Archives 2007

January 9, 2007 - I will update this thing soon, but until then, some nice guy in Toronto posted some video from the WMU Bronco Marching Band on YouTube!  Woot.  My daughter is in there!   I am so proud! 

January 11, 2007 - I'm gonna update this morning if it kills me.   (...I still have a pulse, so this is going well...)

Yesterday, I drove for 3.5 miles down a stretch of road with my left blinker on.  Once I saw it was on, I laughed.  "I'm old now for sure!" I proclaimed to myself, but at least now I know why one leaves their blinker on by accident as you get older...it's because you are rocking out to some song on the radio from your glory days and you accidentally turn it on with your wild hand movements and the music is so loud you can't hear it blinking! 

I walked into the work the other morning singing.  It is normal for me to be singing.  I sing all the time.   There is always a song in my head and if you know me well, if it's in my head it's coming out for public review.  Events remind me of songs or a statement I hear reminds me of a song...everything reminds me of songs.  However, this time I walk in to work singing, "Jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton...jump down turn around, pick a bale of hay.  Oh Lordy!  Pick a bale of cotton..."   When I got to the "Oh, Lordy!" part I slapped my hand over my mouth.  I was ashamed of myself.  No doubt some people would find that song offensive in our politically correct sue-you-just -for-breathing world.  After being shocked at myself, my thought was, "Where did that song come from in my head?  What cell happened to throw that out there at that time and why?"  My second thought was, "Man, that song doesn't get much airplay anymore, I bet..." I giggled at myself and ran in and told Doug what I had done.   Doug and I are old enough to remember being taught that song in elementary school.   I personally had to do exercises to it in gym class.  Even when I was little, I recall no racist association with that song.  I believe it was called a folk song then.  Still, if my grandparents and great grandparents were ripped from their homes, dragged across the ocean, and forced to do slave labor for the stupid white race with no choice in the matter as they were whipped and beaten, I would find that song offensive as well.  What amazes me is how the human brain can hold on to something that you yourself think you forgot and didn't even know you still had, then it just throws it out there at random moments.  The human brain amazes me.  Sigh.  (Most humans have the ability to control what they verbally emit from their brains, where Sandy just lets it all hang out.  Sandy is lacking the self restraint gene, obviously.)

My daughter has moved back into her dorm and taken my grandson, Ziti the Beta Fish.  She is back into the swing of classes.  It was so nice having her home.  Her trip to Toronto to the International Bowl was fun for her.  It was a wonderful game towards the end as well.   Very exciting.  Western lost 24 to 27, but boy howdy they came back with a fury in the second half.  I normally only go to/watch football games for the marching band part of it, but watching the game on TV had me screaming loudly at the players.   Before my daughter left for Toronto, I was feeling very frustrated with work and life and things happening in my life, so I had a "fish spasm" and bought Ziti a 5.5 gallon tank and a bubbler and a new in tank covered bridge toy thing and ... I went nuts, actually.  (I now have six cans of different types of fish food sitting around that Ziti never did like, but man - I was gonna try.  He's my first grand child after all.  He only likes the freeze dried tiny shrimp from one brand of food, so I sift through all the flakes just to pick out the itsy bitsy shrimps...)  I dropped my daughter off and came back and set Ziti up in his new digs.  He hated the bubbler.   He cowered in the corner in a fetal position.  I turned that off.  He was happier without the bubbling action.  He did like the covered bridge thingy where he could glide through and hide, I must say, but he was much happier when he was just in the big 2.5 gallon fish bowl.  When I sent my daughter back up to campus I just sent up the fish bowl and covered bridge and I kept the tank.  The tank is now populated with eight little guppy type fish that seem very spastic with no goals in life except to be, well - spastic.  There were nine, but I lost one of the fan tailed guppies yesterday.   (May he flush in peace.)

I suppose having fits of trying to cope with life is better taken out on fish as it's so much better than having panic attacks.  I do not miss the days of having panic attacks.  I do not miss the feeling of choking and the lack of control.  I went from having panic attacks to just putting my jaw out of place (from clenching my jaw so hard when I got stressed.)   Now that I don't do that anymore, I have "fish" attacks...one compulsion to another, aye?

I only gained a half a pound during holiday season!  Yeah.  I lost that an another half a pound this weigh in, and have lost a total of 47 pounds.  My husband is down 55 pounds.  A new session of Weight Watchers starts up next Tuesday, thank goodness.  I like the program.  Easy to follow.  The slow weight loss makes it so you don't have reams of skin hanging off of you.  It rocks.  

I asked my friend Jane to make me ankle warmers.  She suggested leg warmers.  She is a knitting fool.   If it can be knitted, she can knit it.  I look forward to my leg warmers.   I will no doubt start a fashion trend and everyone will be begging for custom leg warmers.  I will be like Paris Hilton of the fashion world, except 130 pounds heavier and minus various dogs crammed in my purse.

I felt so bad - I had emailed one of my Aunts in Kansas to check on her, as I've heard they had snow and I love snow as we all know, and I raved on about loving snow and she should send me snow and they were lucky to get snow, etc.  She wrote back and was very serious and mentioned how many people lost power and lives to that storm, even though they themselves were farther to the east of it and safe and all ... I read her letter and I know my face looked like one of a chastised child.  Sigh.  The views expressed by Sandy in emails are not necessarily those of a greater portion of the United States.  I must learn to sometimes curb my enthusiasm.

Now I'm off to conquer the world and undoubtedly shove my foot in my mouth at every opportunity!  Viva the Human Brain!  Enjoy your day - hug someone.  Smile at the people when you're at a four way stop.  Drink a V8.  (Cripes!  You could have had one!)

January 17, 2007 - HURRAY!!  I've finally reached the 50 pound mark!  WOOT WOOT.  I didn't think I'd be this happy, but I'm HAPPY!  I haven't weighed this "little" since 19aught something!  (Mind you, I'm still a cow, but a skinnier cow and a happier cow - and you know that they say happier cows give better milk, but I fail to see the connection here and I'm digressing...)  I have not been this excited since last week when I got to buy much smaller panty hose.  (The ones I had were coming up to my bottom lip.)

My husband has lost 57 pounds so far as well.  Wow.  I am amazed.  I had not realized what that meant 'til I was laying in bed last night thinking that if I took duct tape and taped five 10 lb. bags of dog food to my mid section that it probably would HURT after a while, carrying all that weight around.  (Not to mention be a terrible fashion statement.)   Holy Crap!  What a concept!  No wonder his feet were nearly dead at one point - the poor toes couldn't hold all that extra weight! 

