Thursday, July 9, 2009

To Texarkana and Beyond!

Let's see if I can't wrap up the end of my trip in one post. I think I can do it!

I'm skipping Thursday. No photos. And no fun stories. Thursday we loaded a riding mower into the back of the truck (cute little thing) along with its accesories - grass bag, tiny trailer, raking attachment. We were shocked it all fit, but pleased to get it in. And strapped down. I'm stronger than I look.

Friday morning early we left central Louisiana. Headed to Texarkana. In my head I'm hearing, "So we loaded up the truck and we moved to Beverly - Hills, that is." As it was, we listened to country music most of the trip home. Oh, I say "we" quite loosely. Red Rocks had his iPod on and pillows over his ear buds so as not to hear my music. He took great exception to "It's Okay to Be a Redneck". "Good Brown Gravy" drove him crazy. He really should have brought his iPod charger, as he was forced to sleep to escape the music after a couple of hours. Heh.

And then! Fiesta House near Texarkana! Mmm! Karen, over at Simply A Musing blog, certainly can pick good food! She also sprung for lunch. Thanks Karen! It was yummy. And she brought her oldest child:


Isn't she just the cutest thing? She and Red Rocks are the same age and got along well. They played air hockey with straw wrappers after lunch and I thought Karen was going to die laughing.


And of course Mr. Monkeysuit had a great time. He wanted to take a siesta (Mr. M's not fond of country music, either), but I made him pose with the locals instead.


Know what? I'm tired. I think this is where I'll end this post. I had a great time with Karen. Loved listening to Red Rocks quote Weird Al lyrics on the way home. Had a fantastic time with my aunt, uncle, grandmother and sister. And am worn out just thinking about it all.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Evil Sister Entertains


Last Wednesday was quite a day! Red Rocks and I drove from Tulsa to Dallas on Monday, Dallas to central Louisiana on Tuesday, then CLA to Baton Rouge (the home of the Evil Sister) and back on Wednesday. But I love a road trip, so it was a blast! Let me show you what Wednesday looked like.

Heading down the interstate, I saw a sign for the town of LeCompte and for Lea's Diner. Growing up, Lea's was the place to do lunch. Their ham sandwiches are yummy and the pies are TO DIE FOR. Lemon and chocolate meringue like you've never had them. It was a ways off the road, and 9:30 in the morning is too early in the morning for pie, but not too early to take pie's picture. See?


When I was in college I took a friend home on break. We stopped at Lea's on the way down and he about flipped when we walked in. A pyramid of gallon cans of lard for sale by the front door. It is, after all, Louisiana. The lard is gone now. Very sad.

Red Rocks had a tiny pecan pie. Just because he could.

We made it to Baton Rouge safe and sound and found the Evil Sister's house just fine. Her new place is in a pretty, older neighborhood full of brick homes. Her house has a cute pool. Green, but cute:


The photos of the beautiful inside are all blurry, since Mr. Rebel's flash is wonky right now, but I got a great shot of TES in her backyard. Hiding from the camera. Isn't that the biggest philadendron you've ever seen?


Silly girl. Then she took us to lunch. Mmmm! I hadn't had shrimp po' boys in years. Unfortunately, Mr. Monkeysuit ate most of my sandwich. Stinker.


Then he went after the waitress. Bad monkey! She does look charmed, though, doesn't she?


And we were in tiger country. Geaux Tigers!


After a very filling lunch, The Evil Sister took us to a Community Coffee house. I was surprised to find they have coffee houses now, but they've been making wonderful coffee for eons. It was much better than Starbucks, I think. Mr. Monkeysuit thought so, too! He had a long sip of The Evil Sister's banana split cold coffee thingy.


We headed back to her house, picked up the truck and headed back north, but took the scenic route this time. I don't care for I-10 as interstates go. And this is what I call scenic:


If you've never experienced boudin (see the sign), it's a real Cajun treat. I'd never had it the way this establishment serves it, which is rolled into balls, battered and deep fried. I swear I gained 10 pounds last week. And I didn't even try the cracklins, though this was the first time I ever even thought about trying them. They looked yummy.

Mr. Monkeysuit REALLY liked the boudin (boo-dan). My grandmother liked it as well. I loved it. What a fun treat. Did I tell you I think I gained ten pounds?


I'll give you the low down on lunch with Karen and her daughter tomorrow. Red Rocks really hit it off with her girl. This meeting up with fellow bloggers is a blast!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The McDonald's Saga Continues

The continuing saga, eh?

Being gone a week, I missed a lot. One was the arrival of a letter from McDonald's. If you'll recall, I ranted a bit about their meal charging policies, the abusive customer service from the manager (the other employees have been stellar), as well as the unsatisfactory follow-up phone call from the supervisor. I vowed never to eat at this particular McDonald's again.

