Dumfounded and Disappointed

To my immediate right is a content Odin - our one-eyed pirate cat.  Off in the distance, and high in the cat tower, is a blissfully snoozing Simon.  He is a little put off with me since I have twice now evicted his treefrog girlfriend.  That in itself is a long story, so we'll save that for another time.

You're sharp if you've noticed the odd time and date of this particular post.  If it didn't dawn on you that I penned it during work hours on a work day, don't feel badly about your sad powers of observation.  

No, I am not playing 'hooky,' per se', but I am using a little PTO because my hip pain has actually caused me to call out "uncle!" for the first time.  Not responding to the pain meds as I would expect...and I could only imagine my worthlessness in trying to work this morning, all the while praying to find a comfortable position to sit or stand in at my desk to get through the day.  And then there are the endless inspections and sorts, reviews of returned shipments, etc, etc.  Lots of hoofing around, but thankfully less of the physically aggressive outgoing inspections of thousands upon thousands of cartons for accuracy and correctness and no damage.  Oddly enough, our customers really hate the incorrectly labeled and/or damaged stuff - go figure.

Anyhow, I managed to get myself out the door and into the car this morning, but found it impossible to lift my leg comfortably enough to shift gears without complete pain.  Usually, (lately) I've been able to get myself started on a drive to wherever and ignore the feeling while driving.  More like I can distract myself - to an extent - to get the job done, only to be further pained by getting out of the car once I've arrived at my destination, and hobbling around until once again crawling back into said vehicle for the next leg of the day.  So it's no wonder by the time I get home it's all I can do to take off my shoes and settle into a comfortable position until the cats need feeding.  

Yes, Hipzilla has finally taken its toll, and I can no longer ignore it or blow off the pain.  In less than a month I will be having hip replacement surgery.  Still wrapping my head around this thought.  As a child of the '60s this is not how I thought my sixties would play out.  

As I was saying, I was on the way to work when I found myself crying from the pain.  Crying!  I mean, I have cried a couple of times now, facing the realization of what is ahead, and I am not happy over it.  And while I am not talking about my mom coming to town to stay with me (for a MONTH) - hang on, I have to cry again - I couldn't believe how that took me over.  It sidelined me.  I had to pull over to compose myself and figure out what I was going to do; go to work or turn around and go home.  I pulled back onto the freeway and drove another two miles before getting off at the first exit and stopping to text my boss.  Then I sat for a few minutes before pulling back onto the expressway to return home.

Yes!  I came home to try another round of something for pain, and ice packs.

In the meanwhile, I have eaten my 1/2 a meatloaf sandwich and had a cup of tea.  I am now drinking a large bottle of ice water and seriously contemplating a bowl of steaming cream of wheat.  The ten-year-old in me seems to think this would be the best remedy for what is ailing me.  Can't argue with ten-year-old wisdom.

So, until I write again, I hope this finds you well and free of worries and ailments.

Keep it that way.

Another year around the sun completed

There, there's that finished and I'm still here. Nyah-nyah.

Heartache and grief didn't kill me.
This Covid19 thingy is out there, so time will tell; 'til then, still ticking.
Elusive employers & a lack of interviews hasn't kept me from breathing.
Driving alongside absolute idiots in cars on I-75 daily - still here.
Last May's heart episode - and subsequent double concussion - HA!
Shed pounds; found more; lost others; holding my own.
Survived the horror of a would-be Quality Engineer. Buh-bye.

The morning is evaporating quickly, so I must get up and move on with this day.  Even though I will still be here when it is finished, the time will be lost.

Life goes on

Made it through week 3 with our new 'assistant'. 

Someone asked how it was I could "replace" Booker so easily, and I almost burst into tears at the thought.  I was affronted by their thoughtlessness when I really should have felt sorry for their ignorance (or simpleminded attitude).  We weren't replacing Booker; we found an assistant who could help Odin out of his grief.  Although, perhaps we were replacing Odin's loneliness with companionship.

Be assured there is no way we could ever replace Booker - ever.  But, Odin had a need and that was clear.  We weren't about to shirk our responsibility to him.

Let's face it, humans are OK as slaves to their cats, but we are far from perfect buddies and playmates.  Oh, sure, we supply food, water, doody control, warm laps when required, catnip, new toys, clean linen for their queen-sized beds, good head scrubs and belly rubs, and on and on...but we are not the be all and end all when it comes to the perfect companions. 

