My apologies to those of you who have been following my posts and also to those of you in my online linkshell . I have fallen into a creative hole and it looks like I am going to have to knit myself out of it. Yes, I said knit. Many years ago, actually this was pre-children, I used to knit and crochet a lot. And as usual, I have 3 different projects started at the same time. When I finish I will post pictures.

Christmas was a nice lazy day for us here. We had ham for dinner and Erin made garlic mashed potatoes. We now have ham in the freezer and I have a hambone cooking on the stove for split pea soup tonight.

I did want to explain the "wolf" comment though. I am part Cherokee and born to the wolfclan. The clan passes through the mother's line of descent so my children are also wolfclan.

Happy and Prosperous New Year to all of you!

Busy November

OK, so I got trucked off during the month of November and didn’t get a lot posted. The girls seem to have settled in and the 2 sets of cats are working out their differences. Ha Ha! I broke up a cat fight this weekend and after finding blood on the kitchen cabinet went to see just who was bleeding. I never did find a wounded kitty though. However in the process I did manage to get bit. Had to soak my hand in Epsom salts water to take the swelling down and no I’m not going to the doctor with it. I put tea tree oil on it to kill any bacteria and that was that. Hand looks almost as good as new today. It’s turning colder finally around here and Sean turned my furnace on when he came for Thanksgiving. He and his family are moving to the Boulder area this week and my daughter is going with them to help them move and navigate. I guess I’m going to learn to drive to Boulder next vacation. Oh well, that’s the price of having kids grow up. Perhaps this weekend after all the dust settles I can get the final weeding done in the garden, I would like that. No shopping you ask? Not me. I never venture out on Black Friday. And very rarely do I shop at all. I pretty much have in my head what the Christmas gifts will be and that’s it. Get them and go. Avoid the malls at all costs. And that’s not because of the economy, that’s just me.

Tornado watch

They just issued a tornado watch through this evening.  Yes, its autumn in Oklahoma and tornado season is supposedly over. Lately though we have experienced changing weather patterns.  Global warming no doubt is to blame.  Last year I didn’t light my pilot until the first of November and so far this year I have only lit the one upstairs.  When Sean comes home in another week or so I will get him to turn on the downstairs one.  Gas prices have dropped down to $1.87 a gallon here also.  I can only imagine how much Natural Gas has dropped again.  The gas company certainly isn’t telling us.

 

 

 

Memorial Park visit

We took the afternoon of Nov 1 to visit Memorial Park.  I have always gone before Halloween but now I know I am not the only one who leaves crazy things on gravestones.  Someone had put up a scarecrow, not a large one you understand.  The grave of a 2 yr old was covered with plastic orange pumpkins, and a young boy’s gravestone was covered with toy metal cars and a baseball.  My Butterfinger doesn’t seem so strange anymore.  We also went and found Doc and Edna while we were there.  Since Erin and Sean are the only ones left of the family I felt they needed to know where it was.  I guess that is one drawback of having a really small family.

 

 

 

Playstation

OK I will admit that I’m a Final Fantasy XI player.  Right now my PS2 is having issues finding the internet.  We think (meaning my daughter) that we have the utility disk that we need to correct this.  I guess I will know when I get home tonight.  Otherwise I’m going to have to learn to play this game on the computer and buy a new program. 

 

 

 

Roses in Oct.

I was very pleased to find this in the side garden

Financial Frenzy

Even though the world is in such a financial crisis, I keep getting these credit offers in the mail each week. The amounts continue to creep higher and higher with offers of more perks. I think there is a reason for this. The credit industry has figured out that I am very close to leaving them in a cloud of dust. Other than my house, I owe very little. Much less than the national average I think. I have taught my children that credit is not necessary to live. Within the year I should finally be completely free of the credit industry. Once in that position I will open a new account that is to be used for one purpose only. The continuance of my credit rating. In other words this account will be paid in full each and every month and that is all.

That reminds me, I need to pull my credit report again to check on my progress. I do this twice a year to see where I stand.

I have already made my choice for my stock purchase in November. I will buy into BHP as I need to diversify a bit. It's only $100.00 not a fortune. My stocks havent done too badly through all this, its my mutual fund that stinks. Luckly I didnt have too much in that fund. However I have taken some of Buffetts lessons to heart. I buy to hold for a lifetime.

Its getting bad when....

OK, so its fall and its getting colder and the leaves are starting to finally turn colors. I of course go out and buy a couple of pumpkins for the front porch. They looked so nice there from the street. So autumnish if that is a word. However the resident rabid squirrel had made other plans for them. I guess the summer crops werent quite enough this year. I did notice that the carnage from the pear tree in the backyard wasnt so bad this year. The pecan trees did not produce as much this year either. Or perhaps its just an economic downswing in squirrel land. Anyway I opened the front door on Saturday to find holes in both pumpkins with teeth marks. The squirrel was in the act of chewing through the rind as I watched. Not a pretty sight. I decided to rub hot sesame oil on both pumpkins and that seemed to keep him at bay for a couple of days, but last night I came home to find a new hole on one pumpkin. I don't think these two will make it to Halloween before they rot at this rate. I will have to buy more. I guess I will have to bring them in when Im not at home.

