It's Saturday night and we are watching a Doraemon DVD, a Japanese anime that has Chinese subtitles, about a cat with a magical pocket full of all sort of contraptions that take the kids in the show on remarkable adventures. Tonight's took the group to prehistoric times, but also had aliens. Too bad I don't understand any of it.
But the girls are eating their favorite meal of noodle bowls. Thank goodness someone gave me the idea of "adding" to the noodle bowls and making them healthier. Today was our organic produce day and this week we got fresh kale. It looked like what I had cleaned out of my flower bed at one point, but I washed it and put it in the boiling water into the noodles and the girls had a much healthier meal! Me? I chomped on the delicious celery. I just can't get over how much better organic produce tastes.
Today has been a bit different.
We were sad for Ken and Lisa and their family as they attended the service for Ken's dad, but the funeral was more than 5 hours away and a hard drive considering we would try to return after the service.
Instead Mom and Dad wanted to attend the annual brunch for members of the research studies at UTSW for the Alzheimer's program. The group of doctors are on the cutting edge of understanding the cause of Alzheimer's which will put them that much closer to finding a cure. Mom and Dad are glad they can help, but it is a running joke that they may keep them one of these days.
Grace and Annabel accompanied Mom and Dad and hoped to win a door prize, but no luck. Annabel is still convinced this is her unlucky year. But they enjoyed going and Grace has been several other times, so they got to help with passing out the prizes and drawing the numbers at least.
I on the other hand had to work.
We are having a book sale at work to raise money to buy more books for our library. The first few times we did this we got a fair number of books, but nothing like what we have received this time. So it was decided we would try to make short work of a big project by focusing only on that on a Saturday morning.
The best part was the vast collection of Texana literature that we received which required a specialist's opinion on the value.
Enter a local Cliffite (what you call someone in Oak Cliff) who had some of the most interesting stories and an extensive knowledge of books. It was very interesting learning what he was looking for to help decide value. Books had never been interesting to me until I had Grace. When she was trying to learn to read, we read together every night. When she was finally able to read, then we each would read our own books together before bedtime. Now to see these very interesting first edition Texana books has really piqued my interest. But even if they are first edition and even autographed, there is not enough to retire on, barely enough to buy new books. I'm sure there are some that are valuable, but as Fred explained, value is in the hand of the holder.
Value in the hand of the holder.
I like that. I know I have two of the most valuable people I have ever met and now they are my daughters.
The deck and our dogs.
Before our deck was complete, we all had to try it out. It is SO high!! our yard is on such an incline that is not noticeable until you add something like this on the back.
It's a pretty good jump to the ground.
The first time we let our dogs out it caused a great deal of confusion.
Our dogs, Nina and Ollie, were "adopted". If you have children who are adopted this is not the appropriate phrase to use, because when you really should get rid of the dogs you can't because they are "adopted" and if you would get rid of dogs, horrors that you would consider getting rid of your children.
I had to have my long time dog Buster put to sleep the day before Thanksgiving a year ago. Then when Lisa came for Thanksgiving and shopping the day after, we made the mistake of stopping at the SPCA adoption center in the mall.
There are display on a leash in the mall was Ollie.
Now Ollie is a cute dog. Looks like a white mixed terrier with a black head and black saddle or skirt, whatever you call it. He has a pleasant face and is a good dog. But hidden inside the display was Nina. Nina is much smaller and seems to either have problems with PMS or menopause. Thankfully with meds she is much calmer now.
But neither dog will be in the Westminster Kennel Show or any competitions for skill.
So here are the dogs on the deck that requires several steps to get down and they look over the side, glance at the steps, and then just dive off the deck sailing toward a notorious squirrel who has the nerve to cross into their territory.
After a while they are ready to come back in.
Ollie and Nina run under the deck looking for the concrete stairs. They both run back out again perplexed that the stairs no longer go to the door.
We call to them from the top of the steps.
They run back under the deck.
We call them.
They run out from under the deck and circle the new stairs.
They go back toward the tree, get a running start and run directly under the deck, like a little extra steam will get them up those concrete stairs to us.
They come back from under the deck.
Finally Annabel and Grace get on the stairs and call to them.
Meanwhile Ollie is at one end of the deck jumping up as high as he can trying to figure out how to get back up to us.
Nina is back under the deck.
Finally Ollie gets it and runs to the stairs. Slowly he begins to climb and finally is back on top. Nina is making bigger circles under the stairs waiting for the magic door to open.
We have to pick her up and carry her up the stairs.
This has happened almost every time they have gone out. It is so funny and they are so upset and cannot believe that we are in a different dimension than them.
We love practicing our twirling around on the new deck. It is so much fun and we cannot wait to take fun advantage of it. I promise to add pictures soon.
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