Sarah is coming home part II

Sigh. I buy the ticket to Denver. I call a supervisor and wade through all the explanations to get the rest of the week off. I pack. I transfer money from savings to checking. I try to sleep. 10:30. 11:00. 11:30. Still awake.

11:30ish. I get a text from Sarah. "Andy is coming home now. I am buying his bus ticket. Can he catch a bus from Denver? I don't know how buses work. Sigh. I am frustrated." SHE'S frustrated??????

I call her. Tickets are $149.00 from Denver. Is he coming home for sure? Yes, he is. O.K. let me see if I can cancel my plane ticket and get some money back and you two ride home together. Agreed. I can tell she isn't happy about having to put up with Andy for 2 more days, but I'm not burning 3 days of vacation, spending $400-500 to drive back with her if he's coming back anyway.

Believe it or not, Travelocity said they would refund my entire ticket amount minus the service fee. Sometime in the next 30 BUSINESS days. That's better than nothing, that's for sure.

I really kinda wish I could have gone. It would have been fun.

Sarah's coming home

Sarah called. She's wondering why she's where she is, why she didn't stay in school, why she took her loser boyfriend on the adventure of a lifetime and she feels like such a loser. She said, "I wish I was home." I said, "Then come home."

I was on my way in to give blood (and save 3 peoples lives) so I told her I'd call her back later. After giving blood, coming home, and taking a nap, I get around to calling her back. She's crying. I ask what's wrong, and she says, she's coming home and andy is mad at her. She's leaving tomorrow. Andy's not coming with her. (!) yippee!!!! Andy's not coming with her!!!!

She's afraid about driving back alone, worried about falling asleep on the road, scared about being alone in rest stops.

I check on-line, and can get a decent ticket to Denver. I ask her if she can get to the denver airport, and if she can I'll fly in and ride back with her. She is very relieved about that.

I called one of the supervisors and asked permission to take off work, and he said o.k. So, I made the reservation and will fly out tomorrow. SHE BETTER NOT BACK OUT or she's in serious trouble.

So I'm excited about seeing her and having the time alone with her on the way back. I'm not excited about the trip back in her pickup with an uncomfortable passenger seat and the constant worry about breakdowns. =)

I'll update when I get back.

The Revenge of Yuki and Sofi

Elizabeth has her hands full. Literally. While she's trapped in the rocking chair nursing Ella, Yuki and Sofi are free to roam the house and do whatever they please while mom is momentarily indisposed.

If you were ages 3 and 2, what would YOU do with this kind of unfettered freedom? I'm not sure what I'D do, but, I can tell you what Yuki and Sofi do.

* Get Dad's shaving cream and walk around the parts of the house mom can't see you, and spray it everywhere you walk.

* Get blue shampoo, drain the almost full bottle on the carpet outside the bathroom and in Sofi's room.

* Get baby lotion, proceed to spread it all over Yuki, and on his walls and in his carpet.

* Get a tube of Lamisil (similar in texture to petroleum jelly) and see how much you can get in Sofi's hair and whatever other interesting surfaces are around.

* Fill the bathroom sink with water while "brushing my teeth", and continue to let the water run and run and run, while splashing water everywhere and ignoring mom. Mom is yelling "TURN OFF THE WATER NOW!!!" but who can hear her over the sound of running water and splashing?

Mind you, these are all separate events that happened over a weeks time. I'm thinking every time Ella nurses, should be "time out, on the couch, don't move your rears from there until I say so" time for Yuki and Sofi.

I think these things are pretty funny, but then, I'm not the one trapped in the rocker, helplessly wondering what they are doing now...

The adventures of Sarah

Sarah is still roaming the wild west. She left my brother Don's sanctuary and headed for Colorado. Don and Sue filled her tank before she left. She had a few bucks, some McDonalds gift certs and food that Sue sent along with her. Next stop...some rest area where they spent a cold and uncomfortable night in the truck. Too cold and windy for setting up the tent, and it even snowed a little.

Onward to Vail, Colorado. Where the truck lost all the lights on the instrument panel, they had no gas, and no money, and only a few McDonalds bucks left. Call to Mom. "Gee, honey. That's too bad. What are you going to do now?" Move on to the next day, truck is working again now, some sort of miracle because they didn't do anything to it. And, hey! They met some guy at McDonalds and asked him if there was a place they could camp for free. Well, no, it's supposed to snow tonight, but you can come stay with us for a couple of days. So, off they go with this kid, who lives with a bunch of other guys. They have been staying there and a couple of other places until she gets some money to move on.

Hold up. Where are you going to get money? I got a credit card, and they can transfer money into my bank account for ZERO interest. Uh-huh. I believe that, for sure.

Get this! As I was typing this post, Sarah calls. They are now in Winter Park, their ultimate destination. I don't know how she got there, since the money from the credit card just hit her account this morning, but she's there. She wants to know what the expiration date on her credit card is because they want to rent a hotel for the night. OMG. Her job (if she really has one) doesn't start until November 15th. I don't know HOW she thinks she is going to be able to pay for a credit card bill in 28 days from now, when she won't even be working yet.

I'm over it.

She needs to get real about life. She's going to fall, and fall hard. I hope she can pick up the pieces and move on with her life when that happens. My sister says she feels Sarah will be fine and that she will have a relationship with God some day. I'm hanging my hat on that.

New baby and various other items

Eleanor Charlotte Hilligoss was born on October 1, 2007, at 3:34 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz, and 19.5 inches long. They will call her Ella. All this time it was going to be Elli, until Elizabeth heard a woman (that she doesn't like) across the street calling her dog and the name was Ellie. That was it for the name Elli. I like Ella better anyway.

The delivery was incredible. She made it look like something she does every day, no big deal. One - yes, ONE push. That's it.

After Ella was all cleaned up and Elizabeth settled in, she nursed right away, just like an old pro. No problems at all. So Eliz is sitting there all content, and says, "I think I like this baby." Matt and I just cracked up. When Sofi was born, she wouldn't nurse, cried all the time, made everyone so miserable WE all cried, too. I Elizabeth said, "I don't like this baby." (Of course she does NOW, but at the time...) Matt and I were relieved to hear this baby would be accepted into the family with no problems. So far, we have had 3 sleepless nights since Elizabeth came home. It will be interesting to see if Elizabeth still likes the baby if she continues to insist on being held - and only by mom - all night every night.

Yesterday, was Joe & my first anniversary. Today, we are spending the night in Plainfield, close to Eliz, and will be going out to a nice dinner. What a nice break. This afternoon we both went to the local mall and bought new tennis shoes. Tennis shoes? Do they even call them that anymore? Athletic shoes. Not that we are athletic or anything like that, but we don't play tennis either, so I don't think it really matters what we call them.

I'm getting hungry. Time to head out for a lovely steak dinner. Maybe tomorrow I'll write about the adventures of my wayward daughter Sarah. Stay tuned.

More cute "Yuki-isms"

*Yuki when presented with baked beans "I can't like that."

*Elizabeth put a caterpillar in his hand, and when it moved, Yuki squished it, and then was very upset that he killed it. His comment? "I'm sorry the caterpillar tickled my hand. That's not safe!"

*While watching Elizabeth nursing Ella the first time, "Why is she biting you?"

*While watching Elizabeth nursing Ella another time, "There's milk in there? How does it get there?"

He is so cute and funny.

Today is the day!!

Oh my gosh I'm a nervous wreck. I woke up at 4 am, just wide awake, and couldn't go back to sleep. Finally, at about 5 am, I got up, balanced my checking account, checked to make sure all the 1st of the month bills are paid and then checked out my e-mail.

At 6:00 am , Elizabeth called and said she was in labor. She has been in labor since last night. The contractions are strong enough to wake her up and she's been up since...4:00 am!

So, she tells me she's going to wait for the doc office to open at 8:00 am and call the doctor. **8:00!**. Two hours later. After being in labor all night. I tell her to please pay attention to her body and maybe she should just start driving now. No. She wants to take a shower, get the kids ready and then she'll call the doctor.

So, I go to work to get some stuff done. At 8:15, I haven't heard anything, so I call her. Matt answers. The doctor doesn't get in until 9:00 am, so she's going to wait until then to call and start to B'ton. OMG! I ask where she is now. She's in the SHOWER! (So I can't talk to her and tell her to get her butt in the car and start driving). I tell Matt to tell Eliz to get in the car as soon as she's out of the shower and start driving. They can call the doctor on the way. It takes 45 minutes to get here. The contractions are around 5-8 minutes apart. ARGH!!!

9:15. I call. Matt answers. "Where are you? " " We are getting in the van now." "What did the doctor say?" "He said to come to the office if you think you can make it but if not go to the hospital." (my emphasis there)

I say o.k. Call me when you get south of Martinsville and I'll come meet them at home (or the doctor or the hospital or where ever they need me).

