Sunday Expedition

After waking to yet more trouble with our new, expensive, dishwasher, today did not look like it was going to be a pleasant day.  Add to it, an unpleasant weather forecast of a possible ice storm, and a host of area burglaries, most after dark when folks are home.  Not good.  Not fun.

And yet...

Due to some out of the box thinking from DH, we were able to save the day, and fix the dishwasher!   Yay!   (The air gap had become blocked with debris, preventing the machine from draining.)

This allowed us time in the afternoon to make an expedition to a most wonderful store, Elliott's Hardware, in Plano.  This is not your big box store, Elliott's is an old family owned store, with employees who actually know how to find what little unobtanium widget you need.

We went in search of a product called the Door Stopper, recommended by some local police departments as a good way to help secure a door.  Though it seems the area police may have caught the evening burglar this week, as a general observation, the criminals are becoming bolder.  Additional security is NOT a bad thing!

After finding the kits, we had to peruse the other stuff in Elliot's.  There's a huge section of grilling implements, both Weber and Green Eggs,  plumbing fixtures, nuts, bolts and fasteners, and there's even a huge selection of old fashioned sodas, some I have not seen for sale since I was a kid.

Cheerwine and Ginger Beer

And then there was this...

 I'm not quite sure what to say about Leninade...Join the Party?

I think I'll pass!

Clean bill of health

I'm a good dog, Mom!  Treat please!

Indy had to go the vet today.  For the last month or so, he has had a small lump/lesion at the outside corner of his eye.  Looked for all the world like a teenager with an acne blemish (but one that never headed up with pus.)  When we were out at TIRR rescue this last Sunday,  Roy the rescue founder, looked at it and suggested it might be a wee problem, and we should get it looked at.  I was able to get an appointment for early this morning.

Indy and I headed over there around 8:30 this morning.  The office was not crowded, but Indy was a little nervous and whiny.  After getting weighed in (84# thank you very much!) we saw the vet.  He did an impression smear of the lesion, where they press a glass slide onto the surface to pick up cells for microscopic exam.

We waited for the doc to come back, which Indy liked, since by then I had found the treat jar in the exam room!  Hungry dog is easily distracted....  And when the doc came back, he gave us a smile, and told me it was a Cutaneous Histiocytoma, totally benign, and should resolve itself (go away) in another 2 months without treatment.  YAY!  No surgery, no big vet bill, and no Cone of Shame!  I dread ever having to place Indy in the Cone of Shame...Cody was bad enough, knocking everything possible over by bulling past it.  I can only imagine the utter destruction Indy would wreak if forced to wear the Cone of Shame in my home.

Just say NO to the Cone of Shame, Mom!

So we just have to watch it, and it should go away by late spring.  I don't forsee any need to have it removed, which could be done if if it became a problem. 

And in other good news, Roy was able to find us a good match for after Cody has crossed the Bridge.  His name is Ranger, and he is a young handsome boy!  More on Ranger in future posts.

A dog's life

Our youngest came to me in tears today, saying it was "that day" for her dog Cody.  Amidst hugs, I told her just to spend time with him outside, and to watch to see if he could still offload a landmine.  I also had to explain that what she thought was a skin failure, was not...which is good, because if that happens, it will be "that day".

She sat on the shelter roof, and I tried to coax Cody up beside her. He couldn't make it up the hill until the neighbor's dog began barking.  That got Cody up hill in a hurry, where he defended the yard with some barking of his own.  

I went back inside, but soon our youngest daughter came in, smiling, and she ran up to me, crying "he did it! " (doggie landmine).  

Today is a good day after all.  It is NOT "that day."

Young.

Prime.

Middle age.

A senior.

Word of the day

Grumble...

I find myself sitting in the waiting area off the MRI place this morning, happily full of coffee, cookies and peanut butter crackers.  DH is getting a scan of his wrist as the doc now suspects a fractured scaphoid.  So why am I grumbling?

Because yesterday, as I was happily looking through Half Price Books, my phone rang.  It was my bank, informing me my bank card had been hacked (again! ).  Crap.  I hate this.  This time it was fraudulent charges to some website in Italy, to the tune of over $400.  Fortunately, the bank denied the charge, but now I am stuck carrying cash or writing checks. 

I try hard to be careful in using my card in public or online.  I use Paypal when I am able, as it adds another layer of security.   But you cannot use Paypal everywhere.

It is so annoying.  I am not liable for the fraudulent charges, merely inconvenienced.  But I am still pissed. 

So if you hear me grumble at you, now you know why, and that it really isn't you I am grumbling about.