Gasp...wheeze.....

Here it is June and we've already broken into triple digits. I live in Texas. I know it gets hot. I just wasn't expecting it to do it this soon.

A.C.'s been running a lot lately, even using ceiling fans and box fans to help it seem cooler. Somehow one of the box fans from last year has disappeared - not in the house, not in the attic, and I can't seem to find it buried in the garage either. So, I've spent part of this morning looking online for a fan. I wanted to see what was available at the closest stores. Here's the interesting thing - when you find something online at one of the big box stores or home improvement stores, the very one you want is 1.) Out of Stock, 2.) Only sold online, 3.) If you do buy it online it takes 2-3 weeks to ship. Found a really nice dark blue fan I coveted, then read the estimated arrival time and it's sometime in mid-July. I could die of heatstroke by then! Well, not really of course, but you get my point. So, I guess I'm just heading to one of the local places and buy one of the common box fan varieties - grey box, white grid, white blades. So much for creativity...

Another interesting problem is the sound has begun it's hot weather trick and goes in and out on my car audio system. It started last summer, but would fade in and out. This summer it goes off and stays off for a couple of days and then I'll get back in the car, turn the key and suddenly the radio starts up again. I've called around to several places, explained what it does, ("As soon as it hits high 90's-100's, and I hit any type of bump in the street the sound disappears....) and gotten a half dozen explanations. The radio is still operating - I can see what song is playing - just can't hear anything. I've also gotten varying repair costs, or no cost at all until they 'see it and make sure what it is.' One place wanted to charge around $300, telling me the problem was actually inside the radio and they would have to pull the system out to work on it. Might as well get a new sound system installed for that amount of money. So, I guess I'll wait until the weather cools down in September to listen to uninterrupted music.

Hot weather. Gotta love it.

um..okay...ready for fall

All of a sudden it's, like, 99 degrees outside. I keep forgetting and start begging to go outside...until someone laughs and lets me out. I try and put up a good front, you know, like pretending the heat doesn't bother me, me with a fur coat 'n all ya know, but the first time someone says, "Ready to go back inside?" I just zip up on the deck and stand by the door until it opens and I can slip back inside where it's cool. Don't understand why it goes from pleasant to hot, hot to pleasant and then pleasant to cold and icy. All within just a few months. Seems like we just had all that slick stuff on the ground, then it got really nice for a couple days; now it's miserably hot. Jeez.

Not so much road construction anymore, so even if I do go out it's not so loud. I still keep an escape path handy to the deck and can slide under the glider in a flash because the occasional earth moving machine comes roaring by. Wish they'd get done and leave us alone.

Here's a picture of me after being outside for a while...just trying to cool off you understand...

It's About to Be Summer

We've had a lot of rain recently, but I think it's about to 'burst' into Summer. It was nice to have 60 and 70 degree days, but right now it's 93. The high temperature for the rest of the week looks even higher. The hot weather is upon us; I'm just praying the air conditioner doesn't go out again this summer. Can't afford a new one so have to try and keep the old one working.

Didn't get the job at the office I thought I might. Instead they hired a woman who knows nothing about what's going on so has to be trained to even log into the computer. Interviewed for another job at another site, but let's just say I'm not holding my breath. I'm thinking I really would like to follow Jypsy's suggestion and work through August when the contract expires and then just try and get the book edited. I so want to do something with this. Just have to bide my time until I can have enough time (in big enough blocks) to finalize it.

No other news. A little envious of my brother and sister-in-law who are heading soon to the coolness of the Oregon coast for the summer. Must be really nice. I figure I'll never be able to retire and do something like that due to my unemployment situation for the last three years that's pretty much run me out of money. I'm assuming at some point you'll be able to spot me at the front doors of Walmart welcoming people as a Walmart Greeter. Unless, of course, I can do something with this dang book....and the other one I'm already 115 pages into.....Jeez.