I'm nervous and excited and praying that that baby won't be born in the van on the way to Bloomington...

Drum roll....

I was lonely at work. So I decided to get a beta for my desk. He's a very pretty blue with some shades of deep red. Gorgeous fish. I typically don't name my pets, other than dogs & cats. For some reason, though, I usually name the pets I bring to work. (This is not the first beta I've had here. I had "Blue Boy" - named after the famous painting - for 3 years.)

Anyway, one day, as I was trying to think of a name for him, I said out loud, "What should I name my new beta?" From the cubical next to me I hear my boss say, "Alpha". What a great name! So I made a little sign that says "Alpha Beta", and the greek letters for same, and stuck it above my fishes tank.

See? Watching fish is calming, and can make you smarter. And with a name like Alpha (the beginning), this is just the beginning of the brilliance that will be mine after watching Alpha day in and day out while blogging, er I mean slogging, through the day at work.

TGIF

I'm so glad it's Friday I could dance. My goal for the day (right after I get done posting this) is to get through about 40 diaries (um-hmmm), make about 46 phone calls (uh...), and answer my boss's 9 e-mails. THEN, I'm going to go home and not think about work for TWO DAYS.

Elizabeth is due next Wednesday. I can hardly wait for little Elli to come into our lives. The entire family came over last Wednesday, and while Matt & Eliz went to the doctor, Yuki, Sofi & I hung out. Whenever they come over, I give them Popsicles. So, Yuki says, "Can we have a Popsicle, Grandma? I want Orange!" I say, sure, and look in the freezer in the EMPTY Popsicle box. I show them it is empty, but say, "I have cookies! I have white cookies and black cookies. Which do you want?" I hear an emphatic, "WHITE COOKIES!" So I pick up the package - the EMPTY package, and say, "OH OH - the package is empty! Someone ate all the white cookies!" I see disappointment on Yuki's face. Before he can utter, "I want some cookies, damn it!" I show him we have LOTS of black cookies (Oreos), and he seems somewhat mollified.

TGIF (again).

The Secret is Out

Sarah knows about Mama the dog now. What a relief. It was very hard to tell her. But, the family Mama is with love her. Her name is no longer Mama. It's ROCKET. Rocket because she's so FAST. It sounds like a good match.



Sarah is at Don's house now. She sounded VERY relieved. Don sounded stressed. I hope this will be a good thing for everyone involved.



I have had a very sad and weepy day. I wanted to take this afternoon off so I could sit at home and have a pity party, but too many people were gone and my boss said no. This is probably a good thing, really. I got a lot of stuff done this afternoon.



Elizabeth comes down tomorrow to the doctor. She is now "officially" at term. She tells me her back has been killing her and she thinks she may be having "back labor" but she'll ask the doctor tomorrow. Picture me rolling my eyes here. I kindly say, "Elizabeth, pay attention to your body and and if the pain doesn't go away, call the doctor and see if you need to come to the hospital." She giggles and says, "OK, Mom". Like I'm so stupid for even thinking she may actually be IN LABOR. She only has an HOUR to get to the hospital from where she lives. Kids.



This brings to mind a story from Sofi's birth...

http://christyjo.blogspot.com/2005/08/new-baby-and-drama.html


I'm sure there's some really cool way to make it so I could say "Click here" and it would take you right to the story, but I don't know what it is. Someday I'll ask Sam...

Yuki gets creative

This morning at breakfast:

Yuki: Mommy, my spoon said "Damn it".
Elizabeth: Yuki, you do NOT say that word!
Yuki: Why not?
Elizabeth: Because it's not a nice word.
Yuki: But my spoon said it!

Guilty Conscience

Sigh.

Here's the deal. When Sarah left for California. She asked me if I would keep her dog, Mama until she got back. She said if I didn't want to, one of her friends would watch her if we would pay for her dog food (!). I told her we'd see how it goes for now.

She has not asked about Mama one single time since she's been gone. Mama, meanwhile, is getting more and more excited and full of nervous energy since she doesn't get the exercise she was. She barks, literally bounces off the furniture and is entirely too big for our "small dog" townhouse. She has to be kennelled all night and most of the day. How unfair. She tears the house up if we don't kennel her when we are gone.

So, I decided that she needs a home elsewhere. At lunch on Friday, I mentioned to 3 of my co-workers that I'm going to find a home for Mama. Before I knew it, one of my co-workers said they have been looking for a dog for their family. He called his wife, and wa-la, a done deal. I took Mama over to his house. It's HUGE. With a HUGE back yard to run in. Better yet, with two boys, ages 6 & 8 who adored her immediately and were so excited to have her they were beside themselves.

On the one hand, she's going to be so much happier now. On the other, I wasn't REALLY ready to do this, and I haven't said anything to Sarah. So, I'm really torn about the whole thing.

Butch is certainly happier. And the house is MUCH calmer. And ... I miss her.

Sigh.

I know what you're thinking

You are thinking "Who cares about other insignificant events, what about the SPIDERS?"

I haven't seen a single spider since I sprayed Raid around the doors and windows and foundation. Not one. For that matter, I haven't seen any other bugs, either.

Problem solved.

Let's go to Kentucky!

No early morning calls from Sarah today, which is good news.

I got to work this morning, went to the kitchen, grabbed my first cup of coffee for the day and didn't even get to drink it. By 8:15 am I was on my way to Kentucky to investigate a fatality. If I could have picked a day to go, today would have been the day. It was gorgeous outside. The weather was perfect. I stopped at McDonalds, grabbed a coffee there and headed over the river into the Land of...what is Kentucky the land of? To my husband (who is from Kentucky) it's the land of the Wild Cats. To me, it brings to mind one of the hardest tests I've ever had to take in my insurance career. Holy cow. An adjuster has to really know his/her stuff to be licensed in Kentucky. I have licenses in Connecticut, West Virginia, & Rhode Island but none of those hold a candle to the Kentucky test.

There are a couple of things I need to point out about that test.

1. The study materials are FULL of misspellings and errors. Even some of the practice test questions have incorrect answers.
2. There aren't very many large cities in Kentucky. Like southern Indiana, once you get outside of the "city" you are truly in hillbilly country.

This begs the following questions:

1. Did anyone in Louisville or Lexington proof read the materials?
2. If I answer the question correctly on the actual test will I get it wrong if the answer is wrong in the study questions?

Don't get me wrong. there are many nice people in Kentucky (and Southern Indiana). But I seriously doubt if many of them could pass this test. Heck. There are people in my company with college degrees that had to take it 3 times before they passed. Luckily, I have uncanny test taking skills, and I've passed all my licensing tests the first time. Which brings me to another quick story.

We have had 7 "educational" sessions where I work to learn how to investigate accidents over a period of the last 7 months. After the last session, we had to take a test so the "big boys" would know we were paying attention, and prove that we learned something. (Interestingly, I passed, my boss didn't. HAHAHA!) Did I do any of those things I learned at the scene today? Ummmmm...I took photos. It was a SERIOUS waste of my time to go today. There was an attorney, a reconstruction guy from Canada, and independent adjuster, and me, all tripping over each other. The attorney talked to the driver and I got to ask a couple of questions. The independent adjuster will get the witness statement. The recon guy will do a very detailed analysis of the vehicles and the scene. So, I took some pictures. I stood around and admired the nice day and talked to the tow driver, ate at McDonalds twice, listened to almost an entire book on tape on the drive there and back, and will get paid for driving about 350 miles in my personal auto. All in all, not a bad deal for a day out of the office.

Only the young...

Sarah went to a concert in Chicago on Friday night with some friends. She got home at 6 am, and I didn't see her until about 3:30 or so Saturday when I got home from grocery shopping. She was cleaning out her truck. It must have been bad because I saw several trash bags leaving the cab of her truck.
After we put away groceries and she finished cleaning out her truck, we sat down together on the couch, and she informed me that she was "going to California". She said she met two kids her age at a party, who have been hitching from Michigan, down the East coast, and over to Bloomington. They apparently stayed with people along the way and cooked and cleaned for R&B. Sarah told them she'd drive them out to California, since they wanted to go out West. So, I asked her when she was leaving. "Today." "No." "Yes." "Nooooo." "Yes." She cried and told me she needs to do SOMETHING with her life and she will never get this opportunity again.
So, off she went with these two people. Andy found out she was going at the last minute and begged to come as well. She left with a loaf of bread, some turkey & cheese, chips and Gatorade with $100.00 and a 1/4 tank of gas. (The 'travelers' are allegedly paying for gas.) She took a skirt, the jeans she was wearing, 5 pairs of underwear and several t-shirts with her. She said when she is done in California she'll go to Colorado to work in a ski resort. She left to go say goodbye to friends and I cried like a baby for an hour.