I'm never eating at another McDonald's anywhere again. Ever. Look:


I know it doesn't look like much, but after the letter I wrote the corporation and the subsequent arrogant phone call, this letter is like lemon juice on a cut. The ultimate brush-off form letter from a regional manager. And here is my response to the corporation (not that it will do an ounce of good):

I wrote to y'all right after my experience of being upcharged on meals with this location. The following morning I received a call from a local supervisor. The call was most unsatisfactory. The woman calling was vague and unapologetic. I had to tell her, when she said she was glad she could resolve the issue, that nothing had been resolved. I determined then that I would not eat at this particular location again, even though it's next to my home. This week I received a letter from the Greater Southwest Region of McDonald's, from a Herkita Trueheart. It's a form letter thanking me for my feedback. So far nothing satisfactory has happened as a result of writing and speaking with your company. It's frustrating. I've blogged about my experience twice, challenging my audience to visit their local McDonald's and see if they are also upcharged for their meals. Some have done so. I'll be blogging about this letter, posting a photo of it. And I will no longer eat at any McDonald's anywhere ever.

It's probaby a lame response, but it's a reponse. I'm not letting this pass. Being treated as inconsequential doesn't bother me, unless someone is taking my money and offering a service in return. Then I expect to get what I'm paying for. Service. Cordial treatment. Human decency.

Not happening with McDonald's. They're dead to me.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Mr. Monkeysuit Does Dallas

I know, I know. Another travel log. But I had SUCH a great, jam-packed week! I just have to SHARE! And Mr. Monkeysuit really TRIED to be on his best behavior. You know he did.

Red Rocks and I left Tulsa on Monday just after noon. Instead of driving straight to central Louisiana on 4 hours of sleep, we went to Dallas and stayed with Marcy and her family! I sort of invited myself over for the night. So be warned: if I'm
ever passing your way, I'll ask to crash on your couch. I'm cheap that way. If you know what's good for you, you'll pretend you're not home on whatever date I'm set to pass thru.

MaBunny and her sweet Hunny

Marcy has a beautiful daughter and quite the handsome husband, whose name is the same as my husband's, which made for an entertaining evening of
conversation. But y'all know Mr. Monkeysuit - he only has eyes for the ladies. He was immediately attracted to Marcy's sweet little Cooper (I know it's a boy name - it's also a street name and this pretty girl's name):


Mr. Monkeysuit plied his wiles and charmed Marcy into joining Cooper for a photo. What a scamp!


Then he conned Marcy's darling daughter into conversation, making her smile (all the ladies smile when Mr. Monkeysuit turns on the charm):


A jealous Red Rocks came to save her from the dashing monkey, but it did no good.


Especially when Korie was also smitten by Mr. Monkeysuit!


What a day! I think it will be awhile before we travel again. At least with that little monkey. He's more trouble than he's worth some days!

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about his visit with the Evil Sister. She's a little more resiliant to the monkey's charms than a 10 year old girl. Still.

I can't help but just drop in a couple more photos of the stay at Marcy's. She took me around historic Lancaster and it's just the most adorable little Mayberry town. Check it out:









Until I write again ...

Flea

Monday, July 6, 2009

Funny Bone Monday, with a Contest!

Welcome to Funny Bone Monday, the Family Edition! In honor of today's topic, I'll be giving away a family bumper sticker just like the one on my new-ish van. That's right! You have to do more than laugh today - you have to leave a comment! I have an extra Glornak the Destroyer sticker that needs a good home! Dave Kellet draws the hilarious strip, Sheldon, and the sticker is his creation. See it?


Except your new sticker is white on clear, perfect for a darkened rear window. Contest closes at midnight Friday, whatever midnight is for you.

We also have a winner of the book Defying Autism, and the random number generator chose five, or Debbie, at Gittin' It Outta My Head! Congrats, Debbie! Email me your address and it will be on it's way!

So. On to family humor. If it hits too close to home? Do what I did - seek therapy.

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A classic

If you love something, set it free.
If it comes back, it will always be yours.
If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to begin with.

But, if it just sits in your living room,
messes up your stuff, eats your food,
uses your telephone, takes your money
and doesn't appear to realize that you had set it free...

...You either married it or gave birth to it.


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Top 10 Signs That Your New Baby Is A Pirate


10) When moms water broke, the baby yelled, I sail with the tide!

9) When the doctor slapped your baby's bottom, the baby slapped the doctor back and then grabbed the doctors head with the forceps.

8) In the hospital
nursery, your baby stole blankets and pacifiers from the other infants and then denied it.

7) Other babies ankle bands say Baby Girl or Baby Boy. Your child's says Baby Pirate.

6) When the hospital photographer took a picture of your baby, your baby asked if it was for the wanted
posters.

5) You found your baby in the hospital cafeteria telling stories about his most recent voyage.

