Proposition 16

I Hate Politics!!!!

I Hate Elections!!!!

I Hate the Politicos and Self Interests trying to MUCK Things UP!!!

And I HATE a utility company that can't do the JOB!!!

And that's YOU PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY!!!!

You put in these stupid meters and people suddenly get charged hundreds of dollars for a untility bill that not even right---but PG & E says that these are smart meteres, well it seems to me that it's pretty stupid meters.

And now----AND NOW!!! P G & E is the major backer of Proposition 16, claiming that it gives the taxpayers the right to vote----well doesn't it mean that taxpayers who are tired of PG & E from not doing their job to allow cities to get out from under the monopoly that PG & E has??

That the People have no recourse to turn too? Where I live we have a municipal owned electric company and my electric bill is very resonable, of course I don't cook with electricity nor dry with electricity nor heat my home with electricity---that's gas---and frankly my bill has been going up, even when I've cut down on the heat, I line dry my clothes, and barely cook with my stove.

SO WHY IS MY GAS BILL GOING UP, EVEN WHEN I DON'T HAVE ONE OF THOSE STUPID SMART METERS ON MY HOUSE??? Answer THAT PG & E!!!

I know how I'm going to vote on Proposition 16--- I'm going to vote NO!! And if my City wants to go into the gas business I know that will mean more work for people, and we will have greater recourse incase they mess up and we'll have a quicker response to a situation.

On top of that my City can look into more affordable sources for gas than does PG & E.

Vote No on Prop 16! It keeps PG & E in business of being a monopoly!

Mean Kitty with her claws out signing off!

I'M BAAAACCKKK!!!

Ya can't get rid of me.

Again I've been busy, very busy, work, taxes, property taxes, house cleaning (with a shovel and a bull dozer).

And more work and more work.

Right now I'm ready to demand a raise, The city finance system screwed up direct depositing my paycheck, so they don't know where my paycheck is. I told Head of Finance they better cut me a check because I"M NOT HAVING MY CREDIT RATING DESTROY BECAUSE OF THEIR STUPIDITY!!!

So we shall see how all of this is going to work out on Monday, they owe me an apology and something for my stress.

In the mean time Hunka Burnin' Love and I will be going to my brother Bubba's house for Easter. He's putting a good size Ham on the Bar-be, or Ham steaks, it's goina be cold and rainy, it's been that way all week.

I want to know where did the nice weather go to.

So if I don't post for a while we'll I've been busy.

Oh and I ran into her again that Gal that looks like Ava Gardner, whoooo weee she is pretty, she was at the Gun Show a few weeks ago and bought a vintage small caliber automatic that belonged to a Madam who owned a "House of Ill repute" back in the 1920's. it was a pretty little thing.

We had a nice little chat over in the snack bar area, said she works in the City for some financial institution, I can't say which one, I mean even on the Internet you've got to have some privacy.

Well we exchanged business cards (Like the professionals that we are), and we may stay in touch. So we shall see.

When I have the time I'm going to do some links here to a couple of blog sites that I like. But right now I've got to do some shopping with what little money I can spare.

Mean Kitty signing off

WELL HAPPY NEW YEAR YA'ALL!!!

It’s me Again Folks!!

No I didn’t forget about you, I’m still a rantin’ and a ravin’. But as with all things busy, Busy.

Health wise I’m doing fine, had a CT scan for my Kidneys, it was a 2 for 1 deal, check for tumors and the stones.

I tell ya’ you do not want a kidney stone attack, the pain is something that I would only wish on Osama Bin Laden and anyone with those extremist Terrorists groups. Frankly I think they deserve the pain.

By the way do ya like the picture of Gingersnap---whom I call "Evil Dog" she looks all sweetness and light but she'll take a chunk out of ya. I'm experimenting, seems I can add images to my blog, so this should be fun.

Now back to my health, So I’m drinking water, keeping things flowing (maybe too much) gotta watch those ecltrolytes (don’t ask me to spell it).

So what have I been doing since Thanksgiving’? Well working mostly, and having family members getting’ in touch with me, seems like we’se need to be in touch, find out who we came from ya know all that genealogy stuff.

Well I found in a tiny green address book, all the basic info that my Mama wrote down, had to use a magnifyin’ glass the writin’ was so small. So now me and my Hunka are going to go to the cemetery to get some more dates and such. Good thing I know where they’re buried and also can check on the headstones.

Do you know that there are some punk kids goin’ around grafitting headstones---no respect for the dead I tell ya, none at all. But don’t worry the dead is gonna get them, ya don’t mess with them. That’s what’s my Granny told me.

Anyway getting back to the kidneys (why is it when one gets old it’s always about goin’ to the bathroom?) The doc calls me said everything is O.K. the stones are small and so far staying put, and no tumors. But it’s back in the next 6 months to keep an eye on those things. But no Barium and no dye injected. And I tell ya that’s no fun.

I had to fast from midnight the night before and then get up at “Oh My God it’s Early” in the dark, shower and dress (and it was cold too) then 2 hours before my 9 a.m. appointment drink ½ of this stuff that they call Berry Barium Smoothie, look it may smell like berries, and have a little berry taste with a chalky after taste and it maybe a little bit smoother, but it’s still no fun to drink, although the berry smell and taste did make it a little bit better.

Then we’se got to get there early to find a parking space, and now it’s an hour before my appointment and I have to drink the other half, still no fun.

So then I go to my appointment, early because they need to find a vein on my arm (my veins are not good) but I do have to say at KP they are very, very nice to me, didn’t want to hurt me although they had to try 3 times to find a vein. Then they walk me to the CT machine room and helped me into that hospital gown, ‘cause the IV lock is in the vein in my hand (not comfortable but they taped it down good) then it’s my turn in the CT machine, first the saline, bit of a chilled rush in my hand and arm, then the dye, well they did warn me what to expect.

O.K if you’ve never had a CT scan with dye this is what happens, you get this metal taste in your mouth and then you get hot all over like having a major, Major hot flash only hotter, then you feel like you’ve got to go potty, but you can’t. So I close my eyes as the machine takes over and says “take a breath, hold, breathe” and repeats is several times and I’m moved in and out of this donut hole, Now I hear the medical Techs come in and say “You’re doing good” just a little more. Well me I’m ready to leave any time now.

But after a bit I stop hearing the machine whine, and it stops, but I’m inside the donut, but the techs come in and ask me if I’m takin’ any blood thinners, guess that important. So’s I tell them what I am takin’ and they say that’s fine we’re all done, but I’m still inside the donut, so I says to them “Can you get me out of this thing, it feels like it wants to make love to me” (Not bad for an old lady) well the techs laugh and say “Now that is a new one” and they very gently help me out of the machine and take out the IV lock, puts a band aid on it and helps me get dress.

Then they ask if I have someone with me (yeah Hunka), and tells me to get some protein into me and water, and then to go home and rest for a bit. Well Hunka takes me to breakfast and all I want is poached eggs and grits, and whole wheat toast, and O.J. I even asked for a second bowl of grits---now I rarely eat grits but I do like them and I very seldom have poached eggs, but poached eggs and not one but two bowls of grits?---man that is demanding major comfort food.! Then after that Hunka took me home and I slept the rest of the day. Even he took a nap---no fun getting’ up at “Oh My God It’s Early!”

I’m fine, Doc says I’m fine, and that is good.