Enter: Jon. Eliz called Jon and told him Sarah's plans (she asked Sarah if it was o.k. first). Jon calls Sarah, and for whatever reason, Sarah answered. First words out of Jon's mouth is "F-you!!" Imagine him yelling at her for 20 minutes with every other word the f-bomb and telling her what a loser she is, and that he's going to send a body bag out that way because she'll need it to come back in once they find her dead/raped/mutilated body by the side of the road. He told her if she left Indiana that night he'd never speak to her again. She challenged him on that and asked if he really wanted to make that ultimatum. He said "F-yes" and then hung up on her.

Sarah calls me, hysterical. Now, Jon is an A*s-hole we can all agree. But if nothing else, his call shook her up enough that I was able to ask her to please call my brother Don and see if she can come out there and live and if he would find a job for her. She did (thank God) and he told her he could get her a job at any ski resort in northern Nevada, and would find something for her to do before the season starts. He told her she'd have to sign a contract that she would stay through April. So, I feel better, she feels better, she has a plan.

She left at 12:30 early Sunday morning. I talked to her once and she was in Kansas. She said she'd call me today and let me know where they are. She did. She called me at 2:30 am, told me that they blew a tire, and were in Mesa Colorado (which is close to the Utah border). Andy was insisting they get a hotel room. She has $70.00. He has $150.00. I told her just to sleep as long as she possibly could so they would be rested and start out again today. She'll need to buy a tire. Apparently, Andy has a buddy that owes him $$ and they were going to call him and have him bring it to me today so I can deposit it into her account.

Ah, adventure.

Honestly, I think it would be fun to do what she is doing, but not with $100, no clothes, no food, no idea where I'm going and certainly not with 4 people in an S-10. A little planning would have been good.

The Flaming Lips Girl Made It Home

I haven't seen her yet, but her truck's here. I don't see any new dents or scratches on her vehicle, so all must have gone well. She got up long enough to let Mama out of her room at around 11:00 am, but she didn't make an appearance.
_________________________________________

So, I've been noticing lately that my hair is falling out. I'm seeing hair on my hands when I wash my hair. Joe thought it was my imagination. Today, I got my hair cut and guess what? Casey (that's my hairstylist's name) said my hair is considerably thinner, especially on top. Holy crap. I'm turning into Grandma Crouse. Short, round, balding.

_________________________________________

Minus 6

My boss, who calls me Miss Herbalessence because he can't remember my real name, just informed me that I'm -6 for the week. I know this sounds negative (get it? -6, negative? HAHAHA) but it really isn't . It means I've closed more claims than I received this week. So let's say I got 20 claims this week. -6 means I closed 26 claims. Seems like quite the feat, doesn't it? The goal is to be at 100% or higher (another oxymoron) by the end of the year. How can we POSSIBLY close more files than we get during the year, you ask? That's what we ask too. But, it can be done, and is EXPECTED.

Today, Sarah is going to Chicago to see the "Flaming Lips" I wonder if their lips are on fire while they sing and that's why no one can understand them? She's taking her Chevy S10 pickup that she informs me "chugs" sometimes at stop signs. She didn't do any of the things I told her to do, like change the oil, get a tuneup, save her money for gas, etc. Luckily, another car load of kids will be going along too, so someone else will be there to help should anything...break. I WAS able to talk them into leaving at 10 am instead of 1 pm. I convinced them that being in Chicago rush hour traffic on a Friday would be worse than missing the concert altogether. So if they actually get out of town by 10, they should make Chicago by 2 pm (maybe 3 pm with potty breaks and all that).

This morning when I got up for work, Sarah was up (!). I took a shower and then got on-line to check her bank balance and decide how much money to give her for the trip. This is a touchy area. I don't want to give her more than she needs because she'll spend it. But I don't want to give her less than she needs in case she runs out of gas or something horrid like that. So while I was debating with myself, one of her IM buddies popped up with this, "!". I said, "This is Sarah's mom, not Sarah." It was her friend Ryan, and he told me he was so excited about the concert he only got 2 hours of sleep. Oh, that makes me feel WAY better about you guys going to the concert. I didn't say that, of course. But I did make him promise to be careful. He said they would, and of course I believe him.

I'm fairly certain I'm going to get a frantic call at 2 am saying one of these things:

1. Mom, the car broke down in inner city Chicago! What should I do?
2. Mom, I'm out of gas and I don't have any more money because I spent it all on t-shirts and food at the concert. What should I do?
3. Mom, I'm in jail. What should I do?

So the big decision is, leave the phone on, or turn it off? Don't worry. Even if I DID turn my phone off, Joe w0uldn't be able to stand it and he'd turn it back on. He is the ultimate "gotta be connected at all times" kinda guy.

Out of the mouths of babes part II

Yesterday, Elizabeth made some home-made shortcakes. She was cutting up the strawberries when Yuki asked her what she was doing. She explained she was preparing strawberries for the shortcake. Yuki's response? "I want some strawberries, damn it!"

When I was able to stop laughing and breath again, I asked her what she said. "Yuki, what did you say?" "Uh....I don't know."

Elizabeth went on to say that one of her friends went to the zoo with another mom and her children. It was hot (one of those lovely 95 degree days). Her friend's son was getting out of the car and piped up with, "It's hotter than a mo-fo outside today." OH MY GOSH. Personally, I thought it was pretty funny. But it's not my kid.

Whew. Those little ones soak up EVERYTHING they hear and wait until the perfect moment to spit it right back out.

No spider sightings yesterday

Yesterday was the first day I saw NO spiders in my house for quite a few days now. Interestingly, there is not one single bug stuck in any of the sticky traps. Apparently they know better. Or else I have no bugs in my house now. I'll go with the second option. I think the Raid around the doors and windows probably really did the trick.

Today is Wednesday. I know in an earlier post I said we should all have 1 or 2 three day weekends a month, but now I'm reconsidering. I haven't necessarily changed my mind, but I'm thinking it over. The problem with a three day weekend, is a four day week. What is it about a four day week that makes it seem to d-r-a-g on and on and on? It's a strange phenomenon.

Enjoy the day.

GROSS!!!

OMG! My brother Sam enlarged the photo of the spider I found in my bathroom a couple of days ago. Isn't it gross??? Look at those glowing eyes and the hair on it's legs. YUCK!.

I went to Wal-Mart today and bought some sticky pads and some Raid. Last night was the last straw. Joe saw a spider walking across the room and killed it. Then, when I opened the back door to let the dogs out last night there were THREE spiders, just like the one above, sitting on my door jam right next to the web they had presumably just woven. Normally, I'm of the philosophy that if the bug is outside, that's where it belongs and I have no issues with it. Inside is a different ballgame altogether. But, I think it's time for action. I sprayed the door jam and around the foundation with Raid. Man I hope it works!

Sam's blog is at http://www.samellis.net.

It's Sunday, but feels like Saturday

I love long weekends. We should all have a long weekend 1 or 2 times a month. More than that wouldn't work because it would just become normal, and wouldn't seem like a treat. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with my extra day yet. Joe is handing me all the sales fliers for the Labor Day Sales. That sounds like permission if you ask me. "Here honey. Anything in these fliers is fair game for your purchasing pleasure. Enjoy!"

Have a great Labor Day. Don't forget...after tomorrow, you need to leave your white shoes in the closet until Memorial Day. =)

Sigh

Sarah's room. AKA: Spider Haven

At the risk of being redundant, guess what I found when I opened my knitting bag? Yup. A spider. What the heck? This one I took outside because I was closer to the door than the bathroom. It took some serious convincing to get the spider to come out. Eventually, it took some serious shaking of the bag.

So, I've just spent the last 1/2 hour on-line trying to get information on how to get rid of spiders in your home. After reading many articles, I have come to the following conclusions:

1. It's not easy to kill spiders with "products".

2. The best way to get rid of spiders is to get rid of other bugs. OTHER BUGS? What????

3. One person suggested getting some of those sticky things to trap mice. I might try that.

But what if I catch a mouse? That would be just as bad.

4. Keeping a clean house is a good way to get rid of spiders. I think this means that the only way to get my house clean is to get rid of Sarah. Her room alone is probably a haven for many, many spiders. They probably just come downstairs to play. See above picture. It should be noted that this is what her room looks like AFTER she cleaned it.

Proof that Sofi is occasionally friendly...

Here is a rare photo showing Sofi actually sitting on my lap and looking happy doing it. And Yuki is cuddling like his normal affectionate self.

Spiders, spiders, spiders

Another spider. And bold as can be. It just sat there and let me take it's picture. We told the office about all the spiders and they said they would spray for them, but nothing so far. I think it's time to take matters into my own hands...

If you are wondering, this is the SAME bathroom in which I flushed the other two spiders down the toilet. This one joined the others. Yuck.

Out of the mouths of babes

Yuki has learned a new word. At age 3, little kids are magnets for language that's inappropriate and only stated at the most inconvenient/embarrassing times.

