Well, my husband bought me a birthday present after all, but he doesn't know it, LOL!  I used some money from our joint account to splurge on a limoges dresser box from the antique mall!  I love limoges, but have very few pieces of it because it costs so much, but now I have a new piece to add to my collection!

Speaking of collections, I got into the business of selling antiques and collectables mainly because I had too many collections. I especially have a lot of milk glass.  So I'm selling off some of my milk glass in my booth, but of course I'm finding milk glass pieces in other booths that I don't have and want, so it's a vicious cycle! 

One thing I'm not selling is my western memorabilia; it's decorating my family room.  But you don't find much of that to buy in Tennessee, so if I'd just stay off ebay, I'd save money on that!!

Then there are all my other collections!  My husband would like to downgrade to a smaller house, but I think we need a bigger one!

But doesn't everyone collect things (even hubby has an elephant collection)?  What do you collect?

I want to start by saying thank you to Adamsdarling, Afton, Sissy, Shiva, January, Debbie, Els, Camera Chic and Anonymous for posting about my loss of Poco.  I really appreciated your understanding words.  He has been gone over a week now, but I still miss him a lot, and so many things remind me of him.

Time marches on, though.  I had a birthday last week, and circumstances caused me to really miss the family birthday parties we used to have when I was young, with cake and ice cream and lots of presents!  Since my birthday was close to the start of the school year, I mostly got school supplies and clothes for presents, which I would have gotten anyway without it being my birthday (duh!), but it was still fun to have things to open and be with my parents and brothers and their familes.

My family quit having birthday parties several years ago because we are more spread out now and everyone is busy with lives of their own.  But this was my first birthday since my mom died (in March) and I had lost Poco three days before, so I was feeling a little blue.  Then to top it off, the night before my birthday my husband said he had decided that I had enough "stuff," so he wasn't going to get me a present, but he would  take me out to dinner.  Ain't it grand to be married?  I think the honeymoon is over, after 31 years! 

The antique mall where I work just had a huge four-day sale for Labor Day, and I have never been so tired in my life after working those days!  We were constantly running out of change, out of paper to wrap things in, and out of boxes to pack things in, and we had so many customers buying so much stuff we could never even work in a lunch break!  I don't want to ever work a holiday weekend again!   Fortunately, I don't have to think about it for awhile, because the next one isn't until New Year's weekend, and who knows if I will still be working there by then.  I'll keep you "posted"!

POCO

1993 - 2007

Yesterday my husband picked up Poco from the vet hospital.  We had decided to bring him home in the hopes that he would start eating once he was back with us in a familiar place.  The vet closed at 2:00 and my husband had some things scheduled to do in the afternoon, so he brought Poco to the antique mall where I was working.  I put Poco in his bed in a corner behind the check-out counter and covered him with his favorite blanket, and he went to sleep.

I kept checking on him and about two hours later I noticed that he was awake.  I went over and started rubbing his head.  After a couple of minutes, he started jerking a little bit, so I picked him up and was holding him tight and talking to him and kissing him, and suddenly his head dropped and he was gone.  If he had to die, it was exactly the way I wanted it to happen, with him in my arms and me giving him love.

I want to particularly thank January, Sissy, Adamsdarling, Donna and Diane for their posts about Poco.  It really helped to know that people cared.

Poco is now buried in our yard, but his loving spirit is still with us!

I need to tell you Poco's story.  In case you don't know, Poco is my 14-year-old Chihuahua. 

I was working for a vet in the '90s when a woman came in one day with a tiny animal wrapped in a towel.  She said the animal belonged to her next door neighbors and she had found it in her yard.  When I unwrapped the towel, I found a tiny, tiny Chihuahua that I thought was dead.  Fortunately, one of the vets was able to detect a faint heartbeat, so work began on the dog immediately to try to save him.

Teenage boys living in the home with the dog had kicked him in the head, so his head was very swollen due to water on the brain.  He had a rope burn around his neck and cigarette burns on his body.  He was malnourished and dehydrated, and all this at only 4 months of age!

For two weeks he laid in a cage at the vet hospital with IV's in him, and we didn't know whether or not he would live or die.  We also realized that even if he did live, he might be brain damaged or sickly all his life.  The only thing the Humane Society could do was keep him from going back to that home he had come from.

We all fell in love with him, and after he got off the IV's several of us that worked there took turns taking him home with us at night so that we could give him pills that he needed every two hours, and also squirt water down his throat because he couldn't seem to remember how to drink (I taught him how to do that again).

Eventually he was well enough to go to a new home, and I adopted him, vowing that he would never be cruelly treated again, and he never has been!!!

He was not retarded or sickly, and seemed to even forget the torture he had been through because he loved people (and loved to give kisses)!!  He wasn't a nervous dog or one that barked very much, and he became a therapy dog, visiting people in hospitals and nursing homes.  He really brought a lot of joy to a lot of people, especially me!

