The First Poll - totals and some insight

Happy 10/10/10!

WELCOME to stitchnship, and thank you for signing up to follow along with Me and My Dog, Katie.  I checked out your blog, and really enjoyed it.  I agree about the bunnies.  We have lots here where I live.

Taaa Daaa!  Here's the graphic of the first poll response:

Thank you!!! to everyone who participated.

It looks like everyone who responded participates in polls.  I didn't expect that, although as Judy said in her comment the day I posted the poll:  “I’m not sure you’ll get any “Heck No” votes, since that would mean the person answered a poll.”  I had to laugh when I read that!  But since there weren't any "No, I couldn't care less" votes either, ...  You know  -- that was a really bad poll, now that I think about it.  It just occurred to me as I'm writing this:  If you couldn't care less, you wouldn't answer either.  How funny!  

When I lived in Placerville, I worked for the Department of Human Services and was able to work 4-10s.  Four days at 10 hours a day.  I thought that would be great, but actually it gave me three days off, like now, with not a lot to do.  No problem this time around! : )  My friends worked, so the extra Friday, after a while, got kind of boring.  Some of my fellow workers got part time jobs at a local political polling company and encouraged me to apply.   They liked hiring Eligibility Workers because we were good at asking questions and were dependable, they said.  I worked there for a number of months until I moved back to San Diego.  It was very interesting and I really liked the work.  I worked one day on the weekend and three nights a week, right after my other job. (We had to work a minimum of 20 hours.)

What I learned was that if you aren't getting the answers you want, you tweak the questions until you do.  It was like a boiler room that they have for telemarketers, and we'd each get our script and our lists of names/phone numbers.  At the end of the shift, the manager/owner would tally the answers we logged and report them to her client.  (We never knew who the client was.)  Sometimes we'd get a different script the next time around, same questions, but asked a little differently.  

Just like my poll above.  If I wanted the answer to be that everyone who reads my blog participates in polls, the way I posed the five answers would be perfect.  Interesting.

That's why "they" say not to believe all the statistics that are thrown around.  The people doing the polling have bought and paid for the correct answer.  Maybe not everyone, and maybe not all the time, but it can be done, so I guess we have to assume it IS being done.

But, anyway, I still like polls and I love answering them.

I'm still going to include them from time to time.  But I have to admit, I hang up on people who call me on the phone wanting my answers for a political poll.  I know what they are doing and I don't want my views skewed to fit their needs.

When I started writing this post, I was going to say I have to assume RVers are a pretty social group if everyone answers polls.  Being involved, wanting their voice heard.  But we already knew that without the poll.  All the RVers I've met are nice, social people.  Then again, it's easy to be nice and social when you can smile, nod, turn on the ignition and drive away. LOL

I attended the RV show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Saturday.  I came to another conclusion while at the show, and will write about it tomorrow.

From me and Katie, have a fantastic Sunday, everyone!  : )

Yesterday's errands

A big WELCOME TO CeiPui, Places We Go, Things We See who, like me and others, is now deciding on which RV to purchase, and is planning with her husband to join the rest of you out on the road.  Happy to have you along, CeiPui!

Yesterday I got everything on the list done.  Katie and I slept in, then watched TV and read blogs (me not her : ) ), and lounged around a bit early in the day.   I decided to leave her home when I left on my errands because I wasn't sure how long the oil change would take.

First I went to the Kinkos/UPS store.  I was mailing a good bottle of wine and a gift card to Donovan's (a VERY nice steak house here in San Diego).  They are a thank you gift for a favor someone did for my boss, and I had planned to mail them yesterday on my way home from work.  Unfortunately the store was crowded when I arrived, so I decided to do it today.  They said I couldn't send the wine through UPS, so I asked him to wrap it and I'll figure out something else to get it there.  Maybe drop it off myself next week.

Then I left for the oil change.  I went to a local shop in my area where I have been bringing the Escape since I've lived here. They have a 3-for-2 deal, where you pay for two oil changes, and you get three.  This is my second of the three.

I got there 10 minutes early and when I parked, I saw two birds under a canopy near their door.  It's amazing the things you see in unexpected places.  The birds had a large play area with a bunch of toys and things to chew, and were having a fine time.  They were very vocal and beautiful.

He was just raising his leg to scratch his head.

I don't know what these are - "Red Tailed Parrots?" - Judy, help?

The mechanic said it would take around an hour, they were backed up.  So I walked a half mile down the road to a shopping center and had breakfast.  It was 3:00 and I hadn't eaten yet, so I was really hungry.  I went to the Broken Yolk, and it was really good:

My walk to and from the auto shop was interesting.  It was a half mile each way, and when I walked to the restaurant, it seemed like a long walk. I was hot and tired when I got there.  After eating, drinking water, and relaxing a bit, I walked back and it went really quick.  That's why they say to eat a good breakfast before doing a 5K or any long walk.  I never realized how much difference walking on an empty stomach made.