CHRISTMAS---DICKENS FAIR

Christmas---I loved the Holiday season, Hunka and I went to the Dickens Fair and just had a Major good time, even dropped off a couple of toys for the Toys for Tots collection.

I’ve got to tell you that Dickens Christmas Fair in S.F. is somethin’ else. Where else can you meet Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, Father Christmas, Scrooge, Fagin, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, the characters from a Jules Verne novel, and Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson all in one place? It’s great!

Ya go in and suddenly you are overwhelmed by the smells of baking, cinnamon, nutmeg, sausages, spicy tea, fudge and the sounds of people in a busy thoroughfare, sort of like walking down Diagone Alley in a Harry Potter story, but it’s Charles Dickens time. And of course Hunka was right in there all dressed up in his Cowboy Sunday go-to-meetins’ clothes, and me I’m dressed like a Frontier woman from Kansas, only we’se aint in Kansas Toto.

For a little while you forget your worries or cares, you just want to get into the fun of it. No problems of the 21^st century, just a fairy tale of what we think the 19^th century is all about. ***sigh*** Wish it were so.

Hunka and I went to Christmas eve Vigil Mass (not midnight gotta get my beauty sleep ya know), then we drove over to Christmas Tree Lane, had to park away from it because it’s so popular, so Hunka gets out my rolling Hooptie, so I can walk a bit, it was cold but the lights were so pretty. People were having their pictures taken.

CHRISTMAS—AT BROTHER BUBBA’S

We celebrated Christmas Dinner at my brother’s house, I love the way he’s got it all fixed up, the colors of the living room and dinning room, just brings out the woodwork the way it should be. And the food, everyone brought something, me I baked yams, turned out pretty good to.

My brother Bubba, didn’t want to do the Turkey bit, so he had instead a Ham from Trader Joe’s (bone in) man, it was delicious, but big well he got a 18 pound ham for 17 people, and there was nothing left, I have to say there was nothing for left overs, and my Sister in law was expecting left overs but everyone had a good appetite.

Instead of crashing out they set up a couple of tables and everyone played different games, the kids were playing some sort of weird card games and really getting into it, some my brother, and his brother in law, Hunka and a couple of the kids were playing Squeak, Me and my sister in law her two sisters and mother we were playing Mexican dominos. We played until late, only taking breaks to much on the left overs or having desert. Hmmm come to think of it no wonder there were no left overs.

Bubba to make up for it being a “no burn” day (ya know they did that on Thanksgiving too---lots of people yelled that it was a conspiracy, but the EPA kept saying no it wasn’t---I don’t believe them) Well anyway Bubba burned candles all in holders in the fireplace and on the T.V. he had this DVD that shows a log burning in a fireplace and played Christmas music, kept it on a loop too.

And some of those Candles smelled of Cinnamon and Vanilla, felt good.

It was nice and mellow; it seems that everyone was relieved that we didn’t do a gift exchange it felt more old fashioned, more Christmassy.

At work it was slow, everyone out of town, which was fine, but next year I’m taken the week between Christmas and New Years off. I’m doin’ it out of self defense (talk about furloughs) so I’m saving up money to cover two weeks now if they only furlough one week I’m ahead of the game, if they don’t furlough at all I’m still ahead and will just let it make interest.

NEW YEARS EVE ---was something else. I mean it was a mellow New Years Eve for me and Hunka; we managed to eat out at Ta-daaaa! Carls Jr. yeah real fancy, but it’s what we wanted. As a matter of fact we met all kinds of people there, just having a late dinner before going to any parties. I was surprised at some of the evening dresses. And no they didn’t get any sauce dripped on them

Hunka and I went home and we watched a DVD of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” talk about a story getting’ dark and complicated. But it was good. Then we switched to the Dick Clark’s New Years event---I’m sorry but Dick Clark looked Mummified, well the poor guy had a stroke and considering his age and all he’s doing well. But still he looked mummified.

About a couple of minutes before Midnight Hunka poured two glasses of sparkling cider into our cheap wine glasses and we were bundled up in blankets and went out onto our front porch. There were a couple of parties going on, and we could hear them do the count down. Then the whistles from some ship blew nearby, we heard fireworks go off, our partiers were yelling and blowing their horns and banging pots. We knew they were happy.

Hunka and I toasted each other and drank and wished each other happy new year and kissed---I know---awwww ain’t that sweet. But wait until I tell you the rest of it----and no we didn’t do the “dirty deed” we were too tired for that.

No, what happened next is that some guy from down the block at one of the parties comes running up the middle of the street blowing a whistle and wearing nothing but his tennis shoes and his tidy whiteys’ as he got near our house he stopped blowing for a few seconds and I yelled, “don’t go onto the next street they won’t see you!” I was afraid he’d get hit by a car because we maybe a quiet street but we do have a busy cross street and we didn’t need an accident to some guy wearing tennis shoes and his tidy whiteys’.

But he runs to the street end turns around and runs back, now I have to say that took courage or a lot of beer because this guy had a gut on him that was jello in motion, it was almost hypnotizing, everyone else on their porches saw him but no cops were called----after all it is New Years. And he ran back to the cheers of his party goer friends.

I looked at my Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love and said “Honey I think this New Year is going to be very interesting”.

And with that we finished our cider, went inside, turned off the T.V. and went to bed.

And so far the New Year has turned out to be Very Interesting---and its not even Jan.30^th.

So now at work they’ve were for two days upgrading the computer systems so we couldn’t do our regular work, which in a way was good, it gave me a chance to do major clean up and organizing, got ride of 3 years worth of back log stuff, shredded tons of stuff I didn’t need any more, I was goin’ to town! Told my Boss “Hey do some more of this upgrading and I can be totally caught up”

Did I make any new years resolutions---No---Why you may ask?

Simple---I made my resolutions when I got out of the Hospital last October, I said I was going to fix myself up, wear my good clothes, make up, jewelry, perfume (yea and don’t tell me they’re people allergic to it, I’m entitled to wear it) and bit by bit, get more organized, clean out Krap, even if it’s a little at a time, and work on projects, O.K. it’s going to take more than a year to get some of this stuff done, but I’ve got to start somewhere.

So why? Well my Cousin Edna sent me via e-mail this little short story called “Someday” Seems this lady was helping her late friends’ husband pack away his wife’s things. She came across all this beautiful clothing and such that was never worn. The grieving husband said “My wife would save it for ‘Someday’ to wear, but ‘Someday’ never came”.

Well I’ve got stuff I’ve been savin’ for someday, so with everything that surgery was a wake up call, my Someday is Now!! So I’m wearing it Now! Using it Now! Because if I wait for Someday, that might never come.

Just remember that Folks, if you’ve been saving something special for Someday, Don’t. Because Someday is now, and things are special now, make yourself feel special Now, don’t wait, because if you do, Someday may never come.

Mean Kitty leavin’ you with that thought.

Random Thoughts and pissed as Hell

Hello Again Folks,

Well I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. Mine was pretty mellow, even if it was a T.M’s house, she of the Frozen Cheese Lasagna of two years ago come Christmas.

I have to say things have improved ever since her daughter took over the cooking arrangements, I only had to bring baked yams, which is not hard to do, and some soda, which if you get it in Liter bottles is a lot cheaper than buying by the can.

The food was good and arrived at the table warm, well above room temperature, things were wet where I live, but frankly we need the rain, I just hate the wind and cold.