Now he is back in that same vet hospital with IV's in him, once again fighting for his life.  This time it's from kidney failure, which is related to his age.  He has been in the hospital for three days, and the numbers on the blood work have improved tremendously, but he is not eating.  They said today that if he doesn't start eating by Saturday (a low-protein diet that isn't hard on the kidneys), there may be no hope for him.  But on the other hand, he could still live for a good long time if he can eat this special food and keep it down.  So right now it's a waiting game.  If you don't mind saying a prayer for a dog, I would appreciate you praying for him and for me.  If he doesn't make it, I have the comfort that he's had a good life and I'll have wonderful memories, but at the same time I know it will be rough for me emotionally for awhile.

Poco and my other dog, Duchess, are right now involved in a BRingo game on Bonanza Brand, and I'm not telling the players about Poco's illness because I don't want to ruin their fun.  And I'm not giving up hope for Poco's recovery yet!

I not only finally had two days off in a row since starting my latest job, I had three days off, and it felt wonderful!

Tuesday I caught up on housework, Wednesday I ran errands all day long, and today I worked on things for my antique booth and things for Bonanza Brand.

Duchess and Poco have been so excited since it was announced that we will soon be starting a new BRingo game on BB!  They have been cutting out the words, counting them, and practicing drawing them (yeah, I wish, LOL)!!  But I'm excited about the game, too, and glad I have time to work on it!  Come join in the fun!

I also got the Guy Williams thread ready to go again (it has been on hiatus until I had time again to read more of the books I am using to tell about his life), and I got a new caption contest going, so I feel like things are getting back to normal. I just hope they stay that way.

Of course, I go back to work tomorrow, but I feel more prepared for it now that I know more of what it entails.  And I feel just a little bit wealthier, LOL!   I'm saving up for some new furniture for my Family room, fondly known to me as the "Western" room and to my husband as "What The Heck Is This All About?" room!  But that story is for another day!

At first I couldn't believe that I hadn't blogged for a week, but then I realized that I can't even keep up with what day it is, so it's not surprising that I can't remember to blog.

The problem is that every time I go in to work, my schedule has changed.  This week I'm working Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sat.  Next week it's Mon., Fri. and Sat., at least until they change it again, LOL!  I can no longer remember what my schedule was last week.

The man that owns the antique mall is a strange character, right out of a Dicken's book!  He's almost 7 feet tall, and skinny as a rail.  Behind his back people call him "Beanpole!" He apparently can't get pants that fit around the waist, because he's always tugging at them to pull them up (they have some kind of hooks for a belt, not a regular belt).  He's also a multimillionaire who is 77 years old and walks around the mall 8 hours a day, 6 days a week to make sure no one is doing something they shouldn't, like vendors burning too much wattage in their booths or employees sitting down on the job (we're always supposed to be busy doing something, even if there are no shoppers)! 

He doesn't hear too well, and the other day an employee mentioned something to him about a song that was playing on the radio.  "Radio?" he says, roaring.  "We play the radio for shoppers?  This must stop!  This is a place of business, not a place of entertainment!"  Sound like Scrooge to you?

Well, we still play the radio, and he hasn't heard it yet, and we sit down when we know that he is in a far corner of the mall from us, LOL!

There is no water fountain in the building, so in the kitchen (which has no table or chairs in it and one falling apart refrigerator and a broken microwave) he has a water cooler from which employees can fill up paper cups with water to drink.  But he fills up the cooler outside with a garden hose, so all the employees bring bottled water! And I haven't seen him drink from that cooler!

  I asked the manager why the owner doesn't retire, and he said it's because his wife would kill him if he was home all day, and I believe that!!

Well, enough humor about serious business!   

What I'm Watching Tonight:  Burn Notice (a really good new USA show!)

Speaking of watching things, I watched the last episode of Traveler last night, and it was terrific.  This was supposed to be the end of the season for it, but I've read that it has been canceled!  I think ABC made a mistake doing that--it would have been a good replacement show for one of their new ones that will die after a few weeks.  One good thing, though, the producer of Traveler has promised to explain the whole story on TV Guide.com for the faithful viewers.  Hooray for that producer!!

Now, speaking of survival, my three-day work week keeps changing.  First it went to a five-day work week, but I balked at that, so now it's down to a four-day work week.  If the sick employee is ever able to come back (after 3 weeks in the hospital with test results inconclusive, he's now in a rehab center) it will be back down to three days a week.  But for now, I have Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays off, and I'm finding it hard to get a lot done without having two days off in a row.  So I'm not doing much with writing articles, Bonanza Brand or my antique booth! 

But sometime soon I'm going to blog about the man that owns the antique mall where I work.  He's a real hoot, and if I can survive working for him, I can survive working for anyone  !!

