Last weekend I took Brianna and Bridgette to meet Brielle; to say they (especially Brianna) were enchanted with their newest cousin would be an understatement:

Today Alex came by for lunch and we had a Skype visit with Beth and the girls on my new computer, which was terrific!  I want to set up regular Skype sessions with them and the Kloesels and Jonathan so we can keep in touch better.  If only Skype permitted video conferencing, it'd be perfect.  Oh well!  Someday, I daresay.

The reason Alex is in Fort Worth is for his Air National Guard band duty, and today's his first opportunity to wear his brand new Air Force uniform.  As his mama, I think he's quite handsome in it:

While he was here Joe came by with Max and Lucy, the big black lab he kindly took in last week:

Poor Pebbles, Terry's poodle, was dying to be allowed to come in and roughhouse with the other dogs, but Terry sensibly refused.  ;^)  Unfortunately, it looks as if Lucy will have to go to the Humane Society to find a home, as she's too big for the apartment Joe's moving into next week (45 lb limit). 

Jessica began her new job as server at the Hoffbrau House on 377 yesterday, and had a great time!  She's enjoying getting back in the saddle, so to speak. 

And who would agree to participate?

I'm referring to "World's Worst Cook", the new show on FoodNetwork.  Lousy cooks are nominated by their "friends", and the contestants try to improve.  Pretty sure this is correct, though I've not watched it.  The entire premise of the series offends me. 

Personally, I think Elaine should try to have a show featuring gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, etc. cooking.  IMO she'd have super stage presence and she's a first-class cook, too.

Even though I'm not allergic to anything particular, I'd watch it. 

Don and I used to remark to each other that it surely came around more than once a year.  The traffic is rather a nuisance if one lives fairly close to it, as I do.  However, it brings in a fair chunk o' bucks to our fair city, so it's grudgingly welcome.

This morning was the Stock Show parade, which is entirely unmotorized, and Hal was riding a horse, with Elaine and the girls in a wagon!  Naturally I trekked down to watch them; first came HaL:

He looked as if he was having a grand time, but then so did Elaine, Meredith and Margaret:

On another topic, this morning Dmitry's blasted alarm went off again (did it yesterday, too, though it was a holiday) at 6:20 a.m.  After a couple of minutes of waiting for SOMEONE in there to turn it off, I grumpily went in myself, feeling around for whatever was causing the noxious noise.  Finally Zhenya got up, and when I asked where Dmitry was, he replied that he was outside in his car with a dog.

I beg your pardon?  He's where with what? 

Zhenya explained that Dmitry had found - in the middle of the night when I suppose the boys were outside talking - a dog running loose.  Not wanting to disturb the household (that would be Jessica and me, as the girls are with their father on the weekends), nor willing to allow the dog to roam the neighborhood, and being pretty sure he knew where it lived but figured this was too early to knock on their door, he sat with the large black dog in his car, reading his bible.  Couldn't think of anything helpful to do other than offer to make him some coffee, which Dmitry gratefully accepted.

To make a long, rather sad, story short, the woman whose dog it is had a dust-up with her husband last night and refused to take the dog, which is both a jumper and a barker.  Nice dog, mind, but mercy Maud, does she jump and bark!  Not admirable traits in a dog, and in any case, with seven cats there's no room for a pooch.  Jessica left a note on her door, saying if she wants the dog she'll need to come retrieve it pretty quickly, otherwise animal control is coming.

We feel really bad about it, especially Jessica, who was willing to take it to her house in NRH for a few days, though that seemed like sort of a mean trick to play on her neighbors.

This evening Mom and Dmitry and I went out to Kirstin and Matt's so they could see and admire their new great-granddaughter/niece.  When we arrived we quickly noticed the "welcome" sign posted by some of the neighbors:

Alright, the "Kirstin" is misspelt, but it's the thought that counts.    Then at the front door was the offering from Aunt Jeanne:

Mom took a gown and booties to Brielle:

Uncle Dima with his youngest niece:

My eldest and youngest with Brielle:

Three generations!  (Matt took one of the four generations, but they'll have to post it.)

Such a poppet, our Brielle!  Makes us even more eager to greet Alex and Beth's baby this summer. 

For the record, it's immaterial to me whether Baby I is a boy or girl....either will be most welcome, and I'm dancing with impatience, wanting to get a picture of them together.