I am not bragging, mind you.  I am not flaunting this either.  I'm just so happy.  It was not that hard (except for all the near panic attacks from lack of shoving food in my mouth and the hours spinning around in the kitchen going for something to eat that I didn't need, then deciding against it, then talking myself into it again, then stopping myself, then...)   I just can't wait to shop from the 'normal human clothes' racks at the store.   I will need to get something sooner than that, I fear, as I'm losing my skirts.  I have to pull them up right under my boobs just to keep them on during the day, and I don't think the world is quite ready for a Sandy Mooning - at least not yet.

My daughter got a job (small spasm on Mom's part because she is so happy daughter is working) on campus which requires her to be outside at night for six hours handing out parking tickets.  Of course, she starts this job on the first night we actually have winter weather.  The poor dear froze.  She worked last night as well, another cold night.  She will be getting herself some thermal underwear this week and maybe some boots, yes?   Her second semester at college is off to a fairly good start by the sound of it, but then again I'm not the one doing the homework or going to classes.  

My youngest son has a presentation due today on talismans and good luck charms (in relation to the book they read called "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs) so I asked him if he was ready.   "Yes!" he said.  "So, present to your father and me..." I commanded.  "No!" he said.  "Yes!!" I insisted.  (This response from me of course comes with the implication that I will take away the air he breathes if he DOESN'T do what I've asked.)  "Oh, then...I will have to do my note cards then first..." he drawled.  (He had previously stated to us that he was DONE with everything.)  I forced him upstairs to do what was supposed to be done.   He was not happy with me.  I was not happy with him.  He came down a half hour later and did the presentation and was so happy it was DONE that he hugged me.   "Why do you put me through SUCH TORMENT you poop head EVERY TIME you have HOMEWORK?" I asked him.  "I don't know..." he said in a pondering way, as if he really didn't know.  My oldest son said this morning "it's genetic" as he went through the same thing with me during his school years.  In this case the gene they both share is the 'lazy' gene with a little of the 'why do I need to learn this crap?' gene thrown in for good measure.  Sigh.  Only 4 and a half more years of this...

I'm off to conquer the world of plastics.  Viva Life!  Go forth yourself and do good things.

January 18, 2007 - I steam cleaned the carpet Monday night.  It's a beige tan carpet (or was) but with three dogs, five adults, and three cats waltzing about constantly the term 'high traffic dirt areas' take on a whole new meaning.  After cleaning the carpet and bringing most of it back up to a color vaguely reminiscent of beige, I was content.  However, my poor youngest son now follows the dogs around with a damp cloth every time they come in from outside.  "This is why we can't have nice things..." he mutters as he tries to stay on top of the muddy paw prints.

I decided last night that there are only really two pieces of advice I could give (that I am pretty darned sure of) to the youth of America if ever I was asked to give a speech let's say, at a graduation.  

Piece of advice #1 -    Always - ALWAYS - pee more than two times a day.  Oh sure, your youthful bladders THINK you can hold it for 8 hours at a time, but it's not a GOOD thing.  I highly suggest you take time to pee every three hours at the least.   Trust me on this one, it's important.

Piece of advice #2 - Get used to bending down and picking stuff up at a young age.  Don't feel angry that most people are piggies and throw crap all over - just PICK IT UP.  Even if it's one piece of garbage a day, pick it up and toss it in the closest garbage can.  The bending part helps keep you limber and the picking up of the junk keeps you humble.  You can also get to know a lot about humans by doing this, coming to such conclusions as...   "Gee, this person was in such a hurry to go somewhere that they dropped their lunch bag...I bet that person needs a vacation."  "Gee, this person has no regard for the human race.  What a pity!"  Bending over also gives you several of seconds where you can pray for the person throwing garbage all over as well.   We all know we all could use a prayer or two.

This is a picture of my youngest son demonstrating how to sit on a couch.  I found it helpful as I was convinced that one put one's rear down first...

And here are a couple of shots of the ice on the trees here.  We've only gotten ice and a dusting of snow so far.  We've been the lucky ones.  It has, however, been VERY COLD so the ice has lingered on trees and makes for a lovely site during the day when the sun is out.  (I can say that as I've never lost power due to said "lovely site.")

January 19, 2007 - The chiller at work that is responsible for cooling the presses has been emitting some odd sounds lately.  Every time I'm outside of the building and I'm able to hear the sound of it bouncing off the woods that surround the plant (and we all know I'm slowly going deaf, so this is random at best) it just sounds like someone should be looking at it - someone, perhaps, with a license in something related to mechanics.  At first the sound reminded me of my son's car that squeals like a piggy using helium every time he starts it up.  Yesterday it took me a second to identify the sound because that time it reminded me of hyper caffeinated crickets riding the four horses of the apocalypse.   I don't know much about motors, but I truly believe that thing needs a new belt of a good lube job.

My best friend Vickie called me last night.  I love talking to her.  I've tried to explain our relationship before to anyone who will listen, but there are no words for it.  (The kids know when I've talked to Vickie as I'm in the 'Vickie' mood - happy and content, purring like a kitten after warm milk.)  I am convinced that if we were both hit over the head with blunt objects which resulted in life time amnesia, that we'd STILL know each other or at least gravitate to each other by some odd force that is not of this world.   When we both lose out minds to old age and/or residual brain damage from drinking so heavily in our teens that we'll still know each other.  I have been SO BLESSED that way all my life to meet such kindred spirits!  I hope you all know I don't take that gift for granted.  I hope you all know how cool I think you are.

That beginning guitar riff from "Back in Black" by AC/DC has to be one of the most famous guitar 'sounds' of my generation.  Hahaha.  I have heard people who have that for their ring tone on their phone, and NO ONE picks up the phone right away - they just sit and listen to it first, bobbing their heads.  Anyone of my age around to hear that ring tone also wants to hear it loudly ..."Turn it UP!" is always called.  It just makes me laugh how a few notes can stop someone in their tracks.  Maybe we need to blast AC/DC in Iraq?