Not much else going on here in the Lone Star State. Don't even have a recent picture of the cat - although she's done so many hysterical things lately. Hope the few who follow are enjoying the beginnings of Summer. Til next time, amigos and amoureux des chats!

Gonna have to do something about my grumpy Staff person

Sheesh. Staff person has been, like, a bear to live with. She's cranky when she gets up and, truthfully, she doesn't get much better as the day progresses. I know she's tried really hard at the place where she's working, but some of the stuff I overhear makes me glad I get to stay home and sleep all day. People have been really rude to her and the job she applied for? Even though she's been there 6 months and feels like she's learned a lot of the things she needs to know, they hired someone from outside who doesn't know anything and will have to be trained from scratch. Staff person decided it was their loss and not hers (YAY MOM!), and when her contract ends in August she's hoping to be able to finish editing her book and maybe get it published. She used to sit at the computer a LOT and write - like for hours at a time - but has done very little of that lately. She's tired when she gets home and growls and is obviously not a happy camper. Not to mention she's put on a coupla pounds too. (Don't tell her I said that! She'll KILL me!)

She also lost another friend. The person she would meet at the gym and then go out for coffee with got laid off and left today to move back to Seattle. She's bummed. I kinda don't even like being around her - I've spent a lot of time in the front room with the guy who's staying there. I think she thinks I've abandoned her, but she's just so...GRUMPY all the time.

I'd like for her to either get the darn book finished or find a place where she can work and be happy. Staff person 'happy' is a totally different person from staff person 'not happy'. Wish I could meow enuff to convince someone to hire her. Although, if truth be known, I'd rather have her right here, banging away on the computer.

What's a kitty to do? I said a little prayer for her the other day. Hopefully someone was listening.

Losing Friends

It's hard to lose a friend. Doesn't matter if it's someone you've known for most of your life (that one really hurt) or someone you met just a few short months ago.

Oh, I'm not talking about someone moving on to their heavenly rewards, no, not at all. I'm talking about having a friend, enjoying them almost every single day, and then for whatever reason, they move on and leave your life. I count friends as one of the major benefits of my life and they're pretty important to me.

I met a young man several months ago who was a temp in the office I'm currently working in. Politically he's on the 'other side of the fence' from me. He has that capability however, to converse in calm and measured tones, and to make sense about what he's saying, because, in reality, he's not that different...only he is. Does that make any sense?

He's a very unique human being in a lot of ways. He's done more in his short life (much shorter than mine anyway) than I can ever hope to accomplish. His main focus is music, and it's quite amusing that his name is a European form of 'music', but he's more into Country music than I am. He's passed around some sample country cd's he's been associated with, and while I like them and listen to them, I still consider myself an old rock and roller. He's worked for country music stations, designing programs they've eventually asked him to host on air because he's the best man for the job. He's produced country music videos. He knows everyone that's anyone in Texas country music. For pete's sake, he has WILLIE NELSON on his cell phone message telling you to "... call back and, maybe you'll get Willie, but probably you'll get (my country music producing friend's name here) so just leave a message." Gah!

I can call him a 'good kid' because he seems really young. I thought he was about 27; turns out he just turned 42, but in my life that counts as a young whippersnapper. He's got his head on straight. Things have been pretty difficult for him lately and he made the decision to quit his temp job and move to a ranch where he has steady work for a few months and an inexpensive place to live. It will allow him to corral his finances and make some money while he figures out his next step. It makes perfect sense to me and is an excellent decision, but I admit I'm going to miss him. A lot. His amazing sense of humor and unbelievable intelligence have made work interesting. He makes more sense than anyone I've met lately, about everything. "In America we read left to right and top to bottom." I'm not explaining that; let's just say he willingly took the blow for that one against a wall of umbrage.

One of the other temps and I gave him an 'exit interview' last week. We met for happy hour at a local watering hole. We got his opinion on every single person in the place, (well, except for us, but I think we had immunity since we were buying him drinks) and we were laughing so hard I thought Donna was going to spit in her margarita. We talked about tv, music, mexican food and the weather. Several other topics were analyzed; some while trying to drink without snorting and some with all due seriousness. I must add I think he had started on the adult beverages without us, but that's okay too.

