Leash law--for cats?!?!?!

My parents live about 1200 miles from me. I moved when I got married and have been living away from them and my hometown friends for almost 22 years now. I enjoy the times we visit, either in person or on the phone. We catch up on family things, news from the neighborhood, and all of the concerns and curiosities in between.

I visited with my mom this morning for about an hour about the usual various and sundry things. One thing she did mention, though, has me a bit on-edge. I thought that a public blog would be a perfect place to vent my frustrations and get others' views on this subject.

It seems a few weeks ago my mother heard a knock on the door. A man from animal control was there to inform her of the leash law for cats in their fair city. It seems he was driving by and saw my parents' cat (neutered, licensed, and current on all shots and paperwork, by the way) on their DOORSTEP and stopped to offer an official warning. He told her she had to take the paperwork, etc. to the courthouse to prove this cat was "legal". If he (or any other AC representative) saw the cat outside and not on a leash, he would have no choice but to impound the cat. Another woman had her cat impounded FROM her front porch. They came onto her property and took her cat.

My mother was quite upset, as was I. A cat on a leash? And this isn't exactly a thriving metropolis we are talking about. What right did that man have to come on my mother's porch to get the cat (the cat had been laying there, soaking up the sun). Cats are not meant to be on a leash or completely indoors, in my opinion. My parents' cat is a rescue--a stray--and he goes stir crazy if he stays in all day. He wants to climb & run! They usually let him out for a few hours during the day and have him in all night and the balance of the day. He doesn't terrorize the neighbors. He doesn't terrorize the local animals. He cannot procreate. I don't see the problem.

I have found some other nuggets of information about their town's animal control laws. No animal can be left outside (tethered or even loose in a fenced yard) unless directly supervised from inside or outside the home. You cannot leave an animal outside in your fenced yard for longer than two hours. An animal control officer went to my parents' neighbors' home at 1:00 in the morning! to tell her her dog was barking in her backyard. Her dog was inside and not barking, obviously, but the officer wanted her to go to the backyard with him to "investigate". This woman is in her 80's, on oxygen full-time, is recovering from a broken back, and is widowed...there was no way she was going anywhere with this strange man at that time of night, no matter what his credentials!

What do you think about leash laws for cats? Do you think city officials have the right to come onto your property for a leash law violation, if there is no imminent danger?

Wordless Wednesday...Flashback in Time...

Next week, perhaps, I will focus on the here and now. I don't know, though...going through these old photos has been so much fun! Ah, well, these are too many words for Wordless Wednesday. :)





Happy WW!!!!! For more WW Fun, go see WWHQ and Jolly Mom!

Don't Ever Drink From Hotel Glasses Video

We travel quite a bit and know a lot of people who spend some time in various motels. I found this video a couple of years ago, I believe, and it has changed my view on hotels/motels and not treating them as being at home. Click on this link to view the video (I don't know how to embed it into my blog if it is off the 'net. If anyone does, I would love a tutorial!)

Don't Ever Drink From Hotel Glasses Video

Shared via AddThis

My kids don't understand when I tell them to bring in their own water bottles and not to use the provided cups (occasionally we do when they are plastic, wrapped in sealed plastic). Hope this didn't offend your delicate constitution (I know it made me rather nauseous when I first saw it). Let's just be careful out there!

(Oh, and there is another one on bedbugs that I just cannot bring myself to watch yet! I itch just thinking about it!)

Fantastic Deal! CVS: Always Infinity Pads for $0.99

Sorry if this makes any guy followers I have uncomfortable...if I have any followers of the male gender! This is just too good of a deal to keep quiet!

At CVS Always Infinity pads (the large package) are on an unadvertised sale for $4.99! The regular line of Always pads are marked on sale for $4.99, but these are the Infinity pads that are regularly $10.79 that are ringing up for $4.99.

Now, to make this an even better deal...use your $4/1 coupon from the 6/7 P&G insert to get them for $0.99! This is an amazing screaming deal!

Make sure you scan these at the price checker/scanner before you buy them to make sure they are still ringing up at $4.99. Since this is unadvertised, it can change at any time and perhaps vary from store to store.