I actually survived my 45 hour work week, which surprised even me!!    So I feel like I can do anything now, although I would really rather snore than roar, LOL!!  Tomorrow I start working three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays (of course this doesn't count the days I'll be working on my booth).  The only thing that concerns me is that on Wednesdays I will be working alone with the manager.  He has been on vacation for ten days, so I don't know yet what to expect when working with him, and all the other workers have given me entirely different stories about him.  EEK!!!

Our motto at the antique mall is:  Grandma bought it...Mom threw it out...Now I'm buying it back!  That's certainly the case in my life, only mom actually passed my things down to my niece and nephews instead of throwing them out.  By the time those children got finished with them, though, there was nothing left to retrieve!  I did manage to keep my original Barbie and Ken doll, some comics (including Bonanza and Zorro) and the Zorro lunchbox and thermos I used in 1st grade.  And I am not selling those things!  (They are in good condition, too, because I always took good care of my things!)

The problem for me with antiquing in Tennessee is that it's hard to find things in this part of the country from Western TV shows (or with any kind of Old West theme).  So far at our mall I have found a framed 11X14 photo of the 4 Cartwrights carrying their saddles and a framed, personally signed photo of James Arness from Gunsmoke, and a Bonanza lunch box.  But it's taken me three years to come across those three things!  I'm getting to know the vendors in the mall better now, though, since I see them more often, so they are now on the lookout for things for me from the TV westerns, because I loved all of those shows!!   We'll see if they find any goodies!!!

Is there a word stronger than exhausted?  If so, then that's what I am!  My mind and body are soooooo tired I'm not even sure I can write tonight, but it's been so long since I blogged I'm going to try.

The story about this began Thursday a week ago.  A full-time employee at the antique mall where I have a booth was called by his doctor who had been doing some tests on him and was told to get to the hospital right away.  He has some serious things wrong with him, and may be in the hospital and recovering for a long time.

Then the next day (Friday) the manager had to fire a full-time employee.

Saturday I went in to work on my booth and the manager asked me if I would be interested in working for them (he has gotten to know me during the time I've been renting space there).  He said eventually it would be part-time work, but for now it would be full-time, and maybe more.

I decided to give it a try because a little extra income always comes in handy, and started working on Sunday.  The mall is open 1-6 on Sundays and 10-6 all the other days of the week.  Employees work the whole time, never even clocking out to eat (you just eat when you find a few free minutes)!

The bad thing about this week was that there were major sales going on for the holiday week, with some booths reducing their entire stock as much as 60 %!  And the mall was even open July 4!!  This is the largest antique mall in Tennessee, so we had people stopping by as they traveled from places like Ohio, Michigan, Florida, etc.

Anyway, I worked 5 days this week, and there was a lot to learn, plus I'm on my feet the whole time (which I'm not used to).  They ring up sales on a computerized system, so fortunately I'm good with computers!  And I am learning which vendors specialize in certain things so I can help people with what they are looking for.  I guess I will get a good education in antiquing!   

Next week the manager is on vacation, so they have me down to work 45 hours  , and I just hope I survive it, LOL!!  After that it's supposed to cut back to 3 days a week, depending on other people's vacation schedules.  I think I can handle that!!!

I did get off in time July 4 to go to an outdoor symphany concert and watch the city's fireworks, but that's all the relaxation I managed to get in this week.  And tomorrow I have to do all my housework!

HELP!!!   How do I get myself into these things??????

Did you ever have anyone that seemed like a member of your family, even though they weren't officially? 

When I was eight years old one of my brothers went off to college.  There, he met a young man from Guatamala and became friends with him.  This man, Jose, was the son of a tailor and this college was well-known for their operatic productions, so he worked as a designer for these productions to help pay his way through college.  However, he needed summer jobs, plus he could not afford to go home on vacations.  So for four years he came to our house for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break and the summer months (working at the auto parts store my dad owned). 

I have such terrific memories of Jose putting together a Barbie doll house for me, teaching me how to do origami, playing in the snow during the first snowfall he had ever seen, etc.!  Eventually, his sister lived with us for six months in order to learn English so that she could go to college in the U.S., too.

Jose got a good job after college, married and had two children and moved his parents to the U.S.  But he lives a long ways from me.  We keep in touch, but don't get to see each other much. 

The last time I saw him was 27 years ago when he happened to be passing through the city I live in.  The same thing happened yesterday, when again he was "passing by!"  I got to spend about three wonderful hours with him and his wife, and it was as if we picked right up from where we had left off years ago--it was so easy to talk with him!  He is retired now and has white hair, but otherwise seems like the same person I met when I was a child.  When we hugged, I didn't want to let go of him!

I'm grateful to my parents for opening up their home to people who needed a place to stay through the years.  In this case, I not only got to learn a lot about another culture, but I also gained an extra "brother!"

I sure hope I don't have to wait another 27 years to see Jose again!!