The Fishbowl Chronicles

A Sign of Things To Come.....

2012-01-30T17:21:00.001-05:00

I was ready to put last week behind us. The cat, Stephen being so sick, car issues for both Stephen AND us......Who can blame me? So I spent the weekend shaking off the bad vibes and started gearing myself up to welcome a fresh new week. A girl can hope, right? And so out the door I went this morning, feeling refreshed and ready for my day.....and that's when I spotted it. A FLAT tire. First thing on Monday morning. What a way to start the day. NOT!!! Oh well, I have another car that I used and thank God for that. I WAS late for work but no one seemed to notice. And by the time that I got home, just a few minutes ago, Hubby had repaired the tire, pumped it up, and had it ready to go. It had a nail in it.....So now I'm torn. I feel like I should be grateful that it didn't really slow me down all that much. A spare car and a handy husband made it only a slight inconvenience. But I still have this nagging fear in the back of my mind that this week will be a repeat of the last one. It can't possibly be that, can it? No, I am NOT going to give in to negativity. It was just a bump in the road and everything will be just fine. Fabulous, even. Right? No seriously...I AM right.....right?

Diets...sort of

2012-01-29T19:20:00.000-05:00

We have been trying to eat healthier. Not diet, exactly. And we are also trying to minimize carbs. Again...not LOW carb exactly. Just lower carbs, smarter carbs. I refuse to give up certain things like fruit. But I haven't had bread in weeks. I guess you could say we are doing something more like the "no white" diet...but we are minimizing even the whole grain breads, cereals and pastas, too. Within reason. The idea of never eating pasta again is positively obscene to me. I am perfectly fine with the whole grain pastas...but NO pasta just ain't happening.

But ok, lower carb for us. I have been doing some checking online for ideas, tips and recipes. If you have any to share, it would be greatly appreciated. But one thing I kept coming across was a recipe for baked kale....to make a crispy "chip" substitute snack. I decided I had to try it. I did it this morning and Bruce was immediately suspicious. It looked weird. It made the house smell a bit like collards. But at some point this morning, about half of the plate of kale chips disappeared and he decided that they were actually "OK". And they are. Surprisingly tasty. I bought more fresh kale at the grocery store this afternoon to try again. I added too much salt the first attempt. And I cooked them just a bit too long. Now, I know, and I will be making another attempt soon.

Anyway, if you want to try these, it is extremely simple. Take fresh kale, making sure it is completely dry. Rip it into smaller bite sized pieces, discarding the stems. Toss in a bowl with just a spritz of olive oil and salt to taste. Place on a baking sheet with no overlapping, and bake at about 250 degrees for 20-30 minutes until crisp. Some people were experimenting with garlic and other seasoning, but the flavor is delicious without it. No carbs, very few calories in a wonderfully crispy snack. Apparently you have to pretty much make only what you will eat in a day or so, as these don't really keep well. They lose the crispness.

Cancer in Cats

2012-01-28T19:14:00.003-05:00

I thought that I would share some of what we learned from this sad experience with Brock. I did some online research, but also our vet called BOTH of us separately to discuss what happened. It wasn't her fault anymore than it was ours, but I think she felt bad for not preparing us for a diagnosis of cancer. She really did think it was a problem with a tooth, or teeth....?

But anyway, here is what I found out. Cats have a lower rate of cancer than dogs overall. BUT, cats have a much higher rate of oral cancer than almost any other animal. It is the most common cancer in cats, besides mammary (breast) cancer in cats that have not been spayed. It is believed to be caused by the grooming that cats do. Really, can you think of any other animal that does that? And while cats are certainly clean animals, it means that everything that touches their skin or fur eventually ends up in their mouths. Flea and tick treatments are being suspected as a leading cause. Also, second-hand smoke, household cleaners, lawn chemicals and pesticides as well as air pollution. You can't possibly monitor everything your cat comes into contact with, but indoor cats will be exposed to fewer toxins. Assuming you don't smoke, and assuming you make greener, less toxic choices for cleaning solutions.

I just thought I would pass this info on. It leaves me really torn about the flea treatment we use. It's a multiple purpose topical that also protects against heart worms. Our cats do go outside, but only in a protected enclosed area. We live too close to a busy road to let them free-roam. But Mosquitos are a problem. I may talk to the vet some more about it. Toxins from chemicals versus threat from heartworms....???

Of course, even in the most sheltered environment some cats are still genetically prone to cancer. There is no way to know as all of our cats are rescues. I can't exactly check their family medical history. But I will be more aware of what they are exposed to now though.

Tendencies

2012-01-27T23:35:00.001-05:00

I am trying hard to keep everything (bad) that has happened this week, month...in perspective. It is my tendency to get so overwhelmed by negativity that I get mired in it, unable to let it go. This is one of those things I intend to work on this year. I either see the bad things as having happened because of something that I did, or failed to do. Or that there is some cosmic conspiracy set in motion to make me suffer as much as possible.

I just have to figure out how to step back, take a breath and realize that sometimes things just happen randomly. People get sick, pets get sick, things break, and most of the time? It has absolutely nothing to do with me, with what I did or didn't do, with what I said or thought. And more likely than not, I am not important enough in the cosmic scheme of things to warrant a huge conspiracy. It MIGHT be karma, but I try to be a good person, well most of the time. I haven't tortured any babies or murdered any nuns, so?

Somehow I have got to figure out a way to stop the negative things that happen, presumably to everybody at least once in a while, from taking up all of my attention. Good things happen too. I just need to remember that more often.

Not So Good

2012-01-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

This week has not been so great. We lost one of our cats. He had been struggling, and not doing so well. We have made multiple trips to the vet, and once to our emergency clinic. It appeared as though he had an abscessed tooth. We scheduled the surgery for yesterday.....and our vet found a large cancerous mass in his jaw. There may have been tooth problems as well, but this was the main cause of why he was having so much trouble with eating. This was inoperable and there was nothing anybody could do. We thought it was a simple dental procedure, and then we lost him. We are still sad and shocked. It just sucks, and we both hate it so bad.

And although that was by far the worst of it, Stephen has been really sick, and we have ALL had car issues. And the cherry on top? I am having a bout of insomnia. Not every night, but enough. Anyway, the first month of this new year has left me very underwhelmed. I just hope things improve dramatically soon.

The Good, The Bad, and The Downright UGLY

2012-01-22T16:12:00.001-05:00

The Good:

-Kitty is getting better.

-We have gotten a lot done this weekend, and I will start my week feeling halfway on top of things (always makes a difference).

-Its gonna be almost 70 degrees here tomorrow.

-We have a townhouse lined up in York England for March, and I can't wait to see my daughter!!!!

-I have done well with my healthier eating so far this year, and have lost a few pounds (although I am trying NOT to make it about weight loss).

-The new season of "House" starts tomorrow night....yay!

-Stephen has had some job offers, and a really good interview, but I don't want to go into detail and jinx anything right now.

-Erica is really making a go of it in her new job and new town. She seems content, and although I miss her, that makes me happy.

-Loving the new airline laws that forces prices to INCLUDE taxes, and makes them HAVE to change your ticket, or give a refund if you give them at least a days notice. Because seriously, all of that is such a pain in the rear. A ticket from RDU to London is $300...but oh wait....its really over a thousand once you add in these arbitrary taxes. If the price is a thousand, then so be it but SHOW it instead of making me feel ripped off.

The Bad:

-We have had nothing but gray days and rainy weather for what seems like weeks now. (I realize its probably not that long, but man oh man, it sure feels like it).

-My little netbook is slowly dying. The screen blacks out, sometimes flickers....and while I LOVE my iPad, typing something like this blog is harder with the touch screen keyboard.

-Speaking of this blog, I so want a new template, but just can't work one out or find one online, free or otherwise. I would be willing to PAY if I could just find something new, fresh, and easy to install. And a simple layout would be nice too.
Something that would allow me to change/use my own photos would be ideal......Anybody got any ideas?

The Downright UGLY:

-Tomorrow is Monday, and seriously, it just can't GET any uglier than that. I am trying hard to hang on for 6 more years until I can retire. I am practicing positive thinking, trying to view my job with a different viewpoint. I am trying to feel gratitude to have a job in a rough economy....everything that I can possibly do to make it tolerable. And still....on Sunday evenings, a feeling of dread so deep and dark just overwhelms me.

Oh well, at least the Good outweighs both the Bad and the Ugly, so I guess I can feel like I am ahead of the game. Right?

Precious Weekends

2012-01-21T11:44:00.000-05:00

I have been playing around with the template again. I just can't get exactly what I want. I may explore blogger's new templates and try to customize something. I am not so good with html code, so it takes a lot of trial and error for me. Which means it is time consuming. But maybe I will eventually get it like I want it. Until then, I guess the snowman remains. I attempted a few templates with a Valentine theme, but it never came out quite right.

Anyway, we have been really busy this week with a sick cat to nurse back to health. There is improvement, though, so we are hopeful. It has been like having a baby in the house. Even Erica finally sent me email asking if we were still "alive", since I hadn't had time to bug her on Skype lately. LOL. We are having a quiet weekend. Its semi-rainy (although incredibly warm for January), and we just want to hang close to home and take care of kitty.

I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend. When you work, weekends are extremely precious.......There never seems to be enough of them to go around.

Dreams

2012-01-17T10:39:00.000-05:00

You know those weird, extremely vivid dreams that feel sooo real? I was in the middle of one of those when I woke up this morning. Bruce and I had bought a condo at the beach. It was on a peninsula, so we had ocean views out of the front and the back. The front was total sandy beach, but the back was strangely just grass right up to the water, more like a lake. The condo was kind of old inside. A great porch with fantastic views, but the inside was going to need a major overhaul.

The part that was so real was my Mom. She was visiting (my Mother passed away almost 8 years ago). We were going through room by room (it was a small 2 bedroom so not so many rooms) with ideas and paint colors. I remember that the kitchen appliances were really cheap and old and we decided that would be the first thing to change.

And then suddenly, it started to look stormy and we saw that huge waves were brewing on the backside ocean view. They started rising over those weird grassy banks and before I knew it, water was pouring in windows and doors on the back part of the condo. I remember Mom asking me if we had signed and finalized the closing in hopes that we could still get out of this thing, but I knew that we had. We were stuck with it. I woke up so disoriented, feeling like I had just talked to my Mom, but knowing I hadn't. Feeling like I had made some huge error in judgement....oh well. If dreams are prophetic, I think it's safe to say I probably shouldn't buy any beachfront property today. So weird. I am still shaking off the feeling.

It goes like this.....

2012-01-12T17:10:00.001-05:00

Every week day morning our alarm goes off at precisely 6:20 am (giving me the time necessary to make it in to my office by 8:00 with precious few seconds to spare). Consequently, our preset coffee maker is set to brew at 6:15, because waiting for coffee at such a rude and unseemly hour is just unthinkable. And every day, as that annoying buzz begins (our alarm clock has a torture feature that makes the buzzer grow progressively louder to make it harder to ignore) I have come to realize that a very similar string of thoughts play out in my head.

1. Buzzer goes off at a halfway civilized volume. It's not too threatening yet. I can ignore it and incorporate it into my dream....what's that? Maybe it's just my phone buzzing in the latest text message from Johnny Depp. Mmmmm, yeah. Definitely Johnny again. What? Didn't I tell you that Johnny texts me constantly in my dreams? LOL.

2. Buzzer begins to invade my consciousness. I WOULD regard it with growing concern, but obviously it's Saturday and we just forgot to NOT set the alarm. I only have to feel mild annoyance instead. I really must speak to my husband about not using the alarm clock on weekends. Its just the force of habit. Because it IS Saturday, right? Or Sunday? Really, I will gladly take either one. But surely that alarm has GOT to be a huge mistake. Right?

3. Buzzer is becoming increasingly obnoxious. Vulgar even. I feel offended by it. More than that, I feel positively violated by it as I begin to realize with dawning horror that
it is NOT the weekend. My mind starts racing....I could call in sick and
then snuggle right back into my dreams. Ooops, wait, already did that
LAST week when I was really sick. It probably wouldn't go over real well with the boss to do it again so soon. Damn it.

4. Buzzer is now screaming loud enough that the whole county is probably wide awake by now. I still lie, immobilized with dread, as I wildly grasp at mental straws and last ditch efforts. We could sell the house. After all, the kids are all out on their own now. We could sell everything and go be beach bums somewhere in the Caribbean. Buy a small shack, pick pineapples for a living....it would be great. Stress free, care free. I could just go
Back to sleep right now, at this one moment, and then...after we both get fired from our jobs, plan our great escape, call a realtor, google how one actually does harvest a pineapple.....

5. By now, the buzzer is deafening, so I finally reach over and shut it off. And all of this brainstorming over how to avoid starting my day has stirred up a HUGE craving for coffee. And then, oh well. Since I am up and have caffeine in hand, going on and getting ready for work seems suddenly like a whole lot less work than planning an escape. The path of least resistance, I guess. Maybe tomorrow I will come up with a more ingenious plan, or maybe it really will be Saturday. Who knows....maybe tomorrow will be the day that I wake up to an actual text from Johnny Depp. I like to believe that anything is possible.

Down, but not out

2012-01-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

The year is young yet. Realistically, it is way too early to throw in the towel on it. But right now, my high hopes and optimism for the new year is waning a little bit. I can't seem to shake this crud. I am better, but so! Very! Tired! Not back to normal yet. And work is being it's usual beastly bitch-self. Add to that the gloomy weather...rain, and more rain, and it just hasn't lived up to my expectations.

I KNOW that turning a calendar page to a new year can't possibly just make everything all rainbows and fuzzy kittens. I also KNOW that being sick is depressing for anybody. Maybe I just need some sunshine. Not gonna happen for me tomorrow (rain here ALL day long). Good Lord, what I wouldn't give for a sunny vacation right about now. But whatever....things will look up eventually. Right?? It can't be rainy and gloomy forever........

Frustrating

2012-01-08T19:18:00.002-05:00

Ok, so just this one last whining post about being sick and I will shut up about it. I promise. I just had thought I would be so much better today, ready to go, get things done...but then after I took a shower and got myself dressed to go run some necessary errands, I was so tired that all I wanted to do was take a nap. I didn't, and I managed to drag through what had to be done, but still.....I had a lot that I would have loved to get done and I didn't. It made me so angry at myself. Impatient. Frustrated.

This is exactly the kind of thing I want to work on this year. I always have the feeling that I am a couple of steps behind the pack. Like I just KNOW that everybody else has a clean, organized home where the laundry is always caught up. The fridge and pantry are always stocked. The family photo albums are organized neatly by the year with everything labeled. Everybody living these magical lives always has plenty of time to relax, read the latest bestseller, keep up with all the news in the world, take a nap, and whip up some gourmet meals. And here I am feeling exhausted just taking my darned library books back and picking up a few things at the store, enough to get by for a couple of days when, hopefully, I will have more time to make a plan as to what we really need. Please tell me my imagination is overworked. Does anybody else out there feel as though there are too many things to do and never enough time? Does something as common as a little virus have the ability to set you back to the point it feels like you will never catch up? Maybe my expectations are just too high. I always feel stressed on the weekend because I feel like I have to get it ALL done before the week starts all over again.

Oh well, hopefully I will be back to normal tomorrow. I am going to work either way, and would prefer to NOT feel like death warmed over on a Monday.

What is going on?

2012-01-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

After feeling sick as a dog for the past several days, I woke up this morning feeling pretty decent. I got all ambitious. Not only did all of the Christmas decorations come down, we dragged out ALL of the Christmas stuff. Some of this stuff hasn't been used in years. I got it all sorted out...some is going to Goodwill, some just has to be thrown away. And the rest is neatly organized and labeled so I can know what is what without digging through boxes and piles of stuff. I think I reduced it by a third.

Now, though, after working hard for most of the day, I feel yucky again. Headachy, and exhausted....maybe I over did it. Oh well, this stuff needed to be done. Hopefully I will feel decent again by morning. Tomorrow I plan to take it easier, so I will be fine and dandy for work on Monday. I really don't want to waste any more time off. I have to make sure I have plenty of days left to go visit Erica this spring.

One thing I wanted to mention, Bruce gave me a membership to Simply Audio Books for Christmas. I listen to books on CD while I work. I go through a lot of books that way, and our library has a limited selection. Has anyone ever tried this before? You know, the sets of CD's come in the mail just like Netflix. You go set up your list of selections pretty much the same. My first 2 books came, but I don't know if it was the holidays getting in the way or what......it seemed to take a while to get here. Not nearly as fast as Netflix. Still, I think I will really enjoy this a lot. Even if I have to supplement CD's from the library occasionally. I am excited to try this out.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2012-01-06T10:51:00.003-05:00

So, I was planning to try and work through this cold crud bug, but I am not ashamed to admit that it finally got the best of me. I am taking a sick day off to try and recover. Lots of liquids and rest, and hopefully I will feel human again in a day or so. Right now, my voice is so scary that Bruce thought he had dialed the wrong number when he called a few minutes ago. LOL. But anyway, while I am home, sitting here doing nothing, and until I go nap again, I might as well write a blog....

I had a list of New Year's goals. Sounds less daunting than resolutions somehow. More of a guideline than an order. There are the usual things like exercise more....and compared to these last few months, ANY exercise can qualify as "more", so I think I got that one wrapped up. Actually my goals can be separated into 2 categories. One is physical, things that have a concrete physical action attached to it. And abstract, or more of a mental component. For example, my "eat healthier and exercise more" has a definite action I can take. Whereas, my goal to "be happier" and "be more grateful" is more mental or emotional. I do believe in expressing gratitude. It brings happiness as a by-product, so there can never be too much of it.

But I digress....the goal I wanted to blog about today is one of the physical ones. Make less trash destined for the landfill. And that led me to do a little research as to the recycling guidelines for our area. First of all, there are definite guidelines for your specific location, and I discovered that its quite easy to find online. Google it. I got a very specific listing that leaves nothing to doubt or chance. And it does vary from location to location so its better to check and be sure. A plastic that your waste system does NOT recycle, that ends up in the recycling by ignorance or mistake, will still eventually end up in the landfill anyway. But it will use up a lot of resources, having taken the scenic route, to get there. In that case, it would have been far better to just have been thrown away at the source. So, do take the time to educate yourself as to what can be recycled by your local waste management.

Another thing I learned.....keep it clean. Rinse it out. A glass bottle with a pool of salsa in the bottom will still be recycled, but your tax dollars will go towards the cleaning. Much cheaper to just give it that rinse at home, don't you think? And as for paper and cardboard....if its soiled by grease or food it will take that long convoluted, and expensive ride to the landfill, so just nip it in the bud and throw it away. A few dry crumbs are ok. Baked on greasy cheese can't be cleaned enough to make it reusable.

I was a little surprised to see how limited our recycling was here when it comes to plastics. Numbers 1 and 2 are all the ones that are recovered. Some areas recycle more, so please check to be sure. The number should be listed on the bottom of the item in question surrounded by the recycling triangle arrows. Also, although we do recover aluminum here, aluminum foil and pie plates are NOT accepted.
Seriously, there is a whole lot of progress to be made. So much more could be done.

But beyond all of that recycling.....Don't buy it in the first place, and it won't have to be thrown away. That one is a little more tricky. Thats the "Reduce" part of the recycling triangle. It takes more of a conscious effort to decide if this purchase is a "need" or a "want". If it is necessary, the next step is to decide if there is a better choice. I talked about this one with Lori when we were in Asheville. Say you need a dozen eggs.....take notice of the options. Eggs in a corregated cardboard carton that can be recycled would be the best option. Of course, I know people who find interesting uses for the styrofoam cartons, and if you can use it for something else, then more power to you. Some people use those things for mixing paint, or starting seedlings...etc.