Yuki chose to test this new word while visiting my mom (great-grandma Charlotte). Out of his seemingly innocent mouth, for the first time, and in front of my mom, Yuki said, "Damn it!". Of course, this elicited a long lecture from my daughter on how that word is not a "nice" word, and we shouldn't say it. Hmmm. I wonder who he learned it from? Surely not me.

A week or two later, Elizabeth heard a bang coming from Yuki's room, and she heard Yuki announce, "Damn it!" She said, "Yuki, what did you just say?" His reply? "I said MOMMY!" Now THAT's a quick learner.

What brought this story to my mind tonight was when Joe and I were watching TV and the circuit breaker tripped throwing us into darkness. My response? "DAMN IT!"

Yuki's a chip off the old block. 'Nuff said.

Spider update...

I went home for lunch. On the wall right above my toilet was a small spider. Probably one of the big spider's babies. I flushed it so it could be with mama. Then I came back to work, and on my window is ... a SPIDER. I can't reach it to kill it. It's taunting me now, sending over telepathic messages that I'm the evil spider killer, and my life is now going to become fodder for a new horror flick. This is especially unfortunate since I just watched some stupid movie yesterday about giant tarantulas taking over a ship and killing everyone but the two main characters who barely escaped with their lives. I made fun of the movie and how bad the special effects were. This is apparently retribution for making light of how scary a spider can be.

Christy vs Giant Spider

This morning I picked up the shoes I wanted to wear...and noted there was a spider web across one of the shoes. Normally I don't pay attention to my shoes. Normally I just put them on and continue merrily on my way. However, the web made me pause a moment. Should I put them on, or is there a spider in there? So, I brushed away the web, and tried to peer into my shoe. I couldn't see anything. So I took my shoes into the bathroom where there is more light, and tried to look into the depths of my shoe. I still could see nothing, but I couldn't see all the way to the toe either. So. I set my shoes down on the bathroom counter and...reached in to see if there was a spider in my shoe. There WAS!! I'm not sure who was more afraid. I yanked my hand out of my shoe. The spider quickly followed, and jumped into my OTHER shoe! Holy cow! So I held that shoe over the toilet and shook it violently until the offending spider fell out. It was HUGE. I flushed it. I felt sort of guilty flushing it because it was trying desperately NOT to be flushed. But the guilt didn't last long.

Time for "spider-be-gone" spray.

In case you are wondering, I didn't wear those shoes today.

Dogs, skunks, rain and Easter

Interesting day today. Butch was sprayed at by a skunk. Thankfully it wasn't a full on hit. Joe didn't realize it was a skunk, and thought he just rolled in "poo". I came home from work and oh, no. It was worse than poo. Butch got a lovely bath. He's very unhappy about it. When he gets over himself, I'll cut his nails and then he'll really be out of sorts.

We are having a full fledged spring thunderstorm. Very exciting. Especially when I got home and every window in the house was open, and - you guessed it - raining inside almost as much as outside. It hailed on the way home from work, and there was a nice little pile of hail stones in my hammock. I wish I had taken a photo of it.

Today I made Easter baskets for the grandkids. Not something I am fond of doing, but I'm glad I did. Here's proof:


Yesterday I finished a planter I was making. I finished it, put in a rose bush and some vinca vines and pronounced it "good enough".










Here's a picture of the planter:


That's it for today. On to my list of things to accomplish before Easter...

Spring has Sprung

Today I was lying on my couch watching the birds eat from the 3 feeders I have outside my window. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something GREEN! I looked more closely and there it was! Leaves sprouting on the bush just outside my door. Buds growing on the two trees just past that. Suddenly the grass is green and even a little long in places. Holy cow! When did all that happen? Later I went to the grocery store and the Forsythia all around town are blooming! There are daffodils and violets and grape hyacinth blooming everywhere!

Spring is a beautiful thing. It's been raining here for days on end and today is the first nice day. It's amazing how everthing is just popping out now.

Busy week...

Wow, what a busy week I've had! I was on call last week and it was supposed to end on Wed am...I almost made it without getting called out. Tuesday evening, however, I got the dreaded,
"You are going to Ohio" call. =) So off I went, and just when I thought I was safe and was going to be able to come back home from Toledo, there was another accident in Bellevue OH nearer to Cleveland. I had already checked into a hotel in Toledo and everything when I got that call. I checked right back out and headed to Bellevue. Both accidents were horrible. I got home last night about 6, and had to go to Wild Care immediately because they were short handed. Joe and I had a date planned for Thursday night, so I went home and showered and Joe came over. Then today, I had to drive the rental car back up to Indy's airport, and Sarah had to follow me there to bring me back. It was nice being out of the office, but my work load is really really high now. So, I expect I'll be spending some time in the office over the weekend.

Tomorrow I'm baby-sitting for Yuki & Sofi. Elizabeth got a rabbit at the state fair last week and I'm allergic to rabbits, so I'm a little worried about how that will play out. I told her she'd have to put the rabbit in the garage while I'm there.

Sarah starts classes Monday. I think she's a little apprehensive about it. I'm not sure she's up for it. She doesn't seem to be at all excited. Man. I LOVED the beginning of every semester...new notebooks, new pencils & pens, new books, new classes...new promises that this semester I'd actually study and stay caught up and read everything and do the assignments on time... ha!

Let's see...Joe and I are (really) dating again. It's a long and sordid tale of jealousy and fear. Just kidding. He is friends with a woman he lives next to and while he told her he just wanted to be friends with her it appears she has deeper feelings for him. I sensed Joe pulling away from me and last Sunday at church and afterwards, I just felt so sad and cried and cried after church because I don't want to lose him...but at that point, I didn't want to ruin any relationship he may have with her because I've been so obtuse. So I asked him how his relationship was going with her and he said she is very nice but he has no desire to be anything other than friends with her and he has told her that, and that he loves me and hopes that someday we can work things out. So, I told him how I don't want to not have him in my life and that I didn't realize how much I cared until I thought I might lose him... So, we are going to see where it takes us. He is such a nice man. I was very honest with him and told him I do not want to marry him (or anyone else for that matter) because his son is such a handful and I just don't think I can handle being in the same house with Josh. And, I don't see Josh moving out and being on his own for a long time. So, we will see. It's sort of funny because I feel like I'm in high school again and all giddy. It's silly, but it's fun at the same time. Please pray with me that I'm not just being selfish. I honestly don't think I am, but you know how the heart can be...and I certainly don't want anyone to be hurt (especially me...ha!). Joe has come a long long way, and works very hard at everything he does.

Anyway, nothing much else going on here. Just a little tired from the traveling, but feel "awake" and it may be a while before I can fall asleep...

Is he in the kennel?

Yup.

WHY do I have a dog?

I tell you what. There are days when I don't know what I'd do with out Butch. And then there are days like today when I think to myself, "Why the hell do I have a dog?" Because if I'm even a little bit late, Butch lets me know he's upset by doing horrid things. Usually he will pee or poop on the floor. Sometimes he will turn over a trash can if one is accessable, and eats what ever is in there. You would not believe the things I have seen that dog poop.

As you may recall from yesterday, I worked on my worm farm. Let me explain just a little about that. I have frogs and a bearded dragon that all eat mealworms. Lots of mealworms. The place I volunteer at (Wild Care) raises meal worms for all the birds they take in that eat insects. Someone there offered to make a meal worm farm for me. In a nutshell, mealworms have 3 life stages: The beetle (can't fly) lays eggs, which hatch into mealworms, become pupae and then new beetles. I noticed my mealworm farm was losing ground on the worms, and gaining lots of beetles. So I looked on line to see what I was doing wrong, and as it happens, I need to separate out the 3 stages. This really isn't as hard as it sounds once it gets going I think, but separating it all out to start with took a lot of time. And I put all the "Frass" (waste) in a trash can along with the rotted food in the container. THEN, I FORGOT TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH.

I come home from work, admittedly a little later than usual. I walk in the door and notice that Butch had not pooped on the floor. I tell him what a good dog he is, and take him outside to do what he needs to do.

I came upstairs and Butch had dragged the trash can OUT of the critter room, into the hall and proceeded to string out all that crap PLUS all the stuff I cleaned out of the bird cages last night. Grrrrrr. He didn't even come upstairs with me because he knew he was in trouble. I looked and he was standing on the steps hiding, waiting to see if he was in trouble. I used my stern "you're in trouble buddy" voice and he ran back downstairs. What a gross and disgusting mess to clean up. I really hate to do this, but it is time for Butch to hit the kennel when I'm gone for the day. He'll get over it. He sleeps most of the day anyway.

Just another day in paradise

Here's a rundown of my day...

I could NOT get up this morning for the life of me. I hit the snooze 4 times. Then, of course I was late to work.

We had a company breakfast today, but not until 9 am, so I was hungry and a little grumpy by the time I ate.

