Wednesday, April 21, 2010

April 21, 2010

Lady Chica has a Bedtime To Do list. After we get home from the park the dogs get fed. Then she wants her toy laden with peanut butter. (Blitzen gets it after she is finished. He doesn't get one bc he takes everything into the living room and messes up the rug.)
Then LC demands a treat, a cookie. And then she goes to sleep.

Wednesday 6 am. Up for a pit stop. I have been writing something called Ghost Town, about my childhood in rural Michigan.
Persis: what year did you sell the old homestead?

10 AM Woke in a panic from a dream. I am going to Walgreen's to develop pics of Martha addressing invitations to her wedding. It goes in the "Wedding Scrapbook". This will not have pics of the wedding. Just the circumstances. My view of it all.
The wedding is May 1 in Green bay Wisconsin where Jeff's family live. Our family is scattered about the country. So we will be converging on Friday.
The pups go to visit Pup on Thursday. The grandsons have been put in charge of me. They will get me to the plane. I hope they can get me thru O'Hare where we change planes.
Martha arranged the ceremony and the reception so that I can take a nap.
Jeff expects the "elderly" to leave early in the reception. (Elderly being Martha's fa, mo and step mo.)

Got some pics from Walgreen's. Stopped by Senior Center and got leftovers from the luncheon. Came home and took a nap. Mildred baked a cake for Oda Mae's and Russ" birthday and invited the neighbors. One of our neighbors is moving this month bc she can no longer live alone. That leaves three out of six.

Off to Lea's for PPQS. We ought to be able to finish yellow and green batik tonight. This quilt is going to Lea's former sister-in-law. Her former husband's sister.

Blitzen's Tale
Lady Chica's Tale
What happens at Pup's stays at Pup's.

BOOK REVIEW
Stephen White, *Warning Signs* (2002)
Alan Gregory series. This book has a far fetched plot: a young man is setting off bombs all over the city of Denver.
Dr. Gregory has a new patient, a woman who hints around that her son is planning something like the Columbine action. As usual, Gregory is torn between patient confidentiality and warning somebody. He has a duty to warn the police or the victim if somebody makes a direct threat, but this is only a woman talking in generalities.
I enjoyed the book despite not believing in the reality of it.


Hugs, Dr. Liz

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

April 20, 2010

Baptis Center I am still asleep.
By 9:15 I had processed six units.
M-1, M-2, M-2, M-2, W-4, M-1

M-1, M-1, W-1 by 9:50 am


M-2, M-1, M-2, M-2 by 11:00

M-2, M-1,M-3 until we close at 11:30. Sixteen units today. Only one family.

Came home, took a short nap and had a massage.
Strange evening at the dog park. Not one dog barked. I wanted to send some background noise to a friend. Some puppies and I mean puppies wanted to play with B and LC but the latter rejected the pups. LC could get nobody to run with her.

Blitzen's Tale
None of our regular big busters were there. Just some new dogs who looked at us and wondered why. I wandered around smelling.

Lady Chica's Tale
I stood at the fence and stood at the fence. Nobody came. One or two big busters came and sniffed at my nose. They just did not understand. Chance and Buddy didn't come.

Now 7 PM. I guess I will just sit and read tonight. Maybe a nap.

BOOK REVIEW
Michelle Gagnon, *Bone Yard* (2008)
Not for the squeamish. Scenes of torture. I did not anticipate that. The book starts mildly enuf. Some bones are found on the Appalachian Trail. A forensic scientist is called in. Special Agent Kelly Jones of the FBI is sent to the case bc bones are found in both Mass and Vermont. Eventually two bodies are found in New York state.
A serial killer has been killing young male prostitutes for ten years. He has buried the bodies but somebody dug them up and spread them around the trail.

Hugs, Dr. Liz

Monday, April 19, 2010

April 19, 2010

Up t 9:30 AM LC was washing my face again. And off to Wendy's. It is chilly again. And I had put almost all my winter clothes away and pulled out my pack of shorts.

Judy reported the latest news. She has cable and watches the news shows. Bill Clinton has been ob eding about political anger. I think and Judy agrees that it is all basically racist.

The computer techs instlled Open Office on my machine and it is too complex for me. I cannot figure out how to set up a data base. I think I will install my old Works. I had been thinking about installing Works word processing bc it is more IdiotUser Friendly.
Well, Works will not install on this computer. Ha.

I was too wired to take a nap. Finally we went to dog park. Nothing much happenin'. I am exhausted from struggles with computer.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
Well, there was a young filly who was eager to run, but there was an older male dog who kept pestering her. Ruined our running.