And speaking of cold, I’ve come down with one, I know it’s a cold because my sinuses are running and I cough because the stuff tickles my throat, but I do have a lot to be thankful for.

We can at least pay the bills, stay warm and can buy food, everything else we use it up, make do, save for it, recycle it, fix it, or do without.

A really good bit of philosophy in the long run, but I just hope the state government doesn’t come along and muck things up. Just when you think you can “dog paddle” along, the government has to come and mess things up, raising rates or doing something stupid that they think is great, when it isn’t.

And they seem to keep changing the rules mid-way through “the game” now that is not fair.

I know of a number of people that are leaving this golden state which isn’t so golden anymore, because of all the stupidity done by the government and the Feds aren’t much better.

One family I know of managed to sell their house, pay off what they owe; they sold their big fancy cars, bought a mini-cooper and a big rig to pull a gently used 5^th wheeler. That is their home and it’s much cheaper than their old house. The kids were not happy when their fancy cell phones were discontinued, and their video games were sold off as well as all the fancy furniture and such.

But their parents told them to face life; it was either this way or being homeless for a long, LONG time.

They did a lot of other sacrifices as well, of course the kids belly ached and complained because they lost the life style they could not afford----well too bad said Mom and Pop.

They moved out of state, and found a place where things were affordable and Dad got a full time job and Mom managed to get a part time job where she can be home when the kids get out of school.

I got an e-mail from them not too long ago, and they’re saying they wish they’d done it a lot sooner, but they are making do and don’t live too far from the Wife’s folks, which is good. And the kids are discovering ‘board games’.

Because Mom doesn’t work a full time job and can keep an eye on them, their grades have gone up, and they’re not into so much mischief. Of course the kids are not happy with the new rules but their parents sat them down and said things are changing for everyone so it’s gotta be this way.

Heck, I could have told them that years ago.

This morning I was writing up the bills (and coughing and sniffling) and I was thinking about all this Krap junk mail, all these changes that the Banks and Credit card companies are doing so quickly that it’s impossible to keep up with it.

I was even looking at the phone bill, and it’s getting to the point where do I need to have internet at home? Can I do without this and that? And some of it has come back as “yes”.

I mean I seriously started thinking about what we can do without; do we need Cable or Satellite T.V.? Do we need a fancy car? Do we need a swimming Pool or hot tub? Video games? I mean stop and think Folks, what do you really, really need?

Well of course you need an income, and you need medical and dental insurance, and you do need auto insurance, and if you own a home you do need home owners insurance, so those are givens, they are the needs that one has to have.

Now I have a friend of mine, she got fed up with her house that she called a “Money Pit” and sold it, put her funds into something for her retirement. She too sold off most of her furniture, and rented a large studio apartment. She has said that if it can’t fit into a large trailer for her to tow then it’s too much.

She doesn’t entertain at home, but will meet friends at a favorite spot. She looked into renters insurance and figured that if anyone stole her stuff they were welcome to it. And she told me she is much happier because she has the mobility that she didn’t have before.

In some ways I wish I was just as free as her, but one makes choices and one has to deal with them.

I’m selling off my old 1963 Chevy Nova, hated to do it but I had no choice, I even took some old antique stuff to this Auction house and they told me what it was worth and could auction it off for me. I need the money.

Because we just got a bill for a medical service done in August and they are finally billing us now, nearly $400 dollars, for What!!?? Just to say that my Hunka Burnin’ Love snores??? And there’s nothing they can do about it?

That was a waste of money because I could have told them that!!! So the Money I was hoping to save to cover the cost of the License of the SUV is going out the window, because my Hunka snores!!!

I told him that from now on we weight each thing very carefully, because we don’t have that much funds left. The only thing we need to do right now is watch to see what we are going to have to do when we replace his pacemaker. We Have to do that, don’t have any choice.

And I’m going to have to negotiate with them because we can’t pay $400 dollars all at once. That is going to be “fun”.

Maybe we should have socialized medicine, if our medical system was like Kaiser, we’d be in good shape, they’ve treated me real good and I have a very low co-pay.

That’s it; just do it like Kaiser Permanente, instead of the government sticking their nose into it.

They stick their nose into areas where it’s not wanted and enough is enough.

Mean Kitty signing off.

I'm Back and just in time for Thanksgiving

Well Folks I have a lot to be thankful for.

I guess you just thought I had blown away and died---NOT!!

I’ve been busy, both me and my hunka burnin’ love, we’ve been hit by illnesses, I had to have some serious surgery and My Hunka is gonna need to have his pacemaker replaced.

Yeah it was pretty serious, I had a cancerous tumor on my kidney that was the size of my thumb from the tip to the first joint. I was worried they were going to have to remove the entire kidney. But the good thing is that it was localized.

The tissue around it was healthy and so was the kidney, no radiation, no chemo, I was one lucky son of a gun, Doc says I have a 95% chance of staying healthy, I’ll take those odds.

Of course now I’ve got a scar that looks like I’ve been in a knife fight, good thing I don’t wear bikinis.

And of course the economy being what it is (down the drain) we’ve been hit hard by it as well. Not everything was covered by my Medical plan, so we had to economize. My surgery came upon me so close to Halloween that we didn’t celebrate it this year. Just put a sign up saying “Sorry, Due to Serious Family Illness, We will not be doing Halloween this Year. Watch for the Haunted Graveyard in 2010. Have a safe and fun Halloween, See you next year.”

Do you know that we had a lot of trick and treaters write get well wishes on those signs, now that is nice. It only goes to show that people care, they worry when things change or someone, even someone they don’t really know they want to be safe and healthy. Most of them are parents now who came by when they were kids and now they are bringing their kids---Hey I’m at the Grandma level, I never knew we were such an institution in the neighborhood, of course a few days later some of my neighbors said that we put pressure on them because we couldn’t do Halloween this year, but they were glad I was fine.

That gives me hope.

My friends and family and the neighbors were worried about me, talk about Hugs and just feeling good about things, and bringing food, my brother Bubba and his wife had us over for dinner a lot, of course the first few weeks it was hard for me to sit up and I’d tire quickly, and it was hard to eat much, my appetite had disappeared, and even now I get hungry, but I get full real quick, I lost weight nearly 10 pounds, of course it’s a diet I don’t recommend.

But my family was really, Really worried about me, and my co-workers always calling and checking in, my Boss especially---he found out how much I do at work, it will make our work evaluation much easier now that he understands what I do.

But now I’m back at work, and it feels good, my brain need to wake up again, one thing I found out from all of this---I have seen what my future looks like if I retire----it ain’t pretty. I need to work, to have a purpose, it’s like air and food. So I think if and when I do retire, I’ll try and find a part time job, work a few days a week, just to keep mentally active, it’s important.

I get this newsletter from these folks that teach “Ghost Hunting” now this one gal she posted comments about how things were back then (way back then like 1950’s), and I have to agree with her thoughts on this.

Before we got all this new fangled stuff like the internet, twitter, fancy-shmashy cars with computer bits in them, cell phones, and crowded the freeways with urban sprawl, we were a close knit bunch of people and this was before wanting to have the latest gadget, and keeping up with the Jones and a swimming pool in every back yard, fancy wines, mani-pedicures, plasma screen TV’s, loud music that promotes bad behavior and beating up your woman.