I decided to go to the Co-op and get some bran and some chicken crumbles (bran for the mealworm farm and chicken crumbles for the birds...) and it made me feel like a farmer. HA! However, the Co-op only sells bran in 50 pound bags, and I don't need that much. So I got the chicken crumbles and headed for the health food store where they sell bulk bran. I bought some bran, some rolled oats and some tabouli. YUM! As I'm leaving there, I get a phone call from Sarah advising she's gonna run out of gas. On the way to work her car died a couple of times, and she put it in neutral at stop lights, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't make it home. So I turned the OTHER way coming out of the store, so I can go give her a couple of bucks for gas.

I'm driving along and a kid pulls out from a stop sign and I broadside him in my car. Holy crap. The kid looks at my bumper and rubs at some of the paint transfer and says he thinks my bumper is o.k. Apparently he can't see the large crack and where the bumper is pushed in. I tell him we need to call the police and he says o.k, and then proceeds to tell me about his bad day. Apparently, he is moving (evidenced by his car full of stuff), but the place he's moving into is still occupied by the people that are supposed to be out. The friends he is staying with are tired of him being there. It's finals week and he has to study. And, he's late for work now, and he can't remember the phone number to call and let them know why he's going to be late. That seemed to make him very nervous. I sympathize with him. Suddenly, his car dies. He hangs his head and says "Oh, no. I'm out of gas." How ironic is that? Luckily the kid has insurance and my bumper will be replaced and life will go on.

I drove to Starbucks, gave Sarah 10 bucks, told her I get a new bumper, and her boss gave me a free drink. WOO-HOO! Things are looking up!

I got home and spent a little over an hour messing with my worm farm and cleaning the bird cages, while waiting for the kick-butt meatloaf I'm making in the oven to bake. I ate said meatloaf along with some tabouli and a pita bread I fried up.

Now, I'm heading off to read and go to bed.

Just another day in the life of your typical insurance adjuster. Hee hee.

When did I get old?

Today Sarah and I had this discussion about how she feels disconnected from everyone and everything. She is not "depressed", she is "anxious". She is questioning the meaning of her existance and is wondering what the meaning of it all is. She is sad, lonely, hurting, and floating around in her universe with no idea what to make of everthing.

I told her that perhaps she should consider medicine. Nothing wrong with medicine. I myself take Welbutrin and Effexor. It makes my mind behave so I can function. It makes the "happy chemicals" in my brain able to so their job. But, she says no way. No medicine. So, I tell her if she really wants to get better she needs to eat right, get more sleep, and get out of her personal pity party and do something for someone else. Find a way to focus on someone else's life for a bit and see if she can do something to make their life a little better. Volunteer somewhere. Do little things for other people. I suggest prayer. No way. God is not the answer for her. Christians are not ... I think she said they are not good people, and the things they do are wrong. I asked her if she is judging God and Christianity by the people who say they are Christians, or by the words God gives us in the Bible. I don't think it matters to her. I guess I just feel that "People" are so fallable and we all do horrible things. God is not fallable. He is perfect. But, I would just be speaking to a brick wall talking to her about anything religious (although spirituality is o.k. in her book).

We then went to the community college to get her signed up. She was angry and frustrated and impatient. She signed up for four classes. She was not excited about signing up for classes when we left, and that just doesn't bode well if you ask me.

So anyway, we are driving back home and I make a comment on how incredibly high the price of gas is. This causes her to come out of her funk and go on a tirade about President Bush and how he is evil, greedy, money hungry and power hungry. I asked her if she thinks Clinton was any better and she says she wasn't paying attention to Clinton. So I point out to her that the "basic" tenants of the Republican party are less government involvement, more opportunity for business, and more of a "hands-off my personal life" approach. Democrats are more about bigger government, taking care of the downtrodden, and making sure the disadvantaged are cared for BY the government. Then I told her that I don't care if the president is a Rep or Dem, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and has to make decisions every single day that affect millions of people while still attempting to stay true to his Party and his personal beliefs. God help anyone who is in that office, and we sure as heck couldn't do it. By this time I was pretty worked up and mad. I dropped her at her house and I went home.

So, I'm standing in my kitchen, looking out the window and thinking about how angry I was at Sarah's dismissive attitude toward government in general and Bush in particular, and I remembered when I was young and felt that passion of change that only the young people can bring to society. When we get older, there is just too much LIFE going on to get involved in deep philosophical issues, or maybe we are just tired of banging our head against the wall. Don't get me wrong. I still feel passionate about certain things (abortion, stem cell research, debt) but I try not to be dismissive of other's opinions. I try to let other's have their opinions and just calmly disagree if we are discussing an issue we don't see eye to eye on. After all, isn't that what freedom is about? Being able to have and express your opinions, hold your own beliefs, engage in life freely, and not as part of an oppressed society? We should all have to go live in a third world country for six months. That would cure most of us of our distaste for the government we live under.

The tirade is now over.

PS - sarah called and left a voice mail saying she was sorry for upsetting me and for talking to her & taking her to sign up for classes. sigh. Nothing is easy, is it?

Truth in voice mails

Every day I change the message on my voice mail, and it goes like this:

You have reached the voice mail box for Christy on July 16. I'm in the office today, but I'm either away from my desk or on another line. I will be in the office today until 3:45 Eastern Time. Please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If you need help immediately, press "0" now and ask for any adjuster in the eastern regional office. Thank you and have a good day.

OK. Let's get real. Here's what the message should say if I am being honest:

You have reached the voice mail box for Christy on July 16th. I'm in the office today but I'm either 1) on another phone call, probably personal, but maybe not; 2) getting a cup of coffee; 3) in the bathroom doing what comes naturally in the bathroom; 4) talking with a co-worker about our personal lives; or 5) just ignoring the phone because I'm doing something else and don't want to get it. I will be in the office today from 7:35 ish to noon, and then 1:30 or so until 3:45. If you want to, you can leave your name and phone number. I make it a goal to answer my voice-mails within the week, but sometimes it does stretch out to two. If you need faster service, here's my fax number 555-1212 or you can mail stuff to my address at "Company Address". Or, if you really want to, you can push "0" now and ask for anyone in the liability department in the eastern regional office. The operator will probably just tell you to leave a message in my voice mail, but you never know. You may be lucky today. Have a good day.

That's what I should say. It would be honest. But I'd probably get fired so I will stay with the message I usually leave. Everyone is happier living the lie that way.

Have a good day.

If only thinking were as good as the real thing...

Every day, I think about things I should do. Wouldn't it be nice if just by thinking seriously about something it would come to pass? Now, you wouldn't want just any ol' random thought to come about because that would be disasterous. Imagine if some grumpy cashier made you mad and you thought "Ugh! She should get fired!" and bam! she was! Or what if someone thought that about you? Or even, "Man! I wish my boss was dead! I hate him!" Whoa! you go to work the next day, and he's not there because you KILLED him with your thoughts.

On the other hand, if you were to sit down and plan something out, not just a random thought or momentary wish, that would be cool. I would "think" myself fit and healthy. I would "think" myself into liking my job, and getting paid much more than I do now. I would "think" my exercise and eating plans. And I would "think" that sugar/fats/and other ugly unhealthy items do absolutely no harm to my body. All this would come to pass just by thinking about it.

Ah yes. The power of laziness. Thinking is so much easier than doing.

Hump Day

It's hump day, which is so nice. Down-hill slide to the weekend. That alone makes me feel kinda bad, because that means I'm wishing my life away, waiting with bated breath for the weekend (i.e. no work for 2 days) to show up. I wonder if this means I need to search inside for some honest answers about if I like my job. I have a sneaking suspicion I don't anymore. The problem is, I've been there for so long that I get 3 weeks of vacation, and just a couple more years and I'll get 4! I can't get there starting out anywhere else, and I live in a town small enough and far enough away from a large town that this is the only game that will pay me what I'm getting paid. Which ain't bad. I make pretty good money. So, heck. What's the deal with being bored and not wanting to go to work? It's not like the job isn't challenging or anything like that. Perhaps it's a mid-life crisis. Ha.

Meanwhile, Friday is sliding into the home stretch...

What's finals week without a party?

Another 3 am rude awakening early this morning. This time, it was a drunk woman, or maybe 2 screaming hysterically at someone else. She was so drunk and hysterical it was impossible to understand what the heck she was upset about. But with THAT kind of hysteria in her voice, I'm guessing someone tried to move in on her man or something similar to that. This has been finals week for the college kids. I'm thinking it started out with an innocent "Hell, yes! School's out for summer!" party, and degraded from there. Anyway, everyone is sleeping with thier windows open because it's so nice out, and that means everyone could hear this disaster unfolding. Someone flashed their outside light on - that slowed things down for about 1 second while the confused drunk was blinded temporarily. I heard doors slam, I heard people trying to get these girls off the deck they were fighting on (thank goodness! What if one had pushed the other off?). Finially my next door neighbor goes out onto her deck and (her voice carries really well, and we could all definately understand what she was saying) yells "Hey! Do we need to call the police? What the F--- is going on?" That had the desired effect of shutting the party down within moments. Doors slammed. A car started and squealed away, hopefully driven by a more sober person than the girl that was yelling. Everyone settles down and tries to go back to sleep.

