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My House-My Circus |
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Sweeties Home |
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Woman Attacked! |
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Sometimes of an evening... |
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Lil' Bits from Ma'am |
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What can I say? It's been a busy period. As you all know, I retired this time last year and have been house hunting ever since. Well, early last spring I thought I had found the ideal place. Everything was going swimmingly, I had ordered a new kitchen for it, ordered furniture and was looking for a new fireplace (the original one was soooo 70's). Then, the very nice person that owned it (she holds up and shows off her university degree in sarcasm) decided to pull out of the sale 12 hours before the completion date!
To say I was mad would be like saying the Pope dabbles in religion. Anyways, life is short and problems only exist to enable you to find a solution. So, back to the house hunting again. After many many months where my opinion that Estate Agents (Realtors) are the spawn of the devil was only confirmed. I actually found another house that I like even better than the first one. The good news is, that I moved in just over two months ago!
JustDar and Juris did me a big favour and decided to come visit later this month. This was the magic touch I needed to get rid of all the cardboard boxes still lingering around...thanks mates! So, watch out for reports of the happenings of the American/Canadian invasion of poor little Ireland in the next issue! (don't worry, I will censor the bad bits) <giggles>
Now, what else has happened in so long a time?...ohhh yes! I got myself a little part-time job, keeps me out of mischief and curtails the retail-therapy outings. It's a little no-brainer office job, it will do until something that interests me comes up. All the interesting jobs seem to be full-time and I really don't want to go back to that....as I said before...life is too short.
Now I know I haven't mentioned the sprogs....yet. They seem to have been behaving themselves lately...or...perhaps I just haven't found out yet. Or more likely, I have just been too busy to notice. Junior has left school and started at college, what he loves best about it is that there is no school uniform and he can dress like a Rock Dude all he likes. Middle sprog is working away and partying as hard as he is working (no change there). Senior Sprog (my sensible one who has his own place) is pleased that we live closer to him now.....he keeps threatening to invite us down for dinner (we're still waiting).
Now I have to get ready for our official (yes there were some unofficial ones) house-warming party! Best of all, Juris and Dar will be here for it too. I just wish you could all come, think what a party that would be eh?
Thats all for this month, I hope you enjoy our articles and submissions as
much as I did, we have such a wonderful bunch of talented people here in Casual
Chat. Don't be shy, you are all welcome to contribute you know!
Lynda
Nothing in my house is sacred. From my hair products to my favorite Nascar T-shirt, to every hairbrush I have ever owned. They all disappear sooner or later into the abyss somewhere, never to be seen again.
I think the first sentence each of my children ever uttered was...."I
didn't take it!" So I have just learned to assume that there must be
little gnomes,living somewhere in my home, and 
they
have a desperate need for my hair clips and just one of my good gold hoop
earrings.
But it isn't just my personal belongings that disappear. There are no cups left to drink from either. They grow feet and walk out to the backyard, accompanied by my forks and spoons. It must be a great party out there because there sure are alot of them. The least they could do is invite me. I did find my cheese grater in the front yard last week...and no, I did not have the nerve to ask how or why it was there. I simply gave it a proper welcome back greeting and returned it to its place in the kitchen drawer. The gnomes must not have needed it anymore.
Having 3 teenagers in the house has expanded the list of missing items. My CD collection of the tunes that bring back memories of my wilder days (aka before children), are the latest victims. 15 is absolutely amazed that I not only know who Led Zeppelin is, but actually saw them in person, and he seems to think that Metallica didn't exist until he discovered them. My daughter has pilfered my old R&B tunes, but at least she knows the history of the Motown label. Oh well, maybe I should just figure I am teaching them history?
Lil Will, almost 2, has joined the conspiracy to rid me of all of my worldly
possessions. He has a particular (very strange) fondness for my vacuum cleaner
and he insists on keeping it in his room. Anytime I use it, he sits on the
couch and keeps a watchful eye on me until it is returned to it's 'proper
place'. If I take too long, he will scream and point at the door to his room,
demanding me to put it back. He also decided to re-enact the sinking of the
Titanic in the bathtub with my brand new sandal as the lifeboat 
for
Bert and Ernie. Needless to say, they didn't make it, and I can just imagine
the emotional scene as they both sunk to their death.....along with my sandal.
Funeral services are pending (not for Bert and Ernie, but for my poor shoe).
I imagine that when my kids are all grown and moved out on their own, I will miss these days……………
Nah, I will be off on my private island, enjoying the sunshine, with everything
I own in a nice neat pile by my side…..just in case.
Teri
The Greyhound Story // Adopting the Racing Greyhound by Rei Hagakure Wednesday,
September 13th, 2006
HISTORY
There are several breeds in the Greyhound family. Known as sight hounds, or gaze hounds, this is the oldest known purebred dog. Today's modern sight hounds, so called because they hunt using their eyes rather than nose, include: Afghan Hounds, Ibizian Hounds, Borzois, Greyhounds, Salukis, Whippets, Pharaoh Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds and Scottish Deerhounds. Other sight hounds are Italian Greyhounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Basenjis.