Some cats need other cats around to either share every waking moment with or ignore with impunity (whilst following one another around the house all day long).  Aloof?  Absolutely not.  Indifferent at times, sure.  Independent?  Absolutely true, but also dependent and faithful and loving.  But do they pick and choose when or if they are going to favor us with their time and company?  Oh, yeah baby, and I'm OK with that.  But between cats - whether siblings or randomly adopted clowders - they are much happier and healthier when they have companionship. 

Our new little crazy man has been assimilated lock, stock and barrel, and we couldn't be happier with the outcome.  Simon has been inserted into our family dynamic, and Odin is much happier.  He is no longer wondering the house from top to bottom, crying out for Booker for hours on end.  That stress would have taken a horrible toll on his FIV-infected body, and that was not an option I was willing to take chances with.  Simon is the guardian of Odin's well-being now, and he is up to that task.  An older adoptee wouldn't have been the same sort of 'assistant' at this time, but when our next big change takes place, our lives and hearts are open to another lovely soul joining our clowder.

Endings and beginnings - and all of the stuff that happens in between

Simply Simon

It's been two weeks of Simon already - two weeks today.  Odin adores him, and is having infinite fun in the romping and chasing category, although deep in the recesses of his brain I am certain there are remnant thoughts of Booker;  traces of affection and respect, and an unidentifiable longing for his big brother...gone but never forgotten.

It took two months for Simon to come into our lives.  No, there wasn't a lot of searching that happened, but Karl couldn't let himself open up completely to making a choice and bringing home a companion for Odin.  I understood that, and I empathized, but I also saw a need to move forward during our collective period of grief.

Besides all of that, Odin was extremely miserable - lonely and alone, and mourning the loss of his buddy.  He still jumped at the odd noise around the house, and called incessantly for our large orange sweetie, and truth be told it was getting  harder to deal with on a daily basis.

I was determined to fill the void left by Booker's departure, but also felt pangs of guilt in ways I am sure many pet owners will understand.  What felt like disloyalty to Book was understandable, but not insurmountable.  Karl and I could have gone on a while without inviting a new cat into our lives, but Odin was inconsolable.  That became the impetus on my part - it made Karl miserable in other ways, but it gave me a reason to keep my heart open to the perfect opportunity.

My mind was set on an older female (for reasons I won't bore you with here and now), but Simon was the one who presented himself a couple of Saturdays ago, and the rest is history.  As you can see from the photo, he is a scrawny kitten of approximately 18 weeks of age - so that makes him about 4 months old.  He's tiny, and as it turned out (despite vet papers provided by the rescue agency), he had fleas; we found this out the hard way.  Both boys are wearing flea collars now (yes, Odin ended up with them, too).  But this wasn't the worst of it, either.

Last Saturday became a very expensive run to the vet clinic which the rescue bunch had taken Simon's litter to.  Ended up with two vaccinations and an oral treatment, plus the rather expensive flea collars.  And I won't even make you guess that one of the treatments was for tapeworm.  Yup, tapeworm!  So, here we are, $155 poorer, but Simon is that much better for it.  Hopefully his robust appetite will help to put some meat on his little bones over the next few months.  Right now he's curious, playful, loving, and excellent company for Odin.

The splendid Booker - rest in peace

Farewell, Booker...you are much loved and will be forever missed.

Normalcy?

I will be returning to work on the third of June, whether I feel up to it or not.  Been sitting (and lying) with my eyes closed - or open '...but not engaged in any activity requiring them to focus or concentrate' for the better part of the last two weeks.

Can you say boring?

Headaches, double-vision, and naps have been near-constant companions, and I believe returning to work so quickly after leaving the hospital was a mistake.  Two full days of staring at and comparing numbers on labels, and working at my computer, did more harm than good.  No job is worth my vision, it is too precious to lose.

Contrary to popular belief, this was not a vacation, it was a period of recuperation - and no, I am not fully functional.  I am now instructed by the GP to begin weaning myself back on to a diet of eyes open, looking at the telly, reading a book, and using my PC to answer email, etc., to get my eyes used to what is to come after a long break from use.

Holy crap, people, take care of your health.  Oh, and is there anyone out there on Atorvistatin?  Are you experiencing any issues while taking the medication?  I have to admit I feel a little ill at ease at the thought of taking it once I read all of the possible side effects.

