Housecleaning has ceased.

Mom sent me a very short e-mail that said, "STOP CLEANING YOUR HOUSE. I'M NOT GOING TO COME VISIT YOU UNTIL MAYBE NEXT FALL." (The all-caps are hers, and I don't feel like changing it.) I haven't called yet to find out why she's not coming. I only wish she'd waited a little while to tell me she wasn't coming. I'd already started cleaning the house, and it would have been good if I'd continued just a little while longer! The good news is that the cobwebs are gone, and the living room windows are clean.

I finally made it to my doctor's appointment yesterday. I'm okay. Blood pressure is a little high. Just a wee bit. I'll start taking pills - something in a low dose - 1/2 a pill every other day. We'll see if this helps. Losing a little weight would help, too, I'm sure. I do plan to do that. I'm just a very accomplished procrastinator, so there's a long period between the planning and the execution.

Still no reason for the chronic fatigue. Doc said my thyroid is within normal range. He's sending me over to the Mental Health Clinic to talk to them about my meds. I'm on paroxetine (aka Paxil®) and maybe the dose needs to be changed. Or the drug, itself, needs to be changed. If I don't get some relief soon I'm going to apply for social security disability. If I'm not tired now, I certainly will be going through that, I'm sure.

The doc said my cholesterol was "perfect." I replied, "I'm going to go eat something fried!"

We had some dime-sized hail last night. Or maybe nickle-sized - I didn't actually measure. I think it was the largest hail I'd ever seen. I don't think it caused any damage other than knocking over one of my plants. The planter broke but I had another one just like it, so the plant (a rescued geranium) is doing well.

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Now I have to clean the house

Mom has announced that she'll come for a visit in a month. That gives me just about enough time to get the house cleaned! Don't get me wrong - I'm glad mom's coming. I hate to clean the house, so it stays quite dirty. I need these occasional visits to get me "motivated." And it's always good to see mom.

Mom's visits also mean that I'll get to eat some real food for a change. It's difficult to get motivated to cook creatively when one lives alone. I do cook. I prefer real food to nuked food. But I cook large, large batches of one thing and eat that for a week or so. Of course, that gets real boring after a while. I almost never have something like a steak or pork chop with side dishes.

Yesterday I did a huge water change in the aquarium, and I got most of the algae off of the glass. There was a lot of algae on the glass. I was surprised to find out that I still have two corydoras in the tank. I hadn't seen them in a long time! And I have three high-fin black tetras. I thought I had two. Of course, I have way too many swordtails. They are very prolific. The last time I tried to do a water change I had to stop for fear of sucking up the little newborns. I think several of them eventually got eaten by the bigger fish, which is a little sad, but it's okay with me. I let nature take its course. As I said, I (already) have too many swordtails. I'm seriously thinking about getting one large predator fish to polish off a few of the swordtails, but I probably won't, because then I'd have this huge fish to deal with. I had that problem in the past and it didn't end well.

I'd also love to add an algae eater to my tank. I had a beautiful pleco that grew to monstrous proportions - he was extremely beautiful at that size - but I had to find a new and much larger home for him. So adding a pleco is out. I tried adding a siamese algae eater but it died. I'll have to see if I can try that again. In the meantime, I've been adding this stuff to the tank that kills and prevents algae. Supposedly. I think it kills the algae, but I don't think it prevents algae. In either case, the algae was real easy to remove, so maybe it's worth it.

Without going into detail I have discovered that one of my close internet friends is in some legal trouble. I have to say that I was surprised by the details. If he happens to read this and wants to talk, he has my number. I won't judge. Perhaps I'll blog about it when it's all over. Perhaps not. We'll see.
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Useless Product Alert II

Here's another product designed to suck the money right out of your wallet. It's a power sprayer on top of a bottle of liquid cleaner. It sprays the liquid on your shower wall without that exhausting squeezing of the trigger. Thank goodness someone has finally found some way to help us bypass that horribly demanding task. Sure, it costs a bundle, but isn't it worth it?! You can see the product here.

Incidentally, what does that say about this?
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I wrote a poem!

I have been writing to my "pen pal" for a few months. The other day I was thinking, and my thinking began to rhyme. That led me to write this poem.

A Poem For Walt.

(It's all his fault.)

I'd like to write you every day

But I don't have that much to say.

Perhaps I'll try it anyway.

I guess I could make something up.

I'm sure you wouldn't like a lie.

You seem like such an honest guy.

Alas, fiction I will not try.

Hey! I could write about my pup!

I sleep too much, that's what some say.

I often sleep the day away.

I'll write at night, if that's okay.

In any case I must get up.

First I think I'll have some coffee,

Then I'll probably have to go pee.

Maybe some music will inspire me.

Looks like it's time to refill my cup.

I could waste time all day long.

“Procrastination” is my song.

Even tho' I know it's wrong.

(We're all a little bit corrupt.)

I try to think. I wrack my brain.

I go a little bit insane.

This whole concept is quite inane.

That's it! I'm done! I just give up!

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This one line just cracked me up.

"Candy eggs, rabbits and Peeps flew through the air in an unlikely Easter exchange." (Whole story here.)
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I believe. Do you?

Last night I had a dream that someone asked me if I needed prayer. I responded, "Yes, as a matter of fact I do," and proceeded to ask them to pray for my relief from this chronic fatigue.

Tonight I got a phone call from KLOVE, the Christian radio station, asking me if I needed prayer.

Unfortunately I didn't hear the phone ring, so the call went to my voice mail.

I have never dreamed about someone asking me if I needed prayer before last night. I have never had someone call and ask me if I needed prayer before today.

I don't think this is just a coincidence.
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Useless Product Alert

I noticed recently that a well-known company is now selling a touch-free liquid soap dispenser. I need to say that this is a huge waste of money. No doubt hundreds of people will buy it without thinking. It clearly is meant for the germ-fearing portion of our population. But think: What are you doing when you push down the pump on a liquid soap dispenser? You're washing your hands. Do you touch the soap dispenser after you have washed your hands? No, you don't. So any germs or dirt that end up on the soap dispenser are inconsequential since you are washing them off your hands immediately after they come in contact with your hands.

Don't waste your money. Don't buy the soap dispenser. If you use liquid hand soap, go buy a refillable, manual (the kind you pump yourself) soap dispenser and a huge bottle of "refill" soap. Better yet, to keep that plastic bottle out of a landfill, use bar soap.

I hope you like the new look.

If you don't, oh well. I'm not changing it. At least, not any time soon. Blogger has added a feature where one can get a little more creative when choosing a layout. My eccentricity plus my desire for a little bit of individuality led me to the layout you are seeing now. I designed the header banner myself. It's based on the old banner with a little bit of a change.

Rosie is back at the vet's office again today. More poking to check her blood sugar levels. This should have been finished already, but I procrastinate, sleep late, and I'm poor. (It costs $57 for each day that she has to be tested. It adds up real fast.) I'm going to have to get better about getting her "regulated" on her insulin, I know. I will.

Another beautiful day in central Texas. I got my front yard mowed yesterday. Already there are new weeds  popping up. Time to go out with the weed killer.

I earned my second entry on Dave Barry's blog. If you see something interesting and/or amusing on the web, you can submit it to Dave (or the back up Dave*). If (s)he likes it, (s)he'll post it with attribution. Look for the submissions by "Suzie Q. Wacvet." It's a small honor to know that your favorite humor writer thinks something you submit is worth posting. (Attn: CMOT, Here are some extra letters for you to use in that last sentence: u u u.)

*Judi