Suddenly I am so tired this morning.  I could crawl back into bed and hide from the world for a whole day and not even feel bad about it.  Guess I should start moving my tush and getting some energy back.  My tired spurt came after a mental spurt just now.  In a flash of an eye, my brain and I tossed around some thoughts.  "Today is Friday, true - so I should be happy that the end of the week is here, but really - THE END OF THE WEEK IS HERE and face it, my life is passing by at a horrendous rate..."  My brain was kind enough to offer up another tidbit of info..."You know, there won't be any fossil fuel for your kids or their kids.   Good going, breeder!"  "Hey!" I tell my brain, "The pioneers didn't have cars and did just fine!"  "Oh, sure - they rode horses into the sunset and killed off a whole human race of Native Americans!  Cripes, Woman!  The face of the nation will change completely when oil runs out!  Think about it!"  "True, maybe I should start teaching the kids about gardens and how to sew and stuff..."  "Hindsight is marvelous, isn't it?" my brain said in a very sarcastic way.  "I bet Juan Valdez won't even notice when the fossil fuels run out, riding that donkey everywhere in the first place..." my brain added.  "I wonder if after several million years if we will be the new fossil fuel?" I pose to my brain.  "You put out enough methane now - offer yourself up as a alternative fuel source NOW!" my brain laughs, "but seriously, a million years from now the sun will probably have burned out and the human race will be over anyway, so why worry?" 

So do any of you get depressed out of the blue by the fact you gave birth to children that will have to deal with lack of fossil fuels and global warming?  Does this bother anyone but me?   I feel GUILT due to this fact.  Did our parents feel guilt at giving us a world that was turning into a corporate/greedy/Enron lying "feed the rich, screw the poor" environment?  Did their parents feel guilt about giving our parents a world the had motor vehicles and not horses?  (Wait - I see a pattern here...)

There are just some things we can't change or stop from happening.  We can do our part best we can, yes.   Recycle your milk jugs and junk mail.  Pick up trash.  Teach your kids right from wrong.  Breathe in and out.  Brush your teeth if you still got 'em, and hug people.  That's about the best we can do.

January 22, 2007 - Feel free to email me if you see spelling boo boos on this thing.  Spelling has never been my forte in life.  Lately I find more misused words as opposed to spelling errors.   I should offer prizes for people who find them.  I also had a dream last night that one of my high school friends emailed me about my improper use of punctuation.   Why would I spend perfectly good dreaming time on a dream where a person I have not seen in years is criticizing my use of punctuation?!?!  Go figure.  The brain is a powerful and creative organ.  Normally I just back off and let my brain do "it's thing" but on occasions where it forces me to dream very odd things - I question it's motives.  (And if my brain reads this diary, I apologize, but WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?)

The dogs have been barking for 1/2 hour now out the front window.  In their minds I'm sure they believe they've "cornered" that rabbit that is out front eating bird food.  The bunny just eats and stares at them as if to say, "Yeah, Right!"  I tried to get pictures but it being dark out and all they did not show much.  I was after the red glow in the bunny's eyes from the light reflection - that evil bunny look.  When I got up on the couch with the dogs, looking out the window, they put MORE enthusiasm in their barking.  It was quite comical.  From the road I am sure we looked like the opening to 'Petticoat Junction' where the girls are all draped over the side of the water tower. 

I had to email my daughter this morning - for the whole month of January, I've been assuming it's almost the end of the month.  (I know it's because of things I've been doing at work and planning for in February and all, but my poor daughter must think I've lost my mind completely.)   I would assure her that our chiropractor appointment was only a few days away - but in reality it was (at the time) two weeks away.  I have been talking in terms of the end of the month all month.  It dawned on me this morning when I was putting my smiley face on the calendar to mark the days that it was only JANUARY 22nd!  I am not one to rush the passage of time so I will be glad when I come back to this dimension.   Apparently I've found a worm hole in the fabric of time and have been traversing about in some spasmodic fit of DUH. 

My youngest son has the day off today due to 'records day' at school.  He was thrilled about this all weekend.  He has yet to see his chore list for today, however.  We'll see how thrilled he is then.  Nothing like Mom putting a damper on all things fun.   (This is a requirement by law that parents do this.  It's not my fault, I'm just doing my job.)  I think he'll enjoy the 'tour de turd' especially - who would like to clean up dog poopy on such a fine day?  Hopefully it will be easy as they will be frozen and more compact.  He really doesn't have much to complain about, now that I think about it.  I've been doing all the house chores on the weekends to keep from eating in excess.  This whole weight loss things has benefited him to no end...

He's been saving up him money for a Nintendo WII game console or a guitar.  (He's not sure yet which he really wants.)  He asked for money on his birthday and got it.  (Although he also got a ton of Lego stuff as well from his sister because what kid really just wants all money and nothing to open?)  He has been playing with his Legos in my upper bunk bed since Christmas.  There has been more than once I've awaken to the pain of laying on Darth Vader all night firmly wedged in the middle of my back or parts of an Imperial Destroyer impaled on my buttocks.  (How many of your girls can say THAT?) 

January 24, 2007 - I love Valentine's Day.  I know it's a 'fake' holiday, but I do so love the hearts and colors of the whole Valentine thing.  You could call it "Squash a Nematode Day" but still have the hearts and stuff, and I would celebrate it.  I feel a lot of love for mankind in general so I adore the fact I am able to express it with an excuse for a change instead of being classified as "mildly insane and probably dangerous."

My daughter is doing OK on her new job.  I am not sure if she has written a ticket yet, but she at least is working and getting some walking exercise.  They carry a walkie talkie and have to 'phone home' on occasion to the police station.  I asked her if she knew all the codes yet (if they still used codes) and she said she was learning them.  "10-4 means - well, 10-4 after all..." she explained, "...and I think 10-19 means we are headed back to the station."   "What is the code if you need help?" I asked in a worried mother's voice.  "I'm sure there is a code for that, but all they will hear from me if I need help is HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"  Hahaha.  Last night I was laying in bed worrying about her.  I wondered if she could call if she needed help - what if someone got mad because they got a ticket?  About the time I'm worrying about her and wondering if she could get help in the event she needed it, one of our Nextel phones beeped in the living room.  I flew out of bed.  Turns out it was beeping because the battery was low, but I had to laugh.  See what happens when you worry too much?   I think God intentionally throws stuff like that at you to scare you and make you realize worrying solves nothing. 

Total weight loss so far for me is 52.5 pounds.  Smile.  We were talking about goals and motivation at the last meeting, and I thought to myself "I have no real goals in this weight loss..."  I really don't.  I signed up because Judy asked me and because if something didn't change in my house a certain un-named spouse was going to end up as a rib dinner in a "Fried Green Tomatoes" movie style sort of way and they'd never find his body and you can't ask anyone to change unless YOU are willing to change...but I digress.  I had no 'real' reason up front in my mind, I just 'did it.'  (Staying out of jail for murder was a good reason, yes - but one has to have a continuing reason to stay motivated to be healthy.)  It hit me last night that I would really LOVE to do cartwheels again.  Seriously.  I loved doing cartwheels in my teen age years.   (It took me until my high school days to learn how to do one!)  That is my new goal.  To be fit enough to do cartwheels again.  Sounds silly, but you go get your own motivation;  Cartwheels are now mine!  Feel free to take the 'murder' motivational tool from me.

