SC Happy Thoughts

Face it, your life just winds up in a dumpster.

2010-08-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well........It has been an interesting week.
I have been griping and complaining and muttering and fussing so much about how this house has become a dark, depressing, sad place for me.
So last week, after chatting with a good friend (who is in much the same boat I am in) I got inspired and decided to start cleaning things out and making a place for myself that is comfortable.
I started working on that dark cave of a living room that we have had boarded up for about the past 6 years.
I got in there, took EVERYTHING off the walls, got CrazyFriend to come out and help me clean (CrazyFriend LOVES to clean).
Hubby bought me a nice new 32' television and today he ordered a second satellite box so I can watch television when I want to.
I won't say that I am in love with it.
I have always HATED that room.
But it is better. And I guess better is good.
At least it is a step in the right direction.
I am still working on the condo or townhouse in Myrtle Beach.
But that won't happen until the economy improves and the donkey dies.

AND.

Yesterday I got a bee in my bonnet to start cleaning out the attic.
Talk about a quagmire.
We got up there are about 1:00 and pulled down TONS of stuff.
Stuff that I still can't figure out why we put up there in the first place.
TONS and TONS and TONS of my parents' stuff/
Papers. Mortgage books. Cancelled checks. Letters of recommendation .
Notepads. Photos of people I had NO idea who they were.
Magazines. Newspaper articles from the 60's and 70's.
Car payment books. Pink slips.
Boxes and boxes and endless boxes.
All things they obviously thought were very important.
Important.
So important that yesterday, my husband and I hauled about 90% what we took down to the dumpster.
And we barely got through 1/5 of what was up there.

And that is it.
Saving things from the 60's and 70's and 80's in file folders because they are so very important.

Y'know what?
Your life..everything that you thought was so very important....(unless you are an exceptional person with an amazing legacy) is all going to wind up being hauled away to the nearest dumpster.
None of it really matters after all.

So black is the new.....well, black.

2010-07-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Okay.....here I am back with a tentative post.

I must admit, I have not missed having this blog and I am entering this somewhat reluctantly.

But here is what has changed. I felt burned out, wiped out and overwhelmed. I am still feeling much of the same and you can add on depressed, claustrophobic and bored to that list. But I am trying to do things a little differently now. I don't know if it will help or not.

I found myself overwhemled with the staggering number of clothes I own. When I was getting dressed the other day, I was trying to decide between the blue shirt, the striped shirt, the green shirt, the purple shirt. And then the jeans. Or the shorts. Or the capris. And I said this is ridiculous. I said enough was enough. I went for black dress pants and a black tank top. Y'know what? I liked it. SO......I immediately boxed up ALL of my polos and t-shirts and tanks. I kept out 3 black t0shirts that I really like. I went to the Goodwill store where I do all my shopping and bought 2 nice black polo shirts and on plain black t-shirt. And at WalMart, I bought a really nice black Danskin tank for $3. Now, all of the polos and t shirts that were driving me crazy are boxed up and will probably wind up taking a trip to the Goodwill store in the near future. I am MUCH happier with the new black.

I also tried to talk to hubby about why I am so unhappy. I tried to explain that I am tired of living in a dark air conditioned claustrophobic cave with no air circulation and no natural light and no comfortable place to sit or to watch TV. And I am tired of sleeping in a room that sounds like it is at then end of a runway of a small airport (3 fans running and the heat pump cranking right outside my window...) He tried to be understanding although I don't beilieve he "got it" entirely. But at least I said my piece.

And.....this is the worst for me. I am trying to cut down on my spending. That means no lunches out 7 days a week, no long trips into town for no reason other than I am bored.No long road trips and no weeknights at the Holiday Inn just to get out of town. I have treid to cut down on my impulse buying. So far, so good but it is soooooooo hard. Staying here all day with nothing but busy work to do (see paragraph above) and not getting out just for the sake of getting out. But I am trying. Hard.

So that is what I have changed.

I guess only time will tell how it works out.

Good luck to me.

This Blog is Going on Hiatus

2010-04-20T06:19:00.001-07:00

Okay..here's the deal:

I had a really bad weekend.

Things did NOT go as planned and I had (and I will use this term reluctantly because I HATE it) a bit of am emotional "meltdown".

I was exhausted and disappointed in myself.

I have kinda had it for a while and I just need a break.

I realized that it's not always easy to do the things you want, no matter how much you think want to do them.

And I was overwhelmed by WalMart.

I realized that we are completely surrounded by STUFF.

Useless, unnecessary, pointless stuff that we really have no need for in our lives.

We are overrun by stuff and things.

I am taking a break.

From blogging.

From the computer

From ranting about CrazyFriend.

I just need to clear my head.

I'll be back, eventually but I just need things to settle down in my head.

I will be taking a much needed sabbatical.

I have had it with stuff.

I need a rest.

My brain needs to cool off.

Living In Bizzaro World

2010-04-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I had lunch with CrazyFriend today.
I wanted it to be pleasant and I was trying to help her out.
She wanted to take her car (a classic 1972 Chevy Nova) to our mechanic.
And I wanted to take her to lunch for her birthday.

Once again, I thought we could have a simple, pleasant day.
But it NEVER seems to work out that way.
And apparently, my husband has figured out why.
She is living in Bizarro World.

The things that make perfect sense to her (in Bizarro World) infuriate me.
It makes me go ballistic.
I TRY not to, I really do.
But hubby is right.
It is Bizarro World.
Black is white.
White is black.
Nothing makes sense when you are trying to have a conversation with someone who is living full time in Bizarro World.

The issue, of course, is the controlling, isolating, manipulative generally nasty guy that she has allowed to live in and totally take over everything she own.
This is the charmer who is isolating her from her friends and family.
Driving her other (and much newer car). Spending her money.
Controlling her life.
He brings less-than-reputable seedy characters ("the guys") to her house in a very expensive, upscale neighborhood so they can take showers and get their laundry done (which she does).
She has no control over who he brings over and has no idea who they are or what they are doing.
But I guess that's the way it is in Bizarro World.

.
She has to sneak around him because if she wants to do something, he goes ballistic.
Even though it is her money or her car or her house or whatever.
But I guess that's the way it is in Bizarro World.

Trying to have a reasonable, rational conversation with her (if you don't happen to be living in Bizarro World) is frustrating at best and virtually impossible at worst.

I am supposed to have lunch with her again tomorrow.
I will TRY not to go ballistic.
I will just keep repeating "Bizarro World".

I am talking to someone who is living in Bizarro World.

Bizarro World
It is Bizarro World.
Bizarro World.

Black is white.
Yes is No
Up is down.
Nothing is as it seems.

HUBBY WAS RIGHT (now what part of Bizarro World is that??)

The Four Things

2010-04-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Four Things I Want To Buy This Month:

1) Small Coleman cook stove (PX) $34.95
2) Small bright Coleman lantern (Dick's Sporting Goods) $24.95
3) 10x12 Ground tarp (PX) $12.95
4) Small Pick axe (Home Depot) $23.95

I am going to go rockhounding at a working mine. And I am going on at least one camping trip,

Trimming the Parrot's Toenails

2010-03-29T14:32:00.001-07:00

Well, it wasn't an easy task but I finally found the opportunity and was finally able to trim Tito's toenails.

He is pretty good about it, once he gets the idea that that's all I want to do. But if for some reason, he decides he doesn't want it done, you might as well forget it. With a razor sharp beak like that you do NOT want to mess with him.

But we were sitting quietly watching TV and I had the nail clipper in my hand and I just matter-of-factly reached over and picked up his foot. He let me clip his nails. Yay!

I've been wanting to do that for ages. I just needed the perfect moment.

Today was okay.

We went to lunch and to the range.

Hubby had to drop his truck off at the mechanic's on the way in. He took it in last week for a $30 oil change and the mechanic (who we trust) discovered a $500 repair that needed to be done. Yippee.

So we dropped the truck off and headed into town for lunch.

Lunch was okay...not as good as usual or maybe I just wasn't that hungry.

We had Bento boxes at a little Japanese place.

They are usually yummy but I think I was feeling very cranky.

When we got to the range, one of our friends who I usually like a lot just annoyed the crap out of me. I was actually getting a little angry with him. He was just bugging me and I wasn't in the mood. I get very tired of guys and their clever remarks ( I KNOW it's a guy thing because hubby does it all the time). They think they are being cute. I just think they are being annoying and it wasn't making me happy.

I shot my gun a little and listened to our state trooper friend tell us a couple of stories and then we just came on home. We didn't stop to wander around or buy stuff or anything. We picked Cookie up from day care, stopped back at the mechanic (hubby needed to talk to him) and then we came home.

It was an okay day but I think I just wasn't feeling it today.

I was going to call CrazyFriend and ask her to go to lunch tomorrow, but frankly, I just can't bring myself to do that right now. I like having friends and I like having company.......sometimes.

But as I discovered this weekend, I am quite happy doing things on my own. I took a 200 mile road trip on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed myself. And Sunday, I took a long walk in the park by myself and I was fine and happy. Sometimes dragging people (especially annoying people ) along can just be a pain.

That's it. We had dinner ( hubby had the last of his 3 day roast_ I had a cheese omelet with grits and I am done for the evening. I guess I just not feeling 100% today. Cranky, irritable, I don't know. But we are here and it is getting towards evening. At least I am not ready to go to bed at 7:00 like I did the last 3 nights.

Oh well.......Maybe tomorrow will be better.

As long as I don't break down and call CrazyFriend.

I don't think I'm up to that.

Hey, I look pretty good...

2010-03-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I was quite surprised yesterday.
CrazyFriend brought over the pictures that she took on our recent trip to Florida.
(Yes the trip where Suzie and I nearly killed her because she was being such a total pain...)
But the pictures were very nice and I was pleased because I actually look pretty darn good.
I HATE having my picture taken but I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised.
I guess my signature butch lesbian duck hunter look works for me.
I didn't look fat.
My jeans fit.
And my Missy Good hat looks great.
Now I really like the hat.
And I am very happy with the way I look in the pictures.
Dang.

I don't have to talk to that bitch....

2010-03-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Okay.......
It looks like CrazyFriend's "relationship" with her "boyfriend" (insert: con man, freeloader, sleazebag creep and generally scary guy) has taken a bit of a dark turn.
We've always known that he is greedy, exploitive and manipulative. The only reason that he has anything to do with her is because she is providing him with a very nice place to live in one of the most expensive subdivisions in town, a very nice car and money whenever he needs it. He is no longer even bothering with the facade of going out to eat with her or going to church with her. He comes and goes, brings strangers to the house and is just doing whatever he damn well pleases.
And he is becoming evem more manipulative and controlling.

Last week when we went to Florida, he told her "I don't understand why you want to hang around with that butch lesbian.." That would be me. (Hey, I didn't think I was that butch. Damn.) And he turns everything around to make it someone else's fault. It's never anything he does that's wrong.

And this week was even MORE interesting.

.
On Saturday, I told CrazyFriend I just needed a break from her and her constant discussion of her "boyfriend and 'the guys' " (Don't ask. It gets entirely too complicated. I was exhausted and I just couldn't take it anymore. She got VERY upset with me and slammed the phone down. wouldn't talk to me. Okay....No biggie. That's all happened before. She'd get over it.

But I did e-mail another mutual friend and told her what happened. I explained everything and asked her to give CrazyFriend a call just to talk to her and try and get her to talk me.

So the mutual friend did call her. This morning at her house.
Well......The "boyfriend" (you know what to insert here.) answered the phone.
When he heard our friend's voise asking for CrazyFriend....he said nothing and HUNG UP THE PHONE>
When she called back, he would not answer.
Eventually, we got a hold of CrazyFriend and she was her usual bubbly self (Insert DENIAL ain't just a river in Egypt).
And here is what she told me he said when she asked him WHY he hung up the phone.
He told her "I DON'T HAVE TO TALK TO THAT BITCH....."

Now, I am sorry but if that isn't abusive, isolating, manipulative, and controlling I don't know what is. AND SHE CONTINUES TO TAKE IT.

So I am now the butch lesbian.
And our mutual friend is the nosy bitch.
It is getting honestly scary.
I don't think CrazyFriend will EVER get out of this mess unscathed.

A Little Benign Neglect Goes A Long Way..

2010-03-19T05:45:00.001-07:00

Amazingly enough, a little benign neglect goes a long way.

What a surprise.

I went to my doctor for my annual physical yesterday.

Did I mention I HATE going to the doctor?

I don't like to go. I don't want a bunch of referrals I don't want to open a can of worms but I had questions about a few issues.

I would prefer to ignore something and not do anything.

I just want him to know about stuff so if something bad happens, he can't say "You never mentioned that..."

But I went for my annual physical yesterday.

I'd been dreading it for weeks because I just can't talk to my doctor.

He's very nice but he always seems so busy.

So....I had a bunch of questions and concerns.

I wrote them down and was very patient.

I explained to my doctor that it was difficult to ask him questions while i was sitting there naked in nothing but a flimsy paper gown.

He was very kind.

He was very patient.

He took a long time and listened to all my questions and concerns.

He gave me stuff that I wanted and didn't push me into doing stuff I didn't want.

But here is the interesting part.

For someone who does not want to go to the doctor unless I am dying or mortally injured, I am remarkably healthy.

My labs were great.

My EKG was excellent.

My weight was okay.

Everything was on the up side of very good.

I was pleased and I am glad I don't have to go back for another year.

And I am a FIRM believer in the concept of benign neglect.

It works.

Hit a Pothole and the Radio Comes On!

2010-03-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I went to the university last night for a meeting of the Columbia Gem and Mineral Society. Fortunately, my membership was still good. It expires at the end of this month.
They had a woman speaking about meteorites and I thought it would be interesting.
I enjoy that new show "Meteorite Men" and this seemed like a good opportunity to learn something about "Rocks From Space".
The talk was interesting enough.
She is the president of the Georgia Meteorite Association (I didn't even know there was a Georgia Meteorite Association). And she seemed pleasant, funny and knowledgeable. She is apparently a collector rather than a hunter and she said she had purchased most of the 200 meteorites in her collection.
She did pass around a real kind of generic meteorite for us to look at and feel.
That was the best part of the whole evening.
I finally got to feel one and see what one actually looks like.
That made the whole trip worth it.
The business part of the meeting was totally boring/
I had no interest in any of that and it took forever.
And I didn't even win one of their stupid door prizes that they give you for sitting through the business part of the meeting.
But all in all I am glad I went.
Right now, I do not plan on renewing my membership.
It's interesting but it's one of those subcultures that it is hard to become a part of.

AND on the way home, I was getting increasing frustrated with my car stereo.
It has a short in it and kind of goes on and off on its own.
Well, yesterday it was in one of its dead modes and I could not get it to come back around.
It was dark when I was driving home, and I hit a BIG pothole.
Rattled the crap out of the car but guess what?
The stereo came back on!
Usually it takes a little bump.
But this was a biggie and now I have music again.

Meteorites AND music.
Who could ask for anything ,ore?

Five Days in Hell or......

2010-03-14T06:08:00.001-07:00

Spending a week in Florida with CrazyFriend

Oh boy......what a week. I went to Florida last week to visit my Golf Buddy. Cousin Suzie and CrazyFriend came along and to say the least, it was in interesting week, in very much of a Harriet Peterson sort of way.

Now, I was ready to have a good time because my Golf Buddy finally got some good news, in the wake of many disappointments and I just really enjoy going to Florida. I really like Florida. And Cousin Suzie just wanted a fun relaxing trip, away from everything for a few days. Not an unreasonable expectation on a trip to Florida, right? Right.

Well, CrazyFriend was at the top of her craziness and her malignant passive-aggressiveness. She made all of us miserable, including herself. There were some pretty awful moments. What a fiasco.

It started out okay but CrazyFriend was edgy from the very beginning. She had to board her cats for the week we were going to be gone. She didn't want to "inconvenience" her "boyfriend" (insert: con man, freeloader, sleazy, scary guy) so he would not have to worry about looking after her cats. So she was worried about her cats.

We left here at 6:00 in the morning on Monday in Cousin Suzie's big truck. The weather looked goo and we were on our way. I like Cousin Suzie a lot. She is fun, smart, talented sensible, she's a good driver and she knows how to relax and have fun. She is everything CrazyFriend is not.

We had the week pretty well planned out. We figured we'd stop at the same Cracker Barrels that we'd stopped at on our last trip (they are timed just right along the way) and I had our itinerary planned for once we got to Florida. CrazyFriend wanted to climb the Ponce Inlet light house this time and she also wanted to visit the Marine Science Center where the rehabilitate sea turtles, sea birds and raptors. This is not something I would have done myself, but we went out of our way to accomodate what CrazyFriend wanted to do so she would enjoy herself. No problem.

Well, let's just say that Crazyfrined was at the top of her game. I won't say that she completely ruined the trip but she sure made for some utterly miserable moments and some fights that should only take place if you are traveling with a cranky 7 year old. She just gets obnoxious and she gets into everyone's face as if we are retarded little children (telling two grown women that we HAVE to eat dinner even when we say "We dont want to eat dinner) and not allowing us our privacy and a few quiet moments alone if we need it. Let me put it simply: SHE IS ANNOYING AS HELL AND YOU JUST WANT TO SLAP HER>>

It was not totally a bust but it could have been a lot more fun if she hadn't gotten into her passive-aggressive mode that she does so well. My Golf Buddy never knew that anything was going on because when CrazyFriend chooses to, she can be a sweet and "normal" as can be. But we were all seething underneath.

And poor Cousin Suzie was miserable because she had to share a hotel room with CrazyFriend. That alone is enough to make you want to kill yourself. At least I had my own room and I could have some peace and quiet. Thank goodness for that small favor.

After Daytona, we drove up to Saint Augustine. That was when the REAL fiasco started, The weather sucked. It rained and turned colder. But Suzie and I wanted to make the best of it. CraztFriend wanted to skip Saint Augustine and just drive on back (400 miles and SHE was not doing any of the driving). I said NO...we already and the hotel reservations and it was NOT fair to ask Cousin Suzie to drive 300+ miles in a driving rainstorm just because CrazyFriend wanted to go home.

So, in a feeble effort to make the best of it, we stayed in Saint Augustine, in the pouring rain. We had lunch at a seafood place and Suzie had a couple of beers and we decided to go to the Ripleys' Believe It Or Not Museum which was just down the block. The place was amazing, But in her own fashion CrazyFriend ruined the experience. She wouldn't stay with us, she had to take off and look at everything on her own. We just gave up and lost track of her. And Suzie was getting sick to her stomach fro the beer and the heavy lunch. At the end of the two hour museum tour, all she wanted to do was go back to the hotel and lie down for a couple of hours. Now, I can understand that, no problem because if I get a migraine, all I want to do is lie down for a while and I'll be fine.

