NEVER JET HOT

"No Escalades were harmed during the making of this film"... heheh This is about what I had to go through in my ancient Ford Exploder to go to the post office yesterday... I didn't have chains, but I did have helpful neighbor & 4WD. Once I got it to kick in.

It;s almost 2 AM the Sunday before Christmas, we have gotten a bit of snow up here in Latte land. We are not "snow people" and of course there is not a snow shovel, generator, or battery operated lamp to be had for miles around. Fortunately we didn't get the worst of it up here North of Marysville (Maybe 35 miles North of Seattle). Went to the hardware store today, got one of those LED forehead lights, it's a great anti-toe-stubbing device. I can't believe my spell checker is going to let me slide on "anti-toe-stubbing". I hope everyone out there in the internet is safe and warm. We are planning to greatly increase our reach and to that end, our product assortment, in 2009, I hope you bookmark at least one of these fine websites. ( TheRestlessMouse.com, ThatRestlessMouse.com, NoveltyTradingPost.com )

It's Dec. 18th and we have orders to ship... Even though we live near Seattle, the "snow wimp" capital of the world, where if even a hint of snow is forecasted, all schools are 2 hours late, and if it touches the ground there is no government at all except for the bossy Barista at Starbucks. Anyway, up here the snow is so deep, the neighbor's yard-couches are unrecognizable lumps. But rest assured I will make the trek today, because we have to make people's Christmas miracles happen, even miracles that involve naked lady strip pens, or car air fresheners that smell like corndogs.

This just in from UPS. Maybe I should go outside and enjoy this pleasant Northwest weather... Hurricane Ike Service Update UPS is preparing for Hurricane Ike, which will likely make landfall in Texas during the weekend. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in the coastal areas of the state, including around Beaumont, Galveston and Houston. Safety is our first priority, and UPS encourages our employees in the area to take all necessary precautions. Eight UPS centers in eastern Texas are currently closed: Victoria, Angleton, Texas City, Baytown, Port Arthur, Beaumont, Pasadena, League City Pickup, delivery, and On-Call Pickup Service will be delayed in affected areas. The scheduled hours at UPS Customer Centers, The UPS Stores and UPS Freight terminals will also be impacted. If you plan to send a shipment to east Texas, UPS recommends contacting your recipient to make sure they are available to accept the package. Further updates will be provided on ups.com

I do remember riding my bike during a lightning storm once, but I'm sure mom didn't send me out there... The only other kids out were those Swedish kids that had a trampoline in their back yard... Exercise nuts... They lived one house up Corliss from the house that was kitty-corner from Trudy... Heidi and uh, Wilhelm? The boy had an odd name like that. I think they missed the middle off trampoline too much, but then again I was out in the storm too... Anyway... I am loving this cool and rainy weather. We don't get a lot of lightning storms in these parts. Hopefully that bit is over now. Mom has been doing so well. I got maybe nine hours of sleep total today, still not quite awake. That's why I am liking all this rain. It's conducive to sleep. When I retire I think I will move to a cool/rainy place like Aberdeen or Hoqium. Wonder if there is bad blood between those two "gateway to Ocean Shores" cities. Maybe I will open a store in Hoqium and have a "Ts...

WEATHERMAN SAYS: North Puget Sound supposed to get up to 2 inches of snow tonight. State patrol advises motorists to keep food, water, clothes in their vehicles "in case they get stranded". Gunna get stranded in TWO INCHES of snow?? We can hear New Yorkers laughing from here.

A cold and moist April fills the cellar and fattens the cow. (Old Farmer's Almanac) This isn't useful information for the modern suburban city dweller. I don't even have a cellar, and we get meat and dairy products at the Safeway. I was awakened in the shank of the night by fingers running up my spine, which is not what you might expect. I said "WHAT are you doing?" and Teresa mumbled something (in her sleep) about looking for paper towels. I'm glad I was facing away, if I had been turned over facing her, she might have dreamed my gaping snoring maw was a used-kleenex receptacle.

One time in the middle of the week in summer, when the kids were little, we were on vacation in the Cascades, went up a long dirt road to check out a remote campground. There was a couple with a VW bug, no one else up there; and they had a flat, and a spare but no jack. They were trying to do a thing with a log and a rock. I dug all the camping crud out of the way and got the jack that resides under the floor of the cargo area in my SW, and let him use that (He wouldn't let me help; I think he had packets of hashish in the wheel well and didn't want me to see) That was my good deed of the day, it was later rewarded by being inundated with chipmunks at an overlook, and in the evening just before dusk we were driving down a gravel road through a field, and a bunch of (Groundhogs? Moles? Gophers? Prairie Dogs?) whatever they were- popped up out of their little hills to have a look at us. I think that was one of my favorite trips. Someday all this snow, wind, rain, and cold will g...