10 Reasons why I get out of bed in the morning

Okay, so I'm a bit stuck on "Listing" things. It's a weird fascination I have. I LOVE make list, then checking things off it. SO, in keeping with the list I have had, I thought this would be something. Let me know if you blog about List of any kind.


10 Reason I get out of bed in the morning
10- The damn alarm clock is going off and it's not going to stop until I shut it off
9- The critters are getting restless, ie: The parrots are squawking, the dog is whining to go out, and the cats are crying around begging for food or scooped litter boxes.
8-Hubby is snoring so loud I can't lay there and listen to it for one more second without shoving my pillow over his face to stop the noise.
7-It's too cold/hot in the house and I need to turn up/down the heat/AC. This happens far more than one would think
6-I've laid there so long that if I don't get up soon, I won't be able to take a nap later(one of my most favorite things in the world to do)
5-Every muscle in my body is SCREAMING in protest of life, and I need to pop a narcotic/anti-inflammatory or two to calm them down a bit.
4-A cat has decided to sleep with me, usually on or near my head.
3-One or both of the kids are up and the fighting commences.
2-If I don't get up to go to work, I don't get PAID
1-I GOTTA GO PEE!!

10 Things I Hate.....well, maybe just "dislike".

Okay, I'm a bit bitchy, but I thought this might be cathartic:



Ten Things I Hate..actually just Dislike. Hate may be too strong a word:
1. People who drive MUCH slower than the speed limit. This is a common one. I am not talking about during winter storms or wet weather, but every day driving. IF you can not go the speed limit or don't feel comfortable at it, then perhaps it's time to turn in your license. I don't mean going the actual speed limit either. My OCD loves rules and the speed limit is the speed limit. I'm talking about the driver I, and 20 other cars, was following today, going 15 mph under the speed limit. It become a hazard and can be worse than going too fast.
2. The "Repeat Song" button on Her Majesties CD player. I'm growing not so fond of the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montanna too.
3. Snoring! I'm not up at 12:30 at night for no apparent reason. It was either get out of bed, or push the pillow over Hubby's face just so he would be quiet for a while.
4. Fighting Kids- I love them, but I really think this is going to be a very long summer.
5. When my dog cries at the door to be let in, then takes off running when you open the door for her. I want to pinch her really hard about that time. It's NOT a fun game...it really isn't
6. Chronic anything. Reynauds, FMS, CFS, and any other syndrome you can think of and anything else labeled as chronic.
7. The sound of the alarm clock in the morning.
8. The very thought of head lice. It gets me to itching.
9. The smell of 14 year old boy's rooms. Do they all smell like dirty feet and ass?
10. Stains on my kids clothes...or mine for that matter. I feel the same about wrinkles.


and to round it out:
Ten Things I Love

1. My kids and hubby

2. My other family and friends

3. The smell of lilacs

4. That first sip of coffee in the morning.

5. The smell of sheets that have been dried on the line outside.

6. Baby birds.

7. A freshly weeded flower bed

8. The sigh a baby makes when it's nursing.

9. A pedicure

10. When my kids are really laughing and giggling.

Things I've been bit by:

Okay..weird post, but with all the animals I've raised/handled over the years, and working at the pet store, I have been bitten by MANY different critters. So..here is a list of all the different critters that have bit me-
*Snakes
*Parrots/Birds of many sizes, shapes, and colors..some to the point of needing emergency care. Macaws can bite REALLY hard
*Mice
*Rats
*Hamsters
*Chameleon
*Anole
*Iguana
*Piranha-No joke, but it was only a little bit bigger than a nickle, and I did scoop it up in my palm...an Idiot Moment
*Cats
*Dogs
*Sugar Glider
*Robertson's Ground Squirrel (miniature prairie dog)
*hedgehog
*ferrets
*Raccoon
*Cow/ actually a calf
*Piney Squirrel
*A few different species of fish (Mostly Cichlids and a few clown fish..Nemo really has a pissed off attitude)
*Bearded Dragon
*Turtle
*Rabbit
*Guinea Pig
*A few frisky human fellows too

I'm sure there are more to put there that I'm just not thinking of right now. Not all of them drew blood, but a lot of them did. The worst was a macaw bite. SO...you would all think I would be smart enough not to put my fingers or anything else close enough to these critters for this to happen again, yet I do. I guess I handle them and always just figure the worst they can do is bite me, and then they usually do.


SO what kind of odd critters have you been bitten by?

Favorite Words

My Favorite Words:
10. Fabulous
9. Beautiful (and I must sound out each vowel, as in Bee-You-Tee-Full..I know, I'm a dork)
8. Honey
7. Cooter (as in the turtle:yellow bellied cooter.SO fun to say)
6. Foliage (once again..i like the feel of the vowels on my tongue)
5. Y'all (homey and comforting)
4. Anemone (It's like a tongue twister contest I never win)
3. soot (just fun to say and sounds a bit naughty to me)
2. mimic (see #3)
1. My all time favorite word- MOMMY!
Dave Hingsburgers post today led me to the list of my favorite words. His blog Chewing the Fat is one of the few blogs I HAVE to read everyday.

OUCH!

You know when you are in a rush to get out the door, so you won't be late for something important? Like picking your daughter up from gymnastics...and something happens and you then know you WILL be late? Well..that happened to me.
It was about 5 minutes before I need to leave to pick Her Majesty up and decided to put a load in the washer before going. It took longer than it should have of course. Her Majesty is just one giant stain magnet and I had to pre-treat quite a few. I rushed out of the laundry room to get my shoes on and go, when ARGH! Something impaled my foot with the pain of a hot poker. I look down, and there is a tooth pick sticking out of the pad of my foot right below where my big toe is. I sat down, to try to remove the toothpick and a simple tug wouldn't get it out. It was deep. By this time, I'm very late to get her. I had finally took a deep breath, grabbed hold of the end of the toothpick and gave a good pull. That thing was a good 3/4 of an inch deep in my foot. I stood up to find my shoes and it started to bleed just a bit so I got a piece of paper towel, wedge it in my flip flop so that I wouldn't bleed on the way to get her and left. By the time I got to the truck, I was nearly in tears. It barely bled, not much blood circulates in my extremities these days. I know exactly where the toothpick came from, the girl who tosses everything on the floor when she is done with it.
It is throbbing now. I can't put ice on it because the pain from the ice on my toes (Reynauds thing) would be more unbearable than the pain now. I'm used to pain, believe it or not. Isn't it weird how you could possibly become "used" to pain, but ya do. This is just a different kind of pain. Oh, I'll live but I have earned whining rights by having to pull a sharp wooden stick from the sole of my foot. Her Majesty got a lecture and did feel really bad, then went and picked up two more off the floor where this happened.
Okay, bitching done for now. Just be grateful there are no pictures to go along with this post. lol.

Storm!

I had a solid week of weirdness..it all started with a storm last Friday. Hubby and I were out working on the pool, the kids were at the in-laws, and a storm blew up. I mean a huge ass storm that shook the house. We could see it coming across the fields, and hubby is a volunteer fireman, so we heard all the storm watchers yelling out over the radio, that there were tornado's on the ground. We took off running into the house, after grabbing a few things to keep them from blowing away. It hit HARD! I grabbed my Lorazapam and popped one in my mouth. I was shaking..and near tears. My kids were not home. I couldn't stand not knowing exactly what they were doing, or knowing if they were safe. I never wanted my kids with me so bad in my life. Here is a picture of some of the storm clouds from the front porch. It's blurry because I was shaking too hard to hold the camera still

and another shot. Look at those horribly ugly clouds and the rain coming down. The clouds are nearly sitting on the ground.