Well, after the 40 minutes it took us to finally find Crazyfriend, (she wanted to stay and take pictures) Suzie was at the end of her rope. She was white as a sheet and all she wanted to do was go back to the hotel. Which we did. I had to wrangle CrazyFriend and keep her from bothering Suzie. That in itself was exhausting. But I did the best I could.

Suzie recovered from her upset stomach (that's all it was)...CrazyFriend wanted me to start looking for an emergency room and we had a relatively quiet evening.

The next morning, we left Saint Augustine with much better weather and Suzie feeling better after a good night's sleep.

Note to self: The next trip to Florida will NOT include CrazyFriend.

I will go with Cousin Suzie, no problem but CrazyFriend is staying home.

The details of how miserable she made us are just too numerous to list but I will admit, she outdid herself.

What was supposed to be a fun trip to Florida turned out to be a week in HELL and guess what?

It ain't over yet.

I am having lunch with Crazyfriend in about an hour.

It never seems to end.

Why don't we care about Chile?

2010-03-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

I don't understand why no one seems to care about Chile.
They had one of the strongest earthquakes ever (8.8!!!)
There was major devastation and destruction.
There was looting and a period of chaos.
But it doesn't seem that anyone cares about Chile.
No one is singing "We Are The World".
There are no massive airlifts.
No troops, no hospital ships.
There's no Anderson Cooper rescuing children from unruly street gangs.
There's no Sanjay Gupta doing brain surgery on televisi0n.
There are no celebrities having telethons.
No one is saying "Just Text CHILE and you can make a $10 donation"
What is wrong with Chile?
Doesn't any one care or are we only allowed one major catastrophic earthquake a year?
What's the deal?
Who cares about Chile?

Finally, some GOOD news!

2010-03-05T03:26:00.001-08:00

Well, I am soooo happy for my Golf Buddy in Florida. She called me last night, all excited and happy. After nearly 18 months of being on a waiting list, she had FINALLY gotten her senior's low income apartment in Daytona Beach. Wooo hooo. I am so glad she finally got it. As you can imagine, waiting for a low income, senior citizens' apartment in FLORIDA involves a VERY long wait. It's one of those places where someone has to die or be transferred to a nursing home before you move up on the waiting list.

We are going to visit her for a couple of days next week. I wasn't quite sure of what we were going to do because she's been so down lately. But now we actially have something to celebrate.

I told her a long time ago that when she finally got her apartment that we'd have a party. Well, our timing could not have been better, We can go down there for a couple of days and really have a good time. Yay. I am glad for her. I hope everything works out. She is so sweet and deserves a break after all the bad luck she's had.

Cowboy boots and western shirts.

2010-03-02T07:24:00.001-08:00

I went to Rock Hill yesterday with CrazyFriend so we could meet with Cousin Suzie and firm up the plans for our Florida trip next week. We had a very nice lunch at Olive Garden. We usually eat at Cracker Barrel but since we are going to be eating there all next week, we decided to do something different. It was a very nice lunch. The soup was okay (a little thin I thought for a "cream" soup) but tasty nonetheless and the salad was well....salad.

We really didn't accomplish much of anything about our trip. Crazyfriend was in her usual form talking about her boyfriend (inser: manipulative freeloading con man) and the other homeless and unemplyed "guys" who seem to be suddenly appearing at her house. And the fact that she is doing their laundry and cooking meals for them....(sorry I digress.) We did not make any firm decisions about the trip. I wanted to have some structure but CrazyFriend was not helping. So I guess we'll just be winging it to Daytona Beach. Oh well. If we're lucky, CrazyFriend will wind up paying for 60% of the trip and happy to do it.

But after lunch, I did get to go to theTractor Supply Store. What a NEAT place. I could have spent all day and all my money there. They had everything you could imagine. I had been trying to find a western shirt and some cowboy boots. They had plenty. I found a pair of boots that I fell in love with but unfortunately, I could NOT get them on over my right ankle. So I didn't get them. But I WANTED them soooooooo bad. I did find a western shirt (on sale for $5) and I LOVE it. I cannot wait to go back to that place.

Today is messy, messy, messy. I would actually be just as happy to stay home, but we've already made plans to meet a frined for lunch and hubby wants to go to the range. I am going to shoot too. I always feel I should shoot at least a couple of times a month and this is a good a time as any. We are going to have lunch at the Japanese place. I like their Bento boxes. Yum.

That is about it....Tito and I are engaged in the great food dish wars. But that is a whole other entry. He started unscrewing his food dish about a week ago and throwing it on the floor. I got him a different dish a couple of days ago just to distract him. And now he is so pissed at me, it's not even funny. Having a parrot pissed at you is NOT fun.

Oh well...we'll work it out.

Off to have Japanese lunch and to shoot at small pieces of paper.

Could we have just the simple answer please?

2010-02-26T04:56:00.000-08:00

Okay...here's the deal.
My husband is brilliant. Now if you ever told him I said this, I'd have to kill you.
But it is true.
The problem is, he cannot give you a simple answer to anything.
Example:
Me: Oh, by the way, dear....Who was is that killed Lincoln?
Hubby: John Wilkes Booth.
Me: Okay.
Hubby: Did you know that John Wilkes Booth had brown hair and always wore white shirts. He had a younger brother who he never got along with and his parents were farmers.
Me: That's nice.
Hubby: And that after he shot Lincoln he had to walk through 6 miles of heavily wooded stands of pine trees and then across nearly 2 miles of open pasture land.
Me: Oh, really.
Hubby: And when he finally came across Dr. Mudd's farmhouse, it was nearly two in the morning and he had lost almost two pints of blood. He was disoriented and nearly fainted on the doorstep.
Me: Okay.
Hubby: And Dr. Mudd who initially greeted him, was reluctant to treat him be he felt compelled by his Hippocratic oath to take in the wounded stranger.
Me: (eyes glazing over) Uh huh.
Hubby: And that Booth did not actually die of the gunshot wound but from the infection that set in nearly two days later.

It continues this way. You get it.

Now here is my concern.

A good friend of ours has finally decided that he is going to buy his first computer.
He was excited.
He called the other day and told us he was going to buy a laptop and he asked hubby for help.
Not so much in buying the computer but getting set up and getting on the internet and learning his way around.
Which is fine.

BUT:

Here is my concern.
Hubby cannot give you a simple answer to anything.
Even if he does not know all the details, he will find some way to elaborate and make it more complicated than it has to be.
And as smart as he is, he is NOT a computer genius.

I heard him talking to our friend on the phone the other day.
He was giving him elaborate, complicated advice about Internet Explorer and HotMail and G-Mail and trojan horses and viruses and firewalls and spyware and bots and screen size and different fonts and navigating the internet by using Wi-fi sites.

And I could just see our friend's eyes beginning to glaze over.

My advice to him would have been:

Go to Best Buy.
Pick out a laptop that is in your price range that you like.
Choose a service provider, preferably DSL.
Ask the nice people at Best Buy to set up AOL for you and take you computer home with you, ready to go. Install McAfee.
Log on to AOL.
Start surfing around. Bring your computer to our house if you want.
Have fun. Ask questions and learn as you go.
Get help if you need it.

COULD WE PLEASE JUST STICK TO THE SIMPLE ANSWER????????

Why can't I just talk to my doctor?

2010-02-25T16:20:00.001-08:00

I am a very unhappy camper tonight.

Now, I will be the first to admit. I hate going to the doctor.

I will avoid it at all costs and do everything I can to not go.

I don't have anything against doctors personally.

I know they are generally sincere, very hardworking and dedicated.

They do the best they can.

And if you have an emergency with something they can actually FIX like my broken ankle last summer, they are certainly nice to have around.

But my question is this:

Why can't I just talk to my doctor?

Have you ever seen the Viagra commercials where the guy is sitting at a desk in a nice big office, relaxed and fully dressed, discussing his need for Viagra?

And they stand up and shake hands and all his questions are answered.

They are both smiling.

He's happy.

The doctor is happy.

Everyone is happy.

I am not happy.

Now I have lots of issues and questions and concerns lately

That I've had for a while and I thought I was ready to discuss them with my doctor.

That I would like to be able to sit down in a nice big office with my doctor, relaxed at his desk.

I'd like to be fully dressed and not embarrassed, without nurses and PA's waltzing around.

just want to talk and ask questions about the things that are bothering me.

But I went to my doctor's office this morning.

To get some lab work done.

And it is so painfully obvious that something like that is NEVER going to happen.

The place was a zoo.

There were patients everywhere.

The lab was backed up.

I saw my doctor and he was literally scampering (he couldn't actually break into a run) down the hall to see his next patient out of......maybe 6 or 8 he had to see.

And he didn't know who he was going to see until he grabbed the chart out of the rack on the door.

He said hello to me.

He even answered a question that I had (and I did an end run around the nurse to ask him).

But he was frantically busy.

He could barely take a breath.

And I want to him to take the time to "talk" with me.

Ha. Who am I kidding?

My annual physical is in a couple of weeks.

And I don't even want to go.

Because here is how it will go:

Nurse:Follow me to the exam room.

Nurse: Take off all your clothes.

Nurse: Get your height weight and vital signs.

Me: Sit there uncomfortably in this little grey room wearing a crumpled paper gown for oh, say......15 or 20 minutes.

Doctor comes in.

Him: How are you? Me: Fine

Him: Everything okay? Me: Yeah

Him: Any changes? Me: No

Him: Your medicine okay? Me: Yeah

Him: Is there anything you need? Me: Not really.

Him: Okay, lie down, let me have a look.

Him: Okay see you next year.

No nice big desk.

No clean comfortable office.

No relaxed atmosphere.

No reassuring talk.

Just a rushed 30 minute visit with quick answers, tests that I don't want or need and a vaguely dissatisfied, uncomfortable feeling after I leave.

I don't want to go.

I guess the only doctor you actually get to "talk" to is a psychiatrist.

OH NO Not another dead cat!!

2010-02-19T06:50:00.001-08:00

Well, sadly, yet another kitty cat has died.

She was our little calico cat.

She was pretty old and sickly and recently she quit eating so I knew she wouldn't be around very long.

But she had a long life and it was just her time.

When we got back from the RV show late yesterday, she didn't come up on the deck for dinner.

She'd been MIA for a while and I knew that was it.

Hubby found her under the deck and she was very, very dead.

We had a quick little funeral for her.

She was a sweet, gentle kitty.

And of course.....I had to call CrazyFriend (the crazy cat lady) and deliver the sad news.

She was very upset and wanted to take the dead cat to Clemson University for an "autopsy".

I knew that was coming (which is why we buried the cat and THEN told her.

I didn't want her coming out here, wrapping the cat up in tinfoil and then driving around with it until she could find some unsuspecting vet to do and "autopsy" so she could know why the cat died.

I just wasn't in the mood for that.

Dead is dead.

Hasn't she ever heard of "Rest In Peace"???????

SO sad.

RIP Little Calico Kitty.

Snow is like an ugly woman....

2010-02-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

Snow is like that last-ditch desperation date that you pick up at a bar when you're really, really drunk and it's getting close to closing time.

It gets prettier and prettier as the evening goes on.

It doesn't seem all that bad for a little while.

It's actually beautiful for about 15 minutes.

Then you realize what a mess it's making of your life.

And when you want it to go away, it always stays around just a little too long.

Snow Cliches: Been There Done That

2010-02-13T11:30:00.001-08:00

Well, we had 5 inches of snow last night. That's right.....5 inches.

It started at about 6:00 last night, right after dinner and it snowed all night.

It was actually very pretty. Big, fluffy white flakes.

Every my grumpy husband thought it was pretty and wanted to walk outside in it for a little while. That was most unlike him.

And this morning, it was GORGEOUS.

It was piled up on the trees and it was clean and white and pristine.

I wasn't sure of what our little dog was going to think of it.

She is usually pretty cold natured and the snow was literally up to her chest.

But she was a very good sport.

The first few times, we took her out under one of the sheds to pee but she didn't seem to care.

She wanted to go out and PLAY.

So I let her.

I took her sweater off her and let her go.

She bounced and ran and had a wonderful time.

I was very surprised.

I thought sure she was going to make a beeline for the door but she bounced through the snow all the way to the road.

And she decided she was going to dig and burrow as well.

It was funny.

But now, she is all curled up under her blankets, sound asleep.

CrazyFriend wanted to come over "to take snow pictures" but I strongly discouraged her from driving if it wasn't necessary.

She had plenty of snow at her house she could take pictures of.

I fed the birds lots of extra bird seed and peanut butter.

They seemed quite grateful for the extra rations.

Even the great big crows were up here looking for a snack.

I threw out some extra cracked corn for them.

I bought 50 lbs of it so there was plenty to go around.

It's too cold for anyone to go hungry.

Right now, I am starting to get into the "I'm so bored I could die.." mode.

I'm okay staying home and being idle for about.......4 or 5 hours tops and then I start to lose it.

I have been outside a couple of times trying to find things to do.

I tried shoveling some of the snow off the deck.

I swept the snow off the porch.

I cooked chicken for Cookie and the cats.

I did some laundry.

I made lunch (grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup)

After a while, I run out of things to do and I need to get out of here.

That's it for me.

The snow is pretty.

For a little while.

Right now.....the prettiness is wearing off.

I don't know if I will be able to get out tomorrow.

I certainly HOPE so.

THAT'S IT!

I've had it.

I've said and done all the snow cliches.

ENOUGH SNOW.

2012

2010-02-09T15:57:00.001-08:00

2012

Y'know, I've been thinking.

The world is supposed to end in 2012.

And maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

I think about 2 more years is all I want of this.

I've thought about that for a long time.

Two more years is plenty.

I've had enough.

2012. It works for me.

I keep thinking over and over again that I'm gonna die when I'm 62, one way or another.

So why not take the entire world with me?

What difference would it make?

Screw the world.

It's a good timeline.

I'm fine with it.

I for one, am kinda hoping it actually happens that way.

Yeah.

I'd be ready.

Bring it on, 2012

Can't you please just let it go?

2010-02-07T06:44:00.001-08:00

Well, Crazyfriend is doing it to me again.

Here's the deal:
Crazyfriend cannot and will not let anything go. Ever. She clings to the past and wants everything to be the "way it was". And it's worse when something dies.

Her parents passed away several years ago. It was very traumatic for her and she is still feeling tremendous guilt. She never felt like she did enough to take care of them (even though she spent an entire 5 years of her life doing NOTHING but looking after them.) She wanted AUTOPSIES done on them (They were in their late 80's and the doctors just looked at her like she had just landed from Mars). She spent years in counseling which did no good whatsoever. She simply will not move forward with her life. She still keeps their ashes in the living room, which she has turned into a shrine with pictures and flowers and the fancy urns. (It's kinda creepy actually.)

She went through a very bad divorce about 5 years ago after 5 years of a miserably unhappy and unfortunate marriage. (She was just as much to blame as he was but that was never discussed). She still feels guilty and feels like it was her fault that she didn't do enough to hold it together. She would still like to talk to me about it but I won't go there.

She still talks about her BFF from high school (42 years ago) who committed suicide as if she is still there and wonders what she could have done differently.

And it gets worse when an animal dies.

That's where this story starts.

Whenevr an animal dies, Crazyfriend wants to have an "autopsy". She wants to know why it died. So she can help other people who have animals with the same problem/ She wants to write a book about it. She wants to write a pamphlet and send it to vets so they will now about the problem. (She never actually DOES any of these things but this is what she says she wants to do. ) She once kept a dead cat wrapped in foil in her freezer for almost a week before she could find a vet who would do a necropsy on a dead cat.

She picks up dead animals in the road and will carry them home in the trunk of her car to bury them because she feels it is undignifed and dispectful to be squashed roadkill. She has her little roadkill kit that she keeps in the trunk...a shovel, gloves, plastic bags. And she keeps the number of the Highway Depatment on speed dial on her cell phone if she sees an animal that is too big for her to pick up. She stops at the grocery store and looks at the "Lost Pet" bulletins and then if she sees a dead dog or cat in the road she stops and checks to see if it matches the desrciption of any lost animal she knows about.

So what is going on now?

Well, about 3 months ago one of our little kitty cats died. She had been sick for a long time so it was not unexpected and frankly, she went very peacefully. It was a cold rainy night, she was curled up in her box and she just went to sleep. End of story, right. Sad, the kitty died. Bye bye kitty. Hope you're happy in Kitty Heaven.

No such deal. Hubby and I went out in the morning and buried the kitty cat, the same as we would any of our pets. That's it. We had the $2.49 funeral (That's the top of the line around here...you get a sheet wrapped around you and you get a nice little grave marker.). We have buried countless animals in just the same way and then it's over. It's done. Right> Wrong.

Crazyfriend was infuriated that I didn't call her when the cat died. It was 11:00 on a cold and rainy night for Pete's sake...what was she going to do? Rush out here?

AND she was totally undone when we told her we'd buried that cat. She wanted to take the cat to the Clemson University Agricultural Research Lab to try and get the vets there to do a necropy. And I mean she was UPSET...not just a little. She was totally upset.

NOW....she is convinced that I am creating my own little shrine to the dead kitty cat.

I promise you, I am not. But to Crazyfriend it apparently looks that way. And she just will not let it go. This is a dead CAT we are talking about. And she comes out with new flowers every couple of weeks. She planted a TREE in the cat's memory. She wants to plant flowers in the spring. It's a CAT....it's not her granny.

I don't know. I will never convince CrazyFriend that this is NOT a little shrine to the memory of the dead cat. And she will simply not let go and move on. Even her therapist said that. She clings to the past, wallowingin guilt and sense of loss.

I know it doesn't hurt anything to put flowers out.

But it is a dead CAT that she won't let go of . Or anything else.

She needs a new and better therapist.

The pathology of this whole way of thinking seems overwhelming to me.

I want to move on with my life, not spend every minute wondering what I could have done differently to change how the past played out.

When the house tells you to get out.......

2010-02-06T05:37:00.001-08:00

It was raining yesterday.

No, not just raining.

It was pouring.

It was an all day, wipe out torrential downpour.

It was windy, cold and miserable.

But I could not stay inside.

This house is a dark, toxic cave.

And I realized yesterday that the less time I spend here, the better I feel.

(I frequently wonder if it has anything to do with the days that I wake up with a migraine.)

It was a miserable day.

And I was doing anything I could to stay outside.

And not just because I was bored (which I frequently am).

It was because this house is dark and dusty and cluttered and toxic.

There is no natural light.

I just needed to be outside.

I needed fresh air.

I needed daylight.

Now, I have been wanting to move.

I have been wanting to move to Florida.

And yesterday was a clincher.

There is nothing wrong with this house.

(Other than it being 30 years old and a dark, toxic cave).

It's paid for.

It's solid.

It's well built.

It's not haunted.

It's a good enough house.

But we just don't need all this anymore.

I guess it's true.

When the house tells you to get out, you should get out.

I am so sick of feeling crappy....

2010-01-31T12:17:00.001-08:00

I am so sick of having these crappy feeling days.

I had a bit of a migraine last night.

I was entirely too warm in bed.

