...more adventures with MzYBee

some of my early readers may remember...
my first adventures while "driving MzYBee"...

since then, I have taken her back & forth to Ahnoldtown...
for many more doctor's appointments...
at the People's Republic of Davis Med Center...

as well as numerous early morning excursions...
or middle of the night forays...
dropping her off or picking her up at the Ahnoldtown Airport...
[on the north side of the city...]

not to mention numerous, "in town" trips...
today was one of the latter...

because her impending birthday meant that MzYBee...



had to visit that very special place...the DMV...

and in Mudville,[aka,"Someplace Special"]
it's sort of, well, downtown-ish...
hard to find, if you don't know it's there...
and hasn't really changed in 40 years...

the reason I was involved was that her friends...
had filled her mind with horror stories of long lines...
losing your place if you had to go to the restroom...
people crowding in line, cancelled appointments...
dreadfully long waits and after all the waiting...
doors being closed in people's faces when it was 5 PM...

so I was there to provide a "place keeper"...
if they cancelled her 9 AM appointment...
and made her go wait in line...
or for when she had to go to the restroom...

she said, "Bring a folding chair & meet me there at 8 AM"...
so I borrowed a chair from the church & got there about 7:30 AM...



as I drove in, the line was already around the corner...
but there was MzYBee sitting in her chair, right near the door...
grinning like the Cheshire cat...
which made me wonder if she had arrived at 6:30 AM...
to be so close to the front of the line...

I parked in the last space in the lot...
grabbed my coffee, left the chair in the car...
[she was so far to the front, it couldn't take that much longer, could it ?]...

my question was soon answered...

people around her were cheering her on...
but since the office hadn't opened yet...
she'd have to wait until 8 AM to find out...
if appointments were being honored this day...
or if she'd have to wait in line...

so I told her to stay & find out...
and call me on my cell when she knew...

I would go stand in line...
just in case...

so I made my way back towards the corner...
and observed that the line now extended around the next corner too...
by the time I got there, the end of the line...
was more than half-way down the backside of the building...

so I got in line, with people falling-in behind constantly...
the lady behind me only needed to get a truck driver's handbook for her son...
so when we got around to the side door, she stepped inside...
coming back out with the handbook she needed, & was on her way...
having wasted only about 30 minutes of her morning...

when the doors opened, the line began to move...
slowly, but steadily around the first corner...
past the side door, when MzYBee arrived, chair in hand...
to tell me that they said her appointment would be honored...
[I have no idea why she didn't just call me...]

so she was hopeful, but since there were still...
more than 30 minutes to wait before we would know for sure...
I told her I'd stay in line, just in case...
so she went back to her spot, dragging her chair...

eventually, after I had to listen to WAY more...
of the conversation around me... [yo...m*f*...etc...]
than was interesting, uplifting or beneficial to me...
the line oozed around the 2nd corner & along the front of the building...

at this point, I amused myself with watching people...
[the wanna-be, gangsta rappers behind me had finally shut up...]
and the expressions on people's faces when they realized the line they faced...
ranged from total annoyance to resignation, mostly the latter...

finally, I was even with MzYBee's spot...

we chatted for a bit...
she complained about her borrowed chair...
how it was worthless... flimsy junk...
that she was afraid it would come apart under her...

then she asked me if I wanted to sit in it for a while...

since I'm going to squash any chair she'd break...
I declined...more than a bit incredulous...
stating, with a chuckle, that I didn't really want to end up on the ground...

she didn't seem to understand why I didn't want to sit...
and no one around us was laughing...
so I chalked it up to MzYBee had just been in "gripe mode"...
[her default position] & hadn't really heard what she was saying...

at that point, I suggested that she encamp to a spot right by the door...
since the line was moving & I was now past her spot...
and that I'd ask the clerk about her appointment when it was "my" turn...
since it was around 8:30 AM then & her appointment was at 9 AM...



once inside, but still in line, it would be my turn when I reached this sign...
and the only technician, said,"next..."



as I waited, behind me were those who had "gone before"...
and had the first part of their waiting done...
they had been given a "number"...
they were, however, still, waiting...



waiting to see their number "posted" on the screen...
telling them which window would "help" them...
aka DMV Bingo...

but finally, after an hour in the line, it was my turn...

the technician was very nice, pleasant almost...
and when I told her my situation...
she looked at the clock & said...