I do NOT handle storms well. I have always been terrified of them. As a child, when it stormed, I would sleep in the bathtub. Even as an adult, when I still lived with Mom, if it was storming, I would go get in bed with her to sleep. I'm talking, I did this just a few days before I got married. I'm a wimp.


When it was over, Hubby stepped out in the front yard and says "Your tree is gone!" Huh?? What tree?

That would be my willow tree. At first I was like, "Thank God we survived", then I realized that the tree had fallen on my swing. My adorable father in law hand carved that swing for me about 6 years ago, and it is my prized possession. He tried to copy his swing that he paid quite a bit of money for, and accidentally made it the most comfortable swing to sit in, EVER. It just fits your back and legs, at just the perfect curves and angles...and he made it just for me. It's very special. When I realized the willow was on the swing, I started to cry thinking my swing was gone too.

The swing in under there somewhere. It provide the perfect amount of shade in the evening to sit on the swing, and the wrought iron table and chairs nestled under the canopy and was a fun place to sit and enjoy nature and hide.

It was a pretty good sized tree and about 30 feet high. Look in the broken off part, you can see a piece of aluminum foil that the wind blew up inside the trunk. I don't know where it came from, but it was NOT coming out. But look...do you see my swing?

The top braces on the A-frame are broken...but the swing is fine. Yippeee! I mourned the tree and shed a tear. It was one of the first trees we planted on this property, after we set the house. The swing has now survived it's second tree attack. A few years ago, the pear tree was hit by lightening and fell on the swing. Thank goodness...since had the swing not been there, it would have fell on our electrical box. Good news is, Hubby has fixed my swing back good as new, and it is now sitting in the shade of what's left of the pear tree.
We went into town to check out the Farm Plant Hubby works at, and the clouds looked ominous again.


They never did more than sprinkle a bit, then we headed to the in-laws house to get the kids. I wanted my babies! They were fine, excited about the storm, but safe and sound. Then the sun tried to come out. It turned the sky golden , that turns the earth this beautiful hue that looks like everything has been washed in liquid gold. I LOVE this. It's eerily beautiful.



Then the sun started to go down and the gold turned to pumpkin orange.


Then God finished off the horribly scary day with this breath taking sunset


It almost made it worth the storm. ALMOST. We were very lucky. Many places further south of us was hit with numerous tornadoes and a lot of flooding. Our damage was caused by straight line winds of about 80mph.

I will post about the rest of the week from hell later.

Pain

Today hasn't been a good day. My pain levels have spiked up for some odd reason. I'm not really sure why. I haven't really over done it this weekend, but today has been rough. I've hit my pain meds a little heavy and it has me feeling a tad bit more "off" than normal. I hate when I have flares like this. The weather is beautiful and warm out today. Warm enough I have even been barefoot or in my flip flops for two days and not have my toes feel like I may suffer from frostbite. Perhaps it's due to barometric pressure? I just don't know. Here is a poem by Emily Dickenson I have jotted down in my journal I keep that has odd bits and pieces I find and write down.



Pain has an element of blank;
It cannot recollect
When it began, or if there were
A day when it was not.


It has no future but itself,
It's infinite realms contain
Its past, enlightened to perceive
New periods of pain.
-Emily Dickenson


Then...I found one in there I had wrote on pain
If the pain spreading through
my body was warmth, or love,
or happiness, I would feel human.
-Me (Tammy) Nov. 12, 2007

Holy Crap! I must have really been having a bad day that day. I'm happy to say not nearly as bad today.


ON to something else:
Years ago, my step-mom had a row of lilac bushes outside of her bedroom window. She LOVED these bushes. When they bloomed in the spring, her bedroom would smell of lilacs when the window was open. She came home one day, and to her horror, my dad had cut down every single bush, and then dug up the stumps for good measure. "Why", you ask? Because, they were blocking his "view" of the road. She was every measure of pissed and slept on the couch for almost two weeks. Years later, it was something we all laughed about. It was just so "Dad". He was a tad on the selfish side...okay maybe a bit more than a "tad", but if he had really thought it through, he probably wouldn't have cut them down. He did it on impulse, an unfortunate trait I inherited.
Three years ago today, I lost Dad to a brain tumor. I'm sure that added to my "feelings" today. I miss him terribly, yet I was so wrapped up in myself and the pain, I totally forgot what day it was until my hubby reminded me. Hmmm...see, that is so something Dad would have done.
So, this picture is for you Dad

And...if you were here today, and you cut down my beautiful dwarf lilac bush that scents my entire living-room when windows are open, and my yard; I would be all kinds of pissed too. I love and miss you.

Pierced!

Last night, my Gorgeous Niece and I went and bought flip-flops. Ahhh, one of the great rights of spring. We got our new flops, then went and got a pedicure. OH MY GOD! It is heaven! The gentleman who does it was very aware that I couldn't really feel my feet, so he is cautious, and just fabulous! If you have never had a pedicure, don't let the "I don't think I want someone messing with my feet" theory stop you. It is nearly orgasmic.
Then his wife came along and painted the cutest little flower and butterfly on my toe. My big toe, which I might add is much bigger than average. So she had a big canopy to work on. Gorgeous Niece just got a flower. It WAS a hibiscus. I was teased for knowing just what flower it was, but my big amazon feet had a toe that she added a whole scene on. It's too cute.



Now, keep in mind. I am quite aware that I need to wax those big ole nasty hairy toes. I'm a chick with hairy toes, what's a girl to do? The color is an OPI color called "Senorita Rose-alita". I love reading the names of the different colors they come up with. Gorgeous Niece chose one named "That's Hot"...it was a pink. Too funny

Then...I decided on a whim to finally get my tragus pierced. Now if you don't know what it is, it's not quite as naughty as it sounds. It's just that little flap, that if you push down on, will plug your ear canal. Gorgeous Niece got it done almost a year ago and I thought it looked cute. Here's a pic of the new piercing.



And yes...it HURT!! LOL. The piercing itself didn't hurt too bad, it was the getting the hardware in it. Gorgeous Niece was far more nervous than I. I suppose because she knew how bad it was going to hurt, and she is a wimp. I just figured, I go through pain on a daily basis, this would be nothing. It still hurt like hell. Not so bad last night and today though. I am completely aware that someone with Raynauds should NOT do something like this. SO this is a "don't do as I did" warning. You see, my circulation in compromised and I am not suppose to pierce any extremity, but my ears are a MAJOR NO-NO. My MD will give me hell if she notices, or I tell her at my next appointment. It will take forever to heal, and my risk for infection is extremely high, so I plan on being very cautious with it. My Reynauds isn't in my ears too terribly bad, so I'm not overly concerned with it, but I will be extra cautious. The hardest thing to do is to keep my fingers off it. I know just how germy fingers can be, so NO TOUCHY! But I WANT TOO! LOL. I'm OCD, you have no idea how difficult it is. TO be honest, I kinda like the feeling of the dull pain/ache from lightly pushing on it. I know I'm a freak. I experience pain daily, but this is different. This is under my control and probably why I like the sensation it causes. It may be a bad feeling, but it's a "Different" bad than usual. Does that make any sense??? *shrug* Probably not.

