I Got A Pink Slip On One Kid!

Who's having a special day?

Grumpy Cat?

No, 

Grumpy Grad!

Congratulations to The Boy,

who graduates from college today.

You did good.

Joxer The Mighty

Fourteen years ago,

a neighbor found an injured puppy scavenging for food at her school.

He had bat ears, stubby legs, and a jaunty tail.

We named him "Joxer," for this guy on Xena Warrior Princess:

They both had a goofy charm, so the name fit.

He was, in the way of dogs, everyone's best friend,

and he became a part of our family.

He kept us company and entertained us,

and we loved our --in the words of an amused passerby--

 "funny-lookin', big-headed dog."

But as he got older, his bum knee was joined by a bad back,

and then creaky hips, 

and then everything just seemed to fall apart.

The Sweet Man and I wryly joked that we only had to clean up his messes

on days that ended in "y,"

and we wondered if we should buy stock in these...

 ...since we surely 

were moving some serious inventory.

But through it all he always tottered to his feet,

tail slowly wagging despite his pain,

glad to see us.

Several times we thought he was already gone,

and then he was so bad off we started hoping he was already gone,

but he was like a soldier who wouldn't desert his post.

He was our dog, and he wasn't going to give up.

We realized we were going to relieve him of his post,

and we did the last, kind thing that a pet owner can do.

As the vet gave him the injection,

we stroked his head and whispered to him,

"Good dog, good dog... you've always been a good dog."

Because he was.

He was always our good dog.

Mystery, Part Two and a Buttload of Tomato Plants

As I said in my last post,

there's something brewin' at the Dang It Minnie Household.

Here's a few more photos to give you an idea:

Okay, a door...

... and some bright paint...

... that sign again...

...what?!  

Stay tuned to find out!

**************

In gardening news:

The first step to recovery from tomato-growing addiction

is admitting you have a problem.

"Hi.  I'm Dang It, Minnie, and I'm a tomato-aholic."

What's Goin' On At My Place?

Hmmmm....

What's this?

All will be revealed soon!

And it's going to be SO. COOL.

Not That I'm Complaining...

A letter came to my house this week

addressed to my husband by last name only,

and with no return address.

I opened it to find...

Score!!!

Yep, a real, actual, non-counterfeit twenty dollar bill.

But... there was no letter inside,

just a paper with the words ...

"ENVELOPE CONTENTS INTENDED FOR DELIVERY TO:"

...and then my address.

Who is it from?

Why are they sending it to my house?

It's a mystery!

Do you have any ideas 

why the Money Gods bestowed a sweet Jackson on me?

Dots O' Arctic Yogurt

The Girl sent me this Pinterest pin:

And I thought, holy cats!  I'll bet those yogurt-y discs taste like Dippin' Dots!

(Dippin' Dots, there's nothing better during a hot day at Magic Mountain

than your frosty orbs.)

While the tutorial showed them being squeezed out of a baggie with the corner cut off,

I had a better idea!

Meet Kevin Farrell, AKA Dee W. Ieye, a Tupperware Diva.

Last year I attended his drag queen Tupperware Party,

because, let me tell you:

white middle-aged ladies love cross-dressers and drag queens

like they love birthday cake in the break room.

(Yum.  I am totally TEAM CAKE.)

Anyhoo, I bought this nifty little gadget at the Tupperware Party,  
and I thought would be perfect for making the yogurt dots!

The Girl suggested I use the mocha yogurt from Trader Joe's...

... so I filled the squishy thing...

... and covered a tray with dots discs.

 They froze up pretty quickly.

 I popped one in my mouth.

But!

BRAIN FREEZE!!!



They were cold!  

So cold!

Colder than ice cream;
somehow, (contrary to the laws of physics), colder than an ice cube.

I carefully sucked on one, and then let the rest languish in the freezer.

When I told The Girl about my experience,
she pointed out that she had made only a dot of yogurt on her tray,
not a freakin' MASS.

So, my advice for this project?

Make your dots the size of a debutante's diamond...

... not a drag queen's rhinestones.

Ooooo Eeeeee Oooooo!!!

Who's yer Doctor?

(Heh. See what I did there?)

I myself am partial to this guy...

... but I, along every other sentient being who has seen it,

think the most amazing episode of Doctor Who is with David Tennant and...

THESE GUYS.

Augh!  

Don't blink!  

DON'T BLINK!!

Anyhoo, along with the scariest villains,

this episode also gave us this great Doctor Who quote:

 "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect.

 But actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint

 it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey... stuff."

A genius over at Spoonflower turned the quote into a fabric design,

and I turned it into a tissue holder for my Etsy shop!

Cool beans, huh?

What a great gift for your favorite Whovian!

(Want to make your own papercraft Tardis?  Here's the link!)