Whats left before winter

Can you see the tiny little tomatoes still trying to grow? This is a volunteer tomato plant in the back garden.

And here are some hot peppers that are still going strong.

Rock

LOL, I found a rock for the corner! I feel like I need to paint a target on it.

The Election

Once again it seems the only choice the American people have been given is to choose the lesser of two evils. I rather liked McCain, I just wish he had been 20 years younger for this. Quite frankly Palin scares me to death even though I am a member of the NRA. I have always been a Republican, but the last 10 years or so I have leaned more to the Libertarian side of things. Less government is actually what I would consider "more". Obama would like to take the guns away from America or at least severely restrict their use. I don't see him getting that past Congress, but his health care package might at least be better. Social Security issues are a moot point as I plan to work until I am 70 already, I mean I have to have something to do to keep me out of trouble.

The Market

The stock market is finally moving back upwards today.  I thought I might be penniless soon considering the rate of its descent.  I saw where oil dropped below 70 dollars a barrel also.  This morning in Tulsa QT had gas priced at $2.59 a gallon so I wonder where it is tonight?  That’s right I said $2.59 a gallon.  Remember, this is Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I have not stopped making my monthly small purchases in the market.  I still believe the market is the only way I will make any kind of income for my retirement.  I just keep buying those dividend stocks.  $100.00 a month is all I buy but I use Sharebuilder so my cost for the brokers fees is only 4%.  When I can afford to up the amount to $200.00 I will get my cost down to the “proper” percentage of only 2%.  What does a lady buy?  You might be surprised.  How about Harley Davidson?

Yes, and I am going to keep buying Harley stock because they have a really great balance sheet and a dividend to match.  I also own some Oneok stock, and Ship Finance and a small stake in Capital Source.  Those are my dividend stocks.  Then there are my speculative stocks, Marvel Entertainment and Boots & Coots, which are both holding their own through this crazy market.  I don’t own a lot yet but I just started doing this last year.  It’s been more fun than anything.  I would have spent that small amount of cash on something else anyway.

 

 

 

fall flowers

Somehow I managed to get that mum on here twice. The blue & black salvia is actually an annual that has somehow managed to live for 5 years now.

Fall Weather

This fall has been really nice so far.  I have lots of lovely blooms still left in the garden and so many green tomatoes I don’t know if they will ever ripen.  The squirrels of course stripped my pecan trees.  But there weren’t a lot of nuts on them this year, perhaps because I had so many last year.  The tree must have needed a vacation.  I found my scarecrow while cleaning out the closet this weekend and some old games and some lovely vases that had been forgotten.  I need to buy some fresh flowers at the store to put in one of them.  I got out my belly dance costume and looked it over.  I may be able to wear it this year.  We will see.  Halloween was Mike’s favorite holiday.  I will need to leave a Butterfinger at Memorial Park for him again this year. I know the groundskeepers probably find a lot of different things there.  But a Butterfinger and 3 cents for a beer should be adequate.

 

 

 

Brave New World

My daughter is moving back home. After spending the summer renting a house with 3 other girls, one has gone home to Texas and left the other 3 out in the cold so to speak. I of course just happen to have 3 empty bedrooms. I cannot even begin to imagine how my life is going to change with three young women in the house. Not to mention all of their accumulated baggage from their summer adventure. The girls are comming over to help me rearrange the house today.

Natural Gas Price Plan

I’ve been doing really well keeping my utility bills down this summer.  I’ve changed to fluorescent lighting and turned the hot water tank’s temperature down and I just don’t do air-conditioning unless its above 90 degrees.  I keep a watch on the oil and gas industry and the price fluctuations.  I’m wondering if I’m the only one who has noticed that this week the price of natural gas dropped to $6.70 per BTU.  Oklahoma Natural Gas had an insert in the last bill asking people to sign up to an average price plan to keep their rates low this winter.  Apparently the gas company has already made their winter purchase and I’m sure they only anticipated price increases, not declines.  They bought their inventory prior to the price drop.  They paid $11.048 per dekatherm.  I had to look up and convert what a dekatherm was.  A BTU is just a tiny bit larger than a dekatherm.  In other words they want us to agree to pay twice the amount of what natural gas is currently selling for.  I don’t think so!  I personally think they need to renegotiate their purchase.