What this whole episode really made me wonder was this...since we could hear this insane fighting so clearly in the night air, do my neighbors hear me snore?

Random 3 am Thoughts

My brother Ray called yesterday. He said his chajuajua Jaz (who is 12) was to get her teeth cleaned, and when the vet did the preliminary blood work, she discovered something in Jaz's blood levels that concerned her. She told Ray it might be Cushing's Disease. This disease causes increased drinking and increased urination, loss of hair, panting and sometimes seizures. You treat it by giving the dog medicine that is very expensive. Anyway, I told Ray how Butch has been peeing in the house, and I can't decide if he's mad about something, or just really has to GO. I took him to the vet and described what is happening, and my vet wants me to bring in a sample of urine. HELLO! How am I supposed to get urine? Butch won't let me anywhere near him when he's "Doing his business". Why would he? I won't either. If I had some one chasing after me when I am trying to pee trying to stick a container under me, I'd run off, too.

So. It's 3:15 am, and for the "I don't even know how many days in a row now" Butch woke me up to go outside. He starts with this little Mruff, which progressively grows louder and more persistent until I wake up. I come back to bed, and Butch has to lay directly on my feet. Sometimes I try to outlast him on who moves first. I'll just leave my feet underneath him, which HAS to be uncomfortable. He'll sigh, but he won't move. I never win unless I wiggle my feet and annoy him. 15 minutes later I'm still lying in bed thinking about how Butch probably has Cushing's disease and what the implications of that may be. I'm hoping that writing this will get it out of my head so I can sleep again.

I'm going to Chicago today for a mediation tomorrow. When I made reservations there was only ONE hotel in downtown Chicago I could get into because of some convention, and that hotel is going to cost my company $285 for the one night, which is twice the price of my plane ticket!! Good lord. On the up side, Chicago is a fun place to go. Now that I've done it a few times the El is fun to ride, and I imagine I can look as bored and nonchalent as the real Chicago people. I'm sure I don't - I probably look like a country girl coming to the big city. But it's fun to pretend.

Sarah is supposed to be moving out. She is getting a place with a couple of her high school friends, and allegedly the move date is this Friday. I see absolutely NOTHING to show she's actually going however. No packing, no excited talking about it, no indication what the apartment number is... very suspicious.

My apartment complex called me today to see if I am renewing or moving. I went to the office and asked them to show me a 3 BR flat and a 2 BR flat. Right now I live in a 3BR townhouse, which I do like. The 3 BR looks o.k., the 2 BR would be a little tight I think. The thought of moving is just not appealing in any way, and I'm trying to decide if the $40-95 difference is worth moving. Changing my address both personally and updating all my licenses etc professionally, packing, unpacking, moving stuff ... I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay where I am. Here, I can have my bird feeder and plant stuff if I want to. I don't have to worry about making too much noise for the upstairs/downstairs neighbor. The positives of staying here outweigh the positives of moving.

Well, I suppose I can go put the iPod on 15-30 minutes and listen to a book on tape, or maybe a podcast of the Dave Ramsey Show. Most of the time I can fall asleep w/i the 15 minutes, and almost always before 30 minutes. I thought maybe Coast to Coast would be on the AM station, but no such luck. That show is a hoot, and if I can't sleep at least I'm amused. Another podcast I love is NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me! which is a totally liberal news show that takes news stories from the week and callers try to guess who it's about. If they win, "Carl" will call and put a message on their answering machine. Even though I'm conservative, I still have a sense of humor and think the show is funny.

Nite. Morning. Whatever.

cje

Ah, Youthhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.spell.gif

4:00 am, Eastern Daylight Time, Bloomington IN.

Every door in the house slams either open or shut. The wind is blowing so hard curtains are flying straight out from the window. Suddenly, the rain, lightening and thunder, along with a smattering of hail centers directly over our living quarters. (I would say "House" but it is not technically a house. It's a 'something-plex'.) Anyway, I get up close all the windows because the rain is POURING in. I tell Sarah to come with me to the downstairs bathroom and we head down the stairs. Those of you who know me, know that I am FEARLESS in the face of tornadic weather. But that's mainly because I can usually sleep through it. The tornado sirens are bleating and Sarah, Butch and I settle down in the bathroom and wait for the sirens to stop. However, they don't.

Eventually, Sarah and I start talking, and she begins to tell me how really wrong the world is right now. President Bush is actually EVIL. We are a selfish people who think only about getting rich and not about helping the poor and unfortunate in society. Marriage is a dead institution, people shouldn't have kids because the world is over populated. I take all this in, and say something along the lines that Bush may not be the best president we have ever had, but the other choice was worse. We do tend to like our money here, but aren't we lucky that we have it to like. If, however, she wishes to take her $7.00 per hour salary which is really only about $5.25 NOW after state, federal, county, ss and medicare taxes are removed, and THEN take a couple more dollars per hour out to give to people who don't want to work, then, feel free. I, however, will hang on to my extra bucks. She protested that that isn't really fair and we should all help each other. (Gasp - that sounds suscpisiously like Communism!) So, I point out several people we know that are lazy, do not work, live off other people and the government, but are PERFECTLY healthy and able to work. They just choose NOT to bother. That gave her pause for a moment.

On to the INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE. We spoke of committment, and I pointed out how hollow committment is if you don't follow through with actual actions of committment. Kids. Yeah, the world may or may not be overpopulated, but the US is not overpopulated. Not having kids here is not going to keep Third World Nations from having kids, however. Hmmmm.

I can see the condecending attitude building and how really stupid she thinks her mother is. And it makes me laugh right out loud. I tell her, "Ah Youth. I remember when I was like you are now. There was a time when I was your age and the most important thing to me was Saving the Whales. Never mind that I lived in Iowa and had never even SEEN a whale first hand. I was going to save them from the tragedy of unfair hunting and extinction. I told her my Uncle Charlie thought that was hysterical and decided to "Save the Walrus" and put an article and magnet on the refrigerator discussing the plight of the Walrus. You know, it was probably 2 years before I realized he was making fun of me, and trying to teach me how silly I was. I remembered him asking me why I picked "saving whales" as opposed to helping starving children in my own area. I remembered looking at him like he was just SOOOO out of touch. Now, I realize how really IN touch he was and how silly I was.

Having said all of this, thank GOD for youth. Because the passion they bring to things in our world really can change bad things to good things. Fresh ideas are always nice. (Not that any of her ideas are FRESH. I've heard 'em all before...) Most important of all, however, is their ability to make us remember our youth and take a break from all that "grownup-ness". Even if it's just for an hour, sitting on the bathroom floor with your almost-grown daughter, waiting for a storm to pass.

Change is in the air...

Today we had a "volunteer" meeting at Wild Care. It was very interesting, even though I've seen all the animals before, to hear their "stories" and how they came to be part of the Wild Care family. But even more interesting than that was how God spoke to me about diabetes. A woman, probably about my age, maybe just a little older, came in on crutches and said she had to have some sort of surgery on her foot yesterday because of a complication with her diabetes. I didn't think much of it until the woman I work with on Thursday nights told me about her husband (totally separate conversations...) and how he has had diabetes since his 30's and has never tried to take care of it like he should. Now, he can't feel his feet, and can step on a nail and never know it. He recently had heart surgery (diabetic complication) and the wound would not heal (another diabetic complication). He had the surgery MONTHS ago and it is finally just now almost completely healed. To top it all off, his kidneys have failed and he must have dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Each session is SIX HOURS and the cost (Medicare) is 35,000 a WEEK. And still, he does not eat right or exercise. He's waiting for a kidney from someone who will die now. Oh my goodness. That is really horrible. And part of me feels he doesn't deserve to get one since he does nothing to counteract his diabetes.

And yet...here I am and I do not watch what I eat or exercise or try in any way whatsoever to control my diabetes other than my medication. And if I lost weight, I wouldn't have to take that medication for a long time, and I could probably stop taking my blood pressure medication and maybe even my cholesterol medication. It's very sad. I know God is reaching out to get my attention. I will pray every day for the willingness to ask for strength to take care of my body. Because I don't want to. It's so much work. And, apparently, I'm very lazy.