Lady Chica's Tale
We were ready to go home when Buddy appeared. So he and I did a few short runs to say hello. I finally got Mom to chase me --- when I walked. I can walk faster than she can.

Oda Mae just brot me a piece of strawberry pie. Oh, yum!!!!

BOOK REVIEW
Stephen White, *Remote Control* (1997)
Alan Gregory series.
At any one time the thrillers are concerned with one subject. Just now (2010) the subject is terrorists. See White's latest book. During the late nineties the subject was technology.
This book is involved with imaginary advances in technology. One is able to record feelings and another person can experience the feelings.
A man being with a woman is recorded, and various people are out to get that disc. I can't remember when we knew who the villain was.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

April 18, 2010

Twas the 18th of April in 75
Hardly a man is still alive
Who remembers that famous
Day and Year.

Saturday night. Hard drive home in the rain but I am glad it has cooled off, sparing my Air. We saw four One Act plays at UTA. Each play was sort of a sketch. Good acting. My defination of good acting means one thinks it is real.

8:30 AM Dressing for religious services.

2:40 PM Sunday School class was interesting this morning and it was fascinating how it blended with the sermon.
During lunch the high school kids put on a program to raise money for their spring mission trip. They sang songs of the sixties, dressed for the part. It was titled LOL and it sure did.
Slight rain. I am about to take my nap.

Dog park was beaucoup uncomfortable. chilly with a breeze blowing. Always a breeze blowing by the Trinity. West Fork. Blitzen got the big dogs all fired up and they tried to have a fight.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
That boxer and I really got into it. He was serious about it. Then he went off and tried to get in a fight with a border collie. Not many dogs around.

Lady Chica's Tale
I have to admit that I got into beside Blitzen, with that boxer. The boxer got really, really fired up. He wasn't cool.

I ache tonight. Probably a front coming in.

BOOK REVIEW
Helen Perjean, *Dead Man Walking* (1993)
The play is like a prologue to the book. The book was written ten years after the execution of the person in the play. In fact, the personality of the person in the play is a composite of the first two prisoners counseled by Prejean.
Perjean is a nun working in the housing projects of New Orleans when she is asked to write a letter to a man on death row. Eventually she becomes his religious counselor and walks with him to the place of execution.
In the process of seeking a reprieve for this man, Prejean becomes an advocate for doing away with capital punishment. Prejean also meets with the family of the victims.


Hugs, Dr. Liz

Friday, April 16, 2010

April 16, 2010

9:30 am. I am euphoric. Back online. I was so discouraged last night. Off to tai chi ce matin.

1:00 PM Went to tai chi. Read paper and ate nibbles at Senior Center. Returned to computer. I had not thought about what I would wipe out. My lists of books read is GONE. Emails are saved on web. I save pictures so they can be replaced. In the old days all my emails saved would be erased. Maybe I have Kodak or something on the web.

I keep seeing ads for exercises to keep one's brain active. Seniors need to exercise their brains. I strongly recommend putting together one's computer.

4:15 PM LC can be such a pest when she wants me to get up. She washes my face. I cant find my grocery list. I know I am forgetting something.
And then she just lay under the table in the park.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
We didn't do much running tonight. I was all tired out from last night.

Lady Chica's Tale
Milo has joined our Running Group. He is a pale tan little thing, looks like a chihuahua/terrier mix. I mostly lay around under the table. Mom went over to the canopy to talk with Ray.

BOOK REVIEW
Stephen White, *Blinded* (2008)
Alan Gregory series. Again Alan is in conflict over the need for patient confidentiallity. One of Dr. Gregory's patients tells him that her husband has committed murder. Alan is pressured to call the police. Events unwind.
Sam PUrdy, Alan's policeman friend, is invited to eat turdurken for Thanksgiving dinner. I have wondered how it gets sliced.




Hugs, Dr. Liz

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

April 13, 2010

Managed to get out of bed.

Baptist Center
10:00 am. So far 7 units. The first four people came before 9:30.
M (3), F (5), F(2). Here comes another customer.

Here is my job. A person comes in wanting groceries. First I ascertain their residence. People must live in a certain area of 76104. The food bank is fussy about that. We require a picture id and something mailed to the address.
I then look up the person on the computer. People can get groceries every thirty days. If the person has not gotten groceries recently, I give that person a number and he or she can go back to the food pantry.
Today we had three or four who did not live in the area. We had one person who came only three weeks ago. Judy showed her a list of other places to go and talked with her. (Judy is our director.)

So then I came home and took a nap.

