PUPPY LOVE!!

Hello again!

As I prepare to return to Austin on Monday, the 26th, I wondered what had been going on next door with Susan L. and her band of merry canines. We had not heard from her in a while but she appeared to have been quite busy based on the comings and goings of the big ol' truck. Today, Susan L. gave us a call and brought over a new to-be-vet-checked then adopted critter, known as "Little Bit." I think that refers to whatever genes are NOT Pekingese as it appears to be primarily "any of a Chinese breed of small short-legged dogs with a broad flat face and a profuse long soft coat" (Merriam-Webster Online). I think the photo will cause you to agree.



We had a lovely chat and visit. "Little Bit" was fairly content to be passed from lap to lap for petting purposes although she did seem to enjoy her jog around the pool in the enclosed area (where we take the critters when we question whether there might be a bladder need!). Once she has been approved by the vet for adoption, we're fairly certain she won't be waiting long for a new home!

So... a very pleasant last afternoon in Louisiana until I return on February 6th. I will try to touch base while in Austin but there just doesn't seem to be quite as much to blog about there. :) Maybe I just don't seem to have as much "free time!"

Until the next item of interest...

CULTURAL, SCHMULTURAL!!!

Howdy, blogger pals!

Well, most of you will get a really big kick out of this one! *chuckle* I know I did.

So... my friends, Jo and Susan, and I headed for the big city of Lake Charles yesterday afternoon about 4:45 p.m. We were definitely in good moods, anticipating a chat with the author of a book who appeared, in her online bio, to be worth a chat. Jo was hopeful she could get a signed copy of the book. It was going to be a great evening!!

We got there about 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled 6:00 p.m. event. I asked... okay, I BEGGED... to make a Starbucks stop since it was only about 6 blocks from the event location. No problem. We stopped and I got my "fix", ending a nearly 3-week withdrawal. We then moved on to the event location... the Lake Charles Public Library.

Susan and I were working on our Starbucks scores so we stopped in the foyer of the library at a bench. Jo decided to forge ahead and check out the event setup, etc. Susan and I chatted while finishing our drinks. It seemed a bit longer than we would have expected but, at last, Jo finally came walking through the glass door into the foyer. Her face definitely told us things were not going smoothly.

Jo's statement (I'm paraphrasing here) was a simple "She's not here" referencing the author. "What?!?" was Susan's and my immediate response. A repeated "She's not here" was followed by a hodge-podge of explanation that one of the library staff didn't know why she wasn't there but perhaps another member of the staff indicated she wasn't going to be there although there seemed to be some confusion by the library about what was, or wasn't, going to occur. It was a barrage of information that none of us comprehended. Bottom line? We were going to be deprived of our Cultural Event. Yes... we had made the trip in anticipation only to have our expectations dashed. Sigh. It was a sad moment for us all.

Okay! So... what about dinner?!?!? :) After all, there were refreshing adult beverages to be had and good food to be found! (You can't keep a group of gals down!) After some discussion, we decided on a local eatery that has been in business for a VERY long time (since 1948) called Pat's of Henderson. Perhaps one day I will regale you with the tale of our brand new waitperson (a young lady) and her "shadow" trainer (a middle-aged gentleman) who provided us a pretty good comedy show during dinner... although they were completely unaware of it! We had a nice dinner (I had the crawfish gumbo if you're interested!), a show (remember the waitstaff?), and great conversation. Did we miss the author's non-appearance? Not really. I remembered hearing or reading something way back when indicating the event was the journey... not the final destination. I believe this little road trip was a reminder for the three of us that the journey was the important part of our evening.

Now then... those of you who know me well understand that my recommendation to my friend, Jo, was to go online and contact everyone... the author, the publisher, the library! Let them know how disappointed we were and the trouble through which we had gone to attend (that might be a slight exaggeration... but there is a point to be made!). Today, Jo began forwarding the responses she was getting to me!! It was GREAT, folks!! Bottom line: Lots of apologizing AND Jo is going to get a couple of autographed book copies. (The publisher had not updated their tour information even though the author had cancelled her Lake Charles run last November and the Lake Charles Public Library had removed it from their calendar.)