January 28, 2007 - We finally have SNOW.  It's lake effect snow which I don't count as 'real' snow as much as it is snow by default, but still - it's SNOWING.  The image below shows how the some of the bigger snow bands coming off of Lake Michigan swirl down and right over to us.   (I added the highly technical red lines, although who could tell as they were so professionally done!)  They upgraded our lake effect snow advisory to a warning now.  

I found out it snowed while I slept last night when I let the puppies out to potty this morning.  The door cut a swath in the snow and the dogs were THRILLED.  They romped and played and threw it around, plus it's coming down quite hard so by the time they came in (which they were reluctant to do) they were covered head to tail.  The best part is that they IMMEDIATELY went upstairs to tell my boys that there was snow and share the joy by shaking off all over their sleeping selves.  Smile.  Dogs rock!

There is a Kitty Bed and Breakfast down the road from where I work.  (You can board your cats there while you are vacation.)  After Christmas up until just recently they had a sign out front that said "50% OFF  ALE" and every night on the way home I couldn't figure out why they weren't busier.  Normally ale brings people in like moths to a light. 

I ground coffee for the first time yesterday.  I got that huge food processor for Christmas and have been experimenting with it when I have time.  There is a special attachment for chopping things, and it works very well.  I made a pot of coffee after pummeling the coffee beans into submission.  I felt so - so - sophisticated.  (It doesn't take much to amuse me.  I'm a cheap date.)

There were two squirrel ghettos in the roof of our house that my husband broke up.  They were living in the rotting part of some wood in both front and back and he got sick of the constant traffic on the roof so he pulled down the rotting wood a while back.  Tens of squirrels scuttled away.  I don't know where they moved to, but they still use the roof as a spring board to the bird feeders.  Stewie hates the squirrels and watches them while snotting up my front window.  He emits odd sounds that I can't even describe when he sees the squirrels sliding down off the roof onto the air conditioner or awning, then bouncing to the ground under the bird feeders.  The dogs are not so bothered by the squirrels as the are the devil rabbits.  There is something for everyone at my house.   We are an equal opportunity critter castle.

I had a terrible binge fit last night - food wise.  I feel terrible this morning.  I didn't binge like the old days - where I would consume a whole bag of something for six millions calories then go back for more, but still - I ate more than I should have.  A food hangover reminds me of beer hangovers from my drinking days.  Sigh.  I wasn't hungry, yet I ate.   I didn't even argue with myself - I knew I was going to binge and sat back and let myself do it.  "You'll regret this!" I told myself.  "I know!   I know!" I said back with a mouthful.  My husband subtly reminded me of what I was doing by looking at me and saying in a kind voice, "Do you know what you are doing?"  He didn't stop me but he made me aware, although at the time I was cramming things into my mouth I was fully aware of what I was doing.

Last night I finally decided to go through some things that were given to me after my Uncle Harold died.   They were things that belonged to my Aunt Vera such as her and Harold's wedding rings.  I have not touched them since I got them as I couldn't bring myself to do it.   I loved Vera more than a mother.  She was like a dear friend.  She died suddenly on September 1, 1994.  Sigh.  The book from her funeral was included in the stuff.  I read through it - all the names of people who signed the book.  I honestly don't remember much about the funeral in general.  I don't remember my Mom being there with us or my husband and son.  (They were there - they all signed the book.)  I was in shock from the moment I got the call that she had died.   I have never cried so hard and so completely - sucking in air and practically shrieking.  I don't remember my 'brother' Ken there with his wife.  I don't remember much about it at all except that she was in a blue fluffy dress I doubt she would have liked and the preacher was my Uncle's brother, and he preached a sermon that condemned her to hell.  I was so paralyzed with shock I couldn't get up and talk when they asked if anyone wanted to share memories.  I had so many - I needed to tell them all about Vera...that part I remember, but I couldn't move.  I wanted to shriek, "How dare you!" but I couldn't move.  I miss Vera.  In my teens, she was one of the strong women who 'saved' me as it were.  I used to spend many breaks from school up at her house.  One Christmas when I was there, I was acting quite cocky as teenagers do.  She taught me a lesson that year.  "Don't get cocky" was the lesson.  She knew I was terrified of flying.  She used the snow storm at the time as and excuse for not taking me home by car.  She sent me home on an airplane.  On New Year's Eve I was the only passenger on a flight that went from Flint to Detroit back to Kalamazoo...barely.  They almost grounded us in Detroit.  The only thing I remember about that plane ride except I was terrified and it was dark out was that the stewardess' were complaining that they needed to get to Chicago to go to a New Years Eve party.  "I have a new dress!" I remember one lady lamenting.  I didn't get cocky with Vera after that, at least not until I was an adult with a child of my own.  Smile.  I miss Vera, but I'm grateful I had her in my life.  I hope I leave an impression as strong on someone's life as she did with me.  I hope I'm good enough material for stories around the kitchen table long after I'm gone.

January 30, 2007 - We are under a Lake Effect Snow Warning until seven p.m. tonight.  This is the actual text of the warning: 

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING...

A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING.

LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS MORNING AND
AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES ARE
LIKELY TODAY. THIS WILL BRING STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL BY 7 PM TUESDAY
INTO THE 8 TO 12 INCH RANGE WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS EXPECTED.

A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF LAKE-
EFFECT SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR
IMPOSSIBLE. LAKE-EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS TYPICALLY ALIGN THEMSELVES
IN BANDS AND WILL LIKELY BE INTENSE ENOUGH TO DROP 1 TO SEVERAL
INCHES OF SNOW PER HOUR FOR SEVERAL HOURS. VISIBILITIES VARY
GREATLY AND CAN DROP TO ZERO WITHIN MINUTES. TRAVEL IS STRONGLY
DISCOURAGED. COMMERCE COULD BE SEVERELY IMPACTED. IF YOU MUST
TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR
VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

I post this only for historical purposes for my kids years from now.  It won't happen - NOTHING the weather peeps have predicted around my general area has happened...but it COULD and isn't it the thought that matters?  The lake shore communities have gotten hit hard, but that is the case when you live next to an immense lake. 

The 40 pounds bag of bird food I purchased in September is finally getting used up at least.  The cardinals and titmouse's and all sparrows and mourning doves and woodpeckers and all chowing down with the evil devil rabbits and squirrels.  By the foot prints out there, apparently the deer have also found the feeding spot.

