Honestly, I don't know how my hubby puts up with me!  From goofy to grouchy I am one hard woman to live with!  And the things I ask him to do sometimes make him shake his head in wonder.  This past weekend he and the boys were out of town leaving me all alone. He took the oldest 3 boys camping at their Royal Rangers Pow Wow and our youngest spent time with his buddy since I had to work. 
My biggest fear about being alone was taking care of the dogs.  That is one thing I never have to worry about.  When they get dirty - the boys bathe them.  When they get ticks - the boys and hubby remove them.  I was not looking forward to taking on those jobs.
But my biggest challenge was calling our male Jack Russell inside after he spends time outdoors.  Our girl Jacks listen well and come right when I call them but that male dog is stubborn.  He must know he doesn't "have" to listen to a woman - I am not alpha male.  I knew he would spend all weekend wandering the woods, tromping through the creek, get filthy digging for moles, picking up tons of ticks - all while happily ignoring my calls for him to come home.
Thankfully, I came up with a solution.  I asked hubby to record himself calling the dogs inside so I could play it back on a portable radio when I needed to.
He thought I was crazy!  But being my hero - he did it for me - with the boys and I giggling in the background the whole time.  It seemed so silly!
I wasn't sure if it would work but it was the only thing I could come up with. 
Soon after they left I let the dogs outside.  When I called them in the girls came right away, but Arrow was too busy - laying in the grass sunning himself.  When I called him, he just looked at me, slowly blinking because of the bright sunshine.  I tried calling his name in a nice sweet voice, then in a deep stern voice - nothing.  His look said it all: 
"Can you keep it down, you're disturbing my vitamin D absorption"
He closed his eyes and turned his head away from me.
So, I had no other choice - I got out my secret weapon - a MAN!  I hit that play button and as soon as that dumb dog heard my husbands voice he came running up onto the deck with his tail between his legs. 
I ended up using that tape all weekend and Arrow never did figure out that his boss was not really there. 
I wonder what the neighbors thought.
Isn't that something!  I am amazed at the power and authority men have!  God gave men the job of ruling over the animals and clearly He also let the animals know who's in charge.  I am glad I have the protection and power of my man over me.  A weekend without him made me even more aware of what life would be like without my alpha male!

Sadly, these are the kinds of things that I spend my time wondering about.
Just WHY do we say "Bless you" when someone sneezes?  It seems such an odd thing to do if you really think about it.  And, we don't say bless you when someone coughs. 
Anyway, I just HAD to do some research and I thought I would share it in case any of you were wondering too (probably not).  

Dear Yahoo!:
Why do we say, "God bless you" when someone sneezes?
A. H. Choo (see, I'm not the only one who is is wondering about this!)

Dear A. H. Choo:It does seem a rather strange thing to say. You contort your face, expel mucus, and onlookers wish upon you a blessing from the big man. Very strange indeed...
The origin of the "bless you" tradition is not entirely clear. The urban legend experts at Snopes.com list an impressive number of possibilities. One involves the (hopefully) mistaken belief that a human's soul might escape through a sneeze. Saying "God bless you" wards off Satan while the soul is temporarily vulnerable.
Another story veers toward the medical. Once upon an unenlightened time, people believed that the heart stopped during a sneeze. A hearty "God bless you" set the ol' ticker back in motion. Keep in mind these were the days before defibrillators and HMOs.
Interesting, but the most popular theory comes from the Middle Ages. During the bubonic plague, a sneeze was believed to be a sign of impending death. "God bless you" was "a way of commending his soul to the care of God." The phrase may have also come in handy to protect oneself if someone nearby sneezed.
Today, "bless you" is more a sign of good manners than a shield against death.
---------------------------------------
So, there you go. 
This is how I spend a lot of my time - chasing down meaningless bits of information! 
I really should be cleaning something.

The local elections are over.  The candidates are either throwing their victory parties or going home looking toward other options.  But win or lose those yard signs will finally be taken down, at least for a while.  I never did understand the purpose of placing a sign in your yard letting everyone who drives by know who you are voting for.
I understand the marketing concept of getting your name seen as many times as possible, but that is for appliances, or clothes, or cars - not political candidates.  Do these candidates really believe that someone will choose to vote for them because they see their sign more often than others?  Or because so and so neighbor is voting for them?  Do some people out there actually choose their candidates that way?  And if they do, do we really want them to vote anyway?
If you are passionate about a candidate, inform me with dialog, facts and ideas but sticking a sign in your yard will not persuade me.  I try to find out about the issues, where candidates stand on those issues and who they are as a person.  Then I choose the candidate who I feel is the most qualified for the position, and who I feel will lead my county or country in the direction I think it should go.  That is what an election is all about.  Not slick signs and popular names.  Let's save some money people and enjoy that beautiful fall scenery - without signs blocking our view - at least until next summer!