Going To The MVA!

1/11/2017

Today, I am going to venture out to the MVA.  Horrors I know.  Going there is like the 7th circle of hell.  You stand in line and wait your turn.  When it's your turn, the rather snooty lady at the information desk looks over your paperwork and there are only two things that are going to happen there: (a) your paperwork is in order and you get a number for service; or (b) your paperwork is not in order, there is another form(s) for you to complete - and then RETURN to the MVA for the second time.

I bet you're wondering which category I was in.  If you guessed "B" you'd be right.  I have security interest filing documents for both cars.  Madam says that the state would have sent me already the title to my cars.  I responded how could they do that since both cars had liens up until recently.  No response to my question.  She pushed another form that needs completing.  I also need either Jeff to go with me or return with a copy of his driver's license.  Somehow I'm afraid that a copy of his driver's license will probably turn out to be a show stopper.

It's not like I have anything better to do with my time; but, I don't want to waste time and then be told that I need some more documentation and then I can return.  Like I said earlier, the 7th circle of hell.

The good news is that it's really lovely outside.  Fairly warm and sunny.  So that takes some of the edge off of having to deal with the MVA.

This morning, I am going to the "bone and antler" part of the house (our den) and pick up all the bones, etc., and put them in the laundry basket.  Bella will actually go to the basket and pull out something to chew on.  Daisy let's Bella do the hard work and she waits for Bella to tire of her bone and then hurries to make it her own.

Last night I finished binge watching the movie on Netflix "Versailles".  It's not the sort of movie that Jeff would like.  You had to constantly keep track of the players.  Who's sleeping with whom, who's talking out of turn, and like the Maury show, who's the father!  It was interesting to note that in the movie or episodes that there seemed to be quite a bit of men with men in the bedroom.  Somehow when I think of the 1700's, that's just something that doesn't come to my mind.  I will tell you that 99% of the time, the characters were up to no good; and, with little or no hesitation throw somebody under the bus (carriage)!

Also, after doing some research, Marie Antoinette apparently never uttered those famous words, "Let Them Eat Cake".   

Now that I'm hooked, I've run out of episodes.

P

Snow Today and Other Stuff

1/10/2017

Thanks to the girls, I have been up for several hours.  I go to bed late, sometimes as late as midnight.  Doing so, I already know before I fall asleep, that by 7:00 I need to get up, or the girls will start destroying things.

Today is a "SAD" light kind of day.  It's gray and gloomy looking and still cold.  Sixteen degrees at the moment, but the weathermen tell us it will start to warm up later this week.

If it does snow, it will be a dusting only.  The good news about rain or snow is that I know with 100% certainty when the girls have been outside.  Bella always comes back in wet, Daisy not so much.  If you take Bella outside, she will potty every time.  Daisy is stubborn and would rather do all of her business either in the basement or the house.  I take them out many times during the day and they are rewarded for going potty.

I have nothing on the agenda for today.  I'm a bit pressured into reading the book club's selection before we meet next week.  The story's good, but I've discovered that I don't really like having to read a certain book.  While taking the time to read this book, I have a small stack of other books sitting on the table, not to mention the new books I've put on my Kindle.  The problem with books on my Kindle, is that when the book club meets, I cannot easily "flip" through to find a certain passage.  And, thanks to my memory issues, don't really retain what I've read.  

The girls are still running around like mad dogs.  They do this every morning after they've had breakfast.  Once they calm down, they are generally ready for a nap - and frankly, so am I!

For Christmas, Jeff bought me two products to use on my face.  The problem is the print on these two bottles.  I actually need a magnifying glass to read the directions.  One of the creams is labeled as an age defying cream and the other is moisturizer.  I'll give the products a try, even though I'm more of a soap and water kind of gal.

I'm beginning to ramble, which is a sure sign that I've run out of things to say.  Sad but true.  There are many things I could write about, and politics is at the top of my list.  But, I decided early on that there were certain topics I'd not be writing about.  Politics is one of those subjects.

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Golden Globes

1/9/2017

Last night, after Jeff had gone to bed, I watched part of the Golden Globes ceremony.  The only movie I had seen was "The Martian" and the only television show I was most familiar with was "Veep".

