An Accident, Free Cat Toys and a Frog�

2002-10-07

I have decided just this very minute that personalized license plate should be outlawed. They cause accidents. Well, one at least helped me cause mine. I was going home from work the other day, already a space cadet because of the turmoil there when I saw someone with a license plate that said '2BGOOFY'. I work a stones throw from Disneyland. This person could actually be Goofy. Or be someone who dresses in a Goofy costume on a regular basis. So I had to look. Nope. Just a little to big in the around department to be Goofy. When I looked back at the road the truck in front of me was stopped. It should be illegal I tell you.

All in all, however, it was the most pleasant accident I've ever been in, if you can call an accident pleasant. Didn't really do much damage to the other guy's truck. Steel bumper. He didn't yell or swear or anything. The first thing he did was ask if I was OK. He gave me his information; I gave him mine; we went our separate ways. The lady at the insurance company was nice, too. The first thing she did was ask if I was OK. She asked me if I was sniffling, I said yes. 'Is it because your car is hurt?' Yes. 'Don't worry, we'll take care of it. Sit down, take a deep breath, have a glass of water, a beer, a margarita.' And she proceeded to take care of everything. It really could have been much worse. If there had been yelling and screaming, in my already very stressed condition, it would probably have thrown me over the edge in hysteria. I still think they should outlaw personalized license plates.

I did do some useful things over the weekend. I cut down everything frowing in a couple of my larger pots. Started pulling up the dead flowers in back of the house. I had to wrestle with the gate to get it open, it's been so long since I went back there. Lots of the dead plants were flax. The dead stalks and seed heads make great cat toys. They rustle and rattle so invitingly. I always save a few. The best cat toys are free. I save some of the sunflower stalks for cat poking sticks. I planted some sweet peas, some regular peas and some seeds my sister gave me. It's pretty late in the season, but it's been pretty warm, so I think I have a chance of most of it coming up before the days are too short for stuff to grow.

I've been hearing a very strange noise in the backyard over the past few days. It sounds kind of like a duck. I thought it was a duck flying over. That happens every once in a while, since we live near several large parks with artificial lakes. But ducks don't quack in the corner of my yard. And the cats are not interested in the ducks flying overhead. I think we may have a frog. Now, is it one of the bullfrogs or one of the tree frogs? With my luck, I'll never know.

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