Crash here.  I'm so tired.  The past few days, Mom has been so busy, she hasn't had any time for me and I keep following here around the house so I don't get a nap.
Anyway, today I found out why she was so busy.  She was planning a party for her birthday.  She's 75 years old and thinks that makes her special.  Big deal.  I did hear that she was born on the day that the World's Fair opened, that must have been a big deal.

She didn't want Burnie and me at the party, so we were locked up all afternoon.  Can you imagine that, we weren't welcome.  We live here too, we should have been invited.  It was very loud, I couldn't sleep a wink.  There must have been a million people here, at least it sounded like it.

There was one good thing about being locked up with Burnie.  We got some catnip as a bribe to stay in our room and not make too much noise.

Anyway, happy birthday mom.  How come you never give me a  birthday party.  If you don't know the date, you can always make one up.  You could bake me a catnip cake.  That would be good.

A Happy Easter

I thought I was going to have a very quiet Easter, but then my niece called me to invite me to celebrate Easter with her, her husband, her mother and her sisters and their husbands.  It was wonderful to spend the day with them.  They are such a happy and interesting group.

Everyone  brought something for our dinner which was delicious and I brought dessert.  Just before dessert, they dimmed the lights and brought out a birthday cake and started singing.  I wondered whose birthday it was, then I realized it was for me.  I was so surprised and pleased that they thought of me.

I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful family.

 

 

Crash, Burn and I all wish you a very Happy and Blessed Easter.

Hi all, this is an old picture of me, but this is what I did today.

It was a beautiful day today, not as windy as it usually is, so mom opened a window and the sliding door so that Burnie and I could get some fresh air.  It was so nice.  I saw a lot of cars and people walking, but I didn't see any birds.  Guess they are still on their way up from the south.

As usual, Burnie tried to bother me while I was in the window, so I growled at him.  Then mom came around and shot Burnie.  He wasn't hurt, she just shoots him with water.  Then she picked him up and put him by the door.  So I got curious and got out of the window and went to the door and  Burnie.  Then mom yelled at me for making a fuss at Burnie.

There's just no pleasing some people.

All that fresh air has made me tired.  Time for a nap.  See you soon.

Power Outage

Yesterday we had a power outage.  I can understand that the power can go out during a storm, or with the high winds that we sometimes get here.  This morning, it was sunny and the wind was calm.  I guess, some wire just decided to fall and have some fun.

Since I had to go out, it didn't effect me too much, especially now that I know how to open the garage door when there is no electricity.  I learned that lesson the hard way, but that's a story for another day.  My only concern was that if the power was still out in a few hours, I wouldn't be able to have my mid-morning coffee break.

I do have a gas stove and some matches; I can boil water and use my coffee press.  The problem is that I use whole beans and grind them as I need them.  With no power, I couldn't grind the beans.  Since I had to do some grocery shopping today, I added ground coffee to the list.  I keep my coffee beans frozen until I'm ready for them.  I now have both beans and ground coffee on hand.  I'm ready for any power failure.

When I got around to restarting my computer, there was sporadic internet service.  I tried resetting my modem and d-link (whatever that is), but it didn't help.  During one of the times of service, I received an email from my internet provider apologizing for the outage and giving the following instructions:

For information on how to reset your Optimum Online modem click here .
For information on how to reboot your Optimum digital cable box click here.
Should you have additional questions visit our Answer Center at Optimum.net/support.  

According to that, you have to have internet access to reset the modem or cable box.  Since I  didn't have internet I couldn't "click here" to get the information.

'Tis a puzzlement.

Knife Registration

This morning, a student at a school in Pennsylvania, armed with a knife of some kind, went through his school and stabbed or slashed approximately 20 of his fellow students.

Fortunately, none of these students suffered life threatening injuries, but it must have been frightening for them.  One of the girls in the school had the presence of mind to pull the fire alarm which alerted others throughout the school of the danger and maybe prevented other injuries.

How long will it take for the president and members of congress to press for legislation to limit access to, and registration of, knives?  Will there be full media coverage with celebrities pushing for protection from knives?

I don't mean to make light of this, but it does prove that if a person is intent on doing harm, or is mentally unstable, ANYTHING can be used as a weapon.  Remember a few weeks ago when a woman drove her car into the surf with her children in it.  They were only saved because a  bystander heard the cries of the children.

The answer to these mass shootings and stabbings is better mental health care, not removal of guns and knives.

College Athletes

One of the teams at a well-known university has just been given the right to unionize.  The media is all abuzz that college athletes should be paid, since their school is making millions of dollars from their work.  There was even a basketball player saying that he often goes to bed hungry.

That sounded very familiar to me.  Back when I was working, my company was making millions of dollars as a result of my work.  I got a salary for my work.

I guess it's only fair that college  athletes be paid for their work.  It wouldn't be fair though if those athletes got paid and a full scholarship.  I say, pay the athletes, but rescind their scholarships.  Maybe, as an incentive, if the team does well and wins, say a championship, those players could get a bonus.

Paying the players would have many advantages.  First, it would introduce them to the real world a little sooner, they would have some extra money (if they've learned how to manage it) and they would then join the dwindling supply of taxpayers that we so sorely need.

It's time that college athletes stopped getting a free ride with scholarships and joined the real world as taxpayers, just like the rest of us.

Hi there.  I think spring is here.  It was so sunny today I got a chance to sit in the window and watch the cars go by.  The sun is so nice and warm, it's very good for my bad leg.  Mom thinks my leg is really OK and that I fake it to get attention.  But she's wrong, I really do have a bad leg, but maybe sometimes, just sometimes I do fake it to make mom feel guilty for leaving us for a geographical exploration.

Anyway, I heard some birds today too.  They sounded so happy.  I wanted to go out, but mom wouldn't open the door for me.  She thinks I'd run away and get lost and then she'd never see me again.  I wouldn't do that, even if Crash thinks it would be a good idea.  I know I have a great life here, good food, nice snacks, a warm couch to sleep on.  Ah, the good life.  I'm so glad that I walked into that house that night.  I chose a very good family for myself.

Burnie

I DID IT!

Ever since I moved into my home about 8 years ago, there was one thing I've wanted.  Every time I stopped at the store, I would check out the display.  There was always the same question, did I really need it, would I use it or why should I buy one?

Today, I finally decided.  I checked it out on-line, at different stores and then went to the store and ordered it.  It will be delivered tomorrow.

I bought a wine refrigerator.  I like to keep a supply of various wines and as a result of not having enough storage, I keep the bottles in various rooms.  There was one time when I opened a drawer in my closet and found a bottle that I had forgotten about.  If you saw the various places where I keep my wine, you would think I had a problem.  I don't.

Now, they will all be in the same place.  I can store 45 bottles, both red and white in one place.  That will open some storage room for other stuff.