Can someone explain?

During our open house - open house means no admission fee (that seemed to confuses some people) - a couple with two young girls visited early and stayed long. They took advantage of all the amenities: craft, story telling, refreshment. A volunteer reported the mom was using the library table to change her little darling's diaper. Shortly there after, a guest report an overflowing toilet. Within minutes, all toliets were stopped up. So nice to have to close the toilets on a busy day. (Meanwhile the volunteers checked the trashcans to make sure the diaper went out of the builidng. No diaper to be found) By the next day the high water had subsided and the maintenance man thought he had it clear. However, the next weeknd, the toilets started running slowly, so on Monday the plumber came. Yes, indeed, he fished remains of that diaper out of the main sewer line. Seems mom told dad to throw away the diaper and he put it down the toilet. WHAT WAS HE THINKING????? Evidently he wasn't or he is ignorant.

Someone suggested I put up a sign. Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. I don't think signs combat ignorance, because in law enforcement class we learned that when some folks see a "Do Not Litter" sign, they are compelled to pile litter under it. So a "only toilet paper in the toilet" sign would encourage student to put more paper towels in the toilet like they did this week.

Can anyone explain this to me?

Christmas letters

I got them done. Most are addressed and stamped. Now I need to get return address labels on them. And off they will go this weekend. isn't that nice.

last night when Suzie and I went out for a walk it was foggy and damp. The Christmas lights in the yards up the street looked magical. The two dogs across the street threw themselves into the bay window to bark and Suzie and I. They thought that was magical.

Irritated

I am trying to email myself from my little apple. It is the Christmas letter which I must admit is not a sterling piece of writing, but none the less I do not want to re type it. All I get is the little color wheel. Argh. I am cranky.

Abbey and Munchy

Munchy is Betsy's cat. We think she has no bones. She will let you carry her anywhere. Abbey likes cats.

full blessing

From Thanksgiving weekend

Walt, Abbey, Me & Suzie, Maggie, Ed & Izzie, Phill & niece Ellen.

Monday, monday

Suzie is my boon companion. Companion. What a nice word. A lovely concept. A life enrichment.

Wisdom

Wednesday in October

This is Samuel, my number 2 son, number 3 child. He is currently in Japan with the JET program. He is teaching English in Misawa, Aomori, Japan. You can see his blog and weekly updates at jetsetarnett.blogspot

October 1, 2007

Wow, what a beautiful day. It is the kind of day one likes to use as reference when thinking of a beautiful day in fall.

The leaves are starting to change slowly this year, at least in the mountains. Usually peak is considered the last of September, but it has only just begun.

office

A shot of what is on top of my computer. Not very original. Just a small slice of life.

Now I need to figure out how to get this on my profile.

jetsetarnett

If you happen upon my blog, you must go read jetsetarnett blog. It is great.

Companion

Yesterday I took Dog Suzie to get her stitches removed from her dog procedure-spay. There was a poster on the wall with pictures and groupings of purebred dogs. I learned that Suzie being evidently part pug and part chihuahua is catagorized a "toy." Pugs were bred in China and chihuahua in Mexico. The toy dogs are considered companions. My companion spent time last evening chewing on my hands and ridding me of fleas.

Magz has dubbed Miss Suzie a pughuahua, pronounced 'pugwawa.'

Ona Merl

My mom changed the spelling of her name a couple of times. I am never sure how to spell it now. "E" on the end of Merl or not? Sh is not here to tell me her preference. Anyhow, yesterday would have been her 81st birthday. My younger brother sent out his favorite picture of her. Although it is slightly out of focus, she is young, healthy, smiling and reading her Bible. Her hands and her Bible are in focus.

She liked my brother best. That was Mom.

I will post that picture when I get to my PC.

Bitty Boon Buddy

Friday week, I visited a foster home for Preston County Animal Shelter. Here is a picture of the "part pug" I brought home. She had four pups who have also been placed. So there is a "Happy Tail" for petfinder.com

Her pound name is SuzieQ, but she answers not. For that matter she answers to not at all, except to kissy sounds or high pitched baby/doggy talk. I guess we will keep the name because it matches the other pet names: Izzy collie, Zinger cat, and the fish (who don't answer to anything but the plink of food on the water.)

Suzie is a good companion. She sleeps at work. She sleeps in the car. She sleeps in the Wheeling apartment and the Davis house. She barks rarely. She does her necessary functions outside. Good dog, Suzie.

