September Song

September ended with some excitement. We were preparing to go to bed the other night and Anita and the Scotties went out into the back yard. This is a ritual that is done every night. As Anita opened the door to come back in, a snake came in with her. It made a run to get under some furniture and she came back to where I was to tell me about it. In our entire history, that is the first time we have had to deal with a pushy snake and neither of us liked it since I could do nothing to help. We decided that we could not ignore the invasion, but a blind man wasn’t going to be of much use in rounding up a snake.

We decided to call our neighbor and he immediately came over. About that time Ralph, our male Scottie, decided to get involved. He and Bell flushed the snake out into the open and Anita told me that Ralph moved so quickly that she could barely follow the action. He grabbed the snake and shook it so violently that he killed it in a matter of seconds. We are most grateful but we had no idea that he would do what he did. Bell decided to be a cheerleader and not get involved but she was right proud of what happened too. She was glad to be praised for her part as well. But remember all of us need a cheerleader so we won't get disgusted with the world.

We went to Colorado at the end of August and came back the first week in September. Casey and Kathy Allen went with us. We spent nine days at the cabin in Colorado and got a new fence built in the back yard for the Scotties. (Casey built the fence.) We now can let the dogs out at night and not have to worry about them running off. Coyotes are very common and vocal about their presence so it is necessary to keep the city slicker Scotties close by. We did have a good time and did get some needed cabin care done before the winter sets in and shuts things down for the winter.

It takes twenty four hours of driving to get to the cabin and that means two long days of driving. I find that my body didn’t appreciate that kind of ride and it took about three days to really get over the round trip. I guess that is the combination of old age and being blind. I spent much travel time talking with Casey and remembering the scenes along the way. I find that tedious and frustrating, but it is part of the game now.

We called ourselves the "Gumbo Gypsies" as we traveled across Texas. Our alternative name was "Gumbo Gringos" since that fit a crossing Texas motif. We certainly didn’t find any gumbo shops in the panhandle and would have avoided them if we found them. A long trip is a long trip and we were glad to make it, make maintenance in the cabin and make our trek back home.

We made it through September without a hurricane. What a relief that has been. It has been a very quiet storm season and that is not bothering anyone. The storms have been regular unwelcome visitors in the past and they are not missed. Many people purchased generators large enough to give some emergency electric relief, including us, and all are delighted we have not had to use them. It is good to know that they are there for the using and that assurance really helps. I am sure that the insurance companies don’t mind all the claims not being filed this time around. This gives them a break also.

I heard a report that we in the U. S. spend fifteen billion dollars a year on illegal drugs. I find that amazing. And then I heard in that report that our government was upset that Mexico wasn’t doing more to stop the drug traffic. I imagine that the huge amount of money that American users are willing to spend on drugs has much more to say about it. If we didn’t use them, then the drugs wouldn’t be up here. I think the fuss should be made with the users who are silly enough and stupid enough to make them a part of their lives. The enemy is the user and that is a sad state to find ourselves in. Drugs, like crack, have ruined New Orleans. Katrina and the drug users and suppliers have made it into a third world dangerous city.

Until next time....