"why don't you ask your friend to come in and wait...
over there by the appointment window...
and I'll take care of her at her appointment time..."

so I stepped back through the door to get MZYBee...
who had trouble folding her chair, but finally made her way over...
chair, handbook & practice test firmly in hand...
and stepped through the "looking glass" into DMVland...

she unfolded her chair, plopped her backpack on it...
& asked me to watch her stuff while she went to the restroom...
and I did...[that rotten chair just never moved either...]

on her return, we chatted a bit & then I took my leave...
the last thing I saw was her, happily sitting on that chair...
waiting for her appointment & studying her test...



outside, the last thing I saw was this...

that...and the driver who wanted my parking place...
so he followed me in his car...
as I walked all the way to the far corner of the lot...
then waited while I got into my car & left...

MzYBee showed up at the church later...
to announce that she'd passed the written test...
but that she had another appointment in May...
to take the driving test...

but those appointments are always kept...
or changed by phone in advance...
so she doesn't need me for that...

I'm so glad I can still renew online...
I'm NOT looking forward to my own visit in the future...
hopefully, a L-O-N-G time in the future...

..."back" to the back yard

only a couple more days of this...



then...this...FREEDOM...no more E-collar....



& Molly would be able to spend more time...
in the back yard on her own...
[cutting down on those "0dark:30" excursions...
especially when it's cold & wet..."]

currently, however...
there is a "minor" flaw in my plan...



notice the opening in the back fence...
notice the "tilt" of the fence in general...
the entire "back" fence is like that...

the people who built the fence[on the cheap...]
had a sprinkler system that got it wet every day...
the posts rotted...
and it started to sag into my yard...



so I piled stuff in front of it...
to stop it's falling in...



and actually propped it up with pieces of an old arbor...
it's side trellis and some sections of picket fence...

they were props from my schools "proms"...
that's why they are painted black...
when my school stopped having "proms"...
no one wanted them...

I took them with the idea of repainting them white...
and using them in the garden...
the wood is not really viable anymore...
so I'll probably throw them away...

I've been using one side trellis for a "cat ramp" for years...

anyway...

I met my "new"[3-4 months] backyard neighbor last night...
he seems very nice...Molly liked him...
he also mentioned having seen Piglet in his yard...
which didn't bother him...

but...as new homeowners are wont to do...
he's busily "fixing" things up...
so he's having the fence rebuilt...

ON WEDNESDAY !

and doesn't expect me to pay any part of it...

the people who built the current fence were "users"...
and expected me to contribute to their fence...
[I had a dumpster...so I let them put their old fence in it...]
they also tried to infringe on my property line...
you REALLY had to watch that guy...

he had been the principal at MY school...
before I got there... and was known there ...
for being "slick"...and "underhanded"...
he didn't last long there...

one of my friends at school...
an aide who had been there when he was principal...
upon discovering WHO my backyard neighbor WAS...
refused to go into the backyard when she visited...
she thought so poorly of him...
[despised is probably not too strong a word...]
and this gal was the "salt of the earth"...
& got along with everyone...
but she could spot a phony a mile away...

however, that's ancient history...
as he's been gone several years now...

the owners in between...
did nothing in the way of upkeep...
and it was during their couple of years tenure...
that the fence really went "downhill"...

they would leave their dog outside...
it would be bored & lonely...
and cry... whine... howl...etc...
then it started on the fence...

it managed to get into my yard...
and would chase Piglet & Fluff...
eluding me until I could catch it ...
and drag it back around the block...
then they would "fix" the hole...
but obviously NOT the fence...

the new guy says that they must have cut down...
a couple of small trees in the back...
[there are stumps...]
which is why I'm missing the persimmon tree...
too bad they didn't remove the tall cypress trees...
that get in the power lines...
[I took out the ones on my side 10 years ago...]

they did remove the tree that white fly used to invade...
that hung almost completely over the fence...
into my side and the apricot tree...
causing an infestation in my yard...

at least they left the big maples...
they just trimmed them... severely...
dropping the branches into my yard...
and made no attempt to contact me or clean it up...

both of the side fences are in good shape...
[I don't let sprinklers run on them...
and we used good cedar wood...]
there is a gap...between my garage and the back fence...
that UnklePhil recently told me...
he would be fixing on his side...

so today...after I get myself going...
before the chores I put off yesterday...
[cat boxes, cleaning the 'fridge, trash,
kitchen, floors...sigh...]

it's "back" to the back yard...
to move the stuff away from the fence...
so it won't be in their way when they take it down...
later this week...

