The Death of a Rat helps a Cat – Other Pets in my Life

I wonder what the poor cats are doing?

As I sit here beginning the writing of this  tale I am in our Phoenix house.  It was my turn to visit and oversee a project.  This time it was the replacement of kitchen counters.  2016 should prove to be a big year of change for us as we plan to sell our CA house on our own, transport a POD to Ohio and pull a trailer to Phoenix.  We hope by the end of the year we are set up for a snowbird lifestyle in our retirement.

Hog Heaven – Preble County Pork Festival

Get there early!

I cooked up a mess of buttermilk pancakes the other morning and if I do say so myself, I make a pretty tasty pancake.  It had been several months since I’d cooked them because, well I just don’t have the number of ‘customers’ that I used to have.  Two thirds of my younger clientele has moved out, onto their own culinary feasts.  Many times when I’m cooking pancakes, (especially if kielbasa sausage is involved), I am reminded of the annual Pork Festival in Eaton, Ohio. 

Sasha – A Pet Owner’s Love Story

Beautiful inside and out

Our beloved pet has developed serious issues with her bile ducts and as such, is not getting all she needs from her liver.  We know we’re not going to have her company for as long as we’d like.  I have always planned on writing a ‘celebrate Sasha’ story and so I decided to write it before she passes….just in case she sneaks onto the Internet to read my blog – this one’s for you Sasha, we love you! 

Meet Me, the Inventor of the Flock of Seagulls Do

Uh-Oh, she forgot to use a washcloth first

We have a serious water shortage in California due to a several year drought.  Every now and again though, I get a craving for a long, hot shower.  Our bathroom is the furthest point from our hot water heater so to help save water, we keep two five-gallon buckets in the shower.  They catch all the cold water before the shower gets hot and then we use that water to either water the outdoor plants or dump into the swimming pool.  To help even more, when the water turns hot, I like to dial the spray so that it’s more widespread, thin streamed.  This way if I want to take a long shower, I use much less water.

I assume many people grew up with hot showers and so they therefore take them for granted.  I was not one of these people so it’s hard for me not to consider myself very lucky when I step into that hot water stream.  If I turn around with my back to the water, I see to my right a small window that provides a nice view of the neighborhood below.  Directly ahead, I see my sink and usually my cat Bandit has her head bent down underneath the faucet, lapping up the slow stream of water that I provided for her.

Will You Marry Me – the First Time I asked that Question

Those dirty rings – You try scrubbing them out, but nothing works

In the last story (link) about the early relationship between me and my wife, (girlfriend at the time), I had suffered a setback and celebrated a success.  I had to drop out of going to college full time and then accepted my first ‘real job’ which was to be an Assistant Manager at Taco Bell.