Quite a Week

It has been quite a week to say the least. Monday and Tuesday I attended the 911 conference in Little Rock with Gail. This was our department's first year to attend so it was nice to meet people from other agencies who work in related fields. But it is obvious that age is catching up to us because all we wanted to do was eat supper and then go to the room and watch Dancing With the Stars. No more night out on the town!

Wednesday was the tenth anniversary of my husband's death. Guess this was a milestone year or something since it was harder than usual this time around. Wish I had taken the day off from work and just tried to relax but once more I made it through. Seems no matter how long it has been the empty spot just never quite fills up although I have my friends and family who make it better.

Wednesday, my darling little granddaughter, Lilly became dehydrated and has been in Children's Hospital since Wednesday night. She should be home tomorrow since she is eating and playing some now. She is still not drinking much so they are keeping her one more night.

The only up side is that big sister, Abby is staying with me. We are overdosing on movies. She is making fast friends with Rascal, the new dog. He has become her shadow today and even slept at her feet last night. We just got back from her house to feed the goldfish and check on everything.

The weather today has been just perfect. Spring is in the air and on the cars in the form of pollen. The trees and grass are budding out and everything is greening up beautifully. The picture shows the view across the road from my front porch.

A Good Quote or I Wish I Had Said That

Passive acceptance of the teacher's wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes man to seek and to accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position.
Bertrand Russell (British author, mathematician, & philosopher 1872 - 1970)

18 People Share My Name

Just a little something to help you occupy all the spare time you may have on your hands. I came across this site in an email today and could not resist checking it out. Click to see how many people in the U.S. have the same name as you have. This is the kind of trivia that I love to collect.

ginger
noun
Informal. A lively, emphatic, eager quality or manner: animation, bounce, brio, dash, élan, esprit, life, liveliness, pertness, sparkle, spirit, verve, vigor, vim, vivaciousness, vivacity, zip. Informal: pep, peppiness. Slang: oomph.

100 Top Movies

This morning as I was perusing through the blog world, I came across a list of 100 top movies of all time. The author of the blog had highlighted the movies he had seen. I thought it would be fun to do the same thing so I looked up the AFI's website and got their list. My challenge now is to watch the ones which I am ashamed to say I have never seen, passing on the ones which I would not cross the street to see.

AFI will present a special on these movies in June on CBS. It should be an interesting watch.

So here goes the list borrowed from AFI, with the movies I have seen in yellow italics (don't know how to highlight on this blog thing):

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

P.S.
Let me add that there are some of these movies which I am not sure whether I saw at a much younger age (not to mention my present age). If I did see them, there was no lasting impression so no highlight for those iffy movies. I'm not even at 50%, so no game shows will be looking for me to answer questions requiring movie knowledge. Maybe I should try to find the top 100 books!

Jack

Okay, so here goes with the post which I have been putting off. Ten nights ago, my wonderful little Jack Russell Terrier was running alongside my car as he always did when I got home. Somehow, he miscalculated and got under the rear tire. It was horrible and Jack had to be put down. For a softhearted animal lover like me, it was an awful thing.

Jack was such a good dog for me in so many ways. He was a dog I rescued when he was almost starved. My only consolation is that while he lived here, he had a good life and was loved as only you diehard dog lovers understand. For me, it was a blessing to have him as a pet.

Jack Rabbit, you are missed.

All of this happened on Monday night. On Friday night I got a call from a friend who had read an ad in the local paper from the Humane Society. They had a Jack Russell Terrier. I was still so distraught that I did not even want to call but told Sharon that she could call if she wanted to. She did and we went to look at him the next morning. Of course, it was love at first sight for both the dog and me. Once again, I have taken in a dog that needs love and care. He is skinny as a rail but that won't last long around here. He is cute as a button and is such a little rascal that Rascal has become his name.

Wide Awake

Isn't cold and flu season just the greatest? For the past week I have had a stuffy nose, head cold. I took to the bed on Thursday after work and only crawled out around noon on Saturday. A bottle of antihistimine cough syrup, which I swigged from liberally, kept me down for the count. That is one way to get the rest needed to recuperate. Today I am feeling almost human again.

Spring will soon be here and hopefully all the cold and flu bugs will disappear. My yard is needing lots of attention and I am itching to get out there and go to work as soon as the weather warms up just a bit. There is something theraputic about working in the yard. Maybe Abby will put on her Dora gloves and help me pick up sticks. Although she thinks the mower is much too loud when we pull the trailer.

Today I saw my youngest granddaughter at Wal Mart. It is such a joy when a baby begins to smile and laugh when you talk to them. Riley opens her cute little mouth and smiles a big, wonderful light up her face smile. It sure made my day.

Enough rambling for now. Thank goodness I have the day off tomorrow since I am caught up on my sleep for the moment. No nap tomorrow -- got to get back on schedule. Now, off to bed with a good book.

Crazy Friends

Yesterday, I was talking to a new friend and we started sharing and laughing about all the "crazy" things we do. It is such a blessing to find a new kindred spirit who loves to laugh and enjoy life. Laughter is a wonderful way to relax, heal a broken heart, deal with annoying issues, etc. Laughter is theaputic. So it is always good when I find a new friend who is not offended by my slightly warped sense of humor.

And here's to all my old "crazy" friends who still laugh with me. I love you all!

A Good Quote or I Wish I Had Said That

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

What Does This Picture Mean?

This picture means that all my grands were at my house at the same time. What a treat! And they are all clean.

A Good Quote or I Wish I Had Said That

It is a dangerous thing to ask why someone else has been given more. It is humbling—and indeed healthy—to ask why you have been given so much. —Condoleezza Rice