Amazing New Info ..... Don't Laugh!!

After coffee and a few snuggles with the puppies, I spent the entire morning checking out my sprinklers.  I thought I heard them come on at 3 am the other morning, and I was right.  Seems my gardeners turned them back on, which is a good thing.  With all the wind we've been having, it needed it.  I hate being the only one on the block with brown grass.

I ran them through their paces, all twelve stations, and discovered they are all working perfectly.  How did THAT happen?  No sprinkler heads broken off and no geysers watering the driveway.  Unfortunately I have one VERY leaky valve in the back that needs repair.

Then it was on to medications for this little girl.  She's going on 14, almost the same age as me.  She survived the trip to the Vet, but has some interesting things going on, aside from the cancer.  Here's the weird thing.  This type of cancer is a histamine type, whatever that is.  Her left front leg gets bigger every day with a growth that is inoperable after three tries already.

The current solution?  She gets a baby benadryl once a day ... twice if it looks like it's working.  Weird, right?  My doc isn't about loads of medications, so if that causes any stomach problems, just give her half a tagamet pill ... or maybe previcid.  No pepto or tums.  Who knew?  That would have saved me $98 from the last trip to the Doc in Tucson for all those dog stomach pills.

Here's the one you are going to love.  DON'T LAUGH!!  Apparently she got bit or stung on the chest by something in Tucson.  It has caused an allergic reaction resulting in a large ugly sore.  The solution?  Not expensive DOG drugs, but Preparation H.  Who the heck ever heard of THAT one?  

My experienced old time Vet says that's one of the best remedies for any cut or bite dogs can get.  Ok, I'll try it ... and you know what?  Between that and the benadryl, it's working!!!  I could have saved a LOT of Vet bills over the years had I known this little secret.

Just a tidbit of weird information.

The other good news of the day is my tax refund.  I take lots out of my checks for taxes, since all my social security is taxable.  I noticed lately that I had been receiving more dollars due to the "tax cuts" that really weren't cuts at all.  They were giving you a little more back in your check, only to take it AWAY come tax time.  This is not the first year ... they have been doing this for eons.

If you're super lucky, you have enough deductions to make that come out even in the end.  I'm not lucky.  I have to pay most of that back.  There is always some kind of flip flop going on ... like instead of raising the tax to pay for welfare payments in California (making all the REAL taxpayers mad), they decided to raise the fees on your vehicle licenses, then funneled that money back to the State with a return trip to the County to replenish the welfare pot.  You thought it was for the roads, or maybe the bullet train to nowhere, right?  

By the way, you will now be able to ride the bullet train from lovely downtown Merced all the way to Bakersfield.  I bet that trip has been on your bucket list for YEARS!!!  The cost?  Only 20 billion, or something crazy like that.  Who do you think is going to be able to afford THOSE tickets?  I digress.

SO ... I'm getting a nice State Tax return and a less than expected Federal Return.  Almost enough to pay for that RV cover I need in Tucson.  ANY refund is better than NO refund.

I think I'll spend most of today planning my route to Utah for the big railroad celebration.  Linda Sand is quite correct.  If you're not a railroad fan, you might just steer clear of Utah.  Although they originally didn't think it was much of a big deal at all, it has turned into a nightmare for them with over 200,000 people expected to roll into their little city.  Train people can be a little nuts.  We call them foamers .... as they stand with cameras ready beside the tracks, foaming at the mouth as the oldest of old engines roar by.