Here is the funny thing: I didn't tell hubby that I was going to do it, still haven't told him I have it done, and he still has no idea. I have even constantly been tucking my hair behind my ear trying to get him to notice and he stood talking to me this morning while I was getting ready for work. I put my ear ring in the topmost hole in that SAME ear, he says "Doesn't it hurt to put that in up there?" I said "Nope", but he did not notice that my tragus was very recently pierced. LOL. Talk about completely oblivious! Gorgeous Niece and I have a bet going on just how long it will take him. I say longer than two weeks, and he will only notice it if I, or some one else, tells him it is there. Monkey Boy noticed it that evening, but Her Majesty hasn't a clue. Geesh, I swear, I'm going to go completely blonde an see if anyone notices!

For Elizabeth McClung!!

This is for her! We traipsed around the graveyard, actually graveyards, for several hours Saturday. We were celebrating her, May, Spring, and just plain having fun. Here is her blog, if you would like to go meet her, trust me, she is some one you want to get to know.
We did not don a corset, or actually anything goth (though I love it, just not anything in my wardrobe that would work), we did have a blast.
I have always loved traipsing around old cemeteries looking at the old graves. Some make me sad, other are just so bizarrely interesting.



Here is an interesting one:

I wonder who thought, "I want mine like a tree trunk, and make sure you hang a few things off a cross"?



Now this is a pretty thing to have as a tombstone. Yet, I really think she could do without the tacky flowers shoved in her arms.


We then went to one waaaaayyyy out in the middle of nothing. You had to take a gravel road that ran along side a river and there it is. As a kid, the local legend surrounding it is this:
It's called locally, 13 graves. Story goes that over a hundred years ago a local man went insane, killed 12 of his family members, then himself (or is it himself??never get that one right). Now, if you stand on the first grave, count it as one, and step on each one you will count 13. Then turn around while still on the last grave, count it as one as before and walk to the end again, and you will only count 12. Since I'm notoriously poor at math, it worked out that way once for me. The rest of the time I counted 13. Here is a picture of the "graves":

Now I have a theory about this. I don't think they are graves at all. I started looking at this picture and came up with something. I think they are just the entrance to the graveyard. There are graves dating back to the 1820's there. These "graves" are actually too short to really be adult graves, I think they are basically cobblestones. That way a wagon could pull into the cemetery to deliver the dead, without really sinking in the mucky mud. So, does anyone else see this? If you look at the first one, to the left looks like there used to be a post sunk there. Perhaps a hitching post?? Hmmmmmm. I suppose I could find something from the local history, but Nah...I'm going with me theory.


There were several like this with a hand carved on the phallic-like style with the index finger pointing to heaven. I want one of those hands on my headstone too...only, I want an entirely different finger pointing up.



This is a very, very old cemetery. I'm sure the only reason it is mowed at this time of year was because it just also happens to be Memorial Weekend in the states, when people honor their dead. I saw this one and thought "And we all fall down!" (ya know..ring around the rosie??..oh never mind)




This one I just can't explain. I don't know if it was set this way, or someone did this to it, but it is pretty well stuck that way and has been for a while. The weather has removed all the writing. You know, I like it's wonkiness. I think I would like one like this for me, with the finger carving too.



This one is sad. It's long fallen over, and I know that water will soon remove it's epitaph. It's a babies headstone that died in 1869, 100 years before I was born. It says:
"Sleep my sweet baby
and take thy rest
God calls away
when he thinks best"
Sad isn't' it? I guess I knew it would be gone within a few more years and wanted to document it somehow.



I liked this one the very best. I like how even the vine draping it is starting to die.




Then there is this one. It's a 1 day old baby's grave. There is the headstone to the left, the foot-stone to the right, it's surrounded by a concrete border, which is one of the few in the lot with the border around the grave, and there there is that odd ball/globe shape in the center.

I have no idea what it is. Monkey Boy tried brushing it off, but it just chipped away, so he stopped. It is definitely attached to the top of the original stone top. I'm not sure why it is so long either for such a tiny occupant.
Does anyone have any idea's what it is or seen anything similar?





In honor or Memorial Day, here is a civil war soldiers grave. It was the only one in this graveyard with any type of flower on it. I imagine the American Legion came out and put the flowers and flag on it.

And here is the scariest thing we found in the graveyard:


Now check out that headstone. It's a pile of wood!!! It's over 7 foot tall, and I got a kid hiding back there with me! Who thinks "Yeah, a pile of wood, that's what we want"?


Here's to you Elizabeth!!! I hope you are feeling much better soon!

A Hedgehog and Spring Flowers

Meet Rosie The Hedgehog, the newest member of the zoo:


She a blonde, and even has blue eyes. You can't really see her eye color in the picture, but I know just how important that would be to you....*snort*. She is a lovely girl, 3 years old, and really rather tame. We love her.



Spring Flowers...YEAH!!!

Some Hyacinths. I really need to dig the bulbs up when they are done blooming and let them rest this summer. I should have done it last spring, but it doesn't seemed to have harmed them any.



This is a blue flower. I just can't remember what it is. Perhaps it's a anemone?




This is my Creeping Jenny. The yellow color of it is just amazing. An odd, beautiful, gold. So, it's not a flower, but isn't it pretty?
It should not be confused with Stinking Jenny, the Min Pin. She has a penchant for finding roadkill and most certainly lives up to that name.






Here is my favorite flower of all, dandelions! LOL. They really are, and I get excited when I see them. Mother's roses. Both of my kids would gather them up in the spring, carry them into me, and present them to me like they were the rarest of roses. Her Majesty has already picked me several bouquets so far this year. I love when she comes in to me, with the poor yellow flowers grasped in her grubby little hand, and her nose yellow from trying to sniff them. I have to go through the procedure of being "ever so grateful" and placing them in water. Then, the slug that I am, I usually forget about them and leave them there until they become powder puffs. I just love 'em.

Monkey Boys Coyote

Her Majesty and I had to go get a new rug shampooer (with this mini-zoo it's a must) and she needed shoes. Okay, she already has 50 pairs, but she *needed* new shoes (insert heavy whining). When we pull into the drive as we return home, Monkey Boy came out excited, telling me all about the coyote who walked across the road and through our yard. He knows his moms odd compulsion to take pictures of the odd critters we see waltzing through our yard, and picked up my camera and snapped 2 pictures, from the safety of the front door. It was a proud Momma Moment for me.

I download his pictures with some excitement, and this is what he got:



Hmmmm...doesn't look very coyote like to me. Let's zoom in:







Well, how about that. It's a rather lovely, little DOG! Well, God love him. He may not know his critters, but it is a rather cute dog. I show him the close up, and he is like "Hey, that coyote looks like a dog." Yep, sure 'nough it does.



At least he got a picture for me. Oh, and just for the record, I think it scared him. I can't say much though, I've stood in the front yard trying to call a REAL coyote to me by saying "Come here puppy!"

Strange Day!

It started out with an Earthquake here in the Midwest. Monkey Boy swears it woke him up and he felt it, but everyone else just slept right through it. I really wished I had felt it. I didn't feel the last one 6 years ago either. I guess I'm just not "in tune" enough with my environment. I imagine those in the California area are laughing their butts off at us all a twitter over our little 5 point something quake, especially when they deal with them all the time.