It's the good part of recording a ceremony such as this on your Tivo - you can fast forward through acceptance speeches, commercials and anything else that is boring to you.  I have a general dislike for the acceptance speeches, because the actors (female included) have to go on and on thanking practically everybody for winning.  You know the kind "want to give thanks to my grandmother who died in "x" for believing in me" and so forth.

And then we come to the fashion parade.  It saddens me for some reason that so many of the actresses feel the need (I guess that's what I'd call it) to call attention to all their bits and pieces.  It looked like some dresses must have been glued on and the number of dresses cut down to there and had very little fabric on top were plentiful.  If by dressing this way, you're letting the world know you have breasts, then I guess go ahead.  But every man and woman already know what you have under your dress.  If I wore of such little substance, there would have to be a bit (that's an understatement) more fabric on top.  My "girls" couldn't/shouldn't be contained with a piece of fabric the size of a handkerchief.  

There were a few actresses that were classically elegant.  Annette Being comes to my mind.  She wore a dazzling metallic dress that covered everything and was drop dead gorgeous.  The amount of jewelry on display was abundant and it seems likely that somewhere in the background were security guards, if you will, watching.  It's no secret that jewelry designers WANT their pieces on display, and the fact that they are displayed by beautiful women is an added bonus.  For me, if I was wearing, let's say diamond earrings, I think I would spend all night touching them to make sure they were still there!  But maybe Hollywood stars don't worry about such nonsense, after all they could always pay for the jewels.

One example of jewelry was displayed by Anne Hathaway, for some ceremony a few years ago. She teamed her shiny red gown with $10 million worth of sparkling charms. She wore a 94-carat diamond necklace, a 10-carat diamond dangling earrings and a diamond ring, all of which came from Tiffany & Co. However, Anne didn’t pay for these. Tiffany & Co., on the other, hand, paid her $750,000 to wear the set to the event. I would wear diamonds too, particularly if somebody PAID me to do so!

It goes without saying that the next People magazine and others in the same genre, will have abundant photos in their next issues.

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Sunny Sunday

1/8/2017

This morning the sunshine is startling bright.  A huge difference from yesterday.  But, even with the sun shining, it's cold - 16 degrees.  Jeff and I always disagree about what temperature is defined as cold.  However, as he sits near the fire with a blanket, I'm pretty sure he agrees that it's cold outside.

Daisy's collar has not yet been found.  If we don't find it, I can only imagine what a hassle it will be to get duplicates of all of her varying tags.  Dogs today have so many things hanging off their collar, they might as well be considered a "charm" collar!  Think about losing your wallet, and having to get new credit cards and driver's license.

I've got one week left to finish reading the book club's selected book "The Storyteller".  The book's okay, but somehow it feels (and actually it is) required reading.  I have many books on my Kindle as well as a number of print books (with larger print) that I would like to read first.  And, then on the night the book club meets, I'm pretty much at a complete loss to talk about the book.  My memory doesn't serve me well and I don't retain things like I used to.  To be sure, I can tell you about the clothes I wore as a teenager and "important" stuff like that, but don't ask me to tell you what I did last week.  Since it's been three years since 2013 (the year from hell), I think my memory is as good as it's going to get.  And yes, if you're wondering, I do write things down - and then promptly forget where my note is!

One of the writers in the Washington Post, challenged her readers to spend the next 21 days cleaning up our financial house, but our real house as well.  I have two of those "junk" drawers in the kitchen.  The problem with drawers like that is, stuff goes in but never comes out.  This makes me wonder if 99% of what's in the drawers either (a) doesn't need to be saved; or (b) could be moved to another place in the house.  The problem with solution B is, that if you move things from one place to another, you pretty much haven't gotten rid of anything!

I started to watch the movie about Debbie and Carrie Reynolds, but after only a few minutes knew that I didn't want to continue.  The movie hype sounded good on paper, but at least for me, wasn't interesting enough for me to stay the course.

After I get dressed, then I'll turn my attention to next week's television recordings.  Sunday nights are particularly tricky because a game moves everything starting with 60 minutes back.  It's been years since we bought our first Tivo, and I don't know how we ever got along without it!

Happy Sunday.