The dogs insist on going to the park after I get up from my nap. The usual. I sat around chatting on such a lovely evening.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
I really got under the skin of that old bulldog on the other side of the fence. Ha ha. We had a lot of guys running. Came home all tired out.

Lady Chica's Tale
Buddy never came near the fence. Lots of guys to run with. Finally I just lay down on the grass. This little puppy came to play with me. He turned over on his back and I didn't really know what to do with him.

Andso it goes.

BOOK REVIEW
Lou Manfredo, *Rizzo's War* (2009)
This is a true police procedural. Joe Rizzo and Mike McQueen are New York policemen. The book is a day by day account of their activities.
I loved the book. Several reviews on Amazon.com and most found something to complain about. One reviewer called it an "almost book". It is not a thriller. No shooting. And they negotiated with the Hell's Angels.

finish

Hugs, Dr. Liz

Monday, April 12, 2010

April 12, 2010

Correction: Author of *Hard Rain* is David Rollins.

Judy took Szabo to the vet for his annual. So we met at Wendy's at noon. The girl taking our order said, "You're late today." Later the manager came over and said, "You were late today." He seemed to thinking taking the dog to the vet was an acceptable excuse.

Judy came up with my reaction exactly to the plane crash of the Polish president. Why were all the top people in the same plane?

judy's husband is out of work and home underfoot. Judy is tearing out her hair.
2:21 PM Ready to take my nap.

After my nap we went to the dog park. Pefect weather again. Buddy was there and dogs ran until they got tired.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
Buddy was there and Cassius came later. So we had some racing pals. We got tired out.

LadyChica's Tale
Blitzen told it all. We ran a lot. Then we sat down under the bench where Mom was chatting.



BOOK REVIEW
Lyn MacDonald, *They called it Passchendaele* (1978)
I finally understand what they were doing in WWI. From 1915 until 1918 the Brits were holding (with the help of the Ladies from Hell, the Dunks and the Anzacs) a sliver of land around Ypres on the border between Belgium and France.
I could only read 54 pages of 230. Both sides built trenches and just stayed there. The British lost 430,000 men and the Germans as many.
One million men killed. The farmers are still finding shells.
The book is full of first hand accounts of the activities day by day.


Hugs, Dr. Liz

Sunday, April 11, 2010

April 11, 2010

7 AM Up for a pit stop. I was having a dream but it has slipped awyay. I have slept well. I am going with Martha and jeff to visit the Spring Blossom show at Dallas Arboretum. Then we will have lunch.
Up at 9:30 am. Whine. Whine. Complain Complain. Every morning I have to walk around getting ---

I managed to feed and walk dogs, get dressed, ready by 11:30. Dallas Arboretum is on the other side of dallas. The azalea were out of this world. We had never seen them in full bloom. They were gorgeous. So many of them.
We walked for an hour and a half. We sat down and rested every so often.

Then we went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory. I couldn't make up my mind and Martha wanted dessert. I had shephards pie. Meat mixture with mashed potatoes on top. Good. I took a piece of cheesecake home. I have never tasted cheesecake like that.

They drove me home. The dogs allowed me to sleep for two hours. Then Blitzen barked and Lady Chica licked my face. I was forced to get up and we went to the park. Not many people there. Dogs found things to chase, like horses in the distance.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
We couldn't get the busters going. On sunday people are there who only come once in a while. They dont understand how to make it happen. We saw horses off across the field.

Lady Chica's Tale
Well, we got a lot of running back and forth to the front fence and back again. None of the big dogs would run. One little bird dog was scared of me on the other side of the fence.

8 PM I may just go to bed. I am tired.

BOOK REVIEW
Harold Rollins, *Hard Rain*, (2008)
I hope his hard rain is fantasy. It is radioactive waste from munitions.
Vin is a special investigator for the Air Force. He and his partner/former lover are sent to Turkey to investigate the murder of an AF officer.
The story is pure chase, from one murder to another, from falling into a cistern for four days, to a vast conspiracy.

Hugs, Dr. Liz

Saturday, April 10, 2010

April 10, 2010

10:30 am. Debating about going back to bed. My journall has been dull lately. I am recovering from having teeth pulled. It takes a lot of energy.

My need for sleep seems insatiable. I slept until Martha woke me at 12:30 noon to finalize arrangements for tomorrow. We are going on the Spring Blossom tour at Dallas Arboretum. I have to choose between lunch at Cheesecake Factory and lunch at Blue Mesa. And the Wedding. Many of us are going to Greenbay WI for Martha's wedding. I am sharing a hotel room with my granddaughter. , Brianna. The grandchildren have been put in charge of me.