So Muffy the Grand Alpha King Male of all cats in my house has a barfing issue.  He will eat and eat dry cat food, apparently not chewing it by the looks of it, and choose random spots in which to barf.  This morning the alarm went off and I flew out of bed to turn it off and was aided in my travel by a pile of cat puke.  It's amazing how much speed one can pick up when lubricated properly.  Muffy doesn't act sick - he acts quite haughty and normal.  I hope it's just because he's been indoors a lot and hasn't been out doing his manly cat things that makes him puke.  If I was used to a steady diet of mice and moles and various plant life, then was forced to stay in due to the weather and eat nothing but processed cat food, I'd puke too.  Here is a picture of Muffy in a box.   Muffy will get into any box, no matter the size.  He's almost 20 lbs. worth of cat.  He doesn't fit in most small boxes...just don't tell him that.  (This particular shoe box he busted out the one end to make room for his buttocks.)

If you are the mother of a teenaged male and ever wonder why their t-shirts are all stretched out, you may have a secret ninja in the house and not know it.  I found this picture of my son on his 'myspace' page and NOW I know why his t-shirts are all stretched. 

Ah, Youth...for some odd reason I feel safer now, knowing I'm protected at night by ninjas... 

January 31, 2007 - After all the fuss and fighting with my youngest Ninja during December and this month to get his grades back up, the report card came in the mail and reported that he had all As and Bs.   He was as shocked as his father and I were!  "Woah!  How did THAT happen?!!" he proclaimed.  We are proud of the little turd head for pulling the English grade out of the toilet as it were.  (But if he thinks that will make Mom ease up on him to study and do homework and the like, that Ninja's got another thing coming!)

Tis the last day of the month.  You tell me where the time went...yesterday was weigh in for WW and I gained a pound and a quarter.  Geez!  I knew I would with all the bingeing over the weekend.  You eat - you pay.  So now I have only lost 51 pounds technically.   You have to eat 4500 calories more than normal to gain a pound and a half.  I know I didn't do that bad!!  Must be some is water weight gain or lack of crapping.   (Gotta blame it on something other than the fact I shoved half of the food in the kitchen down my throat.)  I don't ever want to go back EVER to the fat the encircled my mid section.  NEVER.  I feel so much better now without it there.  I don't care how I look - I just know I FEEL BETTER!  This little weight gain scared me into getting back on track, though.  Seriously, when you were as big as I was you think, "Oh, yeah - I'm fine.  I feel OK.  I don't care how I look, so as long as I feel OK..."  The catch here is that you don't know you DON'T feel OK until you lose weight and feel better, then you know that how you felt wasn't OK, Okay?  (This was all typed in the verbal accent of Pepe the King Prawn Shrimp from the Muppets Show, Okay?  I adore that guy, Okay?)

Every morning at this time in the day, I scream at my youngest son in the shower, "Watch your time!!"   I do this because he always pushes it to the limit.  "Watch your time!"  "I know, Mom!"  If he knew, then why isn't he out of the bathroom yet?  Does he want to miss the bus?  Geez.   Since I have said this so many times in the care and feeding of three teenagers over the years, will that become something embedded in my genetic structure?  Will my grandchildren's grandkids burst forth and scream "WATCH YOUR TIME!!" without control just because it's an embedded instinct?  I wish I could be around to see that should it happen;  a form of genetic Tourettes as it were.

I got a notice I have jury duty in March!  All the other times I was summoned for jury duty, I had just had a kid.  I think they thought it was safe now as I'm not nursing anything.  I have never served on a jury.  This will be interesting.  I filled out my questionnaire and will send it in today.  It says "one day or one trial..." and you know with my luck it will turn out to be a six month trial...

February 2, 2007 - Happy Groundhog Day.  Happy February in general.  It took me years to learn how to spell February...a little trivia for you.   I still can't spell it without saying it out loud.  (...and most likely I have my my tongue hanging out right now as I type...)

Last night I had dinner with three of my girlfriends from High School.  We try to have dinner every couple of months.  It's always a hoot.  Everyone should grab a friend and go to dinner and just gab for an hour or so about nothing in particular.  I love it because when we get together we're the ONLY ONES in the restaurant.  (Restaurant - another word that won't stick in my brain and I have to spell check every time.)  We aren't really the only ones there but it feels like it.  We get loud and laugh.  It's great. We are NOT vile in any way (with the exception of me as I tend to say exactly what is in my head so there are times an ooze of verbal vile comes out) but we have fun and we laugh.  There have been times people have moved away from us because we all laugh with gusto and with four women talking at once, we might get a tad louder than the average table of diners.  I started plopping out kids much sooner than my friends did, so they are all still dealing with elementary school issues while I can sit back and be the wise one who spews forth words of wisdom that I've gained from my experience with three teenagers and now two adult children.  You know, I can tell them encouraging things like, "Oh man, you ain't seen nothin' yet, girls!" or "I envy you all - these are the easy years for you" or "I highly suggest you subscribe to the 'Mind Numbing Drug' of the month club before they reach the age of 13..," 

I had saved 'points' for the dinner because when you eat out you are never quite sure how many calories they pack into even 'healthy' looking food.  When I got there, however, I decided I was going to splurge and I ordered a margarita before dinner.  I had an urge for one after leaving work that day, and by golly - I thought I should have one!  After all, with all the points I had left...how many calories can be in a margarita, after all?   Seriously, when you don't drink a lot and have a margarita - it hits you fast and I enjoyed the euphoric feeling that lasted all through my white chicken chili and salad.   I think, if I were asked, that I would have to say that it was THE BEST margarita I ever had.  Maybe it was because I don't drink anymore...maybe it was because after that day at work, I just needed something to relax...maybe it was because it was just simply THE BEST MARGARITA EVER. 

It was the BEST MARGARITA EVER until I came home and looked up calories.  The average margarita has 550 calories!!  Suddenly, it wasn't the 'best margarita ever' anymore!  Holy crap!  So, I went over my daily WW points by nine thanks to the former best margarita ever.  I'd have to walk five and a half miles to burn up enough calories to 'earn' a margarita next time.  Sigh.  Still, I have the memories...

This old woman has to wear her reading glasses this morning, as I've been reading and reading at work and by the time I got home last night everything was fuzzy.  (No, it wasn't the margarita - it wasn't that good.)  There comes that time in your life when bodily parts just don't function as they did anymore.  I accept it with grace.  I know things start crapping out on you (like limbs and bones and eyes and most internal organs.)   Sigh.  When I finally do my cartwheel after losing my weight, I will definitely have an ambulance on standby.  Even if I don't need it, they can flash their lights and turn on their siren like they do at football games when the home team gets a touchdown.