I felt awful

I took am Imitrex at 6:00 this morning.

And I've felt awful all day.

I didn't enjoy much lunch.

I didn't want to shop.

I am not technically "sick".

It's not a cold.

It's not the flu.

It's not an upset stomach.

I had that last week and I know the difference.

It's just this general awful yukky feeling.

I just feel crappy and that is the only way to explain it.

And I am sick of these days that I just feel crappy.

Why can't we just be HONEST about Haiti?

2010-01-28T07:21:00.001-08:00

I was deliberately avoiding talking about Haiti on this blog (this is supposed to be the "happy, fun blog") but I am at the point where I just can't help it. I try to leave the heavy serious subjects off this site but I am at my wits' end.

I just want to know why we can't be honest about our feelings about Haiti?

I don't want to hear about suddenly compassionate celebrities who could not have pointed Haiti out on a map prior to this happening.

I don't want to hear about what a horrible person I am.

I don't want to hold hands and sing Kum-by-ya.

Frankly, I am Haiti'ed out.

I don't want to hear anything else about Haiti.

I didn't care about Haiti before and I really don't care much about Haiti right now.

Y'know who I really feel sorry for?

I feel sorry for the Dominican Republic.

How would YOU like to have Haiti as a conjoined twin?

Do us all a favor.

Call in the damn bulldozers.

Shove Port au Prince into the sea.

The world might just be a better place.

Could you PLEASE stop doing that?

2010-01-26T06:09:00.000-08:00

Okay....yesterday was an unusual and pleasant day for me.
Hubby took his friend out to the outdoor shooting range.
He left at 9 o'clock in the morning and he was gone all day.
That meant I got to stay home all day, all by myself.
It was lovely.
Now I did stay in my pajamas but I still did a few things so it wasn't a totally wasted day.
But I got to watch mindless TV, I did what I wanted all day, when I wanted.
I cooked chicken for Cookie and myself.
We had fresh yummy chicken, a ton of veggies and Ramen noodles for lunch.
I did some laundry, changed the beds, cleaned to birds and even went outside and collected a bunch (a whole bunch) of fallen branches to put in the fire pit.
It was a very relaxing day.

Hubby came home after 4:30.
And he got a little upset with me.
I get very tired of something he does unconsciously and it annoys the crap out of me.
He YAWNS.
All the time.
He yawns when you are talking to him, he yawns when you are looking at him.
He yawns in the car, he yawns in the store.
And when he is home he makes all the yawning "sound effects" that are supposed to go with a big yawn,

Now I don't really think he is yawning because he is tired or bored.
And an occasional yawn is perfectly understandable.
BUT: I think he has just gotten into the habit of doing it and he keeps doing it without even realizing what he is doing.

So when he was making his yawning "sound effects" last night I asked him if he would PLEASE try and not do that all the time.
It is bad enough having him yawn in your face or in your ear but when you add the sound effects, it gets downright ridiculous.
He got upset with me.
He'll get over it.
I just wish he would stop the constant yawning.
Or at least tone it down.

***************************************************
That's it.
It is a beautiful day.
We are going to have lunch at Cracker Barrel with our friend Russell.
I know where I want to sit, who I want for our waitress and what I want to eat.
Then, I want to go to all the usual places.
Cookie gets to go to Day Care and she loves that.
I think it'll be a nice day.

Am oddly calm weekend

2010-01-25T04:11:00.001-08:00

Well.....last night was a pleasant first in a very long time. I actually slept ALL night without waking up at 1 a.m. or staying up to watch TV until 4 a.m. Wow. What a surprise, Now, Cookie, the famous Dachshund Bed Hog did NOT sleep on the bed with me last night. I do not know if that had anything to do with it but it was certainly nice and most unusual Wow. I hardly know how to act. I wish it would happen more often. Not being able to sleep doesn't really affect me physically and since I don't work, I never "have" to be anywhere at any certain time but it's still nice to sleep all night. Right? Right.

This weekend was not too bad. I did not feel crappy and I actually won a couple of dollars on my lottery tickets. That was fun. Let's see... Saturday. What did I do on Saturday?? Oh another most unusal thing. I stayed home most of the day. We went out on Friday and so we stayed home all day Saturday. It was boring but tolerable. I really don't remember that much about what I did. I can hardly remember what I had for dinner last night, let alone what I did two days ago. That's why I write everything down on my calendar every day.

IS IT ART OR IS IT A "FOUND OBJECT" OR IS IT JUNK>>???

I do remember that there was a small white metal bed headboard tossed out on the side of the road (people toss junk out on our road all the time....) and I made my husband stop and I picked it up. It was clean, intact, solid and it had a very pleasing shape. I brought it home, put two stakes in the dirt and sunk it into the ground out near my Alien Landing platform and the dead cat memorial. It is solid and looks very cute, I think. I am going to plant some pretty plants around it in the spring. I love it. I live the way it looks. Hubby thinks it's junk because it was heading for the dumpster but didn't quite make it there.. I think it is a found object that I turned into a very pretty garden accessory. I guess it's all in how you look at it.

Yesterday?? It was very dreary and drizzling but I went out anyway. Yesterday was interesting and pleasant enough even though I spent the day with CrazyFriend. I just was NOT going to get into our usual argument about her being a doormat for her sleazy creepy freeloading boyfriend. I just wasn't going to go there. I was NOT coming home with a migraine. So.....we went to brunch at a place called The Strudel Cafe. I wasn't our first choice but our first choice was mobbed so we went next door. Although it's not my favorite place, it was actually pretty good. I don't care much for the seating in the place but the food is absolutely delicious. I just wish they had better seating.

Then we did a few pretty boring errands (I bought bird seed and a new toy for the cockatiels) and I bought incense. We then looped back around and I went to the range. I wanted to shoot a little bit. That place was totally mobbed. It was a madhouse. But since I'd gone through all the trouble to bring my guns with and I drove all that way, I was going to shoot. I waited about 20 minuted for a lane. I shot about 50 rounds and then we took off. I like to shoot pretty regularly since I carry a gun every day, it seems like a good idea.

After the range, we went on back to the Goodwill Store (I have been looking for an old camo Army jacket for myself). After I dropped CrazyFriend off, I stopped at Wallyworld, PetSmart and then I came on home.

It was nearly 4:30 when I finally got back.

But I felt good, I did NOT scream at CrazyFriend about how stupid she in being and I had a pleasant day. I hate the crowds but it was Sunday and all the Episcopalians were out. They tend to get a little pushy after church. And there are sooo many of them!They are almost worse than the Baptists! The Catholics aren't so bad. There just aren't that many here in the South.

So it was a pleasant weekend, all in all.

And no crappy feeling days.

I'm keeping track now, y'know.

Good Days vs. Crappy Days

2010-01-21T03:47:00.001-08:00

Okay...Here's the deal.

People say I am sick a lot.

I don't know if I am technically "sick".

I know I have more crappy feeling days than I ought to have.

I wouldn't call it being "sick"

I do have severe migraines and sometimes I just don't feel good but it's not "sick" like a cold or the flu.

The migraines can be debilitating.

I don't know if they are getting worse or more frequent.

They went dismissed, misunderstood, ignored and undiagnosed properly for years.

It was extremely frustrating becuase we now know and accept that migraines are a real neurological condition.

But sometimes, it's just feeling crappy.

Now consider yesterday.

It wasn't "sick".

But it was a horrible, knock-down, screaming, blinding, raging migraine.

(Probably the aftermath of my day with CrazyFriend.)

She has that affect on me.

I treid to fight it.

I couldn't.

It just got worse as the day went on.

It took 2 Imitrex to finally knock it out around 6:00. in the evening.

I was exhausted and I felt horrible.

I don't know if it's a lot or not.

Sometimes it seems like it to me.

So here's what I am going to do:

Considering that it is exactly 3 weeks into the New Year, I am going to start keeping track.

Good days vs. Crappy days.

I have added a "Good vs. Crappy" column to my regular calendar that I use to keep track of my daily activities.

So I will check it after 30 days and 60 days and 90 days and so forth (you get the idea).

I want to see just how many crappy days I am really having.

I know it's more than most people.

I just want to know how many more and what the deal is.

What is being "sick"

Do I have to feel good every day?

Or can I just have a crappy day?

Talk to my doctor?

And say what?

Say Doc, what about all these crappy days I have?

How many Crappy Days am I allowed?

Avoid things that make me feel crappy?

Sometimes, I can, sometimes it come with no warning.

I just wanna know how many "Crappy Days" I have vs. "Good Days".

The only way to find out is to keep track.

CrazyFriend Strikes Again

2010-01-20T03:58:00.001-08:00

Well, she did it to me again. I spent the day with CrazyFriend yesterday.

It was a series of fits and starts, ups and down but I wound up spending the day with her.

And of course the day turned out exactly as it always does....pointless, stupid and annoying.(That pretty much describes CrazyFriend actually).

Spending the day with CrazyFriend is never fun.

It is never enjoyable.

It is exhausting.

More than you can imagine.

I almost always wind up with a migraine.

I almost always wind up going to bed at 7:00 and staying there.

And yesterday was no different.

We drove to Rock Hill to have lunch with Cousin Suzie.

Now I like Cousin Suzie.

I like her a lot.

She is CrazyFriend's cousin but she is nothing like CrazyFriend.

She is smart and talented and sensible and funny.

I enjoy seeing Cousin Suzie.

I wanted to talk to her about a trip to Florida in March to visit my old golf buddy.

We (CrazyFriend, Cousin Suzie and I went in October and had a great time.)

And I was planning on going back in March for a couple of days.

If I went by myself, that would be fine. No problem.

If CrazyFriend wanted to go and it would be just the two of us, that would be a problem.

So I was hoping that if I did have to have company, Cousin Suzie would join us.

That's why I went up to Rock Hill.

To ask Cousin Suzie if she wanted to go and discuss the logistics of the trip.

At first, CrazyFriend was supposed to go with me to Rock Hill.

Actually, she was supposed to coordinate the day trip.

But when I asked her about it on Monday when I ran into her at PetSmart, she had totally forgotten about it.

SO.......I said I would call Cousin Suzie and arrange meeting her at the Cracker Barrel.

Then, CrazyFriend calls me that evening to tell me she won't be going because she didn't feel well.

Fine. No problem. Actually, I was kinda relieved.

THEN, Yesterday morning, at 8 o'clock, CrazyFriend calls to tell me she's feeling better and could she go with me.

I said sure. If you can get here in an hour.

No problem. She's here and ready to go in an hour.

Amazing recovery.

Well, we didn't have much to talk about on the hour and a half drive up there because I am sick of hearing about her creepy sleazy "boyfriend". But she did spend the time telling me about the Costa Ricans and the Guatemalans and the illegal Mexican immigrants that they have been working with and how she is trying to help them get settled in their dirty low-income apartment over in a really bad part of town.She's bought groceries for them and was shopping for small appliances and kitchen utensils. At rather expensive places. I suggested that if she HAD to help them that she might consider WalMart or the Goodwill Store. If they have NOTHING as she says then they will appreciate anything she gives them. It's ridiculous and the story is SOOOO complicated I can't even get into it BUT. She is worrying to death about it. It has now become CrazyFriend's mission in life to "help" the Costa Ricans and the Guatemalans and the illegal Mexicans. And of course her "boyfriend is all involved in it some how or another. I am so confused. It's crazy. It's ridiculous. It's CrazyFriend.

So after an hour and a half of LONG less than companionable silences interspersed with stories about the Costa Ricans and the Guatemalans and the illegal Mexicans, we made it to Rock Hill.

We had lunch with Cousin Suzie who said, yes, she'd like to go to Florida. So we made plans for that. We wandered around for a little bit, bought a few small things and then headed back.

Now........on the was home. Well. It's just another complicated story that I just can't do here. Let's just leave it by saying that It was her "boyfriend" and he pulled an interesting and rather cruel stunt on her. She cried almost the whole hour and a half trip back.

I was exhausted.

I went to bed at 6:30.

It is so much fun spending the day with CrazyFriend.

A 17 lb Bed Hog Dog

2010-01-16T04:54:00.001-08:00

Now, you wouldn't actually think that a 17 lb dog could take up so much space. I sleep in a HUGE king-size bed. It is huge. And at 4:00 this morning, I was literally SHOVED out of my bed by my little (not-so little, I guess) Dachshund. She is dead weight when she sleeps and she sleeps like a log. She snores and she totally hogs the bed.

When I woke up (at 4 a.m.) I realized that the electric blanket had clicked off and I was teetering on about 6 inches of my 6 foot wide bed. Cookie, my little dog, was wrapped up in the extra throw that I had put on the bed (the one that she WON'T sleep on if I give it to her in her bed....).

She was slammed up against me and I felt like I had a 17 lb sack of wet ready-mix cement in bed with me. I pushed her. I shoved her. I turned her over. I picked her up and moved her. But every single time she returned to her original warm spot, leaving me only about 6 inches of the very edge of the mattress.

I finally just gave up. It was 4 a.m. but I gave up. I got up, had a cup of coffee and watched TV. I am still tired But the immovable object is still in there. I'm kind of afraid to go back. There is nothing quite like being shoved out of bed by a 17 lb Bed Hog Dog.

************************

Did I feel guilty yesterday?

I thought about it but I didn't.

After Haiti overload on CNN and realizing the absurdity of the situation, hubby and I went out.

We took Cookie to Day Care and it cost $10.

$10 that I did NOT text to the Haiti relief fund.

I took her lunch with her which was a scrambled egg with freshly cooked chicken, vegetables and rice.

We went to lunch at the Japanese place that we like.

Another $20 that we did NOT Text to Haiti.

Them we went to the craft store and spent $40 on totally useless trinkets (wind chimes) for the house.

Another $40 that I did NOT text to Haiti.

And I spent $5 on lottery tickets.

Another $5 that I did NOT text to Haiti.

Do I feel guilty?

No.

Did I think about it?

Obviously I did or I would not be writing this.

Is it politically correct?

Clearly not.

Do I care about what's happening in Haiti?

I guess not that much. It is chaos and will get much worse.

I wonder how many people would be honestly willing to admit the same.

***************

Enough about that.

I have to get out and feed everyone.

Hubby is going to the gun show.

I am staying home.

CrazyFriend will be coming over in about 2 hours.

Yippee.

Yum! Nothing better than a dead field mouse!

2010-01-14T16:30:00.001-08:00

Okay.....today turned out to be a pretty good day although it started out kinda crappy.

I could NOT sleep last night (nothing unusual for me). I was up almost all night. I finally went to bed at 2 a.m. and woke up at 6:15. Nothing out of the ordinary. It just was a particularly restless night.

Anyway....that being said. Hubby was going to the commissary today to do the grocery shopping (YAY!). I don't mind going but it's nice to get a break from it every other week.

SO......I had no plans to go anywhere. I went out yesterday and got all the junk I wanted so I was staying home today......a rarity for me.

I managed to finish up the remaining pitiful salad that I bought the other day. I was going to throw it out but there was absolutely nothing wrong with it except that it was sad and pitiful. So I ate it. It was fine.....and I had a nice hot steaming bowl of Ramen noodles with a poached egg on top for lunch. Yum.

Then I got this bee in my bonnet to replace Persimmon's (the donkey) door that covers the window on her stall. This was a very old warped, rotten piece of plywood but the hinges were perfectly solid. And it just so happened that I had a piece of plywood on the porch that I only had to cut one inch off of to make it fit. It was a very easy fix. So now Persimmon has a nice new door on the window of her stall. It looks very nice and is a much nicer, tighter seal.

It only took me about 30 minutes. I am very pleased.

I had Cookie, my little dog, outside with me while I was out there. She crawled under our screen porch and found a very dead field mouse. She was SOOOOOOO pleased with herself. She ran around with it before I could catch her and she had it up on the porch begging to bring it in the house. I really didn't think that was a good idea. But she was VERY pleased. Nothing like finding a dead field mouse to make your day..if you're a little dog!

Once I finished with my "project" ( I hate that word......) and I wrestled the field mouse away from Cookie, I came inside and had a lovely quiet day while hubby was out shopping. I watched CNN for a little while but as much as I hate to say it, I am already getting "The Horror in Haiti" overload. Yes, it is a disaster of catastrophic proportions and immeasurable tragedy. BUT that being said...If Haiti had a stable government and a functioning infrastructure, maybe the disaster wouldn't be quite so horrendous. And there's only so much CNN can tell you minute by minute when no one really knows what's going on anyway.

So I eventually turned off CNN. Haiti will go on for days and days and days. I spent my day just chilling out. I didn't even get dressed. It's nice having the house to myself every now and then. I was very tired but I didn't want to lie down. I had a snack and some coffee and it was nice. It isn't even that cold. We've finally gotten a break from the freezing temperatures. I am definitely glad of that.

When hubby got home with the groceries, I took CityGirl's suggestions and make a nice pot of vegetable soup for myself. (Hubby will NOT eat soup.) And it was a great idea. it turned out to be very good. Thanks to CityGirl. An excellent suggestion.

My friend in Florida called to tell me that her 75 year old brother passed away a couple of days ago and she had to go to Ontario for the funeral. She sounded pretty sad, especially since it was so cold that she couldn't actually attend the funeral. She just went up there to be with her family. I am going to go and visit her for a couple of days next month. We'll have fun. Daytona Beach is a neat place and I am looking forward to a road trip down there. Great food, a little shopping, nice beaches. What's not to like? And it'll cheer her up. She's a very sweet person.

That's it. I just came in from outside where I burned a boatload of pine cones up in the fire pit. There are so many of them and I was just tired of looking at them every where. So I had a nice fire and cleaned them all up. It didn't take very long. They burn hot and fast.

So I had a nice day. I HOPE I can sleep tonight. Not likely. Oh well.

I got a lot done and Cookie got to run around with a very dead field mouse in her mouth!

It was a very good day!

Tomatoes in January

2010-01-11T05:00:00.001-08:00

I tried. I really did.

I was feeling very guilty yesterday because it's the middle of winter, I have gained more weight than I am comfortable with. I have not been active, I been eating entirely too much fast food. And heavy food at home. And I decided to try to have a salad yesterday.

So I went to WallyWorld. I bought two small bags of lettuce. And some salad dressing.

But then I got to the tomatoes.

I have to have tomatoes on a salad. Otherwise it's just lettuce.

And it was sad. There I was, in WalMart, trying to buy tomatoes in January.

I came home and ate my salad. But it just wasn't any good. I didn't enjoy it. I had a nice hot bowl of chicken and dumplings with cheese sauce. I just couldn't get past trying to pick out tomatoes in January.

At Walmart, no less.

How sad is that??

Spending the day with a hyperactive hummingbird

2010-01-10T16:35:00.001-08:00

Well, okay.

I was not sure of what I was going to do today. I really wanted to stay home and have a nice quiet day. I didn't want to spend any money and I didn't want to drive all around Timbuktu. Instead, I wound up spending the day with a hyperactive hummingbird. I am exhausted and my back hurts. I WOULD REALLY JUST LIKE TO GO TO BED. And since it is dark and I have had my dinner I actually could do that.