The
first human recognition of these hounds happened around 6000BC in Turkey,
appearing in temple art. In 4000BC images were made on personal items in Iran.
They were revered by the early Egyptians, with ownership at times restricted
to the the royal families. A litter of grey pups was almost as important as
the birth of human sons. Some Pharaohs that owned greys include Amenhotep
II, Tutankhamen, even Cleopatra. Mummified greys have been discovered, as
well as carved and decorated caskets, toys, and statues. They appear in wall
art and mosaics. The Egyptian god Anubis is thought by some Greyhound fanatics
to be a grey, but this is an error, brought about by similar physical characteristics.
Anubis is, in fact, represented by a jackal, an animal also admired by the
ancient Egyptians. Greyhounds are the only breed mentioned by name in the
Bible.(Proverbs 30: 29-31)
When the ancient Greeks visited Egypt, they were taken with these dogs and
brought them home when they returned to Greece. I've heard that in Greek mythology,
specifically Book 17 of Homer's Odessey, it is said that Odysseus had a Greyhound
pup when he departed on his quest; upon his return, the now 20-year-old hound
happily greeted him in recognition, and promptly died. As with many myths,
there may be a grain of truth as greys often live 15 years or more, and 20
years is not unheard of. I've also heard that the name 'Greyhound' comes from
the early Romans. Adopted and embraced by the Romans when they visited Greece,
these 'Greek-hounds' retained their status as properties of the privileged
and got the name we use today.
In early Medieval times, the breed almost died out, but were 
saved
by monks who bred them in their monasteries and reintroduced them as sports/hunting
dogs for royalty. They retained this status up to modern times, where in England
(1016AD: law passed by King Canute) it was actually illegal for a commoner
to own a Greyhound, and abuse or killing of a Greyhound was a hanging offense
(Wales, circa 910AD, King Howel). Many old paintings and tapestries depicting
a manor or castle hall display several greys sprawled around the fireplace
hearth. Chaucer and Shakespeare mention them in their writings. Renaissance
artists, including Veronese and Uccello, featured them in paintings.
In
the mid-1700's an English nobleman, Lord Orford, bred Greyhounds with bulldogs,
to obtain a smooth, short coat in a dog that possessed chutzpah. When America
was settled, Greyhounds came along for the ride, and the sport of 'coursing'
was as popular West of the Mississippi as it had been in the United Kingdom.
George Custer owned greys, I've heard he coursed his dozen hounds the day
before Little Big Horn, but sent them away to keep them out of danger. Well,
any man who loves Greyhounds and kids can't be all bad.
In the early 1900's, Owen Smith perfected the 'artificial lure', and the great
American sport of Greyhound racing was assured. Unfortunately, greys are still
viewed as chattel. If they do not qualify as racers, or once their racing
career is finished, they have until recent times simply been 'disposed' of.
Other breeds do not suffer this fate. In some parts of the world this is still
the common view. I've read reports of hundreds of 'unusable' hounds being
taken out and killed, buried in mass graves. I haven't personally seen this,
and would love to believe it can't happen, but I know my fellow human. It's
a shame our modern cultures relegate them to track racing, as they genuinely
love human company and are quite at home in any home. Their adaptability as
house pets has been rediscovered in recent times, and I see more and more
pet greys going for walks and car rides every day. I hope this trend continues.
©2006 - Sweetie's Home Writings
(C)2006 XratedPress
Saturday, September 16, 2006
A Cape Cod woman was almost nearly viciously attacked by her pet Greyhound early this morning as she lay nearly dozing.
Mary, (##), of the tiny village of Waquoit, was almost sleeping peacefully
when she and her husband heard their 6-year old, 85-Lb. pet Greyhound Sweetie
whining while he lay on his bed in the family room.
While her husband was in the kitchen getting a cuppa, the dog roused himself
and stealthily entered the kitchen, pausing only for a quick human-butt sniff.
He then demanded pets. Mary says she overheard her husband tell the dog to
"Go wake Mummy up so she can take you for walkies."
She reports that the next thing she knew, the hound had leapt on to the bed
and stuck his snout against her nose, sniffing savagely. She feared for her
proboscis as the dog appeared ready to grasp her snout. With paws on either
side of her head, almost nearly pinning her down with his great size, the
dog then proceeded to stand over her, displaying his male doggie parts to
indicate he really, really needed to go for a pee.
As she almost struggled nearly helplessly under the dogs long legs, she reports
she could hear her husband giggling surreptitiously from the hallway, unable
to assist as he was nearly almost doubled over. The hound, having brought
her to a full state of shocked consciousness, then returned to the family
room and gazed longingly at his bowls, prompting her husband to prepare fresh
water and chow for the somewhat maniacal hound.