So... although I remain culturally deprived, I am happy to report I am not friend-deprived... and that is far more important!

Until next post...

A CULTURAL EVENT!

Hello, blogger pals! Hope your 2009 is going well!

My Louisiana friends have invited me to a cultural event in Lake Charles, Louisiana this evening:
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 06:00 PM DeLaune Michel, will be promoting The Safety of Secrets. Appears at: Lake Charles Public Library, 301 W. Claude, Lake Charles, LA 70601.

Our friend, Jo, belongs to a book club. She is the motivating force behind this outing and we are glad to be invited. The book takes place in Lake Charles, LA, and details the life of two young girls who grow up together and the directions they take. We hope the event will be interesting and are looking forward to a casual dinner afterward. (I am hopeful we can manage a Starbucks run sometime during this evening... anytime!)

This may seem a bit mundane to those of you in those more urban areas with loads of events to choose from... but I assure you, this is worth a 45-minute drive... one-way... really. It is the opportunity to go somewhere that takes more than 5 minutes to get to (which is the time by which a drive to any part of town is measured). It is the opportunity to hear more from the high school pals who have definitely embarked on their own journeys in the past 35+ years. It is the opportunity to enjoy a welcome change of routine. I am looking very much forward to it.

So, I hope each of you has something to enjoy this week. If not, do yourself a favor and find something to schedule that you can look forward to doing. It will perk you up!!

Until something blogworthy...

BRAIN? WHAT BRAIN?

Okay. At the behest of my friend and my aunt's primary caregiver, Debbie, I am going to let you all in on one of the dumbest days in my life. (She was involved but found it amusing enough to be willing to tell you all about it!) It happened a bit back and I was debating whether I wanted to reveal my lack of brainpower that day. For the sake of amusement (yours, not mine!), I am going to tell it all.

So... I drove back to La. on Friday, January 2nd. Everything was just fine. I made my last stop before arriving at my aunt's house in Newton, Texas... about 20 miles from DeRidder. There were no issues there nor anything to hint at what was to come!

Saturday morning, January 3rd, Debbie and I were going out to run an errand. We were going to take my 'Burb. As I approached it, I clicked the unlock button on the key chain. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Dead. I used the key to open the door (this was my only bright moment in this experience!), placed the key in the ignition, and turned it. Not a click, moan, groan, hum... Dead. Fine. Reckon it's the battery, right? Sure. Makes sense. Can't remember when I put the last battery in but it's probably been a while. Uh-huh.

We are resourceful women, my friend, Debbie, and I. We can jump that bad boy and make that run up to the Wal-Mall (as I have christened the local WalMart) to get a new battery. Heck yeah!! So, Debbie drags out her jumper cables, I lift the hood of the 'Burb to get a bead on where the battery lies, and Debbie pulls on up as closely as possible perpendicular to the right front tire of the 'Burb. (The 'Burb was parked nose-in to a garage door with a wall to the left... the only available spot to work from was the right front.) I watch Debbie jump out of her Blazer (yes, it's Chevy to Chevy!) after releasing her hood from within her vehicle. She calmly walks to the front of the Blazer... and is unable to open the hood. Yeppir, folks. She banged on that sucker, talked to it, massaged it... it didn't move. Her comment? "This has never happened before." Okay.