I wish I could say it was a pleasant day but it wasn't. It sucked. I just can't go into details. It's too complicated and I would exhaust myself if I even tried. She won't slow down. She won't take a moment to breathe. She wants to make everything more complicated than it has to be. She wants to fix everyone's life. She is hyper and frantic. She talks a mile a minute. She wears me out. She is constantly going on and on and on and on. She won't let anything go. EVER!

Suffice it to say, I spent the day with CrazyFriend. It wasn't my idea. It was hers. Lucky me. She called me. I did get a 6 pack of beer and a new broom (FOR THE PORCH, NOT ONE TO FLY ON) out of the deal.

But I had to listen to the usual irritating nonsense. It goes far beyond annoying. Annoying can be charming and annoying can be tolerated in the right person. But IRRITATING is just that. And I nearly lost it but fortunately, we pulled into a store just before I went ballistic. I'm glad I didn't lose it. I always hate myself after that happens.

The whole day sucked. It wasn't fun.. It was exhausting. Please, just let me go to bed

I think I am coming down with the crud. Or a migraine. That's all I need. I feel lousy. Yuck.

What to do today??

2010-01-10T04:57:00.001-08:00

Well, I wanted to be bored today but I'm not feeling it

Yesterday worked out pretty well actually. In fact the last few days have been okay. We went out for Hubby's birthday on Thursday. It was pleasant enough. I tool him to lunch at Miyo's, an upscale Asian place near us. And I bought him three little things. I got him a book, a long sleeved T-shirt and a pair of house slippers. All things he will enjoy and use.

CrazyFriend came over yesterday. She was a bit edgy (she has been that way al ot lately) but she enjoys coming over and visiting the animals and cleaning the house. (I don't ASK her to do it. She loves to clean.) It seems to be relaxing and soothing for her so who am I to complain? We just went and had a quick lunch at Cracker Barrel and then we went to Wally World. I got some Benadryl to try for Cookie's itching. I hope it will help her, she is so uncomfortable. Poor girl.

Today?? I am feeling very ambivalent. I am not in that horrible bored mode. I feel pretty good actually. And if someone called me to go out I would. CrazyFriend wanted to go to Rock Hill today but I declined that little road trip, thank you very much. I would like to stay home. It is very cold and I am trying to not spend too much $$$ this month. I want to go to Florida in a few weeks and I am trying to not max out my credit card this month. So I may just stay home. I can find something to do.

The written journal? I said I would try it for a year. It ain't working out so well. I think may writing is not as cathartic for me as it is for others. Don't get me wrong, I like to write, I just don't feel driven to write. It's like painting. I like painting when I have something to paint. But I don't seem to need to do it every day. I may be giving up on this year long "project" (God I HATE that word.).

Okay...one more cup of coffee then it's outside in the cold to feed everyone.

And to decide what I'm doing today.

Baby, it's cold outside...

2010-01-04T05:51:00.001-08:00

Yeah, boy....I suspect this is exactly how my little Dachshund must feel.
It is freezing out there. 21 degrees.
But at least it is very sunny and clear so I can't complain about that.
I can complain about the cold though.
Damn it's just too cold.

This weekend was very productive.
I took a bunch of stuff to the Goodwill store, hung a bunch of pictures, cleaned off my computer desk, hubby cleaned off his gun cleaning table, he hauled a truckload of trash to the dump and I burned a bunch of wood outside.
It was stuff that was long overdue and really really needed to be done.

Of course it hardly put a dent in this place but every little bit helps.

CrazyFriend came out on Saturday, we went and had lunch (I don't remember where) and did a bunch of shopping. She's gone 'round the bend. But unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about that. Oh well. It was bound to happen eventually. She got herself into this mess and she has to deal with it. She gets upset with me when I won't say things that "help" but guess what..I've given up trying to "help". This is her problem.

That's pretty much the exciting start of our new year.
Hubby's birthday is Thursday and I am still trying to figure out what to do about that.
He doesn't want anything or need anything.
I think I may just take him out to lunch somewhere nice.

Okay....gotta decide what I'm doing today.
And how I am going to stay warm doing it.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2010

2010-01-01T12:26:00.001-08:00

Well.....Happy Damn New Year.

Believe it or not, we actually made it to midnight last night and did not fall asleep at 10 o'clock.

Of course, I went to bed at 12:15 but at least I can say that I stayed awake to see in the new year.

WoooHooo!

And of course this morning was interesting.

I went out to feed the birds and I noticed a geyser spouting from our connection to the city water at the end of our driveway!!

What a mess.

Fortunately, I got hubby up and he handled it.

We actually got our plumber out here within an hour (on New Year's Day) within an hour and he fixed it for only $50.00

Crisis averted!

We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch.

It was MOBBED but we had a good table and our favorite waitress so we were patient.

Lunch was good.

Even Cookie had a ham biscuit for her New Year's lunch.

She enjoyed a nice ride in the car.

That was it.

We came home and we're having a quiet afternoon.

I made chicken and veggies and dumplings (with nice cheesy sauce) for myself for dinner.

Hubby is making pork chops and eggs for himself.

Yesterday was interesting.

But that's a whole other post.

It involved CrazyFriend.

Need I say more?

Okay.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What's with that?

2009-12-31T04:52:00.000-08:00

Okay...this is obviously a "guy" thing and it drives me crazy.
There can be something not done around here for months.
Clean the porch, fix the leak in the barn, dig a fire pit, burn the trash...stuff like that.
Stuff can stay undone, unmoved and untouched for months.
Then when I get a bee in my bonnet to go out and do whatever "it" is, Hubby will inevitably come out and tell me how I am doing it wrong.
Even though he has totally ignored whatever "it" is for months.
It always happens.
What is up with that???
Jeeeeezzzzzzzz.

It's just easier this way.....

2009-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well..thank goodness Christmas is OVER.

I cannot tell you how much better I am starting to feel once the mandatory holidays are over being crammed down my throat.
It's like a weight lifting off my shoulders.

But here's the deal:

I have decided that this is the last time I am going to let the holidays bother me this much.
I can't do anything about the Seasonal Affective Disorder.
It comes around every year totally predictably and I turn into a mean, cranky zombie.

But the holidays are something I CAN do something about.

And just like staying angry or holding a grudge...it is just too mentally, emotionally and phyically exhausting to continue on a regular basis.

I don't want to do it anymore.

So this is it.

I have decided to stop expending energy complaining about how much I hate the holidays.

I just don't care any more and it takes too much out of me to fight it.

I can't do anything about it.

That's the thing about hitting your head against a brick wall.

It feels so good when you finally stop.

NO NO NO Nooooooooo!!

2009-12-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

I absolutely CANNOT believe this:

I am NOT lying.
I am not making this up.

We went to Target this afternoon.
The day after Christmas.
The DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.
And amazingly, unbelievably.

They had the Christmas stuff put away.
(Except for the sale stuff, of course.)

AND THEY HAD VALENTINES DAY STUFF OUT.

And people WONDER why I am so cynical about the holidays...........

Blocking Porn Sites from reaching Blog comments

2009-12-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

Okay...question here:
Yesterday I found a comment on my blog that was a bit bizarre looking.
When I followed it back, it led me directly to an Asian Porn site.
I obviously don't want this showing up on my blog.
I immediately deleted the entire entry.
I want to block this from happening again.
It did NOT make me happy.
Any suggestions other that changing "Comment Moderation" settings?
Can I report this to AOL?
Can I report it to Blogger?
Will they even care?

Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells, Jingle All the Way..

2009-12-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

Okay..
Here's the deal.
I did NOT get the Taurus .38 special revolver that I was excited about.
Unfortunately, the guy who said he was going to hold it for me failed to put a "Sold" ticket on the gun and one of the other guys put it back in the case and it was sold.
Damn.
And needless to say, I was very disappointed.
VERY disappointed.
And pissed at the guy who failed to put a sold sign or anything else on the gun for me.
BUT......
I did wind up getting a really nice 20 gauge single shot shotgun as a Christmas gift.
A friend of ours had one that he rarely shot.
It is a very nice gun and when we had lunch yesterday, he gave it to me.
Wooo hoooo.
That was soooooo nice.
I couldn't believe that he gave it to me.
It was a very nice gesture on his part.

Jingle Bells
Shotgun Shells
Jingle all the way!

WTF is the matter here????

It's Christmas! Let's buy a gun!

2009-12-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

Well, apparently, this is becoming a Christmas tradition with me.
It's Christmas...Let's buy a gun.
I went off on my own yesterday because it was a nice day, I was bored and I didn't get to go to the places I wanted to go on Saturday.
So off I went on my Sunday odyssey.

It was pleasant enough.
I left early so the crazed Christmas shoppers were not quite out yet.
And the Episcopalians were still in church so the restaurants were not mobbed,

I had a delicious chicken salad sandwich at Zaxby's (I like that place. It's a little nicer that "fast food" and they have very good $5 lunches.)
It was nice.
Then I went downtown.

I went to the range because I have been thinking about getting a little larger caliber gun to carry.
I thought about a 9mm semi-automatic and there was one hubby suggested I look at, a Taurus single stack.
I actually wanted to go by myself.
I find it easier to look at things when he isn't there.
He tends to hover and he knows so much about guns, he isn't willing to do anything by gut feeling, it's all book stuff.
I know what I like when I like it.

Well, I looked at the 9mm and I did NOT like it at all.
It is a single stack so the grip is very narrow and the slide makes it quite top heavy.
Very wrong.

BUT Lo And Behold..It must be my Christmas angel.
In the used case, they had a lovely Taurus revolver (I don't mind Taurus revolvers..there's not much that can go wrong on a revolver.....).
I was a .38 special, 2" barrel, Ultralight special edition with rubber grips and hi-viz sights/ And it even comes with an ankle holster (I've always wanted one of those..)

Damn if I didn't fall in love.
I want that gun.
It felt good, it looked good and I love it,
It is mine...or at least it will be this afternoon.

The funny coincidence is that I am always finding guns around Christmas.
The gun that I want to trade for the new revolver....is a Ruger .22 target pistol that we bought.. guess what....we bought on Christmas Eve 4 years ago.
we are going out today and I am going to try and negotiate a trade for my new love.
I think I can do okay.

Yay!
It's Christmas.
Let's buy a gun!!

Thanks for the Bag O'Crap.

2009-12-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

Alright.....Here's one of the many things I hate about Christmas.
CrazyFriend came over today to visit the animals and do her "chores" (for some reason, she feels better when she does my laundry, runs the vacuum, sweeps the porch) and she brought me a bag of Christmas crap.
I hate getting bags o'crap.
It is useless, pointless junk that I don't want and will never use.
Some of it was regifted and one item was clearly left over from Halloween.
All in a Christmas bag.
Thanks for the bag o'crap.
I put it in the hall closet along with 4 other bags o'crap that I have stored in there.
I guess I could regift them, but I really don't want to pass along the bags o'crap.
If I don't want them, why would I want to give them to someone else??
PLEASE stop giving me bags o'crap.
If you are really feeling the holiday spirit and want to give me a gift, give me something I can actually use.
Give me a gift card for Home Depot or Michael's or Cracker Barrel.
Give me 20 scratch-off lottery tickets.
Give me a $20 dollar bill in a card.
Please.
I just don't need another bag o'crap to store in my hall closet.

You really don't need children....

2009-12-18T07:25:00.000-08:00

Okay....
I stopped at Day Care yesterday to pick up Cookie.
And the guy in front of me....well, let's just be polite and say I HOPE he and his yuppie wife don't have children because if they do they will be just as neurotic as the guy and his three dogs.
To begin with:
The dog's names: Bailee, Sasha and Connor.
Now I am sorry but those are kid's names NOT dog names.
And I waited very patiently while this guy explained at great length about the dogs and their quirky habits :
Bailee had to be fed as early as possible or he would throw up.
Connor was on Prozac.
Sasha had to have water mixed with her food because she wouldn't drink any other water.

He went on and on and on.
He had 3 pages of instructions.
He had everything explained and mapped out.
He had all their food and medicine in individual pouches.

Now, don't get me wrong.
We baby Cookie as much as the next guy.
I cook her chicken and rice.
We take her to day care.
She has here special toys that she loves.

But I am worried about this guy and his yuppie wife,
Bailee, Connor and Sasha.
I think they will be working on adopting a Chinese baby soon.
And the will name her Brittney Laura.
And they will play Mozart and buy her Baby Einstein videos.
She will have designer clothes and a $700 top of the line ATV stroller
They will make their own baby food in a Cuisinart Food Processor.
And she will be on Ritalin for her ADHD when she is 5 years old.
(And she will be in therapy until she's 30......)

HELP!! Maybe this is how it all starts!!!!

Trying to out passive aggresive the Queen.

2009-12-16T06:49:00.000-08:00

Okay.....I am in a battle of passive-aggressive behavior and I am not sure of who is winning.

I am, after all, battling the Queen of All Things Passive-Aggressive and it is not an easy fight.

I was being the sensitive, supportive understanding guy.
But last week tore it all and I have given up.

CrazyFriend's sleazy boyfriend has won and I simply am not going to fight it any more.

It is one of those things that I learned a long time ago, requires too much time and energy and you never really win.

So I give up.

I've thrown in the proverbial towel.
He got what he wanted.
He wins.

Now....all I can do is be passive aggressive and play on the guilt.
That seems to be working and it is more satisfying than banging my head against a brick wall.
I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
And I just don't want to do it any more.

Never together...

2009-12-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

Okay.......here is my question of the day:

Why don't things that you use together ever run out together???

I keep noticing this more and more and it is bothering me more and more.
It started with my shampoo and conditioner.
I always wind up with about a third of a bottle of conditioner left when the shampoo runs out.
SO I buy more shampoo...WHAT do I do with the remaining leftover conditioner?
Do I use it up? Do I throw it away and start over again, only to run out again?
It really really bugs me.
And now..I seem to be noticing it more.
I buy coffee and sugar at the same time.
I always run out of coffee before the sugar runs out.
I buy two different kinds of milk.
I always run out of one and have about half the other left.
I buy dog food and cat food.
Dry and canned for each.
I always run out of canned before I run out of dry.
Both cat and dog.
It is annoying.
I wish things would run out together.
It would make shopping and planning sooooo much easier.
And it would be one less thing that bugs me.

It's okay to hate Christmas....really.

2009-12-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

LOL....Okay.
I've seen a couple posts lately by some edgy super uberparents of tiny little children who for some reason feel the need to be intensely defensive about liking Christmas.
Guess what. Here's the news bulletin:
You are supposed to like Christmas.

But someone like me has as much right to hate Christmas and the holiday season as much as you have a right to love it.

Here's the deal:

I am 60 years old.
I have been around the Christmas block once or twice.
I live on a fixed income.
I have no particular religious leanings.
I do not like children (everyone who knows me knows that..)
I do not have any children. hence no grandchildren to indulge.
I have no extended family whatsoever.
My friends drive me crazy.
There is just my husband and me.
And Christmas is not a happy time for him (when he was 16, his father died suddenly on Christmas Eve).

Christmas has turned into a time that is all about greed, conspicuous consumption and selfishness.
It is a time for retailers to make their bottom line.
It is a time for greedy children who have to get the "must have" toy of the season and a time to make parents feel guilty if they cannot get that toy.
The church groups can scream "Remember the Reason for the Season" all they want but they cannot win against Tickle Me Elmo or a ZhuZhu Hamster.

We do not want to feel pressured to buy gifts that we can't afford for people who don't appreciate or need them.
We find the traffic and the crowds to be extremely annoying.
We cannot STAND the Christmas music that starts blaring in the stores as early as October.
We hate the rampant commercialization.
We find the craziness on Black Friday frightening.
We find the political correctness to be ridiculous.
We don't like the cold weather.
(You want a white Christmas? I want to live in Florida..)
And we cannot wait for the holiday season to be OVER, the sooner the better.

On Christmas Day, we eat at a Chinese restaurant and then take the dog for a long walk in the park.
And we buy $100 of lottery scratch-offs.
That is what we do for Christmas.

If I had my way, I would avoid it all together.

So you and your little babies have a wonderful Christmas trying to make memories.

But don't try so hard.
And don't get so defensive about it.
It's okay.
But give me my space to hate it.
I have my reasons too.

I really needed to be someplace else today.

2009-12-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, it was one of those days.
It got down to 30 degrees last night.
I brought the plants in and put them in the little "greenhouse" that I built for them on the screen porch. I think it worked pretty well because they seem fine while the plants that got left out are all quite dead.
But it was so cold, I tried Cookie's sweater on her. LOL. It was like trying to stuff a 10 pound sausage into a 5 pound casing. I think she's gained a little weight.
So, while Petsmart had its 30% off sale, it seemed like a good time to buy her a new sweater.

We drove in to town.
I planned on having brunch with CrazyFriend but we had about an hour and a half so that was plenty of time to find a sweater for Cookie.
She has to try on every one in the store because she is very...uhhh..."full-figured", if you will.
But we eventually found one for her.

We got it and hubby went back home and I went into town, thinking I was going to meet CrazyFriend for brunch.
We talked about it yesterday.
So, I called her and said "CrazyFriend, I'm on my way into town, what are you doing, what time do you want to meet at Cafe Strudel?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the line and then she says..."Oh I'm here with my boyfriend (insert: creep, sleazebag freeloader) and we're taking pictures of the renovations he's doing at such and such a place...you know..before and after stuff."
And I said, "Well, how long is that going to take?"
And she said hesitantly, "All day....."
I said, "Thanks, CrazyFriend. I thought we were going to have brunch."
"I guess I got distracted.." she said lamely.

Now, being the guy, if I had done that, she would have been angry and launched into her most passive aggressive hissy fit that she could muster.
But I just said, "Thanks a bunch." I'll remember next time I get "distracted".
And I went on my way.

Lunch sucked.
I haven't been to this place in ages because I didn't like it before.
But another friend has decided that it's his new favorite place so I thought I'd give it a try again.
Well.....guess what I STILL don't like it.
My brunch, although very inexpensive, was just not that great.
I wish I had just gone next door to the coffee house.
And unfortunately, you cannot fix a bad lunch.
It stays with you all day.

I headed over to the other side of town, where we don't usually spend much time and I just kinda chilled out.
It was nice.
I needed to be someplace different.
I needed a break.

I went to Barnes & Noble.
Rarely go there.
I spent $20 on 3 books (2 journals and 1 cozy that looked cute).
And I just wandered around.
Aimlessly, mindlessly.

I went to the sporting goods store and looked at metal detectors.
I want one but I just can't bring myself to spend $150 on one.
I looked at tents.
I bought a spoon for $1.99.
Big purchase.

And I stopped at Sportsman's Warehouse.
I bought a Chicken and Noodle camping meal.
A pair of socks.
And a tiny Lexan spatula.
I spent $16.00.