Ugh

I've let myself go.

Oh boy, have I let myself go.

In fact, I've gone, come back, and left again.  Go, go, go.  Going, going...GONE!

I'm wearing years of 'another birthday fat,' 'disappointment with life fat,' 'i don't have a full time job fat,' 'ouch fat (A.K.A. 'what is that pain - i can't walk fat'),' 'what the eff has happened to my life fat,' 'eat because i want to mask the pain of reality fat,' 'why is my bladder doing that fat,' 'why didn't i recognize that was God's sign fat.' 

You name it, the fat stopped here.

Well, after eleven years of trying, falling, re-inventing, getting back up and trying again, following the trends and trying, and falling, and getting back up once more, I finally found a full time job.  Or rather, the job found me - but either way, that's a BIG "thank you," God.

No, this is not me feeling sorry for myself, it's just the unbridled realization that I am so behind an eight ball with my name written on it...bedazzled in Liberace-style rhinestones.  Like a disco ball of ugh - swinging wrecking ball-like through my life - and I have a tracking device brilliantly embedded somewhere so that I cannot duck or hide, no matter how hard I work to improve things.

How do I make myself un-go?

Is there a way to undo the damage and get back to a good place, or do I just have to start all over again from here?  Really...from here?  Right here?  Really!?

Well, I suppose there are only truly two choices then, eh.  Keep loving the chocolate and potato chips, and all of the other bad things which taste so good and make me feel better, or confront those things that hold me back, make me feel scared and incapable and unworthy.

OK, this is me telling them to get the bleep outta my way!

But just in case, does anyone have a bag of bread crumbs I can use?

Make a bigger dent

I totally get Karl's conundrum with homework for two classes - which set of classwork to start on first?  He couldn't just choose one and get busy, for fear of not doing what was 'right' by working on the other class homework instead.

At the time, I couldn't get how this was such a problem.  Not wanting to think he was using an oddly elaborate dodge, I tried to help him see that by just getting started he could finish one thing and then start the other... eventually both assignments would be accomplished.  The more he dug his heels in over one subject, the more we butted heads and became frustrated.

The more frustration, the more we argued.

The more we argued and debated, the less homework got done.

It was a vicious, unhealthy, unhappy situation. 

It was a difficult time but we did finally move past that.  Karl graduated last May, receiving two - TWO Associate degrees.

Currently, I have multiple large tasks to tackle at home, and no matter what I do I cannot make myself choose one thing over another.  I start one chore, only to distract myself somewhere in the process and lose momentum.  Or, I'll make lists to outline the day or the order, but can't make myself actually dig in and start because the items further down the chore list suddenly seem more important than they had when the list was made.  Aaaargh!!

So, I get it, Karl.  I see your trouble, but there has to be a way to overcome and move forward easily.  I'll let you know how this all comes out.  Until then, here's hoping everything in your life falls in to place easily.

A Good Year

Perhaps I should have called it, "A Momentous Year."  Or even, "A Year of Grand Change."  Oh, there are too many other titles to bestow on this year - always speaking in the familial - but it definitely was a year of accomplishment and change, tumult (the good sort) and beginnings/endings.

At this time of year it is common to concentrate on being thankful, on joyous celebrations of coming together, burying the hatchet, seeing the good in everyone (even if there is none in some folks to see).  It is the time folks reflect on the year as it races towards another finish line, and think themselves better off, or better people, or whatever form of improved they care to blind themselves with.

However, under the heading of "my sons," it truly was a year to be thankful for.

Karl graduated from junior college with 2 Associate's, and

Brian married his lovely friend and partner, Angela.
Even I was able to come by a full time job this year ('bout darn time!).

No, I won't spend paragraphs going on and on about any of this.  Suffice to say, thank you, God, for all of your love and goodness.

But I will ask: why does it seem as though the majority of us only wait until this time of the year to be thankful for the many blessings which come our way over the course of 365 days?  Shouldn't we be more diligent in our thanks, prayers, and praise when the blessings occur?  Think about it... then respond appropriately.

With love and gratitude -

Fresh start(s)

My life seems to be a series of beginnings.

Lots of beginnings - some very unwelcomed ones.  Lots of very unexpected ones.  Many sought after and hard won.  Some longed for but lost, and others despised and egregious.  But all of them was a fresh start - for the most part.  Not surprisingly, those beginnings came with a price, more often than not.  On occasion they were anticipated costs - even precipitated by something I purposefully set in action - but a good number of the endings were shocks and disappointments.