For those of you reading this on the day it was uploaded, it is FRIDAY.  Do you have a whole weekend planned of nothing but fun like me?  You know - going nuts - doing housework?   WOOT!  My daughter is coming home this weekend so she and I are also going out to do 'girl' things (which is a genetic challenge for both of us) and get our hair done and shop.  I love having my hair touched and played with.  Very very relaxing.   (And it's a heck of a lot less fattening than a stupid margarita.) 

February 3, 2007 - This morning my daughter and I went to get our hair cut.  While Terri was working on our hair, we were lucky enough to see a block of ice carved into Spongebob right out front!  How lucky is that?   We all know how I love Spongebob!!  It was a very cool morning.  Kudos to the ice guy out there making the ice do what his chainsaw said.  They had 20 blocks of ice or so to carve Saturday.  Oye!

They were having an ice festival in our town this weekend.  It was perfect weather for it! 

Of course we took the opportunity to get shots with the finished product! 

It wasn't so bad when we first got into town but the wind picked up a LOT! 

They were giving carriage rides through town and having a chili cook off.  (Last year's festival was warm and sunny, I believe - no ice involved!  Give a whole new meaning to life when you have an ice festival and ice is there to attend.)

February 4, 2007 - Burrrr.  It's currently -5 degrees here.   We left the water in the tub running a tad last night to keep the pipes from freezing.  (Ah, Vickie - does that bring back memories?  Smile.)  The bathroom pipes are on the side that of the house taking the brunt of 20-30 mph sub zero winds, so we thought we'd be safer and not sorrier.  For you normal people who have normal housing with normal pipes and normal insulation and the like, this is normally not a problem for you I would assume?  Maybe it is when it's this cold, I just don't know.  I live in a cinder block garage turned into a living space and poorly at that.   Before this we lived in a cinder block store front in town which also seemed to freeze vital inbound water lines.  Before that we lived in a trailer in the country in the middle of a field that was just begging for it's pipes to be frozen.  Before that I lived with my parents and Dad contended with all the worry about freezing and water pipes and the like.  So, in conclusion, I have no idea who has to worry about water lines freezing up when it's this cold out, so I'll shut up.  The whole point of this story was to say that we left the water running just a trickle in the tub to prevent freezing lines, and now my tub has a lovely orange glow to it due to the high content of rust in our water.  It gives me something to look forward to later when I'm cleaning it off.  God bless 'The Works.'

Yesterday, after seeing Spongebob come to life from a rectangular block of ice, my daughter and I had lunch together then were going to go shopping.  We turned back and came home due to the white out conditions on the roadways.  Besides not being able to see anything in front of us but those floaty spots in your eyes you see when you are looking at nothing but blinding white, we also noticed we were the only car on the road when the blowing snow squalls let up for a second or two.  We were surrounded by four wheel drive trucks.   Four wheel drive trucks think they are so cool, geez.  Since we were following a WHITE truck, I gave in to the fact that I don't really have x-ray vision after all and turned to come home.  I took a back road to our house from there, which goes directly by a lake which of course is the launch tarmac for 30 mph blowing snow.  Duh.   Sometimes I'm just not that bright.

I just threw out seed for the birdies behind one of the bigger drifts out back.  They were all huddled there keeping warm looking hungry.  There are four female cardinals flashing their wings at the one male.  I didn't know the underside of the females wings were so RED.   Wow.  They were very grateful for the food and now MORE are coming to eat there.  I am glad I got twenty more pounds of birdie food on Friday.

I am going to get myself a new digital camera when we get tax money back.  My daughter's kicks major butt.  I love that thing.  It's a Canon something model with 7.5 mp capacity.   Happy Sigh.  Mine is a little 3 mp camera that was state of the art many moons ago.  My cousin Dave sent me some pictures he took with his real camera and WOW -   I had forgotten how good of a photographer Dave was!  (David, if you read this - can you re-send those to me?  I didn't keep your email before I downloaded those pics and I wanted to post them here illegally without your permission and take credit for them and stuff  Smile.)

My youngest son got his Nintendo Wii yesterday in the mail.  (His older brother had finally won a bid on one via Ebay for his little bro.  Youngest son had saved and saved his money for a Wii but they are few and far between in these here parts at the stores.  When his big brother won the bid, my youngest son told everyone in the world that "We have a Wii!!"  He was quite excited.  Ah, youth.  They get excited over new video stuff and I get excited because I wake up breathing in the morning...)  He wanted to go out and spend the rest of his money on games and another controller last night.  He didn't comprehend that there were 'blizzard' like conditions outside.   Big brother just laughed at him.  "We are NOT going anywhere tonight!" he said in a matter of fact older brother voice.  (Besides all the stores had closed early due to the weather so even if big bro did feel adventurous there was nothing open to adventure to.)  I must admit the Wii is fun.  Just something as simple as the bowling game is a hoot.  You have to actually swing your arm to send the ball down the alley.  Too cool.  Youngest son even re-arranged his WHOLE ROOM so he can move and the like while playing the sports game.  (Go figure, he'll do housework for a video game.  Me, I have to threaten him with bodily harm to get him scoop the cat poop.)

February 4 Continued...- David sent me the cool pics I wanted, so I will post them here.  (Pay no attention to the David behind the curtain - it was ME who took these pictures as I'm so cool and stuff.)

I love these shots of rapids near my cousin's house...

February 9, 2007 - Burrrrrrrrr!  That's all I gots to say about that...

I took a vacation day today!  I feel so - so - EVIL.  I am still working on line, mind you - but I'm not there!  I'm here - in my pajamas.  You just can't pull off wearing pajamas to work anymore.  I don't see why;  People would be so much more relaxed in sweat pants and a t-shirt or naked, for that matter.   I do plan on going to the store later as the small fish tank has turned orange, and I've yet to research on line WHY it might have turned orange.  I don't use my own tap water for the fish - I buy gallons and gallons of non-rusty water just for them.  I'm confused.  I will be buying new rocks and will clean the little tank today.   Catching guppies is a challenge.  The tetra fish are easier - the guppies, oye!  Wadsworth and Roderick are doing fine in the bigger tank.  Wadsworth continues to grow and grow and grow...I will have to Fed Ex him down to Vickie's pond in Florida soon if he continues to grow at this rate.  Actually, he could probably walk down there by then. 

The dogs and my youngest son have been worshipping our old furnace lately. Every time it kicks on, they gather around the furnace and vie for space.   Someday I will have a normal house with a normal furnace that come up through the floors via vents and they can each claim their own vent instead of bunching up in front of the bedroom door.  I have a dream...(not seen in this picture are two of the three cats who lay UNDER the furnace.)