No problem!! My aunt's nearly new '08 Lucerne is sitting in the driveway with a nearly new battery!! We'll just use HER car to jump the 'Burb. Uh-huh. So, with the confidence of someone totally unaware of the Pamploma bull rushing up behind her, I opened the hood of the Lucerne to locate the battery. I stood there. I looked. I looked some more. I kept looking. Debbie wandered over to see what was taking me so long. She looked. She looked some more. She kept looking. "Debbie... I don't see a battery under this hood!" "Me, either!" We looked. We looked some more. We kept looking. No battery. Okay. I'm getting the Owners Manual out!! (Note this occurred rather quickly which is your confirmation there were two women involved in this quest... no men. Sorry, gentlemen.) The Owners Manual reveals strange news. The battery, my blog fans, is underneath the BACK SEAT BEHIND THE DRIVER'S SEAT!!! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? I am of the generation of carburetors. I know what "butterfly" means in reference to one. The mass of metal and plastic under the hood of this '08 Lucerne was like moving to DOS after having learned only Windows. The only vehicle I have ever known to have a battery under a back seat was the Volkswagen Bug. That made sense. The stinkin' ENGINE was under the trunklid!! Sigh.

Okay. We now have not only information on the whereabouts of the battery but have also learned there is a way to "remotely" jump the vehicle... which will also apply to using it to jump another vehicle... our quest. All we need to do now is close the hood of the Lucerne, move it over near the 'Burb, and give it a go!! I press gently on the hood, my father's words reverbrating in my head... "Don't force it!" The hood refuses to budge. I press with a bit more force. Nothing. The hood is not going to cooperate. Debbie steps over to see what my NEW problem is. She reaches up, presses lightly on the hood... nothing. She provides a bit more pressure. Nothing. We now determine the trick is similar to the hiding of the battery and that there MUST be a hidden trigger that will allow the hood to close smoothly without warping it! WHERE THE HECK IS THAT OWNERS MANUAL?!?!?!?!? Fine. Found it. Instructions for closing the hood: "Press gently on the top of the hood." AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! Debbie and I are both standing in front of the car, reach up at the same time, and both press gently on either side of center of the hood. The hood smoothly and cooperatively closes. Sigh.

We move the Lucerne, hook up the jumper cables, and give it a go. Nothing. No way. That poor little 6-banger (with all of the electronics and oddly-placed battery!) is doing nothing to juice up that big ol' 8-cylinder monster. We give up. Really. We did. We took Debbie's vehicle to run our errand and called it a day.

End of story? VERY nice guy from the local GM dealership takes his time to come by the house to check it out, puts a charger on it, leaves me his card to call him, then tells me he charged it up and hopes it will still have enough juice to crank Monday morning so I can take it in to the shop. If you don't understand a small town, this is an example of something that happens frequently. Really. Anyway... took it in Monday morning (it cranked) and now have a brand new Delco battery that is starting me up like crazy!! The best thing? IT'S STILL UNDER THE HOOD!!!

Oh... and Debbie's Blazer hood? She hasn't tried to open it again but says she needs to take it to have the oil changed... and she'll let them deal with it. *chuckle*

Until the next time...

I'M BA-A-A-A-A-CK (in Louisiana)

Hello, blog fans. My apology for the delay in posting. Heck, it's a whole new year since the last post. Things have gotten even more interesting but that is for a later time.

Today, I want you to meet "Pixie." She is yet another "save" by my aunt's neighbor, Susan L. Now I can hear some of you talking amongst yourselves even as I type. Yes, we do call this breed "targets" in my Texas household. Yes, this breed does have a tendency to be a bit yippy and/or shaky. Yes, you are correct I will never own one of these. But I feel compelled to 'fess up to all of you that this little Chihuahua was quiet, well-behaved, lovable, and just plain acceptable as a small... make that teeny... dog.

Alright. Now that the "awwwwwwww"s are done.

My aunt is doing well. Once she got past the pneumonia/pleurisy issue, it was a matter of regaining some strength. She has done that and has gotten some of her "spunk" back. We are grateful for that and looking forward to continued improvement.

I have spent a little time with some more folks I knew growing up. That remains fun and interesting. If you have always lived in one place, you miss out on re-acquainting and finding out what has happened in the past 35 years!! Some folks have taken turns you wouldn't have guessed while others are exactly where you expected them to land. It's definitely a good time.

So... I will certainly try to post a bit more frequently. Please don't give up on me. There definitely will be more to come. I wish you all the very best 2009... safe and prosperous.

Until the next round...