*** Those Darn Bedbugs ***

If you have ever had bedbugs I bet you know what I’m talking about when I say they’re hard to get rid off.  Not only that but they will hitchhike on my clothes, purse, etc to other places, including friends’ homes.  And there they start up a whole new infestation.  I tried a bedbug fogger (big famous name brand) but that didn’t help at all.  Matter of fact I found 3 very live bedbugs right after the whole fogging process.  And they were in the direct line of  fogger spray.  Needless to say I sent the big famous name brand company a letter telling them they can send my refund to my address.  I’m sure if they make a bedbug fogger that doesn’t kill bedbugs at all, that they probably will not be honest enough to send my refund, either.  But hey they might send me some coupons for more of their “good” products. Ha!

So I have these bedbugs – they are even so brave as so crawl right on my clothes with me right there in them. I tried another spray which was better but it must make contact to kill the bedbug. I thought I was bug free until 4 days later when I killed one running across my pajamas.

The next line of attack is that my apartment is going to spray the whole building for bedbugs.  It’s taking them 3 months to get it done.  First they have to get all the tenants signatures allowing the apartment manager to spray.  Of course this is a slow process when one tenant is on vacation for a month.

So to get ready for the sprayers I have to take several steps including washing all clothing, sheets, blankets,emptying out all 3 closets, turning over all upholsered furniture and  completely stripping the bed and get the bottom covering of  the box springs torn off so he can spray inside there, and taking down all wall hangings.  The apartment maintenance men will be loosening all the trim boards around the edge of the carpet and taking off all wall outlet covers.

I still don’t think it will work.

The Way of The World

I looked around and  I saw many strangers. Only a few had an appearance that met my approval.  In my heart and in my mind I laughed and ridiculed them.  I didn’t say it out loud, of course.  Then people started telling me I was negative, and I had a big head.  So I tried real hard to do the “self talk” to become more positive in my outlook on people.  Slowly it dawned on me that I think the world of myself and I bet each and every other person thinks the world of himself, too.  I tried to remember that when I thought bad things about people I didn’t even know. Deep down inside they do not think of themselves as bad and ugly and worthless and all the negative stuff. It’s common sense.  Each person loves himself and believes in himself and does his best.  I even noticed that people I knew thought good of me unless I said negative things about myself.  So I stopped saying negative things about myself to my friends and family.  Things aren’t as rocky anymore.  I got pretty good at this “positive” stuff.  I even read about a religion (Hindu) which  thinks each person is sacred.  So now I know for certain I am on the right path.

My Car Takes The Cake!

There was one day I just so happened to glance backward at my car, an older Acura Legend.  That’s when I noticed It.  There was an oil puddle forming under my front end.  That was the beginning of a week long ordeal of adding 2 quarts of oil every day plus I added 2 bottles of “stop oil leak”  in a week.. Everything leaked out by the end of the day. The checking of the oil took place 2 or 3 times a day. I kept waiting for the “stop oil leak” to start working.  That day never came.  Then I got my oil changed because I thought the last time   it was changed  the mechanic might have made a mistake.  Well, ya, he did.  He put on the wrong size oil filter.  I had real high hopes that a correctly done oil change this week would stop the leak.  But it didn’t help.  On Sunday, I had time to relax and think this through.  I decided I’d take it in to the best mechanic I know and get a diagnosis and an estimate.  So ya, it’s the cam seals in the front of the engine where the oil is pouring out the mechanic says.  He has to tear it down and take off the timing belt.  So it’s in the shop getting fixed and it’ll go on my credit card – a large amount,, otherwise I wouldn’t have a car to drive anymore.  The moral of the story:  Keep a pile of ready cash in the bank in case you need car repairs. OK?

More Dogs

Over the past 2 weeks I was dogsitting 2 dogs.  No, I don’t know what kind they are besides small and medium and white and short haired.  Maybe some kind of Terriers?  I had to walk them every 6 hours.  So, I had to work my schedule around them…..wake up in the morning, walk the dogs, go to work, drive home to walk them, go back to work, drive back home to walk them, eat dinner, give them their bedtime walk, and go to sleep for the night, wake up in the morning, and do it again.  That’s what I did for 2 weeks for my folks while they were on vacation.  I got paid for all that, of course.  We did have one mishap.  A dog had an accident on the whitish colored rug the day I didn’t make it back home for 12 hours.  I tried to wipe it up with vinegar and water ( 1 gallon water to 1/4 cup vinegar) but there is still a light discoloration.  At least there’s no odor.