Unfortunate as they were, even some of the worst endings brought about some great beginnings.  Those are the ones I would prefer to think about.  However, this is all a matter for another discussion at another time.

Currently, I am headed for two beginnings in 2016, and I couldn't be more pleased.  Although, it feels a very tempered excitement, I am eager to begin.  The first is quite obviously the beginning of the new year, but of course, you probably went there straight away, you clever reader.  The second is a new job - IN AN OFFICE - at long last.  There will be more on this development in the coming weeks, but for now, I must get busy if I am to make a dent in what needs doing over the course of the next week.

So, if you will excuse me, I need to slip away to the sewing area to start another new thing or two - a skirt and a pair of trousers.  There's also a top I've cut out and need to assemble, so I may as well get started.  It'll be nice to have some fresh clothes to wear on my first day.

By the way, I wrestled with the phrase "new beginnings", but realized a 'beginning' is actually something new, so why the need to qualify it as a 'new beginning'?

25

Yesterday....my baby turned twenty-five.  25!   How does that happen?

Believe me when I say that I have been watching this one every step - every eyelash flutter - of the way, and I still have a hard time believing it.

When Brian turned twenty-five I felt it.  For some reason it seemed 'right', and it was believable - and perhaps I was more in tune and accepting of the march of time.  But Karl hitting this milestone seems incorrect somehow.  Maybe it's the Asperger's that has me incredulous.  It's deceiving.

At any rate, it has happened - happy 25th birthday my little bug!  I have loved every minute of it.

Goliath

Moved a lot of stuff yesterday afternoon in order to get to the wall I wanted to fix (and ultimately paint).  Another crack had developed around the framing of the window which once existed in the south wall, so besides the fact that the color was wrong, I also couldn't get past seeing that darned crack reappear!

In all honesty, I noticed the crack a few years back, but had turned a blind eye to it for a lot of reasons, but all of that has changed recently.  I won't go into it now, just trust me when I say I've hit my limit.

I have been ruing the day I ever began rehabbing/remodeling this typical 1950's ranch-style house.  Oh, for lots of reasons, but mainly because of all of the rotten people who I ended up trusting and hiring, and who ultimately let me down.  I am a fairly poor judge of character it appears. 

All of that a n d it seems repairing one item seems to make another two or three issues come to light.

But this morning, I awoke feeling a bit more hopeful after yesterday's burst of renewed energy. 

I moved all of the boxes of stored dinnerware (which still cannot go "home" because that space is nowhere near ready for it), began the drywall repair in a fairly big way, and pared down the color choices to paint that expanse of wall, the adjoining joist-into-hallway wall (and the living room ceiling) to no more than five colors!   Two for the overall wall, two possibles for the ceiling and maybe two for the joist (but one of those is a very strong contender)!

"That's six!", you yell.

Hey, I can count.  Don't worry, my math is sound - two of those are the same color for different purposes...so it's all good.

Trust me, this is a big change.  It's a BIG commitment.  I've had it with the 'someday' attitude I've fallen into!  I want my house back!

At any rate, with all of the moving, vacuuming, and prep cleaning, I disturbed a spider.  A wolf spider.  Hey, it was bound to happen.

In fact, it was a very large wolf spider. 

I didn't see anything of him all day yesterday, but I had my suspicions we would meet one day when I found a lot of cobweb-y stuff.

"How large?" you wonder. 

Let me just say when I caught sight of him running an Olympic sprint across the half wall very early this morning - and he was pulling a VW Beetle behind him at the time - he was astounding!  He was booking, baby! 

I mean to say he was one of the largest I had ever seen indoors or out, and superfast.  Why he stopped moving when I approached him with a shoe is beyond me; except, maybe because he has been living in this house for an apparently good long time, he was most likely used to the noises and comings and goings.  Nothing was going to faze this Godzilla arachnid, least of all a freaked out fat woman with a sneaker.

And I truly believe this spider was also probably the one who moved the frig away from the wall one night!

Yes, THAT large!  I'm telling you........even Flop wouldn't approach it, and she loves chasing down bugs and spiders when she spies one.  LOVES it!