 

 

Rocks and Trash

At the risk of being labeled a nutcase or perhaps even a shrew I must present my case against trash being left on peoples doors. You have seen my rant about the alternate phone book already. Well, it is election season, and if it weren’t enough with all the religious propaganda that gets left on the door, now I have to deal with well meaning young men leaving me political brochures. I had a thought that I might purchase a small trashcan and put a label on it. Imagine an arrow pointing to the opening and the wording thus: Please deposit all political, religious, advertisements, etc here. Somehow I need to work yellow book into that phrase. I might even go as far as to mass produce these for sale on the open market. I think there would be a demand. (evil grin) I’m looking at trashcans on the way home tonight. Naw, I’m just a nutcase. See the reflectors in my front yard? I put those reflectors out a couple of months ago because of the way the city made the streets on my block. I seriously see someone driving into my living room someday, and I got tired of having to fill up the tire marks from people driving over the corner of my yard. There used to be 6 of those reflectors, but this morning I noticed there were only 3. Someone ripped off 3 of my reflectors! There are fresh skid marks in the street and on the curb. I hope my reflectors scratched up their car real nice. I’m looking for a large rock now.

testing

Does this work? 

 

 

 

yard work

Hopefully I have mowed for the last time this year and can move on to other tasks outdoors before the weather becomes nasty. I need to get the fence painted and the garden weeded one last time. I really need a load of dirt brought in to fill up the dog bunkers that abound on the dogs side of the fence. Yes, the dogs side of the fence. My backyard is divided in half with one side for them and one side for me. I would have gladly shared my side if they would have quit digging. Cough, cough, hairball.....I'm a cat person.

I've been busy preparing for my position at work to go perm and getting the house in order for the fall season.

My daughter and I were talking the other day about the makeup we have been using. We both use the mineral makeup that Avon puts out and we love it. I get so many comments as to what are you using on your face? The ironic thing is, as she put it.....I used to admonish her to keep her face clean and wipe the dirt off. Well what exactly is mineral makeup? Is it dirt? Is it ground up rock? Hmm, could be dirt.

Today feels so lazy and yet I have so very much I really need to do. Thanks to hurricane Ike it rained all day yesterday here in Oklahoma and the temperature dropped down to the high 70's for the daytime. I can live with that, open the windows and let the wind in. I don't have to pay anyone for the wind, so far its still free. I need to finish cleaning upstairs today and work on the bathroom wood trim. This winter I plan to learn how to use that circular saw that lives in my garage. I say lives in my garage because it was Mike's saw and I really don't know anything about it but I'm sure there is an instruction manual out there somewhere and I really need to do some repair work this year. You will remember from my other blog (and yes, I finally remembered my password) I really hate paying other people to do something I can figure out how to do myself. Thought I would post pics of the animals and start the laundry and make chili today. How's that for a fortuitous beginning?

same subject, second time

Today I lost another good friend, of course it was another cat. My Tuxedo cat, Blaze. She was 16 years old. As I drove home from the vet telling my self to just "breath, you can drive while you cry" I started a train of thought on how loss creates us. It's as if we need loss in order to grow just as we need love in order to grow. Of course if you never love, you can never feel loss.

Blessings, Blaze.

yellow plague

Last Thursday when I got home from work there was a yellow sack occupying a prominent position on my front porch. The sack contained the much unappreciated "yellow book" yellowpages. In the past I have used this book for a variety of thing including composting. One year I just left it in the yellow plastic sack all year and used it as a knee pad in the garden. As my daughter got older I had to explain to her that throwing away the old phone book was not acceptable when the ugly yellow book arrived each year. I even took to writing in large block letters across the front of the old AT&T book "Mom's phone book, do not pitch on penalty of reprisal." You see I refuse to use the yellow book. So this year when I saw it on the porch I did not even take it into the house but took it around the side yard to the trash. I pitched it out by the garbage can still wrapped in its bright yellow wrapper. I went on to mow the back yard. When evening fell and I was turning on the porch lights, the yellow book had somehow managed to once again make porch status but this time on the kitchen porch. A neighbor I'm sure. Back to the garbage it went. Finally Monday rolled around, which was my next trash pickup day. I thought surely I would be rid of it.

Monday morning I take my shower as usual. I hear the dogs making their regular garbage man noise and think finally it will get picked up. I open the kitchen door to leave for work and there it is again. The garbage man has kindly placed it on my porch for me. The book finally makes it into the house, at least for the day. Monday evening I arrive home with a mission. I find the address of the "yellow book's" publisher in the AT&T phonebook. Oh my god! They are located almost across the street from where I work! Guess where I will be headed on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday, with the package in the car, still wrapped in its yellow wrapper. I have written across the sack with sharpie: Not AT&T.....Refused. I speed through their parking lot and drop it in front of their door. I did notice on the way in that most of my neighbors had still not bothered to even move their yellow packages. I wonder if I should set up a collection site? Nah.

I'm still here

It took some work but I finally found my old blog and I can't get back into it. I have changed web providers..ah well, such is life. Needless to say the original Tekasworld was my original blog with pictures of my cats and the dog from hell. Its been 18 months since Bill passed away but I still havent gotten the last of his medical charges finalized. I cannot believe the inadequacy of some institutions.

My Kali cat passed away earlier this week, a heart attack I think. She had been down in the hips for a little and had been hiding behind the toilet in the bathroom for a few days. Thats her in front there. May you always find your sunbeam Kali.