Before we had credit cards, litigious behavior, every one of your teen age kids demanding their own phone and car and credit cards, before we started having bad behavior and bad etiquette, people came together, I mean really came together, you knew your neighbors and you tired to work things out. Of course one had cranky and crazy neighbors back then as well but you at least felt you could do something. Not now.

Now it seems we can’t move unless we have one of these things, we can’t do business unless you are on the internet, we can’t go anywhere unless you have a fast car, we can’t get what we want unless we are in DEBT!!

Now I should know, because we are in debt having fallen into that trap, no I don’t get a mani-pedicure, although with my bad back I do go in to have an occasional pedicure but that is because of my bad back, otherwise I’d do my own.

But we made do---it was use it up, recycle it, fix it, save for it, or do without. Of course you can’t do without indoor plumbing, but if your T.V. is broke, then save to have it repaired and in the mean time do without.

I remember my car needed a 300 dollar repair job, I didn’t have the money, so I drove it back to my home, took the bus, saved up the money and then took it back to get it fixed, of course by that time it cost me $350 dollars, but that was O.K.

The shame of it is we are a throw away society, we can’t do that anymore, now a days I see people put things out on the curb with a sign that says ‘FREE” and by gum! People take the stuff.

The other day my Hunka and I saw two captains style chairs and the sign said “Free” we checked them out, one needed a little repair, both had paint on them but for us they were fine and nothing that a hammer and a nail can’t fix and they were just the right size that we needed.

Now for a long time I was on dial up inter access, yeah I got hooked on the internet, but in doing business I looked for a phone number, called them and asked it they would take a U.S. Postal Money Order---I wasn’t having my checking account or credit card number flying all over the ether. And 100 % of the time they would take it. U.S. POSTAL MONEY ORDER ---- for real money.

But if they say they only want this Pay Pal---forget it---I’ll walk away.

I’ve gotten to the point where I’m just paying down my credit cards, if I have any extra change that I can put aside I put it into a separate checking account and just use the debt card if they don’t take checks.

As a matter of fact I know one lady who was in a situation where she had no choice, she had to declare bankruptcy, she sold off almost all that she had, moved in with her folks, which was a good thing, because they were getting up there in years. She sold off the more expensive of her two cars, kept the other for emergencies. Took public transportation, brown bagged her lunch, rarely ate out, she did need an internet connection at home for her work, but she couldn’t have a credit card, so she got a debt card, knew exactly how much she would need to keep in it.

She would take a 2^nd seasonal job from time to time, no cable or satellite T.V. for her, but her folks were interested in the old T.V. shows, so they got cable T.V. but she let them pick the programs they wanted.

If she needed some clothes she’d go to a clothing on consignment store, the only things she’d buy new was underwear and shoes that could no longer be repaired, and of course personal hygiene stuff, to get her hair cut she’d go to the beauty school and got a hair cut that would just need a trim from time to time, no hair dye, no perms.

Her Mother didn’t need fancy clothing and would buy her clothes from catalogs, or sew her own, so this lady learned to sew as well, staying with basic pattern styles.

When Hallmark came out with the 99 cents cards, she was happy, she could afford to send birthday, anniversary, get well wishes to friends, and she found at the Target Store, savings in stationary for Thank you notes, of course she’s not happy with the postal rates going up, and she’s found that a lot of people like gift cards to stores that they go to when she wants to give a gift.

She has a male friend who takes her out on dates, like to the movies, or to a special event.

But she has no plans to get married, her Folks’ home is small, and old fashioned, but in a good neighborhood, and she told me that she has re-fallen in love with her Folks house, with the money she’s saved she’s been helping them fix it up, replacing worn out things, and such, she even had the kitchen done so that it looks like it did back in the 50’s but with new appliances that are retro looking when the old ones died, her parents are happy, she feels happy and her parents feel safe as well.

It will be another 5 years before her credit can be reestablished, but she’s discovered that she’s hasn’t felt it because she’s learned to do without.

The only thing that she’s discovered is that she does need her cell phone for emergencies, her internet connection so she can do some of her work from home, and her car for shopping, but she’s keeping her folks old car as well, it’s a Buick from the 1950’s and in great condition. She’s been building her savings up, and she knows she can afford things again. Her Folks are going to transfer things into her name, to avoid estate taxes and so they can get assistance without draining their finances.

She’s lucky, others aren’t but she’s learned to be frugal, and we should too.

Me and Hunka are trying but it’s hard, things come up, money is not there, we hate to use the credit card, but sometimes we have no choice. I’ve gotten to the point where I consider the credit card as a Loan from a Financial institution but you can’t take a tax write off, which makes things difficult.

My Hunka and I are learning to be very frugal, we take stuff to the recyclers for cash, Tapes, CD’s and such we don’t like we take to the Media shop and get credit to get something we’ll like, we get our books at the library, we shop from a grocery list, we pick up and roll pennies, we keep a sewing kit ready for repairs, clip coupons, watch the sales ads, price compare at gas stations and stores.

My brother and I have agreed since the kids are teens that Christmas will be just a holiday get together, no gift exchanges, who can afford it? Even the two Christmas parties we’re going to everyone was told keep the ornament gifting as much under $5 as possible.

And we are looking for every single tax deduction that we can take. And if you pay for something and it ain’t right we squawk good and loud, we don’t do business with “fly-by-night” businesses, only the ones that are solid and know they have to make good on their product.

I have a friend of mine, her web blog is listed right here on my Blog list, you should check her out La Diva Loca Fabulous aka the Crazy Fabulous Diva, and there is another lady who calls herself the Fabulous Diva, check out both their blog sites.

Anyway with the surgery I was out of work for a while, driving my Hunka Burnin’ Love up the wall, now don’t get me wrong. He took good care of me while I was recovering, most of the time for the first 3 weeks I just slept, because of the pain meds, and I’d tire out easily.

Beaucephus is glad that I’m back but Gingersnap is afraid to come near me, a friend of mine who is a sort of “Dog Whisperer” said that when we got Gingersnap that tumor was growing inside of me and the little one smelled it and thought it was a part of me, now it’s gone, I’m well and the dog has a hard time accepting me. DW said I have to go slow with the little thing, keep to the familiar routine, and on occasion give the dog bribes. Go figure.

One hard thing I’m doing, I have to sell my old car, my beloved Chevy Nova, I’ve had that car for 40 years, but for the last few I haven’t been able to afford getting it fixed, this guy that collects cars has made a very serious offer, I can’t refuse it, so he’s paid something down, and will pay the balance when he comes to get the car over Thanksgiving weekend.

He’s going to fix it up real nice and show the Nova off at different Car Rally’s, his wife wanted a car that represented the early 1960’s and my Nova fits the bill and it’s just her size. It’s going to be her car at the rally’s I’ve written about all the adventures I’ve had with my Car and she just loves it, so I gave her the binder of stories (I kept a copy).

The folks have got money, seems they were not hurt bad by the down turn, and my old Car will be in their garage out of the weather. They like to focus on the cars from the 50’s and early 60’s, but he has two that he really likes and won’t sell and she wanted one of her own. And my Nova was what she was looking for.

I’m going to really cry a lot when my car leaves, it’s my one and only, but I have no choice, I need the money.