And thats the last part of what I wanted to say....recycling uses fuel and energy. Can you figure out another use for it? Old tshirts make great rags. Clothing can be donated. Old toothbrushes make great cleaning tools. The creative side of trying to figure out new uses for old items is kind of fun. I am making it into a challenge. The goal is to reduce the amount of trash we send off to the landfill.
There is so much information out there to help figure all of this out. I am collecting new ideas with every article that I read.

Seems like...

2012-01-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Seems like I am sick. I felt a little bit off yesterday, but it hit me like a ton of bricks about lunchtime today. Not sure if I will try to work through this or take a day off. Guess it depends on how I feel in the morning. Anyway, I'll be back as soon as I can.

Home again

2012-01-02T20:25:00.000-05:00

We are back home again after a lovely weekend in Asheville with the family. I would definitely recommend New Year's Eve at Biltmore. The decorations were beautiful, and dinner at The Stable House was spectacular. We all had such a good time. I WILL have pics as soon as I unpack and find my camera....but I am a bit disappointed that no photography was allowed inside the house. I should have remembered that but oh well.

One thing that happened that upset everybody was that as we all got to Greg and Lori's house and were unloading cars, somehow their cat Galileo got out and ran away. Everybody spent a lot of time searching for him to no avail. But he finally decided he had had enough of an adventure just after midnight last night (after being missing in action for about 48 hours) and showed up, meowing at the garage door. We were all so happy and relieved to see him. It felt like an omen foretelling a wonderful year ahead. We all agreed that putting 2011 behind us was good. I swear, it was just a sucky year for most everybody that I know. I think we are all due a good one now. Right?

Anyway, we had the opportunity to meet up with an old high school friend for lunch on our way home. Lin lives in Spain now and we literally haven't seen her since our wedding (almost 30 years ago....yikes!). It was so nice to see her even if it was all too brief. And now we are home again. Apparently just in the nick of time as Lori just texted me that it's snowing pretty good in Asheville right now. It's cold here, but clear. So I do want to post again. With pictures of the fun we all had...with hopes for the year ahead, but it's time to chill out and relax tonight. I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday!

My Love Affair with Herb Alpert

2011-12-28T20:14:00.001-05:00

In the midst of all of my music, heavily dominated by Queen, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Elton John, Beatles and other favorites, I have Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. It makes me laugh, but I have to admit that I do love it. Its one of those hold overs from my early childhood. My Mom used to load up vinyl LP's onto the stereo and turn up the volume for house cleaning, for cooking. Apparently, any domestic endeavor required Herb Alpert as the background music. And even though I went 20 years or more before I re-discovered these tunes, I remembered them. Like note for note, anticipating the next bar, the next rift. It must be embedded into my subconscious somehow.

And listening to this (yes its even loaded onto my MP3 player) makes me feel happy, and joyful. I think Mom had all over his records, but I particularly remember this album. I don't think I realized, way back when I was just 4 or 5 years old, just how evocative the cover was. Is this lady really naked under all of that whipped cream? LOL. I remember seeing it and thinking how delightful it must be to be encased in all that delicious whipped cream. I wondered if she would be able to eat all of that. Ah, the innocence of the very young. And its funny just how fast a song from the past can bring back those memories.

I made it!!!

2011-12-26T09:28:00.000-05:00

I survived Christmas this year, and I even had fun. I had this one meltdown on Christmas Eve, when the sadness of missing Erica really closed in on me. I had a good cry but was able to pull it together. But Christmas Day was fine. Good even.
We set up Bruce's laptop in the middle of the morning gift opening, and she tuned in on Skype, so it was "almost" like she was with us. In a weird and funny way....but still. She was there.

And I got an iPad 2 tablet. It came as a major surprise. I had mentioned the idea of a Kindle Fire, but never even considered an iPad. I know it is supposed to be a lot more versatile, but my husband has a deep-rooted dislike of Apple. OMG this thing is amazing. I still don't know probably a 10th of what it can actually do. I DO know that I can download books from iBooks AND Kindle. Stephen put the Kindle app on it yesterday. It looks like its going to be a fantastic e-reader. But also, a tablet computer. Its fast and responsive, but its a lot different than my laptop. Like, there is no right click for stuff. I have a whole lot to figure out, but thats part of the fun......I am so excited about it.

Stephen was here. Chris and Jessica came over yesterday afternoon. We had a big dinner of roast beef, and all the fixings. Yummy. And then we had plenty of cranberry Mimosas and played Wii games until we were all exhausted. There was a lot of laughter, and hilarity, and the day passed without my even having time to remember that I was worried about being excruciatingly sad.

I think today is going to be a lazy day. Maybe even an "I am not getting out of pajamas" day. I am going to clean up a little of the Christmas chaos (I was too busy yesterday), play around with my iPad and try to figure more of it out, and there might even be a nap in my future. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday too. Now its time to look forward to a whole new year. I love those fresh starts.

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

So, we had a little Christmas gathering with Stephen and Hannia last night. Unfortunately, it looks like Hannia is going to be driving to Texas with her parents, and Stephen is staying in Greenville. But we went out to eat, and came home and opened gifts. This is what the kids gave me. It took me a second or 2....I thought it was a really cool frame. Then I saw cats....then it dawned on me that these were MY cats....and I teared up. Hannia really is an amazing photographer. I try constantly to get good pictures of my darlings, but it never happens. First of all, the lighting has to be perfect for the features of a black cat to show up....and secondly, I can never get them to be still, look at the camera, etc. My attempts usually end up with kitties hiding under beds until I go away. That she got such good pictures, especially of Vixen, the black cat who looks like an angel here, but is curmudgeonly and grumpy most of the time....it must be a Christmas miracle. LOL. Seriously.

I love that they got a good picture of Brock in there, even though he has just joined the family. And I also love that Geico the lizard (chameleon? is it the same thing?) is in there, and Chipmunk the mouse that was rescued over Thanksgiving.
I can't tell you how much I LOVE this!!!! Oh, and we came home after dinner last night to find that my friend Ana had made us a tray of homemade tamales. Oh yummy delicious.....I feel so blessed.

Right now, on Christmas Eve morning, I have to run out and buy food for dinner tomorrow. We have been so busy, working so late, there has been NO time for it yet.
Wish me luck that the grocery store is not too picked over and I can find what we need. Bruce wants roast beef....so I need to run and find one. I hope all of you feel the love and the blessings that I feel right now. And yes....I have teared up a couple of times missing Erica, but she is having fun in Merry old England and its all going to be ok. Love you my daughter. Whenever I get sad, I just start thinking about planning our trip to see her. Love to all,
R

p.s. Speaking of my daughter-in-law and her mad photography skills, she is thinking of volunteering to take photos of the animals at the Humane Society here in Pitt Co. Good photos on Petfinder make a huge difference in adoptions, and she made me so happy when we talked about this last night. The Humane Society is, of course, a cause very near to my heart. I know they would be absolutely thrilled to have her work with them.

Many Thanks!!

2011-12-21T19:06:00.001-05:00

This is a blog post from one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho. My favorite book of his is "The Alchemist", which I found right at a time when I needed it the most, not long after my mother passed away. He published this post a few days ago, and once again, at a time when I need to be reminded that things change and its OK.
It also reminds me of something another favorite author of mine said, "This world can offer you nothing of lasting value due to its impermanent nature." Eckhart Tolle

Words of Paulo Coelho:

One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through.
Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters – whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished.

Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents’ house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden? You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened.

You can tell yourself you won’t take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that. But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister.
Everyone is finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.

Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away.

That is why it is so important (however painful it may be!) to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home.

Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts – and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place.
Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them.

Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood.

Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions that are always put off waiting for the “ideal moment.”

Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back.
Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person – nothing is irreplaceable, a habit is not a need.
This may sound so obvious, it may even be difficult, but it is very important.

Closing cycles. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer fits your life.

Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, shake off the dust.

Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.

Stop being who you were, and change into who you are......I found those words to be simple but wise. And also, empowering in some way. I think I found what I want to make my New Year all about. Thank you Mr. Coelho. You keep popping up to help right when I need you.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I guess I am growing up (finally)

2011-12-18T12:18:00.001-05:00

Maybe I am growing up. Ok, I KNOW that I am 49 years old, with a husband, 2 grown children, a daughter-in-law, a full time job and a house to take care of. You would think that would make me an adult by default, wouldn't you? But no, because I still feel like I am playing house, waiting for the "real" adults to step in when a problem arises. And yet, maybe I am finally becoming the "real" adult. My first hint of this was over the upcoming holiday. I admit it, I was sad that Erica had to leave for the UK before Christmas. And then when Hannia's family made plans to have Christmas in Texas, I was sad all over again. Christmas without either of my kids???? I knew it was inevitable at some point, seeing as how they are both grown with lives of their own.....but I really REALLY was hoping that day was some time in the far distant future. Oh well....

Stephen has not been certain he would be able to go with Hannia. Time constraints (her parents are driving and its 23 plus hours WITHOUT the stops) are making it difficult. And money factors in as airfare is expensive this time of the year. Its still not clear whether or not he can go. They are watching airfare prices and hoping for a last minute drop. If not, Hannia may still go with her parents to help drive. For a while, I was selfishly kind of hoping he would be home. With us. At least one of my children here for Christmas. But over the past few days, I realized that I was hoping he could go. Would go. Because it will be sad to be away from Hannia for the holiday. And we will be fine. Really, we are going to be relaxing and enjoying the end of the most hectic time of the year at work. I am making a dinner, but nothing too over the top complicated. A few goodies....a few presents....mainly just laid back relaxation. We have invited Chris and Jessica to be with us....And I am ok with all of that. And that fact? The fact that I would rather him go be with Hannia and have a Happy Holiday someplace else, someplace away from his family? That is the proof that I am all grown up and ready to accept that life is all about changes. And changes don't mean "bad". Just different. And we can all have fun and be happy even if we aren't in the same place on Christmas Day. I feel like I need some kind of rite of passage ceremony to celebrate my newly found grown-up-edness. LOL!!

In My Dreams...

2011-12-17T13:18:00.000-05:00

One year for Christmas (NOT this one obviously, or even next one as it will be Erica's first time back in the US after a year) I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a tropical Christmas. Not a cruise, but a serious beach vacation. Someplace in the Caribbean maybe. A week at an oceanfront resort where somebody will hand me pina colodas as I sit and contemplate Happy Holiday thoughts on the beach. One day my dream will come true. In the meantime, other than NOT being out there basking on a warm sunny beach, things are good here.

Cats hate roofers

2011-12-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

The roofers finally arrived today after having us wait since the hurricane back in early September. There are plenty of folks around here STILL waiting, so I guess we are lucky. They are crazy-loud though, and it scares the daylights out of our cats. But Vixen is out and about tonight, and even ate a little bit of dinner. That is a VAST improvement over the last time we had roof work done 2 years ago. She stayed under our bed for about 48 hours AFTER they left. I was scared she was going to starve to death. So....maybe she is becoming a bit more flexible. The cats are also a little upset about Brock, but will eventually adjust. Brock is hanging out in the garage, having to be closed up entirely in there right now because of the roofers, who are going in and out of the back gate, so....we can't just let him have free run of the backyard. I think he was scared of the noise, too. Poor thing, he had a long ride in a carrier, came home to a strange place and immediately has to suffer the roofing hoopla. Hopefully the roof will be done by tomorrow evening and life can get back to normal. We brought him inside for a while this afternoon. He did NOT like the other cats. But he did use the litter box without our coaxing him. So that was good news. Maybe he can be inside more than we originally thought (he has been an outdoor cat for 10 years now). He seems to be happy to have his bed, has been eating like a little piggy, and using the litter box I set up in the garage.....so I think he has made a good start to get himself situated here. I've learned from experience that cats take a minimum of 2 weeks to get used to a new pet in the family. Vixen took almost 6 months to stop freaking out over Samantha...but with time, it seems to work itself out. It will be fine.

Erica is doing really well in York. She is settled into her new place, has decided that she doesn't mind the small space so much. We have skyped and IM'd enough that I feel a lot less worried, although I DO still miss her. She went out with a group of people from work on Saturday night, so apparently is meeting people and making new friends. She is going to an Indian food curry dinner tomorrow night that the post docs try to do occasionally. And the department Christmas dinner will be on Thursday. And before you know it, she will get to see her friend Tara in Munich for New Years. I think she is making the adjustment really well. And as much as I miss her and hate how far away she is, I am thrilled that she is happy and having a good time. I would be so upset if she were sad and homesick and wondering if the move was all a big mistake. What an adventure!!!

Stephen and Hannia are doing well, too. They are settled into their new place, and have put up the official "Christmas Branch". I hope Hannia will post some pictures soon. I haven't seen it yet, but I will run over for a visit soon. Stephen is enjoying writing for Patexia, an online news site. Go check it out if you have the time. He has gotten great evaluations from his bosses, and having this writing experience is incredibly valuable. He has an interview with a company here in Greenville this week, but I don't know all of the details about that yet. I wish him well. Its been wonderful having both of them back in town again, and I know it might not last forever (if he gets the funding for research he will be off and running for a PhD program...applications have all been sent, so....). But I am not going to worry about that right now. I am just going to relax and enjoy for as long as it lasts. All in all everything is good here. I hope you all have some wonderful things going on wherever you are too!

A River Runs Through It

2011-12-12T12:00:00.003-05:00

Erica posted some pictures on Facebook of some fairly substantial flooding along the banks of the Ouse River that runs through York City Centre. I finally had to Google just how to pronounce the river's name. I was thinking it might rhyme with "house", because...well....its the same except for the "H", right? Or maybe, it rhymed with "Aussie", with a long E on the end. What do I know? Apparently, not much because it is actually pronounced "ooze". Not such a pretty name for what looks to be a really pretty river. But I want to be able to say it right when I visit.

A couple of months ago, I was listening to another one of my books on CD. I listen to them while I am in the car ALL the time, and I get them from the library. I don't get my hands on the latest releases that way, not for a long time....but it has also given me a chance to listen to books I might never have actually chosen if I stuck to the current best seller list. I have heard dozens of interesting, compelling stories that way. But I digress....I can't remember the title of this particular book, but I do remember that it was set in New Bern, NC. New Bern is a gorgeous little town, if you ever get the chance to visit. The waterfront area is particularly pretty, with cute little shops and restaurants. But anyway, the narrator of this book (it was a man, I do remember that part) kept pronouncing the Neuse River there in New Bern as "noise" river. Or more of a shorter "s" sound like it would rhyme with "Joyce". It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about. If you live in this area, you would know it as "Noose" river. Or sort of a "Nyoose", the same n-y sound you might use when saying "New". Newoose, I guess,if that makes any sense at all. LOL. I enjoyed the story, wish I could remember...maybe it was "The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks. Was that set in New Bern?
I do know that The Wedding was romantic and it made me teary. But I still was annoyed by that mispronunciation...LOL!

Feeling a little panicky

2011-12-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

I admit, I am panicking a little bit. I just got the tree done today, such as it is. The lights are on, but the ornaments are sparse. That is mainly due to the cats, but also, I just don't have the time and energy to do a hugely fabulous tree this year. It is what it is. Things are way behind schedule from Christmases past. Its mainly because Erica moved, and then Stephen moved....I got behind. But I keep telling myself that it's really OK. Erica won't be home, Stephen and Hannia most likely won't be home (that is still up in the air, but it is fine. I am keeping myself flexible for whatever ends up happening). It is just going to be a scaled back holiday this year. And that is fine....isn't it?

I have barely shopped. I haven't wrapped anything at all. Except for the tree and a few lights wrapped around the front porch columns....well, that is about the only decorating that is going to get done. I do plan to at least drag out a red table cloth eventually. We are having some friends over for Christmas dinner, and that makes me happy. It will keep me from missing Erica so much. Missing Dad so much.
I just want to chill out, relax, and enjoy some time off work. God knows Bruce and I both deserve it. This year the P.O. is about to kill us both. Due to so called "dwindling" mail volume, we are working harder than ever. Seriously, I have NEVER had this many packages or mail. I don't get it. But whatever. Come December 25th all of that will be behind us for 1 more year. Yay!

And I have our New Year plans to look forward to, too. Its going to be a wonderful holiday season. Just different. Things change and adjustments have to be made. It feels weird not decking the halls to the hilt, or spending hours out shopping.
I just need to learn to relax and enjoy things just the way that they are. I hope you all take some time to slow down and enjoy this holiday, too.

Making it Green

2011-12-07T20:03:00.002-05:00

Well, our Christmas tree is still naked. But, the good news is that the cats seem much less interested in it and maybe I can get it decorated in the next few days. I hope so. I see everybody all decorated for the holidays and then come home and it feels really blah and un-festive. Its a bummer. But in the meantime, I did a little web surfing for more eco-friendly recycled Christmas trees. Some are really pretty, some are interesting but not my taste. Still, I love how creative people can be with green ideas:

-Done with Mountain Dew cans. The end result is actually really pretty

-Books! I don't think its gorgeous, but its definitely interesting:

-5 gallon Water bottles. I kind of like this one:

-Tools, and car parts. A handy man tree. Its cool, but not exactly pretty:

For small spaces, how about a table top "Fork" tree??

Another tree from drink cans:

Do any of these trees give you ideas? Or are you more of a traditional Christmas tree person? We will go the traditional route, mainly due to lack of time. I think to come up with something really unique and interesting, you would need to start the planning and collecting of recyclables a little earlier than just a few weeks away from the holiday. Maybe next year????

T-Mobile, Signed Waivers and Christmas Trees

2011-12-05T22:07:00.002-05:00

There is a disturbing T-Mobile Christmas commercial on right now. Its got the girl in the pink dress surrounded by elves with pink hair AND (most disturbing to me of all) blazingly PINK eye-brows. I don't get it at all. And they are singing "Walking in a 4 G wonderland". Only it actually sounds like "Walking in an ORGY Wonderland". Orgies with a bunch of pink-eye-browed elves gives me the creeps enough to cause nightmares. What the hell were they thinking? I won't be switching to T-Mobile anytime soon. I can promise you that.

Erica called me today. She is still without internet, and although she was at work today, some kind of construction mishap involving drilling into a line caused a University-wide internet failure for most of the day. She couldn't email, but knew I was hoping to hear something from her, so she called. She said she went out to eat last night, and not being able to finish her meal, asked if she could get a "to go" box to take the rest of her food home. And this place said that yes, she could IF she would sign a release form. LOL. We aren't sure why. Both of us suspect is has something to do with IF you left the food out on the counter for 3 days and then ate it, you couldn't then go back and sue them for food poisoning. ??? You think? I have never heard of anything like that. But she signed it, got her food, and had leftovers for dinner tonight. So it worked out.

Also? We still have a naked Christmas tree. The cats haven't lost any interest in yet it. Bitty was up inside of it when I woke up this morning. And besides, this day was absolutely endless at work....I didn't have the strength to deal with it today. Maybe tomorrow...???? But since we are talking trees, I have done a little bit of searching for pics of bizarre Christmas trees...just because I like that kind of thing. This one is from Sydney Australia. Each year they feature a "tree" made from recycled materials. The tree from last year was bicycles. Kind of cool really.

Its actually really pretty all lit up!

On a Sunday

2011-12-04T18:44:00.001-05:00

We (meaning mostly Bruce and Stephen) got the kids moved in. It was a LOT of moving. Hannia's Dad came with a rented UHaul, but had just had some minor surgery so he wasn't supposed to lift anything too heavy (I swear he did anyway). It wasn't just the kids stuff, but Hannia's parents had things in rental storage and they were tired of having to pay the rent. So that got moved out and into the garage of the house. Everybody was exhausted, but it all got done. Its a great space, that house. Its laid out nicely and I KNOW they are thrilled to have some privacy again. They are spending today trying to get things unpacked and put away. And although Stephen is busy applying to jobs and schools and most likely will end up moving again some time in the coming year...Stephen said last night he was tired of the nomad lifestyle. Moving is hard work.