It turned out to be a very relaxing day.
I didn't spend too much.
I bought a bunch of stuff I didn't really need.
I hit $4.00 on my lottery tickets.
And I found a quarter in one of the parking lots.
Wooo hooo

On the way home, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts and had hot coffee and a French Cruller.
It was VERY good and I enjoyed it.

Even though I was and still am miffed at CrazyFriend for her uncharacteristically inconsiderate action, it turned out to be for the best.
I know I enjoyed the day more.
I needed a change of pace.
I needed to be someplace else today.

The Final Episode of Monk

2009-12-05T04:26:00.000-08:00

I stayed up "late" last night to watch the final episode of Monk.
Late for me, that is.
And I had to make a real effort to do it.
This time of year, I can easily go to bed at 7:30, read for 30 minutes and then be in for the night.
But I wanted to see the end of Monk.
So I had coffee and chocolate chip trail mix pancakes for dinner.
The pancakes were delicious, I must say.
And the coffee kicked in.

The final episode?
I liked it.
It kept the fabric of the show intact.
It put the characters at rest.
It was sweet and satisfying and a happy fuzzy warm (but not sappy) ending.
It tied up loose ends, sent everyone on their way and made you feel good.
I think it was very well done without being gimmicky or overly sentimental.

UNLIKE the final episode of Xena.
We could have done with a warm fuzzy ending there, instead of a brutal destruction of the iconic character who everyone loved so much.
We could have done without Gabrielle left descending into madness and depression.

Rob..take a lesson from Mr. Monk.
Your character doesn't have to die a horrible, violent, brutal death or be a martyr for her cause.
You could have given your hardcore fans a break.

A Day without CrazyFriend.

2009-12-02T05:20:00.000-08:00

Okay.....well, I must admit I am feeling a tad guilty but I had a day without CrazyFriend yesterday and it was fun and pleasant. But since I am the guy, I can't help feeling like I was sneaking around and cheating.

I had to go to Charlotte to pick up some medicine for our dog, Cookie. I don't mind going to Charlotte, in fact I enjoy the drive and I enjoy having lunch up there BUT everytime I go up and take CrazyFriend with me, I wind up having the most unpleaant, stressful drive and it just makes for an unfun day. Because we ALWAYS wind up arguing about her "boyfriend" and being trapped in the car for an hour an a half, I usually lose it and go ballistic about 2/3 of the way back to Columbia. It is so bad, I can just about tell you the mile marker on the interstate where I am going to lose it and start yelling. I turn into the guy. I know I am right, and I say things I know I shouldn't say, I raise my voice, I throw in a few expletives and then I am sorry and wish I hadn't done it. Sometimes, I even make her cry. Jeeez, it's too hard being the guy.

But..yesterday, I drove up there by myself. I love I-77. It is flat and straight and fast. I got to listen to my CDs the whole way. I had coffee and I stopped at the rest stop for a 5 minute pee break (not the usual 20 minutes it takes when I am with CrazyFriend.) When I rolled into Rock Hill, I called Cousin suzie (who I really like....think Barbara Jean on the Reba Show.) She said she could meet me for lunch. We met for lunch at a place called the Peach Stand> It's a really nice place with a restaurant, all kinds of gourmet foods, a bakery, souvenirs and treats. We had taco salads and talked about going to New Brattonsville next week.

Since Cousin Suzie lives right there, she went with me to the vet's office (which was very helpful because she showed me a much easier way to get to the vet's office). We shopped a little bit (all the same places we shop anywhere...Books-a-Zillion, the Goodwill Store, Best Buy. And then we went to Starbuck's (don't usually go there but we wanted coffee and something sweet). It was fun. FUN is the operative word here. There was no whining or complaining about the food or spending 20 minutes in the bathroom.

We killed the entire day and made plans to go to New Brattonsville next Tuesday if the weather is decent. (CrazyFriend can go with us for that.) I enjoyed the day very much.
And on the way back, I stopped at a gun and hunting store just outside of Rock Hill. It was just on the spur of the moment. I'd seen the signs for it so many times and this time I decided to stop. It was HUGE. I was very surprised. I didn't buy anything but it was fun finally stopping.

I made it past mile marker 83 without having to yell or curse or go ballistic. I drank my soda, listened to Bette Midler, rolled 70 mph the whole was and got back here at about 5:00. What a nice, relaxing FUN pleasant day. It was a gorgeous clear, sunny day, in the high 50's and I must admit, I actually enjoyed myself this time around. I wish CrazyFriend would learn to lighten up and let go of things a little but to spout a platitude, you can't change a leopard's spots. We all are who we are.

Unfortunately, when I got home, I found out hubby did not have quite the nice day I did. The transmission on his truck went out about as far away from home as it possibly could. He had a terrible time getting back with it since it wouldn't go more than 30 mph. And it looks like he is going to need a new transmission (This is the truck I asked him to wait and look around a little more but he bought it straight out = we won't go there...)

And it is pouring with rain today And he HAS to go out because he has two doctor's appointments (who schedules TWO doctor's appointments on the same day??) and he has to have dinner with his buddy.) So guess who's car he has to take. Yup. Uh well. He drove the thing the whole time I had my broken ankle. I just want him to be careful and I want him to fill it back up with gas and I want him to clean the SAND and dirt out of it when he is finished with it. In other words, please just give it back to me in the same condition that I gave it to him.

I am going to stay home and have a nice quiet day. CrazyFriend just called me a second ago wanting me to meet her for lunch but I declined. Guilt guilt guilt. Sneaking around?? No, it wasn't me. I am going to lay low for a day or two. Isn't that what the guy is supposed to do?

Where is the outrage?

2009-12-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

I am so sick of this.
15 people gunned down on a major military post by a guy on his own personal jihad.
4 cops murdered by a convicted felon whose sentence was commuted by the governor.
It never stops.
And I think it keeps getting worse.
And people keep getting more and more oblivious and apathetic.
Nobody seems to care anymore.
It happens over and over and over again.
"Desensitized"?
Is that the politically correct way of putting it?
WHY does this keep happening?
There is no more outrage because we might offend someone or some group.
There is no justice because dangerous people are let out of jail.
We need to get angry.
We need the self-righteous indignation.
We need a longer memory than the 15 minutes of news coverage this carnage gets.
There is no more decent anger or outrage.
Let's stop worrying about offending someone and get mad about this.

You KNOW you're sick when all you WANT is Pepto-Bismol

2009-12-01T04:01:00.000-08:00

Well, this was an interesting week.
Thanksgiving was nondescript and uneventful.
We ate at Cracker Barrel.
The food was reasonably priced, very good and there was plenty of it.
Even Cookie got a little plate of ham, turkey and stuffing which she enjoyed very much.
It's a little depressing sometimes, to realize that our dog eats better every day than many people in third world countries.
Oh well. That's life I guess. Maybe that's what we should be thankful for.

After our early Thanksgiving lunch, we went out to Sesqui Park and had a nice long walk.
It was very pleasant.
That's all I remember of it, frankly.

Honestly, Saturday is a blur. I could not tell you what I did or where I went.
I guess that's why I write everything down on my calendar.
Sorry...Wait. I remember now, we had breakfast with Cousin Suzie and then another walk in the park.
I made around the whole two miles this time.

But I DO remember Sunday.
First there was the great glove hunt.
On Saturday I thought I'd lost on of my favorite gloves.
I took them with me because it was chilly in the morning.
But I never put them on.
So when I discovered it was missing, I went back at 7 a.m. to all the places we'd parked, thinking I may have dropped it out of the car.
Well, no glove but I searched through hubby's truck and it finally turned up.
Then there was the afternoon.
UGH!
Hubby was going to the commissary and I planned on staying home, having a nice lunch and a quiet day to myself.
I do not know what hit me.
We've all had a 24 hour bug going around and I guess it was my turn.
About 12 noon, I got sick as a dog (Sorry Cookie).
It was awful.
I went to bed, cranked up the electric blanket, took Imitrex and was sooooo miserable.
I stayed there the rest of the day and all night,
My stomach was so upset I couldn't stand it.
The Imitrex wasn't doing much but I really WANTED some Pepto-Bismol.
If you WANT that yukky pink stuff and it actually tastes and feels good, you KNOW you're sick.

Well, my stomach bug finally got better.
I made it to lunch with CrazyFriend at the Japanese place and had a yummy Bento Box with shrimp and fried rice.
And I got to hear all about the funeral.
I went to the range and shot a little bit.
I haven't been to the range in months, since I broke my ankle and I always feel obligated to go to the range and practice since I carry a gun (CWP) every day,

It was a nice day although I was being cautious with my tummy.

Today?
I am going to Charlotte to pick up some medicine for Cookie's teeth.
I'm going to meet Cousin Suzie and have a taco salad at the Peach Stand.

That's it......not very exciting but at least I didn't die.
The Pepto-Bismol saved my life...or at least it helped my broken stomach.

Oh Hooray! A Funeral!

2009-11-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I was fortunate enough to NOT be a part of CrazyFriend's latest attempt to "help" someone.
She found out last week that her second cousin was dying.
Now this is a person who she did not get along with terrible well...
She told me numerous times that she was intimidated by these people, (the cousin, her mother, the boyfriend) and that she had "alienated" them.

And had had very little contact with them

Up until the last couple of days.

And then she was on a mission.

A mission of mercy.

She offered to sit with the woman.
She wanted the people to find out about the "resources" that were available.
She wanted them to know about products that would make her care easier.
She wanted to help so she would be more comfortable.
She wanted to read to her.
She wanted to talk to them about her pain medication.
She wanted to talk to the hospice nurse to find out exactly what they were doing.

CrazyFriend was totally in her element.

She was beside herself.
She was excited.
Someone was dying and she had a chance to be part of it (whether they wanted her or not..)
I could hear it in her voice.
She was excited.
She was animated.
It was her thing.

But sadly, it didn't last very long.
The poor woman died on Sunday.

Oh well.

But look on the bright side.

Now CrazyFriend has a funeral to go to on Saturday.

Hooray!

Everything was fine until the fish died.

2009-11-21T04:13:00.000-08:00

Okay....Yesterday didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped but I tried to make the best of it.
I went Christmas craft show at the fairgrounds because I finally decided that this was the year I was going to get a Missy Goode hat. After all these years (nearly 10) of looking at them and talking about them, I finally decided that I was going to get my very own. Fine.
So.....I went to the craft show.

I left early yesterday morning thinking I would get there early before the crowds, only to discover that that was apparently what everyone else in town thought. It was only 10:00 and the parking lot was half full and there were lines at the gates. No problem. I paid my $6 and went bravely on in.

I walked around the Cantey Building the way I normally would when we used to attend these shows regularly. I started at the far side and looked at the vendors, assuming that I would eventually come across the Northstar Leather guy about three rows over. He'd been at that show for years and I had no reason to think he wouldn't be there. But then, I started to get worried. There was no sign of him. He wasn't in his usual spot. I walked around the entire building and looked and double checked just to make sure. No Norhtstar Leather guy. I felt this sinking feeling in my stomach. So even though I knew it wouldn't do any good, I went over to the Ellis building. Just in case. Not there either. I went back through the Cantey building a second time, in case I missed him. Not there. I checked with the front desk. Surprise. The Northstar Leather guy retired from doing shows, He wasn't there, after all these years.

But....I decided all was not lost and I was going to figure out something. I had my lunch at California Dreaming like I'm supposed to when we go to the fairgrounds (it's a rule to keep the universe in balance...) and then I tried to think of where I could get a hat. I half-heartedly tried the BackPacker but all they had were Tilley hats (i knew that, I just wanted to check..) and then I decided to try Sportsman's Warehouse. I wasn't that far and I knew that they had a few leather hats. So off I went down I26. It's fun to go to Sportsman's Warehouse anyway. I was distracted (we won't even go into the post office question on Assembly Street because I clearly wasn't thinking. ) and trying to figure out what to do.

Well...THAT little side trip paid off.; I found one of their one remaining leather hats that looked good and actually fit well. And it was marked down from $40 to $24. Worked for me. It was NOT an official Missy Goode hat but I got it anyway. After all that, it was close enough. I also picked up a few small items and when I got to the check-out counter, the cashier took ANOTHER $7 off my hat! Wow! So I got an unofficial Missy Goode hat for $17. That made me happy.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around. It was too early to go home. I went back to Five Points. I stopped at Loose Lucy's and bought 30 sticks of incense for $5.00 and I discovered that they had put a stupid new boutique retail shop in the storefront where Adriana's had been. Crap. We NEEDED a good local coffeehouse....not that crappy Starbuck's on the corner....but oh no! They put in another retail store with ridiculously expensive clothes for anorexic 18 year old college students. Oh well. I got my incense (Did you know that being "censed" is having incense waved at you..like if you were a saint and a censer is an incense burner? ) I didn't either.

Off I went from Five Points. Normally,, my next stop would have been Earth Fare, nut I have quit going there (unless I really need to use the bathroom) but I didn't so I went on past. I did stop at the Fresh Market. Now THAT was well worth the extra stop. I went in to buy scones but the last ones I bought were really dry so I opted for filled croissants instead. As i was walking through the market, wearing my new faux-Missy Goode hat, a lady stopped me (total stranger in the middle of the store) and said "You look sooo cute. You are just adorable. I love your look...." Look? I didn't know I had a LOOK (I guess it was the new faux-hat) and I have NEVER in my life been called "cute" or "adorable". Hell.....I'm KEEPIN' the hat!

That was that. I headed on home..it was 3 o'clock and I'd driven over 70 miles and spent more money than I should have (although it was considerably LESS money than I'd intended to spend). And everything was fine, or so I thought.

Unfortunately, this is where the sad part starts and I am still very upset and unhappy. I got home, had a cup of coffee and too Cookie outside. Hubby had been home all day, making a pot roast for himself and taking the trash to the dump. Well, Cookie wanted to walk around the house so I took her out. Well........when we got over by the fish pond, she was jumping around at something. Sad sad sad......I found one of the fish DEAD on the outside of the pond. It was awful. I had no idea how he'd gotten there. I know he didn't commit suicide because they were very happy fish and they'd been in that pond for over 2 years. They'd grown from tiny little fingerlings to almost 6" long and they would come to the top of the water to be fed. Well, I quickly buried the poor guy so Cookie or the cats wouldn't find him and I came in and told my husband that I'd found one of the fish on the outside of the pond, dead. He thought for a moment and then said..'I was taking leaves out of the pond about noon....' "Oh NO!!! The poor fish came to the top, thinking he was going to be fed and hubby must have scooped him out with the leaves!!!!!! Noooooo! Now, I KNOW this was an accident and hubby felt really bad but the poor fish. What a sad ending and I DO wish hubby had been more careful. I am just very sad. He was a pet, after two years. I know hubby feels bad and I haven't said anything more. I am just very sad.

That was it. I showed hubby my new hat and told him it was a Missy Goode hat even though it really wasn't. I didn't have to cook dinner because he'd made his pot roast for himself. I had a bowl of instant mashed potatoes for my dinner, watched a B-movie on the computer. I didn't feel like listening to hubby's clever comments through all the television shows. I had a book to read so I claimed being tried from my shopping day and I went to bed at 7:30. I was just very sad.

Like I said.....everything was fine until the fish died.

Why is everything I eat SWEET?

2009-11-17T05:55:00.000-08:00

My head hurts.
My teeth ache.
And it starts out this way every morning.
I feel like I have had an IV shot of 50% dextrose.
I hate this feeling.
It seems like everything I eat is sweet.
Ugh...ack. :-p
I suspect that I am "pre-diabetic" (if there is such a thing).
And it won't be long until I am really diabetic.
I guess I need to change this.
But I don't quite know how.
Everything I eat is sweet.
Sweet tea (this is the South, y'know)
Sugar in my coffee.
Jam on my toast.
Sugar in my cereal.
Maple syrup on my pancakes and French toast.
EVERYTHING I eat is sweet.
Yuck. :-P

What makes it "ART"?

2009-11-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

I guess I just don't get it.
I really don't understand what makes something "ART".
The reason I got to thinking about it is I went to the Art Museum this weekend.
A friend who makes silver jewelry had her things at a high end "art" festival that was sponsored by the museum.
Along with about a dozen or so other ....I want to call them "vendors" but they want to be called "artists".
Okay...so about a dosen or so other "artists".
I enjoyed the show.
I thought some of the stuff was really neat.
Weavings, hand made Christmas ornaments, mosaics, pottery.
And I like my friend's work.
But what escapes me is: What makes it "ART" and not just a unique, kitchy craft that someone enjoys doing.
And WHY does it demand outrageous prices?
One woman at the show was actually selling "Tin Can Telephones" (two old soup cans painted in bright colors and attched with a string).
WHAT?????
Is it the cost of the materials?
Is it the time?
Is it the uniqueness of the creation?
Is it because you have a degree in "ART"?
I guess it's like my husband said: "Either you're artsy-fartsy or your not."
Maybe it's how you think of yourself.
It's like that old platitude, "If you want to be a writer, just call yourself a writer".
If you want to be an artist, can you just call yourself one?
What if nobody else will call you an artist.
It's a very closed community.
I like to paint a little bit just for fun.
But apparently it's not "ART".
I can cut things out on my band saw and paint them and they are clever and unique (I LOVE my fish and kitty cats). Handmade. Hand painted.
I LOVE my Wizard of Oz collage.
But apparently, they are not "ART".
We met a sweet elderly lady who was making the neatest bracelets out of troll beads to pass the time while she was waiting to visit her dying husband who was in the intensive care unit.
She sold them for $5 just to cover the cost of the materials so she could have something to do to pass the long hours. They were beautiful. They were made with love and patience.
But they were not "ART".
Where is the line here?
What exactly makes it "ART"?

No, you may not put your dead cat in my refrigerator.

2009-11-12T16:18:00.000-08:00

Well, another episode in a day with CrazyFriend.
As I mentioned, one of the little kitties died last night.
It was sad and we miss her but it was not unexpected and she went very quietly.

But I had to break the news to CrazyFriend this morning.

Now CrazyFriend is one of those over the top animal lovers.
Not quite to the level of PETA but she has her own crusade.
(it has to do with roadkill..so don't even ask.)
She does everything and goes everywhere and will go to extraordinary measures for a stray kitten she finds on the street.

And every time something (or someone) dies she wants to have an autopsy.
When her mother died, she wanted to have an autopsy.
(I was there with her in the emergency room. The doctor was puzzled by the request)
When her father died, she wanted to have an autopsy.
He was 85 years old, a brittle diabetic, double amputee, had had multiple surgeries and spent the last two years of his life in a nursing home.
When she returned from California and her cat she had out there died, she actually put the CAT in the FREEZER then had it shipped overnight here to South Carolina and tried to take it to the Clemson Research Center to have it autopsied.
And she wanted to have this poor little Sicky Cat autopsied.