July arrived

So I got through Girl Scout Day Camp and handed over the glue and glitter while promising to be assistant director next year. Sounds much more doable.

I need to post a picture my oldest emailed me today. It is from probably 20 years ago. As a matter of fact it was 1987. How time flies. My, my, my.

The picture is from a spring trip to Holly River State Park. These children are grown now and taller than I. The fellow on my right is about 6'5". My heart wants the time back, but to no avail. Like the Willie Nelson song says, "I should have loved you better, didn't mean to be unkind. You know that was the last thing on my mind."

Not my dog

The future reading I did about the dog in Betsy's car turned out to be false. Jim has fallen in love with "little Bit." Looks like she is staying on with the Martins and menagerie. So no dog for me right now which is for the best. Like today I have a doctor's appoiintment and who would keep the dog.

Monday on Wednesday

It happens

the future

I looked into Betsy's Moutaineer and I am pretty sure I saw the future.

My friend Betsy rescues...dogs, cats, people.... Yesterday she saw a pup along side a back road. On her way back, it was still there. She and hubby, Jim, went back to see if anyone had lost a pup. "Nope," said the folks at the first house. "We saw someone drop the dog off. We wondered what would happen to it."

So this morning 'Litle Bit' was in the vehcile with Buddy(corgie mix), Lucky(fat beagle), Maggie & Daisey( yellow labs.) The new pup looks much like the yellow labs, but Betsy thinks she will have perky ears.

Phill will not be happy. None the less, I think I saw my future this morning.

Pitiful dog

The bad thing happened. After we got the dog her summer cut, the temperatures dropped. It does not seem like middle of May. We have to put a shirt on the dog to let her out.

So many books...

A blessing of my life here is the Ohio County Library -- http://ocplprogramming.blogspot.com/

I am especilly appreciative of the books on CD. I get in at least 6 hours of listening per weekend commute.

What happened to the dog?

Well, this is funny. As you may or may not know, a collie has LOTS of doghair. It gets so thick, Izzy will not let us put a brush through it. At least not for long. She is not a snippy dog, but she gets snippy about that.

So we get her a summer cut. Sadie, the dog groomer, even cuts off the dogs "eyebrows"- the black markings on her head.

Izzy goes from looking like a fat dog to looking like a dog with an eating problem. Don't you like the fox tail effect?

Wowee, zowee

Ed is home from his first year of college. That went fast. Knock me over with a feather.

Soon Magz first year of high school will be history.

It is more to contemplate than I dare today. To chores.

The day was very coquetish.

Thinking about posting, does not a posting make.

May Day has come and gone. My one year anniversary with the museum past. I forgot to sing to my coworkers. See how easy it is to lose traditions.

Today I have been studying about the "inauguration" of the new state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863 as reported in the Daily Intelligencer of Monday, June 22, same year.

"As we anticipated, Saturday was a great gala day in the city. There were thousands of people here from abroad and the city turned out its entire population. The day was very coquetish. Now all the beauties of the sun were shown and then a cloud chased all away. It threatened to rain several times but nothing but a little shower came; not enough to drive people into their houses or to deter them from coming out Flags, of all sizes, were as thick in the city as the locust in the suburbs. The display of bunting was most attractive and reflected much credit upon the good taste and patriotism of the people..."

The speeches, quoted in entirety were long. References to laughter and cries from the crowd were noted. One gets a sense of the day which we will recreate in abbreviation on June 20, 2007, the 144th anniversary.

What month is this?

It is snowing again.

Where is spring?

Next week is the annual Blue and Gray Reconciliation Dinner at WV Independence Hall. Our program will have a copy of the picture shown. It is ‘Peace at the End of the Civil War" by Allyn Cox- From the frieze of the Rotunda of the United States Capitol which contains a painted panorama depicting significant events in American history. - A Confederate soldier and a Union soldier shake hands, marking the reunion of the country after the devastation of the Civil War. A cotton plant and a northern pine tree symbolize the South and the North, respectively.

Over Easter the east coast had a heck of a snow storm. Although the weather man promised we had seen our last cold morning until October, he blew it. We are expecting snow yet again this weekend.

The forsythia which had been blooming wildly yellow last week are nipped and looking peaked. That is a shame, because there is nothing quite as pretty as a hill side of yellow bells.

One of my complaints with prolonged cold weather in the spring is we slam right into summer with so few of those gorgeous spring days. Ah, well.