Well, we went to the park. Not many dogs and most were strangers. Only the little bulldog Kevin. Kevin and Blitzen have come to some arrangement. They ignore each other.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
Cassius was there this afternoon and we got a lot of running in. All of us were tired out. I sat in the wading pool for a while.

Lady Chica's Tale
Cassius is a boxer who is a year old. He just loves to run. I dont know much about him. He just runs. Killer is a little wimp, some kind of herding dog. He got in Cassius way and C had to jump over him. He kept trying to pick a fight with Cassius. Silly dog. He is half the size of C.

Took another nap.

BOOK REVIEW
Jeffery Deaver, *The Stone Monkey* (2002)
Lincoln Rhyme series. Rhyme is a forensic scientist rendered quadreplegic after an accident.
Now he consults with NYPD from his wheel chair. This is an interesting book and I wish I had not looked at the last chapter. Real surprise.
A cargo ship sinks off Long Island. Aboard the ship are illegal immigrants from China. Some manage to survive as does the "snakehead" (coyote) smuggling them into the country. The Ghost as the snakehead is called sets out to find and kill the illegals while Rhyme and various agencies hunt the Ghost. The story ends mostly happy.

Friday, April 9, 2010

April 9, 2010

After I managed to get myself up and over to the Senior Center, we did not have tai chi. A Health Fair was set up.
I took a virtual Alzheimer's Tour. I was debriefed with two younger women. I did not find it very strange. First of all, my normal mental state is such that reality is a buzzing surround. And age has slowed me down.
What frustrated the younger women was being so slow at doing tasks. We had to find a white jacket and put it on. Then we were to write 3 sentences to our family. Then fold towels. I never got to the other two tasks and had forgotten them. I was not frustrated.
The tour was set up to train aide workers in a care facility.

I came home, ate lunch and took a nap. Then off to the dog park where we stayed a couple hours in the perfect weather. Perfect. sunny and cool

Blitzkrieg's Tale
We did a lot of running off and on. Ray brot his wading pool and we surely enjoyed that. I like to walk around the edge of the field, smelling all the smells. I have to keep an eye on Mom, however, so that she doesn't leave without me.

Lady Chica's Tale
I had such a good time sitting in the wading pool. Nothing like a dip in the pool after a good run. Mom has been staying longer at the park in this nice weather. I just like to lie in the grass.

Well, I am missing part of Bill Moyer's journal, altho both Judy and I say it depresses us.



Hugs, Dr. Liz

Thursday, April 8, 2010

April 8, 2010

Well, this has been a slow day. And not even a book review. I slept like a log. Got up feeling refreshed. So we went off to the dog park. No dogs present, for the most part.

Blitzkrieg's tale
Mom got us all off schedule today. We get up and go to the park. She knows that nobody is ever there around noon. I walked around the parimeter smelling smells.

Lady Chica's Tale
I stalked a few blackbirds. Or are they starlings? Mom says she doesn't know. She says blackbirds may be a generic name, whatever that means. She talks sometimes when I dont understand what she is talking about.

We came home. I intended to take a nap and the afternoon passed. Then I couldn't sleep. I am waiting for MI 5. I didn't watch it last week. I wonder who died last week. They keep killing off the characters.
Ruth went off into the wild blue yonder but I saw the actress who played her in two cameo roles.

No book review. I cant find where I put the WWI book down.

Nobody has commented on Getting to Know Dr. Liz. I expected my sister to argue with me.

Hugs, Dr. Liz

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

April 7, 2010

PPQS tonight.
Up at 10 am. The usual, breaky and walk. Now I am going to sew like a fiend.

I did sew some blocks. Then I took a nap while we had a t-storm. Sun is out at 2:30 PM

Blitzkrieg's Tale
Lady Chica's Tale
What happens at Pup's stays at Pup's.

John gives each of the dogs a treat. Pup takes his. Lady Chica eats hers. Blitz buries his. LC carefully watches Blitz and goes over and digs up his and eats it.

Lea and I each had a pair of pants to shorten. So we each measured for the other. She sewed her jeans on the machine and finished. I am halfway done by hand.

No book review tonight.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

April 6, 2010

Baptist Center. 11 am -- so far thirteen single men. At Bunkhaus they have microwaves.two family units.
The clients kept coming one at a time and I was busy.

I came home, ate lunch and took a nap Then off to the dog park. Sat and chatted during a perfect evening.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
We had a nice afternoon at the park. Sometimes we raced with Buddy. A lot of the time we just lay in the grass and enjoyed the afternoon.