P

Snow and Cold

1/7/2017

As I type this morning, my office thermometer says it's 16 degrees!  Okay, by anybody's standard, that's cold.  A hunker down day in sweat pants and fuzzy slippers.  There isn't a lot of snow and the driveway can probably be cleared with a broom; but, it's snow nonetheless.  The girls are getting their first look and/or taste of snow.  And, as an added bonus, when the girls are outside, you can tell if they have done their business!

We have some leftover chicken from one of those rotisserie you can get at Costco.  The chicken is a bargain, particularly when you consider all the things you can make.  First, we eat some chicken for dinner.  Then, I chopped some chicken up to put in a casserole.  And today, the whole carcass, which still has a lot of meat on it, will go in the soup pot.  I don't make soups or stews anymore.  Jeff has taken over the cooking of these delicious meals.  Once the soup/stew is made, I'm the official taste tester.

The high today is going to be 26 and tomorrow 25.  After that, the week begins to get warmer and by the end of the week we're going to be in the 50's.  With such erratic weather, it's hard to know how to dress for being inside the house.  I hate being cold but I also don't like being hot.  Short sleeves and a sweater is probably the answer to my dressing dilemma.

I went out yesterday to run a few errands and since I wasn't going to be out long, I wore my Birkenstocks - with socks!  I know a fashion statement no-no, but frankly Scarlett, I didn't give a damn.  I wasn't shopping, just returning an item back to the store and shipping a return to Amazon.

Other than mail delivery, there is no good reason to venture outside.  I may be "crazy", but I'm no fool.  With my luck, I would slip on the little bit of snow on the driveway.  

Through rough housing, Daisy's collar is missing.  If it's in the backyard, it might be hard to find.  Today, I'm going through the house looking at areas where they do most of their sisterly fighting.  If she should get out of the yard, at least she is chipped.  

I have a book I need to read for the book club which meets on the 18th I think.  The story is pretty good and today just might be the perfect day to spend some time with my Kindle.  The only problem with reading a book club pick on the Kindle, is that it's nearly impossible to flip through pages looking for a particular passage.  And, since the text is bigger on my Kindle, it makes for easier reading and most of the time, it's cheaper.

Have a wonderful Saturday.

P

 

Snow? Not So Much

1/6/2017

I spent most of yesterday getting in my aerobic exercise by taking the dogs outside multiple times during the day.  I've decided that what I should have done from day one, is to get the girls to potty on command - more or less.  If they go, they get a treat.  I kept the basement door closed except for our trips which were in about 45 minute increments.  And, with the exception of one accident in the house, I consider the day a success.

The forecast called for some snow to start around 9:00 last night.  Well that snow turned out to be a mere dusting.  I'm not sure why I feel somewhat disappointed.  I don't particularly like the cold, and if it had dumped inches on us, then I would literally be housebound.  I know, I know.  I stay in the house 99% of the time - but, I could go out if I wanted.  Problem is, I don't often want to leave the house and I pretty much know that's a bad thing. Being somewhat reclusive (and some would argue that the sentence should be changed to "being a reclusive person"), it gets easier and easier to stay home.  Oh yes, I can say that I'm needed at home to take care of the puppies, and I know that's a very handy excuse.  But, I also know that if I do go out, the puppies will be fine in the basement and the backyard.

Okay, got a little off point there.  Back to weather.  Sunday is going to be cold, 25 degrees and windy.  Then two days later, we're back up to the 50's.  Mother Nature apparently can't decide what to do with us!  It seems unlikely that we'll make it to spring without some kind of winter weather, whether it's snow, ice or sleet.  In truth, I believe folks will be disappointed if we don't have some kind of weather "event".

I thought that if it did snow, the puppies would enjoy it a lot, and if the ground was covered, they would come back in the house with clean paws.  Since it's muddy in the yard, they come back with - you guessed it - muddy paws!

Since it's Friday, I don't cook dinner.  We have tacos on Friday, not that Jeff and I are in any kind of a rut (insert smiley face here)!  Routine is, I believe, comforting to both of us.  Why change what isn't broken?  

Since it's only about 21 degrees outside, I'm going to try and make fewer trips to the backyard to yell out "good girl, go potty".  If I could just record that instruction in some way to play those words  in a continuous loop.....

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