*updates as they happen...*

*pictures later*

...Maneki Neko, the Japanese Lucky Cat

Maneki Neko...the Japanese "lucky cat"...
translated means, "beckoning cat"...
also known as "Welcoming Cat"...
"Fortune Cat" or "Money Cat"...



it is quite common in Japan or Japanese businesses...
often made of porcelain or ceramic...
expensive ones...sometimes even jade or gold...
although cheaper ones may be made of plush, plastic or vinyl...
[solar powered,"movable" ones are always plastic...]
they are believed to bring good luck to their owner...
and are often made as a statuette, keychain, a toy, a plush figure...
or, most commonly as a "coin bank"...



[this business is taking NO chances...
"lucky bamboo" [$$$]...
gold lucky cat family...
AND...a BIG lucky cat...
& between the 4 of them...
both paws raised...]
the origins are vague...
but Maneki Neko are first documented in the late 1800's...

by the early 1900's, they were a popular item...
in both homes & places of business...
believed to bring good luck...
especially to the person who receives one as a gift...



the gesture of "beckoning" varies with the culture...
what we Westerners consider a wave of "good-bye"...
Easterners consider a welcoming gesture...
"welcoming" customers, money or good luck...



the raised right paw...
is said to bring in "wealth & good luck"...
so the "gold" finish on this "raised right paw" cat bank...
is all calculated to maximize the "good luck"...


[there is NO significance I could find for the "cyclops"...]

a raised left paw, is said to "bring in customers"...
and some believe, VERY lucky for drinking establishments...
[leaving the right paw for the other stores...]

in Japan, those who hold their liquor well...
are called "hidari-kiki" [left-handed]

also, the higher the paw is raised...
the more luck...
or ...
the farther the distance ...
that the luck will have to travel to reach you...



both paws raised is believed to bring success in business...
and good luck in your life...
which is probably why this lucky cat...
looks like he's "channeling" the Buddha...
or is just, "blissed-out"...



Nyan Nyan Nyanko is a version of the lucky cat...
who in Pokeman type fashion...
enjoys imitating food...is very curious...
but is very fickle and easily bored...



here's plush one masquerading as a 'burger...



here are several vinyl "foodies"...
[I know... these look suspiciously like
that other Japanese "feline fatale"...
"Hello, Kitty"...
appropriate enough since "HK"...
was inspired by the Maneki Neko
as was the Pokeman character, "Meowth"]





the traditional Maneki Neko...
is a calico, Japanese bobtail...
but they come in many colors...
most of which have Feng Shui significance...
as do their placement in the business or home...
especially when made of crystal...

"blue", placed in the "north"...
will bring good health for the family...
as well as ridding the home of bad luck...

"red", placed in the "southwest"...
brings love, promotes good luck for the family...
and raises the level of fortune for the family...

"green" [or white], placed in the "northeast"...
brings good luck to all...

"yellow", placed in the "west"...
brings wealth, prosperity and success...

"purple", placed in the center of the home or business...
brings the fulfillment of dreams & desires of the heart...
it also raises the level of achievement of dreams and desires...




this Chinese style porcelain box, features...
the "jao cai mao",[in Mandarin...]
the Chinese version of the lucky cat...
which can trace it's origins back to a Chinese proverb...
"when a cat washes it's face, it will rain..."
[sending customers into stores, seeking shelter...
bringing business to stores...]

the later Japanese version...
"when a cat washes it's face... expect visitors..."

there are a number of stories about people...
who befriended a cat...
and became the recipient of good fortune...
for their kindness to the cat...

there are other stories about cats "beckoning"...
saving those who responded to them from bad things...

it's no wonder that in Japan...
cats are considered lucky...

but since the origins of the Maneki Neko...
are so vague...
they could have come from anywhere...
or a combination of several things...



continuing on in this less-stylized version...
[like those of crystal]...
we have these small ceramic, hand painted...
VERY collectible figurines...



some being VERY small...



others... a bit larger...
[I'd sure use a "lucky cat" slot machine...]



and then... some things need NO further remarks...