4) Your physician asked, Do hooks run in the family?

3) Your baby doesn't have any teeth -- just like most adult pirates.

2) During labor, your spouse shouted things you thought only came out of the mouths of pirates.

1) By the time your baby left the hospital, the doctors and nurses were calling him Captain.

These are from a fun parenting site!


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Will was trying to to teach his son the evils of alcohol.
He put a worm in a glass of water & another in a glass of whiskey.
The worm in the water lived while the one in the whiskey curled up & died.
"All right, son," Said Will, "what does that show you?"
"Well dad, it shows that if you drink alcohol you will not have worms."

Fred is 32 years old and he is still single.
One day a friend asked, "Why aren't you married? Can't you find a woman who will be a good wife?"
Fred replied, "Actually, I've found many women I wanted to marry, but when I bring them home to meet my parents, my mother doesn't like them."
His friend thinks for a moment and says, "I've got the perfect solution, just find a blonde who's just like your mother."
A few months later they meet again and his friend says, "Did you find the perfect blonde? Did your mother like her?"
With a frown on his face, Fred answers, "Yes, I found the perfect blonde. She was just like my mother. You were right, my mother liked her very much."
The friend said, "Then what's the problem?"
Fred replied, "My father doesn't like her."

A little girl asked her mother, "How did the human race appear?"
The mother answered, "God made Adam and Eve and they had children, and so was all mankind made.."
Two days later the girl asked her father the same question.. The father answered, "Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved."
The confused girl returned to her mother and said, "Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?"
The mother answered, "Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his."

Husband: everytime I hit you, you never fight back. how do you manage your anger?
Wife: I clean the toilet seat.............
Husband: how does it help?
Wife: I use your toothbrush!!!!

A man in a bar sees a friend at a table, drinking by himself. Approaching the friend he comments, "You look terrible. What's the problem?"
"My mother died in June," he said, "and left me $10,000."
"Gee, that's tough," he replied.
"Then in July," the friend continued, "My father died leaving me $50,000."
"Wow. Two parents gone in two months. No wonder you're depressed."
"And last month my aunt died, and left me $15,000."
"Three close family members lost in three months? How sad."
"Then this month," continued, the friend, "nothing!"

Boy asks his Gran nervously, 'have you seen my pills ... they were labeled LSD ?'
Gran replies 'The heck with your pills ! Have you seen the dragon in the kitchen ?!'

A wife woke up in the middle of the night to find her husband missing from bed. She got out of bed and checked around the house, and heard sobbing from the basement.
After turning on the light and descending the stairs, she found her husband curled up into a little ball, sobbing.
"Honey, what's wrong?" she asked, worried about what could hurt him so much.
"Remember, 20 years ago, I got you pregnant? And your father threatened me to marry you or to go to jail?"
"Yes, of course," she replied.
"Well, I would have been released tonight."

These are all from a family joke site

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At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?"

The little boy nodded in the affirmative.

"Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?"

The little boy nodded yes.

"So," the coach continued, "when a strike is called, or you're out at first, you don't argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all that?"

Again the little boy nodded.

"Good," said the coach. "Now go over there and explain it to your mother."


Equal But Different

"Equal" is not always synonymous with "the same." Men and women are created equal. But, boys and girls are not born the same.

1. You throw a little girl a ball, and it will hit her in the nose.You throw a little boy a ball, and he will try to catch it. Then it will hit him in the nose.

2. You dress your little girl in her Easter Sunday best, and she'll look just as pretty when you finally make it to church an hour later. You dress a boy in his Easter Sunday best, and he'll somehow find every mud puddle from your home to the church, even if you're driving there.

3. Boys' rooms are usually messy. Girls' rooms are usually messy, except it's a good smelling mess.

4. A baby girl will pick up a stick and look in wonderment at what nature has made. A baby boy will pick up a stick and turn it into a gun.

5. When girls play with Barbie and Ken dolls, they like to dress them up and play house with them. When boys play with Barbie and Ken dolls, they like to tear off their appendages.

6. Boys couldn't care less if their hair is unruly. If their bangs got cut a quarter-inch too short, girls would rather lock themselves in their room for two weeks than be seen in public.

7. Baby girls find mommy's makeup and almost instinctively start painting their face. Baby boys find mommy's makeup and almost instinctively start painting the walls.

8. If a girl accidentally burps, she will be embarrassed. If a boy accidentally burps, he will follow it with a dozen fake belches.

9. Boys grow their fingernails long because because they're too lazy to cut them. Girls grow their fingernails long - not because they look nice - but because they can dig them into a boys arm.

10. Girls are attracted to boys, even at an early age. At an early age, boys are attracted to dirt.

11. By the age of 6, boys will stop giving their dad kisses. By the age of 6, girls will stop giving their dad kisses unless he bribes them with candy.