Lady Chica's Tale
I stalked birds. I ran with Buddy. We had packs going on both sides of the fence. Buddy keeps trying to jump the fence. He can jump to the top but he cant get over. Then I just lay on the grace. It was pleasantly cool. Just perfect weather.

Came home all tired out.

BOOK REVIEW
J.A. Jance, *Lying In Wait* (1994)
J.P. Beaumont set in Seattle, WA. A fishing ship burns and a corpse is found inside. Beau meets two friends from high school. I had read this long ago; so I could make guesses.Interesting set of motivations for the murder.


Hugs, Dr. Liz


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, April 5, 2010

April 5, 2010

The Northwest Passage has opened up with thawing of glaciers. THINK on NPR was interviewing an author who has written about hunting for Northwest Passage.

Met Judy at Wendy's. We discussed genetics, immune system, disease, a world wide pandemic as well as Outlander. We discussed why Outlander is so popular. Beaucoup web sites.

Came home and took a nap. Then off to the dog park. Eighty degrees and a perfect day. Dogs ran for a while. Sat chatting until twilight.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
I found a bratwurst lying just outside the fence. I dug a real deep hole but I couldn't get under the fence and Mom put me on a leash. Then old Chica started digging and she got put on a leash, too.

Lady Chica's Tale
We had packs of dogs running on both sides of the fence. Then Mom made me do that silly stuff of running thru tunnels. Afterwards Blitzen saw a bratwurst. I tried digging out and Mom put me on a leash, too. When we went home, she threw it in the trash can.

LC means that I went outside the fence and picked up the bratwurst. Otherwise Blitzen will spend the rest of his life trying to dig out.

BOOK REVIEW
no book today. I am reading, inch by inch, a book about WWI. I did not realize very much about WWI. I never understood why they had trenches and what they were trying to do. The brits dug trenches along the border between Belgium and France and were holding.

Hugs, Dr. Liz

Saturday, April 3, 2010

April 3, 2010

Southern Illinois University has a saluki for its mascot, because the univ is situated in Little Egypt. A saluki is, some say, the oldest breed of dog, Bedouins consider it sacred. It is a sight hunter in the desert. Altho how it got from a wolf to a saluki is beyond me. It looks like a whippet (a small greyhound).
I wore my saluki tee shirt to tai chi class. Nobody had heard of a saluki and one class member did not believe a univ would have a *dog* as a mascot.

Friday night. TV program New Tricks was a rerun.

I woke up at 11 am on Sat. How it got to eleven am is beyond me. Did some sewing. It was cold and now it is too warm. Planning to take a nap.

The dogs did not behave as usual at the park today. They sat around under and on the table. Chance barked at the fence and Buddy whined. Buddy whine barked. After a long time LC exploded toward the fence and they ran.
When I walked to the gate, both of them were there waiting. I dont remember LC ever doing that.

7 PM I am ready for another nap. I made bread pudding today. I am getting better at it.

BOOK REVIEW
John Sandford, *Dead Watch* (2006)
Stand alone. As I began reading I realized I had read this before and remembered every detail. Reading it again was soothing.
Jake Winter was in army intel in Afghanistan until he was wounded. Then he got a PhD and now consults with the president's office. As the book opens, he is called in to find a former senator who has disappeared. He meets the senator's wife with whom he begins an affair. The plot is tangled around itself. Great read.


Hugs, Dr. Liz

Thursday, April 1, 2010

April 1, 2010

6 AM Up for a pit stop and some Advil.
LC lies beside me, making her little crooning noise as she sleeps.

10 AM The lawn mowers did me in. By that I mean that the dogs make a fuss and I was totally awake. Busy doing my laundry. Drinking egg nog.

I am all tired out from doing laundry. Took a nap. Then off to the dog park. Few dogs. Somebody noticed my Saluki tee shirt. Knew somebody who used to teach at SIU. The wind was blowing sand from Big Dog side. The puddles have killed the grass on that side.

Blitzkrieg's Tale
Not many big busters there today. I wandered around smelling things. I always make a round of the paremeter. (sp?)

Lady Chica's Tale
I had only the birds to chase today. Mostly just sat around. Lots of wind.

Think I may take a nap. Tired out.

BOOK REVIEW
Jonathan Kellerman, *Rage* (2002)
Alex Delaware police procedural. Eight years before the novel opens, two teen age kids killed a toddler. One of the kids is killed after a month in prison. The other kid gets out and calls Dr. Delaware. On the way to meeting Alex, Rand is killed. So Alex and Sturgis set out to find the killer. Publisher's Weekly should be happy with this killer.


Hugs, Dr. Liz