She has this guilt thing.
She wants everything posted so she can know if there was something more she should have or could have done.
She's never done enough.
If a gerbil died, she would want to have an autopsy.
If a parakeet died, she would want to have an autopsy.
(yes, I know if it's an animal it's technically called a necropsy but I digress)

The little Sicky Cat died yesterday evening, quietly in her bed.
She was warm and comfortable and did not struggle.
I did NOT call CrazyFriend to tell her.
It was after dark, raining and cold.
And she would have driven out here, taken the little cat home stuck it in the freezer (I am SERIOUS) and then driven around with the dead cat today until she found a vet who would do an autopsy .
She would have gone to the Clemson Research Center.
Where they would have looked at her like she's just landed from Mars in a spaceship.
It was "important".

I waited and told her this morning.
AFTER we had a very nice little $2.49 funeral here at the house for the kitty..
We buried her under a tree near the bird bath.
She would have liked that.
She had a long and difficult life.
She died quietly.
She needed to be left alone.

This is one of CrazyFriend's ongoing REALLY crazy notions.
Everything that dies...she wants "answers".
It's a real guilt issue, not a "knowledge" issue like she claims.

Leave the little kitty be.
Rest in Peace, little kitty.

Dead is dead.

Nothing is going to change that.

Get over it, CrazyFriend.

(8 days to Missy Goode)

Sad evening....poor kitty

2009-11-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a very sad evening.
One of my little kitties just died a little while ago.
She was very frail and had been in poor health for a very long time.
I guess she finally used up all of her nine little lives.
Sad. Poor Sicky Cat has gone to Kitty Heaven.
Bye bye Sicky Cat.

Finally finished with the doctor....

2009-11-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday was a busy day but it turned out pretty well.
We went to lunch at Mr. Friendly's (one of the best lunch places in town and one of the more expensive as well). But it was well worth it.
We had roast duck (yummy yum), garlic mashed potatoes and succotash.
It was soooooo delicious.
We don't go there that often because it winds up being a $30 lunch but once in a while, it is so good, we just can't help ourselves.

After lunch, we went to my orthopedic surgeon appointment for my ankle.
I was hoping it would be my last appointment.
I've been seeing him since the middle of July when I broke it.
I did have some new questions and concerns that I wanted to talk with him about.
I REALLY needed to get the stitches out.
That was driving me crazy and that was the first thing they did.
But the ongoing problem is the fact that my ankle is still very swollen and while it doesn't hurt in the sense of "Ow ow, I want some pain medication", I am always aware of it feeling not quite right.
My gait isn't quite right, I have to be very careful on any uneven surfaces and if I don't put on my compression hose, the swelling is really bad.
He checked it over and took some additional x-rays just to be sure I hadn't cracked the stainless steel plate.
He said everything looked fine on the x-rays.
And he asked me how much I was doing.
When I told him, he kinda said "Well, you may be doing entirely too much and you might want to take it easy, stay off your feet, elevate your ankle and maybe ice it down."
And he offered to start cortisone injections if it was really bothering me.
Now THAT is a can of worms that I really don't want to open up.
BUT on a good note, he said he'd done all he can do, more physical therapy won't help and I was free to go on my merry way.
So unless this swelling really becomes a problem. I won't have to see him again.
AND he was nice enough to extend my handicapped sticker for another 3 months.
He has been very nice and very accommodating throughout this entire ordeal.
I have been very pleased with his care and his office staff have all been very kind and professional.
If I had to break my ankle. I had a very good doctor.

Sooo. that was it.
An exceptionally yummy lunch and a good doctor's visit.
Not an entirely bad day.

The Worsr Lunch EVER and my Feud with Earth Fare

2009-11-07T03:56:00.000-08:00

Now...I am a lunch person. It is no secret that we eat out 5 or 6 times a week and almost always it's lunch.
I don't care much about breakfast (coffee and toast will do) and I simply don't eat dinner anymore.

But lunch is very very important.

We go to many different restaurants and have a number of favorites.
The quality of lunch sets the tone for the day.
LUNCH is important.
And I believe that on Thursday, I had one of the WORST lunches I have ever had here in Columbia. EVER.

Here's what happened:

I went into town to do a number of things. I wanted to go to the Goodwill Store, I wanted to go to Home Depot and I had to go to the commissary to do the grocery shopping.

And here was my dilemma. I left the house early so I couldn't really go to lunch at one of the places on this side of town.

And I really didn't feel like driving all the way downtown. Plus, although I was not is a rush, I didn't want to spend the time dawdling over an hour long lunch like I would normally do.

So.....I got halfway downtown and I thought of Earth Fare. The warm, fuzzy, feel-good "healthy" grocery store. Now, I know, it is not my favorite place and the food there is some what unpredictable.

But I thought, okay, I just want a sandwich.

And I thought, yeah okay try Earth Fare. I'm right here. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, honestly, it turned out the be one of the WORST lunches I have ever had in this town.
I left a handwritten note for the manager of the store and this is a copy of the email that I sent their corporate offices:

Hello to Earth Fare:

I would like very much to tell you about my lunch at the Earth Fare store on Devine Street here in Columbia South Carolina.

I eat lunch out 5 or 6 times a week so I know the restaurants in town. This was not my first time at the rodeo.

Although I do shop there for just a few small items, I rarely eat at Earth Fare becuase the experience tends to be unpredictable at best and very negative at worst.

Out of time constraints and convenience, I decided (somewhat reluctantly) to stop at Earth Fare for lunch on Thursday, 5 November and unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the WORST lunch experiences I have ever had.

It was getting close to noon so the lunch buffet was pretty busy.

The staff appeared to be besides themselves, trying to do multiple tasks. The cashier in the lunch line was trying to ring up lunches, make coffees and smoothies. She was trying very hard to the lunch line was at a standstill while she blended strwberry-banana smoothies.

I went to the deli side and chose a turkey and bries sandwich. The disheveld looking young woman there was totally distracted, trying to heat up pizzas, fill deli orders and doing other tasks behind the counter.

She came around, pulled my sandwich out of the refigerator case, warmed it up ever so slightly in an "oven" and after adding a handful of stale chips that she pulled from a bag that was wadded up under the counter, the slapped it into a plastic container and literally shoved it at me and went back to other tasks.

The area around the deli was disgusting. There was an empty rotisserie case which didn't look like it had been used or cleaned in ages. There were crumbs everywhere on the counters and food was spilled along the lunch buffet. The "recycling" side where you are supposed to bus your own tables was stacked with trays, dirty dishes and plastic glasses. Food was spilled and no one was making an effort to keep the area clean.

My sandwich was cold and tasteless. The "chips were flat and stale. I couldn't finish it. I just gave up. This poorly prepared food was in no way worth the $7.61 that I spent.

I wanted to speak to the store manager but the place was very busy and I needed to be on my was because I had many errands to finish.

Instead I left a note in the "suggestion" box, explaining my very negative experience. I included my name, phone number and email address, hoping to get a responce.

I really feel this is a management issue and should be addressed.

The staff was overworked, rude and distracted. The lunch area was disgusting.

This needs to be brought to your attention.

Although I may still shop there for the few small items I like, I will NEVER try to eat lunch at Earth Fare again.

Thank you for your time.

I would appreciate a specific response from a real person about thism NOT just the standard form letter saying "thank yo for contacting Earth Fare." For a store that is promoting the warm, fuzzy, feel-good "healthy" eating experience, this was totally unacceptable.

*************************************************************

Now hopefully, that will get someone's attention.

I did get a call from the district manager of Earth Fare but he left a message on my machine and I never did get to speak with him.

I don't know what he has to say.

Hopefully, he will call again.

I'm not even angry. I don't even want to go back there.

I will never, ever try to eat at "healthy" warm, fuzzy feel-good Earth Fare.

What a fiasco.

Say it anyway.....

2009-11-05T05:05:00.000-08:00

Okay...
I'm here.
I didn't mean to be here but I got here by default so I am going to hang around even though I don't have much to say.
Yesterday was pleasant enough.
I went to lunch with CrazyFriend and it was fine.
We even discussed her "boyfriend' (insert: leech,sleaze,freeloader,con man) and I suggested that if she is going to insist on him staying on (he's been living with her for 2 years, he's not going anywhere) that instead of just forking money over to him, that she sit down, figure out how much money he needs for the month and then give him that specified amount. If he spends it or saves it or throws it away, that is up to him but that is what he gets, no more, no less. That way, she will at least have some idea of how much he is taking her for every month.
Actually I think it is an excellent idea......but she will never do it.
He owns her and she is no longer in control of her house, her cars, her money or her life.
But it was a constructive suggestion.

After lunch, we wandered around a bit. We had cinnamon pumpkin frozen yogurt (it was absolutely delicious) and we shopped a bit.
One of our favorite stores (Christopher & Banks) is having a big sale this weekend (40% off everything in the store) but you could BUY stuff today at the sale price. You just couldn't pick it up until Saturday. I found a really nice denim-style jacket and I got it. CrazyFriend found a number of things that really looked nice on her and things she liked but she didn't buy anything. She e the jacket I wanted to "think about it.." I HATE that. I don't know what there is to "think about". If you like it, get it. If you don't, forget about it. But it was a very nice sale.

CrazyFriend also talked me into going to an Italian Festival they are having this Saturday in Finlay Park. I am not that keen on going (I have little interest in anything Italian except maybe lasagna) but her "boyfriend" (insert: sleaze,creep,moocher, golddigger) won't go with her so I said I would. Okay, I am trying to be the sensitive guy. I always wind up being the guy in this relationship.)

That was it. The rest of my Wednesday was quiet. I picked Cookie up from Day Care and on the way to get her, I stopped and bought a $1.00 scratch-off and I won $6.00. I was very pleased. I kept $5.00 and bought another scratch-off with the extra dollar. That of course was zero, nada. But I am not complaining about an unexpected extra $5.00/ Yay! I do so want to buy 100 scratch-offs. I wish I had the nerve and the $$$ to do that.

I watched TV the rest of the evening, changed the beds and had pancakes for dinner. It was a very quiet evening. Hubby got home early from dinner with his friend.

Today? What am I doing today you ask?

Well, today is hubby's day to go to the commissary but it is so gorgeous out that I told him I would go. I really don't want to stay in all day and I wouldn't mind getting out. I don't mind going to the commissary and I can stop at a few places on the way:
Home Depot (landscaping timber)
Ace Hardware (3" wood screws)
The Goodwill Store (who knows?)
Petsmart (new collar for Cookie)
WallyWorld (potato salad)
Commissary (groceries)
Lunch (Zaxby's)

It looks like it will be a busy day but believe me, I would rather be busy than sitting around.

That is my non-entry for today.

Countdown to Missy Goode (15 days)

Children and Bars

2009-11-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

It is a rainy Sunday.
I go out to have a quiet pleasant day all to myself.
And I want to have a quiet lunch.
So I drive all the way downtown to the university district and I go to a place that I KNOW is a slightly grungy college bar to eat.
Bar food. Twenty-two year old waitresses. Peanuts with shells thrown on the floor.
I think it is safe.
But what do I find??
Yuppies and their adorable (so they think....) CHILDREN (shudder).

Please.
Yuppie parents.
Please do NOT bring your little children to bars to eat.
Babies and toddlers do not belong in a bar.
I'm sorry.
If I cannot carry my gun in a place that has a bar or serves alcohol, you should not be able to bring your children either.
And maybe you should have to get a permit to have children.
I had to get a permit to carry my gun.

What was supposed to be a quiet lunch at a BAR turned out to be an adventure in baby-sitting.
Now, it is no secret that I do not like children.
I do not want to be around them.
I don't think they are cute or adorable.
I do not find them amusing or entertaining.
I find them irritating and annoying.
I do not understand them, I cannot communicate with them.
They are foreign little creatures to me.
They are aliens.

I think there should be safe, child free zones for people like me.
Like bars. Dark, slightly grungy bars where you order greasy food and throw peanut shells on the floor.
A bar is no place for a child.
I don't care how cute and adorable you think they are.

They don't belong in a bar.

No NaNoWriMo For Me

2009-11-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

NOVEMBER 1 2009:

Today is the kick-off day for NaNoWriMo. I tried to do it last year but I failed so i won't be doing it again. Last year I was quite excited. I even went out and bought an old dinosaur of a computer for $125 from a guy in his garage. It had a functioning word processor (that was all I cared about) and I could drag it around with me everywhere. I started off very well but the first thing that happened was I got sick for four days (disastrous during NaNoWriMo) and then I just sort of ran out of steam and gave up. So I won't be doing it this year. I would like very much to write a cozy but I think I need to do it on my schedule. They say the one thing that all writers need is a deadline. According to NaNoWriMo advocates, that is ALL you need. They say "No Plot,No Problem" all you need is a deadline. But I don't think that is necessarily true. I think you need some inspiration otherwise you are just churning out words. No plot, no problem? Maybe so, maybe I can just make my own deadline. But this year, NaNoWriMo is kicking off without me. I do wish I could join some of the local groups though. That would be more interesting than the furiously writing a novel in a month part for me.
*********************************************************************
The time has changed.
Now I REALLY hate fall. I am miserable when the time changes like this. It gets dark at 5:30 and I wind up going to bed at 7:00. I HATE it but I can't help it. Once I have had dinner and it is dark....my body says it is time to go to bed. Period. I HATE this and I will complain about it from now until April or whenever it changes back again.
Frankly I don't understand WHY we continue daylight savings time. It is an arcane, outdated practice that we just continue for no good reason....the same as summer vacation for kids. There is NO basis in agriculture to continue it any longer. But it's still here and it still makes me miserable.
******************************************************
That's it. Not many profound thoughts for the first day of November. Yesterday was pleasant enough. We went out for a very nice lunch, I bought a pair of grey dress trousers at JC Penney's. Then we had frozen yogurt and went to the book store where I found another cozy on sale this time for only $2.97. For some ridiculous reason that I cannot figure out, Books-a-Zillion has put their Christmas books on sale now. So I found two books, from good established authors with good reviews, one for $3.97 and the other for $2.97. Both of them were current, $14.00 trade paperbacks. I don't understand it but I am not complaining.
**************************************************************
Right now it is raining. I thought it was going to clear up and I pulled my car out but the rain started again. I guess I'll go out anyway and get some lunch and go to Wally World. It's better than sitting here all day bored to tears. At least I will get out for a couple of hours. My ankle hurts. I wish I could go to the doctor tomorrow and not wait until Thursday. I need to get these stitches out. They've been in too long. I mat call him tomorrow but it's really hard to get an appointment with him.
********************************************************************
Countdown to Missy Good: 19 days

You bring out the worst in me.....

2009-10-28T04:22:00.000-07:00

Well, she did it to me again.

I spent the day with CrazyFriend yesterday.
It was supposed to be a pleasant day st a charming restaurant for my birthday.
well, to make a long story short, at the end of the day, CrazyFriend did it to me again.

We drove 70 miles to Fort Mill and spent the entire afternoon having a leisurely lunch with another friend at a very laid back, lovely place.
We talked and told stories. We had chicken salad sandwiches and cheesecake.
It was very nice

Until the 70 mile ride home started.

Now, I KNOW this is going to happen....It happens every time.

It happens every time I am trapped in a car with her for longer than 30 minutes and we launch into an endless, pointless circular discussion about her "boyfriend" and I wind up getting angry.

I try to be the kind, understanding supportive friend.

But then:
I turn into the guy,
I never really thought I would understand how guys feel or think but I become the guy in this relationship.
I know I'm right but I get so frustrated with her, I wind up raising my voice.
I say things I know are right but I regret the way I say them because I am at the end of my rope with her.
And then I hate myself for losing it...

She brings out the worst in me..

I TRY not to lose it.
I try to saty calm.
I do everything I can.

I think I should have been granted sainthood a LONG time ago because I have been more patient with CrazyFriend than anyone else on the planet.

But then I finally go over the line.

Want to know what finally tore it this time?

Thirty-five years. That's how long I've been married.
Forty years......that's how long our other friend who had lunch with us has been married to her husband.

And as we were driving home, CrazyFriend, who went through a perfectly miserable 5 year marriage and a nasty divorce (and now looking back on it, I can see that a lot of it was HER fault, not the poor guy she was married too although he wasn't exactly a prize either..) and is currently in a "relationship" with a freeloading con man who is living in her house as her "boyfriend" and spending all her money,

Well, what started out as a question as to why we never use our fireplace.....CrazyFriend began her dreamy speech of "Gee...wouldn't it be nice if you could use you fireplace so you and your husband could go back in time and renew your relationship?"

Uuuuhhhhhh..NO. My relationship is just fine, thank you very much.

That's what tore it for me.
CrazyFriend and her dispensing of self-righteous advice on "relationships".

What a joke.

Constantly telling other people how to live their lives when her life is so totally screwed up and she won't fix it.

Yes, I got angry.
I yelled.
Yes. I lost it and I yelled.
I said a number of things I'm sorry I said..not because I said anything wrong.
I didn't.
I didn't say anything that was wrong or untrue or inaccurate.. but because of the way I said them.
And because of the fact that I know I am going to lose it every time we do this.

And when we got back.
CrazyFriend was meek and quiet. Subservient.
Now I know how the abusive guy feels when she just takes it.
When she won't call the police or seek help.
She's a doormat. She makes excuses.
She'll take any kind of abuse and then just go on as if it never happened.

I just hate being the guy.

Cookie the Graduate.

2009-10-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Obedience School 101:

We are very proud of our little dog, Cookie.

She graduated from obedience school this morning.

Sit. Stay. Heel. Sit. Stay. Heel.

She didn't do all that well because she was so sick for about 3 out of the 6 weeks, and just really couldn't get with the program.

I think her graduation was more a social promotion than one on merit but nonetheless, she graduated.

The graduation ceremony was somewhat disappointing, although it was much like most graduation ceremonies.

The instructor gave a too long, boring talk for nearly an hour and then a demonstration of her dog's remarkable abilities (he is pretty amazing). Then we got to walk around the arena once and we were done.

It was slightly disappointing though, because they forgot the certificates and said if we wanted one, they would mail it to us.

I don't think obedience is Cookie's forte.

She is better at sleep, eat, be cute.

But I would be willing to bet that if I spent 6 months with her and worked at it seriously, with just her and me, we could do all the stuff we were supposed to learn in the last 6 weeks.

Higher education just isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

I wonder if she should work on her masters degree.....

(Countdown: 25 days)

Surgery, shopping and $20 a month.

2009-10-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a pretty busy week.

I had my outpatient surgery on Thursday to remove one of the screws from my ankle. It wasn't so bad. The worst part was getting there at 6 a.m. And that worked out just fine because I was first on the surgery schedule so I was done by 8:30 and out of there by 9:00.

The doctor was right. It was very minor (I just have a little band-aid on my ankle) but I still had to do the whole surgery thing...NPO after midnight, the anesthesia, feeling like crap for a day. But that is done. I've got the screw (it's not as big as I thought it was going to be) and hopefully, the doctor will turn my loose after the next visit.