12. Most baby girls talk before boys do. Before boys talk, they learn how to make machine-gun noises.

13. Girls will cry if someone dies in a movie. Boys will cry if you turn off the VCR after they've watched "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie three times in a row.

14. Girls turn into women. Boys turn into bigger boys.

Murphy's Law for Parents

1. The tennis shoes you must replace today will go on sale next week.

2. Leakproof thermoses will.

3. The chances of a piece of bread falling with the grape jelly side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

4. The garbage truck will be two doors past your house when the argument over whose day it is to take out the trash ends.

5. The shirt your child must wear today will be the only one that needs to be washed or mended.

6. Gym clothes left at school in lockers mildew at a faster rate than other clothing.

7. The item your child lost, and must have for school within the next ten seconds, will be found in the last place you look.

8. Sick children recover miraculously when the pediatrician enters the treatment room.

9. Refrigerated items, used daily, will gravitate toward the back of the refrigerator.

10. Your chances of being seen by someone you know dramatically increase if you drive your child to school in your robe and curlers.


You Know No One Loves You If ...

The pet cat got better food than you did.

- Your parents told you about strange men giving away sweets and to go and find as many of them as possible.

- You play "hide & seek" with your Mother and she hides in another town.

- Your parents take you to an orphanage and tell you to mingle.

- Your parents told you about the magic money box in the cupboard where you can hide your pocket money, and - you've since found out it was the coin-op electric meter.

- You had to share your sandbox with the cat.

- You always got your weekly allowance in Traveler's Checks.

- Your folks threw a "going-into-the-Army" party when you were only three years old.

- You run away, and the family can't give the Police an accurate description.

- You kept getting left beside the monkey enclosure at the zoo.

- You were always stood-up at the Father-Son banquet held at the local Church.

- Kidnappers send back a piece of your ear and your parents demand more proof before they pay any ransom.

- When you were born, your Father gave out old cigar butts.

- Your parents encourage you to fish in shark infested waters.

- As a baby, your Father threw you in the air and walked away.

- You find out your Mother is nursing another baby on the side.

- Your tub toys included a toaster shaped like a rubber duck.

These were all found at unwind dot com - it's only a fraction of some pretty funny stuff


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Today's video features a master of game show television. I hope you enjoy.


Until I write again ...

Flea

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Pepper - Needs a Good Home

Y'all, I spent a few days with my favorite sister-aunt this week. I gotta tell ya - she's stressed. See this face?


That's Pepper. Pepper found my aunt and uncle about a year ago, but she's been the source of strife between them and their neighbor. It's believed she's a Blue Heeler, or Australian Cattle dog. She'd be great in agility trials if she were trained. Isn't she a beauty?


Pepper needs a good home. I'm hoping that one of you out there will know of someone who's looking for a dog just like her. Someone with a little room for her to run and play. See her hanging out with Red Rocks?


He was rolling around on the ground with her. Ew. She's awfully sweet, though.


Pepper is only a little over a year old. She loves to play with balls and the large bouncing ball seems to be her favorite. She bounces like a rabbit next to it. But she's afraid of water, of all things, though I don't think the issue has been pushed. And FULL of energy, which is normal for a herding dog under the age of two anyway.


I'm praying someone out there will know of the perfect home for Pepper. The shelters and rescue organizations near my aunt seem to be full of homeless puppy litters at the moment and she's at wits end. As well as heart broken. She's truly in love with Pepper.


Y'all let me know? My email is fleabyte@gmail.com. Thanks!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Friday, July 3, 2009

Home Again, Home Again

Hello Mosquitos! I'm home! YAY!!!!!

Before the update, just a quick nod to a contest on a friend's blog. Book giveaway. I'll be having a giveaway here on my own blog sometime next week. Stay tuned!

Sorry to be so quiet all week, but I had a grand total of half an hour with the internet after Monday morning. The road trip was AWESOME. Got to
see the Evil Sister's house. Mr. Monkeysuit made a fool of himself, as usual, the cows got into trouble in Mississippi while I was away, we stayed with a fellow blogger west of Dallas (Hi, Marcy!), met with another fellow blogger for lunch in Texarkana (Hi, Karen!), ate myself silly, drove a million and half miles. And I'm finally HOME. And I didn't kill Red Rocks even once the entire trip. Aren't you proud of me? You should be.

Tomorrow is July 4th, but the fireworks have already begun. The dogs are already cowering in my tub.

And rockets or no, I'm going to bed. With my Hunny. I missed my man. Pictures and stories will be forthcoming.

Wait. That sounded REALLY bad. I don't want that kind of blog traffic. Pictures and stories from the trip, people.

Oh alright. Just a taste. Here's a photo of a monkey in his natural habitat:


Until I write again ...

Flea