As a matter of fact this surgery that I had was a bit of a wake up call for me, Hunka and I have been going through things, sorting things out, getting rid of junk, selling what we don’t use or can’t use, donating that which is still good, and even some of our neighbors have taken things off of our hands because they could use it.

So cleaning things out is a good thing, and it feels good, even if we only tackle just a corner when it looks good it feels good and that is important.

And Thanksgiving is coming up----that’s is going to be very interesting----it’s at my sister-in-laws sister’s house, she who had the frozen lasagna disaster a few years ago. That is going to be a very interesting situation. If you don’t remember my writing about it, check my earlier blogs on it.

Anyway that’s it for now, I’ve got some chicken to bake and coupons to clip and a couple of skirt hems to mend.

And I’ve got to rest up and find out what I can rant about…. There’s a few things, but I’m not sure how topical they are going to be.

Mean Kitty just mellowing out.

Of Idiots and other things~~~~~

I'm still alive, and I've been busy, very busy.

Been to a Book Sale (love books) Been to a Gun Show (Love Guns)

And I'll talk about them later, I also (some of you can get jealous) met the Fabulous Diva at the Gun Show, I didn't know that she lived near by (only goes to show what a small world) and she is one very beautiful lady, reminds me of Ava Gardner. But tall! and a figure! No wonder the guys there were eye-balling her (when they could take their eyes away from the Semi-Automatics).

But the sweetest, nicest lady you'd ever want to meet. I Like Her, so did my Hunka Burnin' Love but he knows who he's going home with. Hee, Hee. She had an elderly lady with her that I thought might be her Grandma, turned out it was a neighbor lady, seems they've adopted each other. That's nice.

Anyway I'm pissed right now, I could chew 10 penny nails, it seems that Ron Dellums, the Mayor of Oakland (aka Dum, Dum---Fabulous borrowed that from me) is planning to lay off, LAY OFF 140 police officers!!!!

YOU DON'T LAY OFF 140 POLICE OFFICERS!!! What is this man Thinking??!! Wait---he's not thinking----his wife does the thinking for him!!

He wants to lay off this many police officers, put the people of Oakland in serious jeopardy because HE wants to SAVE MONEY~~~Why doesn't he start saving money by cutting the saleries of those who are in his office and on his city Council.

You don't put the people in danger, but he---Mr. Dum, Dum is willing to put people in danger (Oh did I tell you he's African American---now I have nothing against African Americans, Many are my friends and co-workers and we all work hard for our money)

But even my co-workers are complaining about Mr. Dum, Dum they want him OUT of Office, not that I blame them, I'd want him out too putting my life in danger like that.

No sensible person would do that, maybe a hiring freeze, but not layoffs in city protection.

It means that the only person who can protect themselves is themselves, GUN RIGHTS!!! GUN RIGHTS!!! PROTECT THE 2ND AMENDMENT!!!! Especially with idiots like that in office.

And on top of that They were able to prove through DNA evidence that Lovell Moxin, the SOB who killed those 4 police officers, was a serial rapist, A SERIAL RAPIST--- Seems his robbed and raped two women 8 hours before he killed those 4 officers and 2 weeks before that he raped a 12 year old girl, and a month before that he robbed and did some harm to a husband and wife in Folsom, (where he may have got the guns) and it seems they can tie him to a number of other rapes as well all in his own neighborhood.

So Moxin the murderer, was a monster, killing 4 police officers without conscious, you know he stood over the first two and put bullets into them to make sure they were dead---witnesses saw him do that, and now Dum, Dum Dellums wants to lay off 140 police officers, this is a slap in the face of Oakland's finest----

Hey Dellums is this because all 4 families didn't want you to speak at the Funeral because they know you are NOT pro-police force---are you some kind of Wimp?? Is this your way of getting back at the entire Oakland Police Force who are sworn to protect and Serve? Man I hope everyone votes you out of office and that you never hold another political position where you could do any more harm.

One of my friends (who is African-American) is a police officer and even he wants Dellums out of office---hey, when you are a cop you bleed blue. There is no color barrier!

O.K. Kitty calm down---have a cup of coffee.

O.K. now I've also been e-mailing to the members on the Senate appropreations committee at our State Capitol to Reject AB or is it SB 962 the limitations on the sale of ammo, some of them have read my e-mails, but a couple of them didn't Like Hall, and one other whose name I can't remember but one of them took the time to e-mail me back!

A response to my e-mail!!! She is Diane Harkey representative of the 73rd District, and she also opposes 962 and belives in gun rights, she saw every one of my points and said she will oppose 962 and work to persuade the committe that it is a useless law.

If this Lady ever runs for Governer of California I WILL VOTE FOR HER!!!

O.K. now I've got to go, Hunka Burnin' Love and I have some work we have to do, I'm gettin' rid of a lot of junk that I don't need, I'm mean the stuff is still useable, so we'll donate it to Goodwill or Salvation Army or St. Vincent De Paul, I mean someone can use it.

Oh and to a certain someone who likes to read my blog, her first name starts with the letter F, hey Lady, e-mail me let me know how you are doin'.

Time to Check In~~~

Well Folks I guess you thought that I had disappeared off the face of this here Earth~~~

Sorry to disappoint you. (Hee, Hee) Yep! I' m one cantankerous person, Can't keep me down.

So I've been busy, very busy----life has a way of interrupting having fun. I think they call it work.

Well I've been doing that, doin' taxes, doin' a re-fi on the home mortgage (gotta take advantage of the lower interest rates), takin' care of my Hunka burnin' love, the dogs---I've got two of them now.

The second one only weighs 13 pounds, looks like a little fox, I've started calling her "evil dog", she just too smart for her own good, she doesn't bite but she don't like being brushed or washed or picked up---evil dog. But she don't want anyone to get into my space so she puts all 13 pounds between me and any stranger, don't know what she'll do---maybe bite their ankles----evil little dog.

But the little think just loves to be loved. Can't argue with that and she gets along well with Hailey the wonder dog, so can't complain about that.

So anyway I've been busy. When I have more time I will post some rants---lately there has been too much to rant about. The 4 cops who got killed by a parolee that jumped parole and managed to get an illegal gun---now remember I'm stressing illegal----and all these political mental midgets want more gun bans----Gun BANNS DON'T WORK ON THE CRIMINALS!!!

CAN'T YOU IDIOTS REALIZE THAT???!!! THE CRIMINALS WILL IGNORE GUN BANNS!!!

AND REMEMBER THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS WHAT PROTECTS THE REST OF THE OTHER AMENDMENTS!!!

Boy I'm going to have fun later this year, they called me up for jury duty---had to post pone it.

But when I go in and they ask me questions I'll have fun telling them "Hey I'm a member of SASS, a Cowboy re-enactment group, a member of a gun club and I'm a card carrying member of the NRA, Charlton Heston and John Wayne are my gods, and I'm a strong believer in the 2nd Amendment" Boy there are going to be some lawyers that will want me off that jury in a hurry!!! (Hee, Hee)

But believe me folks----there are a lot of people who never had a gun before, but are now taking gun safety training and lessons and are joining up. Even my Brother Bubba, he was formerly a liberal Democrat, even his brother-in-law was a liberal Democrat (am I spelling that word right?)

And Guess What!---They are now card caring, gun toting members of the NRA and are Republicans!! They do not trust Obama's crew and I have to laugh because they know that I told them 20 years ago---"Hey you'se guys are going to be thinking like ME!!" And Guess What! They are.

