If Humans Were More Like Dogs....

Last Sunday, Judy drove to Denton to visit a friend in the hospital and since no dogs were allowed, I got to babysit Cricket, Judy's little Maltese. Normally Cricket goes everywhere with her, but with the summer heat, she can't stay in the car, though I think she would have preferred that to being separated from her "mom" for several hours.

As the photo shows, Cricket spent much of the day peering under the fence, waiting for Judy's car to drive up.

I doubt we will ever understand what it is that bonds dogs to humans, but it's amazing that two completely different species can be so close without sharing blood.

Hardly a day goes by that you don't read a story about something a dog has done to protect or serve their people...and they ask for so little in return. A kind hand. A place to lie nearby. A fresh drink of water and a shared sandwich, or a scrap from the dinner table. For these few things, in return you will receive absolute loyalty and love. If only humans were so easy to please.

New Babies on the Patio

We have a bunch of these Green Anole babies on our patio. They apparently hatched in the last two weeks and are growing fast. The first ones I saw were only about an inch long, but are now a little over two inches.

I'm not much of a fan for any critter with scales, but most babies are sort of cute, no matter what the species.

One Doc's Opinion of Obama Care

A Texas surgeon, who goes by the name of Bonedoc33 on The Old Hippie's forum, received a letter from the President asking for his support to enact healthcare reform. Old BO obviously doesn't understand that socialized medicine doesn't sit well with medical professionals, 'cause it sure put a bur under one doctor's saddle blanket. Yes, he signed it with his real name and he said I could also use his real name here, but it's no use tempting the leftist nut-jobs any more than necessary.

With Bonedoc's permission, I give you a wonderfully written letter guaranteed to make any patriot smile and cheer.


Chairman Obama (I refuse to call you President as you stand against everything I belive in)

You, Sir, are absolutely full of crap. This national healthcare reform plan you are so vehemently pushing will do nothing but destroy the best healthcare system in the world. As a current medical doctor I do not want a future consisting of a system of rationed care, long lines, shoddy doctors and high taxes. You need to wake up and realize that the vast majority of the citizens of this great country do not agree with your plan, nor do they want it enacted. This is just another bid for big government and a step closer to your goal of absolute power.

Sir, you are the Josef Stalin of our time. You are desperately trying to move us into a socialist system, and you do not care that the people do not want it. Look at communist China. Look at the former USSR. Look at Cuba. Socialist systems DO NOT WORK, HAVE NEVER WORKED and WILL NEVER WORK. In order to give someone something that they have not worked for, you must take it away from someone who has worked for it. Your idea of pouring money into social programs for the lower classes who do not care to work for anything will only furthur bankrupt our country. Wealth does not trickle up, it trickles down. Your plan will not be one of trickle-up wealth, but one of trickle-up poverty.

To conclude, Chairman, I think you are a complete moron who will not stop until you have destroyed this great country. I would tell you where you can stick your national healthcare plan, but that would just be rude. The fact that you hesitated when asked if you would enroll your family into the plan speaks scores for the unviability of it. Finally, I would just like you to know that I am doing all that is in my power to see that you do not serve a second term in office. I have organized Tea Parties, I send emails that uncover your lies to everyone that I know, I follow your political agendas and tell people the truth about what you are really saying and I will be actively campaigning for whomever your opponent is in the next election. I fully intend to get you thrown out on your ass in 2012.

Good day, Chairman

Bonedoc33

Deliverance

In the real estate business, there is a thing known as a "BPO", or Broker's Price Opinion. A broker or agent is contacted by a lender to appraise the value of a house or other real property, for whatever reason they need the information. For a small fee, the agent researches similar properties to come up with a best guess of what the property would sell for. It's mostly paperwork, but you do have to visit the property and take a few pictures.

Today, Judy had a commercial property BPO in a very rural area, so she asked me to go along and help her find it. Well, we found it, but not until we passed a "No Trespassing" sign and wound several hundred yards down a two-rut trail, through the heavy woods and into a small clearing. When we pulled into the yard, you could almost hear the banjoes tuning up!

We didn't even get out of the car, but took a couple of quick pictures through the windshield. The roof of the commercial building was missing, and you could barely make out the walls through the heaps of debris. Nearby, a small house was hidden beneath a bunch of big oaks, and a dirty old red pickup was parked in front.

After taking the pictures, we had to back down that narrow trail, as there was no place to turn around without going thru the yard and past the pickup. Had we done that, we might have been greeted by Cujo and a toothless meth-head with a 30-30, so we didn't take any chances.

It sure felt good to get back on the highway...and I do feel sorry for the census taker that has to visit that place.

Relaxing

Once in a while you just have to lean back, relax and let the world go by. That's what I did today.

The day started with threats of rain, which eventually resulted in a few sprinkles and one brief shower, but it was enough to convince me it was too wet to work on the landscaping. The recent rains and the fertilizer I applied have the lawn looking the best it ever has, so the only things I had planned were to trim around flower beds and apply some more mulch...but those jobs can wait a couple of days.

Tonight, we went to Pop's for his Tuesday Hamburger Special. You can get a hamburger for $1.09, or the combo for $2.99, which includes fries and a small drink. Delicious! I've been trying to lose a few pounds, so it wasn't the best meal to help that cause, but I'll get back to my popcorn lunch tomorrow.

Another Democrat Politician Who Loves America

Once more our politicians reward their constituents at the expense of patriots and this one severely tests my gag reflex. It's a long read, but at least view the video.

Veterans land grab

Garage Projects

After two years, I'm finally getting my garage in condition to be useful.

I gave up on going cheap with the storage cabinets and work bench. I had planned on building them all myself, but there isn't enough time in the day to accomplish all my projects, so I bought three three-drawer base cabinets from Lowes. Now I can begin to store things properly.

The past few days I installed door openers on both doors and installed an overhead interior door between the parking area and my workshop. I also removed some temporary shelving, and now I can cut a hole in the wall to install a room air conditioner/heater. That will give me a bunch of extra days to work on other projects without sweating or freezing to death.

Next on the list is either painting the floor, or installing some type of flooring in the workshop. I really like the rubber, interlocking tiles, but they are expensive. However, epoxy paint isn't cheap either and it's a lot more work. Not sure which way to go yet, but that decision can wait for a while.