Mary further reports that, upon insisting she must have some coffee before
driving, the hound then returned to the bedroom, settling in comfortably on
the now empty bed. With a final huff of disgruntlement, the dog settled in
to wait for his humans to have their morning caffeine fix.
The victim is expected to make a full recovery, almost, once she has her coffee
and daily Internet fix. The dog is resting comfortably. No charges will be
filed.
Rei Hagakure, Staff Reporter
File Photo Courtesy Sweeties Home (C)2005
SOMETIMES OF AN EVENING WHEN i'M DRIVING HOME
THE WESTWARD SUN MIGHT GLITTER SOFTLY OFF MY
RING --- OR I'LL BE REACHING FOR SOMETHING AND
THE OFFICE LIGHTS WILL SPARKLE ACROSS THE BAND
OF GOLD ON MY FINGER AND IT MOST CAUSES MY HEART
TO SING.
I'LL WATCH SOME NIGHTS AS YOU LAY IN QUIET
SLUMBER AND WONDER IF THAT SMILE PLAYING ACROSS
THE CORNERS OF YOUR LIPS IS BORN FROM YOUR DREAMING
OF ME OR ARE YOU FAR AWAY IN A DREAMWORLD OF LIVES
BEFORE === AND IS YOUR SLEEP-FOUND HAPPINESS
DRAWN FROM ANOTHER'S MEMORY?
SOMETIMES I WONDER AND OFTEN I WORRY --- AM I
ALL THE HUSBAND YOU WANT OR NEED? BUT THOSE
DOUBTS ARE EASED WHEN YOU ROLL OVER AND CATCH
ME WATCHING YOU SLEEP --- WITH THAT SAME SMILE
GROWING WIDER YOU WHISPER "I LOVE YOU" AND ALL
MY DREAMS ARE FINALLY FREE..........
(in loving memory...........)
mykelcross
Greetings to everyone, and so glad to see our Casual Community News on the presses again. Our Editor in Chief has been very busy with retiring, taking classes, buying a new home and then going back to work. Welcome back Lynda.
Casual Chat has been staying busy with great topics on our message
boards and of course our daily chats and games. I am proud to say, due to
the diligent work of our volunteer staff, Casual Chat is consistently on the
Most Active Community list. We try to keep topics that interest our members
as well as chats that are fun, games that are challenging and good Craic.
There have been some changes in our staff since the last newsletter. Tracey
and Gin have left staff and we wish them well with their new endeavors. We
have added Larry who brings a bit of old country and sometime serious personas.
<s> Andy has joined us, and he has the message boards jumping with his
new idea's and giving Teri a run for her money <G> Linda is host in
training, is such a delight in her Wednesday evening chat, so cheery and we
hope to have Linda trained and on board as soon as her move is completed.
Welcome to the new additions to our Casual Chat Family, we are happy to have
you join us.
Trisha and Teri hosted the First Annual Tomato Contest and was a lot of fun
for the participants. There were two winners and a job well done. Congratulations
go to Roberta aka Keno and JustDar!!
Techie and I have been busy and I still am not sure where "home"
is <G> Right now we are traveling again and hoping to get this article
completed before either we move on, or the computer "crashes" again.
Laptop did a total meltdown last night, and as Techie worked on it all day,
I stayed busy with retail therapy. We are traveling 
through
Oregon and it is so pretty up here. We have about ten days to go on this trip
before heading home. Another trip in October to the Pismo Beach, California
area, back to Oregon end of October before giving the RV a rest for a few
months. One of our goals next year is to travel across the country and meet
up with many online friends and staff from Casual Chat.
The Las Vegas Forum Meeting was postponed until Spring 2007. With Lynda being extremely busy and Trisha our great leader moving back to Oregon from Texas this last year, we had to postpone the meeting. We will be getting some dates and plans together soon and hope all that were interested will meet us next year and some of our new members may want to join us. We have had several Forum Meets and they have been so much fun, meeting people we communicate almost daily online, new friends, well it is just a great time. Watch for dates and details.
As I close this article, I would like to thank the Casual Chat Staff for doing an extraordinary job of keeping our forum/community a wonderful place and the time and energy they put into providing topics, games, trivia an the message boards and hosting chats and games. Without all of you, Casual would not be the fantastic forum it is.
Huggs from ~Ma'am~
Come on Everyone! Get those pens busy for next month. Lets have another bumper edition! Mail all your contributions to me at LyndaAtCasual@Compuserve.com
We want all your contributions, don't be shy! This is a paper by the members for the members......that means YOU!
Please remember, this is a fun/interesting/informative addition to the many features on offer at Casual Chat, critique is welcome but no attacks on members, personalities or other fora will be.
