Murhpy is Winning

The heat has been brutal and I am thankful the air conditioner in the store is hanging in ...... cause the one in our living quarters is dead. I can hear birds chirping in the housing outside, but was told by He Who knows all, that this has nothing to do with it.

So, in the meantime, sleep is ......... restless. I was going to say "hot", but then you would be thinking something else. A cold shower every night helps until the wee hours of the morning when I wake in a puddle of my own sweat. To compound the issue, I am having my annual battle with poison oak, ivy, whatever. I washed my hands and arms up to the pits after I encountered the evil vine, but I am still having some itching and the heat only makes it worse. I recognized the vine as one I had battled before and asked He Who is not allergic to remove it for me. He pulled on it and only took part of it down. He looked at it and assured me that it was not poisonous. I beg to differ.

As if this isn't enough, the kitchen sink was clogged. My efforts with the overnight stuff failed, so I grabbed my handy dandy kitchen plunger and that failed as well. Never afraid to do battle with household enemies, I grabbed the bottle of the tough stuff I keep on hand for just such occasions. It comes with warnings and skull and cross bone signs, as well as being in a thick bottle that is then sealed into a thick plastic bag. It worked. Maybe too well. While washing my dishes I found myself standing in a puddle.

Afraid to look at the pipes under the sink, I imagine big holes in them. He Who shops at Sam's has a big surprise upon his return. While he is procuring ice cream, I am manning the store. Yesterday brought out 70 swimmers and I think about half of them had snocones. The rest ate lunch here and topped that off with ice cream. I am not complaining! Well, just about the heat.

Insanity must have overtaken me when I agreed to a new puppy. Everybody knows by now that my philosophy about dogs is that you can't just have one. I stole that from Lay's, you know. This puppy is a blue tick coon hound. As of today he weighs in at 20 lbs and is 12 weeks old. Already taller than my doxies, he simply walks over them. He is a sweet, if somewhat stupid animal and seems to be unaware of the hostility coming his way from two of the older dogs. His bladder must be the size of a basketball and once he starts he ambles along, creating a small river in his wake.

Although he has a dog house in the yard and is supposed to act as a guard dog and live outside, he has a better idea. Actually, the biggest obstacle to sleeping outside has been Oscar the grumpy old doxie. Of all the dogs in my house, he would have been my last pick to embrace the new one. Oscar sits at the back door and cries until we let Smoke in. They sleep in Oscar's bed together. Wall-E has been gracious enough to play for hours with Smoke, but Toni Louise hates him passionately and snarls and bears her pearly whites every time the puppy gets with-in a certain range of her. Cujo, of course, is jealous of any attention the puppy receives from me and he is afraid of him.

So, to sum up my day ......... it has been hot and wet. I feel like I have had a mop in my hands all day. First I mopped the restrooms and laundry room, then my living quarters. Over and over again. If it ain't dog pee, then the pipes are leaking. It is 78 degrees in the store and that is downright cold compared to the living quarters!

Just three more hours to closing time and I can jump in the pool and chill. First I will have to find a way to cook a meal and wash dishes ........ without mopping again.