On this blog site I seem to write much about animals – cats & dogs.  I’m not really an animal person.  I seem to attract them like a magnet.  Everywhere I go cats adopt me and everywhere I go there are either cats or dogs that need help.  I just take it in stride and do what I can.  I have 2 Lovebirds, also.  They don’t call for much care but I get great enjoyment out of them.  

I fear I have wandered.  Let me get back to the dogsitting.  Elle (the medium size one) and Prince (the small dog) like to bark at invisible-to-me noises.  So I don’t care.  They do this more so when they are left out back.  The neighbor lady complained to me.  She told me not to put them in the yard in the morning while she is asleep.  Seems that she’s a light sleeper and they wake her up. Thank  goodness they didn’t bark in the middle of the night in the house.  I think I would’ve freaked out.  So that is the story of the dogsitting adventure-the barking and the walking and the peeing.   I like to pet them, too.

Labrador Retriever rescue festival

It was a pleasant mildly warm day on October 9, 2010.  It was, also, the day of the Dog Festival in Houston, Texas.  This is a picnic held in a park with BBQ and drinks for sale.  The proceeds go to a charity that rescues Labrador Retrievers. 

If any one dog is my favorite it has always been the Labrador Retriever with long hanging down hair on their tale and underbellie.  Oh, and they have beautiful golden coloring.  There are different shades of reddish golden hair ranging all the way to whitish.  If ever I have a large place to live I will have three of these dogs because they run together, and they play together, all the while looking beautiful.

Well, Saturday at the Dog Festival there were about 20 people with their Labrador Retrievers by their side. About another 40 people were there as onlookers, myself included.  Some were playing catch with bright green tennis balls and others were playing disc toss and retrieve (Frisbee) with their pets.  The other ones were on a leash and looking around with their masters.  Looking around at what you say?  As is the nature of festivals, there were a very few vendors giving out samples of dog treats, dog shampoo, and  ink pens and reusable bags.  The unique event here was the silent auction of dog related items.  That’s nice and so was the raffle for a new TV.  (I didn’t win.)  Plus, there were the grassy and shady areas of the park they walked their dogs through.  Some dogs got a bath from the dog bathing business.  Others went for a swim in the man made pond.  When one dog started barking, 3 or 4 others joined in!  It was superb.

My favorite was watching the dogs but my 2nd favorite was watching the band.  It was “Cypress Station” out of Huntsville, Texas.  They played original songs and I  think they are going places.

                                                        The     End

The Kittens Arrived!

It was September 28, 2010 when Mama Cat was laying in her special place waiting to birth her kittens.  Then out came a loud meow and a kitten.  Then 2 minutes later another meow and kitten.  After that Mama Cat ran under a low cabinet and birthed the rest under there.  I didn’t know cats let out a loud screech in childbirth.  I guess they are expressing pain.

The first two kittens she left behind when she went into hiding.  The kittens followed one another into a narrow space away from the Mama and stayed there.  Then I left home and got 15 minutes down the road and realized those kittens will never find their way back to Mama and will get cold and hungry.  I turned myself around and got home and had to cut off what I believe is the long umbilical cord of each.  But in hindsight I wish I hadn’t done this.  I think Mama Cat would’ve done it.  It was kind of bloody but no trouble.  I put the 2 newborns over by the Mama.  They went right to town finding a tit

A couple days passed and I found one had died and Mama Cat set it over to the side.   Then a couple days later, another one.  I wondered if she was feeding them enough hours in the day because she was out a lot in the kitchen.  She wants to eat constantly so I keep feeding her, sometimes hard food, other times canned soft food mixed with hard food, and plenty of clean water.  Maybe those are the 2 that were originally left behind by Mama that I rescued.

They’re 9 days old today, and I still don’t know how many there are because they’re off in such a dark spot.  I think there are 3 left.  I have a home for 2 of them out on a ranch in La Grange.   I kind of hate to think  about that though because hungry cayotes live out there.  I hear little tiny meows coming from the kittens now and then but they don’t walk around much yet except to get into the kitty pile where they all huddle to stay warm.