....better than a list

I love it when a plan just "comes together"...

my reaction to signing my bathroom redo contract....
AND writing out a deposit check for $1000.00...
was to go to Loewe's after dropping the contracts/check...
into the correct box at the USPS substation...

the really nice guy who had installed my RO water filter...
in January, 2005... in the kitchen...
had been here a couple of weeks ago to replace the cartridge...

he came all the way from Ahnoldtown...
something he does NOT do any longer...
because I couldn't find a local vendor...
who would do the job...
and for $30 more, he stopped by on an "outing"...
just to help me out...

while changing the cartridge, he noticed that my faucet/sprayer...
was leaking under the sink when I used the sprayer...
it was new in 2005 and I got it from Loewe's, on sale...
and being a Moen, works pretty well...



the problem is the plastic fitting in the sprayer...
it leaks down the hose because it is plastic...
like the faucet itself...
which I bought because it matches my sink ...
and because I like the style of faucet/sprayer...
with a l-o-n-g hose for plant watering...
coffee maker filling... all the usual...
[OK... it was also cheaper ...]



since I had it before I got the sink...
I got a sink that had the correct openings for it...
using what would usually be the sprayer opening...
for the RO water filter faucet...

so when Mr Nice Water Filter Guy told me ...
that I should consider replacing the faucet with a metal one...
I listened... knowing that he had no reason to "sell" me...
and as he remarked, "you have really good water pressure...
the leak will only get worse over time ..."

since I liked the basic design and "package" of my faucet...
and any replacement would have to be pretty close to what I have...
in order to "fit"in my sink without drilling holes...
and since "a little voice" had said
to my "thrifty Scot side"...[aka "cheap"...]
"you'll be sorry ....
if you don't spend the extra $40.00 for the stainless steel one"...
back in 2005...

I've been "looking"...

I went to Loewe's today to look at replacement windows...
and found out that what I REALLY want...
is to have the existing one repaired...

I like the trim...
and after having the sash cord replaced...
and the loose members tightened...
it should be fine...

my current plan is to find ...
a piece of stained glass for the top...
and obscure the bottom...
[re-frost or ... ?]

this will also solve my "window treatment" dilemma...

so while I was wandering around...
after picking up some petunias for the front porch...
OK,OK... AND some alyssum... AND more portulacas...
[they didn't have any lobelia...
"Crystal Palace" is my weakness... ]
I wandered down the faucet aisle...

and... there it was...

high up...with similar types...
from several brands...
including a plastic one like mine...

the one I wanted...



ALL the others were too contemporary, or shiny...
the one I liked, was the only Moen in that style...
in stainless steel...all the others were chrome...

my bath "metal" is chrome...
my kitchen has black & stainless appliances...
with copper accents...
but I didn't want a copper faucet...
and the other choices were bright brass and bronze...

since the faucet is directly opposite the stove...
which is black and stainless steel...
this would be, "just right"...

so I found the code numbers...
and started looking for the bin...

and, there it was ...right in front of me...

not only that... there was only one box...

there were several similar ones in chrome...
they had multiple boxes in stock...

but in stainless... there was only the one...

it was also the most expensive... [sigh]
at $148.00...



I put it in my cart... very grateful to have found it...

so deciding to "press my luck"...
I went looking for a new toilet seat...
the one I have is about a year old...
but it has bright brass hardware...
and my new bathroom NEEDS a new toilet seat...

it didn't take long to find them...
AND... there was a round, light oak one with chrome hardware...
only $20.00... and since there were a couple in the bin...
I checked the grain, and found one with "tight" graining...



less than this picture shows... more like maple...

all in all... a pretty profitable trip...

interesting, that the one thing I went to see...
was the one thing I didn't buy...
but in NOT buying, will save $$$...
and I found just what I wanted...

of course... the enemy marshaled his forces ...
as I tried to use the "self check-out"...
"unknown item in bag area... remove unknown item"...
followed by...
"item removed from bag area... replace item..."
followed by...
"unknown item in bag area...remove unknown item..."
followed by...
[you get the idea...]

until the clerk took pity on me ...
and reset the @#$@#%@ machine...

after all that...
I almost forgot to pay for the toilet seat...
but saw it, just in time...

not the "perfect shopping trip"...
but as good as it gets for me, right now...