My big fear right now is that this eight-legged behemoth may have been a mommy and not a dude.  So, do I need to worry about revenge from a hoard of angry gargantuan babies any time in the near future?

Physical pursuits

Well, well.  Midway through the month of June already.  Bwah!

Spent the early part of this weekend engaged in physical acts of sweatiness and grunting. Oh, for Heaven's sake...get your minds out of the gutter!

After correcting another egregious attack on my meager financial holdings at the bank (which took forever, by the way), I headed north to help a friend begin the nitty-gritty cleaning chores of a property she hopes to sell.  Because of the long line of loan customers (who receive preferential attention AND can make appointments, which supersede those of us already in line waiting to speak with someone regarding our account issues), I was later arriving than I wanted to be. 

And, I was not the happiest camper.

When I arrived, Jean was hard at work in the bathroom and had already mopped the breezeway floor to within an inch of its life.  I cleaned out a portion of dishes from the cupboard and whatnot, then suggested that maybe a fresh pair of muscles and aggravation should set to work on the stubborn stains in the tub.  That seemed to do the trick.

After annihilating the country rust, we divided and conquered other areas of the house.  The wood living room walls and ceiling are dust- (and spiderweb-) free, thank you very much, and I managed to irritate (then kill) a few residents of the creepy crawly sort along the way.  SCORE!

It wasn't long before we called it a day and headed for a more lazy posture.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jean showed me all of the surg hats she managed to create on her school break; an astounding number of really cute hats that will sell quickly at the hospital!  We ordered a pizza and watched a little TV before turning in for the night.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Saturday morning found us bushy-tailed (if not bright-eyed), and we readied ourselves for a long day of driving and moving furniture.  Her lovely doctor daughter (or, is it daughter doctor?) was moving from her groovy residency residence to Maine for work, so we were heading to K'zoo to help her get rid of the items not traveling with her to lobster-land.

Had the chance to meet her boyfriend and a sweet doctor friend - both very wonderful people, much like Carrie (doctor daughter)...so no surprise there.  We actually kibitzed our way through lunch at a great GREEK diner in K'zoo before getting started on the heavy stuff.  Too much laughing - more so than eating - but no complaints.

We all loaded a small moving van; chit-chatted a bit; said our goodbyes and parting 'nice-to-have-met-yous,' then; off we went one more time.  The road was our mistress yesterday, without a doubt. 

Once back on the expressway, we headed first for Lansing to drop off a heavy piece of furniture, then proceeded to Jean's home to unload the rest into storage.

~ I want to thank Dr. Carrie for the dining table and chairs.  They are going to fit perfectly in my dining space at the end of the kitchen!  I simply need to paint the walls before making that happen - but I am more than incentivized!!  Currently scheming of the perfect design for your wall hanging, girlie.   ;)
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

This morning I am stiff but very eager to remain in any non-sitting positions as much as possible.  Don't know what the day has in store exactly, but I'm thinking it'll be something to do with finishing priming the dining area walls and hanging the planned art for the arrival of the 'new' table and chairs!  It's supposed to rain later this afternoon, so I will have to work somewhat quickly. 

So, I guess....more physical pursuits.

Thanks, again, Carrie and Jean!

More later.  Photos when I can.   :)

Out the door

He's been gone about 15 minutes or so, and I am trying not to wring my hands.

Bud is off to another interview - I wish he had a canoe to get there with all of this rain!

Be careful.  Be confident.  Believe!

They did it!

The boys muscled the heavy, oak, trestle table out the front door, down the hill around the house, and into the back door of the lower level.  And just like that [finger snap], my sewing area has a fabulous work surface!

I have been sitting in the living room for the past several years, using the table there, and taking up space in the process.

Finally, the urge to make that view disappear became too much for me, and I did something about it.

There's a small percentage of items yet to move before the entire undertaking can be considered complete, but for the most part there is an incredibly vast (and marked) difference upstairs and down!  All for the better, too.

Thank you, my babies, for your wonderful help.

Activities

I spent a portion of the morning (into the early afternoon) working on the lower level.  Cleaning, pitching, moving, cleaning, vacuuming, reconfiguring.  There was a good deal of wondering, wishing, and tweaking going on, too, but none of that needs going in to at present.

I took advantage of Brian's presence to move the bulky/heavy walnut architect's desk.  He and Karl handily separated the two pieces and moved them about until I was satisfied, then set the pieces back together again.  In the heartbeat that followed me saying "thanks, that's great!" they were gone!  Just like real men, they left me on my own to keep working away on the bits and pieces.