Even if you don't have a use for these, you could get them to donate to a food bank or shelter.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for the heads-up on this great money saver!

Smells Like a Memory...and funny Funnies

I have many fond memories of my childhood. They come in little snippets, sometimes giant tsunamis that threaten to overwhelm me, but they almost always bring me joy. My husband is amazed by the things that trigger memories for me...a lot of the times it is an odor.

Hot asphalt makes me happy...I feel pure joy...no worries or cares...just excitement, anticipation, and the freedom only summer vacation can give to a child. Hot asphalt reminds me of Worlds of Fun. My friends and I (mostly Tammy...then other times it was Tricia...later, it was always Michelle, but that was Oceans of Fun...entirely different smell-reminder altogether! That would be Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil (now part of the "classic" line--I suppose that is a hint that my music is now "classic", too??)--NO sunscreens, thank you very much!--and heavy chlorine!)...okay, where was I? Oh, yes, my friends and I would secure a Worlds of Fun season pass for our Christmas present and then spend EVERY POSSIBLE MOMENT at that amusement park during the summer. We would swing it to where one parent would drop us off at opening and another set would pick us up at closing. We didn't have much spending money...we mostly shared an order of fries and a pop and that was it for the day...every day...Monday through Saturday...unless we were at the pool that day. Ahhhh....so now you understand why the hot asphalt smell ('cause amusement parks are mostly hot asphalt!) has such a pull for me. It even smells skinny! :D

Another wonderful memory I have is reading the funnies with my dad. I would climb onto his lap and point out which comic I wanted him to read. And read he did! He had the comic timing and the voices to make even a political cartoon hilarious to a 4 year old! Dad read the funnies to me even after I could read myself, because it was always more fun. He didn't care if he was in the middle of an article or work, he would make the time to read the funnies with his little girl. I still love the funnies and so do my kids. We will share the most hilarious ones--sometimes cut them out of the paper to hang on the fridge or give to the person we think it "belongs" to. I have to admit my ultimate fondness for Calvin & Hobbes. They are my favorites!

I came across two funny (by my sense of humor!) comics today in my paper and thought I would share them. They had me giggling while I waited for my daughter in QT this morning...

***Gotta click 'em to see 'em***sorry***couldn't work it out any other way***on to your regularly scheduled reading***this was a test***this was only a test***

F Minus

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaa hahahahahahahaha!!!!!

and then....

Pearls Before Swine












I can't get enough of them! :) Wifey!!! Hahahahaha! I would love to have someone do this at Panera Bread!

There was also a good Mutts one that had to do with Twitter. It was quite clever and simple, but alack alas, I cannot post it, because their site has a two week delay on comics. And with my attention span, I will forget about my intent to post it by the time I log off of this computer. Ooooo! Bright shiny object!!!

Hope you had a great guffaw & a satisfying chuckle!

I Won!! I Won!!

I won a giveaway on Ramblings Of A Wannabe Writer! An 18x24" poster print from Large Format Posters! I can't wait to have it in my hot little hands. I will let y'all know how it goes and what it looks like. I am sooo excited!

Thanks, Mel for hosting this great giveaway and thanks to Large Format Posters, too!

Drop by both sites...Mel has some great giveaways and posts & Large Format Posters has some great deals!

My baby's all grown up!! ahem...my husband, that is!

Happy birthday, JOEL!!!! It's that time again...amazing how time leaps forward. Here is a very short retrospective of you in photos. You know you love me...really you do!

Our wedding day! We were just KIDS!!!
*gasp*

Older sis trying to teach him the art of
horseback riding...

Joel's whole family in years gone by....

Just a couple of weeks ago at our
oldest daughter's high school graduation...

Love you, darling!

You are one of the greatest blessings in my life and I thank God for you each day.

Now, on to a family celebration! Burgers at the Islands and mini golf!

A few other giveaways...

So, my kids are a little past the potty-training age, but I am pretty impressed by Huggies Pull Ups "The Potty Project" site. Lots of great tips and videos. Yeah, videos...but once you get past the discomfort (took me all of 0.3 seconds), you will love it...they are hilarious and endearing... "Relaaax...just relaaaaax...."