I got email from Erica. She spent her weekend getting more familiar with the city and the best places to shop for food, and household goods. She got herself a library card because like me, she prefers to read a book (for free) and then give it back. Less clutter that way. She is really enjoying everything, and is looking forward to her first full week at work. She has to give a short presentation to her lab tomorrow, so she had to take some time to prepare for that, but its all good, I'm sure. I just can't wait for her to get internet.

In spite of being exhausted after all the moving, Stephen came over this afternoon to help drag down the Christmas decorations from the attic. Thank you son, I KNOW It was about the last thing that you really wanted to do. We (meaning I this time) put up the tree. But it was instantly attacked from all sides by our cats. I gave up and plan to let it sit out with nothing on it for a few days just to see if the novelty of it wears off. I know it hasn't really in Christmas's past, but I am just an optimist that way. LOL. If not, then I have a separate box of unbreakable ornaments that will just have to go on there. My beautiful glass ones have not seen the light of day in several years now. Oh well....in the grander scheme of things, I would much rather have a warm, fuzzy kitty to love than a cold glass ornament, no matter how pretty or expensive the ornament is.

Speaking of felines, we are planning to adopt Dad's cat Brock. That will bring the herd up to 5. I think this officially earns me a crazy cat lady badge, but Brock needs a home and what better place for a cat to be?

Mama pushing our poor tree limbs to their outer most limit:

Bitty prefers the sturdier interior branches:

Learning Vicariously

2011-12-03T11:24:00.001-05:00

Oh the things I am learning vicariously by Erica's move to the UK. I knew a few things, such as petrol is gas. Or a cell phone is called a mobile phone there. I knew a few others as well, like cookies are called biscuits, trucks are lorries (that one makes me laugh like a plural version indicating multiple Aunt Lori's...LOL), the bathroom is called the loo. But Erica is adding to my knowledge of British english almost every day, and I find it all so interesting. Things like a stove top is called a "hob" there. And Erica actually called it a "hob" during our phone conversation yesterday. LOL. She also said that those baking sheets she packed up for the movers are going to be useless as her oven is sized more for a doll house. Oh well....

And one of the most surprising ones to me: the letter "z" is said aloud as "zed".
Erica found that out trying to spell her name at her hostel the first day. It will make me have to think. Oh, I am extremely used to spelling my name. In fact, I generally pronounce our last names as: Kintz K-I-N-T-Z, as if the spelling were a part of it. I like the rhyming lilt of the T-Z. But there it will be K-I-N-T-Zed.
Doesn't have the same appeal to me somehow. ZEEEEE is a light, airy, whimsical sound like a honey bee. ZED is heavy and squat and flat. Oh well....I guess I better at least remember to use it when I visit, or else, as Erica reports, they will spell our name as K-I-N-T-G. And somehow that is even worse than zed. LOL.

Anyway, this is moving day for Stephen and Hannia, so its going to be busy. Her family is all here to help so hopefully the work will go by fast and easy. I KNOW the kids are excited to have their own space again. I will miss them though, even if I can visit by getting in my car and driving a mere 10 minutes to Winterville.
Have a great weekend!

Decorating for the Holidays

2011-12-01T20:03:00.001-05:00

Its the first of December, and while I have neither the time nor the energy to actually put up our tree, or decorate our house just yet (I will, I swear), at least I decorated the blog. It feels festive now. Maybe it will help to put me in the mood. I think the biggest holiday downer for us is working for the post office. It almost makes us want to forego any celebrations. BUT...I will NOT let it get me down.

So, Erica reported that her first day on the new job was just fine. It was mainly having ID's made, emails set up, meeting lots of people and touring the campus. Tomorrow she will be picking up her keys and hopefully getting things like utilities all set up. She isn't certain how that will go and whether or not she can actually stay in her new place just yet.......but it will all get sorted out. She seems to be enjoying the adventure of all of it.

I am considering changing the blog up a little. Maybe moving to another blog site, maybe changing the name because I feel like The Fishbowl Chronicles limits the templates and I just feel like using different layouts from time to time. I don't know, but am giving it some thought. For now, I am just going with the holiday scene, nevermind the name. Its a Snowman in a Fish Bowl....LOL. Just use your imagination, I guess.

Also? Tomorrow is Friday!!!! Yay!

Schizophrenic Day

2011-11-30T19:37:00.001-05:00

After I got to work today, I checked my phone to see that I had missed a call from a number I didn't recognize. But I had voicemail. I listened to it and lo and behold, it was from Erica!!! My spirits sunk to an all time low as I realized I had missed an opportunity to actually talk to her. Her message said that as she is using this pay for minutes kind of mobile thing until she decides on an actual phone plan (I swear she is already using the word "mobile" instead of cell phone...LOL). And she can use her prepaid minutes to call anywhere, even internationally. How cool. But I was despondent to have missed her.

Later that morning, while I was still in the office, she called back and this time I caught it in time. I was elated. LOL. From despondent and depressed to elated in the time it takes to answer a call. We had a nice chat. She is doing well. She signed a lease for a teeny tiny apartment, and can move in on Friday. Its a 6 month lease though, so if the size really bothers her, she can move in a while after having the chance to figure out more about ideal locations and transit and stuff like that. She says this one seems to be in a great location so far....maybe she will be too busy having fun to care that her place is not much bigger than a walk in closet.

She starts work tomorrow, and had coffee with her new boss today to meet her face to face. The boss is Dutch but mainly grew up in Tennessee, so she is basically American. Maybe that will help ease Erica's transition. All in all, my girl was in good spirits, and although its been much more different than she first imagined, she is figuring it all out. She will be fine.

And then....as it was time to say "I love you" and "Good-bye"....I got that "I'm gonna cry" feeling. Sad and despondent all over again. What an emotional rollercoaster I seem to be on. We still haven't gotten the chance to Skype just yet. First of all, I am not sure how comfortable she is talking on Skype in a hostel full of people. Secondly....by the time I get home, get comfortable and on my computer (I am getting home later and later as we are in the dreaded Christmas rush at work), its almost midnight there and I feel sure Erica is asleep. So, yeah.
But maybe soon, like on a weekend, we can skype her and she can show us around her new place. I hope so.

Happy Birthday Stephen

2011-11-28T06:30:00.000-05:00

27 years ago today our one and only son was born. He made our family complete. I just can't believe you are 27 already. Why are you making me so old??? LOL. We love you. I hope you have a wonderful day and a fantastic year ahead.

She made it

2011-11-27T16:34:00.003-05:00

Erica made it to York today. The flights were fine but she had a little trouble with the trains. Not to worry, she made it eventually. Now we just hope her bag shows up tomorrow. And then the apartment search commences. I hope she finds something that she loves. And that she gets a British mobile phone number, too. She promises to keep me updated as progress is made. I was just happy to know she made it there safely.

I'm just plain sad

2011-11-26T15:55:00.002-05:00

The holiday was a good one, but its over and Erica is boarding her plane to England right about now. I'm sad, and I can't help it. It did help that we had a lot of fun these past few days. We built a huge bonfire last night. We roasted hot dogs, and marshmallows, complete with graham crackers and hershey's chocolate bars. Hannia came up with the idea of wrapping bacon around the roasting sticks, and it was all amazingly delicious.

At some point on Wednesday our cats cornered a tiny baby mouse outside. Jeanne rescued it, and believe it or not Casey has taken it as a pet. The mouse (sex undetermined) is now named "Chipmunk", and is living in a fancy mouse palace that Jeanne bought at Petsmart yesterday. I think Chipmunk hit the mouse-lottery. The last time I saw Chipmunk he was happily snoozing in an overflowing food bowl in his new home. He seemed very content for a little mouse that was on the verge of being murdered by a bunch of cats.

Anyway, Jeanne, Calvin and the girls left just before lunchtime today. Bruce took Erica to RDU airport just after that. She did call me to say that there was absolutely NO line to check in, and security was a breeze. She went a little bit early because we were afraid this being Thanksgiving weekend and all that the lines would be ridiculous. Oh well, better to wait at the gate than to be rushing and panicking that you might miss your flight, right?

Right now, Hannia is visiting her brother and parents in Morrisville, Bruce is driving home from Raleigh, Stephen is writing an article for his job, and the house is so ridiculously quiet. I miss Erica already. But she plans to Skype and email and let me know how its going, how the apartment search goes, and how the new job is when she starts there on Thursday. I will let you know.....and speaking of the house being too quiet....Stephen and Hannia will be moving into their own place here in Greenville. Its temporary, until he figures out which school he might be going to (the applications have all been sent), or what job he might take (still applying, while he is doing this freelance work). But they will be about 10 minutes away, so at least I won't feel too sad about it for now. All I can think about is booking a trip to England in the near future. I just feel like I need to wait until she at least has a place to live first. :(

Thanksgiving: The Aftermath

2011-11-25T14:52:00.005-05:00

Following the tradition set last year in Danville, we decided to build a bonfire Thanksgiving night. The feast was mass consumed. The kitchen was reasonably cleaned up, and the weather was perfect. It was too dark to be able to gather much in the way of firewood, although our woods offer tons of it. And there was the free-roaming bear to consider, so nobody was eager to venture too far from the confines of the yard. But a smallish fire was made and we had a nice time. It has been decided that it is to be tradition from now on.....bonfires on Thanksgiving night.

We have spent this afternoon cutting up a huge tree that fell during the hurricane. Its way back at the edge of our property, and now we have enough wood to have a huge proper bonfire tonight. The weather is beautiful, and so we will party round the fire. Maybe I should send somebody out for marshmallows???

After the bonfire, we gathered to watch a heartwarming Thanksgiving movie, recommended by Hannia, called "Thankskilling". Its about a killer demonic turkey with a really foul mouth. Seriously, it was so bad, maybe the worst movie I have ever watched. But it made us laugh hysterically. And so the viewing of "Thankskilling" may also be added to the list of our Thanksgiving traditions. Not for under aged children though as there are moments of turkey porn. I'm not even kidding. LOL!! No way to describe it, you really have to see it for yourself. If you find yourself curious, its available for instant view on Netflix right now. How could you let that opportunity pass you by?

We are excited to find out that there is a "Thankskilling 2" in production right now, and will be available by Thanksgiving 2012. We will definitely have to add that to our list of things that absolutely MUST be celebrated.

I attempted a small amount of Black Friday shopping today. Kohls had a couple of things on sale that I kind of wanted to buy. I walked in to the store, and discovered that the line for checkout was so long it was approximately an hour and a half wait. Um, no way. Not happening. I will just wait and pay full price when I can check out in a matter of minutes. There is nothing that I want that badly. I came straight home, because I give up easily that way. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. So far, its been a hilarious time. I am sure I will be feeling sad when Erica takes off for the airport tomorrow, but at least I know we sent her off with a bang. It really has been fun. I have my doubts that she will be able to come home for Thanksgiving next year....it will be so sad to watch Thankskilling 2 without her. But we will be sure to save it so she can see it at Christmas time. HAHAHA.....

Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-23T22:09:00.002-05:00

We just got back from eating Thai food at Anchalee's tonight. So delicious. There are 2 turkeys in the fridge. One for roasting and Calvin is going to fry one for us.
Stephen is making homemade yeast rolls. He has been practicing his recipe for a couple of weeks now to perfect it. As of this moment, there are something like 5 dozen of those proofing in the oven. He wants extra rolls for turkey sandwiches afterwards.

I just did a huge double batch of sausage balls. And tomorrow will be a flurry of cooking in the kitchen no doubt. Pumpkin spice cake and Flan for dessert. Have I mentioned that flan might be one of my most favorite desserts in the universe? Stephen and Hannia are taking over most of the cooking duties. Of course that makes me really happy. I will do the stuffing and deviled eggs, but everything else is being done by someone else. Jeanne and Calvin brought 12 bottles of fruit wines, so we have punctuated our cooking activities with wine tasting. It makes it seem less of a chore that way.

Anyway, I hope you and yours are someplace safe and warm. And I hope all of you find plenty of things to be thankful for this holiday. Much love!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-20T17:39:00.002-05:00

I am thankful to be able to be here at home, ready to celebrate the holiday with my family around me. We did the grocery shopping today, and the cooking will commence shortly. Erica leaves for England on Saturday. Stephen and Hannia will be moving to their own place here in Greenville right after that (pending future plans). And so, for now, I am taking a break from blogging to be with my kids and enjoy them for this celebration. I hope you have a wonderful holiday too.

My Knight in Shining Armor....with Shiny Tools....

2011-11-16T18:43:00.003-05:00

My husband rescued me again today. I got ready to leave my office and my car wouldn't start (not the new red one...this is the mail delivery car). We have a couple of mechanics on duty, and one of them came over and used jumper cables to get my car started. He told me to head straight home and not to turn the car off (well, duh). But as I drove off I heard a weird high pitch whine, AND the lights on my dash were going crazy. They were flashing and strobing and I knew something was going on besides just my battery. I called Bruce and he said it sounded like an alternator problem. He told me to meet him at this auto parts store, and call him if I needed him.

Anyway, I made it there but it tore my nerves up completely. Traffic was heavy. I got caught at every stop light. I was so sure my car was going to cut off and get me stuck in a traffic jam. I think I was halfway sobbing the whole way. But I made it. I drove up right beside Bruce, and a guy came out to test my alternator which had gone bad, as well as my battery. And as he was testing it my car cut off. I made it by the skin of my teeth......whew. Anyway, my Knight with all his shiny tools had the old alternator off and the new one on, a new battery installed all in less than 20 minutes. So, its all done and I am good to go. What would I do without him???? He is priceless, for sure.

Also, the new dishes that I ordered came today. I am saying good-bye to the heavy stoneware Pfaltzgraff. I liked the pattern, but between the heaviness of it and the way it leaves marks when a piece of silverware even barely touches it....good riddance. We bought Corelle when we first got married, mainly because Bruce's Mom Lila strongly suggested it. I decided to go with the stoneware later...and have regretted it ever since. My new set (for every day) is Corelle again. I went with one of the new square designs, but its lightweight, and I know how well Corelle holds up. Erica is still using Corelle dishes that belonged to Lila....so yeah, it is definitely durable. I feel sure Lila is somewhere smiling over my latest decision. LOL.

Also? We have a pretty red truck in our driveway. We are friends with the people who own the dealership, and Daryl brought it over for us to test drive for a couple of days. It was kind of funny....Stephen was home when the dishes were delivered. He called to tell me, and then he said, "Oh, by the way, did Dad buy a truck? Because there is a new one sitting in the driveway with the keys in it." Daryl said he might run it by if he got a chance. I don't know if Bruce is completely ready to buy something else....but IF he was...I really like this little truck. It has a crew cab, meaning a full front AND back seat. That cuts off a little length of the bed of the truck, but man that thing drives like a fun car instead of a truck. I don't know if we will buy it or not.......but if it were up to me, I probably would. I mean how nice of them to just drop it off for us to try out, right....????

Can't Shake The Crud

2011-11-12T18:43:00.003-05:00

I've had this cruddy stuff...sore throat, stuffy nose, feeling run down...and its been going on for a couple of weeks now. Sometimes it "almost" goes away and I feel ok. Then it will set in again and I start to feel sick. The past couple of days has been some of the cruddy sick days. I don't get it. I guess it could just be allergies. Colds set in and then just go away, don't they? I am just trying to live through it because the idea of taking antibiotics does NOT make me happy anymore. Not with the whole bout of dangerous C-diff Bruce got from taking amoxicillin. So what in the world do you do to shake the crud? This crud has worn out its welcome and the way I feel tonight, it has no plans to vacate the premises anytime soon. Good Lord, I am tired of it. I take Zyrtec every day, but that doesn't seem to be helping with this stuff. Blah!!!

We stayed in and watched a movie last night, especially since I was feeling pretty yucky (Stephen was too). We got rid of Netflix by mail when they got all crazy and started raising prices, but we kept the "Netflix instant view" because you can find so much stuff on there. We ended up watching some off the wall Korean film, complete with subtitles called "I'm a Cyborg and that's Ok". Its about a mentally ill young woman who thinks she is a cyborg and that ends her up in a mental hospital. There are some crazy characters in there, of course...and I found it weirdly entertaining. Bruce thought it was 2 hours of his life that he will never get back. LOL. It also starred "Rain", the Korean singer that had a singing battle with Stephen Colbert on his show (if you watch that....everybody watches The Colbert Report....right?). Anyway, it was strange fun. We think that it might make more sense if you were familiar with Korean cultural references, because I think alot of that kind of thing went right over our heads.

Anyway, I have a few errands to run, mainly grocery shopping. I need to sit down and figure out a Thanksgiving menu. But I am also going to be taking it easy, taking my vitamin C, and hoping that this crud decides its had enough of me. Maybe I will pick up some Airborne at the grocery store. Some people swear by that stuff.
Oh, and we did drive all the way to New Bern yesterday to look at a truck. Bruce halfway wanted it, but that genetic predisposition to spending money kicked in and he decided he needs more to time to think about it. I really liked the truck, but since this is something he will drive much more than I will, he is the one who has to love it more.

We bought a truck....

2011-11-12T09:09:00.002-05:00

We set out to buy a truck yesterday. We came home with this. Stephen saw it and said, "Well, Mom, I have to say that your new truck has very limited hauling ability!". LOL. Yeah it does. But we had also thrown around the idea of buying a new family car as well, and had decided that we would probably go with another Impala since our older 2001 model has been so solid and dependable. And still is. We kept that one too. When you find something that works well, why mess with it?

I know red is Lori's favorite color, and I do like red. I just never owned a red car. Its sportier than I usually go for. Our car colors are usually a bit more conservative (white, dark blue, etc). And we did drive a silver Impala yesterday that we were tempted to buy. I almost didn't consider the red one until we drove it. It was something about the sunroof, I think. The way it opens makes it feel almost like a convertible but without the ripping your hair to shreds part. Anyway, we both liked it better, so we got the red one. We still need a truck, and we will still probably get one. There is a used Chevy Colorado at one of the dealerships we visited yesterday that we really liked. The guy made a good offer on it too. I just don't know if Bruce will be able to bring himself to buy 2 vehicles in 1 week. He has a certain gene in his genetic structure that prohibits him from spending money too freely. Which overall has been a good thing for us seeing as how I don't have that. But considering that our truck was purchased the same day that I found out I was pregnant with Erica (now 28), and considering the fact that although he has kept the thing running, it now runs like a lame 100 year old dog and parts are no longer easy to find (special order...yikes), and considering that it has no speedometer and is so scary to drive that I won't drive it unless the situation is dire, it might be time to replace it. Although we don't have to haul stuff too often, there are always occasions where having a truck is just really nice. Maybe he should shop for the truck alone, so he won't come home with something else he had no intentions of buying. LOL. Just saying.

Speaking of cars, I checked out the new Chevy Volt while we were out. It has gotten a lot of rave reviews online, so I wanted to see one for myself. I liked it alot, but it isn't practical for us at this time. Our cars need to have the ability to be used for mail delivery in case our work cars break down (always gotta have a back up). This one wouldn't do at all. Plus Chevy requires dealerships to have the expensive equipment to service these things before they can be licensed to sell them....so finding places in case of a breakdown would be tricky still. One dealership we visited had one (and just one!), the other Chevy dealer in our area did not. Eventually I think it will catch on, but not right now. There was also the matter of the sticker price which was just shy of $50,000. The salesman explained how it works though and the concept was pretty cool. The gas only powers a generator to charge the electric batteries. It has really decent pick up and speed, and if you were going to use it only to go back and forth to work and run errands around town, it would run entirely on about 80 cents of electric current a day and could presumably be used without a drop of gas ever. That is as long as you plugged it in at night.