So who has the last laugh----I tell ya folks---we are going back to the old wild west---the cops can't be every where. They say that the meek shall inherit the earth----and I say where at?

If you watch the movie the Magnificent 7---(love it) the old Mexican tells the farmers "Fight!" because a bad guy is stealing their food and terrorizing the village---so with what little they have they go to a big town to buy guns---but the Gunfighter says "Gunfighters are cheaper than guns" and the 7 gunfighters teach the villagers how to fight. In the end some of the gunfighters die (well they have to in this story and in life) but some live---one young gunfighter decides to settle down but we know he has the ability to teach his people to fight----the old Mexican says to the last two gunfighters "the farmers win, but you are like the scouring wind that rids the land of locusts"

So what does it all mean? Simple, maybe too simple----the cops can't be everywhere---and most of the people are like the defenseless farmers---ripe for having their stuff stolen----so people need to arm themselves and from time to time be like "the scouring wind that rids the land of locusts".

SO "COWBOY UP" PEOPLE, FIGHT TO KEEP YOUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS!!! OTHERWISE THE LOCUSTS WILL EAT YOU ALIVE BECAUSE THE IDIOT POLITICOS WILL HAVE MADE YOU TOOTHLESS!!


And that's the bottom line.

(see I did have something to rant about)

Whooo Weeee Someone is really Ticked off~~~

And I can't blame her.

There's this gal whose blog I've been following and I've sent comments to her and she's been nice enough to keep them private, but she must be Royally Mad about something and the funny thing is she is going to delete her Blog.

Ya know I can understand why she feels this way, I have had people slap me down just when I think I can trust them, well if you slap a puppy too many times, they'll respect you but not out of trust or love, but out of fear and no one should try and keep a friendship going if they'se goin' to get slapped for something that was not understood.

Anyway if you want to get an idea of how mad she is just check out her Blog while it's still around before she deletes it. It's //thedivafabulous.blogspot.com

The only reason I knew about it so quick is that I was correcting some things on my Blog and then I backtracked to my Dashboard and there it was.

And I thought I was "Mean". At least she says it with class. Now I've got to send a post to her to let her know that I like her.

I'm goin' to miss her.

Just another update

Well Folks, all I can say is I've been busy---- you know like 'BUSY"!!!!

Between work and paying bills, and trying to get things fixed it hasn't been easy.

Now some of you remember that I had a 'kidney stone' attack---something I don't wish on my friends but I sure as heck wish it on my worst enemies. Never had anything so painful.

Well the doc says that I'm going to have to have treatment, now not right away, line it up sometime after June--well at least it will be warmer, because right now it's colder than a well diggers butt or a frozen butterball turkey.

I have just not had time to take in all things that have been happening, but I'm prayin' for the folks down in Australia, I remember the Oakland Fire Storm back in October of 1989 at least I think it was 89 , I always get it confused with the Loma Preita earthquake, come to think of it it was the earthquake first and then the fire. Or is it the other way around---oh heck! My brain is fried!!!

Well anyway that Fire Storm was the devils own work, but it wasn't delibrate mostly done by stupidity, but still 25 people lost their lives and hundreds of homes almost vaporized and having all those euculiptus trees didn't help, they have a flamable oil in their leaves and bark, which I think helped the fire to crown as they call it.

Last time something like that happened around here was back in either 1922 or 1927, Berkeley almost was burned out, and the way that town has gone that might have been a good thing. But it was the same thing a fire storm. Just horrible.

I've come across another ladies blog, I like the way she writes, 'course it's mostly about her and her family but when she wrote about her little trip to Santa Cruz it was better than a Rick Steven's travel log. And she includes links as well.

Well me and My hunka burnin' love have joined a cowboy re-enactment group, they call themselves "the Gunfighters of the old west" they do both historical re-enactments as well as puttin' on an entertainin' show for other events.

Now right now the group is booked to do a "hanging' for a dinner that is honoring some speical person, and we are going to bust right in and make like we are going to 'hang' the person---did I tell you that my group is a bunch of fun lovin' people?

Trust me Folks it's all in fun, and no one gets hurt, I'm going to be playing an irrascable 'granny' character, without my false teeth "I tell ya sonny boy, you haven't lived till you been kissed by a toothless woman" well that's how I'm going to play her no teeth and red bloomers. Can you just picture that?

And for Valentine's day me and Hunka are going to a gun show, yep a gun show! The lovin' couple that shoots together stays together.

Well on that note I've got to go, the timer went off on dinner. We're having chicken tonight and the dogs are salivatin' , they hear that bell and that's it. You know who's trained around her.

Mean Kitty trying to get warm--feels like a "three-dog night"

Happy New Years for 2009!!!

I can’t believe it!

I survived Christmas and New Years!!

Considering how December of 2008 started I was wondering if 2009 was going to be the same way.

In one night a crazy neighbor’s son cuts our phone lines, I get a kidney stone attack and Hunka rushes me to the ER. Then dealing with Crazy Neighbors son’s parents (they really are O.K. it’s their son that’s nuts) getting the phone company to fix the lines, calling the cops, then having a sink link, plus trying to find enough money to pay the bills and have a decent Christmas, on top of that realizing that Christmas dinner was going to be at T.M.’s house, it really turned out O.K.

Not fantastic but nice. Of course we still have to get the bathroom sink fixed, I still have to talk to a lawyer, then putting stuff together for income tax time (really looking forward to that), but we survived.

New Year’s Eve and day was really quiet, we don’t watch the football games, and we’re not into that. So on new Year’s eve, Hunka and I with the dogs on the bed, watched a James Bond video, then we switched to Channel 2 to watch Robbie Kenivel jump over the volcano in Las Vegas, did the Dick Clark count down and we opened the front door and toasted each other with sparking cider to welcome in 2009. Some body was setting off fireworks, and the neighbors down the block were having a party and everyone was outside in the cold, yelling and whooping it up.

So we listened to the noise, said “Uh huh, Happy New Years to each other” and went to bed.

I remember years ago before I met Hunka, I rarely went out on New Years; there really wasn’t any place to go to. So Mom and I we went to bed after the news, I’d read a little bit, so did Mom in her bedroom and then we’d hear the whistles go off and people yelling and Mom would say from her bedroom “Happy New Years Sweetheart” and I’d get out of my warm bed and go to her bedroom and kiss her on the forehead and say “Happy New Years Mom” and we’d smile.

There was one time I did go to a New Years Party that some friends of mine were throwing I asked Mom if it was alright and she said “Go, you never go out on New Years, Go, I’ll be fine”

Well I did and I did have a good time, but a half hour before Midnight I felt that I had to get home fast, so I told my friends I wasn’t feeling too good but thanks for the party and left, good thing too, when I got to my block there were fire trucks all over the place I couldn’t get near the house with my car, so I parked it in a neighbors drive way (he said it was fine I could pick it up the next morning) and ran to my house, the firemen stopped me but I said I had to get to my Mom’s house, they wouldn’t let me through, so I ran to the other side of the street, and several neighbors helped me get over the fences so I got to the other side, Mom’s house was two houses over from the fire, and Mom was on the front porch, scared as anything.

I grabbed the garden hose, got a ladder and went up to the roof and started hosing down the roof, the good thing is that the wind was calm and what there was of it was blowing away from the house, so here I am up on the roof, in my good dress and coat, getting wet and cold and not stopping hosing down the roof until the firemen had the other fire under control.

