The Evil Twin

Posted on July 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

Zoe has routines, as a herding dog. Yes, she herds me with a load of laundry, and watches my every move.

She needs Otis-ing (I’m the elevator) to the bed at night then she jumps down and goes UBD (under-bed dog) for a while then whines to get back up. She has no hips so I’m OK with awakening to meet that need.

At about 4:00 am she goes UBD because even if the shades are down, she needs her beauty sleep. She looks better than both of us, together, and she’s 80 in people years.

She has an undercoat and someone leaves fur underneath the bed. That is her evil twin Chloe. Chloe leaves a mess of fur underneath that is tough to vacuum. If I ever meet her I’ll have to give her a talking-to. Texas-style. The fact that I’ve never seen her or walked or fed her is unimaginable. All I do is remove Chloe’s fur from under the bed. Zoe knows nothing about this so please don’t tell about her evil twin. I don’t think they’ve ever met. It must be why she’s so gorgeous, all that beauty sleep. Cheers, Dee

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Nothing But Blue Skies

Posted on July 17, 2015 | Leave a comment

do I see. I can see, both eyes now. We get to have kids over to make a graham cracker/yogurt/berry parfait for themselves, their parents and grandparents tomorrow.

There’s an air show next week that we have great seats for, indoors and free. Well, my husband would deliberate the definition of “free” as I think I’ll grind the meat and make my Texas chili and cornbread a la Lady Bird Johnson circa 1962. Just add guests. Yes, I am a purist, grind my own meat Texas-style and do my own pure spice blend. And what have I said 100 times before? Nanny, tell them. There are no beans in Texas chili.

There’s most of a chicken breast in a lemongrass seasoning marinade, and a raw skirt steak in the frig. It’ll be warm and humid outdoors but cool and tasty in the Magic Room. That’s what we call it for the dog as she hasn’t figured out those words yet. The kitchen is the magic place where her dinner happens. Yes, twice a day she gets her raw food. We love having young people and dogs around. Can’t wait to meet Max, hope this new pup’s owner will trust Aunt Dee with Jake’s family (Jake died last year). Cheers and have a wonderful weekend! Dee

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Kid-Friendly Dessert

Posted on July 17, 2015 | 1 comment

There’s no real recipe here, just a suggestion. There was a baby shower I could not attend last week so I made the family a vegetarian lasagne (see site for 10 Minute Lasagne) and promised a dessert.

I wanted to make a graham cracker “Napoleon” with local rhubarb jam, whipped cream and berries. I was worried that if I made it in advance the graham crackers would be soft and not pretty.

A sage woman friend six weeks younger than me said I should make it interactive for the kids so I did. She gave me plastic cups so two boys, age 6 and 3, could make a parfait and see their progress.

Graham crackers, a gallon bag. Take a few crackers in the bag, pulverize them with a rolling pin or fists (they’re boys) and place crumbs in the cup, top with whole milk vanilla yogurt (kids need calcium and fat is OK) and some sliced strawberries and blueberries, repeat. Check progress through plastic cup (almost like an ant hill farm I got as a kid).

Make them for yourselves, then for your parents. Hopefully Mommy is sitting on the sofa preparing for the birth of your new little brother or sister. This is to motherhood, and giving kids a treat as an homage to my trifle, who everyone everywhere loves. This is Dee, and I wrote a really great piece that was erased so with lemons, comes lemonade. I’ll write it again. Cheers! Dee

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Planes

Posted on July 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

There’s something about seeing an air show that is powerful and worth keeping in mind.

The warm-up is what I like best as they go off-show and show off.

Tonight, in bed with the shades down I am listening to all the planes land, including one commercial flight. Plane after plane, seconds apart. I have to get back to it.

It’s the back story of all these pilots getting together and when I hear it I can see it. It’s the wind and it has already shifted so I am not hearing any more planes coming in for landing. I think it shifts every two minutes and would not want to be directing planes at this destination.

My vision has been tested this week (big plane coming in) so maybe my hearing has improved. I like to tell you that I remember things and can actually see the planes doing their tricks while I hear them flying in. Please be with our troops and recognize all their work on our behalf. Respectfully, Dee

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RIP Wurli

Posted on July 16, 2015 | 1 comment

Wurli was a friend, a great dog and companion. I am so sorry to know that he’s gone.