Stewie doesn't worship the furnace like the others.  He's too busy keeping watch of the squirrels and birds outside at the bird feeder.  I can't believe how big he's gotten!  He is such a nut.  He has no concept how to retract his claws so we often find him hanging from a curtain or a chair, just stuck there.  (We leave him hanging hoping he'll get the idea on how to retract at some point.  Judging by the marks on my bunk bed ladder and the wall frames and my shredded curtains, it ain't happening any time soon.)  He picks fights with the big older cats only to be wailed on severely, yet he'll go right back at it.  He drools when you pet him and then it's normally when he's directly over your face.  He has a constant virus condition that effects his eyes.  He sleeps in the litter box.  He thinks he's still a little kitten and assumes he can curl up on your chest near your neck.  What can I say?  I love Stewie even with all his quirks.  Below are 'now and then' pics.  The picture of 'then' makes his eyes look odd, but it was the lighting, I'm sure.  He's not possessed, I swear.  

My husband will once again do the exotic "Dance of 1000 Toilets" as the seal isn't working anymore and the house is constantly reeking of that lovely septic tank/cabbage smell.  Ugh.   I hate coming home to that smell.  I burn incense and candles and anything that will cover the smell up, however you can't cover that smell up.  You just end up with a house that smells like scented cabbage.  There is a reason there is not a perfume on the market that smells like scented cabbage!!  It is obvious we will have to get a port-o-potty in the spring and rip up the whole floor in there to fix the issue.  (As often as I pee in the night, I dread having to go outside to do it, but then again - I always did wonder what it would be like with an outhouse.  I have fond memories of port-o-johns from my concert going days and from working in the corn fields - maybe it will be an experience.  I am SURE it will generate many fun hours of blogging for Sandy.  It won't be too bad as long as I don't sit on a raccoon...)  

A picture of Jake and Kia defending us from the evil rabbit and rogue gangs of squirrels...

Ah, Criminal Minds on CBS had TWO HOURS on Wednesday.  Happy Sigh.  I love that show.  It was extremely gruesome this week but the actual gruesome parts were really left to your imagination, which can fill in the blanks in more gruesome ways that seeing it for real.   I get so worked up watching that show that during commercials I normally do housework and make my youngest son help.  (Power cleaning as it were.)  He finally said, "Mom!  Geez!  Just do some jumping jacks or something!   Leave me out of this!" 

I'm off to conquer the world.  If Terri reads this - I sure hope you feel better!  HUGS to you all.  

February 10, 2007 - So yesterday I had the day off, and I will tell you why I did.  I won a prize at our local Meijers store for participating in the "email advisory panel." 

I took the day off to collect said prize and shop.   I have been needing shoes in the worst way for the longest time.  I got three pairs!  Just for ME!  I also bought some more shirts for work and two skirts JUST FOR ME!  I picked up panty hose and little sock things with 'Family Guy' characters on them JUST FOR ME!  I got new rocks and fake plastic plants to 'bling' up the little guppy tank, too.  I bought Kia and Jake chew toys that squeaked (did squeak, may they rest in peace- the dogs had the toys torn about in less than 15 minutes and the squeakers silenced and the fluffy guts of the toys all over the living room.)   It was kind of nice spending money on "me".  (I am sure I will get over the guilt associated with that in a day or two, even though it was "free" money technically.)  The rest of the money went for groceries.  Never in my life have I so artfully and skillfully packed a shopping cart such as I did on Friday.  I should have taken my camera.   It was a work of art.

February 11, 2007- Women, Geez!  Why do women suck up pain when they should probably be rushed to a hospital or better yet FLOWN to one by helicopter?   (Mind you, I'm not saying MEN don't put up with a lot of pain, either!  I mean, come on - they put up with WOMEN after all, but the most common person to accept the fact they are in pain and then deal with it is the female of the species.)  A good example is myself;  I was eight months pregnant with my last child way back when in 1992.  I started having what could be considered extreme pain (times six thousand) in the lower regions of my body.  I was pregnant - most people in their right mind would go seek medical attention when it felt like rabid donkeys were kicking them in the lower lumbar region, but not ME.  Duh.  When I got home from work, I told my husband that something was wrong but I wasn't quite sure WHAT was wrong but I was sure it was pretty bad.  I also told him I knew it wasn't labor pains...but that was the last lucid moment of that night that I remember.  After that the pain was so terrible that I was delirious.  I saw squirrels all over the living room.  I kept telling my family to get the squirrels off the TV set.  "Please, they'll chew stuff up!" I pleaded with my husband.  He sat there all night with me as I rolled around and moaned in pain.  (Or rolled as far as an 8th month pregnant woman could.)   I do remember thinking how much better I would feel if I could roll onto my stomach...but that was impossible as someone was occupying that area.  I had moments that I slept from exhaustion, my husband reported.  I even went to work the next morning!  DUH.  (They had planned a 'surprise' baby shower for me where they were shutting down the whole shop just for this event!  I couldn't NOT show up!   My coworker Amanda had told me about the surprise shower when I was having the extreme pain and wondering if I should go to the hospital or not the day before.) 

So I went to work - how I went to work I have no idea.  The girls in my department treated me like I was royalty and didn't let me move from my chair that morning.  Amanda pushed me up to the party in my rolling chair.  I sat there through the party as best I could.   I cried a lot because I was in pain, exhausted, and ready to drop at any moment, but also because these people went ALL OUT and got us EVERYTHING for the baby.  It was very touching.  While this was all going on, it was arranged for my husband to take me directly to my OB-GYN baby doc right after the party.  They wheeled me out to the car.  Turns out I was passing a kidney stone and was terribly dehydrated and probably should have gone in to the hospital the night before.  They couldn't even find a vein to take blood from that day due to the duress my body was in - I believe they ended up using a butterfly type needle in my hand to get a bit o blood.  I was put on medical leave immediately.  Sigh. 

Why did I not go to the hospital?  Why didn't I panic - I was, after all, carrying a kid and was in such pain that I knew it was not a normal sort of thing when one was pregnant (except, of course, when pushing the little booger out.)  If I didn't know I needed medical attention at the time, I was pretty sure of it when the squirrels showed up.  I needed help yet I didn't ask for it.  Typical female action, I believe.  I think it's in our genetic make up to be a martyr.  As a female you could be pinned under a car while the car was on fire, but you'd probably still find a way to make cookies for the annual charity food sale at the local high school.  The mere fact females have the kids (and honey - that is the worst pain EVER) makes us a special type human life form, but it shouldn't cloud our judgement when it comes to our well being.  Women.   Geez.  That's all I got to say about that, except I highly suggest if you start seeing rodents running about your living room that really aren't there, call 911! 