Then I looked at my watch and saw that it was 30 seconds to midnight, holding on to the ladder and the hose I looked down and saw that my Mom was looking up holding the bottom of the ladder and I yelled down to her “HAPPY NEW YEAR MOM!!” and she yelled up at me “HAPPY NEW YEAR SWEETHEART!!” Then we heard everyone else yelling Happy New Year and applauding the firemen---they rescued an elderly man out of the house, and no one was hurt.

When I came down off the ladder, a couple of neighbors helped me take it down, I just didn’t have the strength, and how I got it up I don’t know. I looked at Mom and she looked at me all wet and cold and said “What made you come home?” I said “I missed you”
There was nothing to look at and I was freezing, so Mom threw me into a hot shower, and got my flannel p.j.’s, robe and slippers. When I toweled off I went into the Kitchen and Mom had a mug of hot coco for me, she changed too, and the firemen were still mopping up two houses down.

She looked at me and said “We can straighten things out tomorrow, tonight you rest”, the next day, I was still in my robe but I slipped on some shoes and moved my car out of the neighbors driveway, and went in, Mom fixed breakfast and said “It’s a good thing we’re going to your Aunt and Uncle’s house for New Year’s Dinner after all that excitement I don’t see how we could put one on.” I smiled at her and said “yeah but we’ve got a great story to tell.”

Now that was nearly 40 years ago, my nice dress and coat was a total loss, I didn’t realize it had gotten ripped and even some burn holes, my shoes were a total loss as well and I only wore them that one night----***sigh*** Well when the relatives heard what had happened, without my knowing they gave Mom some money to replace what I lost, when you compare the cost of today’s stuff from 40 years ago the amount doesn’t seem like much, but back then a dollar was worth a dollar and I had bought my stuff from the Grey Shoppe, an expensive store back then (long gone) since they were having a new years sale, we went back and I was able to replace my stuff at a bargain price and get a new coat for Mom.

That was a long time ago but as a New Years celebration it stands out in my mind.

Now thinking about things currently I find that things are just too scary, and too much of Wall Street, Banks, the Government is interfering with our lives and all we want to do is live simply. And the Big scary part is that 2008 went by really fast---I mean real fast. I’d like 2009 to slow down a bit and be a bit easier and not so complicated.

I think that will be my New Years Resolution, uncomplicate my life, and it will start with the credit cards.

Maybe that should be everyone’s New Years Resolution, Simplify and Uncomplicate things, cash and carry, save and save.

Now that would be fine, I just have to light a fire under Hunka’s butt and get him in gear.

Anyway, Happy New Years everyone, and I’ll see what I can complain about for 2009.

Mean Kitty signing off, and making a “Honey-Do List”

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year~~~

Hey Folks I’m back,

Yeah and I know it’s been a long time blogging, but I’ve been having a LOT OF FUN!!! (She says snidely).

Well let’s see, my neighbor’s crazy son cut my phone lines, so I had to deal with the cops, the telephone repair people, the crazy kids’ parents (I told them if there is a bill they are getting it or I’ll take them to small claims court).

Then I had a kidney stone attack, My hunka, hunka burnin’ love rushed me to the ER where an admitting clerk sweetly asks me “and on a pain level of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest where are you” and I said “20!! And if I don’t get some pain meds I’m gonna bite your arm off!!” They admitted me in a hurry.

I have to say it was my first kidney stone attack and I hope I don’t have any more, no fun, but the “happy juice” was fine—Wheeeee! Well long story short, I passed the little sucker, but it’s got relatives, so the doc wants to treat them before they get bigger, gotta do it but I ain’t looking forward to it.

Then the sink in the bathroom develops a leak, I go to the bathroom at 5 a.m. (in the dark ‘cause I don’t really want to wake up) and splat, splat, so I yell out to Hunka “Did the Dogs pee here in the bathroom?” Nope just a dag blasted leaky faucet.

Now this is all in one week, My Daddy use to say “God only gives you what you can handle” well that’s just fine, but did it have to be in the same week????

***Sigh*** so I’m balancing the check book, realize that I hadn’t put anything into the Xmas club account, so I’m figuring out how to rob peter to pay Paul, I tell Hunka “Sweets, don’t give me no Christmas present this year, as a matter of fact, I don’t need a birthday present, a mother’s day present, a valentines day present and I don’t need a present for next Christmas” and Hunka asks me why and I show him the budget and the hole we’re in, the repairs that need to be done (including the leaky faucet).

He looks at it and says “Well I guess the bad economy has hit us too. But what’s on the plus side?” Well we have an affordable mortgage, we can pay the bills that we have, we have an income but not much in “disposable income” and we have a couple of repairs that need to be done.

Well I have to say that my Man and I we put our heads together and we came up with a game plan, we were able to buy gift certificates to our favorite book store that everyone in the family likes to go to, we had enough money to buy the food we needed to take to the family dinner and we could pay for gas for the car.

So Hunka says “well I guess its rolling pennies for gas and Mac and Cheese for a while” and instead of watching T.V. we kicked ideas to raise more money to put in the “repair fund” And that’s our New Years Resolutions as well.

Can we do it? Of course we can, we’ve tightened the belt before, and we can do it again. We just have to be creative.

Christmas dinner turned out to be again at Typhoid Mary’s house (Why God? Why? I said to myself) but this time it wasn’t so bad, seems her daughter decided to take over and make sure things went well and can that girl organize, we did it pot luck style, with her planning the menu and asking each of the family members what we could bring, Well I said I could bring 3 kinds of veggies, with the appropriate sauces with them. So all they had to be was just heated at T.M. house.

And everyone else brought something, like stuffing, Manaconi and cheese, yams, pies (3 kinds), roasted red potatoes, herb rolls, butter, gravies for the ham and turkey, soft drinks, sparkling cider, sweet pickles, olives, cream and sugar for coffee, a small turkey, and a spiral cut ham, and they all arrived on the table nice and warm without being chilled or burning the mouth. There were hardly any leftovers and we told T.M.’s Daughter she can plan the next holiday party, she was pretty proud of herself and the house was warm, yee haa!

My Hunka, and my Bro and his wife (they’re doing the same as us) we took it as a sign that things are going to get better.

So after we left the house with full bellies and good wishes and tons of hugs and kisses (we are a loving group) Hunka and I got into our SUV, but I said wait a minute and I gave Hunka a card---It was the perfect card, it told Hunka how much I love the big mug, and he got all misty-eyed, then he said to me “We’re not going home right yet,” and instead we drove to “Christmas Tree Lane” and everyone’s house is all decorated with lights and figures, and playing music and everything, we weren’t the only ones, there were other people there too, taking photos and just being happy.

We hadn’t gone to “Christmas tree lane” in the last several years, because of the crowds but this time we went and all the other houses near by were all lit up too, it didn’t feel cold and gloomy anymore. We ran into friends we hadn’t seen in quiet a while and did a fast catch up, they told us what they were going through and had made financial plans like us and for some reason we all felt good about next year.

The radio was playing “Silent Night” and it felt right --- it felt right that next year will be better, we can do with less and by doing that we get more.

So belated Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy and Better New Years.


Mean Kitty snuggling up to her Hunka, Hunka Burnin’ Love and settling down for a nice warm nap.