This is for Liam:

Wurli, a treasure

For another adventure

Remembered always

This bad Haiku is from your friends across the street, OK I’m guilty. Zoe and I will pour a glass of water on his favorite tree as a tribute. We know where it is. With condolences, Dee

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Misperception

Posted on July 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

Eight days ago I tripped and fell, while walking our dog, on a crosswalk I asked for and got designated. They do no re-paint it and no-one ever stops even though it is state law to do so.

I took a header that started with my knees, hand, shoulder and head and have the first black eye in my aged life, after years of athletics so I know how to fall. My husband was out with us on this serene late afternoon walk and tried to save me from a fall but the dog was between us and he could not do so.

Now, people will not ask the obvious question about my black eye because they think my husband beats me. Other than a few involuntary elbow movements during sleep over the past fourteen years my husband has never touched me in a manner unbefitting a gentleman.

Kids ask. They want to know the truth. I tell them my eye looks ugly but it doesn’t hurt. Look both ways (we did) and always wear good shoes with tread on them. Adults think my husband beat me so look down and ignore me. Where did we go wrong in life? A taxi cab driver actually stopped when I fell. I don’t remember that.

I fell on pavement. I told people about it. Nurses have advised me on how to care for myself. My husband insists on taking off the bandage every day. Next thing I know someone will call it in as domestic violence. It is vehicular harassment.

As for me, it’s a city/county dispute and no, I do not want to sue them for “my” crosswalk, just want it re-painted with slip-resistant paint. And a flippy thing in the middle that says it’s State law to stop for pedestrians.

Speed demons go up and down our street in rush hours. I’ve many bruises and now can reconstruct exactly how I fell. My knees will be swollen for months. Hand, I don’t know. Shoulder and eye, play the dice. But my husband tried to save me when I tripped. He has helped every day. There are good husbands out there, and great ones. I got a great one. He opened the car door, took my hand and always kept me in his heart.

I tripped walking the dog. Now I have to explain this to kids and I’m OK with that. Adults avoid me as I’ve the plague. I am an advocate and have written laws that governed millions of people, including human and civil rights. Why do adults who see a woman with a black eye always think domestic violence? I’m sure there are cameras out there, I may be able to have them pull the footage. Just like a cop show.

I’m Aunt Dee, just asked for vet recommendations yesterday. I’m Dee, the gal who brings treats like lasagne and pizza to staff. I took a spill that I’ll deal with for months. Please know even though my eye looks bad for now, I’m always here, now that I have two eyes to see through and write. Cheers! Dee

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Puppies and Kittens

Posted on July 13, 2015 | 1 comment

I know they’re born really tiny and are trained to deal with their litter mates for food (milk). But they are blind. They do all this scrambling around for food then do their business and pile up upon each other to sleep. As a human I’ve never done that but understand the togetherness.

That is not what I had in mind a few days ago. My husband was home and we decided to take the dog for a walk together late afternoon as when he’s in town we do “shifts.” I do three, he does two. To go out together was a nice change and reminded me of another couple in town that I admired from behind, a few hundred feet away. walking their dogs early in the morning and I hoped we could have more walks together as we age.

When we finally met I ended up knowing this couple, as they’d hired my father 35 years ago. Their dogs are gone now and I don’t see them on the trail. There’s a history that is not mine to tell. Oh their old dogs were very sugary and spicy.

I tripped off the sidewalk I got installed right across the street on the way home and went down before I could see or say anything. I hit knees, hand, shoulder and then my skull cracked on the pavement. I’ve not been able to somewhat open my eye at all for three days but now it looks awful and I’ve a big goose egg but my vision is intact and it just needs time and care.

Walking across the street in comfy shoes with little tread is an issue, as I’ve also had rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years. I was lucky this time. It’ll take a few weeks to heal but walking around half-blind made me think again of Helen Keller, who I read about often as a child, a heroine and admired along with her teacher, of course.