It was nice to walk to the post office today, wearing a jacket and catching only a few raindrops. The tulips in the yard of the Episcopal Church were promising to bloom soon.

Wow, it is so easy to get lost for a month ...

It is easy to not post for weeks at a time. Busy, busy, busy and coming up on a busier time now that spring is here.

All my children are smart cookies. This one went to the state science fair as a freshman. Isn't she lovely.

She said to me recently, "I love my cat with my whole heart. I love the dog with my whole heart. How can that be?"
"Ah," I said, jumping on the 'teaching moment.' "That is how moms feel about their children."

She gave me words for the mom's dilemna. Thank you

Happy Easter.

A March Snow Storm

We were in the SW bottow corner of a big eastern snow storm. Went all the way from us to Maine.

Snowy Luau at Timberline.

Here is a pict - not fom this year, but coulda been.

"What will become of me..."

"What will become of me..."
2/23/1999 alternate lyrics DMB

i'm spilling out
i'm...
i'm melting out
i'm out.
ask me again, my friend...
what will become of me when i'm all poured out?

i'm spilling down
i'm emptied out
i'm asking you again, my friend...
what will become of us
what will become of us when we're all poured out?

come and relax now...
leave your trouble down
no need to bear the weight of your worries,
here let them all fall away...


Once again, My philosophy by song lyric...

The Ohio River is almost at flood stage and it is raining still. Of course, raining here is not always the problem, but cumulative raining in the water shed. The creek that runs between the cemetary and the road I drive was churning this morning. It could have swept away a grown person.

We found out that the community college next door dosen't get water in their elevator shaft until 44' and the river is now at about 38', so there is a ways to go to get to our building. But we will have to keep our eyes on it. There are several hours of work and moving things to the second floor that would have to be done.

I am bringing back my camera after the weekend. I want to illustrate my blog with current images. Like the flood out our window.

Beware the Ides of March.

This is a picture by Ed.

Ogden Nash

Read any Ogden Nash lately? I started looking for his poem about the panther, but ended up reading several.

A panther's a leopard that hasn't been peppered.
If you behold a panther crouch, prepare to say ouch.
Better yet, if hailed by a panther, don't anther.

I've been reading Nash and listening to Dave Matthews Band. An interesting combination.

Picture from June 2006 at West Virginia Independence Hall.

Day light savings

Funny name that - day light savings - after all, the daylight is what it is.

I am waiting for my computer to upgrade its time. Our computers did not get the message that the federal government has changed the time. I went on line to find a download to slap the program around, but for whatever reason, my computer is taking an inordinately long time to get its act together.

I've been thinking alot lately about how inconsequential our lives are. Life is brief. Our lives are marked by very little. We are mostly only important to ourselves. We spend most of our times trying to figure out how to live well. What's it all about, Alfie?

"What's it all about, Alfie
Is it just for the moment we live
What's it all about
When you sort it out, Alfie
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind
And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess It is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs Only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on An old golden rule
As sure as I believe
There's a heaven above, Alfie
I know there's something much more
Something even non-believers
Can believe in
I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love you just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you’ve missed
You're nothing, Alfie....
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you'll find love any day
Alfie... Alfie... Alfie... "

Ah, yes, philosophy by pop music.
That's the american way, is it not?

Good bye, friend

This is our old dog Rocky. We had her from about 1998 til winter 2007. Here she is sporting a Rudolph nose that she would not let be put on her nose. Can you blame her?

Good dog, Rocky.

One monitor is dying

From 2005 at Christmas time, Canaan Valley tubing...

Uh-oh, this monitor is losing its color. It is fading away. Now that I can't go without a computer and internet access, it is an expensive habit to feed.

Another expensive habit is a cell phone.

But the most expensive habit has been having children. They are some of the most interesting people on earth to me, but costly. And I wouldn't have as much to think about if it weren't for them. I do a roll call mentally everyday to reassure myself where they are, if I have heard from them, if I have something to tell them. I give thanks and praise everyday that my children are such nice people and have caused themselves very little trouble.

On that cheery note, I think I will stop and savor the thought.

Wow, neglect.

I have neglected my little blip on the internet.

In May of 06, I left state parks and began work for a state museum. Still into the stewardship thing. Must of really wanted to leave the parks system, as I now commute on weekends about 150 miles one way through the mountains. Yes, that says much about the state of parks right now. It is an archaic boys network. At my age, I have given up trying to change the world.

But enough for today. Have a picture of my new workplace. Way cool.