Friday's Odds and Ends

 One of the things I like to do for fun is work jigsaw puzzles. I just finished this one last night, after working on it off and on for a month or so. I do take time out for writing and visiting friends and playing games, so it takes me a while to finish a puzzle. All the while I was working on it, I was craving chocolate. Maybe I need to do a non-food related puzzle next.

Topping the national news this week was this little tidbit:  Speaker John Boehner and House leadership did something that's never been done in American history. They voted to sue the President.

When I read that, I couldn't believe it. Talk about an absurdity. That one tops them all. And what is even worse is that a whole lot of people think that is just okay.

Enough said about that.

Yesterday it rained off and on all day here in East Texas. During one short break, I did manage to get out and pick up branches and limbs that had fallen. I couldn't believe that I was working outside in Texas in July wearing a flannel shirt, and I wasn't even hot. We are all wondering when summer will get here.

Early in the day yesterday, the veterinarian came out to float my horse's teeth, and when I told some of my non-horsey friends, they were puzzled. One asked, "What is he going to do? Take the horse's teeth out and throw them into the pond to see if they float?"

We all had a good chuckle over that, then someone asked why the procedure is referred to as "floating" so I thought I would do a trusty little Google search. Don't you just love it? Have a question? Ask Google. Anyway, the term comes from the rasp or "float" that is used to file down sharp enamel points that form on a horse's back teeth. These points can rub on the horse's cheek when he is chewing and make it uncomfortable to eat.

There are Equine Dental Specialists in some parts of the country, but here in rural East Texas, most large-animal doctors do the dental work.

It's been a while since I've had a stray cat show up on my place. Lots of people dump cats and dogs out here. Don't you just hate that? This kitty showed up on Wednesday.

Most of the time my dog, Poppy, runs off any strays that come on her property. It is hers, by the way. So I don't often have a cat make it to the deck where I can see it. Of course if I see a cat on the deck, I have to take it in - I can't let it be coyote lunch - but I really do need to find a home for this kitty. She is sweet and friendly, but I already have four cats, who are all very unhappy that an interloper is in the sun room where they usually get to play every day.

Now to end with a joke.

A census taker in a rural area went up to a farmhouse and knocked on the door. When a woman answered, he asked her the names and ages of her children.

She said: "Let's see now, there are the twins, Billy and Bobby, they're seventeen. And the twins, Seth and Beth, they're sixteen. And the twins, Benny and Jenny, they're fifteen."

"Wait a minute!" said the census taker. "Did you get twins every time?"

"Heck no," answered the woman. "There were hundreds of times we didn't get nothin'."

Have a great weekend.