My ankle is still a little sore but I don't think it's quite as stiff as it was with the screw in it..

I don't know. It might just be my imagination.

*****************************************************************

I've decided that I am going to spend $20 a month on something for someone else.

I don't know why I have made this decision. I just got to thinking about all the junk I buy and all the lunches I eat out. And I realized that I never buy stuff for other people.

So I decided that I am going to try to spend $20 a month for a treat or a surprise that they don't expect for someone else.

I started last week. I bought my friend Russell a little Mr. Coffee coffee maker.

He said he has started to enjoy coffee again.

He's a single guy who lives alone in a very small cottage.

So I bought him a nice little 4 cup coffee maker (just enough for himself in the morning.)

I haven't seen him yet but I will give it to him next week when we have lunch.

I think $20 a month is a pretty doable amount.

And it will make someone happy.

***************************************************************************

I don't get the Janet Evanovich thing.

I tried to read a couple of her books.

I tried to like them but I never could.

She is up to number fifteen now and it looks like she is running out of steam.

I think that happens when writers try to carry on a series just a little too long.

Out of 400 reviews on Amazon, her last book got 120 negative reviews.

The same thing happened to another author who I really liked, Jill Churchill.

Her last book that she phoned in was a flop and a fiasco.

People.....You're successful authors. You've worked hard and you are NOT lazy.
You should KNOW that when the jokes and quirky characters are overdone, when you can't come up with a coherent plot....it is time to move on.

Don't embarrass yourself by churning out another potboiler that could have been written by drunken monkeys.

******************************************************************************

Today? I feel fairly good. I am going to take a shower and get all this surgery related stuff scrubbed off and try to look and feel like a human being. I guess all I'll need is a band-aid on the little incision. We are going to go to lunch and just wander around in our usual aimless fashion. I wish I had something to do that actually had some direction. I don't. I would love to have a little business again but I don't know what I could do. A friend of mine makes jewelry.

I wish I had a talent or a skill like that. I would like to write or paint or travel. Oh well. right now it's lunch and the bookstore. That's good too.

*********************************************************************************

Murdering little girls:

This is becoming a very sick dangerous epidemic in our country, I can't believe this has happened twice in one week, with little girls less than a mile from their homes, walking home from school or out playing. What is WRONG with people and why do we continue to mollycoddle these predators? I think the hand-holding tearful candlelight vigils are a waster of time and resources. If all these people can get together to hold hands, sing Kum-By-Ya and light candles..how about if they get out and do something? Make safe houses. Check the neighborhood. Be alert. DO something. Just get adults outside on the routes to school. I don't even LIKE kids but this is sick and deeply disturbing.

RIGHT NOW THE PREDATORS AND THE PEDOPHILES ARE WINNING.

*******************************************************************************

Okay..enough is enough.

I have to think seriously about getting out and getting everyone fed.

And I have to figure out what I am going to wear.

Crazyfriend will be here to look after everyone so we can go out.

Countdown to the Missy Good hat:
26 days

Coming down off an insane high.....

2009-10-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know what the deal was, why I was so wired but yesterday was like a bi-polar manic. I was totally off the charts all day, starting from 6 o'clock in the morning when I woke up until I fianlly collapsed in a heap at 9 o'clock last night. And as I totally expected, I woke up this morning with a migraine and now I feel like I was drug through the hedge backwards.

But it was interesting. I went to lunch and shopping (wildly shopping, not just shopping shopping.) And that was after singing all morning, breezing into the hairdresser's, getting my haircut, jabbering endlessly about my trip to Florida and making the rounds in Target (but not buying anything in record time.

I had lunch at Cracker Barrel with CrazyFriend. She bought lunch which was nice and I was still wired. I don't know if my coffee had extra caffiene in it (I only had my regular two cups) but I was WIRED> We went to Penney's. I wanted a pair of new brown dress trousers (my linen ones I had for the summer finally died). I found a pair but I couldn't bring myself to put them on my charge card so CrazyFriend bought them for me for my birthday which is on Monday. That was fine with me. Birthday present seems like a valid reason and I did want new brown dress trousers.

After Penney's, we went to the drug store (like I needed drugs....) and I got a prescription filled. while we were waiting for the script, we stopped at the Goodwill Store. I bought a Swedish army jacket (I kid you not) which I love and two books, one for CrazyFriend and one for anther friend who I am having brunch with this morning. (Oh I did give CrazyFriend a really nice cookbook and a box of tea so that balanced out the trousers...) I love my Swedish army jacket.

We went to Wally World where I somehow managed to buy $33 worth of stuff (I cannot figure It where that $33 worth of stuff is....) AND I bought a little Mr. Coffee coffee maker for another friend who has been complaining that I got him started back on coffee when he stayed with us out here for a couple of days last summer when he had knee surgery. It's a very cute little coffee maker, just enough for one or two cups. He's a single guy who lives alone and I think it will be perfect for him. I also bought a bunch of other stuff ($33 worth) but don't ask me where or what it was....)

And after Wally world, we went back to Target. I wanted to get a DVD of Little Miss Sunshine to send to cousin Suzie but I couldn't find one. But I did get a pair of Halloween socks with skulls on them and some shoe laces with pink stars on them. I like those too.

We were in the jeep and is was cool and breezy and a gorgeous day. I was still wired when I picked up Cookie from day care. I don't know what the deal was. It was a crazy, crazy day for me. I KNEW I would be crashing and waking up with a migraine this morning and I was right. I feel like crap right now. I took an Imitrex this morning at 5 a.m. and I had some toast and coffee.

Hopefully, today will be a quieter day. At least not a frantic, manic roller coaster like yesterday was. Damn. It was almost scary. But I think I'm okay now;..This morning I am supposed to have brunch with my friend who also broke her ankle. She went to the Blue Ridge Parkway the same time I went to Florida but her trip got rained out. Bummer. They came home early. Oh well.

Okay.....got to get everyone fed and get ready to go.

I HOPE I am not a raving lunatic today.
(I haven't been singing at the top of my lungs at 6 a.m. so maybe I'll be okay...)

AND...I have decided that this is the year I am going to buy a Missy Good hat.
Finally. After years and years of thinking about it.....
This year I am committed to buying a Missy Good hat.
Yay.

You want a little music?

2009-10-09T16:44:00.001-07:00

Well, I had a very interesting day today.
I love my new car. I put the top down all the time and it is fun to drive.
But the CD player has been giving me fits.
While I was out today, I decided to mess with the buttons and it suddenly quit.
At least the sound quit.
I knew the CD was playing but there was no sound.
It drove me crazy all day.
I fussed with it. I fiddled with it.
No sound, no way.
Then I went to the feed store to get some Calf Manna for Persimmon.
To get there, I had to drive up their bumpy gravel drive.
And guess what??
I suddenly had SOUND.
(There must be a short somewhere....)

You want a little music?
Pardon me while I take this bumpy road!

So...what exactly does it mean to "suck the life"out of something?

2009-10-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah I know this is a favorite expression that men use to describe their vindictive ex-wives or ex-girlfriends who refuse to be fun, adventurous or understanding. It's a guy thing.
But I am pretty sure I have a good understanding of the definition and if the phrase were in the dictionary, CrazyFriend's picture would be next to it.

She has been working overtime for the last few days at "sucking the life" out of everything and it is making me very stressed out and unhappy. I can understand what guys are talking about. Apparently, sucking the life" out of things is one of the few things she does well. Very well.

Usually, I would be very excited about an upcoming trip. I am very good at planning the logistics of a trip and I enjoy the planning almost as much the actual event. So I figured my trip to Florida next week to visit my golf buddy would be fun. I've never been to Florida and I've been looking forward to going there, as well as seeing my golf buddy. But apparently, I have made a few mistakes along the way and right now, I don't even want to go. I think that CrazyFriend has "sucked the life" out of this little 4 day adventure.

I asked her to go with me for two reasons. One was to have some company on the 6 hour drive, and the second was to get her to share expenses with me and basically, cut the cost of the trip in half. Fairly good reasons, right? Okay.

Everything went to hell in a hand basket. CrazyFriend invited Cousin Sally to come along (with out my knowledge_) Now don't get me wrong. I LIKE Cousin Sally... I like her alot (I like her better than CrazyFriend, actually..she is fun and smart and SANE). But the problem was having 3 people going totally changed the logistics of the trip. Totally. We would have to take a different vehicle, we would have to change how we split the finances and we would have to change the accommodations.

Everything changed. But CrazyFriend decided (on her own) that this would be a good opportunity for Cousin Sally to "get away for a little while because it would do her good". Okay. And Cousin Sally called me saying she would be glad to come along and it would be a nice trip.....what was I supposed to say???? (No..I really wanted you to go to Las Vegas with me in December but whatever...." I explained to her the purpose of the trip so there wouldn't be any surprises. "No we are NOT going to the beach or to DisneyWorld or the Kennedy Space Center. We are going to cheer up a very sad and lonely 70 year old lady...)

Then we started looking at hotels in the area, that's when the "life-sucking" really started. I have trouble sleeping. I am up at 2 or 3 in the morning, I watch TV, I will read a little, I will have a snack and I am pretty much up most of the night. CrazyFriend KNOWS this and I have traveled with her so she is well aware of my nocturnal habits. Well, she chose yesterday to start whining about it in her )nails-on-a-blackboard" tone and I was ready to call off the whole trip. She wanted me to get a suite for the three of us. Two beds and a sleeper sofa.That might have been okay for one night. Three nights? No way. And she started with her self=righteous whining. "You are just going to have to figure out a way to sleep. You don't have to turn on the 'idiot-box' (that's her favorite expression when she hates the TV). you can play on your computer (I HATE when she says "play on the computer......" You're the one with the problem. We are fine with it. You're the only one with a problem sharing a room......"

Well, dammit, yes I AM the one with the problem sharing a room and I am NOT going to listen to you bitch when I want to turn on the TV or read my book or take a shower.. Damn I was angry and exhausted and ready to just give up on the whole thing. I think the life had been sucked out of it. SO after an exhausting search on Priceline and every hotel web site and calling locally, I just said. "Look we are getting TWO rooms. Period." She was mad that I wanted to do that. Too bad CrazyFriend. And I booked two rooms at a cheap place rather that the one at a really nice place on the beach that I would have had if the two of us had gone. It is a cheap place but it kept the cost down and I just don't think I want to spend a whole lot of money of this trip. It was getting stupider and stupider.

By the time CrazyFriend left here yesterday (and I had to railroad her out of here, she didn't want to leave and go home to her freeloading boy friend) I was exhausted, unhappy and I had a migraine that I still had this morning when I woke up. I do not feel good about this trip. Usually when I plan a trip, I have the logistics down perfectly. I know where I am going and when and I even know what I am going to wear and where I am going to eat. I feel like I have lost control of this whole thing and I wish I hadn't even asked CrazyFriend to go or have any part in it in the first place.

But I have learned the meaning of "She sucks the life out of everything she touches.."
Look it up in the dictionary.
CrazyFriend's picture will be right there.

If you say "You guys..." one more time.

2009-10-01T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I had been looking forward to yesterday for a while and it turned out to be a bit of a bust.

I had planned on taking my friend who also broke her ankle out for a nice drive and lunch somewhere in town but the day started out badly and finished up on a negative note too so it was a no-win situation the entire way around.

The tone for the day was set when my friend had been abandoned at the doctor's office by her step-daughter who known for her lack of judgement on occasion. It was a bit of an unfortunate mix-up and the tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The day did NOT start on a good note.

And my stomach was still soooo upset from my chicken salad escapades the day before I could hardly stand it. I had gone through Alka-Seltzer and it was so bad I even resorted to Pepto-Bismol (ugh you KNOW it was bad if I went that far...)

We ran a few simple errands and then headed for what I thought was going to be a lovely lunch at a high-end place called Miyo's/ Fancy asian food and it is usually very good and a nice treat.

Unfortunately, with my broken stomach and our useless moron of a waiter and the food being only fair (which is most unusual) lunch was a disaster.

NOTE TO ANYONE WHO IS WAITSTAFF:

If you are in a high-end restaurant and your customers are two women who are both old enough to be your mother DO NOT>>>I repeat DO NOT address them at anytime during the meal as "You guys..." ("Can I get you guys anything else?")
If at anytime you do that to me YOU CAN FORGET ANY KIND OF A TIP. Period.
If you disappear for long periods of time and do not check on me....even worse.
If you give me ice tea WITH NO ICE IN THE GLASS...Forget it.
If my food is not prepared the way I asked for it....it may not be your fault but too bad. I'm blaming you anyway.

That's exactly what went on yesterday.

If I am at a college bar in the university district having a hamburger and french fries, I don't mind (You guys"_). If I am at a nice place paying $12 for lunch, I expect "Ladies" or Ma'am" at the least.

So anyway.......Yesterday was a bit of a disaster all the way around. Plus my friend in Florida called and she is so anxious for me to come and visit her. I am going to try and go on either the 11th or the 18th of this month and visit with her for a couple of days. That's another unfortunate situation all the way around. Jeeeezzz Sometimes life just sucks.

Okay enough ranting and pointless rambling.

Yesterday sucked.

Hopefully today will be a better day.

The Quest for Chicken Salad

2009-09-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Okay,,,,

Here's the deal. It's been an interesting week. Our broadband modem died and the computers have been down for about 4 days. Hubby was having withdrawl symptoms. I didn't really care that much. I figured it'd be back up when it came back up.

I was supposed to go to the Dog Agility Trials held here last Friday. I completely lost interest in going and I begged off so I wound up going to a funeral instead.
And the funeral wasn't really all that bad.
Going gave me the chance to take my new car on a little road trip, which I have been wanting to do before I go to Florida in a couple of weeks. It was a very easy, pleasant 80 mile drive on a lovely flat, straight interstate. Once we got there, the funeral service was thankfully short and sweet and we (I went with Crazyfriend) got out. We chose not to go to the graveside service (I don't mind the church service but I draw the line at the graveside stuff). And we went to a really neat place. I loved it (although I won't tell Crazyfriend that). It was a funky little place called "Bac-In-Time";. It's an old house that has been made into a Christian coffee house, local art gallery and restaurant. The place is just lovely, beautifully furnished. The owner was a little too talkative (I really didn't want to know her life story) .And I could have done without all the local renditions of "Laughing Jesus" It was really funky and fun. They had absolutely yummy chicken salad which led to my chicken salad quest today.

I got to thinking about it and I could only think of one place around here where you can get a really good chicken salad sandwich. We used to go there a lot (it too is a funky, artsy local place) but they raised their prices so much that it's not worth going there anymore.
So I set off to find chicken salad.
One place I knew I could get good chicken salad was a local college bar called Salty's.
That's where I went to lunch. They have a very tasty chicken salad plate (I know, it's technically not a chicken salad sandwich but it was chicken salad....). And it's only $4.79. That was what I had and I enjoyed it very much.
But then I got to wondering if I could find better chicken salad.

I went to a place called The Fresh Market. High end, expensive gourmet market. They have a variety of chicken salads. I chose the rotisserie chicken salad. I brought it home and made myself a chicken salad sandwich with white bread, a very fresh tomato and Miracle Whip. I even bought the same gourmet chips that they served at the "Bac-In_Time" place. I had it for "dinner" which kinda broke my stomach because I don't usually eat dinner. But was it better than the "Bac-In_Time" or Salty's??? Not really. If I want to drive 80 miles, I would have to go back to "Bac-In_Time". If I want to stay here I would have to go to Salty's

So now, my stomach is broken, I need an Alka-Seltzer and I'm just not sure if we have any really good chicken salad around here.

This lottery ticket is defective, I want my $5 back.

2009-09-23T04:23:00.000-07:00

Okay...yesterday I did something I rarely do anymore. I spent $5 on a single lottery ticket. I found a new game on our state's lottery website and I thought okay, what the heck. I have an extra $5 and the odds seemed pretty good. You get 18 numbers and out of those 18 you only have to hit 4 to get back $7. The odds of that were 1:11. So I thought okay. for $5, I will give it a try. Once.
Well, much to my great disappointment, when I checked the numbers this morning, not only did I not win anything....I did not hit a single number out of the 18. And to make matters even worse....there was a string of 4 numbers that were all exactly ONE NUMBER OFF from the ones I had.
That seems rather unfair. What I think is that there should be some kind of a default win....if you hit zero numbers out of all those possibilities, you should get $3 back.

Maybe then I would be willing to try again.

Do not mess with my driver's license.

2009-09-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

For a long time, I couldn't understand why "older" people got so twitchy about their driver's licenses.
I know all the explanations....it's your freedom, your independence. And you don't want to lose that.
But it really hit home these past two weeks when I suddenly realized that I was one of those "older" people and I was the one getting twitchy about my driver's license.
Next month is my birthday and I didn't even realize that my license would be expiring until I got a notice from the DMV telling me that I had to renew. At first, I was greatly relieved when I thought I could just fill out a form and send in a check and get a new license. I didn't even have to fill out the side of the form that required an eye doctor's report because I am not 62 years of age.
So after putting it off for a week or so, I filled out the form, sent in the check and waited.
And waited. And waited some more.
No sign of my new driver's license and I was getting twitchy. Worried. Concerned.
Then I finally got a letter from the DMV. I said to my husband "Oh good this must be my new license". But when I opened the letter, I only found my check and application had been returned with a very official letter from the friendly folks at the DMV telling me that I had to come in to renew my license.
Arrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhh!!! Panic. Worry. Hand-wringing. Twitchy. Concern.
What was I going to do??? Would I pass the eye test? Would I get my new license??
I had to show up in person at the dreaded DMV.
So yesterday, I mustered up my courage, took the Jeep and headed for our little local DMV. I went there because it is a very small office, as opposed to the big ones downtown.
It is usually not very busy.
I got there in the Jeep (i love the Jeep) and I went inside.
And I asked the lady at the help desk what I needed to do.
And what a remarkable surprise.
The place was not at all busy. And the help lady was so polite and kind.
I only had to give her money ($25 to be exact) and I didn't even have to fill out any more forms. She just used the form they had returned to me.
She then proceeded to give me the eye "test" which took about 15 seconds and consisted of me reading one line of numbers that were about the size of a billboard (3 5 9 4 5 2 3 8 7 5 1).
After she was finished she gave me a little paper number (E402) and told me to sit down and wait until my number was called.
Well, since there was only one young woman sitting in the waiting area I figured that probably wouldn't be too long. And I was right. I just had a second to sit down before they called 'Now serving E402." and I went right up to the nice lady at the driver's license exam window,
She too was sweet and kind and very helpful. It took about five minutes to sign all the papers and get my receipts. She took a new picture for my new license. Now instead of looking like a surly biker chick, I look like I just got out of bed and my hair is standing straight up.
And after waiting just a couple if minutes more, the nice examiner lady presented me with my shiny new driver's license. All official and all renewed. I was in and out of the DMV in about 15 minutes and everyone I spoke to was kind, polite and helpful.
And my new license good for 10 years!
That's right. 10 years for coming in as opposed to 5 years for renewing it online.
That means I won't have to do this until I am 70 years old and I will probably be dead by then so I won't have to worry about it.
10 years. Woooo hooooo!
And y'know what's funny?
My motorcycle designation transferred right along with my renewal so I can legally drive a motorcycle in the state of South Carolina until I am 70 years old.
I was so relieved.
I got my new license and I am not feeling at all twitchy anymore.
Yay.