To be fair, Bud did have something he was looking forward to doing, and that meant he needed to pack and get ready to walk out the door; but he promised two days ago that he would help out all morning before he had to leave.  I was only helping him stick to his promise.  ;)

There'll be a time in the near future where I will call on them once more to help move the 6'x6' Ikea storage wall, but I'm good for now.  The havoc this morning's maneuvering alone will cause the cats is enough to contend with (for the time being).  The sheer thrill of just getting it accomplished (even in snitches and snatches) is enough for me!

Baby steps.

For now, I'm taking the rest of the day to ready myself 100% for tomorrow's sewing class.  No last minute regrets or panic searches.  Just want to be able to walk out the door content and relaxed.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Ongoing tasks

Once I get home there is so much to do.

Lots of lost time to make up in clearing out, cleaning up and rearranging the rest of  the lower level.  My deadline is self-initiated and self-imposed, but I want to begin the new year better than I did the last, er....uh. That is to say, I wish to end twenty-twelve on a more positive....

OK.  Let's just admit I've allowed the last [good long while] to get away from me. 

And then I allowed the overflow of that mess (and disappointment) to run my life and get the best of my outlook and demeanor. 

And on top of all that chaos, I allowed myself to be lead away from my own plans and time lines in order to help out extended family, instead of concentrating on my life, my plans and directions, my little family.

I really am quite the middle child prototype.

Brian had time off from work that I had wanted to utilize in positive ways - trying to finish moving the heaviest pieces of furniture around and then get the large sewing table relocated to the lower level.  His muscle combined with Karl's is critical, since I can no longer be trusted with heavy objects and a weak peritoneal lining.

Being at Gran's instead of home on Bud's days off has been a letdown, since so much progress had been made up to this point in time.  Everything I wanted to accomplish is at a standstill again - rats!

And of course, now that it's snowed so heavily, it will be a while before the trestle table can be carried 'round to the backside of the house - the hill will be treacherous until the grass is much drier.

Let's put it this way:
One of my new ongoing tasks will be to stop making certain everyone else is happy and content before I am -- unless, of course, they pay really well and provide health care benefits at a reasonable cost.

Weird

We had a garbage collection service for a while, but only because they bought out our first choice collection service.  And this (usurper) service we subscribed to was a large 'pain in the rubbish' from the very beginning.

They were problematic.  They were sporadic.  They were hit or miss.  They were sub-standard.   They were non-responsive.  They were messy.  They were Waste Management.

At some point - at least one full month AFTER I told them to take a hike; that I wasn't going to pay their exorbitant and outrageous rate hike (PLUS an additional rate to cover a fuel bill for their collection trucks) - I had to call them again to let them know their container was still sitting in front of my home, and that I expected they would retrieve it in short order.

Well, that second call was in early NOVEMBER!

It wasn't until mid-December that a truck stopped out in front of the house a finally snagged the recycling bucket from the yard.  The wind was having a pretty fabulous time knocking it about up until that time.

We had a second (dark green, square-ish) container up near the front porch which we used to toss the cat doot bags into, from which we would collect them all into another larger bag that would go out to the curb on trash collection day.  It was a system which worked for us.

This second dark green box sat against the front porch, behind the stairs, and was usually shielded further from view by my car - the Duke.  So imagine my surprise this morning when I opened the front door to quickly pitch the bag of freshly harvested cat bombs into our green bucket, only to find - - - NO GREEN RECEPTACLE!

That's right, you guessed it.  Someone help themselves to our bucket full of feces baggies!

But I think I am more upset that they didn't take the two larger offerings of complete cat box changes away with it all!  I mean, those were neatly bagged and ready to go.

;)

Some people, right?

Half done with the month

Yup, December is now on the downward side of the proverbial 'hill.'  One good push and the month is done, and the year is over!

Hallelujah.

What a craptastic year it's been, too. 

On the plus side, Karl took a photography class, attended all but one session, AND turned in ALL assignments either by or before the due dates!  Phew....but YEA!  Grade point average slides up a notch. :)

What's more, his instructor will be happy to write him letters of reference in order to find possible employment with a photography studio - to do retouching, mending of old photos, etc.  If not direct employment, then as a contracted or referred commodity to get one-off jobs from people looking for a service the studios don't do themselves.  :)

Furthermore, Karl has also decided (on his own) to take an "educational" class.  That is to say, he decided it was time to throw an academic course into his studies, in order to begin rounding out his requirements to complete his AA degree!  This is PROGRESS!