Then on the way to work, I was taking our country road there, and when I approached the place on our road where the squirrels are always crossing, there was something strange there. I slowed down so I wouldn't hit any wayward squirrels, and it looked like there were several little birds in the middle of the road. I stopped the truck, and watched and realized it was a momma bird, trying to get five little ones to cross the road behind her. She was about the size of a small duck, except she had a very round, long, pointed beak. The baby's all had the wild baby pattern that a lot of the partridge colored chicks I used to raise had. The babies were spooked and did the "freeze in place" thing like their momma had taught them to do, momma flew into the brush. Problem is, three of them froze right in the middle of the road. I got out of my truck and approached them, took a picture with my cell phone (why don't I drag my good camera along with me everywhere so I can get decent pictures).
Anyways..here is a picture of one of the chicks.

I had to shoo the little ones over to the brush. I already get this amazing feeling when I touch something wild like that. I know I may be the only humans hands to ever touch it. Don't worry, it's not true about Momma birds not accepting their babies if humans touch them. It's an old wives tale and birds can't smell anyways.

I wasn't sure exactly what they were, and I know most of my wild bird species and had NO idea. I looked through my bird i.d. books, and then did a quick web search on the chicks and I think it was a Common Snipe. Scratch that...they are Woodcocks. I called Cousin T who tromps around the woods all the time, and sent him the picture. He said Woodchuck, which I knew then was probably a WoodCOCK, and looked up Momma and baby pics and that is what they are, I'm certain. They are ground birds and the farmer was in the field spraying ammonia and I think that flushed them out. They were SO cool!!! I've seen a large male pheasant not far from there and a wild turkey tom. There is a small wetland not far from there, so I think that is what attracts them. I'm guessing from my experience with chicken chicks that these were maybe 4-5 days old. Just how cute is that little guy???

My Uncle and the Mountain Lion.

I have this darling, funny, sweet, goofy uncle. Uncle O is married to Aunt J (funny how he just happened to marry an aunt? lol) and they are one of the funniest couples I know. They have been married forever, I'm not so sure how long, but all of their adult life. Now, my Uncle O is an animal lover, but maybe not so good with biology of the animals. For example: Uncle O thinks the reason that his hens (chickens) lay such big eggs, is because his male Ducks are making it with them....seriously....not joking. I LOVE HIM and Aunt J. Uncle O likes to drink every now and then. More nows than thens, but he is still so totally lovable. Aunt J tolerates it, she doesn't like it, but she doesn't lecture him either. Good thing they live in a "Dry County" in TN. There house is nestled way back...I mean waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy back in the boonies of TN. Up on yonder hill.
Well, one day they were sitting out on their back porch when a mountain lion (cougar), came down the side of the mountain right into their back yard. It was drawn to the chickens. Uncle O looked up just in time to see the big cat grab a hen, then start heading up toward them at the back of the house. It scared the ever living hell out of both of them, but Aunt J took the fright the very worse. She "took off" screaming and scrambled in the back door, firmly locking it behind her. Unfortunately she had left Uncle O on the opposite side of the locked door with the Mountain Lion. She took off deep into the house and would not come to the door to unlock it for Uncle O for anything. I guess she figured that Mr. Mountain Lion was completely capable, able, and determined to turn a door knob. Poor Uncle O, he yelled and "hollared" until he chased the Mountain Lion off and kept it from coming any closer to him, and finally convinced Aunt J to unlock the door. He would never admit to just how long he had to stand out on the back porch.
Funny thing is, now Uncle O has decided that Mr. Mountain Lion would make just the best of all pets and is determined that he is going to catch it in a live trap. I really think he will try taming that thing. Heck, his rooster rides around in a basket on his 4-Wheel ATV, maybe he can tame it.
I love my funny, crazy, very southern, Uncle O and Aunt J.

Yup, He's a Country Boy, Monkey Boy!

For some reason, I was thinking about when Monkey Boy was around 3 years old and some of the cuteness about him that I just couldn't get enough of, and thought of this story.

We were at my in-laws house, all sitting on the deck on a warm summer night, when I noticed there was a dead cat, squished down on the road. You see, the neighbor, who is a relative, has numerous cats that they don't give a hoot about, and becoming road kill is a common occurrence.
I sat and whined to Hubby and My Wonderful Little Father-in-law, until they decided to go down with a shovel, and scoop up the cat to bury it, just to shut me up. Of course Monkey Boy was in the middle of it all and excited about the project. After the cat is removed from the road, and Hubby had the hole dug, Monkey Boy came running up to me, so excited. He loudly proclaimed "Daddy's planting that cat!".
Yep, he is a country boy through and through.



Okay, so this isn't a picture of the above story (thank goodness) but in my warped mind, it's funny.

Wild Critter in my bathroom

*note- Blogger is being bitchy again and the pictures aren't showing up. Sorry, but that just might be lucky for you.

and I'm not talking one of the kids either. Last Sunday, while sleeping soundly and dreaming, this odd squeaking/clicking noise started to invade my dream. I slowly woke up and felt like I was still somewhat in dream land, yet realized I was awake. SOMETHING was making that noise and it wasn't just a dream. It sounded like one of the bats I hear in the summer evenings. NO...please don't let it be a bat. The sun was just starting to give the room that gentle morning glow and I could see into our master bathroom from the bed. The cats had something. Eewww. I drug my butt up and stumbled into the bathroom, flipped on the light, and a small, mouse-like creature was making that noise. I pushed the cats away from it, and in my sleep deprived stupor started chasing the little critter around the bathroom trying to catch it. I was getting aggravated after several attempts to bend over and catch it. My poor fibro cursed body just couldn't move and bend fast enough to get it, and Hubby was blissfully snoring his freaking head off in bed, unaware of the torture my body was going through, and the crisis of a real live wild animal running around our bathroom.
Stupid thing is, when I said I was trying to catch it, I was really trying to catch it...with my bare hands!! What an idiot. You see, I have taken many a mouse away from the cats by grabbing them by the tail. Mice don't tend to be able to turn back around and bite if you have them by the end of the tail and that was the approach I was using with this critter, except, it was no mouse. I had no freaking idea what it was, but it's tail was very short, and it was tiny, and it didn't have a very mouse-like looking nose. After many trips of walking in circles around the bathroom trying to catch it as it scurried around the base of the walls, it went under the bathroom towel we use as a bath mat. I grabbed it up and the thing just started biting the crap out of the towel. Thank goodness it was in the towel and I didn't do the "grab the tail" technique. About this same time, all the light, noise, and probably the fact I was cussing like a sailor, woke up Hubby. He walks into the bathroom and says "What the hell is that?!". I had no idea, but it wasn't even 6 a.m. and I wanted to go back to bed. I took the critter into the laundry room, put it into a small clear pet carrier I had in there, placed in the cabinet over the washer, and tried to go back to sleep. My thought was the kids could let it loose in the woods when they got up.
As I tried to get back to sleep, all I kept thinking was "What the hell is that thing???". It definitely sounded like a bat, but thank goodness it wasn't. I LOVE bats, they are such cool critters, but I don't want one in my bathroom at 6 a.m., or anytime of the day really. I got back up out of bed, went in to see the critter and get a better look. Definitely not a mouse. It had a strange looking nose/mouth, tiny almost non-existent ears, little beady eyes, and a weird tail. Sad part was, the critter wasn't doing well. I think the cats played a bit rough with it and it was dying. Hmmmm....shrew?? That was my first thought. Google search here I come.