Keepin' The Jeep......

2009-08-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

Okay...here's the deal.
This has been a VERY difficult few days.
I know I don't deserve any of this and I probably have the most generous and patient husband on the planet (PLEASE don't tell him I said that.)
Since I broke my ankle I have been going stir crazy,
I can't stand being at home and I NEED to be mobile.
Well, after sitting here on the computer for 6 weeks with my leg in a cast, I convinced myself that I needed a new, comfortable car with air conditioning and an automatic transmission that I could drive NOW.
I thought I was over the Jeep.
So I surfed and I surfed and I found a beautiful 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible.
And to make a long story short, hubby bought it for me last Thursday.
It is a gorgeous car.
It drives so smooth and it's so quiet and comfortable.
It's grey with a black top and black interior.
So hubby bought it for me with the understanding that we would do some minor repairs on the Jeep (which I dearly love) and then start trying to sell it.
Surprise surprise.
I had NO idea how much I loved that stupid Jeep and I just could not bear the idea of parting with it,
It has so much character and it is so much fun.
And it is MINE.
All Jeeps are very individual.
There are no two alike,
And to be honest, I cried when I thought of have to sell it.
I couldn't sleep.
I couldn't think of anything else but that Jeep.
It is 17 years old, I've had it for 7 tears, it has 170,000 miles on it and it is still running strong.
It is basically irreplaceable.

Well, after two days of crying (I am NOT a person who cries about anything, even when the dog dies...) and not being able to sleep of think of anything else, last night at 11:30 when hubby kept saying to me 'Are you alright? You look exhausted? What is wrong?" I finally broke down and told him. I didn't have any choice.

I LOVE the new car. It is absolutely beautiful.
But I cannot sell the Jeep.
So we came to an agreement.
I would take over responsibility for the Jeep (gas, oil changes, tags, insurance) and I could keep it.
We'd put the minimal liability insurance on it and I could drive it once a week or so,
And I would have the gorgeous convertible for my primary vehicle.
That is MORE that fair and more than I deserve.
But I love my Jeep and now it doesn't have to go away to a stranger.
I won't have to take down my Xena pictures my Xena quotes and the cryptic bumper stickers won't have to be scraped off. I won't have to clean it out.
The Jeep is staying home with me.

No, You may NOT bring your roadkill out here.

2009-08-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

Okay......now I am a pretty understanding individual.
I try to be kind and supportive.
I TRY. But I have my limits.
Crazyfriend is mad at me.
She has this awful thing about stopping and picking up roadkill (possums, raccoons, cats and any other unfortunate creature that may be in the middle of the road) so that she can give it a "proper" burial.
Seriously, I swear to God....I am not making this up.
She carries a shovel, gloves and plastic bags in the trunk of her car and will stop anywhere.
It is an AWFUL yukky gross thing but she views it as a public service and does it out of "respect" for the unfortunate animal.
Well, she called me earlier this afternoon wanting a "huge" favor.
Now Crazyfriend has always been very helpful to me and I am willing to help her if I can.
BUT...Her 'favor" was that she had the carcass of a large dead dog in the trunk of her car that she's picked up off the road.
She couldn't get her good-for-nothing live-in "boyfriend" to help her so she wanted me to let her bring it out her to bury it.
I am sorry.......but there are just some things that you have to say NO to.
Transporting roadkill across county lines is one of those things.
I have to draw the line at bringing dead animals out here.
I told her no, it would upset us and I really couldn't let her do that.
She was bristling with righteous indignation when she hung up on me and now she's mad.
Sorry, even I have my limits.
No roadkill. Ever!!

Free at last, free at last!

2009-08-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

YAY!!!!!

I GOT MY CAST OFF!!!!!!!

I went to the doctor yesterday and he took my cast off. I was soooooo glad. It's been over 5 weeks since I hurt myself and I was ready.
I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I went for my appointment. I was hoping he's take it off but I just wasn't sure. He looked at the x-rays though and said I was good to go.
He gave me a light weight brace, some compression hose (my foot is swelling really bad) and a few exercises to try. And he gave me 6 weeks of physical therapy. It feels really weird.
I don't know how long it'll take me to get back to full function but I can tell you this....once I can move my foot 6 inches up and down (enough to press a gas pedal, then I am outta here!!

I am soooo glad. At least I am making some definite progess and hopefully will make a full recovery. I'm thinking 4 to 6 months but that is tolerable if I can start to get around on my own.

YAY!!!!!! Woooo hoooo!!

Juat because you're a zombie doesn't mean I want to be one too.

2009-08-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I must admit, this has been a very difficult month for me but what really concerns me is just how difficult it seems to be for my husband.
He has been very kind and helpful and done everything for me since I got hurt but I no idea how really difficult it is for him to do routine every day things and frankly, it is a little worrisome.
I am the one who would do all the mundane chores in the house laundry, feeding the animals, small repairs and running errands. I don't mind doing these things because I enjoy driving and I like staying busy and being active...even if it's a simple thing like getting a hamburger or going to WalMart.
Now I KNOW this has been very stressful for him.
This behavior has been magnified and intensified since I got hurt.
But I don't think it's anything new or different.
It's just that I can see more of it than I ever could before.
Now that he is the one who has to do almost all of those things, I can see that it is very hard for him. He doesn't like to get in the car and go places, he doesn't enjoy going to the store or shopping for even a little while, he doesn't seem to enjoy cleaning up this place or making it nicer, he doesn't WANT to do anything that doesn't involve sitting in front of the computer or the TV except occasionally going out to lunch, to the bookstore, to have dinner with his friend or shoot at the range.
He tries so hard to NOT expend one iota of energy extra and if he is forced to, he just gets frustrated and upset. Yesterday at lunch, I asked him to throw something in the trash for me (the trash can was literally 3 feet from him). Instead of throwing it away, he simply shoved it to the other side of the table (I could have done that....) and when I MADE him get up and throw it away he was very upset with me.
He won't take any extra steps or make any extra trips (he tries to carry in ALL the groceries in one trip if he possibly can and he tries to do everything he possibly can in on trip.
Now, I KNOW that he is a good guy and he is generous and he has been very patient with me since I got hurt and I am the one who normally does all the running around/ I cannot complain because he always gives me anything I want and he does just about everything I ask.
But his lack of energy (he slept 12 hours yesterday after we went into town to buy birdseed and take the dog to the vet), his lack of interest in things around him and general apathy about everything in the world is very worrisome to me.
If he had his way, he would seal up this house, turn on the air conditioning and stay in one place without ever moving except to get a glass of weak iced tea.
He is yawing constantly..

He would even let the dog sleep 23 hours a day if she didn't have to get up and pee every now and then.
It worries me. I want to be around people. I want to have activities. I feel like you should have some kind of a challenge every day. I think the dog should have a challenge every day, even if it's learning to sit up or chasing the cat. And when we don't I feel like a zombie.
I literally believe that this lack of activity is just turning our brains to mush and I don't like the way it feels. I know he would never admit it but I really think it is affecting him as much as it affect me and the dog.
Everything thing is slowing down.
I don't know where it will lead.
I don't know what to do.
Talk to him about it?
Maybe.
But it really does worry me. A lot.

Now, what are the odds of this?

2009-08-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

Okay...now this is entirely too freaky-deaky for words.
The odds of this happening have GOT to be astronomical.
I broke my ankle a little more than 3 weeks ago.
In just a split second accident.
Right? Right.

Well, my husband's best friend's wife has been very nice.
She called me, sent me a bunch of books to read and last week, she took me out to lunch and to a movie.
It was very nice of her and I told her we'd go out again next week.
I said I was going stir crazy and I really appreciated her taking me out for the day.

Well......Yeah, you guessed it.
She was going down the stairs in her house night before last about 10 minutes after my husband left.
She slipped on the stairs. fell down and SHE BROKE HER ANKLE!

It happened about 8:30 at night, her husband had to take her to the ER.
They were there until 3 a.m.
She came home in a long leg splint.
She has to see the orthopedic surgeon next week and she will have to have surgery.
And she is looking at 2-3 months at home for the rest of the summer.
And it's her right leg, same as me.

What the HELL do you think the odds of something like this happening to BOTH of us?
It is such a crazy coincidence.
I still can't believe it.

People are driving me CRAZY.

2009-08-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Okay.
I have been in this cast for a week now (it's been about three and half weeks since my original injury) and I am going crazy.
I appreciate all the kind words from the people in the blogosphere but the real people in my life are driving my nuts.

CrazyFriend came over yesterday because hubby wanted to go out to dinner with his friend and I can't feed the outside animals or let the dog out.
Well, she brought over more JUNK that I don't want or need.
I am trying to get RID of some of the crap that has accumulated in this house over 30 years
I don't WANT more stuff.
But she showed up yesterday with a rock tumbler so I could polish rocks.
POLISH ROCKS> A ROCK TUMBLER.
WHAT THE HELL DO I WANT WITH A ROCK TUMBLER?????
I tried to be kind and tactful and explain to her that I appreciated her efforts to bring me things that would keep me amused but I didn't feel she needed to be spending $30 or $40 dollars on a ROCK TUMBLER. But she just didn't get it
When I tried to get her to take it back to the hobby shop, she said no, she would drop it off at the Goodwill Store (unopened and unused). I said fine, leave it here.
(She will not return ANYTHING to ANY store for ANY reason. that's yet another one of her charming quirks).
I did get her to take back the stack of 5 year old magazines she brought me last week,
I HATE magazines and I really have no interest in reading 5 year old ones.
Gimme a break,
I would have totally appreciated it if she had just comke out, helped with the things I can't do (feeding the animals, taking the dog out, sweeping the porch) rather than trying to bring junk that she thinks I will find amusing and entertaining.
She is treating me the same way she treated her father when he was in the nursing home for so long before he died and it it MAKING ME NUTS>

Hubby is doing a little better.
He doesn't bring me useless stuff.
And he is making an effort to do things around the house when I need stuff (watering the plants, feeding the hummingbirds.)
Today we are going to go out for lunch, them to Home Depot and maybe the book store it my foot isn't hurting too much,

This is making me totally crazy.

And introducing our new cast....

2009-07-31T05:07:00.000-07:00

Okay..
After what seemed like an impossibly long two weeks, I finally got back to the doctor yesterday.
They removed the temporary splint they had put on my leg after the surgery and I must admit it was huge relief. The temporary splint had been very uncomfortable. They took out the stitches, (16 on the outside of my ankle, 6 on the inside and re-xrayed it. This was the first time I got a good look at all the hardware and believe me, it IS hardware. I have two 3' stainless steel screws (I thought they were titanium but he said they were German stainless steel) one on each side of mu ankle holding the bones together and also a plate with 4 additional screws stabilizing the ankle. Damn. That was one BAD break, a lot worse than I realized.
I cannot move my ankle (although the doctor said I will eventually be able to) and he made me work with it until I could move it at least 6' before he put the cast on.
The new cast is SOOOOOOO much better. It's one of those fiberglass jobs (just plain white, even though I wanted camo) and it feels 100% better. It is soft on the inside, a lot more secure and stable.
He said I should start putting a little bit of weight on it (like standing up to brush my teeth) and I need to start trying the crutches. I am still very leery of those but it's not.) as bad with this new cast on.
And the one big deal is at least I can sleep comfortably now, in any position I want. With the temporary one, I could feel the jagged plaster inside and it would dig into my leg unless I positioned it just right. The new cast is comfy and it doesn't poke into my leg anywhere.
At least I am making progress, although my leg looks like a kid who had polio in the '50s.
I think this will be a LONG haul. He did give me a temporary handicap sticker for 4 months (that'll make things easier) and he said I could have physical therapy if I need it. (Oh yeah, I'm gonna need it.)
Hubby is trying his best but this is NOT easy for him. His entire routine of doing nothing has been disrupted and it will be good when I can start doing more things on my own. Feeding and going outside, I am still not sure of yet.
But at least I am making SOME progress.
I go back to the doctor again in 3 weeks,
I guess I'll wait until then before I sign up for the Clog dancing championships in September.
Yay.

It's all fun until someone breaks their leg...

2009-07-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

okay.
One fast easy sure-fire way to screw up you summer.
Last week, Monday the 13th to be exact, I broke my leg.
It was one of those totally freaky-deaky accidents and it happened in an instant.
But needless to say, my summer is shot to hell.
I was going outside Monday morning to let the dog sit outside in the sun.
I got a cup of coffee and was going down the ramp off our deck.
Near the bottom of the ramp, there was some pine straw.
Well, I slipped on the pine straw, my leg went out from under me and I hit my ankle squarely on the edge on the ramp.
My ankle snapped like a twig.
I heard it crack and I knew instantly it was bad.

I got to the ER and the x-ray showed that I'd broken both bones in my leg, below where an old break from years ago had healed.
I got a temporary splint and an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon the next day.

It didn't take him long to decide what was next.
I had surgery a week ago today.
The break was much worse than they'd thought in the ER.
He put 6 titanium screws on the inside of my ankle, a titanium plate and 4 screws on the outside.

I have been home for a week and I am now officially going stir crazy.
I cannot play golf, I cannot drive, I cannot even go outside on my own right now.
I hate this house and the way it is laid out.
It is impossible to move around with tripping over someone else (I have always hated that about this house but this just magnifies the problem).
And I am going nuts.

Hubby has been very kind and a lot of help.
He made coffee for me (even though he had no clue how to do it) and he has had to do just about everything....cooking cleaning, laundry, feeding.
Yesterday, he went out to lunch and to the range.
I am sure he needed a break. I would.

I don't go back to the doctor until a week from today.
I don't know what he'll do.
I'm hoping he'll take off this HUGE dressing and put on a smaller lighter cast.
And I'm hoping he will send me to physical therapy a few times so I can learn to use crutches.
I have some but I am very leery of using them right now.
Crazyfriend brought over one of her late father's wheelchairs and that has been a tremendous help.
I can get around the house pretty well using it.

That's it.
My summer is TOTALLY shot to hell in a handbasket.
I had to call my friend and cancel my trip to Florida that I had planned for August.
My Jeep is a stick-shift and I don't know if I will be able to drive it.
I may have to think about getting a different car.
Golf?? Don't even know about that.
Talk about things changing in a instant.
It's true.
You just never ever know what's going to happen.,

The Michael Jackson Memorial

2009-07-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay.
I watched it.
I really hadn't intended to but hubby was out for the day, I had the TV to myself and I was just surfing through.
I clicked on it, thinking that I would be cynical and have an opportunity to grumble about it.
I am not a Michael Jackson fan.
But interestingly enough, I wound up watching almost the entire thing.
At first, it seemed a little surreal.
It was VERY tastefully done, it was not over the top and I think the church-like atmosphere in the Staples Center was pretty amazing.
You could hear a pin drop.
The talent was heartfelt and the emotions were raw.
The big egos were all put aside and the people who were up there on the stage seemed open and honest in their love, their loss and their grief.
I am not a Michael Jackson fan.
But I must give credit to a pretty amazing memorial.
Crowds were well behaved and respectful.
And there was a unique wliingness of intensely private people to share very personal, intimate feelings with everyone who seemed to genuinely love this man.
The tears were real.

A $2000 Dachshund

2009-07-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

well, today was a long and tiring but very interesting day.
Our little dog, Cookie has been having really bad problems with her teeth and gums.
We have been fighting it for 6 months now and it just got to be too much.
Our regular vet said it was too extensive and complicated for her to handle so she referred us to a veterinary dental clinic in Charlotte NC.
We went up there today (we left at 6:00 a.m.).
It is a pleasant drive to Charlotte.
We found the clinic easily (Thank Heaven it wasn't in Charlotte proper but just outside the city).
The vet (veterinary dental medicine is her specialty) was absolutely WONDERFUL.
She was young but very knowledgeable, kind and patient.
She examined the Cookie monster, took her back sedated her did a full set of x-rays which took about 30 minutes.
Then she came out and showed us the x-rays and talked to us about what needed to be done.
It turned out the Cookie had very extensive periodontal disease and needed to have numerous teeth extracted.
We said go for it, that is why we came up here.
The dental surgery took about 2 hours.
We had lunch and shopped, just killing time.
Then it took another 2 hours for Cookie to wake up from the anesthesia.
The vet pulled 16 teeth!
She did a couple of gum flaps (a small surgical procedure to attempt to save a couple of key teeth) and put her on antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medicine and pain medication.
Cookie recovered very well...although our bank account won't.
Everything came to a little over $2000.
It will be worth it if her gums heal and she is happier, healthier and not in constant pain from a low grade infection.
what a long day.

Bathing Cats and Chasing Baby Birds

2009-06-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I did something today that I have never ever done before in my life and frankly, I never imagined I would.
Our little sicky cat who lives outside has been so hot and dirty and miserable, I just felt sorry for her. The dog keeps antagonizing her (I think because she smells bad.) and she has accidentally peed on herself a couple of times. She is skinny as a rail and just pitiful.
So, this morning, I got real brave, filled up the bathtub, brought her inside and gave her a bath.
I never thought that I would ever bathe a cat but she did just fine. She howled a little bit in protest, but she is so small and weak that she that was about all she could do.
I soaped her up real good with doggy shampoo, scrubbed her and then gave her a good rinse.
She cleaned up pretty well.'
She let me towel her dry and we went back outside, smelling MUCH better and I am sure she felt better as well.

And the fun began this morning when a baby blue jay was hopping around outside in the front.
Pesky, our male cat spied him but I was able to distract Pesky with a dish of cat food. The Calico kitty eyeballed him but didn't pursue him It was COOKIE, our little Dachshund who went ballistic. She tried everything she could do to get that baby bird and the poor baby bird was hopping frantically while the mother and father blue jay were dive bombing us, screaming at the tops of their lungs.

I finally got Cookie away and fortunately, the baby bird was unhurt (but certainly shaken). The problem in now, Cookie is frantic to get back outside and look for the baby bird. She has been going to the door and sitting there until someone takes her out.

Once outside, she searches everywhere for the baby bird. Frantically with her nose to the ground. This all happened about 11:00 this morning and she is still worrying about where the baby bird is.

Apparently, she has a much longer memory than the cats.

A Note to Our Governor.

2009-06-25T05:02:00.001-07:00

Dear Governor Sanford;
Thank you for making our state the laughing stock of the country.
I guess in these tough economic times, we needed a good joke and you have provided it.
Would you please now do the right thing and resign so we can get on with our lives?

Thank you,
A disgruntled and disappointed South Carolina resident.