First, though you should check out Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls site for an awesome potty training giveaway--all that you need for pottytraining, including an ultra-flip video camcorder!

********************************************************
The next one is a Father's Day giveaway that ends TOMORROW (June 19th), so you need to hurry on over! Saving Cents with Sense is hosting a $100 Home Depot giftcard giveaway! I don't know of any dad who wouldn't love a gift like that! We are great Home Depot fans in our household. We rent equipment from them, too, for our fun home-improvement projects. So, check it out soon and be sure to thank me in your acceptance speech when you win. :)

********************************************************
This one I KNOW my kids would love, as well as my nieces, nephews, and pretty much everyone else I am acquainted with. Go Graham Go is hosting a Street Surfing: Wave LX Skateboard Giveaway! And does it ever look cool! Check it out to see if it is for you...or anyone else you know. I am sure it will match many in your circle of friends and family. AND it will encourage the kids to get away from the video games and go outside to play this summer! How great is that?!

Wordless Wednesday...Our Family...six years ago!

Wordless Wednesday... MY FIRST! :)

Time passes too quickly...look at my header to see my family now! I remember this as clearly as our trip last week. *sniff* (Okay, I will get the hang of WW eventually!)

For more WW see The Jacobsen Family, Go Graham Go, Jolly Mom, and Wordless Wednesday!

Rexie & the GPS...a retrospective...

**Okay, this is an old post from my old site. Yeah, I'm into recycling. My life is busy, busy this week, so I thought this would be a good time to revisit some fun posts...probably reach another whole audience! :) Read on and know that I love humor and my sense of it is a little, ummm, diverse...**

Hi, everyone! Well, um, I have been busy. I have been reading some very good books. I have been calculating pi to the utmost digit. I have been eating pie with all of my digits. I have been doing anything and everything I possibly can, except updating my blog.

*sigh*

SO! Now that the excuses are out of the way, shall we get on to gettin’ on? To the POST!!

I have a wonderfully large vehicle that drivers of small cars despise. I understand their feelings, though, because on the days I cannot wheedle–er, convince–my husband into leaving the hunk-a-gleamin’ metal with me, then I have to drive the “sensible” car. The Toyota. The economy car. The car that you climb out of instead of step down from. And also the car that is a planet unto itself…BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SEE AROUND ALL OF THE FREAKISHLY LARGE VEHICLES THAT SURROUND YOU! Sorry…venting for those of us saddled with the wise-choice car for the day.

Anyway, when I drive my Suburban, I have control of it all…the entertainment (unless the kids want to watch a movie), the music (unless my daughter is in the car), the temperature (unless…well, you get the idea). I do get to run the GPS, though. It is my baby and I would be lost without it…literally. It was the best Christmas gift my hubby could ever give me! I am so directionally challenged…seriously, I have gotten lost leaving a parking garage. I ended up in a part of town, explaining things to my kids I never thought I would have to talk about until they were well into their 40’s. So, it’s a survival thing for me. Don’t get all in a tizzy if you’re behind me in a parking garage, though. It takes a while for the satellites to be located, so I know which way to turn.

On long trips, my husband usually drives. He says it has something to do with my wakefulness. I don’t understand it, really. The driver’s seat is just so *comfy* on those long, monotonous trips. I also happen to enjoy having icy-air conditioning blow on me full-force while the radio is on VERY loud. All of that swerving and head-bobbing makes the trip interesting. He should learn to sleep amidst distractions. Really. I am doing him a favor!