Sherry's Birthday

2011-11-11T08:22:00.003-05:00

We (meaning Val, Donna and myself) took our friend Sherry out for her birthday last night. It never fails...the minute we make plans to go out, work starts being a royal pain. It didn't fail to follow tradition yesterday either. I guess because today is a holiday, it was decided that every single scrap of mail, every package, every bulk rate junk mail catalog MUST go out that very day. It was late and I was exhausted when I finally left work, but I made it to the party on time. I was so glad I did.

We haven't been out, just us girls, in a while now. Donna has been battling thyroid cancer, and part of the treatment required a special diet (no iodine). She got the fantastic news on Wed. that her last scan showed no more signs of cancer, so honestly it was a double celebration last night.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time and were so happy to finally be able to have a Girl's Nite Out again. And while I think that ALL my friends are special, each in their own way, Sherry is truly one of a kind. I have never met anybody so quick to be the first in line to give or to help anybody in need. I trust her implicitly to keep any confidence that I might tell her. I was thinking how each of the 4 of us has such different personalities and yet we fit so well together. Val is the voice of reason and honesty. She is always "keeping it real". Donna is more the strong, silent type. A pillar of strength no matter how bad things get. Sherry, of course, is the compassionate, generous soul. And I??? I am the funny one with enough tinges of crazy to keep them all laughing. Sometimes, I feel like I don't have as many gifts or talents to bring to the table as the rest of them. I am not fond of reality like Val, crumple to the ground at the slightest hint of adversity, unlike Donna, and sometimes become way to self-involved to be attuned to the needs of others. Still, they all somehow seem to love me anyway. They appreciate my way of keeping them laughing, so maybe....maybe the gift of humor is worthy after all.....?

Darkness

2011-11-08T20:34:00.002-05:00

As usual, the time change has thrown me off a little. I loved getting an extra hour of sleep. And I fully appreciate seeing daylight when I wake up in the mornings. It is so much easier to get out of bed with light coming in through the windows. But my body has not adjusted and I really don't love having things get dark by 5:30 in the afternoon. Oh well, Daylight Savings time will roll around again. It always does.

We are in a countdown for Erica's move to England. Things are coming together. She managed to sign over the lease for her apartment today, and will be leaving Charlottesville for the last time in about a week. She will be in NYC this weekend with her friends. I am planning to do up Thanksgiving in a big way to send her off with a celebration. I am NOT going to be sad. Really....Ok, so I am going to TRY not to be sad. LOL. I will be visiting her, and I am excited about that. It makes me unhappy that she is not going to be home for Christmas, but I have been preparing myself for the fact that the kids can't be home for every holiday now that they are grown and have their own lives and stuff.

Speaking of Christmas, Stephen and Hannia are most likely going to be with her parents in San Antonio, TX. Bruce and I are inviting some friends for dinner just to keep any sadness at bay. It will be ok. But we are thinking about heading to Asheville for New Years. We need to visit Greg and Lori, and I have always wanted to see Biltmore decorated for the holidays. We are in the process of trying to figure it out with our work schedules.

Anyway, I hope everybody is having a nice week. Its a long weekend for us, as we are off this Friday. Yay!

Well, it works

2011-11-06T08:26:00.002-05:00

I was setting up blogger to work on my phone so I can publish a blog using text messaging. It works, but it has no way of publishing a Title that way. I guess if I can live without titles then it will be fine.

Anyway, I hope everybody managed to sneak in that extra hour of sleep last night. I think its wonderful, and I am excited to be able to wake up to daylight in the mornings again. Still, the drawback is always going to be how early it gets dark in the evenings. I think it really doesn't matter all that much when its cold outside. And it just gives me something to look forward to again in the spring when its warm and the days last so much longer. Its funny how 7 or 8 pm feels so much different...if its light outside, I have the feeling of having plenty of time to still get things done. When its dark, its like, "Oh! Its time to get ready for bed." LOL.

So, we went to UVA for Erica's defense. I was so mesmerized by her presentation. I didn't understand it really, but she seemed so poised and knowledgeable that my joy was in the presenting, not the information. There was champagne and cake afterwards (and lots of cookies), and I got the chance to meet her mentor Joanna, and some of her friends. Then there was dinner at Zocalo's, which was delicious. I wish I could say that we partied all night long....but after getting up early, making that drive, having champagne and then a heavy dinner....we were all so tired that we gave up and went to bed fairly early. Still, it was a day that I wouldn't have exchanged for anything else in the world.

2011-11-06T08:25:00.001-05:00

Testing...
Trying to set up blogger on my phone to blog via text message. Sorry this is not more exciting! LOL

About to burst

2011-11-01T19:55:00.002-04:00

I am so proud of my daughter, I could literally burst. She has attained her PhD in microbiology. It was a long hard road, and there were times when I thought she was going to throw in the towel. But somehow she always found the strength and the determination to stick it out another day, another month....another year until she finally finished. I asked her if she was excited, or relieved, but right now, all she says is that she is still feeling rather "shell-shocked". It hasn't sunk in yet. And along these same lines, I found myself worrying about her move to England. Its foreign. Will she be able to figure out all the logistics of finding a place to live, a new bank, a place to shop? Will she feel homesick or lonely until she gets acclimated? Will she find the weather of northern England too damp, or depressing? But then I actually had another thought that went something like this, "Oh my God, she's a Dr. now!! That probably makes her way more qualified to take on all of these tasks than I will ever be." And that thought calmed me down, because of course she is smart and competent, and has done her research to make this transition go as smoothly as possible. She will be fine. Why do I keep thinking of her as a little 16 year old that needs to be protected and guided??? A 16 year old who still needs her Mommy to remind her to clean her room, and make sure all of her homework is done. LOL.

Anyway, Halloween here was kind of a bust. We had torrential rain all night. Stephen and Hannia went downtown, but they said it was basically a ghost town. There were more policemen than party-goers. They hung out at a club called "Winslow's Tavern", but it wasn't crowded. Too bad. Usually downtown Greenville is a circus on Halloween night. We had exactly 2 trick-or-treaters that came before the rain started. These were the kids of a woman who works with Bruce. We hooked them up righteously....seriously. Bruce bought them both a grocery bag full of candy. For each of them. Its probably a good thing because the rain started not long after that and I don't think they did much more trick or treating afterwards.
Oh well....there is always another Halloween next year.

Dreary Saturday

2011-10-29T14:30:00.001-04:00

Its a dreary, blustery day. The temp is hovering just below 50 degrees, and there is a constant light drizzle in the air. No matter. Its just fine inside and I have no where that I have to be today (a miracle in and of itself for sure). We are trying our hand at making mulled wine. And after we get sufficiently tipsy, we intend to pick up sharp objects and have a go at carving our pumpkins. LOL. Don't try this one at home kids. We have stencils, and patterns in mind. Maybe I will post some pictures later if they turn out well.

And after that? I intend to have some pumpkin seeds toasting in the oven. Yum. I LOVE autumn. Its my favorite time of year. Happy week-end, ya'll!

He is pretty special

2011-10-25T16:15:00.002-04:00

My husband is pretty special. I was feeling sad and sorry for myself because I haven't had time to decorate for Halloween. As I drove into our drive-way from work today, the first thing I saw was my blow ups out in the front yard. 8ft. tall ghosts, a vampire hearse....Frankenstein, a witch, and a Mummy in a hot rod. And when I walked inside, he was decking the halls with witches and skeletons, pumpkins and ghosts and monsters. All my favorite toys are out, loaded with batteries, and ready to be enjoyed. I know its only a week until the Holiday. Generally we decorate by the first part of October. But I am so happy to have my decorations up. I can't believe Bruce went to all that trouble. Because believe me, its a LOT of stuff to deal with. Stephen had bought pumpkins for the front porch, too. I was never going to have the time or energy to get it done this year. What a big surprise to find it all laid out and done.

Now just a few more things....I need to string up some Halloween lights on the porch, buy some candy, and I think we are ready to start the celebrations. Seriously, he's the best husband in the world.

The Un-Halloween Season

2011-10-22T22:57:00.002-04:00

Although Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, we aren't really celebrating this year. No decorations, no costumes, no plans. Sad, isn't it? Oh well, its just that way this season. There is too much going on. We didn't make travel plans because we didn't know what was going to happen with Dad's illness. We didn't know what was going to happen with Erica's graduation and move to the UK. In fact her private defense, which we can't attend, is actually ON Halloween. We will go to the public one a few days later. We are running low on days to take off of work anyway, so a trip was out of the question. Maybe next year.

At first it wasn't bothering me. I have been too busy, too exhausted to worry about dragging out boxes upon boxes of decorations. But as it draws near, it really is kind of nagging at me. A little bit. Not enough to drag out those boxes, but still.....
Stephen and Hannia want to carve pumpkins. At least half a dozen or so. And we want to do some of the fancy stenciled designs. I am considering throwing up a bunch of spider webs all over the front porch, lighting the pumpkins and at least there will be that. Its better than nothing. And while I might not have decked the halls for the celebration this year, I sill love it.

We think a trip to Universal in Orlando would be a good trip for next October. Harry Potter World anybody???? Let us know and we can start planning.

In the Pink

2011-10-21T20:24:00.003-04:00

October is breast cancer awareness month. I have 2 friends who are survivors, so its something that hits home with me. One of those friends wrote a book about her journey called : Bye Bye Ta Ta
I worked with Willamina for years before she finally had to retire because of the cancer. But she is still alive, doing well and enjoying her grandson. What a blessing.

On this coming Monday, the 24th, wear something pink if you can. To raise awareness, to remind people to get check ups and mammograms. To focus on the need for research. Places all over town have been selling pink tshirts for cause. I bought a couple, so I will be ready. If not a shirt, then pin on a pink ribbon, or a pink band on your wrist...anything at all to remind yourself and others that we have lost far too many people, both men and women, to this disease.

And while we are thinking about breast cancer this month, here is a link from the CDC to locate a low cost early detection program near you:

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/cancercontacts/nbccedp/contacts.asp

Go fly a kite

2011-10-17T17:14:00.003-04:00

We are back from Corolla. It was so nice to get away for a few days, and to see Chris, Jessica and Jeff since its been a year. Yep, a whole year. And that is inexcusable really. But we had a wonderful time. Corolla is further up the Outer Banks than I have ever been before. Its where the wild horses are, although I didn't see any of them. You have to have a permit, or a guide to go out there where they are now, since some time earlier some people were out there shooting at them. What the hell is wrong with people??? Hearing that just made me feel sick.

So no horses, but instead, it was the week of KITES. Chris bought a kite at the well-known Kitty Hawk Kites store, and it ended up being a real blast. Its one of the 2-stringed parafoil kites that you can control and do stunts and stuff. Well, I could barely control it and I certainly didn't do any stunts with it, but if you knew what you were doing you could. And we had so much fun with it that Bruce got "kite-envy", so he went to the kite store and bought a bigger kite. Still a 2 stringed parafoil. It occupied a good portion of our time.

The beach was fantastic. I LOVE the weather in September and October. We had warm sunny days, perfect for sitting out on the beach. The sand wasn't too hot to walk on, and there were no crowds. Perfect. I found it a bit chilly to swim in the ocean, but there were people doing it.

Anyway, it was good fun, wonderful scenery, awesome company, and a lot of delicious food. Whats not to love? And now we are back and today at work kind of kicked my rear end. Its always sad to have to go back to reality after a good time away.

Food Fest

2011-10-08T21:13:00.002-04:00

Erica got home yesterday afternoon. And when we all get together, apparently the feeding frenzy never ends. I am laughing at just how bad we are. It started not long after Erica arrived. The kids went out for frozen yogurt. We have this place just up the road called Peppermints. Its a whole wall of frozen yogurt flavors, followed by another whole wall of toppings. You can have almost any fruit, candy, nut or sprinkles that you can imagine. Even cereals. And then you go to the counter and have your concoction weighed so you can pay by the ounce. Its kind of expensive, but absolutely delicious.

And while Bruce and I were still at work for the yogurt outing, we were home for Parker's at dinner time (eastern NC BBQ and slaw for those who don't know). Today was Dale's Indian Cuisine for lunch. Buffet-style. I only moderately tolerate Indian food, so at least I didn't eat disgusting amounts of it. I did decide that the curry chicken was pretty good but its not something I crave or go out of my way to eat. And tonight? Thai food. And that I do happen to love. I get mine really mild. I had the crispy chicken Pad Thai and it was as good as always. Stephen had the mango curry....at a heat level of 20. That's as hot as it can go. This is a different Thai place from the Thai 360 restaurant that we ate at last weekend with Jeanne and Calvin, but it is run by the same people so the menu is pretty similar. Stephen said that the 20 level at the place tonight was much hotter than the 20 level Mango curry he had last weekend. He didn't sweat, but he did get all red in the face while eating it. But he ate every last bite, and slurped up the curry broth afterwards, so apparently it wasn't too hot for him.

After pigging out on Thai food we went to yet another frozen yogurt place called Lo-Yo. The kids like it because the tart original flavor is really super tart. I think its good, but there are only about 5 or 6 yogurt flavors to choose from at any one time, and they did NOT have Peanut Butter today. That made me kind of sad. Peanut Butter yogurt is amazing. But I had chocolate with reece cup topping, so it was acceptable. Right now we are all stuffed and tired. Erica is going to be here until Monday morning, so.....who knows what tomorrow will bring. I might have to slow down with the feeding frenzy though. I am going to have to eat nothing but salads for the next week to make up for all of this decadence.

Trying Hard

2011-10-06T19:03:00.002-04:00

We are trying hard to find our way back to normal after this long, heinous summer. I have a lot to say about Bruce's Dad's passing, the summer he spent so terribly sick. But not now. Its too much with me still. Its too raw. Maybe later I can sort it all out.

In the meanwhile, we get up and go about our days, go to work, run errands...all of it. We are finding our way, and eventually things will be ok again. I know this from experience. Erica is coming home to see us this weekend. Her visa was issued this week, and her plane ticket bought. She will be leaving for York at Thanksgiving. I get sad sometimes, but I am quick to push those thoughts away and think about how exciting its going to be visiting her over there. And the fact that her contract is for 2 and a half years. And how exciting its going to be for her to be able to spend her time off roaming around Europe.

And we are spending part of next week with some friends of ours. They have rented a beachfront house up in Corolla, NC. That part of the NC coast is our favorite. And its been a while since we have gone up there. We had plans to go up for our anniversary, but Dad was too sick. So this is a real treat, and I am looking so forward to it. That whole area: Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, and Hatteras is such a nice combination of beautiful and remote (there is even a nude beach if you know where to find it...its not on any map), but with shopping, restaurants, and interesting sights just a short drive away. If you ever go, be sure to catch a sunset up on Jockey's Ridge. Its the largest natural sand dune in the eastern US. The climb up to the top is somewhat arduous....its climbing a tall mountain of loose sand. But the view is worth it. The Hatteras lighthouse is where a lot of people go, but I didn't find it all that exciting. Maybe because the one day we finally decided to drive all the way out there (its a long haul), the darned thing was closed, and it was hotter than hell that day anyway. At least I saw it up close from the outside, and it was kind of amazing to imagine how crazy it must have been moving that thing. We watched the moving of the lighthouse on the news, but seeing it in person...what a feat!

Love to all!

A bright spot

2011-09-30T17:24:00.002-04:00

There was a bright spot today in the sea of car problems, stove problems and the fact that we haven't even had the time to get a new roof put on after the hurricane (we have draped plastic on top of our house....again). When I got up this morning, our fridge was acting crazy. The LED read out that tells you the temp was reading 0f, instead of -4/34. Those are the ideal fridge and freezer temps, and I didn't know that until we bought this fridge. I was so upset with it, on top of everything else, that I went to work in a tizzy.

Ok, but this afternoon I set out to deal with it. Its less than a year old, so I called Samsung to see what could be done. And it makes me happy to be able to report something happy and good. First of all, after a brief recorded menu, I had an actual customer service person, a real LIVE person on the line in less than 2 minutes. She listened to the problem, put me on hold for another 2 or so minutes to look up information about this model of refrigerator. And then in 5 short minutes of a service call....gave me the answer as to how to fix it myself. Seriously, I was floored and grateful. Apparently power fluctuations can cause the thing to go into "demo" mode. All I had to do was to hold 2 buttons on the display down for 3 or 4 seconds and it just magically started working again. The display is on. The fridge is working. I could tell that while it was still working with the 0f display, it wasn't quite as cold as it usually is.

And while I can't say how aggravating it may have been if we had needed to have a repair man come out to deal with something more involved....I am happy to say that Samsung was really quick and helpful. And in today's market of pathetically poor customer service, that is something to be grateful for. And I showed both Bruce and
Stephen how to fix the problem if it happens again. Because chances are, I won't remember...LOL.

And it goes on and on and on

2011-09-29T17:38:00.002-04:00

My stove finally gave up the ghost completely about a month ago. We have been planning meals completely around what can be cooked on a stove top, grill, microwave and toaster oven. There is no fixing it either. Its a control panel and its old enough that the part is no longer available. Bruce's car is on the fritz, too. We played musical cars today, Stephen ferrying us around trying to get the routes covered, and now its too darned late to figure out what the problem is. Its electrical...we know that much. Does it ever end? We are both tired and cranky and raw.

I do have a new stove coming next week. We have to have a very specific size, and it has to be "drop in" due to the fact that my cabinet configuration was done to make it look built-in. I like it because the sides have a lip that goes over the edges of the counter tops so nothing greasy or grungy can fall down onto the sides. Still, it makes our choices limited, and expensive. So there you go. I found one that I liked and of course it had to be ordered. Hopefully that can be dealt with and the 9 month saga of the oven that works only periodically will end.

Did I mention that I am tired??

Funeral

2011-09-28T16:25:00.002-04:00

Barb asked, "Do you not want a funeral?". And that is a very good question. I don't know. I want my family to do whatever is comforting for them at the time. I feel like I will probably be someplace better and it won't make any difference to me. But I know that society dictates a certain etiquette, so....? I just know that for me, grief is private. What I wanted when my mother died was to have a week or so alone just to process things in my brain. Time to pull myself together, cry it all out, and try to feel like a human being again. I didn't want to answer calls, make plans, figure out food, or receive visitors until I felt like I had a handle on the situation. Then...maybe I could have handled a public funeral for people to pay their last respects. Maybe. As it was, I was so beside myself with shock that I don't remember much about that day. Those couple of days when we were doing all those necessary things to plan a funeral are a complete blur. I wouldn't have gotten through it without Bruce, I do know that. I have no idea who came, who didn't, who I spoke with or what I wore. All I remember was wanting to curl up in a ball in my bed and to be left alone. I realize everybody processes things differently, and a public funeral is expected. I seriously doubt I will be allowed to rewrite the rules anytime soon. My thoughts are just that it should be about bringing comfort to the ones still here. Of course, maybe having lots of people around to pay respects does bring comfort to some people....I will be the first to admit I am odd and reclusive. So, probably its just me. Funerals are just hard. And thats all I have to say about that.

Quote of the day

2011-09-27T19:20:00.003-04:00

I like this quote. It seems appropriate right now:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us." - Joseph Campbell

Bruce's father passed away quietly at home this past Friday. Jeanne called us Thursday morning, and told us that things were getting dire. Bruce immediately drove back up to Virginia and was there with him through until the end. His breathing slowed over the course of hours and finally he just didn't take another one. Its been hard. All of it. Watching him suffer through the illness, the long stay at the hospital....the whole family is sad and exhausted. But we go on because we have to.