So, John. Please stay in touch. And of course I have your number with Willie telling me to leave a message; if I leave a message you or Willie damn sure better call back. And if you ever get to town, you are under threat of death to let me know so I can at least take you out for a beer or a margarita or something alcoholic. Gonna miss you, dude.

p.s. Borrowed your FB pic, hope you don't mind. If you do, hey, too bad!

Finally!

Ah. The temperatures outside are almost perfect. It's wonderful to stretch out in the grass and just watch over my dominion - which is, of course, the backyard. It did get a little nippy a few days ago, but only in the mornings. Afternoons are wonderful.

Well, with one exception. There seems to be an awful lot of loud noises on the other side of the fence. Now, I'm no scaredy cat, but I learned from my early days on the streets that if something is making a whole lotta noise, it's usually much bigger than you are and your chances for winning a fight with it are next to none. The noises start up early in the morning and go until late afternoon. I'm not so much on venturing out since I never know if whatever is making that horrible noise is going to jump the fence and chase me. Sooooo....I just stay inside where I know I'm safe. Oh, well, I guess I should say, I'll go out if staff person or the guy in the front room goes out with me. NOT that I need protection or anything, but they go in and out the door and I can always slip back inside. Or get under the chair they're sitting in.

I guess staff person is going to continue to be gone during the days. She's sometimes just a wee bit irritable when she gets home, moaning about how much she has to do and not enough time to do it in, but I just do what I do best...I fall over and stretch so she can reach down and rub my belly and she starts laughing. Shortly after she gets home the noise stops and she and I go outside for a bit. It's nice. I think it lets her relax a little, and of course, I'M outside so I sure don't mind. Sometimes it relaxes me as well, and I just have to take a little nap. And if I'm under that seated swingy thing that staff person is sitting on, all the better. You know, even bricks make a good pillow sometimes....

Boy, time flies when you have to get up and leave the house early, get home exhausted and veg on the sofa so that you have to spend your weekend doing all the things you used to do during the week.

I know. Whine, whine, whine. I'm very grateful to have money coming every single week. It's great to be able to pay bills without creative financing. I'm still sort of in 'eek I have no money' mode, which is actually a good thing. I've been able to keep some of what's in my bank account, but am leery of spending much of anything.

Of course, the best laid plans...

I did have some eye surgery back on February 10. It's amazing to be able to see again out of my right eye - the cataract had gotten so bad I could see nothing but a gray fog. I did this through the poverty clinic and they did a better job than the surgery on my left eye I had back when I was employed AND had insurance. Didn't cost as much either.

To do laundry in my house currently takes about 4 hours or more to do three loads. I have a clogged pipe that prevents the washing machine from draining, so take a book back and when the machine goes into the spin cycle you watch the top of the drain pipe and lift the lid just before the pipe overflows and floods the room. Then you read for a while until the drain pipe quits gurgling and put the lid back down until the pipe almost overflows and ......well. You get the picture. Then you do that with the rinse cycle as well. The plumber is hesitant to roto the pipe again, so wants to run a new pipe to a different drain. The cousin has started part of it so it will be all set up when the plumber gets here sometime this week. Got to happen - don't want to do another load of clothes that way. So there are two economic drains on my wallet. But I'm able to handle them, which a year ago I wouldn't have been.

Jypsy's been very good and I only have just a wee bit of kitty news. The city is fixing the next street over and has piled several small mountains of gravel and dirt on the cross street next to my house. Jypsy is not so much for big machines that make a lot of loud noise, so has been pretty much staying inside unless someone can go out with her. That makes her feel a little braver, but if there's a loud clank she's up on the deck next to the door. Smart cat. Here's a picture of her 'incognito' look, but she's making sure to keep an eye on those machines out the window....