Tonight I got up at midnight because I couldn’t open my eye. I carefully bathed and rinsed it and it’s open, not all the way. I can walk the dog with the right shoes but wouldn’t take out my car. It is a very limited circumstance and yes, blind people will attack me for taking this stance but standing in your shoes for several days with only one eye and spatial relationships off, plus bruises all over your body may let you know that I care. Miss writing, but wanted to tell you why I haven’t been in touch. Cheers! Dee

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Sinister and Dextrous

Posted on July 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

We lefties are the sinister ones, or sinistre. We’re supposed to be more prone to accidents. The Dextrous ones are the right-handers who rule the world. I always look in movies when someone signs something and does it with the left hand.

My father was forced to change to his right hand as a child. As it was for his four children two of us are lefties and two are righties. He would never make us change and I love him for that.

As a kid I adored the gymnast from the 1972 Olympics, Olga Korbut. I immediately started track and gymnastics at my new school. I wasn’t good at either. The day before practice began in another school my senior year I broke my finger playing basketball with the family after dinner, and had to tell the coach her Captain was on limited duty. I was always afraid of doing an aerial cartwheel in my floor routine. Once I broke my finger I was no longer afraid of air and physics. I didn’t want to hurt my hands!

I am a bit ambidextrous. see the end of that word. As a kid I could bat both ways and still cannot use scissors with my left hand, but I’m a leftie with a chef’s knife.

So, in all my gymnast falls I always caught myself from every apparatus. The left side always wins and I always throw myself forward to keep from hitting the back of my head. Last year I went down on the right. Our old hipless dog and I were on 3″ of ice on a County sidewalk at 6:30 in the morning (I was wearing snow boots with great tread) and I saw her going down, all four paws and lifted her up before she fell. Then I fell and had an 8″ bruise on my right hip for six months.

This year, it was a walk in the park late afternoon with my husband and dog and I didn’t even see it coming. I was reaching for his arm with the dog’s leash in the other hand and my heel went out from under me on the very crosswalk I created. I hit knees, left hand, shoulder and right by my left eye and I’ve the first and only black eye I will ever have. I call it Klutz Week. I get them every five years. Cheers from the one-eyed writer. Dee

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Life

Posted on July 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

Looking at death. I fell on a crosswalk I had two competing agencies create a few years ago.  I fell on it yesterday afternoon taking my husband’s arm to cross the street with our dog.

I love life. Husband, dog, family, and friends. It is not my time to go. There is too much good to be done. Volunteer, Girl Scouts, animal shelters, hospitals. Do something that means something to you. Dee

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Official Klutz Week

Posted on July 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

Every few years I’ve a week where I break things or am injured in some way. This is a doozy. My husband had a meeting yesterday so I took the time to vacuum and dust et al. I moved the centerpiece from our table to another place and broke it and glass went everywhere.

Later in the day we took out the dog together, I took his arm on the crosswalk I had the city and county make a few years ago and slipped and went down hard. As a former gymnast I unfortunately did not protect my head and my left eye is swelling up. I have vision, it’s just hard to see.

I will not be able to drive, will ask my husband to get me an eye patch for now. There’s a nasty bruise on my left knee, yes, already.

Years ago my favorite young boys in the neighborhood challenged this old lady to do a cartwheel in the park. I did one. Then I saw a teaching opportunity and showed them how to do a split. The grass was wet. My shoe slipped out from under me and I pulled a groin muscle. Two weeks on ice. They didn’t know it.

That klutz week allowed me to teach them to stay away from meth dealers that give them expensive gifts, and later lend them a breed book to find Sparky. They brought Sparky, a Jack Russell Terrier home and immediately brought him to meet his Aunt Dee and return my AKC book.

When my dog died after ten years in my care from the shelter, I brought the younger boy aside and told him what happened. It’s a guy thing but he asked every detail of her death and cried. I said he should go out to his big brother and the “gang” and say that Dee yelled at him for something. I think we acted it out. Don’t ever do that again! Otherwise the guys would have made fun of him.

It all shows that sometimes klutz weeks turn into better things. I don’t know about this one or if I’ll be able to write. If this is my last post, farewell. Cheers, Dee

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