.137-08:00Computer WoesLast Tuesday somehow my computer was infected by a nasty bug that basically tried to eat my nerves and my files. It took over my own security and basically shut me down. So my sick little computer had to go to the computer hospital to have its disease removed. I just got it back yesterday and so far, so good.<br /><br />I am extremely careful when it comes to security. I never open emails with attachments and I limit which sites I visit. I am also a stickler about updating my security each and every day. Mr. Pop is not as shy about these things as I am. He too doesn’t open attachments but he does follow links and don’t tell anyone, but I think he was the one who might have brought this monster home.<br /><br />So now we’re good to go. I think Martini and Fred the Cat are kind of bummed that the computer is back home, they sure did get a lot of my time that would have erstwhile have been spent here at the keyboard.<br /><br />I sure as hell hope this computer snafu is not an omen of what I should expect in 2012.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-83922839714210461432012-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:002012-01-02T07:51:11.251-08:00Hello 2012!The house was de-Christmas-ized yesterday. All the beautiful stuff is stored away and awaiting its time to shine next December.<br /><br />We celebrated the end of 2011 big time here as it was time for it to go. I spent the first half of the year getting sicker and the last half of it getting well. I am so ready to put that time behind me and move on.<br /><br />This year looks to be very entertaining politically. All these Republicans running for President in their own unpopular reality show. It’s already a comedy of errors.<br /><br />Martini and Fred the Cat had fun having Mr. Pop at home for the holiday week. I thought it was fun too. We did not like getting into the old routine once again this morning, but it sure was great while it lasted.<br /><br />So here’s to 2012! May it be a peaceful healthy and fun year.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-28982212508883252112011-12-24T10:52:00.001-08:002011-12-24T10:52:39.889-08:00Santa is ready to rock and rollMartini’s and Fred the Cat’s stocking are stuffed. Mr. Pop made his annual Christmas chocolate chip cookies this morning. The sweet potatoes are cooked, mashed, seasoned and ready to hop in the oven tomorrow. Tonight we will prepare a Christmas morning strata to cook for breakfast in the morning. So I would say we are pretty much ready for the jolly old man to visit tonight.<br /><br />The girls at the lab delivered all things wonderful for our adopted family Thursday morning and were surprised to receive a picture of our family with Santa Claus and the sweetest thank you note I have ever read. The kids do not expect anything from Santa this year so they are going to be very happily surprised in the morning. It’s nice to be able to put faces on our adopted family, we have never been able to do that before. It’s especially nice to see those sweet little kid’s faces. They’ll be all big smiles tomorrow.<br /><br />Santa will deliver our gift to us next Tuesday. Our very old refrigerator is just on life support so we decided to buy our house a new one. Rather than give each other just a bunch of stuff, for several years now we have instead bought something we wanted for the house. This year it’s a French door frig and freezer. I hope Santa doesn’t get a hernia when he makes his delivery.<br /><br />A very Merry Christmas to everyone from me, Mr. Pop, Martini and even Fred the Cat<br />May peace be your nicest gift.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-3178999605278407172011-12-16T12:54:00.001-08:002011-12-16T12:54:38.775-08:00Ready, Set, ChristmasGetting ready for Christmas this year has been just plain fun. I guess feeling better than I have for years adds to that fun. Tomorrow we are going out shopping for a Cabbage Patch doll for the little girl in our adopted Christmas family. Ha! You think I’ll stop with just the doll she wanted? Oh decked holly halls, no. I already have two books for her and her big brother. This will be a Christmas that they’ll remember a long time….and so will we.<br /><br />Next Saturday Mr. Pop will continue his tradition of baking chocolate chip and walnut cookies. I can’t wait for that aroma to fill this house with wonderfulness. But before that happens I will pick up my new glasses and be able to see clearly again. That’s almost better than having a visit from Santa.<br /><br />See, I’m just full of fun and Christmas spirit. Ask Martini, he’s probably tired of me playing with him and singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. But next Sunday morning when he wakes up, he’ll find out that I was right.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-66759784286532775082011-12-09T12:31:00.000-08:002011-12-09T12:33:01.013-08:00No More Bah Humbug HereWe have a family for Christmas. We contacted another organization and were met with much gratitude. They knew of a single mother with two small children and we were told they would be “more than grateful for anything this Christmas”. Boy, are those three people going to have a memorable holiday.<br /><br />The mother is asking for clothes for the children, everything from underwear to shorts and shirts and sneakers. There was only a small mention of toys. And the mother said a turkey to cook for dinner on Christmas would be nice but that her children’s needs come first to her.<br /><br />Oh yeah mom, that turkey is coming along with a lot of others good things to eat. Those little kids will get all the clothes they need along with fun gifts from some jolly marine biologists.<br /><br />Now I’m ready to say it really will be a very Merry Christmas!pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-6938819950242063412011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:002011-12-01T08:03:25.447-08:00Christmas BummerFor the past several years Mr. Pop’s lab has adopted a family in need at Christmas. This was coordinated through the local United Way. This year when the lady at the lab called the United Way to adopt a family she was told the United Way will no longer be doing the White Dove project but instead asked that everyone take toys and food to the fairgrounds and everything would be distributed from there. <br /><br />I called the United Way today and asked why they had discontinued the project in the way it had been done before. Before, we got all the food and gifts for the family and delivered everything to the home the weekend before Christmas. I think we all looked as forward to that day as we looked forward to Christmas when we were kids. The lady at the United Way said the project had been discontinued because it was “too much work” for the few people who used to coordinate the project. Too much work once a year?<br /><br />I reminded the lady I was talking to that this was going to be a difficult holiday for a whole lot of families, maybe more than there has been at anytime in the recent history. She repeated her line about “too much work”. What work? All they had to do in the past was match up families in need with businesses who wanted to help. We did all the work buying, wrapping and delivering what was wanted and needed by “our families”.<br /><br />I explained to the lady that dropping off food and gifts at the fairgrounds just didn’t have the same feeling about it as seeing a mother receive food and gifts for her children when she had no hope for getting anything for them. Especially when the kids were getting some of the things they had asked of Santa. Talk about your heart swelling to three times its size.<br /><br />We have a lot of money to spend and a lot of love to share and by god, we’re going to find someone to receive our Christmas gifts. We are going to call other organizations and churches until we find a family who needs us. No one is going to tell us that there isn’t a Santa Claus this year because we know better.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22196339.post-21600212566720236842011-11-15T14:42:00.000-08:002011-11-15T14:43:01.511-08:00OMG!It becomes frightening when I learn that I know more about the US’s involvement in Libya than one of the Republican presidential candidates. Herman Cain is making me look way more intelligent than I thought I was. Thanks, Herman.pissed off patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08854364015577541981noreply@blogger.com8