Oh, and she is 18.5", for the statistic-minded.  ;^)

Beth took many wonderful photos, which she showed me on her camera when stopping by this morning to swap vehicles (they'd borrowed my van to go on a trip after Christmas).  Bless Beth, she arrived at Kirstin and Matt's about 7 p.m. yesterday evening, then when Kirstin's labor stopped she went up to snooze.  Kirstin said the labor kicked back in about midnight; Matt says it was an hour before she woke them up. 

Anyway, off they went to Fort Worth and Baylor All Saints, where Brielle was born roughly three hours later.  Once she made her appearance, Matt told Beth the torch is now officially passed to her as far as here-comes-the-baby goes. 

The K kids stayed with Matt's parents last night, who had planned upon taking them to see their new sister after school today (they live in Arlington and the children's school is way up in Keller), but Bethany pleaded to good effect so Ben Ed and Velma braved the cold even earlier than expected to take them to meet Brielle.  Bethany got to give her her first bath!  Wish I'd been there but Beth was and took pictures. 

Thanks be to God for the safe deliverance of grandbaby #9! 

Born at 5:15 a.m. (I wasn't there).  6 pounds, 10 ounces.  Kirstin and baby fine, according to Matt.  Here's the photo he sent via his phone:

Naturally in a bit I'll go up and get some more pix of the newest poppet. 

This afternoon my new computer came, an Acer touchscreen.  Very pleased, I was, for I've wanted a touchscreen for ages and it was at a killer price (sorry, the place is sold out now).

Never seen a computer come with so little documentation.  No CD.  No instruction book.  Just a large sheet of paper showing the steps to set it up, and some instructions on the leaflet regarding the wireless mouse and keyboard.  Apparently it is so simple a chucklehead could set it up.  Basically it's a plug-and-play.

Except I couldn't get the keyboard and mouse to work.  Tried and tried.  Put the USB thingummy for them in every USB port.  Nothing.  After pushing the power button to shut it down then turning it on again, the "home" screen showed up.  The touchscreen worked on it and when it suggested I watch a video about the features of it, I agreed.

Mistake.  It got stuck into a loop, restarting automatically, and nothing I could do would stop it.  So the keyboard didn't work, the mouse didn't work, and the introductory program played continually. 

No support phone number anywhere on the stuff included with the computer.  Couldn't find a phone number on the Acer site, which hardly has any info about the Z5160 since it's so new.

Frustrated, I called the company from whom I bought it, getting a nice man eventually who sympathized but gave me the Acer phone number.  Called that and eventually spoke with a nice young lady who also sympathized and gave me the phone number for Acer tech support.

Called that number and sat on hold for over 20 minutes, periodically being assured by a very nice voice that my phone call is extremely important to them, to please continue waiting, and be assured that my problem would receive the time and attention it deserved.

Then the very nice voice came on to briskly advise me that Acer technical support is now closed for the night and hung up on me. 

Rarely have I been almost speechless with rage, but I certainly was then. 

Zhenya earnestly asked to be allowed to see what he could do, so I gave up my seat to him and stomped to the kitchen to work on dinner.  Within a few minutes he had both the keyboard and mouse working. 

Fair's fair....he got the computer running properly when I couldn't, so he's been playing with it this evening.  Finding all sorts of cool things it'll do!

Still think I may call back to Acer tech support tomorrow to speak to a supervisor and complain about being first urged to wait - multiple times, in fact - then deliberately hung up on because the tech people went home.  That stunk. 

Kenny  -  the one who's been working on my house for months?  -  and his son, Larry, ordered a present for me, with Jessica's help.  Check it out:

It's one of those laser-cut crystal cubes with a photo of Don and me in it!  Viewed from the side there's a 3-D image of our silhouettes, and it sits on a lit base.  Isn't that the coolest thing? 

Here's a photo with me in my New Year head-gear, and the crystal (wore it to the Bass Hall last night - taking it off once seated, naturally - and to Target today):

Here in Texas there's still half an hour or so to go, but I'm eager to see the back of 2009.

It's been a terribly stressful year, what with the grief hitting me hard about Don's death, my father's death, and one thing or another.

Mind, there was a lot of good about it, too!  But still, I'm hoping that 2010 will be a far more peaceful year with nothing particularly horrible happening.  Don dying in 2008, and Dad dying in 2009, is enough for me (many people have endured much worse, of course).

This year should see the births of two additional grandchildren (Baby K could come at any time!), plus the neat cruise with Mom, and Dmitry's graduation from high school. 

So good-BYE, 2009!     And hello, 2010!   

BTW, I think of it as "twenty-ten" instead of "two thousand ten".....how about y'all?