Thank you, God, for little (big) nudges.

Just a couple of disjointed things

Yeah, I know. "What's new?"

:^P

Last night was a little nippy, as sleeping weather goes (if you like sleeping with the windows open), but because it never really got too warm in the house yesterday I had the windows closed, and had considered whether or not to set the furnace to a low temp and have it on standby - just in case.

As the temps fell through the low sixties by nine o'clock, and then well on into the low fifties by bedtime, I made the decision to set the furnace at a cool 66*F (knowing that the thermostat and the furnace are about two degrees off from one another).

I reasoned that by the time the interior temp of the house would have reached the mid-sixties (if it did) the furnace would keep it in our comfy summer sleeping range.

What I failed to remember about our little program-able thermostat was that there were four timed settings that needed to be overridden, and when I adjusted the temp at 10PM, that didn't mean it would still be in force at 7AM, when the program jumps to 71*F.

Oops!

I awoke to the sound of the furnace, rumbling and blowing, heating the house from whatever temp it had fallen to, to our balmy seventy-one degree setting.

Well, if nothing else, the cats really appreciated it. There was purring going on all over the place as they scrambled for kitty-happy heat vents!

To make matters worse, I then turned on the news to scope out the amended forecast for today, only to learn we were to experience high seventies (nearly 80*) today, and here I was essentially jumpstarting the warmup! So, I switched off the furnace then flicked on the attic fan to cool us off for the inevitable warm up!

What a rube! In a flash I sent the interior temp back to 66*F! (I despise you, Con$umers Power)

The other item is simply this:

Have you ever tried the Kroger brand rice cakes? They are delicious, and a bit less expensive for the quantity and quality. We especially love the "Yogurt & Berries" and the "Caramel" flavors! Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

The hard part is to not love them until the bag is empty (in one sitting).

OK, I am outta here. Still cleaning and purging, and balancing those darned accounts....but I can see the end of the tunnel approaching! Next up, shifting furniture!!!

Have a good day, whatever you're doing.

Clean up

Last night's dinner consisted of the leftover salmon, cut up and tossed into a pan of white sauce made with evaporated milk, chevre' cheese and herbs, and lightly sauteed onions and peas. All of that was ladled over Trader Joe's lemon and cracked pepper noodles.

[grunty-sigh] It was delicious! The perfect meal to end a perfect weather day.

Happiness on a plate! [sigh]

MEOW! [covered in grey velvet fur and wide green saucers for eyes]

It's early enough this morning, yet (now that fall is closer than ever, and the earth has shifted on its winter axis) that the sun hasn't begun to beam over the roof line to the edge of the porch, but Cleo doesn't know that. She can't be convinced to wait patiently, and wants what she wants - NOW. Wants what she has become accustomed to over the last four months - that after-breakfast sojourn to the "out" and her sunny spot in the grass, to roll and loll and eat and sniff the air and listen.

"Not yet," we tell her, but she trots to the door and waits; nose pressed to the seal, ears pricked and feet at the ready. If we don't move in her direction, she'll turn and give us the mournful meow, and that look.

The "I-don't-understand-what-you-don't-understand-why-aren't-we-outside-yet?-have-you-forgotten-how-to-open-the-door?" look.

It'll be at least three hours before the sun has reached the perfect position and dried her spot on the lawn enough to lie in, but you can't tell her that.

I want the "out", mom. Please. [blink]

Today will be warmer (as will tomorrow), in the mid-eighties say the weather weenies. Then, by weeks' end the temps will dip back into the seventies once more. YEA! Cool evenings and mildly temperate days - that's all I need. All I want, really; so I guess I can (sort of) empathize with the pup. [blink]

Today will consist of more cleaning up (a continuation of the past few days), de-cluttering, and bill paying. Perhaps a little more checkbook balancing, to boot!

Oh! [squeal of delight]

Dare I dream of it? Shall I utter it aloud?

Maybe even a bit of furniture reorg?

[squeal number two]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we. Let's keep our heads, woman! 'One foot in front'...and all of that rot.

Still.......

Clean up on aisle three!