WARNING-Here is what the critter looked like and at this point it had died, but I had a mystery to solve. Don't look if you are squeamish about tiny, dead critters.




After an extensive web search of all of ten minutes, I figured out it is indeed a shrew. I think perhaps a North American Least Shrew? I'm not sure what kind of shrew, but most definitely a shrew. You see, from the wonders of google I found out shrews have five toes on their front feet, instead of 4 like mice. Yep, I counted it's dead little toes. I'm weird that way, and in a lot of other ways. I didn't go as far to see if it is a boy or girl, but I image I could have told. It was tiny.
Here is it laying next to a quarter...another major EWWWWW moment for the squeamish.


Look how tiny that thing is!
Let's all say it together. Ewwwwwww........SHREW!

Here is the kicker, I found out that at least 3 species of shrews in North America have venomous bites....you heard me VENOMOUS!! What the hell was I thinking trying to grab it with my bare hands!!! Just with my luck if it would have bit me, it would have been one of the three venomous ones. I guess it wouldn't have killed me, just been a nasty reaction at the wound. YET, knowing me, I would have had a severe allergic reaction and had to explain in the ER that I had grabbed a wild critter in my bathroom.

Now, what I want to know, how the hell did that thing get in my house??? I know we are in the country and mice have been an issue over the years, but how does a shrew get in the house?? I read that the are carnivores/insectivores and will eat mice. With my luck, it was stalking a mouse and followed it into the house. Or perhaps it was trying to eat many of the millions of lady bugs that have invaded my bathroom and bedroom. OH, and maybe why I first thought "Bat" was because they use clicking and other noises as echo-location....just like bats.

Once again....EWWWWWW, SHREW!!!

Feeling better and some pictures

I'm feeling better in a way; muscular wise, slightly better, but now I have a cold. I'll live but I don't have the energy for a real post, so I will just post a few pictures. Her Majesty did this to poor Sammy, OH yeah...she's pissed. This is my 125 gallon tank. This is a video my Prochilodus Insignia, I call him Baby. It's the big silver fish with the red and black striped tail. He is a little over a foot long. I'm not sure if he is actually a he, but "he" works for me. He eats from my hands and is such a little begger. Now he has moved up a notch on the food chain and eats from a spoon. He is sucking up some thawed/frozen blood worms and mysis shrimp. He is too funny. I would like to say that I'm not insane and feeding fish from a spoon, but I guess it's too late for that.

Aches, Pains, and being dog tired

I didn't want this to be another blog about disability/chronic conditions, but I really need to whine. I am still excited about my job. I love working there, but sometimes, just getting myself kick started in the morning to go, is a huge struggle. I have to get up an hour and forty five minutes before I need to leave just to be able to gather my strength and energy to leave. Once I'm going and actually getting ready, it takes less than 20 min. to shower, put on makeup, wrestle my natural frizz into some semblance of a style, get dressed and drag myself out the door.

Once I'm at work, I'm okay. Sometimes I have to struggle to complete a task, sometimes I have to really give myself a kick to start moving once I'm there, but I'm always glad to be there. I can sometimes work an hour or so over and do okay, but when I get home...OH BOY! Just sitting still for the half hour it takes to drive home, stiffens me up enough that getting out of the truck is a struggle, and the three steps up to the front door might as well be 7 flights of stairs. Then I have to sit still for at least half an hour in the house, take some pain pills that do little to help, but the little is better than nothing, wait for them to kick in, then drag myself to bed for a nap. The rest of the evening? I get dinner going with help from the kids, and that's about it. Perhaps a load of laundry on occasion, and then it's sitting in my chair with something to keep my hands busy, or my mind busy and praying that sleep will come soon so I will FINALLY call the day over. There is a difference between being sleepy, and being dog tired. When I'm dog tired, I have a hard time falling asleep. I feel sleepy, but the pain in my muscles won't let me fall asleep. SO...I pop a few pills the doctor has prescribed that is suppose to make me sleepy, which no longer do that, a few more pain pills, and wait for something to happen. This morning I finally fell asleep around 3 am. I had to shift through different sleeping areas to find one that would cause the least amount of pain. I started in Her Majesties spare bed, that wasn't good, my hip bone felt like it was going to poke through my skin. Which considering all the padding in that area, I don't think it could really happen, but it is really try to work it's way through. Then it was on to my bed where Hubby was snoring like a chainsaw cutting through sheet metal, which wont let me drift off. Then I moved out to the couch. Knowing I would have to get up in 3 and a half hours, but somehow, after kicking the cats off the couch with me several times, I think I finally drifted off, or passed out, I'm not sure which. Then the vicious circle starts again with daybreak.

Why am I doing this. Huh, I wanted to feel "normal"...HA!!! I know that life has changed and I guess this IS normal for me. It is good for me to get out and about, to talk to someone over the age of 14 face to face. I know Hubby is nearly 43, but sometimes the conversation is the same with my 14 year old as him. Bathroom humor never goes out of style for some guys..make that most guys. I'm sure I will loose weight eventually too. I sweat like a running faucet the 4 hours I'm there. I am using my muscles, which has that "Use it or loose it" necessity to it, and I'm really hoping that I will gain strength.

But here it is 12:30 at night, I know I have to get up in 6 hours but I need 10 hours sleep (Chronic Fatigue...it's such a wonderful thing), and I will wake in the morning and try to remind my self why I am doing this to myself again. I want to be productive, contribute, and feel "normal". What a joke!!!

Pity Party over for one night.

Happy Easter!

Her Majesty and Monkey Boy had a decent Easter. Monkey Boy did the "I'm too old to enjoy this", but I forced him into hunting eggs. He enjoyed it but will never admit it. Her Majesty has been on a huge sugar high all day, and we are just now, at 7 p.m. on Easter evening, dying eggs. I'm such a Slacker Mom. I waited until the last minute to finish the Easter baskets. I was at K-Mart last night at 8 p.m., with the stomach flu, buying Easter candy and baskets. *sigh* Oh well, at least this year I remembered it was Easter and bought the baskets. A few years ago I FORGOT IT! yep...forgot Easter all together.

Even Her Majesty's doll, Elizabeth got a basket. Yes..SPOILED is the word here. Poor Elizabeth is in desperate need of a new weave. She has been very loved and abused in her two years with us. Exactly what she is going to do with the PlayDoh eggs I'm not sure yet. I have a feeling it will end in a lot of screaming and a web search on how to get PlayDoh out of a dolls hair.


Then, a pretty little snowstorm came out of no where. Here is a picture of a wee little birds nest in my dwarf lilac bush. Don't worry, it was last years nest.


On a very sad note, my friend and cousins father passed away, very unexpectedly today. It just breaks my heart for her and her family. He was a terrific man and will be so greatly missed.

Twisting my husbands arm- That's why I have my own personal zoo.

My sister is trying desperately to convince her DH that she really NEEDS one of the puppies. I know, as well as every one else, that he will eventually cave and she will end up with the puppy. It gets me to thinking about how many pets we have, and how I have twisted my hubby's arm to get each and every one.