Where was I? Oh, yes. So, my husband drives, but I still use the GPS to find the gas stations (bathrooms), restaurants (bathrooms), and rest areas/parks (bathrooms). The only problem is, that despite my 5′8″ frame, I cannot for the LIFE of me reach the GPS mounted with the cute suction cup to the windshield. I try! Over and over I try. I reach with my left arm as far as I can and stretch against the shoulder harness…but it holds me back. Again, I reach…then sit back…reach…back…reach…back…THROW MYSELF FORWARD (trying to fake out the seatbelt…seatbelts are NEVER really prepared for the sudden force against them…it’s a design flaw, I think)…then vault to the seat back. Over and over and over again…lurching back and forth–bungeeing from the seatbelt to the seatback, if you will–with my arm outstreached, never *quite* reaching the GPS. No, I never *ask* for the GPS until this ritual was accomplished. Why should I? I will win someday…I will overcome! Of course, my husband always turns to me and asks, “Need help, Rexie?” Yeah, like a T-Rex…arms too short. Oh, but that’s not enough! nooooo He has to pull his elbow to his side and act like he is extending his arm. like a T-Rex! Then the entire Suburban (it holds roughly 42.3 people…roughly) erupts in raucous laughter while my new nickname is volleyed from passenger to passenger. I am so pleased I can provide wholesome entertainment for my family and friends. It is my purpose.

You know those cute pet names families have for one another that stays within the family? Like Schnookums or WiddleBear or PiddlyPants? Rexie is not. uh, no. I found that out rather suddenly when I was playing Sequence and I couldn’t quite reach the board…and a family “friend” pulled his elbow to his side and said, “I can’t quite REACH it…can you, Rexie?” Again, guffaws galore.

I will reach that GPS, someday. It is my goal.

Fun in the Sun giveaway...coming up!!!

Okay, I know and you know I am up waaaaay too late tonight. So, let me show you what has kept my interest for so long!

Running Away? I'll Help You Pack! is teaming up with Misadventures in Baby Raising for an AWESOME giveaway week (plus!) starting June 22nd to July 1st. They have some great sponsors lined up and it looks to be a fun and exciting time! Run on over to their sites (Running) (Misadventures) for a preview of what is in store!

See, isn't this worth a later bedtime?? :)

Father's Day Fling Giveaways!!

You really need to check out these giveaways! Four bloggers got together for some AWESOME giveaways...this is just one (I may point you in the direction of others in a later post...) So, it's Life Starring Ellie and Eve, Mom Start, 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires, & Blessings Abound...

So, the latest one I entered is the Father's Day Fling (#14!!! There are MORE!) Professional Office Guy Giveaway Package. It includes a Keurig Platinum Brewing System and 4 boxes of K-Cups, Peek Pronto with 3 months of paid service, Lands’ End Attaché, and Boost Mobile i776w Cell Phone in brown with $50 pre-paid card! Seriously amazing stuff!
Links to this giveaway... Blessings Abound, Life Starring Ellie and Eve, Mom Start, 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires.


Another cool giveaway from these same bloggers is the Fling #13--Sportmans Prize Package. I KNOW my hubby would love this one. My dad would too, in his younger years. Now, he would just enjoy hearing about our adventures (and the pictures, too!). This one includes the Motorola Motonav TN30, Redington Red.X Outfit Series Rod and Reel, Eureka N!ergy 9 Tent, and E! Power Pak! Everything for the PERFECT combo of outdoor and techie fun.
Links to this giveaway... Blessings Abound, Life Starring Ellie and Eve, Mom Start, 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires.

Here's another great giveaway in their Father's Day Fling. Perfect for my husband, because he doesn't have his own camera, yet. It's the Best Buy Electronics Prize Package! I gotta tell you, I LOVE Best Buy. I window shop there more than at my fave clothing store! This package includes both the Insignia^TM 7.0-Megapixel Digital Camera and the Rocketfish 2MP Autofocus Webcam!
Links to this giveaway... Blessings Abound, Life Starring Ellie and Eve, Mom Start, 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires.

Oh, and this is ANOTHER perfect giveaway for my hubby... the Handy Man Dad's Dremel Tool! He's a great handyman...from fixing up our home (remodel) to woodworking! This would fit right in! This giveaway includes a a Dremel Multi-Max!
Links to this giveaway... Blessings Abound, Life Starring Ellie and Eve, Mom Start, 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires.

So, check out one or all of the blogs listed above. (You can enter at all of their blogs, increasing your chance to win!) There are more giveaways than I just listed. I am sure you will find many that will tickle your fancy!