I brought my Droid and camera and took a few photos.  I brought my Droid to see if there were any geocaches along the way.  Nope.  The walk to the shopping area was along an industrial road, but now that I'm blogging, I'm bringing my camera along more and noticing things I wouldn't have seen before:

For some reason, I thought this was funny:

And I thought this lamp post was sad - there are two unkempt houses on the street in between the industrial buildings and vacant lots:

AND HERE COMES A RANT:

After picking up my car, I went to the gas station. I always go to a Shell station that's close to where I live.  It's very convenient.  Unfortunately every time I go there, I get mad.  Since my company pays for my gas, I have to get a receipt every time I fill up.  After filling up I put the gas nozzel away, screw the gas cap in, close the little cover and WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT for my receipt, while Shell runs an ad across the readout where it will ask me if I want a receipt.  They are trying to get me to apply for a Shell credit card.  Does your gas station do that?  It infuriates me that after paying over $3 a gallon and pumping my own gas, and cleaning my own windshield, and sometimes paying another $6 for a car wash, I then have to WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT to get my receipt because I'm watching their ad.

I used to go into the little store and complain.  Didn't do any good.   So, what I decided to do a few weeks ago is, I kick the gas pump and hit it with my fist where the receipt is going to come out.   I kick, kick, kick, hit, hit, hit, until the receipt comes out.  Sure makes me feel better.  Today a man came up to me and said maybe I needed to go inside for my receipt.  I said, "No, it'll come out after their ad stops scrolling.  Until then, I'm just kicking and hitting the gas pump.  My response to their unsolicited ad."  He just smiled, nodded and walked away.

Someday I'm going to get arrested...

I finished off my errands with a trip to the grocery store, uneventful.

From me and Katie, have a wonderful Saturday, everyone!  : )

Poll is over soon, fake names, and Sunshine Katie

Two more days until the Poll about taking polls ends.  Looks like everyone answer polls, but mostly it depends on the poll.  If you haven't responded to my first poll which was originally posted on September 26, vote now.  I'll post the totals on Sunday.


One thing I learned is that keeping the poll open for two weeks is too long.  The reason I did that is because we all have new readers joining us, and I wanted to give new people a chance to read older posts, see the poll, and answer if they chose to.  But I think that's way too long, and from now on I'll close the poll in one week or less.  Most of us keep up pretty well, I think, with our blog reading, and three or four days is probably long enough.  Otherwise, who even remembers the poll, or cares after two weeks?  Even I forgot about it, and it's my poll!

Merikay commented about my FREE gift at the RV show.  Thanks for reminding me about my Fake Name!  When my friends and I go to a fair or trade show, we try to remember to bring a sheet of mailing labels with our name and address and phone number.  Then we can just stick them on the forms they want us to fill out to get something free.  We had the REAL ones, and the FAKE ones.  I had forgotten all about that - today I'll print up a sheet of labels, one-half will be the real me, the other half will be Elizabeth Anderson, my "other" name.  I always use Elizabeth Anderson if I don't want someone to have my real name.  I love that name. It looks good, sounds good, has lots of potential nicknames, and is at the front of the list alphabetically.  My favorite name.

Katie just came in from the patio for a snuggle.  She is SO warm!  She loves laying out on the patio in the sunshine.  Her favorite place is on the carpet in front of the patio slider.  Softer and warm.  But once the sun moves over the house and the sun leaves the carpet, she's out on the patio.

 Sunshine Lover, Katie

Have you noticed Katie's Daily Puppy Pic?  What a cute puppy today!  I check out these pictures every day, but some of the puppies are just okay, and some I love.  This is a really cute one.

Hope you are all feeding the fish.  Don't forget the turtles at the bottom of the page.  : )

From Me and My Dog, have a nice evening, everyone!

My weekend plans

It's Thursday night!  The beginning of my three-day weekend.  Katie and I have a lot to do this weekend, and hopefully we'll get it all done.  As you know, I DO have a tendency to be lazy sometimes. : )

Tomorrow we have grocery shopping, some packages we need to have wrapped and shipped at the Kinkos/UPS store, and then we have an appointment to have the oil changed in the car.

I have a 2001 Ford Escape, I've loved this car since the day I got it, and I hope it keeps running until I need to sell it to go full -timing.  I REALLY don't want to have to buy a new car.  So far, so good.  It still feels like a new car to me.  I've never liked a car so much or driven one so long.  It has 132,330 miles on it, but I've never even thought about trading it in.  So, I try to keep the maintenance up, keep the tires good, etc.  I bought it when I moved to Pollock Pines, right on the snow line, because I wanted a 4-wheel drive and snow tires so I never had to worry about getting stuck somewhere.  You know, Just In Case.