I remember when my Mom died. One thought that occurred to me was how odd it was that life was going on normally for everybody else. People were still shopping, still going to work, putting gas in their cars, and making dinner. My world was crashing in on me and yet....the rest of the world was carrying on, business as usual. It seems like there should be at least a moment in time when there is a worldwide pause, just to commemorate a life passing. I know....not practical given how many people share the world with us. But still, something. Some acknowledgement of the moment. Not the funeral later, but the actual moment.

Dad's service was really nice. I don't really get the concept of funerals. Is the point to honor the life that has passed? I have always heard that its to give the survivors closure? Maybe its both. I just am so appalled at having to be paraded, tear-streaked face, broken heart and all, down the center aisle of a chapel full of gawkers and onlookers. And then to be expected to entertain a crowd of people afterwards? Yes, its what is expected. I know that. But to have to stand there and make trivial small talk over finger sandwiches when all I want to do is curl up in my bed and cry...its cruel and inhumane. There has got to be a better way. Or maybe its just me and my reclusive tendencies. I prefer to deal with my grief privately. But the service was nice. It was also exhausting and sad. I don't remember who I talked to, or what I said. But I got through it, and so did Bruce. At least there's that.

And now, we will have to pick up the pieces and get on with it. Its what people do.
It will be ok, but it takes time.

Klassy

2011-09-14T21:33:00.004-04:00

Dear Driver of the monstrous white SUV who parked beside of me at Target,

I bite my tongue and try hard not to judge you based on the offensively large, gas guzzling vehicle that you choose to drive. Even when your obnoxious SUV blocks any view for pulling out of a parking space, or seeing if the traffic light ahead is turning yellow. Its your right to drive whatever you want, ecology be damned. But the thing that I can NOT tolerate is the way that you side-swiped my car, leaving white scratches down the driver's side as you pulled your yacht sized automobile out of the parking space. I was inside of my yellow lines. I know that for a fact, because I checked. I checked because I took notice of the fact that I was pulling in beside a ginormous white SUV, and wanted to make sure you had plenty of room to pull out. Clearly I didn't take your lack of driving skills into consideration. Thanks ever so much for the scratches, and the tattered shreds of the rubber striping down the side of my car. How nice of you to leave the scene without a note of apology. Very "klassy" of you. I wish I had gotten your license plate number, but I didn't. Although....I may actually take the time to jot that down the next time I park beside an SUV larger than anything on wheels should ever be. I take it back...I DO judge you, and unfortunately, you proved my judgement correct. I hope my car gave you some big blue streaks from where you hit me. Moron.

2011-09-01T21:08:00.003-04:00

If you could....
1) live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Oh my Lord, I have so many places that I don't know how to narrow it down. I LOVE Puerto Rico and I could see me living happily ever after there. Maybe a little Italian village? Midtown Manhattan? A mountain lake house in the southeastern US?
I could be happy any of those places. It probably boils down to where my friends and family are really.

2) change anything about your body, what would it be?

I would say bye-bye to the thyroid disease. It has wreaked so much havoc that I don't even feel like myself most of the time. I think of my life in terms of before and after hypothyroidism. But what can you do but keep on chugging along?

3) go to your perfect job, what would it be?

Eccentric novelist...the reclusive kind who spends lots and lots of time churning out intriguing entertainment for anyone who loves to read. I don't even pretend to care about writing masterpieces. I think its the reclusive lifestyle that interests me more than the writing part.

4) change anything about your partner, what would it be?

Oh My God, I love him. He is "almost" perfect. But if we could lose the snoring so I can get a good nights sleep in my own bed, it would be wonderful.

5) have dinner with a celebrity, who would you choose?

I have been in love with Roger Taylor (Queen) since I was like 15 years old. He is my ideal dinner partner, unquestionably.

6) be invisible for a week, what would you do?

That would be such a fun filled week!! One thing would be to mess around with some folks that aren't on my "favorite's list" as much as possible. Maybe sneak in, and rearrange their furniture, hide their keys, whisper in their ears until they commit themselves to a mental health facility. Oh the fun I could have.....

7) tell someone the absolute truth what would you say?

I would tell my father that the most hurtful part of what he did to me, and to our family was to lie. Or maybe not. Its actually not that important to me anymore. For the most part, I think I have been pretty straightforward about all the things that really matter, so I don't think I could say anything that anybody wouldn't know already.

8) have a talent that you don't have now, what would it be?

I wish I could sing without scaring people. Seriously.

9) see someone who has died just for an hour, just to talk, who would you want to see?

My mother. I still really miss her pretty much every single day. I am always thinking of things I wish I could tell her, or see something that makes me think of her. An hour isn't much time, but oh if I really could have it....

10) be the opposite sex, who would you want to look like?

Heath Ledger, no wait...Johnny Depp...I don't know. Who cares? I have no desire to be a man even for a day. And I would much prefer to look AT Johnny Depp, than to look LIKE him.

11) take one thing back that you've said to someone, what would it be?

This one is difficult. I can't single out a specific thing. I know there were plenty of times that I got frustrated and spoke sharply to my husband or my children.
I wish I had more patience and the ability to stay calm when chaos strikes. I need to think about this one a bit more.

12) pick the time of your death, when would you want it to be?

The literal time? Because really, I don't care. The time of my life would obviously be when I had lived a good long time, and my death was swift and painless.

13) pick an actress to play you in the movie of your life, who is closest to what you really look like and could play your personality well?

When I was younger, maybe Goldie Hawn. Slightly ditzy definitely blonde but with a good heart. I don't think I really look like her though. Maybe a neurotic Meg Ryan?
Although people have said I remind them of Melanie Griffith, so....yeah. Any one of those ladies could probably play me better than I can be myself.

14) change your name to any other, what would it be?

I like old-fashioned classic names like Sarah, Olivia, or Lavinia, maybe Cassandra. Clearly, I also really liked Erica, too. Definitely NOT a cutesy trendy name with a funky spelling. If not Sarah, then maybe a name that is not necessarily a name. Like Absinthe, or Willow, or Zinnia. I would have to think about this some more. But since I am perfectly ok with being Rebecca, I probably won't waste any more time on it.

I will be back

2011-09-01T11:08:00.002-04:00

I'm still here. Its just been busy/awful/insane lately. Let me update you briefly on what all has gone on since I last wrote:

Bruce's father has been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, so he is really sick. Bruce has spent a lot of time with him, and I have been to see him whenever I could beyond work. Its not always possible for both of us to be absent from work, and the bottom line is that its HIS father and he is not going to be happy unless he can be there to make sure things are being done properly. Dad needs a lot of care right now...round the clock care. The family has all pitched in and pulled together to try and do the best for him that we can. He is home now, and much happier. And we will continue to make sure he is taken care of. We have interviewed care givers and feel confident that we have found some good help. And that is a wonderful thing right now.

Stephen and Hannia have left Indiana and moved back home. They are staying with us temporarily, and honestly? It has been a God-send. My spirits are lifted just being able to see them, and they have been so much help while Bruce has needed to be with his Dad. Its funny, in a sad kind of way....they moved their furniture into our garage until they can get moved into an apartment (most likely in Durham). Bruce had said, "Oh yeah, the stuff will be just fine there....unless we have a hurricane or something". Well, yeah....1 week later Irene shows up. But their stuff stayed nice and dry, thanks to all the weather-proofing Stephen did.

We got a pretty good hit by Irene here. We lost electricity for over 24 hours (some people here in this county went 5 days without it.). We had roof damage and damage to the barn out back. We are grateful it wasn't worse. Stephen was a HUGE help in getting ready for the storm AND in the clean up afterwards. He had all the limbs and branches cleaned up by the time we got home from Danville, and believe me, that was a really nice thing to come home to.

Erica is still moving to York, most likely around December 1. She is busy writing her dissertation but has managed to visit with us and her Grandfather a couple of times over the past 2 weeks. It has been so nice to see her. I feel like I need to soak up all the time together that I can before she moves "across the pond". We need to get busy trying to get her ready, but there is still time this fall. Things are so much more expensive over there in the UK that I want her to go stocked up with essential clothing, household items like sheets and towels, etc....and rain gear. Apparently she is going to need really good rain gear, too. LOL.

So thats the gist of it. Busy, busy and not much leisure time. But it is what it is and we will be ok. I may not be updating the blog as much as I would like over the next little while. I will do the best that I can but not making any promises. Besides, I keep hearing we have yet another hurricane on track to potentially hit us again. Katia...? Much too close to the name "Katrina", and I am not especially happy about it.

Should have stayed in bed....

2011-08-18T16:28:00.003-04:00

My day started out with the realization that it was 7:00am and I was STILL in bed. Our alarm goes off at 6:20. I am generally meticulous about making sure the alarm is set before I go to bed. Apparently, having my husband out of town, and lots of chaos going on makes me forget things. God, I hate being late, too. If I am anything at all, it is punctual. I like schedules, and sticking to them. I am always put off, even slightly angered by people who breeze along, taking their time, and thinking its OK to be somewhere in the general time frame of a set meeting time. No, its NOT ok. If the time to be there is 8am, then BE there at 8am. If you know you can't or won't or have no inclination to be on time, then put that out there for people to know. Say, for instance, lets meet at 8-ish...But I digress into one of my pet peeves.

Today I was the late one, and that makes me crazy. I actually even considered calling in sick when I saw I had overslept. But then I have to be honest and confess that I think about that pretty much every single day that I wake up and think about going to work. My first thought is "Ugh!". My second thought is that with just a quick phone call I can make it go away....LOL.

So, I get to work a little late (maybe 15 minutes, but without coffee or breakfast, double ugh). The first thing I see is that the mail volume is really heavy, stuff is piled up everywhere and its just going to be one of those days. The second thing I see is one of our supervisors chewing out MY sub. You know I got a new sub a couple of months ago...she struggled, and still struggles a little bit but she IS going to make it. I wasn't so sure at first, but now I think she will be ok. If our management could stop picking on her. She's a little shy, nervous, and has a way of giggling if she is not sure about what is going on. I overheard just enough of the conversation....the supervisor was yelling at her for coming in to work just to see if they needed her. ??? She has picked up days that way...like if somebody calls in (like I almost did), then they have her there to cover it. I don't understand why you would want to yell at somebody for being...well...industrious and trying to work. Most of our subs sit at home and refuse to answer the phone. She has bailed them out of a bind on several occasions because she was there, just waiting to make sure everybody showed up. I can't even tell you how angry I got.

Anyway, because this scene was taking place in the middle of everything I walked away. But a few minutes later, I couldn't stand it. My sub had left, probably upset from being yelled at, but I don't know because I didn't get a chance to speak to her. I ended up getting into it with the supervisor over the whole incident. One thing I have figured out about this one particular supervisor, she is one big bad nasty bully....until you stand up to her and then she backs down. When I told her I didn't appreciate her verbally abusing my sub, she started to lay into me. She started with this "Its none of your business when I talk to one of the other employees". I told her I was making it my business if I thought it was someone who might not know the ropes yet, or understand her rights or how to protect herself.
It got ugly. There was yelling. But somehow I managed to stay clear-headed and concise and didn't lose my temper to the point of not being able to see straight.
By the end, with the whole office watching us, she was blubbering about how hard it was to be her, and how everybody blamed everything on her, and how everybody hated her. I said in all brutal honesty that the office was a laid-back pleasant place to be (well, more pleasant, not amazing pleasant) when she was NOT there. It is the truth. Nothing I said was untrue. Somehow we called a truce. Life went on. I got several congratulations from people who overheard us for "saying the truth loud and proud". (I also got a "tell it sister" too which almost made me laugh). By then I was almost an hour late with doing my actual job, but at least now she knows that she can't get away with treating my sub like a dog. I know her style. It will be a while before she tries that sh*t again. She will eventually, but not right away. Why do some people feel like they can get away with picking on the meeker ones who can't or won't get into a confrontation?

So anyway, I am home again finally, and it feels so good. Stephen and Hannia are most likely going to be arriving with all their stuff in a gigantic rental truck sometime tomorrow evening. Her parents might stay the night with us too. I really need to run to the grocery store, but not today. I have had enough for this one day.
I think I am just going to go take a nap and sleep off the bad vibes. I just hope to God I can remember to set that alarm tonight. I really don't want another day to start off like that again.

Oh, and also, Erica heard back from York. They would like her to start sometime around Dec. 1. Damn it I was really hoping it would be after Christmas but I guess not. The date is not set in stone, but the only reason it might would change is if her visa takes longer than usual to get. Everything is apparently completely dependent on the visa, so....can I bribe somebody in that office to "lose" it until after New Years? LOL....But anyway, having an actual date set Erica's mind at ease that the University hadn't suddenly changed its mind. She really really is going to live in England for reals. :)

My head is spinning

2011-08-16T20:23:00.003-04:00

I haven't forgotten my blog, but I've been so overwhelmed these past few weeks. First of all, Bruce's Dad has been awfully sick and in Duke Hospital for almost a month now. I won't even go in to all the details, but it has taken a very long time to finally get a diagnosis. And even now...we don't have a firm diagnosis. The Dr.s THINK he has a type of neuroendocrine cancer. But all the tests seem to be inconclusive. He just had another biopsy today, which will require waiting until at least Thursday. And that is something I just don't understand....why does it take so long to get results? Obviously I don't know the lab procedures....but damn it, people are sick, families are anxious...seems like it could be done in a quicker way. But what do I know? Anyway, Bruce, Jeanne and Greg have all been trying to schedule it so that at least one of them can be there every day to follow what the Dr.s are saying. Barb has been there pretty much the whole time. It hasn't been easy for any of us, but its necessary. We hope Dad can get his strength back and start feeling better soon. There is still a long way to go but we are all feeling optimistic.

And while Dad is stuck in the hospital, Erica was offered a job, a post doc position at York University in Yorkshire England. She accepted it and is now waiting on the paperwork to make it officially official. Its been less than a week, but she hasn't heard anything in a couple of days and is feeling uneasy that somehow the opportunity will be ripped away from her. I doubt that. But she won't be comfortable until documents are signed. I am both thrilled and devastated. Well, devastated is probably too strong of a word, because I will be fine. Just like every other time the kids have left...for college, for grad school...I was really sad for a while but then managed to adjust. And the fact that I will get to plan visits, AND the fact that this has a 3 year limit will all help make it easier for me. I just need to figure out things like the best way to make international calls, and if we can still text, and those kinds of things. Apparently we can use skype on our computers for free, but it looks like skype-international for mobile phones has some kind of monthly fee. And maybe I am misunderstanding it, but it seemed like I could use skype only to call a UK landline, which I am fairly sure my daughter won't want to have. So, yeah....gotta get myself informed about all the options. If anybody has any suggestions as to the best ways to stay connected internationally, by all means, lay it on me.

And as if all of this wasn't enough to have going on, Stephen and Hannia are moving back to NC THIS weekend. They have been trying to find a subletter for their place in Lafayette. They finally found a good fit, but the guy needs it right away. Like Saturday right away because he is starting a new job there on Monday. Somehow, they are going to pack up their whole entire house in 3 days, get it loaded on a truck and move it all here to our house. It seems like a tremendous feat to accomplish, but the truth is that it makes me really happy. I wasn't thrilled with Indiana, and they REALLY weren't thrilled with it either. They will be here until they can find the right place for them in Durham...or Raleigh...or Chapel Hill. But it will be someplace in that area for sure. And when they move there, I won't even have to be sad because its close enough that we can drive there in about 2 hours. Hopefully the whole move will be smooth and easy. Well, it won't be exactly easy, packing, moving and driving 14 hours...but smooth and uneventful is more like it. Hannia's parents are flying up to help them and drive the rental truck so the kids can get both of their cars home at the same time.

So, say a prayer for us if you can spare it. A prayer for Dad's recovery, for Erica's new start in England and for safe travels for Stephen and Hannia. Its all going to be just fine. I know that. It is just a lot to take in all at one time.

Seriously?

2011-08-04T22:47:00.002-04:00

Pop up pre-measured tape strips? Are you kidding me? Because tearing off a piece from a regular roll of scotch tape is just too difficult? Sometimes the ridiculousness (is that a word?) of certain useless products just amazes me. Like the Batter Blaster, because spooning or pouring pancake batter is just too inconvenient.
Or baby wipe warmers....maybe I suck as a Mom, but my babies had to endured room temperature wipes. Sorry darlings, I hope it hasn't scarred you for life. Who buys this junk? Did anybody actually buy the brownie pan with the compartments because cutting a pan of brownies is just way too hard? LOL. Who knows, maybe people said the same thing when pre-sliced bread hit the market.

Insane

2011-07-31T14:42:00.002-04:00

Too much worrying and too few answers right now. Bruce's dad is still in the hospital, and not many answers forthcoming from there. I don't know what to do.
Well, I KNOW what we have to do but I don't like it....wait. And wait...and wait.
Wait for Dr.s to come around and give out some small shred of information. Wait on another test, another Dr. to explain the test....etc. I know its just the way it is, but patience is unfortunately NOT one of my virtues. We are just trying to remain hopeful and not let all the waiting wear down our optimism. If there was even some kind of Dr.s schedule we could count on. Some way of knowing that if nothing else, at 10am someone would be around to give us something. Even an "I don't know, but we are trying this, or that..." Right now its absolutely random. A Dr. might pop in at 8am or 10pm. Maybe once a day, maybe twice, who knows. The nurses, while wonderful, know nothing either. Stephen said he had read recently of hospitals trying to figure out ways to improve Dr./patient communication, and that would be fantastic if they can work it out.

We are also in limbo with Stephen and Hannia trying to get out of their apartment lease to follow through with plans to move back to NC. Right now, the rental agency is being rude and unhelpful. The kids MAY be able to sublet the place....but everything is unhappy and tense and so far the news hasn't been encouraging. Just as it is with Dad being sick, my hands are tied and I am unable to help the situation any. I hate feeling helpless when family/friends are going through something tough. Stephen is still job searching and as everybody knows, thats a tough market at the moment.....

We are a family in dire need of good news right now. Something uplifting and wonderful. Somebody, somewhere HAS to have something fabulous to say....right?
Anybody? I am sick of the heat wave and the drought and the federal government and their stupidity. Unemployment, defaulting on loans, hospital rooms, and rental agents with bad attitudes can all go straight to hell. I will even provide the implied handbasket, just let me know.....LOL. I know, I know....this too shall pass.
It has to. I need to vent a little but it will all be fine eventually. I really do believe that, no matter how much I whine and complain.

Right now

2011-07-28T18:23:00.002-04:00

Right now its all about Bruce's Dad and getting him well and home from the hospital.
Seriously, its all we have done or thought about since he went into the emergency room at Duke last Friday. And right now, we still don't have any concrete answers. The doctors know what the problem is (chronic diarrhea), but not why it is happening. So....? We wait. And hope.

We did take a break last night because we had tickets to the 'American Idol season 10' concert in Raleigh. We spent the afternoon at the hospital and then drove over to the RBC center. We had a good time. I'm glad we went. I didn't have any specific favorites this year, and the winner, Scotty, was total country. I don't really get in to country music, but if you like it, then I suppose he IS good. Pia, a ballad ala Celine Dion kind of singer, and Casey a bass-playing jazz singer were more to my liking. But all of the top 11 were extremely talented. So talented it required a top 11 instead of the usual top 10. We both had to work today, so we sneaked out a little early. They saved Scotty for last and the crowd went wild when he came out. We listened to a couple of his songs, and then made a break for it so we could get out of the parking lot and impending snarl of traffic....whatever, we are old and late nights on work nights are tough. LOL.