Kodak Picture Book giveaway @ Rockin Mama

Hey, check out Rockin Mama's awesome giveaway! I love Kodak Picture Books! I have seen them (though I have yet to create one!) and they are beautiful! Just think what a great gift this would be for someone in your life.

Hop on over an enter for your chance to win!

All new look!

So, how do you like my new look? Alesha helped me tremendously by pointing me in the direction of The Cutest Blog on the Block. Their tutorial for a 3-column blog was so simple...did it on the first try! I then downloaded a 3-column background and I also was able to use a simple header of theirs for inspiration and create my own in Photoshop. I'm going to try my hand at another header later in the summer. Sooo much fun!

I hope everyone is well! We are doing good. Getting ready for friends to visit and we can't wait for them to come! I have to get in gear for Bible School, too! I am teaching the 3 & 4 year olds this year. I have that age for Sunday School, but have never taught them for the full week of VCS. I am really looking forward to it!

Hope your day and week are memorable, productive, and full of love!

Busy Mommy Giveaways!

You really need to check out Busy Mommy! She is going to celebrate Summer with a fantastic giveaway event for moms! The Second Annual Spring into Summer Giveaway will be held from June 9-20. The Spring into Summer Giveaway will feature great prizes for moms, including an amazing grand prize - a Wii and Wii Fit! Keep your eyes open for some of these amazing prizes! I know I will!

Go here (or click on the button to the right) to check it out.

Pioneer Woman giveaway...BOOTS

Okay, so I know that it would be the odds of winning Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes to ever win a Pioneer Woman giveaway, but I love her site and her giveaways, so I am a sucker and keep entering!

This one is verrry interesting. Very cool and very appropriate for my (married-into) family! She is giving away a pair of cowboy boots--style/type to be chosen by the winner, not to exceed $400. The brand is Lucchese and they look divine! Go and have a peek, then go to The Pioneer Woman and try your luck! Hurry, though. It ends at 8 pm Pacific time today (Monday the 8th).

If you win, be sure to thank me in your acceptance speech! :D

Casio Exlim Digital Camera giveaway!!

In celebration of Father's Day, Casio has generously offered to give away a Casio Exilim EX-FS10 Digital Camera to one lucky reader on The Mommy-Files.

This is a very cool camera...takes great videos, too! So, run on over to the site and sign up now for your chance to win!!!

Good luck, all!!

Okay...let's go for a Combo Post...Steaks & Video Camera

Wooo hoooo! The Mommy-Files is STILL at it (and so am I!). There are TWO more giveaways to try for (and probably more on the site...you really need to check it out).

One is for a Vado Pocket Video Camera from Creative Labs. It is so amazing and so compact! It gives you 2 hours of great video with wonderful video quality at the touch of a button. You also get 2x zoom, awesome low-light performance, and a nice size, 2" antiglare screen! This is a $99 value (great, by the way for grad gifts, Father's Day, birthdays--easy enough for those afraid of technology and fun and compact enough for the younger bunch). Click here to check it out and enter!

The second giveaway will satisfy the actual hunger in you...no, I am not being figuritive or symbolic, you will be FULL and can CONSUME this giveaway! The Mommy Files (again! isn't she incredible?) is giving away a Fire Up the Grill Package from Omaha Steaks, Inc (courtesy of Omaha Steaks, Inc.--aren't THEY incredible?) Now, I just have two words for you......RED MEAT! Seriously...not trying to offend any vegetarians out there, but there is nothing better than STEAKS (good, tender steaks--like these!) for dinner. From the seasoning to the sizzle on the grill...the aroma...the anticipation....ahhhhhhh...it's all a part of an incredible dinner!

Steaks are just a part of this package, however....

In the Fire Up the Grill Package from Omaha Steaks, you receive the following items:
- 2 (6 oz.) Filet Mignons
- 2 (6 oz.) Top Sirloins
- 4 (4 oz. approx.) Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 4 (4 oz.) Omaha Steaks Burgers
- 4 (4 oz.) Boneless Pork Chops
- 4 (5.75 oz.) Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- 1 (6 in.) Chocolate Lover's Cake

Oooooo, chocolate cake!! So, run on over and enter this giveaway, too!!

