Dueling Hounds and Housekeeping

Personal Regimens are changing the longer I am off work. Used to be the first thing was turn on the radio so I could keep up with the news while getting ready for work. This was a music, family talk station so you didn't have to try to hard. Nowadays sometimes the radio does not go on for hours. So I hear noises, every noise in the world. I've always been a scardy cat and thinking about living alone amplifies my fears.

Now I have been here alone before when Big Daddy traveled and I am somewhat used to being jumpy. I try to justify the noises as they were always there, you just didn't hear them because of the radio. However lately joining the creaking and moaning I have heard a machine gun (aka Woody the Woodpecker) people being attacked (aka nuthatch, goldfinch, and blue jay) and a werewolf (aka the BeagleDog). This morning I had to accept the noise was probably not a werewolf as it was daylight-but something definitely horrible was happening outside. So I made Big Daddy go do recon. Alone. Well lo and behold it was a naturally occurring phenomena-BeagleDog being a beagle. WTF.

Big Daddy: It's the beagle.
Sweetie Pie: What is wrong, what in the world happened, are the police coming?
Big Daddy: No, it's the beagle.
Sweetie Pie: Why is he making that awful noise, what is wrong.
Big Daddy: Nothing is wrong, beagles make that noise.
Sweetie Pie: Why?
Big Daddy: It is what beagles do. They bay.

Oh hell to the no. Ain't gonna be no beagle baying all the time. Nope. Not gonna happen. Then Big Daddy says that GrrDog howling can be heard across the street. I don't think so, my 4 and a half pound poodle cannot be heard across the street. Oh yea, said Big Daddy. Then I remembered one day a long time ago. I was on the computer and I heard this painful, awful, terrifying noise. I raced to the dining room to save GrrDog from lions and tigers and bear, oh my, I found him curled up in his bed with his little head lying on the cushy arm. He was smiling at me. The little fucker did not move, did not sit up, did not exert one iota of energy to make more noise than could be believed. He snuggled down and howled like a banshee for no other reason than because he could. Guess I should shut up.

Our Bissel hand held steamer we got a few months ago (when we were working) is the best cleaning tool I have ever seen. Cleans without chemicals in a lot of places. Soap scum in the tub, gone. We have aluminum windows in the family room, cleaned perfectly. The floor unit does the job better than the Swifter without any solution, just water. However you cannot steam a plastic shower curtain liner. Nope, won't work.

No Detroit new news today so I have to go with Honda. Now, if you know me you know I am not real fond of Japanese cars. I just can't get over the Pearl Harbor thing. But looking at their ad in the NYT magazine I had to crack up. Their ad showing how efficient the car is (Accord EX-L) points out an H on the wheel, shiny chrome window trim, and power windows. Now wait a minute-this is beyond stretching. A logo on a wheel helps how? Chrome versus stainless steel is better for what, and why is that? And when was the last time you saw a car with manual windows. Once, at Plant Loco, when they asked me how to control glass stall I mentioned manual windows. Didn't go over real big. Oh and guess what else, Honda has discovered red paint and apparently that helps overall efficiency in some obscure way. I always thought red cars help you get a traffic ticket.