Anyway, besides this oppressive heat and Dad's being sick, there is not a lot on my mind. But we are hanging in there and feeling optimistic that things will look up soon. :)

Insomnia

2011-07-20T20:13:00.002-04:00

I can't sleep. Me! The woman who is such a talented sleeper that its practically a legend. It is driving me crazy, because God knows, sleeping is one of life's BEST simple pleasures. Its not a happy feeling...I am tired, exhausted from being out in the heat. And yet, I can NOT sleep. Well, I won't say I am up all night long, because I seem to eventually, in the wee hours of the morning, not terribly long before the damned alarm clock goes off, finally drift off. At least there's that. An hour or 2 of sleep is better than nothing. But still....I can feel it taking a toll. My brain is foggier than normal (yeah, I know. Scary, huh?). The last time this happened, a couple of months ago, I finally figured out it was a new allergy medication (Zyrtec to be exact...I was taking it at night and that just didn't work). This time, I am clueless.

But anyway, if I can make it through the rest of this week, hopefully I can catch up a little this weekend. I always sleep better when there is no deadline. No alarm clock ticking down the minutes. And its probably this heat throwing me off. Our heat index was over 110 degrees today. My body has a broken thermostat....always running hot. And tonight, I am thinking about taking a Unisom. We keep a small bottle of over the counter sleeping aids for when we travel.....I think we still have some somewhere....

Nothing much

2011-07-19T20:46:00.002-04:00

Nothing much is going on right now. Seriously its difficult to even conjure up enough of something to even write about. Its hot. Too hot! I want to hibernate and wait the rest of summer out. Unfortunately life gets in the way of my hibernation, and I have to go out there and do that pesky inconvenient thing called work. How awful.
Beyond that, work and hibernating, that is, nothing much is happening. Its dreary and boring and I don't even care. When the temperature rises I am content with boring. I can't even muster the interest to go shopping. Summer clothes are picked over and besides, I tend to hate them anyway. I think that maybe some new fall fashions are hitting the stores, but its too hot to be interested yet. I don't even want to look at sweaters and jackets when the mercury is hovering around 100 degrees. Yuck.

But anyway, I am just trying to hang in there with the idea that fall has to be here soon.....

Sooner than Later

2011-07-11T20:24:00.003-04:00

I'm scared right now. And not over the usual stuff that scares me: snakes, bad hair days, sweating in the heat, waking up in public sporting a pair of those blasphemous pajama jeans...I'm not even necessarily scared for myself. Its my children, and their futures and my future grandchildren that worries me. If this economy doesn't turn around soon then what? It used to be that every generation made it a little better than the last. But that no longer seems to be the case. Now it takes 2 people to be able to run a household, instead of the 1 it took back in my parent's day. A lot of Moms aren't able to afford the luxury of staying home anymore. Not that staying home to raise children is a luxurious day at the spa...I did it for 4 years and it was definitely HARD work.

Bruce read a story about a man who went over $200,000 in debt to finish veterinary school. He graduated, and now spends his time checking feces for worms for MINIMUM wage because there he can't find a job. How sad is that? Its beyond sad, its insane. I just pray that the economy will eventually turn around. Sooner would be better than later. I have grown children looking for jobs, and I want them to be given a fighting chance. I want to retire eventually. Again, sooner would be better than later. I want to not have a heart attack every time I check out at the grocery store, or fill up my car with gas.

The impending defaulting of Government loans scares me really bad. What does the future hold for us? When will the news be bright and promising instead of depressing? I know that its anybody's guess but let me reiterate, sooner would be much much better than later.

Bounty

2011-07-09T07:58:00.002-04:00

I know I have a lot of harsh things to say about summer. Trust me, very few mail carriers in the southern part of the country have anything nice to say about it. Its brutal out there, and we are out in it an average of 5 hours a day, straight, with no reprieve. Every single one of us lives on the verge of heat exhaustion every day that we work. We do all the right things, stay hydrated, wear light loose clothing. And while that might keep us alive, it does virtually nothing to maintain even the slightest hint of comfort. My skin stays raw from being damp with perspiration all day long. The worst raw spot? Right around the front of my chest where the bra goes. It gets soaked and then rubs every time I turn or move or....?
I've tried to fix the problem for years....baby powder, anti-perspirants, sports bras that claim to wick moisture and dry at the speed of light. Its just too hot and humid for anything to work well. Stand outside for 4 or 5 hours at a time when its 95 plus degrees and so humid its like breathing in water. And then let me know what parts of you actually stay nice and dry....LOL.

That being said, the ONLY thing about this season that I don't passionately despise is the bounty of fresh vegetables. And this season is particularly generous, too. I am going to have to freeze some I think. I have never really canned, but I guess I could learn. But there is no way we can eat all of these veggies before they spoil. I am getting lots of tomatoes and peppers. I have eaten tomato sandwiches every day for the past couple of weeks. Is that a southern thing or do they eat these in other parts of the world? Fresh tomatoes, the homegrown flavorful kind, not the 'tasteless, engineered not to spoil for weeks at a time kind' you find at the grocery store. Tomato slices, salt, pepper, and a dash of mayo....yum. One of my customers left me a big bag of veggies in the mail box yesterday...tomatoes and peppers. LOL. So funny. I am giving them away too. Although this bag had some cucumbers as well, and we aren't growing those. And Bruce had a customer give him a huge bag of fresh corn. Its been so dry here that the corn isn't as filled out, the kernels are not quite as large and juicy as normal. But the flavor is still good and sweet and there is certainly plenty of it. Tonight we are having a tomato and cucumber salad with vinegar, and spanish rice with lots of stewed tomatoes. Its funny how I was craving a decent fresh tomato back in the winter and now I can't eat them fast enough. Tomorrow night I think I will make some homemade spaghetti sauce with the tomatoes and peppers. I can freeze leftovers. Its too bad that you can't freeze or can them in such a way that they come out fresh and perfect and ready to slice though. That would be awesome.

I am OVER it!

2011-07-05T21:45:00.004-04:00

I am so over summer by now. The heat, the bugs, the sweat....it has
got to go. I want to sip hot chocolate all wrapped up in cashmere, wearing some fabulous boots by a roaring fire. Not wiping sweat off my face, standing in front of a fan, just trying to stay cool enough to keep my blood from turning into steam. Over it! Been there, done that, and HATED it! I have no idea how I am going to keep what small shred of sanity that I have for the next couple of months. Maybe I shouldn't even attempt to.
To quote Calvin, "Just go ahead and kill me now".

Also, while on the subject of things that I am completely over....The Casey Anthony verdict. I get that the jurors have to believe there is no doubt, and I get that the evidence was somewhat circumstantial....but the woman is guilty. You know it, I know it, the world knows it. I am going to have to hand this one over to karma. I do believe that everybody eventually gets what they deserve, so she has her day coming to her. I can't believe that she could ever go back to a normal life after all of this. Can you imagine having to serve her food in a restaurant? Or check her out in a grocery store, serve her drinks at a bar, or deal with her in your teller line at the bank? The thought creeps me out. I don't think the public will forget about that child as quickly as she was able to. I just pray to God that she never has any more children....I can't even let myself think about that.

So, we had a good time in Wilmington, but we skipped out on the fireworks here in town after we got back home. It was hot and neither of us was in any mood to deal with the mob scene down on the town commons. Maybe next year. The 4th of July has to be one of my least favorite holidays, probably because its a summer thing. Blah!

Happy Holiday Weekend

2011-07-02T16:08:00.004-04:00

Everything is good here (for the most part) in our neck of the woods. Its HOT and we are breathing in the pervasive smoke from the wildfires still burning in Beaufort Co. Its going on 2 months and they STILL can't get those fires out with all the heat and drought going on in this eastern part of the state. Sometimes things are fine, but then the wind shifts and before you know it, its smokey and hard to breathe. But what can you do? Hope they will be able to get it all under control soon.

We are dealing with bears (of all things) here. This one bear has set up a home right here around our yard. We have seen him several times lately, walking the edge of the woods, crossing the road in front of our house....He is busy, I guess. I have a feeling there are more of them out there, because some people have spotted a group of 3 walking around not even a mile from here. But this guy is the only one we see on a regular basis:

This picture was taken just beside the barn on the edge of the woods. Bruce was just a few yards away, all excited. I was hyperventilating because bears can be dangerous. I finally threatened to call 911 if Bruce didn't back off and let the bear go on his way. But seriously? I am a little bit nervous outside now. I am fine inside the fenced yard, but beyond that it is a gamble. We used to walk all over the property, through the woods...there are tons of wild blackberries out there.
But not this year. Not with Yogi and friends on the prowl.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good holiday weekend. We are going to Wilmington to spend some time with Jeanne and Calvin and Greg and Lori and all the nieces. Beach tomorrow! I need a break from the bears....LOL.

Happy 4th to everybody!

Topsy Turvy

2011-06-26T11:33:00.003-04:00

I haven't written in a while because my life is feeling a little topsy turvy at the moment. I am trying to make some big changes. The last round of blood tests scared me a little(ok really a lot, but I am trying not to panic). So I am making life adjustments, fewer medications, more natural supplements, healthier diet, exercise (all under the watch of our doc, so I am not just taking chances with dropping meds with no direction). Its all for the long-term good, but it is taking its toll in the interim. Its stressful, but I know it will eventually all balance itself out. My body just has to get used to healthier living and fewer medications.

I was given a 3 month time-frame to make these changes. I need to lower my cholesterol, and blood glucose a little bit or I am facing taking even MORE medication. My levels weren't outrageous, and the 2nd round of tests came back that these things were only slightly elevated....but definitely borderline. I had the feeling that it was now or never. So....its motivating. I am working at it. If there is improvement, even a little bit, then hopefully the doc will give me another 3 months to work on it further.

It's hard though. I believe that it will get easier as these things become habit...right? Its just a matter of time. And meanwhile, if I am not here blogging away about the details of our lives as often as usual, just know its because I am struggling a little, but it will be well worth it eventually. Hopefully....wish me luck. :) And whenever I need a little something to make me smile, I just look at this:

Is this not the cutest thing you have EVER seen?

Soon

2011-06-21T17:41:00.000-04:00

Smash the Mole

2011-06-13T21:25:00.003-04:00

There are things that have issues in my life right now. This includes (but is not limited to):

-My oven. I know I posted about how the bottom element stopped working and almost ruined Christmas dinner. Well, Bruce replaced it and for a while that seemed to have helped it. Now we are having the problem again...only part time. Sometimes it takes forever to preheat the oven. If I can ever get it to the right temp then it does fine.
I am not thrilled about expensive repairs, OR buying a new stove, so I am just taking advantage of the fact that summer is not a time to do a whole lot of baking. Cold watermelon is every bit as good as cookies when its hot. Right?

-My car. The check engine (or service engine soon) light came on over a week ago. Bruce changed the air filter and the pvc (or is it pcv???) valve that needs to be replaced periodically. The light went out for days. Today it popped back on again.
What a pain. The car drives fine. It doesn't skip or cut off or run badly in any way. But that light mocks me, and I wish it would go off. I have no idea what the next step is to get the thing fixed. Bruce has a code reader that plugs in to the car's computer system so maybe that will reveal what needs to be done.

-Our AC in our bedroom. Our bedroom is the hottest room in the whole house. Bruce went around partially closing vents off in rooms we rarely use (Erica's room, bathroom and guest room mainly) to try and force more cold air into our room. But the air flow is so slight you can barely feel it coming out of our vents. Even with the rest of them almost closed. Something is blocking the air from getting into our room and now we need to figure out whats going on with the air ducts upstairs in the attic. It has to be a problem with the ducts because its blowing out plenty of cold air in every other room. We have temporarily helped the issue by placing a fan right in our doorway. It seems to be moving the cooler air into our room, but still....there has got to be something done about it.

Oh well, just a few things on the never ending list of stuff that really needs to be done. We make a little bit of progress here and there and then something else just comes up all over again. Life is kind of like that carnival game "Smash the Mole".
You hit him back down into the hole and another pops up again. I think it could drive you crazy if you let it.

Also, speaking of moles, our cat Bitty was out in the cat enclosure yard this evening and when I went out to get her I saw she had something in her mouth. I thought it was a frog or a lizard, so I hurried down the steps to try and rescue whatever poor animal was suffering her wrath. I got a few steps away from her, and I could see that it wasn't a lizard. It was this dark little thing and it was making a horrible squeaking/hissing sound. It sounded like pure unadulterated EVIL. I had no idea what it was but I went inside and told Bruce to go figure it out. It turned out to be a baby mole. I thought Bruce would kill it because these darned moles have torn up whole sections of our yard. But he put the hissing nasty little thing in a plastic container and carried it off to be released somewhere across the road in a field. Yuck. Bitty hadn't harmed it, but she had certainly pissed that mole off. No wonder these things stay underground though....they are UGLY!!

Sunday morning....

2011-06-12T09:19:00.002-04:00

Its a lazy Sunday morning...I try hard to make it count because by dinnertime this evening I will be feeling dread for Monday morning. It was kind of a lazy Saturday too. Jeanne commented just a short while ago that she woke up with neck pain for no particular reason. Well, I woke up on Friday with ...well...kind of side rib pain. Find your ribs on the right and then follow straight around to under the arm and a little around the back. Thats where it is. It is definitely a pulled muscle, but how? How can you pull a muscle while sleeping? I tried think what I could have possibly done on Thursday to strain a muscle....and the only thing I can think of is that I took 2 cats to the vet. Omen is a big cat, and I was holding her carrier on the right side, because that is my strongest hand. Normally, with 1 cat I don't think it would have been a problem. But with 2 carriers it was kind of awkward, opening doors, swinging carriers into cars, and onto vet tables. I don't know if that was it. But I can't think of another single thing unless I was sleepwalking and got all wild and crazy.

So anyway, I ran errands, did laundry, and took care of some picky little chores around the house that I keep putting off. Hemming some stuff, cleaning out old make up that collects somehow. Nothing much because I NEED this muscle pain to heal before work tomorrow. It seems a bit better this morning, so hopefully its going away. I won't be getting too wild and crazy today either just to be sure.

Anyway, nothing else is going on. Everything is good here. The kids are fine. I talked to Stephen on Friday and Erica on Saturday. It was in the upper 90's here all last week, which is horrifying for mid-June. I dedicate a post to this issue every single year, but let me reiterate: I HATE, LOATHE, DETEST, wish I could KILL and DESTROY summer. Just the thought of it, of blistering sun, of sweating, of humidity makes me insane with rage, which only serves to make me hotter. If I could hibernate in a cool dark place for the months of July and August, I so would. Although lately, with global warming or whatever unusual weather patterns we are having, I am going to have to extend my hibernation to June through September. Pity, cuz I am going to totally miss my birthday then.

Shoes!

2011-06-09T16:33:00.010-04:00

One of my favorite subjects....SHOES!! I have searched the web to find some of the ugliest shoes in the world. Behold:

Going barefoot might be more comfortable than these:

I hope they didn't kill direct tv's tiny giraffe to make these:

Prisms:

Baroque Wedges:

I don't even know what these are:

Can you imagine walking around this with bird head sticking up from the top of your feet?

Shoes??? Or pants???

And lastly, not really ugly shoes, but the most expensive shoes in the world. They are made of solid gold and 2,200 diamonds. I can't imagine that would be terribly comfortably, but its not likely I am going to be wearing these any time soon. They are listed for £140,000. Which translates roughly into 230,000 us dollars. Yikes!

End of the Weekend

2011-06-05T22:47:00.002-04:00

The ending of my weekend always makes me a little sad. It goes by all too quickly and suddenly its Monday morning again. This weekend we didn't get a whole lot done. Yesterday I went in to work for a while to check on my new sub. She seemed to be doing ok, so I called and got worked in to the busy schedule of my nail salon. Henry's Nails. Its hands down the best nail salon in town. I went to I can't tell you how many places before, but the work that Henry and his staff do lasts. Usually for 2-3 weeks. And that is a huge plus. Unfortunately, because its good, it is also hard to get an appointment. I've been going long enough that Henry or his wife Julie will always try to work me in, but sometimes it means waiting. Oh well...it is worth the wait. You would never know there was a recession when you see the number of people in there getting manicures, pedicures, eyebrows done....Its crazy. The twice a month manicure is one of my guilty pleasures. Actually, I don't feel the least bit guilty about it. I deserve it. Obviously. Haha. No, seriously, working as a mail carrier is hell on the hands. I can't keep my nails looking presentable without a little help from Henry.

We were going to have a cook out today with our friends, Chris and Jessica. But then Chris got sick. He thought it was a migraine at first, but after it lingered for 3 days and started causing other problems, like an upset stomach, he decided it must be some kind of hellish virus. Oh well, it rained today anyway. Not a day for grilling outside. I spent my afternoon cleaning out the fridge. Really cleaning it. Throwing out anything out of date and scrubbing down all the shelves. And then I did a grocery store run because the fridge looked kind of bare.

Sometime around 4ish we had a break in the weather and decided to go ahead and take the cats outside for their daily backyard adventure. I know it was much earlier than usual but we had more storms forecasted for later (which never materialized so oh well). I was curious to see what the difference in time would do. And just as I thought, right around 7, even though they had already had their outdoor time, Bitty started "telling" us that she wanted to go out again. LOL. She can be so insistent.
We didn't go out again though. The rain has left us so humid that it is disgusting.
Hopefully we will have drier weather coming in for the rest of the week. I can't have Bitty copping an attitude with us.

So there you have it. My boring weekend, which is fine with me really. Boring beats working any day of the week. My highlights were a visit to get my nails done, and a trip to the grocery store. LOL. Throw in a lot of laundry, and that is the sum total of what I did. Woo Hoo, try not to get too excited about that. :)

Baby birds

2011-06-03T22:51:00.003-04:00

We have this nest of baby sparrows in our barn. So cute! I love how they stick their little beaks out over the side of the nest just hoping for a bit of food. Every evening, after it cools off, we take our cats out into the fenced-in backyard (as opposed to their smaller "cat enclosure"). We know they could jump the fence and escape if they really wanted to so we only take them out there when we can sit out and supervise. But anyway, the adult sparrows see the cats come out and immediately start to congregate, tease, and dive-bomb which drives kitties crazy. So funny. The cats can't get to the barn, so the babies are safe.

All 4 kitties have gotten really used to their evening excursion out to explore the "big" yard. If we have made no move to head out by around 7 or so, Bitty, the most vocal of the group really lets us know about our mistake. I always find it interesting to see animals attuned to an inner time clock. Generally it involves food, but this is all about the fun. Its a nice little break to unwind anyway. We usually see a rabbit or 2, lots of birds, some frogs, a few lizards, and every once in a while we catch a glimpse of a couple of deer. We also have a bizarre looking red-headed woodpecker that makes an appearance in the big pecan tree. I wish I could get a picture of him.

Wish on a Star

2011-06-02T22:32:00.004-04:00

These things would make me so happy. I wish...

-That chocolate had no calories. And was packed full of nutrients and healthy stuff.
Maybe ice cream too.

-That summer temps never got over 85. Warm enough to swim, but not so hot as to make me want to die

-A pool in the backyard. I want this one bad. Even just a small one. I have serious phobias about public pools. The thought of it makes me start to hyperventilate. So gross.

-That I had more time and energy for the fun stuff.

-That Erica, Stephen and Hannia find perfect jobs. Preferably someplace near here, but if not near then at least let it be the job of their dreams in a place that they enjoy. I know Hannia is not actively job hunting but if they move then she might...?

-That Greenville would get a Macy's. Please?

-That my new sub works out. She wants to work and I want time off. I just hope she can make it....she is struggling a little bit with the training. But I am going to be optimistic.

-That we could retire SOON and buy a beachfront home someplace in the Caribbean. I drool whenever House Hunter's International does a show down in the islands. I think Hannia prefers the European ones, and while I think those are interesting....its the beach house on a tropical island that makes me want to start packing my bags. LOL.
Most of the people seem to buy for investment/rental property, but seriously, if I had a house there I would never be able to come back and live here.