You see, my husband is NOT an animal person. He is of the opinion that animals do NOT belong in a house. Boy, did he chose the wrong person to marry. When we were engaged, I lost my cat of 18 years. He was my boy since I was seven years old. While I was crying and sobbing, he was trying desperately to calm me down with the promise of "I'll buy you a new cat!". Well, I told him to wait until after we were married and we really didn't discuss it after that. We married on a Saturday, came home from our honeymoon on Thursday, and I woke him up on Friday morning with "HEY..wake up! I'm ready for the kitten that you promised me..NOW!" It was in April and there were not many kittens to be found that time of year. We drove to a larger, neighboring town, and found Harry. An honery, black and white kitten with the attitude of a lion.

I was content with "just one" pet for about two years, then I decided when Monkey Boy was a year old that he needed a kitten. I really didn't discuss it with him, I just went to his sisters house, picked out a kitten from her new litter, and informed him we were getting a kitten. There was some resistance, but not too much. It all went downhill from there.

Next came a mentally challenged, deaf, and aggressive Dalmatian puppy. Unfortunately, this puppy came home with Parvo, and only lived to be about a year old. We tried several other dogs over the years, but DH just didn't deal well with them in the house, and I couldn't stand to have them chained. They had to be re-homed...against my will btw.

Then came a 20 gallon fish tank. I wasn't all that good with it. I got bad information from a local pet store, but managed to keep it going for about 3 years with this scary plecostomus. I kept it running until the last fish died, then gave it up.

Then there was a Double Yellow Head Amazon. He was a SCREAMER! Not just a little loud, but screaming loud. Hubby didn't handle it well, and let's face it, parrots are high maintenance pets. When I was pregnant with Her Majesty, I decided that a parrot and a new born wouldn't be a good combination, and Riley the Parrot went to live with my best friend. I SO regret this and have learned so much over the years. Re-homing because of having a baby was such a bad decision, but I let Hubby convince me it was the right thing to do. He really hated that bird and I caved in to his nagging about it.

Since Her Majesty was born, I have given up even paying attention to his pleadings, and bitching, about the animals. I have added SO many more to the mix. First came Shermann, the kitty love of my life. I was taking care of his mother while she was going through cancer treatment and going to their house 5 times a day to do his mom's tube feedings and carrying meals to my father-in-law, all while trying to raise a toddler an 8 year old, and take care of everything around home. Since I was caring for his parents, and really stressed, he wasn't about to deny me anything. SO...I told him I needed a kitten. He was willing to let me have anything I wanted in gratitude, and I KNEW it. I told him I was going to get a kitten...a free or next to free kitten. I went to the pet store and spent $200 on a Persian. OMG!!! He freaked out...took a teasing from the guys he worked with on "paying so much for pussy" and being whipped, but he was taking it all in stride, just to keep me happy. He loves me and I know it.

I then convinced him that since we live in the country we should keep chickens!! LOL. He figured since they were outside, useful (eggs) and it's a "farming" thing, he would allow this and built a chicken coop for me. It started with 1 Rooster and 1 hen. I quickly added another hen and then by the next Spring, I was brooding chicks and he had to build me ANOTHER coop. Poor guy, if he had only knew then that his crazy wife would be hatching and brooding around a hundred chicks in the house over the next few years. There were also two ducks that my Mother added to the flock. She bought the kids Easter Ducklings. Let me tell you, there is NOTHING stinkier than trying to brood ducklings out in your house. The chickens remained until my health issues became worse and I could no longer care for them. We adopted my flock to a guy he works with, and I miss them desperately!!!! There is nothing like the sound of a rooster crowing, hens bawking, and holding a newly hatched chick in your hand. YES...I realized by this point that the animals MAY be a sign of a few mental issues I have. OCD being the more prominent one! lol

Next came Ducky, a Blue Pacific Parrotlet. I convinced Hubby that since he was so tiny at only 4 inches, that he would be a quiet, wonderful little bird. He would have the ability to talk (which he did), take up very little room, be reasonably inexpensive (He also believes that animals should be cheap to free!), and most of all...QUIET! Well, Ducky was all those things, except QUIET!LOL. Who knew so much noise could come out of a little guy not much bigger than your thumb. What was the primary reason that Hubby caved on this one. I twisted his arm and I had recently lost my Step-Mom.

Then my Daddy died. I had always wanted another large parrot since I gave up Riley and I then found my Timneh African Grey, Avery (I even named him after my Daddy). Now, DH HATES birds since they are so loud and he has no tolerance for the noise level, BUT he loves me more than he hates the noise, and caved to my pleadings to adopt Avery to cheer me up. I also added the 40 gallon fish tank to the household around the same time. I don't intentionally add pets when I am under extreme stress/sadness/depression, but I realize now I probably do it to distract myself. I LOVE animals and I'm just happy as a clam with my pets. They make this house HOME to me. MY POOR HUSBAND! This time, I did intentionally "guilt" him into allowing Avery to come into the house by using the loss of my father. I know, I should be ashamed of twisting his arm this way...but well??!

Next came convincing him that a 40 gallon tank just wasn't big enough to keep the fish I wanted. At this time I was also working at the pet store and convinced him I needed a bigger tank. I now have a 125 gallon tank in our living room. OH...and a salt water tank on the kitchen counter. I have gotten REALLY good at fish keeping now...bordering on "expert" level and specialized in fish and birds at the pet store. Who knew that my intense love of animals could become a paid job?

BUT!! He is the one responsible for Suzy, Her Majesty's kitten. Her Majesty begged her daddy for a kitten "all her own". Monkey Boy has his own cat, Sassa. I have my Shermie. She wants one of her own. Since she has Daddy twisted around her little finger ( He does LOVE his little girl), he told her that if she would clean her room and keep it clean, he would get her a kitten. Well, she did just that and he agreed to her kitten. Believe it or not, I was against adding another cat to the house. As much as I love kitty's, I hate litter boxes. I mean HATE litter boxes and the smells that come with them. I love my pets but am terrified of having my house smell like pets. Suzy came home and is the love of Her Majesties life. She is a wonderful kitty "mama" to her little calico, and her kitten just adores her. It is really a sweet relationship they have. BUT...I got jealous! I wanted a kitten too! SOOOOO...I went to the pet store and adopted Sammy. I called him from the pet store and really did strong arm and connive to get him to agree to her. She is a mitten kitten (poly dactyl). "Come on Honey..Please..please...please??? I really want her and two kittens are just as easy as one?" With my best pleading and arm twisting, he caved and Sammy came home. Are you all starting to feel sorry for him yet?? I did let him name her. That made it better. Right???

Then, I didn't really give him a choice. I didn't even ask this time, I just brought home a tiny, precious little Miniature Pinscher. My mom paid for her, and helped name her and I just fell in instant love with her. It is one of the hazards of working in the pet store. Jenny has finally won Daddy over and she loves Daddy more than anyone in the house. It took her living here for close to a year for him to finally decide she was probably okay. He likes her. He can barely admit it. It has become the "me against him" issue in the house with the pets, but Jenny has finally won him over.