...a .jpg is worth 1000 .txt

this has been a banner year for roses...



these pictures were taken from 6/25 - 7/5...



all the smoke in the air created a unique "filter" for the camera...



it kept the colors from being washed out in the "direct sun"...



allowing a rarely seen depth and intensity of color...



for the time of day... and year...



they are all gone now...



thanks to 4 days of intense heat [105 - 111 ]...



and a persistent wind...



I'll cut them all back tomorrow...



push some water at them...



and await the next explosion of color...



probably in a few weeks...if it doesn't get really hot again...



hope you enjoyed a walk in my rose garden...

...FINALLY ... I figured it out !!! [or got lucky...]

I have a REALLY nice
digital camera...
[Fujifilm S 9000]

so nice....
that it requires
a USB 2 cable...
to download
all files...

my computer is able
to support USB 2...
BUT... I have to have it installed...
[take it apart...
take the CPU in...
BUY the kit...
PAY to have it installed...
etc...]

so I have driven myself to distraction ...
trying to figure out
HOW to get the photos I took...
ON my computer...

since asking other people ...
to make me a CD of my photos...
is far too much to ask of anyone ...
more than once...

MY solution was to acquire
a much less expensive camera...
that I COULD download files from ...
without the USB 2 upgrade...
[ a Canon SD 1000 ELPH ]



the resolution is a bit over 3 megapixals less...
than the Fujifilm...
and even though it will work with a USB 2 dock...
the supplied cable works with my computer, as is...

I've been fighting with this ...
and my lack of techno-skills...
[I know... my "Mac" ...
and it's simplicity have spoiled me...]
and FINALLY figured-out
the maze to successful downloads...
and then uploads...

I still can't figure out the editing software...
although I did get it
to remove the "red eye" from Thomas...
so more "trial & error",
[mostly, the latter...]
will be necessary...

so for those who have been after me
to post my "after" pictures...
this is as close as it gets ...
at the moment...

I want to re-arrange the furniture...
perhaps remove one chair...
re-arrange some of the plants...
and re-pot others...

then there's the framed art...
and the crystals that I need to hang...
NOT a one person job...
especially, if you have only 9.5 fingers...

and there's still some trim painting.... [sigh...]

so, until I find some art-hanging...
plant moving & potting assistance...
this is it...

[I've tried the kitties...
they just laugh...
and go back to sleep...]




Robbie, asleep on his favorite place...
it's so overcast that the flash went off...
that accounts for the bright spots...
this shot looks into the DR, and the nook beyond...



basically the same shot, but from opposite Robbie...
looking east, towards the famous French door windows...
with the edge of the front door to the left...



now, I'm right between the LR & DR...
looking into the DR, towards the west wall...
[media cabinets...Mission style in oak...]
the bright rectangle on the "red" wall is the flash from the mirror...
that WAS an orchid, next to the antique bronze clock...
the white thing on my table is a cat nest...



now, I've moved around the table and am looking back,northeast....
into the LR...the white drape on the console table is a "cat deterrent"...
[it works as long as they don't pull it off...]
that's Murphy Brown on the cat tree by the Fr.door windows...
you can see my lovely stained glass hangings...
all the light...adored by both me AND the plants...
and yes... I do have a bunch of "clocks"...[only one is set to chime...]



now, from about the same position...
looking left towards the northwest corner...
since it's dark,the stained glass window doesn't really show...
[see post of 11/19 for a daylight picture...]
one of 2 Mission style floor lamps...

my restored oil painting, "Dried Artichokes"...
as well as the Mission style TV cabinet...
the dresser full of CDs and the old Zenith radio...
Mom listened to as a young adult...




and finally, the focal point, the fireplace...
[Thomas would say it was him...]
my favorite "Trees on inclining hill" over the fireplace...
with it's bronze tools and gate...
[and another clock...]

the small lacquered Japanese cabinet ...
was from my great aunts' house...
as was the antique bronze clock in the DR...
the Mission style coffee table has a cat nest on it...

when I took these pictures...
I didn't know if I could upload them or not...
when I'm finally "done"...
I'll make sure to do an "update"...

of course... that could be a L-O-N-G time from now...