Walmart Employee Doll

In my collection of weird things, 
I have this Walmart Employee Doll. 
Purchased when I lived in Ohio, working for Walmart #2441. She was priced at $6.97.  I bet I bought her on sale! Hehehe.

 But in checking the price on Amazon and Etsy,
she's now worth aprox. $25-$30.

To my daughter:  As you grow older, eventually
she may be worth enough $$ to pay for
a decent pizza.  hahaha



Yes.  I collect the oddest things!

Was It You?

Dear Brian,

Last Sunday, I was doing my normal laundry, in and out of the garage with loads of laundry.

The orange extension cord still hangs on the hook of the workbench, and was hanging there the entire time I wandered in and out of the garage.   I finished up the last load of jeans, took it all to my room and put it all away. 

I was done with laundry and most of the chores, the last thing was to take a bucket of cans to the recycle barrel.  When I opened the garage door, I saw the extension cord extended across the garage floor!!  About 6 feet of it was stretched out toward the big garage door.  How in the world did that happen???   It wasn't there the whole time I was doing laundry ... I would have noticed that!  And it didn't get "caught on something" or it would have pulled inward toward the house. 

So my question is:  Was it you???

I also took your advice and bought some 3/8" quarter rounds at Home Depot, and painted them red.  I just need to tack them into place along the kitchen backsplash.  It's kinda kitschy but that's ok.  The rest of the cabinets are old and there's not much I can do to update them, so I settle on kitschy.  lol

It's time to change the furnace filter, and the batteries in the smoke alarms. 
and you're not here to help!

I bought a carpet cleaner, and had to put it together myself, because
you're not here to help!

There's a big hole in my life, and in my heart, where you used to reside. 
And nothing takes your place.

I miss you
every.
single.
day.
Love,
mom

Weird Dreams

I had another crazy dream. 

I was in bed in the bedroom I grew up on.  It was night, there was a skylight above the bed (there really isn't).  Someone was on the roof, and shined a light into the room from the sky light.  The light turned on then off three times.  I shouted for my Dad as I ran down the hall, "Dad! Dad! Dad!"  He and my mother were in their own bed.  Dad said "shhhhh.  Listen.  Whoever it was ran off the roof."  

With Google help, 

• To dream of your childhood bedroom indicates that a current situation or feeling has triggered a memory from your childhood that you have kept secret.
• To see light in your dream represents illumination, clarity, guidance, plain understanding and insight.
• Light is being shed on a once cloudy situation or problem. 
• You have found the truth to a situation for an answer to a problem.
• The number three represents creativity.

I wonder if there is something to the fact that the light shined three times, that I shouted three times.  The fact that my Dad is dead, but I saw him alive and well in the dream.  And he spoke.   Was the fact that this person fled off the roof significant as well?   I'll never figure it out, but I find dreams very fascinating!

Be Weird. Random Updates

Here it is, another Saturday.  A busy day for chores - washing linens, rinsing out the area rugs -- time for a little freshness indoors, since it can't be had by opening windows!  Still in the middle of our Extreme Heat alert.  It's been more than a week, temps over 110 8 days in a row, three days was over 115.  Yep, extreme!  Thankfully, our monsoons haven't started, so it's dry and not humid!  I'll take heat over humidity any day of the week!

I made it to the gym 4 days this week, I'm down 1.5 pounds.  I started off with my goal of 1.5 miles on the treadmill in 30 minutes.  Friday's time = 1.5 in 28 minutes.  I'm getting back in the groove, and it feels good.  My goal, of course, is to be back to my 15 minute mile.  It'll take a little work.  And each day I'm growing older, so that adds a little bit of the difficult back into it.

Have you ever put on your shoes, and felt a small piece of something - pebble, or something - and then just left if there?  I did yesterday, and I could feel this little thing sliding around in my shoe with every step.  But I still left it.  The little dig of discomfort served to remind me that something life isn't too comfortable, and yet it's ok for it to be that way!

My aunt continues to grow weaker as the cancer continues to gain a stronghold on her body.  She's in such good spirits, and jokes with me about her "journey to heaven".  She's picked out her clothes, her choices in scripture and songs -- she's one fantastic lady!  It reminds me that I need to be as positive and proactive as she's been.  I hope I have all her dignity when it's my turn.

My sister's doing well with her own treatments.  She just spent 2 days at the beach, and this weekend she's in Lake Tahoe, living the dream I guess :)   I'm just happy that she feels well enough to do the things she's wanting to do!

In the meantime, I sit and putter at my computer
with my little vignettes about family history
and the things I remember.  Always fun for me!

Yes.
I know.
I'm a weird one.
And I'm OK with that!

One of "Those People"

Yes, I am officially one of "those people".  
and I resisted for so long!
but ....  living in the desert means sometimes
you do things that quite frankly aren't logical ......

I bought a dog stroller.
Yep.
Always thought it was weird, but here's the deal:

I am a single dog mom.
I live in the desert where it gets too hot to walk a dog.


When my dog stays home 10 hours a day alone, she needs to see more than these four walls.  Do dogs get cabin fever?  My instinct - and experience - says yes!  Because there are some days when bedtime hits and that's when she wants to play again!

I always laughed at people who pushed their dogs in strollers.  Until I realized that at 100 degrees, the asphalt can feel like 150 on her paws - Can't exactly walk her over to the park to play in the grass like that!  Driving two blocks seems ridiculous, and staying home hasn't been a good option either.  I need to walk, I love to walk, it's my thing.  Truth be told, I feel guilty walking alone when my dog's been home alone all day.   Yep, I'm funny that way.  So this was my $100 compromise:  A stroller to get her too and from the park while I can get my own walking in as well.

I think she likes it!
I think this is gonna work well for us!
Even if you do say I'm one of "those people"!
hahahaha