This photo looks exactly like my car.  You'd never believe it's ten years old:

2001 Ford Escape

I noticed tonight I have ants all over the kitchen.  Not swarming, but a thin stream coming out of a high cupboard, down to the stove, across to a drawer and continuing to an upper cupboard.  Also going in the opposite direction on the other side of the stove, across the counter, down by the fridge.  I have had a few now and then out on the patio, but nothing in the house that I can remember this year, and I want to nip it in the bud, so to speak.

I had ant poison in the cupboard, and some spray.  I sprayed the areas lightly (hate doing that in the kitchen) and put the poison stuff out.  Now tomorrow I'm going to have to really clean that area thoroughly.

That's Friday.

There is an RV show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds this weekend, about 20 minutes from my house, and I plan to go either Saturday or Sunday.  It opened today and runs for four days. They are showing new and used rigs, so it's right up my alley.

I just went to the website to check the dates and times, and it is FREE, with FREE parking, and look at this:

It's part of a form you print out and bring with you.  I just printed it out.  Put your name and address on the form, and you get a FREE gift!  I love FREE gifts!  Guess who's coming home with a FREE gift???

I don't know how big the RV show is, but I'll let you know. I'm looking forward to it.

My grandson Gavin has a T-Ball baseball game on Sunday, and I'm planning to meet my son at the ball field to see the game.  He's five, and this year he's totally gotten into sports.  Watches ESPN, collects baseball cards, knows all the players, their teams, all that stuff that guys know.  He's a big Padres fan.  My son has season tickets, and he and Gavin have gone to a lot of the games.  If I can get some good pictures, I'll post them on Sunday.

Then the usual cleaning, laundry, dog walking, tiny bit of gardening, and I want to replace a house plant that died, too.  That should be enough to keep me out of trouble this weekend.

I've been watching hulu.com tonight, catching up on some shows I haven't had a chance to see yet.  I saw the first three episodes of The Whole Truth tonight.  It's pretty good.  I don't know how I've missed the first three weeks. It must be opposite something I usually watch. That's why hulu.com and ch131.com are so great. You don't have to wait for re-runs.

So, I'm now going back to hulu.com to see what else I've missed.

From me and Katie, have a great night, everyone!  : )

Trees, bushes, plants and bud vases

I wanted to show you photos of some of my favorite plants and trees in the area I live, which was built in the early 1960's as a retirement area.  There are still lots of retired people here, but more and more we are having younger people moving in.  I've lived here almost six years now.

This is the lake, with the fountain they've put in to aerate the water:

You can rent little boats, and the condos and homes on the lake can have private docks and keep their own boats.  One couple has pedal boats, and sometimes when Katie and I are walking along the accessible part of the lake, I'll see them pedaling from their condo across the lake, over to the side I'm on, where the pools, restaurant, meeting rooms, etc. are.  I see people fishing, too, but I think it's catch and release.

The gardeners in this area do a fantastic job.  Each homeowners association has their own gardener(s) on staff, and ours is great.  When I first drove around here, I kept noticing these Pyracantha bushes growing up walls, and I thought they were trying to shape them into words.  I couldn't figure out what they said.  Well...they aren't letters, they are just trimming them the way they are growing.  But I think it's very cool.

Katie and I usually go to the lake on our walks.  We pass these bushes growing on the walls on our way to and from the lake:

A couple of the homes up the street from us have these plants, Yucca?, that are flowering now:

This spider spun a web in the Oleanders down the street at the corner.  I also have a huge spider like this right outside my front door.  Every year at this time, these spiders are in the area, and they are huge. 

Every day to and from work, I drive by these trees a block from my condo.  We have a lot of trees in the area that are trimmed into a half circle like this:

or flat and round like this:

I just love walking around the area and looking at all the beautiful trees, bushes and flowering plants.

These Bougainvilleas are in my little grass/patio area in the back of my condo:

I have a rose garden in front of my condo, but it isn't at it's best now.  Also lots of bulbs and a lavender plant, among others.  I cut them all and bring them into the house when they are blooming.

I have some hanging vases that I bought with the intention of bringing them with me RVing.  They are small, lightweight, and some of them hang, so I can always have a flower or rooting stem, even on the road.

This photo is from Pottery Barn, where I got mine.  If you look closely, you can see a wire around the top that extends so you can hang them.  There are a lot of different hanging bud vases here. I will probably get different kinds and colors for my RV, since they are cute, colorful, and easy to keep filled.

From Me and My Dog, Katie, have a nice evening, everyone! : )