February 13, 2007 - Hug Hug Hug!  I love Valentine's Day!  (OK, so I'm a day early, but whadya gonna do?)  I love LOVE!   What a wonderful emotion!  I love how you can love colors and smells and sunsets and puppies.  Sigh.  I also love how the emotion of love can turn to crushing hate at the drop of the hat.  So Amazing!  Such a fine line.  I think I mostly associate 'love' with the feeling of awe I get when considering life in general.  Waking up every morning breathing is a awesome thing.  I will miss that when I'm not doing it any more.  If you are not in love right now, then you have not looked at the sky lately.  If you are not in love right now then you are not taking advantage of being human to the max.  To me, being "in love" covers so much, not just being "in love" with another human, but being in love with the fact you can appreciate the day to day chaos around you.  It's the little things that can fill our life with love;  Those random bubbles that float out and around the kitchen from the dishwater and have a spectrum of colors...now that's love (as long as they don't land in your eye socket.)  The smell of home baked bread...that's love.  Your child's first stick man drawing...that's love.  The fact that your dog licks your face when you are crying...that's love.  The fact that my cat Stewie drools on my face when I'm petting him because he's so happy to be petted by ME...that's love but gross at the same time.  The sunset that is infused with so many colors of red and purple that it brings tears to your eyes...that's love.  (The tears might be related to the fact you were staring directly into the sun which is not recommended by the scientific community, but hey...it's still awesome.)  Love is hearing your cousin or friend leave you a voice mail message that is goofy and rambling which in turn makes you laugh.  Love is your faith which permits you to face each new day even when the world is quite scary. 

I'm waxing poetic - but I don't apologize.  I wish everyone in the world could feel a smidge of love somewhere in their being.  I think the world lacks a lot of love...

I was kind of upset when I saw all the phoophah over the death of Anna Nicole.  (May she rest in peace.) I am sorry she passed.  It's always a shock when you lose a loved one, although you couldn't tell it by her mother who jumped into the spotlight and bashed her daughter.   I just wish we all were able to nab a headline when we passed on.  (Not necessarily for the horrible or odd things we did, mind you!)  It's bad enough that every time you go to a news page on line you have to see Britney's boobs staring you in the face (as if we care.)  The media coverage on Anna after she died - oy!  Why don't they splash the faces of the Army/Navy/Marines/National Guardsmen and civilians that have died in Iraq?  Why are we not as fascinated with the fact men and women are dying who AREN'T Anna Nicole?  Sigh.  Humans - go figure.  I guess if we want to get the word out that we lost someone in our lives that meant so much to us, we have to make our own headlines. 

*THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY THAT MISSES*

Cloyce F. Glenn
10/10/1915 - 5/2/1981
(One of the Best Uncles Ever)

Edward *Edgar* Ancil Glenn
6/15/1913 - 7/27/1985
(Hi Dad!  I have three cats!!)

Gary Steven Riesener
11/12/1957 - 11/5/1990
(One of the first people in my life who attempted to give me a clue and stuck it out until I finally got it)

Vera L. (Glenn)Congdon
6/4/1927 - 9/1/1994
(Geez, Vera...Haunt me or something!)

Harold R. Congdon
8/26/1923 - 4/27/1996
(Is that Mennen Skin Bracer I smell?)

George Jablinski
11/27/1946 - 10/8/1997
(Sweetest Man this side of the Rockies)

Linda K. Lynn
10/28/1947 - 2/2/1998
(Always a joy!)

Bettie Marie (Austin)Glenn
2/10/1922 -9/9/1998
(I miss you, Mom! Pick up the phone, will you?)

And let’s not forget Grandpa Shearer, Ken Thompson, Gerri Miller, Aunt Leona (Glenn) Barringer, Alec Manuszak, Gary Lipka, Dave McComas, John O’Keefe, Dr. Dahlstrom, Uncle Chuck, Aunt Pat, Mary Pifer …as sad as it is, the list goes on...

March 4, 2006 - So, my husband and I have the stereo cranked up LOUDLY listening to one of our favorite CDs from yesteryear...(although when we listened to this particular album back then it was either on vinyl or 8 track or cassette...)  The dogs are on the couch crouched in fear from the loud music. The kids are at a movie.  (My daughter constantly complains of the loud music in the dorm - she would probably puke to hear how loud we have it now.)   We, at our ripe old age, are 'rocking out' man... it feels good.  Loud percussion.  Happy Sigh.  One should do this every so often.  I started dinner and danced and swept and dusted and danced in-between all those chores.  I had my groove on, I tell ya.  We probably won't be able to hear anyone speak tonight or tomorrow and will have to resort to sign language to communicate, but for now -  it's quite fun.  I honestly wish I was so rich and famous and drop dead adorable that I could pay/bribe Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page to get back together for a 'Firm' reunion in my back yard.  I would cook for them and do their laundry.  They could play with the dogs to relax.   We'd get backup singers from local churches and the High School Choir.  I hope before I croak or they croak, I get to see them play. 

March came in like a lion weather wise.  We had it easy compared to most when I see those sad stories across America about the tornadoes and storms.  My son came home Friday night from work quite worked up due to the blowing and the ice on the roads.  "It just pushed me over to the side of the road!"  (He has a huge old car - if he was getting drafted to the side of the road, it had to be blowing hard.)  He finally got some traction on the side of the road where there were snow drifts to dig in to.  He stopped half way up the drive way due to the snow drifts that had filled the drive way in since I had come home.  I think he was truly happy to be HOME and in one piece.  It was a glare of ice under the blowing snow. 

My daughter is home for spring break.   I should be honored she wants to spend spring break with her family.  The puppies are so happy she's home.  Kia just has a fit when my daughter puts on her shoes because Kia thinks she's leaving again.  Kia has never been  aggressive against anyone except for Friday night, when Odie jumped up to sit with my daughter while she was working on her laptop.  Kia went after Odie with a vengeance - almost pushing my daughter's computer off her lap.  Oh my.  Green eyed doggy!

I got a new 10.1 mega pixel camera for my anniversary from my husband.  I have been playing with it for several days.   It's been like I am a member of the Hollywood paparazzi around here - snapping tons of pictures of nothing.  The camera has a touch screen and can take an 1.3 hours worth of movie time!  It rocks.  I have yet to take a memorable picture.   So far it's just goofy stuff.  (Well, I got two cute pics of the kids below...)  When I get some fine fine pictures, I shall post them to show you my photographic prowess.  (I think I have some prowess ... we'll have to wait and see.)