Mark Flies to Houston, Texas

Mark and his friend Kevin are both Snap-On Tools dealers. They have big trucks and drive to auto repair shops in their routes selling tools to mechanics. Kevin's truck is very big and expensive, and he sold it to buy a smaller truck like Mark's - which is still a huge tool truck. Kevin found a used tool truck near Houston, so he and Mark left for the airport this morning at six, flew out to buy it and drive it home, a long long drive in a big, slow tool truck. The truck looked good. A few miles down the road, the air conditioner started acting up. One of the fans didn't work, and the a/c belt broke. The compressor froze up and needs to be replaced. Good thing there are three fans inside the truck to move the warm air. No place to fix this on the weekend, so on they drove. Mark called me just a few minutes ago to tell me that the brake lights don't work, and neither do the driver's dash lights. They use a flashlight to watch the speedometer, making sure they are going fast enough on the expressway. One drives, while the other rests on a fold out chair in the hallway of the truck. Mark says they should be home tomorrow night. They were getting gas and talking about hotels and dinner (at 9:30!) when he called.

Kelsey Dog Had a Stroke, or maybe it was a Seizure

My little doglet will be 13 next month and her age is starting to show. Tuesday she had a haircut and when I picked her up, she started screaming and crying as if she were being hurt, but she wasn't being hurt at all. I held her and she cried out. Her mouth got frothy and she drooled. This is NOT common at all for my dog. I took her straight to the vet, they checked her out and said, well, she may have had a stroke or a seizure. They did a full blood panel and she only had low glucose, which could be because she refused breakfast that day. She was confused, and has remained confused and a little lost since this. Although her eyes are cloudy, she could see okay, but now is totally blind at night, and is terribly afraid of the darkness. She seems to use her nose and ears to get around in daylight, seing only shadows. Kelsey has her days and nights mixed up and cries all night. I get up, take her out, she just stands there in the grass. Kelsey usually sleeps in a little doggie bed on the floor near our bed, but Tuesday and Wednesday nights, she kept getting lost under our bed, or just being afraid and crying for me. I would get her, and she would not want me as badly as she just wanted me only moments before. I took her and forced her to lay on the couch with me so we both could get some sleep. She fought like a madman to get down, the wanted back up almost immediately. I took her to the vet on Friday and they gave her some sleeping pills. OH HEAVEN! Still terrified of being alone in the dark, we gave up and allowed her to sleep with us on our bed near our feet and I got to sleep all night long! She slept so soundly, I checked her a couple of times to be sure she was breathing.

Getting Ready For Fay

A tropical storm is headed this way, and could become a hurricane! David and Audrey enjoyed their first day of school today, but they announced closure on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday, depending on the severity of the storm. Robert's next day is supposed to be Wednesday, so we will just sit tight and see how things go. You can follow the local news on Channel 13. My city of Apopka is in the top (little flag part) of Orange County near Orlando.

Robert and I finished cleaning the interior of the pop up camper today, sweep sweep, mop mop, scrub scrub. It rained like crazy as we worked and we had to close the camper with wet tent material, not something I would recommend, but thar's a hurricane a comin' and we needed to batten down the hatches! As soon as the sun comes back out in a few days, we'll open it back up and dry things out.

I need to go to the grocery store for a gallon of water each, some simple canned food, lunchmeat, mayonaise, fruit, bleach, and paper plates. I also need to go to the hardware store to get something to keep the big wooden gates to our stockade fence closed. We certainly do not need those flying open and closed in the storm!

Kelsey dog, almost 13, is getting more and more disoriented as she ages. Last night, well early morning actually, she woke me up because she got out of her little bed and I heard her (lost) under my bed. I finally got her out and headed her out of our bedroom door, thinking perhaps she needed to go outside. Instead, she made a fast turn into Mark's office and hid under his desk. I coaxed her out, picked her up and carried her outside. Yep, she needed a potty break. This afternoon I got the dog crate down and tonight she will begin sleeping on her bed in the crate, as she did when she was a puppy. I don't mind getting up at night to let the dog out, but squeezing under a bed doesn't fit in my nighttime plans.

School Daze!

I stepped outside this morning to hang a load of clothes and noticed that the neighborhood was certainly quiet today! The four young children next door are no longer playing ball in their front yard, the two boys on the other side of our house are both in middle school now and their pool is empty of them and their buddies.

Even both of my boys were gone today, David and his girlfriend Audrey both going to Winter Park Technical school, Robert gone to orientation at the law school. Nice...

Gobble Gobble

We have a group of 18 turkeys that roam our neighborhood daily. We counted them in our front yard when they were just a group of bitties with two mother hens. This photo was taken with my cell phone as I left my neighborhood a couple of days ago. The babies have grown up so fast! They were scratching for bugs in the park at the front of the neighborhood. Kids have worn down the grass by riding their bikes down the little hill. School is back in, so the grass will once again return.

Trip To Patty's New House

This is my sister Patty's new house. It's so nice, both inside and out. I spent a week with Patty and George, helping her get things in order...well, that's what we were supposed to be doing! It was such a nice visit. I brought my little Kelsey dog along too. Mark drove up, stayed overnight and we went home on Saturday.

Momma's 77th Birthday

One of the reasons I went to Jacksonville was to be with my mother to celebrate her 77th birthday. Patty made mom's favorite, a heavy chocolate cake with pecan/chocolate icing, called a Texas Sheet Cake. Momma was so thrilled with all her goodies. Patty set momma up with a memory card and a case for her Blackberry phone, Kat sent a wonderful assortment of new Mary Kay mineral makeup, and I gave momma a Prada purse (not really, it was either a knock-off or a second), and momma loved it all. We recently watched the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, and we all enjoyed it very much. Momma is growing her hair so it will be the same cut that Meryl Streep wore in that movie, so cute on mom. Momma is diamond Lil with a beautiful new watch and bracelet that daddy got her. If this is what it's like, I can't wait to be 77!