On the monetary front...that is certainly two steps forward and one step back. I have put into action a new savings account with money automatically deposited into it from my checking account. (Out of sight out of mind...) It is not linked with my checking account. Different bank, even. I made a budget. I paid bills. I had 50 bucks to get me through this week, and I have a full tank of gas... I got up, I read the 3 chapters out of Dave Ramsey I'm supposed to read, I worked some more on the budget. Everything was great. Then Sarah asked for money and I said no. She said she needs gas. So, reluctantly and trying to riddle her with guilt, "You are taking my gas money...that's all I'm sayin'!", I give her my Speedway gas gift card that has $7.00 on it and told her it has $7.00, that's all I've got. Then I was mad at myself for doing that. Soon, the doorbell rang, and Sarah's new boyfriend "Ben" is at the door handing Sarah money. What?!? Sarah introduces Ben to me, I ask Ben if he's giving Sarah money. Sarah hastens to say she's going to pay it back. I tell him he shouldn't give her any money. (MEAN MOM! and hypocritical, too!) I told him she gets paid on Friday and she WILL pay him back then. (Let's point out here that 1. It's none of my business if he loans her money. 2. It's none of my business if she does or does not pay him back. 3. I'm mad that I gave her money. The real point here is that it was none of my business and I'm mad.) As another aside, Ben is tall and skinny, short hair, seemed polite enough...

Back to the monetary front. I decide I HAVE to have some flavored syrup to put in my coffee. Off to TJ Maxx I go, where fun syrups abound for 1/2 the price of other places. I find a syrup!! Two in fact!! I find a bowl for $2.00 I can't live without. OH! There's another one! I manage to escape TJ Maxx having spent $16.22. I'm driving away, and I remember my mom telling me about a tea sample she tried that she got in a magazine. It was a Tazo green tea with orchids or something like that in it and she really liked it. I'm driving right by Starbucks (I mean Four-bucks) and decide to "pop" in and see if they sell that kind there since I KNOW they sell TAZO tea. Nope. Not that kind. But, while I'm there I'll get a grande almond mocha (ie. four-bucks and 3 cents). I am now down in my checking account 20.25. But I'm not as mad at Sarah any more. hmmmmm. There may be a connection here...

Yuki and Eliz make a snowman

Yuki after working hard to make a snowman. He looks cold and tired!

Pictures from T-giving And Liz & Matt's Wedding

Photos: Mom holding Sofi, Christy with Yuki and Eliz.





Elizabeth & Sofi.













Yuki in the dog kennel (his choice, honest!)















Matt and Eliz getting married November 25th.












Matt praying to the Stove God that the turkey will turn out just like Alton Brown said it would.

Rudolph grows up and realizes a thing or two...

Good Gad. I haven't watched Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer for probably 10 years. What a piece of work!

Santa is so self-centered and mean! Telling Rudolph's dad he should be "ashamed" for spawning Rudolph and his defective glowing nose. And then when Rudolph comes home, Santa lays a big guilt trip on him, telling him that "Your dad is out looking for YOU, and without HIM, we can't have Christmas". Nice, Santa. Nice.

The "Island of Mis-fit Toys" - what? Put all your misfits in a group home? Then when another misfit comes along to "show the light" they can be integrated into society? Please. Did they give the misfit toys to handicapped kids? Third World children? Kids on Angel trees? What's up with that? If the toys aren't good enough to be given to regular kids, then how come the elves that made them aren't in prison? Do you think Santa told the elves they should be ashamed for making defective toys?

Poor Herbie doesn't want to be an elf, but a dentist and is not accepted because he doesn't fit into the status quo? But heck, he pulls the Bumble's teeth and he's a hero? And what about the Bumble? He's just being a Bumble. So they "reform him" (basically by emasculating him) and now that they can use him to do their will (re: slave) he's great.

Do you think I've been in therapy too long? It used to be a cute cartoon about being nice to others.

Butch the Wonder Dog

I took Butch with me to stay at Elizabeth's while I was hanging out with her and the baby. Every morning Yuki and I would take a walk and go to this little playground about 2 blocks away. There is a little pond there with a walking path around it. And on the pond are many ducks and a few geese. So, Butch was running around checking out the lay of the land, and sees a duck getting into the pond from the shore. To fully understand how completely amazing the following is, first consider that

1. Butch will be 10 years old on September 18th.
2. Butch HATES water. In all the years I've had Butch, he would avoid water like the plague. The most I've EVER seen him do, is just walk in water along the shore of any body of water, but only until the water was about 1/2 way up his legs.

So, there we are watching all these ducks waddle down to the water's edge and start to swim. And to my amazement, Butch jumped in and started to swim after those ducks! I start to panic because I think "Butch Can't Swim." I figure he'll just have to drown because I can't go in after him and leave Yuki on the shore alone. I keep calling to Butch, and when he was about 1/2 way across the pond, he finally listens and comes back to shore. Whew! Close call!

The next day, I think to myself, "I'll go the OTHER way so that Butch won't be tempted by the evil ducks. Lo and Behold we come upon an area with THREE small retaining ponds. The largest one is probably one and a half times the size of the duck pond. But, I see no ducks, and feel confident that I can let Butch off the lead and that he will avoid the water. Yuki and I are examining the pond when about 20 ducks came out of one pond, over a little hill and into the pond we were looking at. All the ducks were mallards except one large white one. In the water they go, and in the water Butch follows! Butch is hot on the tail of the white duck. The duck is not at all concerned, and stays just out of Butch's reach, and, in fact, swims in wide circles in the pond. Butch swims in wide circles behind the white duck. Occasionally the duck would switch directions unexpectedly, and amazingly enough, Butch stayed in the game. Finally I decided that Butch needed to come out of the water before he became too exhausted to continue on and make it back to shore. I called him. He continued swimming in circles behind the white duck. I called again and again. Even Yuki got into it. He calls Butch "B" because he can't say Butch. Suddenly he points at Butch and yells, "B!! blah blah blah!!." I'm not really sure what the translation is there, but Butch sure was getting chewed out! When Butch finally did decide to come to shore, he had a bit of a rough time making it to the bitter end. He was really sucking wind when he finally got his feet under him.

Today, I woke up and decided Eliz just HAD to see Butch do this swimming miracle. But Butch refused to leave the house. Why? Because it was raining, and he hates to get wet...

Yuki Speaks Out

Elizabeth, Matt, Yuki, Sofi and I all go to Eliz's home. The baby will NOT nurse. Elizabeth will NOT be consoled. The baby cries, Elizabeth cries. Day one at home, we are up all night with a crying baby. She just refuses to "latch on". What kind of term is "latch on"? Sounds like something to do with a cabinet if you ask me. Day 2 at home. Same song, different verse. Hysterical baby, hysterical momma. By this time, Yuki has HAD it. He walks up to Elizabeth, who is trying to pump milk so we can give it to Sofi with a syringe. He pats her right on the breast, and then points at Sofi who is crying and says, "Baby? blah blah blah." Then he did it again. I start cracking up. I tell Elizabeth that what he was really saying was "Baby? She is crying. Can you please hurry that up and give her something so she'll shut up?"

Later that night, Yuki is playing out in his little wading pool and I can see him through the window. He has several pool toys, including what looks like an oil funnel, which looks like the end of Elizabeth's pump. I look up just in time to see him stand up with that funnel and place it on his chest. Can't you just hear him saying, "Man. If mom can't get her to shut up, maybe I can. How does this thing work???"

New Baby - and Drama

Here we have a picture of Grandma and new baby Sofi. She's healthy and pretty quiet so far! That could be because she's scared out of her mind. Because Grandma needs to pay more attention to detail.

Matt and Yuki were out playing in the park, and taking a nap at my house. It was just Elizabeth, Sofi and me at the hospital. The problem was, it was HOT in the room. And I don't do well with hot. Hot really stinks. So, I say to Elizabeth, "Man. It's hot in here." She agreed and said that Matt got cold in the night and turned the heat up. (As an aside here, skinny people are always cold. Matt likes the temp to be around 75 degrees. That's just insane.)

So, I say to Elizabeth, "Do you want me to turn the temp down?" "Sure." So I head over to the pretty panel on the wall. I look it over with all the buttons, and can't read the words because it's dark in that part of the room. I try every single light switch and couldn't find one that would come on and illuminate the panel. So I lean in real close, and squint to read the words. I see a square button with a blue outline that says "Cool blue", which I thought was really odd, but, well, blue means cool, right? So I push the button, and wait to see if a temperature readout comes on. Nothing, so I figure it will just cool down on it's own to a pre-set temperature. I walk back to the chair in the room, pick up the paper and start to read. All of a sudden, 5 or 6 nurses burst into the room and say, "Are you ok in here?" I say (confused by the concern in their voices) "Yeah, its just a little hot." One of the nurses turns around and yells into the hallway "It's ok, it was a mistake." I'm still confused. What the heck? Then, it dawns on me. OMG! The button was "CODE BLUE", not "Cool blue". And it doesn't just go off on our floor, it makes the announcement all over the hospital. At this point, I want to sink through the floor. All the nurses leave, and and Elizabeth and I laugh hysterically until we cry. And we sob. One by one, the nurses came in and told us it was o.k., and that it was funny seeing the doctors running down the hall, and really, it was good practice for them. They forgot the crash cart, so it was a good learning experience. Don't worry, don't cry, it's o.k.