Adopting a dog

Arrrgh Folks,

I don’t know if I’m dumb or too big a softie. My Hunka volunteers at the local animal shelter working with the big dogs and he told me about this pee-wee dog that was dumped by its female owner after having the dog for 12 years----Yeah folks dumped!!

Seems that she has 3 boys ages 5 to 9 and not a single one of them pay attention to the dog or if they do they have been too rough with it. They don’t even pay attention when the dog signals that it has to go out side to the bath room, so it winds up peeing and pooping in the house.

So after 12 years of ownership the woman drops the dog off, dragging her kids in as well, at the animal shelter saying “It’s not working out”.

The staff at the shelter were shocked, just dropping the dog off like unwanted clothing, after having the dog for 12 years!!! Heck she should have kept the dog and dump the kids!

So the dog, whose name is Gin-Gin, weighs all of 10 pounds is a Papillion mix, looks like a little fox, is put into one of the holding cells, to get checked out and hopefully adopted, the problem is no one wants to adopt an elder dog, especially one that has 12 years of “bad tapes”.

Now Hunka is talking to me about this little dog (she’s a female), and the callousness of the owner, so during one of the warm days the shelter is having an ice cream social for the volunteers and their guest, and I see Gin-Gin and she had such a confused sad look in her eyes, so I said “If that dog is not adopted by (a certain date) we’ll adopt her”---Duh did I say that???!!! Well I did---O.K. I’m a softie.

So that ‘certain date’ came and went and no one even looked at her, so she became a member of our family, of course there is a period of adjustment, like Beaucephuse has to let her know what the pecking order is and we have to read her “body language”, she does now understand the routine that when Beaucephuse goes out to the bathroom she’s gotta go too and do her 1’s and 2’s and she’s pretty good about it, although because they’re dogs, we do put paper down in the kitchen and she learned real good that if it’s on the paper she gets praised.

Of course what bugged us is that she didn’t want to sleep on this nice sleeping blanket, Beau has one and we got one for her but she’d just crawl under the bed and sleep there. Well that was puzzlement, then we put it down to 12 years of bad tapes, but recently that worked itself out.

One Sunday evening we were watching Retro Night on T.V. 20 (I think it was the “Adams Family”) when all of a sudden Gin-Gin hops onto the bed that Hunka and I were sitting on (it’s really comfortable and nice and warm during the Winter), she looks at us and we look at her, (now what, I think) and then she slowly walks up to us and curls up between the two of us, then Beau hops up and she curls up right at our knees, after a bit they both stretch out and I hear a very contented sigh coming from Gin-Gin, Hunka looks at me and says “Good thing we’ve got a big bed and a beat up quilt, otherwise it be mighty crowded here”.

So now when we watch T.V. or read and listen to music on the radio it’s all 4 of us on the bed, last night for some reason, it was real quiet and Hunka put on a Christmas CD by mistake, all nice and guitar, and it’s playing “Silent Night”, Hunka is reading his western novel and I’m fixing a hem on my skirt, and the dogs let out a collective sigh after having their bellies full of good food.

We heard that collective sigh and Hunka and I looked at each other and smiled, Yeah Beaucephus and Gin-Gin, it can’t get much better than this.

Mean Kitty signing off---all contented and beginning to feel Christmassey.

“Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.”----Edna Ferber

We are So Screwed!

Well Folks I guess you thought I’d forgot about this place.

I didn’t, I’ve just been busy. Work and Health.

And I am so glad that mockery of an election is OVER!!!!

What is with this overwhelming mis-guided, mis-placed adoration of Obama---He’s not Jesus H. Christ!!!!

It almost made me puke the way that people were crying and weeping over him after winning, women mostly, like he was some sort of rock star!

Why are they moaning after a guy who is going to bring communist style politics to our U.S. of A.?

Just remember folks, he’s inheriting the mess that was set up by LBJ and JFK and he’s made a lot of promises that he’s not going to be able to keep. He’s also going to weaken our security.

We are going to be targets for terrorists. In 6 months after he takes office he’s going to be tested, watch for it. And this country will be such a joke

He’s just going to be a puppet for the Democratic party and it’s Bidin who will be pulling the strings.

I didn’t vote for him. I don’t vote for a puppet----So he’s not my president and I have no respect for him and I weep for my country that voted on emotion and not on logic.

Bottom Line----WE ARE SO SCREWED!!!!

Mean Kitty signing off---snarling.

Yard Sales and Dogs

Well Howdy-Do Folks,

I’ve been having a most interesting weekend, starting on Friday night.

Well Friday night me and my Hunka, Hunka Burnin’ Love were settling down in bed to watch T.V. and no I don’t mean Jay Leno.

With my bum knee it’s much easier for me to sit in bed upright and watch T.V. and be comfortable. So Hunka to not feel lonely joined me, and so did Beaucephus the dog.

Did you know that dogs have a way of making a person move out of the bed without out them moving a muscle? That’s a fact. Our dog Beaucephus is a wizard at that trick. Old Beau will just lie there not twitch a hair and the next thing I know either me or Hunka is out of the bed and the dog has taken over. How do they do that??!! They don’t move a muscle and yet they manage to take over the whole dang bed!! I have never seen a cat do that maneuver.

Cats just give you the evil eye if you move. But dogs, they just spread themselves out like unwanted in-laws that drop by without telephoning. Science should study that, there maybe a secret weapon in that maneuver.

Anyway we all are getting comfy, cozy going to watch “Smackdown” wrestling, although I’ve been grumbling because the Undertaker was forced to leave the show although Triple H ain’t a bad substitute but he’s no Undertaker.

So the show comes on and Vickie and Edge are having their little talk and Vickie (cause she found out that Edge was fooling around before the wedding) plays a real good trick on Edge. She announces that the Undertaker is returning to Smackdown and at “Summer Slam” will compete against Edge in a “hell in a cell” match!

Well I just screamed “YYYYEEESSSSSS!!!” and I’m sure that the neighbors were thinking that Hunka and I were doing something naughty but who cares, all though the young guys on the block were looking at Hunka the next day with smiles on their faces and saying “way ta go man” and Hunka didn’t have a clue, until an hour later then his face turned 10 shades of red and it wasn’t a Sunburn.

Anyway, Hunka was happy too about the Undertakers return and said “that is righteous!”

So now all is right in a section of my world.

So on the weekend I’m doing a Yard sale.

Yard sales are a great way to get rid of things you no longer need, but is of some use to other people and you can get some extra money.

But I take it a step further, what doesn’t sell that I don’t want to hang on to, I box up and donate to a charity. So I may not get cash, but I do get a tax-write off which works just as good and is like cash in the bank later.

And it just so happens that a charity is doing their pick up drive the week after I do the yard sale, so I don’t even have to drop it off someplace, and that works for me and saves gas and time.

Now some people will take a yard sale even one more step, especially if the weather is fine. What they will do is have a bunch of their friends come over with things to sell and have a bar-b-que as well. And if that is not having fun with friends and making money then I don’t know what is.

Oh and how did I do on my yard sale? Got rid of 2/3’s of the stuff I didn’t want to keep, am donating almost half of what is left and the rest, well that’s no problem since I’m having another yard sale next month and I know that will all go.

Now that is Recycling!!

Now if I can just figure out how Beaucephus can take over the whole bed without moving I’ll have it made.

Mean Kitty signing off relaxing.