Red Lobster for the seafood lover in you....EVERYBODY SING!

Okay, I am embarrassed now. I can't find the time to post for HOW LONG and now you are receiving a GLUT of posts from me. That's okay, though. These are for your greater good...you could win a $50 gift card to Red Lobster for a Father's Day Giveaway! Truly! Check it out at The Mommy Files. Anyone could use a free dinner---to have it be seafood at Red Lobster is just cake, baby. (Kim, if you win this, we'll go together...Joel can fix some Mexican food and have Jim over for "guy time". Just remember not to kiss him until you have sterilized your entire face!)

The giveaway ends June 15th--don't be late! (Check out her other giveaways, too...pretty stellar!)

Oh, my! Oh, my! A Toshiba laptop giveaway...

I am really taking it out of all of you, aren't I? After a loooong dry-spell of posting, here I am going all willy-nilly on you. I just have to say, it is all for a good cause. 'Cause if you read these and enter--you may win--THAT is good! (Yeah, stretching a bit, I know.)

Anyway...a new friend on the blogsphere (the mommy-files) is hosting a Toshiba giveway. A Toshiba Portege A-600 giveaway. (Cue ooooo's and ahhhhhh's)

Okay, here's some really cool facts about this computer. I just love specs...if this won't convince you to enter, well, I don't know what to do with you. You must have a plethora of computers at your disposal. Go have a bagel with strawberry cream cheese schmere. It'll make you feel better. Onward...

The Toshiba Portege A-600 is lightweight and ultraportable. (So you won't get exhausted hauling it around on your international adventures!)

- 12.1" diagonal wide screen with LED backlit display
- Toshiba Primary High Capacity 6 Cell li-ion battery pack
- 4th Generation Easy Guard Technology
- onboard Bluetooth
- USB Sleep and Charge/eSATA Combo Port
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor SU9400
- Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit)
- 3GB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM (memory)
- 320GB HDD (5400rpm) (hard drive)
- DVD-SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash™ drive - Cosmic black finish
- Fingerprint reader (SO COOL! 007 Cool!)
- Built-in Webcam
- eSATA/USB sleep-and-charge* combo port

As a photographer, the 3GB RAM does it for me...it will be as speedy as you need for your interim photo editing. The hard drive space is pretty snazzy, too! Oh, but the fingerprint reader did it for me...I can just hear the theme music now! Webcam is great too for keeping in touch with friends and family on Skype.

Go here to enter...really! Do it! Hurry! It would be a great gift for dad, hubby, yourself, me.... Hey, I'm just sayin'!

Wanna netbook??? Follow me......

Okay, so I was wandering around the internet, with nary a thought on my mind when I stumbled into this AMAZING GIVEAWAY!! I thought I should post to let everyone know about it, so you could get in on the action too.

Blissfully Domestic is giving away an HP Mini Vivienne Tam Edition computer, thanks to the generousity of Intel! It is SUPER small and lightweight (less than 2.5 lbs and about an inch thick!). Don't think you can give it to hubby or dad for D-day, though...it's a beautiful pink with peonies on it. Really pretty, plus it'll keep the guys in your life from snatching it and laying claim! This lil netbook is great for internet stuff...updating facebook and other social networking sites, email; also word processing and such. Not so good with photo editing, so I guess I would need to keep the trusty HP desktop for a while longer. :) There's WiFi and a camera for your long-distance video-chat needs...

So hurry on over to Blissfully Domestic's HP Giveaway post to enter to win!!!! You've gotta jump through the hoops before midnight (not sure what time zone) on June 8th. Have fun!!!!!

Wii, Wii, Wii...all the way home!!!!!!

So, I was visiting my niece's blog and found some verrry interesting news I had to look into...

And YES! it's TRUE! (Not that I doubted you, Alesha...)

Christian Personal Finance is celebrating their TWO YEAR anniversary and are giving away a Wii and an ipod nano! How generous. This is an interesting site, too...good tips and reading there.

So, hurry on over (click here) and enter in to win!! Hurry...you only have until June 4th to enter!