There has also been hamsters, a mouse or two, a six lined skink that Her Majesty caught and brought home from Grandpa's house, a cockatiel that escaped and was then caught by a dog, a baby rat for a few weeks, and I even convinced him to let me bring home an orange Corn Snake that wasn't healthy and died within a few weeks, and two Guinea Pigs that were Monkey Boy's until he started refusing to take care of them.

Last but not least is Jakers, the Senegal Parrot. I fell in love with him at the pet store, kinda discussed it with Hubby, and I think I may have even said it was a temporary situation, but Jakers came home to stay. He is a good little parrot, but a BITER!! He has to stay here and live with us. He is so darn rotten that no one else would ever want him. I think at this point, Hubby has just given up. He is so tired of fighting and me twisting his arm, that he just has resigned himself to living in the zoo I have created. He complains..believe me he complains. The birds- he HATES..they bite him and they are indeed noisy. Avery is a beeping fool. He quiet literally makes this extremely loud beeping noise, driving everyone crazy. I love the birds! Ducky passed away at Christmas from the fumes of a "Chimney Sweeping Log".....a very stupid and fatal mistake on my part. I was so crushed and I'm still wracked with guilt over it.

NOW..I am back at the pet store. He lectures me DAILY that NO MORE animals are to be brought home from work. He is adamant and I think he has put his foot down...for real this time. It's okay with me. I have my hands full with the pets in the house as it is, and I don't need to add any more. I know we have too many, but I can't bear to part with any of them. I love them and care for them. I don't think fish count in the "NO NEW ANIMALS" rule though.....I haven't discussed this with him and don't intend on it. He doesn't pay that much attention to what is in the tanks and really won't notice new ones: so they don't count. Right?

BUT!!!! I really am feeling better now. I'm healthier and I'm really missing having my chickens. A few months ago the kids and I were discussing how we miss them, and Monkey Boy agreed to take care of them if we get some again. Hubby has torn the chicken pens apart, but the coops are still reasonably intact. Monkey Boy wants to rebuild the coops and pens himself as a project. My cousin has even agreed to let me have some of his adult banty hens and a nice little Rooster so I won't have to brood chicks in the house. Hubby agreed at the time, but has "thought better" of it since then. Hmmmm...I wonder if I should push this one?

Puppies!!

They finally came. Early this morning. Thank Goodness! At least it should calm down some around my mothers house. 1 little blonde girl with white streaks, and 1 little blonde, rowdy boy, and 2 dark/black/brown puppies. They are adorable. I have no desire to bring one home, but it is fun to smooch on those wee little puppy smooshie faces. My sister is keeping her pick, a black little boy promptly named "Smoke". Then my niece begged and teared up until Grandma decided to let her keep her pick of the litter, at her house (they live next door to each other). He is the runt and was given the name Joey. Then a friend of the family came over and claimed her two. The blonde boy and wee little girl. They are now named Luke and Layla. The Eric Clapton song has been screaming in my head all night! Momma is doing wonderful and is a fantastic first time momma.

I worked today. It really isn't right that they pay me to do the job I just LOVE. I did manage to sneak some new fish into my tanks before hubby got home and caught me. He has made me swear that no new animals will come into the house. Fish don't count, right? I mean, the tank is already there, it just needs a few more fish. They always need "just a few more". I will admit, that me working in a pet store is akin to an alcoholic tending bar. Hey, I would rather have feathered and furred babies vs. the human, screaming, pooping, expensive kind. Plus, I don't go to jail for leaving a fid at home alone, but people get real squeamish if you leave the newborn in the crate several hours a day while you work.

Sorry, but I'm too exhausted at this point of the day to think if anything entertaining happened today. Hmmm...Nope. Maybe tomorrow.

She really is crazy!

My moms dog is pregnant and due at any moment. My mom decided to take the week of her dogs "due date" off so she could be home for....duhla?? birthing coach??? OB??? support?? Heck, I'm not sure, but the entire topic of conversation around my house, her house, and my sisters house is "Has Lucy had her babies?" This is where the crazy part is.....Mom is convinced that Lucy isn't having the puppies when she should just to spite her. She has finally taken to "snubbing" the dog in hopes that she will get the hint that Mom won't talk to her again until she has the puppies. What's really sad is that it seems to be working and the dog is now in active labor. Bizarre isn't it??

Lucy is a really homely chihuahua. I mean, it's not her fault, but she isn't the prettiest of all chi's I've ever met. The daddy dog is my nieces Schnorkie...Schnauzer/Yorkie mix. Now he just happens to be the cutest dog EVER! Here is hoping that the pups are at least somewhere in the middle.

OH...and before anyone flames about more unwanted dogs in the world. This wasn't planned. Lucy was SUPPOSED to be the bride of Mom's Precious Chi E, but he was too much of a sissy boy to breed her, so Frankie stepped up to the plate. Frankie wasn't suppose to, it wasn't the plan by any means, but it happened. At least Frankie had some fun...not so sure how Lucy liked the deal. The good news, there are homes anxiously awaiting the birth and eventual adoption of the puppies.

I really do hope these pups are born tonight or in the morning. They were due last week, and I really think Mom may have a bit of a nervous breakdown if they aren't here safe soon. She isn't sleeping, "In case Lucy needs her." and has completely arranged her work schedule around the imminent birth. Today she even was pouting that Lucy "wasn't even going to have those puppies". PLEASE LUCY!! FOR ALL THATS HOLEY POP THOSE PUPS OUT SO WE CAN ALL GET SOME PEACE!

Brains of a Goat

You know when your significant other does these stupid ass things and Ooopss...what you are thinking just pops out of your mouth. Today my husband was plowing our drive. "SO!" you say. Well, that would all be fine and well...if there was any freaking snow!!!! NO SNOW ANYWHERE TO BE SEEN!!!! Her Majesty and I look out the window, watching him, and I blurt out "OH MY GOD! He has the brains of a goat!!" Well, as soon as I said it I knew that Miss Thing would be repeating it to her precious Daddy. She was just so taken by the statement and I saw this glimmer in her eye. You know the kind, the "Ohhhh....I've got dirt on Mommy!" look. I guess he was "grating" or "grading" the gravel drive, I'm not sure which is correct, and he didn't know either. I know it was a mean thing to say, and as soon as it was repeated back to him, which was the absolute split second that Her Majesty saw him, I know it hurt his feelings. I feel bad that it bothered him, but this man is the king, KING I tell you , of stupid comments. He actually told me once "You look so sexy in the dark!" and couldn't figure out why I wasn't thrilled with his "compliment".
We all say those things we shouldn't, but don't really regret, don't we? By the way, the drive looks like absolute crap now and the ground is so wet and muddy under the gravel, that all he managed to do was put huge ruts in the drive from the truck tires. I stand by my statement.