My main concern is that no more die and they hurry up and grow and come out and play.  Oh, I love kitties!

A not-so-hot Hot Sauce Festival

The weather wasn’t hot for this year’s Hot Sauce Festival.  In fact, Mother Nature had it all planned out to keep festival goers nice and cool.  She had us experiencing short heavy downpours followed by short dry spells for the 2 hours I was partaking.

Vendors of craft items and the other people giving out samples of hot sauce, chili and salsa and trying to sell jars and bottles of it were set up under big tent canopies.  Most of the stuff was safe from the rain but a few of the craft vendors closed up shop.  Other saw fit to cover some of their things with plastic tarps.  Either way, it was really fun snacking on chips and dips out in the rain.  One hot sauce group even let me come in under their canopy to get out of the downpour.  I felt like one of the gang.  They made me feel right at home.

Zydeco Dots – the name of the band that played.  Guess what type music they played. Right – zydeco, which I believe is something originating in Louisiana.  One man had 3 accordions he took turns playing on different songs. There were 2 guitars, a drummer, and I still don’t know what these things are called but they look like a metal washboard in a way.  That guy had a really easy job.  He just had to scrape the metal ridges to the beat all day.

I didn’t get a festival T-shirt this year because I didn’t like the picture on it.  Sorry whoever drew the design but it looks like the logo for an action movie.

Anyway, another great festival and the Hot Sauce Festival in Stafford, Texas, U.S.A. is an annual event so I shall return, God willing.

* * * * Pregnant Cats * * * *

My black cat is very pregnant.  This will be the second litter in 5 months and I am noticing some interesting behavior on her part.  Let me share it with you: 

She wants to be petted frequently.  She will even come up by the computer and pussy foot around the keyboard until I have no choice but to stop what I’m working on and pet her.

She wants extra food in her food bowl. She won’t eat all her hard food but she’ll meow and meow until I put more in her bowl.  This behavior I do not understand.  Does she want fresh smelling food fresh from the bag?  Or does she want a surplus in the bowl in case I’m out of the apartment and she wants to eat a lot?  She is mysterious.  If I go out  she’ll eat all the food, but when I am home she turns her nose up at the older hard food.

She sleeps 98% of the day and night up on top of a dresser.  I don’t know why she wants to sleep up in the air. It might be so she doesn’t get stepped on  or sat on.  Before she was  pregnant she slept on a sofa or bed.

She won’t go outdoors for days at a time.

Anyway I just wanted to share this with you because it’s fascinating to me how her behavior has changed since she’s become pregnant. Oh, her name is Mama Cat. Fitting, don’t you think?

 

Festival Season Begins In Autumn 2010

Way to kick-off the season, with an Oktoberfest. The first festival I’ve been to this year was held at a museum here in Houston, TX, USA.  It was open and free to the public, but I don’t think many people knew about it.  It was held on th”front lawn” of the museum which was really the front entry way with a large front porch.

Oh it was so fun because everything was free…coffees, teas, root beer, beer, and soft pretzels.  I even joined in with the children and made a colored tissue flower craft. And then I wore it the rest of the day on my shirt.

There has to be music at a festival, don’t you know?? And there was! Dressed in traditional German outfits 2 couples danced to German music played by a guitarist and an accordion player.  And those were truly the sounds of autumn.

babysitting

Yes, that’s right.  I have been hired as an early morning babysitter.   One may say, “What about a job with glitz and glamour and glory?”  I say ba hum bug.  I’d just rather be mellow.  The 5 year old that I take care of and take to school is quite inquisitive and curious about most everything.  I think this is the age he is testing his boundaries and asserting his independence.   Just waiting for him to dress himself is quite a test of my patience.   Then he decided to walk the dog. He didn’t mind that I’d walked him 1/2 hour ago.  Now we finally get out the door and he asks if he can lock the door.  Sure. Did I get him to school on time you may ask?  Yes, he arrived before the bell by 15 minutes. I think he likes kindergarten but he never really says so.  And he looks so forlorn and  a little confused when he gets out of the car and gives me a good bye look.

So that is my new job.  It’s a really great job.  I figured out a cure for tardiness…I’ll wake him up earlier and be a little stern when I tell him it’s time to get ready for school.