-That Sarah Palin would just go back to Alaska and disappear from the public radar. Oh please, please....just go ice fishing or something. Or look out and meditate over your backyard views of Russia. Or have some more kids. Something, anything that doesn't involve my having to hear that annoying voice EVER EVER EVER again.

-That my Dr. would just stop finding sh%t wrong with me. LOL.

-World Peace.

Good news....tentatively

2011-05-31T21:21:00.003-04:00

We have been having some internet issues for the past few days. Turns out I am not a happy camper when I can't get online and see what's going on. Saturday it went out, and when I called our cable company I got an automated message saying service was temporarily interrupted in our area. So then I knew. But yesterday it went out again and there was no message. In fact, nobody else had reported an outage. Anyway we had to schedule a service call and it was apparently our modem. Which Bruce got them to replace. And it all seems to be working again, and I can be happy.

One funny thing is that we were discussing the possibility that it was our modem yesterday. Bruce told me to check out Best Buy's website to see if anything was on sale this week. And I actually picked up my laptop to check it out....because we both were not thinking about the fact that we had NO internet. LOL. I can't even shop without it anymore. Its so handy for price comparisons. We don't buy much of anything without price checks and reviews. Funny how dependent we get on technology.

Anyway, I got good news (tentatively) from my doc. My second round of blood tests for glucose levels came back only slightly elevated. My thyroid levels, which definitely ARE out of whack, can totally account for the screwy blood sugar. It wouldn't have if it was way off...but it can this little bit. I was so relieved. I have enough going on without having to add diabetes and insulin and watching every morsel of food that I eat into the mix. Anyway, I am taking the higher dosage of synthroid (thyroid replacement) and then go back for blood tests again in 3 months. Hopefully that will make a difference and everything will be back in more "normal" ranges. It scared me enough to start paying more attention to my diet though.

Anyway, its the last day of May (is this year just flying by or what?), and already we are having temps hovering near 100 degrees. It scares me. I don't do well in hot weather, and for it to be this hot already? Good Lord help me. Today was the blistering heat of July or August. I can't even imagine what those months are going to be like if this is May weather.

Too good to be true....

2011-05-25T20:24:00.002-04:00

I had my yearly doctor's appointment Monday. I knew I had been feeling pretty good lately. Apparently TOO good. It was the calm before the storm. My doc called me Tuesday afternoon with the lab reports. Honestly, I though my phone battery was going to die before she could finish listing all of the things wrong with me.....(Ok, a bit of an exaggeration but it felt like that). My thyroid levels are all screwy again. And then there was a multitude of other things. Blood sugar high, cholesterol high, triglycerides high....it was ridiculous.

Anyway, I have to take another day off work and go back for more detailed tests tomorrow. The big question is whether or not I am facing being diabetic, or if its just the messed up thyroid hormones. Apparently whenever that gets off, it can throw off everything. So....? Oh well. I admit to having a day of a pity party. Of feeling like it was just not fair. But then I came to my senses and realized that being in the depths of despair about any of it wasn't going to help anything.

So I will go to the doc, do the tests, follow the advice....whatever it takes. Its not the end of the world if I have to make adjustments. I am going to ask the doc to give me 3 months or so to turn things around without meds (if that is possible). But if it turns out that another adjustment in thyroid hormones will take care of most of that....well, I will be a happy camper. Send me some happy vibes if you have any to spare. They will be much appreciated. :)

Things your mail carrier wishes you knew....Part 1

2011-05-19T21:44:00.005-04:00

I try not to grouse and grumble about my job on a public forum, but right now I am neither grousing OR grumbling. I have been a mail carrier since forever. I am actually quite good at it, although I can't say that I always enjoy it every single day. But there are so many things that would make life much easier, not just for me, but for my customers.
I am sure I can't remember everything I wanted to say, but I will attempt to make a start. Here goes:

- Please remove your mail from the box, if not daily, then at least a couple of times a week. If you go on vacation use an official HOLD form to notify your carrier. And if you are moving, please please please fill out a form to forward your mail. You can even do this online now, and its a simple procedure. The problem is that I am required to return any mail that has not been claimed after 10 days. I have people who take the mail out of their box once or twice a month. I don't want to return important mail and cause a lot of trouble for my customers. But, if my route should be audited, and believe me, auditors seem to have set up shop in our local office lately, then my job will be on the line. I don't have a choice, so be aware of the 10 day rule. Please.

- Please don't run me down to ask if I have seen the letter that your great Aunt Martha mailed off to you last Tuesday. Its not that I don't care that your letter is missing. The fact is that on an average day I handle somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 letters, 500 to a 1000 magazines and newspapers and a whole slew of packages, sales papers, etc. We have to adhere to a strict time schedule which allows me approximately a millisecond to scan a letter for the delivery address and thats about it...I don't have the ability to recall a single specific letter out of all the ones I see in a day or have the time to pay attention to who the senders are. You can call the Postmaster who will most likely direct you to call the office it was mailed from. If it doesn't have a tracking number though, its going to be really difficult to track.

- Also?...every single piece of mail that comes into our office for that day of delivery MUST go out. Seriously, I can't pick and choose and decide that I want to hold back Great Aunt Martha's letter at my desk until sometime next Thursday. Those auditors (again with the auditors) make absolutely certain that NO mail is left behind and not delivered. If it comes into our office, we deliver it. That day!
We have no choice. If I don't have it chances are good it hasn't made it to our office yet. If its an important document, then consider paying a few cents more for a tracking number. If its REALLY important, consider certified or registered mail.

- Please please please do NOT run me down in the middle of my route, stopping traffic and putting both of us in an unsafe situation to ask me for your monthly check. My mail is trayed up, in order, in the back seat of my car and digging out a single piece is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wait for me to get to your address....I promise I will make it there as soon as I possibly can!!! Or consider direct deposit.

-Yes we sell stamps and yes I will affix a stamp to a letter or 2 if you leave money in your box. But please...we are under duress to deliver a whole lot of mail in a short period of time. Respect that our time is very limited. If you have more than a couple of letters just buy a book of stamps and peel and stick all of those stamps for yourself. Also? Handfuls of pennies are not appreciated. Counting out 44 pennies for a single stamp is difficult and time consuming while sitting in a running car on the side of the road with traffic baring down on us from all sides. Oh, and using tape to stick change to an envelope is a serious pain the rear for us. Just don't.

- Sometimes we have certified mail, registered mail, express mail that requires a signature. Please answer the door if you are home. And if you could put on a robe or a towel if you are naked, that would be appreciated. (Yes, it really DOES happen. LOL).

- If you have a dog in your yard, we won't get out of our vehicles. This is actually an official order from Headquarters. Its a safety issue. I know YOUR dog doesn't bite. The one that bit me didn't bite either....until he bit me. And I had to go through questioning as to why I wasn't following safety protocol (the dog was inside and pushed past his owner when the door was opened to chomp down on my thigh).
And then I had to watch a series of safety videos which was a real boring load of crappola. Believe me, we don't want to go through the hassle of being bitten. And you are not going to want to deal with the bill that the post office will hand you to pay the price for all the red tape they have to go through. They have to pay for those safety videos somehow, you know. Keep your dog inside, in a fence, or pick up your packages and signed items at the post office.

- The forever stamps are good for....wait for it...forever. LOL. You won't believe how many times we get asked that.

- We actually have to either deliver ALL of the mail addressed to your residence, or none of it. We don't get to pick and choose. No, I really can't stop putting junk mail in your box. The mailer has paid for me to deliver it and I have to do my job.
Also? If you are divorced or separated, I can't put the cable bill in your mail box but forward the car insurance bill to your deadbeat ex. I just can't keep that many details straight in my head. I have almost 700 families to try and keep straight.
I know its inconvenient but you are going to have to contact the senders and give them the addresses that you want the stuff sent to. I really am sympathetic and I wish I could be more helpful in that department, but its got to be all or nothing according to postal law.

to be continued because there really is so much more that needs to be said....:)

The cost of living

2011-05-17T21:34:00.003-04:00

I can hardly believe how much it cost just to live lately. Not even to live in the lap of luxury, but just to perch of the knees of comfort. Grocery prices have really gone up around here. My beloved diet sodas....up by almost 2 dollars a carton. Luckily we only drink about a 12 pack a week. Well, each of us. Bruce likes Coke zero and I only want Diet Dr. Pepper. Fresh veggies are outrageous. I am trying to be much more conscious of not letting things spoil before we can use them. I buy less at one time and I try to keep an eye on what needs to be used up. I try to plan meals accordingly instead of just making whatever we are in the mood for. But still, its amazing how much I spend on food for just 2 people.

And don't even get me started on gas prices. How do people make it? Families with only 1 job? Or 2 jobs and a lot of kids? Or those folks who haven't even got jobs.
Its crazy harsh out there in the world. This afternoon, for example, we had errands to run. Bruce needed new tires, and I needed to pick up cat meds from our vet. An hour later we were back home just chatting about the day. New tires were something like $380 and he had to fill up with gas. Heartworm/flea medication for 4 cats was $90. Which will last for 2 months but still....we had blown through $500 in the blink of an eye.
Scary, isn't it?

I am grateful that we are able to make ends meet, but it is putting a serious kink in my plans for early retirement. Did you know that the Federal Government has suspended putting matching funds into our 401Ks? They spend recklessly, bail out shady investment companies, and now they can't pay into my 401K and I have to suffer because of it? Does that seem right to anybody out there? Of course, we have been promised the funds will be replaced ...in August. I am not sure that I trust them. But they aren't asking for my blessings on the matter so its not like I have any choice. Oh well, its not like I can afford to quit to show my disdain. Not when we can go through $500 in the time it takes to sneeze. :( Hopefully things will turn around eventually. I am trying not to put a dooms day spin on anything, but sooner would be much better than later.

Happy Birthday Erica

2011-05-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

My daughter. My precious little baby girl is so grown up now. I can't believe my eyes when I see her. I spent so much time, when she was just a tiny little thing, wondering, daydreaming about what she might become. What would she look like? What would her personality be like? I have these random moments burned into my memory of her as a baby, as a child. Not the highlight moments, like birthdays or holidays. I have pictures of those. But unremarkable every day moments that fly by all too fast. How I used to watch her sleep those first few months of her life, so scared something might happen. Was she still breathing? Sometimes I would run my finger lightly over her lips if she was sleeping so soundly that I couldn't see her chest rise and fall. She would pucker her lips like a kiss without waking up. It reassured me that she was doing fine. I used to rock her to sleep, holding her tiny little body wrapped in a baby blanket and singing a little song I made up just for her bedtime. It was a simple little rhyme that I can still remember. It worked as far as lulling her to sleep. Unless she was smart enough at a few months old to realize that if she would pretend to be asleep I would stop singing. LOL. I don't have the best voice, and noone would dispute that.

There was Erica at 3 years old, pouting over a pink little sundress that she wanted at the mall. "But I'm a pretty girl!", she argued when I tried to put it back on the rack because she had enough sundresses for the summer. She stamped her little foot for emphasis. "And pretty girls NEED pretty clothes!" She got the dress. How can you argue with that kind of logic? Erica at 4 or 5 years old. We were at the county fair. Erica was wearing a pair of little blue jeans and a pink sweater. Always pink. She only wanted to wear pink. Her hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. She had gone into one of those giant blow up jumping castles. And I watched her, her face was radiant with absolute glee. Jumping, leaping, loving every minute of it. She was totally into My Little Ponies back then. Never barbies....just the ponies. I remember thinking to myself right then that she was MY precious little pony with her ponytail bobbing up and down. One moment frozen in time. Strange the random things we remember.

But now she is grown up, and making a life all her own. She is more than I hoped she would be. She exceeded all of my daydreams. So smart, so ambitious, so independent.
Where did all of that come from? Certainly not from me. LOL. But its who and what she is, however it happened. And I am proud of her, in awe of her. She will have her doctorate in the near future. My very own Dr. Baby, PhD. And still....no matter how old she is or how many degrees she attains, or whatever micro-biology miracles she achieves....she will ALWAYS be my precious little pony. Happy Birthday beloved daughter of mine. May all of your hopes and dreams be fulfilled. You deserve nothing less. We love you. Happy Birthday!

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-13T20:02:00.012-04:00

We had a nice trip to visit the kids last weekend. The flights were uneventful, mercifully. I don't like to fly, but not because I am phobic and afraid. Its just the hassle of security, of being at the mercy of the weather and the airline schedules. I don't like sitting in a plane waiting for reasons unknown. And I also hate the prices of airport food. But I made what would be a 14 hour drive in 4 and a half hours total, so I understand the necessity of it. And we had really nice weather in Lafayette once we got there too. Hannia said it was the first warmth she had felt in months.

Lafayette is not the kind of place you would vacation, so there is only so much to do. Not that I cared. Just hanging out with my 3 children was more than enough. But we toured the town, toured Purdue campus, visited a local winery, spent an afternoon at a really nice park with a zoo. And we ate. Oh boy, did we eat. We hit all the best spots. Lafayette Brewing Co., The Wine and Cheese Cellar (that does the most amazing mandarin chicken salad sandwiches at lunch...yum). We hit up the Triple X, which is NOT porn but a burger place that looks like a dive but was featured on the Travel Networks' "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". It was delicious too although not the place to go for health food....LOL. Saturday night we went to a Tapas/Hookah bar called "Maza". We went for the Tapas, ordering a whole table full of appetizers. It was fun sampling so many different foods and we ended up being full and satiated without feeling overly stuffed. And then, on a whim, we decided to try the Hookah. We sat and chatted and shared Tropical Paradise flavored tobacco. Its something I have never done. Its something I might not do very often, but it was interesting.
Our last night there we went to a Greek place that was amazing. Maybe the best meal out of a LOT of good meals that we had.

On Mother's Day I got flowers. And just being there, being with the kids, made it one of the best Mother's Days I have had in a really long time. I hated to leave. The visit was over way too soon. But it was wonderful while it lasted.

A visit to a candy shop just a block or so from Stephen's house:

Stephen and Hannia molest Neil Armstrong (because we are all crazy like that):

Goofing around a giant, unexplained pencil on Purdue campus:

What are they doing??

Stephen in the prairie dog exhibit:

Hookah!!

Beautiful Mother's Day Flowers:

I was dreaming

2011-05-04T15:47:00.002-04:00

I had this really vivid dream last night. It wasn't anything weird or out of the ordinary, but it felt so REAL! I dreamed that my alarm went off, and I had gotten up and was going about my morning routine. I poured a cup of coffee, fed the cats, etc.
Only I had gotten up with this really awful cold. I was so congested, and I felt so weak and just, well, sick. I remember thinking how odd it was that I didn't have even a hint of a cold symptom when I went to bed, but who knows. Sometimes these things come on fast. I gave it a few minutes to see if I might start to feel better, but finally decided that a day at work was just NOT going to happen. I felt too awful. So, I called in sick and climbed back into my bed to get some more sleep.

And then....? Then my alarm REALLY went off. I was groggy and so confused. Didn't I already turn that off? It shouldn't be buzzing again, should it? Hadn't I already made the call to my office? It took me a minute to clear my head and realize it was all a dream. I think I fumbled around and hit every button on that stupid alarm clock because my brain couldn't figure out how to silence it, even though I do it every day on auto-pilot. The bad news was I had to get on up and go to work. But at least the good news was that I wasn't sick. So, there you go. Usually my dreams are weird and things are strange and out of place and I have some point of reference to tell myself "This is only a dream". But not that one. I dreamed my whole morning ritual, step by boring step, just like I go through them every single (week day) morning. So weird. But hey, at least I don't have a cold. LOL.

We need a break from our weekend!!

2011-05-01T10:42:00.003-04:00

Too much to do, too little time. OMG it feels like things will never be caught up. Bruce spent ALL day yesterday working on outside projects, and I spent most of the day doing inside things (like laundry). I did go out later in the afternoon to help with the cutting grass thing. Bruce had to repair the roof, and put in a new fan in the attic. Its non-stop. Today is another repeat of yesterday with the exception that I am going to have to find time to run some errands later. If we EVER get caught up we have plans to do some painting and put new flooring in the den, living and dining room. I need to go back to work to get a break.

Also? I have to get this off of my chest....SHUT UP, Donald Trump!!!! Oh dear Lord, enough already. Everything that comes out of your mouth just makes you seem more moronic and idiotic. Is there no end to the stupidity? Please somebody tell me that this guy could NEVER win an election. Oh please! If he did, and I was forced to look at his extreme comb-over and stupid duck lips, I would leave my home and my job without looking back. We will pack up the cats and a few personal belongings and start over in Canada even if we have to live in our car. Mr. Trump with his racism, admission that his money was made by shady dealings (and he apparently isn't ashamed) and his conspiracy theories make me ashamed to be an American. Better yet, let's ship that crazy, ugly, pathetic excuse for a human being off to Canada. Or Iraq. Maybe Afghanistan.

Almost Friday

2011-04-28T21:05:00.002-04:00

We survived the latest onslaught of tornado weather. My heart breaks for all of those people who lost friends and family and their homes. This weather is insane and it scares me. We had a couple of frightening moments this afternoon where the storm really picked up, we had wind and hail, and Bruce saw a few of our roof shingles go flying across the yard. He ran upstairs into the attic and yes indeedy we had some water leaking in, trying hard to make water stains on the newly painted kitchen ceiling. But he caught it in time, buckets were put in place and then it was all over in just a few short minutes. Hopefully we can get this fixed this weekend. We don't have any more rain in the forecast for a few days. At least we had both made it home from work and were not out driving in that downpour.

Speaking of things that scare me....I saw the first snake of the season today. Ugh....I feel a shudder that goes down to my bones. I was at a customer's house delivering a package and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. It was the biggest snake I have ever seen. Not length-wise. I have seen longer snakes. But this was the fattest, thickest snake ever. I am grossing myself out just writing about it. Out of some sense of morbidity I looked it up online just to see what kind of snake it might be. From pictures and descriptions it was a cottonmouth (aka water moccasin). They tend to be hugely fat snakes, and they are very poisonous. Glad I made it back to my car with nothing worse than a giant case of the heebie jeebies. The customer wasn't home, but I might tell him just as a warning that he has a giant poisonous snake slithering around his porch. Also? And I am trying HARD not to think too much about it.....Bruce found a snake skin in our attic when he was up there putting a bucket under the leak.

On a happier note (one that doesn't give me the creepy crawlies), one week from tomorrow I will be in Indiana with all 3 of my kids. That makes me happy. And Erica called this afternoon to say that her interview at the NIH is scheduled for May 16th.
Which also happens to be her birthday. And because I am a slightly superstitious kind of person, I take that to be a sign of good luck. I will be waiting impatiently that day to see how the interview went. I asked her if she could call me and then tuck her "connected" cell phone into her pocket so I could "hear" the whole thing, but she declined. LOL. You know its kind of crazy, but I had a friend who actually did that with her son when he was driving for those first few times out by himself. He had to keep the phone on, connected to Mom, on the seat while he drove. HAHA. Funnier still, Stephen actually did that quite a bit only the phone was connected to my mother's phone. He had a habit of pocket dialing his grandmother while he was out and about. She would call me later to say she heard music and kids laughing but he wouldn't answer her when she kept calling his name. Too funny!

Auto Pilot

2011-04-26T19:54:00.002-04:00

I am on "auto pilot" this week. Nothing much is going on. I am ready for my short vacation to visit Stephen and Hannia in a week. Until then I am just biding my time. And after that? After we get back from Lafayette....? I don't know. I told Stephen tonight that I am not really thinking beyond that. Both of the kids are poised on the brink of some big changes. Erica will be finishing up her PhD over the next few months, and where she will end up doing her post doc is anyone's guess. She has an invitation to interview at the NIH in DC in a month or so (no exact date is set yet, but she is excited). Will she be in DC? She is talking about a post doc in Durham, and also Montana.....who knows.