Explaining Easter

Her Majesty informed us yesterday that she does not believe in the Easter Bunny. Okay, She is 8, I'm not about to try to convince her that there is really a giant rabbit hopping all over the world hiding eggs, and pushing chocolate on kids. I agreed with her and told her I didn't believe in the Easter Bunny either. I then asked her if she knew what Easter was all about. We aren't "church going" people, and while we discuss/believe in God and Jesus, bible stories aren't something we shove down the kids throats. Well, I told her about The Crucifixion, and then told her about The Resurrection. She listened intently, was appalled about it and wanted to know who would do that to Jesus and why? I explained the best I could, pulling out old memories of Sunday School classes. Finally when I said do you understand? She said "Yeah, Kinda...but what does a bunny have to do with it??" Oh out of the mouths of babes. So I then had to go on and explain how the Catholic Church merged Easter with Pagan fertility to draw the Pagans into Christianity. That just received an eye roll and a "Why couldn't the Pagans just believe in what they wanted to?" Okay, I admit, I gave up at that point because heck, I think they should have been able to believe what they wanted to. I guess the girl does have her deep moments. Of course, I had to argue with her this week that she really didn't NEED the shirt that said "Today was a total waste of lip gloss". She settled on a little jacket with "Princess" all over it, and another proclaiming she is "Daddy's Girl". Sigh...There is a bit of intelligence inside her lip gloss coated, pretty little head. Really...there is!?


This was also my first week back at my part-time job at the pet store. It was great, I still love working there. I have had jobs that pay much more money, offered more hours, benefits, etc. and not one of the compared to this one. I LOVE working there. The people I work with are fantastic. It's a small family business and they are the most honest people I have ever met. They truly care about the animals they sell. Unfortunately, they have seen their share of animal cruelty and abuse from the customers and others who come into the store and grooming area. Yet, they are always saddened and ready to do whatever it takes to help the situation. My first day back, there was a lady who brought in a stray cat. She told the owners the story of how she had a litter of kittens and the neighbor man had gathered up her kittens and THREW THEM IN THE TRASH!!! They took the mamma to the back, gave her a good health check-up, her shots, took care of parasites, and placed her in a cage to try to adopt her out. Why didn't they just have the lady take her down to the humane society just down the road?? Because, it is a kill shelter and they knew the mamma would be killed. Not many people, let alone pet stores in that area, would take in a stray and try to improve it's life. I feel so lucky to be able to work there.
AND most importantly, this week I felt more "normal" than I have in a long time. I didn't feel disabled, but abled. It was a very good week.

Monkey Boy has a girlfriend and a crappy dog.

Monkey Boy is almost 14, well..he will be on Sunday. Should I now call him Monkey Teen?? I think I've lost the boy in him somewhere along the years. What is it about teenage boys? Why is it that as their testosterone levels go up, their IQ goes down? Seriously, at one point I thought him the cleverest of all children. Is it just the "teen-ness" of him? He went from the A/B Honor Roll to barely passing 7th grade, and 8th grade isn't any better. You see, he has discovered girls, and even worse, they have discovered him.


GIRLS!! I swear, he has the sweetest little girlfriend, but that is all he thinks about now. He begged, and swore himself into my personal servitude, just so I would convince his dad to let him ride the bus home to his girlfriends house tomorrow. I got the eyeroll because 1) I made him swear that an adult would be there too, and 2) That once he got to her house, I am calling and want to speak to her mother. OMG...how could I embarass him so?? I'm such a bad, stupid mom. Pffft....just not stupid enough to let him be alone with a 14 year old girl in a house all afternoon. She is coming to help us celebrate his birthday on Sunday. GOD help me. I don't know how to deal with a girlfriend. At least she is a very pretty, smart little girl. He does seem to have good taste. He is still MY baby! Perhaps the "teen-ness" coming out of him is so that I will be more than willing to toss him out into the first young ladies arms, who wants to deal with his new idiosyncrasies.



OH and on to dogs. What happened to my sweet little Jenny?? She has suddenly decided it's too cold outside and just not necessary for her to go out to take a crap and any piece of carpeting will do. She does have a fondness for Monkey Boys room too...perhaps because it already smells like ass and dirty sweat socks?? I'm getting desperate. She was house trained at one point, and now if she doesn't start using the lawn instead of the carpet, she will HAVE to go. I cannot allow this animal to use my carpeting as a toilet. That is a touchy matter with me and there is quite a bit of "history" that I won't go into, about dog shit in houses...lol Let's just say it will not be now, or ever an option in MY house, although it doesn't seem to bother some people I know *shiver* In desperation I forked out the $10 to buy the stupid "The Dog Whisperer" book by Paul Owens. I bought it, but have yet to read it. I'll get to it along with everything else I keep putting off.

Now I need to get my lazy butt off to bed. I have to go in and talk to my boss about scheduling in the morning. Woohooo...I'm still excited about that job. It's just still really hard for me to drag my lazy butt out of the house in the mornings to do much of anything. That's part of the reason I need this job. It will keep me from feeling so "disabled" and more normal, by forcing me to get off my butt and leave this house.

Give me liberty, or give me bedtime!

Bedtime has got to be my favorite time of the day. No more fighting, no more whining, no more begging, and no more crying. I stop all that because they are finally asleep!! Yes, I know I should value all the time I get to spend with those two precious children, but let me tell you....I spend ALL MY TIME with those two "precious"*snort* children and Mommy needs quiet time!

You see, I can only take so much of "She's looking at me!", "I'm bored!", "Make him play with me!", "It's my turn!", "I don't want to do that!", "I didn't do it!", "I'm hungry!", "He hit me!", "She's touching me!", "I'm bleeding!", yadda yadda yadda! Grrrr. I just need some quiet time!

Now they are in bed, and it is ALMOST blissful. Hubby is still up which means I get to listen to him drone on for a few a bit longer before quiet time sets in. He will soon fall asleep in his chair, start snoring, which will piss me off and I will throw things at him until he gets up and goes to bed. Then I can truly relax.

I had given up on the blogging for a while because my computer was crap, and I just couldn't tolerate sitting at the desktop. Now, I have a cute shiny new laptop! Hopefully I can start blogging again.

A Job???!!! Wooohooooo!!!!

I've done many things over the past 22 years of my "working" life. I've been an EMT, a video store clerk, a waitress, a popcorn packer (yes...just what it sounds like, I popped and packed popcorn at a popcorn factory), worked in a nursing home, worked at a roadside farm market, and as an assistant manager at a Hobby and Craft store chain, and then my favorite job ever: I worked at a pet store. It was the only job I ever had in my life that I looked forward to going to everyday. I enjoyed my weekends off, but was always ready for work come Monday morning.
I know me working in a pet store is akin to an alcoholic tending bar, but it really is my dream job. I had to quit the job due to some health issues that came up. Most of it just me being an idiot and thinking I could do it all. I was working that job, another part-time job at the above mentioned Hobby store, running the kids everywhere, trying to keep up with everything being a Stay At Home mom entails, and in general....I wanted to be Super Mom. Well, that came back to haunt me. I crashed from the strain and pressure...HARD. I had to quit it all.
Now I sit at home, almost a year later and realizing, I NEED a job! I need to get out. The health issues I have be damned! I want to work outside the home. Lord knows I don't work well inside the home. lol. I just said to Jeff, Saturday, "I need a job. Even if its just a few days a week, I want to work." I was thinking flipping burgers or something. ANYTHING to get me away from this house for a few hours.
Well, the universe has been kind to me and heard my plea. Yesterday my old boss at the pet store called me and wanted to know if I wanted to work for him part time through the week. I didn't even pause for him to catch his breath before yelling "Absolutely!!!" into the phone. lol
I start at the end of the month. It may be just one day one week and a few days the next week, but that is just perfect to me!! How is that for absolute, perfect timing?? And this store and the people/owners there are amazing people. I have never enjoyed working for and with someone as much as them and I feel honored that they would want me to come back to work for them.