I'm pretty sure Elizabeth will never allow me with her again in a doctors office or hospital. But you know, there have been plenty of times when Elizabeth has horrified ME. Karma. It's all about Karma. And in this case, I'd say that was one heck of a payback.

Day Two Without Sarah

Day 2 with no Sarah.

I took Sarah to college (Ball State University) Wednesday. Not much drama. Wasn't too bad. No weeping and gnashing of teeth. Until...Thursday. When I received a heart wrenching e-mail from Sarah...she hates it there, she can't sleep, she doesn't like her room, she wants to come home, she loves me, she misses me... Oh yeah. And, "I want my car!!!"

Today was better. She sounded o.k. when I talked to her. She's made a couple of friends. She'll be fine. Really. Fine. =)

Meanwhile, Butch is wondering where she is. I can hear him thinking now..."The tall human is gone. I didn't like her much and she never did pet me, but...man. I think mom really liked her. Am I next???" Poor guy. He'll be fine. Really. Fine. =)

I haven't had to cook even once since Sarah left. But tomorrow I will have to, because all the left-overs are gone. Unless I want to eat shredded wheat for many many meals. I'll be fine. Really. Fine. =)

And life goes on...

Friday

TGIF

What a week. Sarah graduated last Saturday and now she thinks she owns the world and should be able to do whatever she wants. 76 days until she goes to school (and counting). . .

Retail Therapy

It's been one of those weeks...I've been a little down. Maybe it's empty nest. Maybe it's because I'm not looking forward to "The Party" I'm throwing for graduation, and all the associated hoopla surrounding it. Who knows.

So, last night I decided I needed a hammock. I went to Bed Bath & Beyond. Didn't like the hammock material, so went to Lowes. While in Lowes, I suddenly had to go to the bathroom, so I went clear to the back of the store to the bathrooms, which is far away from the hammocks. On the way OUT of the bathroom, I saw the area rugs, which reminded me that the rug in my room won't stay put, so I put a "rug gripper" in my cart. Walking toward the hammocks, I see the plumbing isle, which reminds me I wanted to look for this aerator thing for my kitchen sink. Don't find it there, sales person tells me to check in a different isle. While walking down that isle I don't find the thing I want, but see some "Spot Shot" for carpet stains and pick that up. Back down the isle, into the main isle back toward Hammocks. I see the stand mixers, and my cart turns all by itself down that isle. I see the beautiful Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers. I think about how my Lowe's card has a special - 12 months same as cash - and after debating (not on whether I should get it, but on which COLOR to get) I decide on the pretty red and put it in my cart. Back toward the hammocks. I see light bulbs. I remember two light bulbs are out upstairs and I have no replacements. Look at ALL the light bulbs, then decide on compact florescent. Then debate on wattage. Finally decide and put a pkg in my cart. This is now very close to the hammocks. I'm in the hammock isle! I stand there for probably 20 minutes debating on whether I want rope or cloth. Eventually I decide cloth, put it on my cart and get a kid to help me with a stand.

I pay for the whole thing on my Lowe's card (12 months same as cash!), work feverishly to fit it all in my car, go home, set up the hammock, and lay in it for an hour looking at the sky. It's a beautiful thing. Maybe today, I'll use the mixer.

Long Time No Blog

Holy cow, it's been a long time since I've blogged. It's not that I've had nothing to say. I ALWAYS have something to say.

Today is Saturday, and I've been watching cooking shows all morning. I think I'll make spaghetti as a result. But not the kind I saw on a cooking show this morning. I'll make the kind that comes out of the jar that you pour over the noodles. That's just called lazy.

Sarah has 1 month of school left. I'm telling you, I cannot WAIT until the girl graduates. She's got senioritis so bad it hurts ME to watch. She honestly should take a year off after high school and work. I think she's pretty sick of school, and maybe she needs a dose of reality from the work world. But, her Dad won't have that, so off she'll go to Ball State this fall.

It's been a wild couple of weeks. I had to go out on 3 serious losses last week - Louisville, Columbus & Champaign. Then this week I was off to Pittsburgh for a deposition. THAT was fun. Unfortunately, coming back from all that leaves the office a huge mess and lots of work to do in a short period of time. I'll have to go in today or tomorrow to finish catching up.

Back to the world of food TV and spaghetti....

Testing

testing blogger button

Yuki Feb 2005

Here's a picture of Yuki taken last week. He has a cold, which he so graciously passed along to me, just in time for me to go out of town on a mediation and a settlement conference. My nose ran the entire time. I got back on Thursday night, and only made it through 1/2 day at work yesterday because I couldn't talk unless I had a Kleenix shoved up my nose to keep the flood at bay. Even though he gave me a cold, I'll keep him anyway. He's a cutie.

If you don't like crafts, skip this entry. These are things we learned at last night's Close to My Heart party. 

I don't know how...

I am sorry - I don't know how to put several pictures on one post. So, the Christmas photos are individual posts.

Thank GOODNESS it's a new year! I'm ready for it!

CJ

 

 

Grandma and Yuki playing with the cement truck. See the Christmas tree mom made me on the kitty litter bucket? Now THAT'S CLASS. 

Matt and Elizabeth play with one of Yuki's toys while Butch (back of the couch) is just trying to stay out of the way. 

"Yeah? Watch me!"  

This turned out to be Yuki's very favorite toy. Even I thought it was pretty cool. 

But I want to HELP, Grandma! 

Isn't he cute??? This is on Yuki's 1st birthday. I love his hair. 

Butch knows how to keep toasty when it's cold out side. Just lay on someone!!! (In this case, Matt) 

Surgery, moving, and irresponsible daughters...

What a VERY busy month December has turned out to be! Here's how it all went down...

• My 11 year-old cat, Mocha got hit by a vehicle that was moving faster than he was. He had been missing for about 4 days before one of the kids in the neighborhood told me they saw a dead cat in the road. It was Mocha. I was devestated. I cried for hours. Even shopping didn't help much.
• My landlord sent a letter telling me my rent was going up $50 per month, and I had 60 days to advise if I was renewing my lease. My apartment is FULL of mold and mildew, Sarah and I are constantly sick, and he is completely unresponsive to most problems brought to his attention.
• Child support ends this year, and my income is going to plunge by almost 1/3.
• Most of the animals we have belong to Sarah and she doesn't take care of them.
• I'm paying out about $150 a month in pet supplies/meds.

So. while still grieving for Mocha, reeling from the rent news and mad at Sarah for not taking care of her animals, I, in one fell swoop, decided to move and get rid of all animals but my own. We have my boston terrier, Butch, and my skunk Stinker. I still have fire belly toads & Sarah still has her dumpy. We kept one fish tank. Life is so much calmer now. And, the new apartment is $30 cheaper than the old one even before the rent hike. Plus, I'm only 1.5 miles from work.

This brings me to Moving. Oh my gosh I hate moving. Apparently it took me three years to forget how much I hate it because that's how long it's been since the last time I moved. Thanks to Matt (Elizabeth's live-in) we got most of the stuff moved over T-giving weekend. There is still some junk over at the old place, mostly in the garage, that needs to be moved, and a pile of stuff to be thrown away. I spent 2 hours cleaning today. I'm sick of cleaning and unpacking....

December 1st I had surgery to remove a cyst on my right ring finger. Non-cancerous according to the doc. It's already pretty much healed. The worst part was the day after, when I ripped the stitches right out trying to put on my Tennis Shoes. OUCH!

Irresponsible children...Sarah STILL has not finished even ONE application to college. She drove over some rr tracks on the edge with a big drop off and popped 2 tires ($135 thank you very much). She had over 600 (YES - 600!!) text messages on her cell last month, and over 1000 minutes. Elizabeth went way over her minutes, too. ($275 - thank you). I have changed my plan so that won't happen again, but MAN! I gave Sarah certain items to complete before she flew out to see her dad for Christmas...were they done? No. Sigh.

That's all for today. That's ENOUGH for today. Time for sweet sleep where problems are forgotten and life is not overwhelming. Until I start to dream....

The condensed version

I just typed in a post about moving and dodge ball. When I tried to spell check it, it disappeared. Waaaaaa!

Oh well. In a more compact manner. I'm moving. Today is the walk-through and I get the keys. I'm going to start moving a some every day and hope to be in by the end of the week, but by 12/4 at the latest.

Dodge ball - I don't feel like typing it all again, but it has to be one of the dumbest games ever invented to play in the school system. And to base an entire movie on it is even dumber.

Finally - The Pacers disgrace themselves by fighting with fans. Ron Artest is banned from playing the rest of the season. But what will happen to the fans that poured beer on the Pacers, sucker punched the players and threw chairs? Too much testosterone that night!