Also up in the air? Stephen and Hannia. Purdue really cut funding due to financial hardships. He is planning to leave after this semester is over. The funding for research is just not there. Its too late to apply for fall semester to any place else.....so the plan is that he is going to start applying for jobs over the summer. And then another school in a year. No idea whatsoever of where the kids are going to end up. It could be one place while he works over the next year, and then another when he finds the right PhD program a year after that.....? No idea what is going to happen, but the one thing that both of them seem absolutely certain of....they WILL be someplace else before another winter sets in. Apparently Indiana weather is NOT appealing to them. Too cold. Way too much snow.....So.....?

Anyway, it will be a summer of decisions for the kids. My instinct is to brood and worry, but there is nothing I can do. I can't help out or figure out the best places for them. All I can do is wait for news and hope it all turns out well. It will. I am sure of that. It will be exactly what it is supposed to be for everybody. But if you could all send out some happy thoughts that wonderful opportunities open up for everybody, that would be much appreciated.

Things I just don't understand:

2011-04-24T18:03:00.002-04:00

Here are some things that I just don't understand. Maybe someone can enlighten me?

1. This past Friday evening Parkers BBQ was OUT of BBQ. ??? What the heck? Bruce and Jerry were able to drive across town and find some at the other Parkers but do you have any idea how long that delayed Barb's corn sticks? And how on earth can a BBQ place that specializes in BBQ run OUT of BBQ. Thats like Burger King running out of burgers. Oh wait....Stephen and I had that happen once. LOL.

2. I give linen 3 stars as a fabric. It would get 5 stars for its comfort and ability to "breathe" in hot weather, but its capacity for wrinkling makes me have to detract a few stars. I own it, I wear it sometimes, but the fact that it wrinkles if you look at it hard just makes it less appealing. Still, we stopped at a dress shop in Morehead City and they had some nice linen casual clothes. But...and I don't get this...ALL of the linen tops had LONG sleeves. Why? If its hot enough for linen then its too hot for long sleeves. Needless to say I left without buying anything.

3. We had a nice brunch at Chef's 505 this morning before Dad and Barb left to drive back to Danville. They had a huge pile of shrimp (and mussels, but um, yuck). They did NOT have cocktail sauce. We had to ask for it 3 times before they finally were able to round some up. Maybe not everybody uses it as a shrimp dip, but honestly? I don't remember EVER eating shrimp without it. The fact that it wasn't already out on the buffet is something of a faux pas. The mimosa's were pretty good though so that helped make up for it. A little. But how does an upscale restaurant "forget" cocktail sauce when serving shrimp?

4. Why do weekends go by so much faster than week days?

5. Why do outside cats always want to be IN, and indoor cats always want to go OUT??

Well, I am absolutely certain that there are lots more things that I absolutely do NOT understand but I can't think of them at the moment. I hope you all have had a nice Easter weekend. We had a good time, but Monday is coming for us all to quickly.

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-23T20:20:00.003-04:00

I hope everybody has a wonderful Easter weekend. Its not the same without little kids and easter baskets and chocolate bunnies and egg hunts and all of that fun stuff. Still, we went with Dad and Barb down to Morehead City and had a really delicious lunch at the Sanitary Fish Market. My shrimp and scallops were amazing. And we got to meet friends of Barbs, Tommy and Carol. They are a really nice couple who have a home down there near the beach. Barb hadn't seen them since Stephen and Hannia got married 3 years ago. We hit a couple of the cute little shops there, and rode around and took a "home tour" of the gorgeous houses on the waterfront in Beaufort. It was a nice day.

Tomorrow we have reservations for the special Easter brunch at Chef's 505. The one time we did that, it was really good. I hope it doesn't disappoint. They only do a buffet brunch twice a year....Easter and Mother's Day. I managed to get our reservations, but the guy on the phone said the spots were filling up quickly. I think Dad and Barb are driving back to Danville tomorrow afternoon. No eggs or chocolate bunnies for us though. It makes me a little sad........

A lesson in futility

2011-04-18T18:39:00.003-04:00

I have a little Easter centerpiece decoration for our dining room table. I fix it, put the little tree back up with all its tiny spring decorations, put the candles back upright, and make sure they are straight. And no matter how many times I do this, within a few hours I come back to find this:

And THIS is my suspected culprit.

See? She even looks guilty, doesn't she????

We survived the storms....

2011-04-17T22:09:00.005-04:00

We survived the storms that tore through our state (NC). I swear we were so lucky. We had tornadoes touching down all around us....in Raleigh, Wilson, Farmville, and Kinston. A lot more hit further north. There was tornadic rotation over Greenville, we could see it from our house, but I don't think it ever touched down. We had high wind and the clouds were churning like mad. We barely even got rain here. A few brief downpours that lasted only a couple of minutes here and there. I read that Kinston, or was it Vanceboro? had hail that was an inch and a half in diameter. No hail here thankfully.

The whole thing lasted about 2 hours. Several storms moved through one right after the other. But we managed to stay in this safe little path as they passed over just east or west of us. Bruce spent a good part of the evening outside just watching how crazy the sky looked. I ran in and out but the wind was chilly and I just wasn't into it enough to stay out there for long at a time.

This is one of the pictures we took of the tornado passing over Greenville. You can see the darker patches that reach down from the bank of storm clouds. It was so loud outside. There was a long rumbling of thunder that never seemed to stop. It just kept growling and roaring with no breaks in the sound. Crazy.

Because we were directly in between 2 separate storm cells, getting the outskirts of the action, we would occasionally catch of glimpse of blue sky in the midst of an angry rolling bank of clouds. It didn't last for long. A glimpse here and there and then it would disappear as quickly as we saw it.

Anyway, having seen a lot of coverage of how awful it was for so many people I am just so thankful we were spared the worst of it. I know its crazy, but I kept thinking about our cats and what in the world would we do if our house was flattened.
How could I keep them from running away scared into the storm? And where in the world would we stay while our home was rebuilt (or repaired)?? I don't know many hotels that welcome 4 pets for an extended visit. I have no idea what we would do, but we would need to stay around here to work, and to supervise the rebuild and all.
Bruce suggested that I get the cats in to the vet to be microchipped. You just never know, living here in tornado/hurricane country when a disaster might rip through and pets get out and run away. I mean, we DID have a huge pecan tree fall through the house once....and that was one night I would never want to repeat again in my life.

Storm

2011-04-16T12:27:00.002-04:00

This deadly storm that killed 16 people so far is on its way to us right now. Within an hour or 2 of hitting. We have gotten stuff out of the yard, flowerpots off of the porch, and so forth and so on. I hope my little garden plants survive the wind. They are just too small to stake up yet. Also? I hope we have no loss of electricity. The power can go out for next to nothing here....although I will say that it has gotten better in the past few years. I have loads and loads of laundry to do (stripping beds and stuff), so I just want to be able to be done with it.

Anyway, the approaching storm is cramping my style this weekend...LOL. Can't be outside (well, Bruce did do some yardwork earlier this morning, but its growing darker and the winds are really picking up), don't want to shop or run errands and get caught in a downpour, so I am just hanging out catching up on house stuff. Boring for a Saturday that I actually have OFF. Ok, I am not going to complain anymore. I am thankful to NOT be out there working when it starts. Hoping that the Greenville carriers all make it back in safe and sound before the s@$t hits the fan, so to speak. Be careful ya'll. And yes I definitely said "Ya'll". I'm a southern girl and am entitled.

Its time for a....uh....garden, or whatever

2011-04-14T18:36:00.006-04:00

I'm not the gardening type. I don't like dirt, or bugs, or being outside once the temps get above 80 or so. I definitely despise to sweat. And given all of that, gardening has never been a hobby of mine. But this year, driven by the high costs of tomatoes, we decided to plant just a few things. A very few, but its way more than I usually do, which is nada, zip, zero.

Bruce decided that container gardening would make it easier. No weeding, fewer soil-based diseases and fungus. But he also thought it would be best to submerge them mostly underground to keep roots from scorching in this brutal heat we have every summer. And hopefully it will keep moisture from evaporating as fast as it might if the containers were just sitting outside on a porch or something.

Note that we (meaning Bruce) decided that it was best to plant INSIDE the fence, because seriously we have a gazillion deer rampaging the countryside, eating every tender green thing that they can find. He also plans to use the fence for staking the tomatoes, so it serves a double purpose.

We got the plants in yesterday. Like I said, not a lot. 4 Better Boy tomato plants, 2 cherry tomatos, and 4 bell peppers in green, red, and yellow. I also planted some catnip in the cats enclosed area....and basil inside. The basil is so I can continue my Margherita pizza addiction.

And one more thing that makes me happy? He set up a rain barrel for watering. I like it because it makes me feel like I am being a little bit earth friendly by conserving water. Bruce says its way better to water plants with non-chlorinated, non fluorinated water.

So wish me luck. I am sure you long-time, experienced gardeners are laughing at my tiny little container garden, but its a start. I just hope it does well. My mouth is watering for fresh tomatoes and peppers right this minute. LOL.

Coupons

2011-04-12T22:18:00.002-04:00

I was just watching that new show "Extreme Coupons" Or couponing (is that a verb?). I have read about people who can scavenge coupons plus store deals and buy 500 dollars worth of groceries for 5 bucks, or something. This show proves one thing to me....I don't have the patience for it. People put more time and effort into it than a full time job. Hours a day finding coupons, researching lowest store prices, driving all over town at all hours of the day and night, and this one couple spent 5 hours in one store. 5 HOURS!!! Just shoot me. As much as I hate grocery shopping there is NO WAY in hell that I would spend 5 hours in there. Not even for amazing savings.

The other part of the couponing scene that I don't like....all of these people have massive stockpiles of surplus stuff that they don't need, can't possibly use up or eat up before expiration dates. Almost everything has an expiration date on it. I check our canned goods fairly regularly and I try to put the stuff with the closest expiration dates up front so we can be sure to use them first. I don't want piles of crap. Not anywhere. Not in my pantry or garage or basement (we don't actually have a basement but if I did, I wouldn't want it full of unnecessary stuff). These people looked like hoarders. Although the few we saw on this one show, the only show we have watched and probably ever will watch, had tons of extra storage shelving units to hold all of the crap. It was organized hoarding. I suppose that if I had nothing else in my whole entire life to do (like THAT is ever gonna happen) I might attempt this once in a while and then take the excess over to the homeless shelter/food bank. That way I wouldn't be storing stuff just to throw it away when it goes bad. But still.....no matter what, I don't think I could stand to be in a grocery store for 5 hours.

Also? Bruce was pointing out that not only do the cashiers probably find these people to be annoying bitches (and bastards, cuz some of them were men).....I would be feeling positively homicidal if I got behind one of them in the check out line. Oh well, these folks seemed to approach it as a game. See how much crap I can get for the least amount of money. And really, this one couple did walk out with almost 600 dollars worth of stuff for about 25 dollars. But they had to be at the store BEFORE 6am, and they also had to call 5 of their friends and beg them to come down to the store to help them get the full discount. I don't know why exactly because I was starting to feel annoyed with the whole thing, but I imagine that it was some kind of limit per customer or something. And if one of my friends had the audacity to call and ask me to randomly run down to the grocery store before 7 in the morning just to score a few bucks off of some product that they probably had dozens of others just like it on their hoarder shelves....? Well, I would have to reconsider that friendship. Or at the very least, never answer a call from them ever again. Leave a message and if its not stupid I might call you back. At a reasonable hour.

Can you tell this thing got on my nerves? And that it is highly unlikely that I will ever get my jollies doing this competitive coupon thing. And you can bet your entire bank account safely on the odds that I will NEVER be in a grocery store for 5 hours. Half an hour makes me start to feel kind of overwhelmed and anxiety ridden. Too much stuff, too many choices.....I am about to hyperventilate just thinking about it. Funny but I really do get stressed about shopping for food. But when faced with several full FLOORS of shoes at the mother Macy's store in NYC...? I thought I had died and gone to heaven. If there were extreme couponing for shoes.....well, I would have to rethink this entire post.

Margherita Pizza

2011-04-10T11:19:00.003-04:00

Hands down this is my favorite pizza of all. And I really do love pizza. The Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple runs a close second. I finally attempted to make it at home this week, and it was so delicious we ended up making it twice. Monday AND Friday. Well, I had all of this fresh basil left over so it just called for a repeat pizza night. LOL.

Friday evening Erica called while I was making the pizza. I hadn't talked to her in almost a week so I was happy to hear from her. Apparently I have trouble multi-tasking. I talked on the phone and put together the pizza, getting it ready to put in the oven. As I was sliding it in onto the pizza stone it occurred to me that something wasn't quite right, but I was still talking to Erica so I closed the oven door and didn't give it a second. Until about 2 minutes before the timer went off to tell me that the pizza was done. I made the whole thing and totally FORGOT the basil. Thats the most important part....lots and lots of fresh basil!!!! I took it out of the oven and sprinkled it heavily with chopped basil and stuck it back in, hoping for the best. And actually? It was delicious. The basil melted in the cheese and you wouldn't have been able to tell that I screwed it up....Ha.

Anyway, if you are interested here is a quick synopsis of the recipe. You don't have to be exact with it. Thats the beauty of pizza, you can be creative. It is best on a thin crust. Stephen and Hannia make their own crusts. We have attempted that, but find that the thin crust at the grocery store by "Mia" is the best. Not to mention that its infinitely quicker and easier.

Sauce: 1/4 cup of olive oil
Chopped fresh garlic (don't be stingy, the more the better)
1/8 tsp. of salt
a roma tomato chopped really finely

Let the sauce sit for about 30 minutes to let the flavors mingle, then spread it over the thin crust. Cover that with shredded mozerella cheese. Add thin slices of Roma tomatoes (as many as you can fit on there. It took me about 3 or so.). Cover the whole thing liberally with chopped fresh basil, again don't be stingy. The more the better. I sprinkle a tad more salt over the whole thing for good measure. Not much, I am stingy with the salt. I sprinkle a little more cheese on top to seal the deal and then cook at 450 degrees until the cheese is browned and bubbly. It takes about 4 roma tomatoes and 8 ounces of mozerella total. And it is OMG delicious. In fact, I am craving it again now.

I fear.....

2011-04-07T19:52:00.002-04:00

This is what I fear IF we ever decide to put in a pool.....LOL. I feel like Stephen Colbert (he has a bear phobia).

Bears....really!

2011-04-04T21:25:00.004-04:00

If you know where we live, then you know that we are surrounded by 19 or so acres of pine trees. And when the weather is nice, we like to walk out there. Bruce keeps a clear path cut all around the perimeter, and it makes a nice place to take a stroll. But....we have bear. Is "bear" also plural? Or is it "bears"? I don't know, but whatever. We have black bear all over around this part of the state. People see them all the time right here around our house. And yesterday when I took a nice little stroll all by myself I got to the very back of the property, as far from our house, or civilization, as I could possibly be, where nobody could hear me scream (well, maybe....maybe not, but it IS way back there and its really isolated)...and suddenly I heard a loud crashing through the trees like something quite large was spooked and running away from me. It could have been a deer. We have loads of those too. But a few seconds later I came upon a huge, um, well a ginormous pile O' poop. And it was NOT from any deer, of that I am certain. Nor was it from the multitudes of bunnies we see all over the place. It looked more like an elephant had done its business there at the edge of the woods. I didn't imagine it. Bruce took a walk back there this evening and came back talking about the huge "pile" he saw on the path, too.

And now, I am spooked. Its where I like to walk. But is it safe? I mean, I realize there could be anything or anybody (thinking murderous axe wielding maniacs because I watch WAY too many scary movies) out there hiding in the trees. But the bear thing is NOT my imagination running away with me. They are real and they are out there. I am just trying to guesstimate the risk factor right now. I stay on the path, out of the trees. I walk in daylight. I read that black bears are people-shy and rarely attack humans. And still I am feeling nervous about being back there, especially by myself. Sometimes Bruce walks with me, but not always.......What would you do? I think I need to find a new place to walk.

ETA: After doing a web search of what bear... um, poop actually looks like (yes, I know its such an exciting way to spend an evening, right?), we have decided that it is definitely bear droppings. Or, as I learned tonight, known also as bear scat. Yay! I am already phobic of snakes. At this rate I might never leave my house again.

Allergies are killing me

2011-04-03T08:17:00.002-04:00

I wrote a post and then it disappeared. Stupid blogger. Ok, so its been a while since I have gotten any glitches so maybe it is getting better than it used to be. But whatever....

The gist of it is that I am having a fit with allergies right now. Pollen is everywhere outside. There is a yellowish powdery coating on everything. I am so stuffy with itchy eyes, sore throat and these awful sneezing fits that go on forever.
The worst is when I am driving....yikes. Well, thats not necessarily when the worst attacks occur....but it IS the worst most inconvenient time/place to have a sneeze-fest. So scary. I have been taking Claritin for days now but its not doing much. Benadryl at night seems to help me sleep but I can't take it during the day. That stuff knocks me out cold. I am going to pick up some OTC Zyrtec or Allegra today and see if that works any better for me.

I did a web search on allergy medication reviews. Its so confusing because the results are pretty evenly split between Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra. It seems to depend on the person. What works for one person just may not work as well for someone else. I guess its going to be a trial and error thing to find the right one for me. I am fairly sure that Claritin is not it though. I can't even tell that I am taking anything. Ugh....this is so not fun. Any suggestions? Anything work really well for you? I am feeling a bit desperate so any help would be appreciated!

WANT!!!!

2011-03-31T21:52:00.002-04:00

I SO want the tiny giraffe thats in the the Direct TV commercials. Ok, I realize that its fiction, but honestly? Its so adorable that somebody ought to wreak some serious science-type magic and make some of these little guys.

And as a testament to the fact that I am not the ONLY crazy tiny giraffe coveting sucker out there, you can watch the little guy live on webcam......here! Really. And yes, I have gone on there to watch him, too. LOL. Apparently he is quite the star now.

Schizophrenic weather

2011-03-28T19:57:00.002-04:00

The middle of last week had temps into the low 80's here. I was dreaming of shopping for summer clothes, getting ready to drag out some shorts, and starting my annual dilemma of "to tan or not to tan". For the past 3 days its been gray, drizzly, and hovering in the low 40's. Apparently we had a little sleet early this morning. So crazy.

Last night we watched another round of "To Catch a Predator" on Dateline. I swear, I am going to have to stop watching it. I get so angry that I can barely see straight.
To see a never-ending stream of men showing up with the intent to have sex with a minor just makes me enraged. These men are religious leaders, school teachers, and worst of all (to me) fathers. What the hell is wrong with these people?

Some of their (pathetic) excuses for their behavior:

-I was lonely. (go join a club or at least hang out at a sleazy bar and pick up women your own age, loser)

-I'm not a predator since this is the first time I ever did this. (well, predator doesn't have some inherent implication of multiple times, AND this piece of human garbage had an arrest record for the same thing, so he is also a liar.)

-I figured it was my best chance of clean sex. (?? What the hell is wrong with you!!??)

-I wasn't gonna do nuthin' (although you showed up with condoms...a full brand new box still in the paper bag from the drug store....).

I felt like I was going to explode with rage. All of these guys got jail time, but I would be tempted to give them a choice:
Life sentence away from society OR their choice of a death sentence. Harsh, I know, but society would be so much better off without these sick bastards running around. We have "zero tolerance" for kids who bring a knife to school in their lunch box, or ibuprofen for illness....but child molesters get a couple of years in jail and then are set free? How is that even remotely right? Ok, yeah, I gotta stop talking/thinking/writing about this or my blood pressure is going to be through the roof. I have zero tolerance for anybody who would willingly and knowingly harm a child.