You know what that means, right? It's what we women call men who act like they're dying when they just have a little cold. They lay around on the couch and whimper and beg for sips of tea.
I have a confession to make. Bill is not the person in this house who gets man sick. When he's sick, he piles up in the recliner with his laptop and proceeds to work from home all day long. I offer medicine and tea and he usually refuses. He's pretty good at being sick.
Me, on the other hand, well, I'm the one who gets man sick. I hate being sick, so I get whiny. I curl up on the couch with books and tea and a blankie and try to get Bill to do all the work around here.
I have a cold right now and I'm moping around this morning whining to myself about how much my head hurts and my sinuses are on fire and whah whah whah whah whah.
Yep. The woman of our house is secretly the man as evidenced by the fact that I get man sick.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Autumn is for Apples
We eat tons of apples in our house. Quick, healthy, yummy snacks. Apple pancakes. Apple crumble. Fried apples. You name it, we probably like it. Ellie likes Granny Smiths, Emma likes Galas, Sam like Yellow Delicious and Galas. I like them all, but my absolute favorite is the elusive Honey Crisp. It is apple perfection. Crispy, juicy, sweet and crunchy. Not mealy or mushy or tart or dry. Honey Crisp apples are the greatest apple ever. And apparently the growers know it because it is rare to find them for less than $4 a lb. I won't buy them at that price, but last week Target had them in a 4lb box for $5. Heaven. I ate one on the way home and another once I got home. We'd eaten most of the box in less than 24 hrs. A box of Honey Crisp apples is better than a bowl of candy any day.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Blessed Veteran's Day
In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Better late than never
We had a great Halloween. Kids had a blast, got tons of candy. Trick or treater numbers seemed to be down this year. I don't know if people were thinking it was going to rain and planned something else or if they were afraid of the piggie flu. But, we had fun.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
In the spirit of the day
Be it Samhain or Halloween for you, I made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. And the kids loved them. Ellie said they were better than my usual pancakes. Maybe I can come up with other things to do with pumpkin that she will eat.
So, Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain to you all!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Horse Show
Saturday we went to our first horse show. The kids from our barn seemed to be the youngest ones there. They all range from 7 yrs to 9 yrs old. There was one other little girl about that age that I saw and the rest seemed to be preteens and up. But we had a great time and all the older girls were just fabulously nice to our little girls, as were the staff of the hosting barn and the judges. They all made sure that our girls and one boy had a great time and a great first show experience.
I was very proud of my two. They rode well, did their best, didn't have any fits and came home with two ribbons each. A perfect day, in my opinion.
Emma placed 4th in the trail obstacle class and Ellie placed 3rd in the musical sacks class. They took a 6th place ribbon in the costume class.
I even entered one class. I was in the costume class as Bo Peep and Bonnie as the sheep. We took 2nd place in the farm category. lol
Friday, October 16, 2009
Old friends
I have to say, I love Facebook. I've reconnected with people that I haven't seen or talked to in 15 years. Some of us don't chat, just comment on each other's wall posts. But I love it. I know what people are doing, I know they are well. I've been delighted with how some of my high school friends have turned out and shocked by others. But, for the most part, everyone seems happy, healthy and content with life.
But, I recently found out one high school boyfriend/pal is not so healthy and well. He's been fighting lymphoma for several years and I had no idea. He's supposed to get a bone marrow transplant this week, and he's been in my thoughts all week.
It's also prompted me to go looking for a couple of people who have avoided the Facebook vortex (it's not just for us whippersnappers, you know). Found one with a little help from his sister, which is awesome, because they don't speak to each other.
So, since he can't view email attachments at work, some pics for him, if he ever checks out my blog.
His highness, the future evil dictator of the world, Sam. Ellie and Emma riding the lesson ponies.
Emma on the monkey bars and Ellie on the monkey bars. And of course that's me up above.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Sin in a jar
AKA Nutella. If you don't know what this divine stuff is, then I'm very sorry for your taste buds. Nutella, for those of you who don't know, is a European delicacy that is a mix hazelnut spread (think peanut butter but with hazelnuts) and chocolate. It is a little thinner consistency than peanut butter and not as much stick to the roof of your mouth-ness. But it is divine. Or evil. I'm not sure which.
You see, not all that long ago, the only people in the US that knew about Nutella were those fortunate enough to have traveled to Europe or to have a European friend who could be their dealer, um, import agent. Americans traveled to Europe and discovered this deliteful little jar of sin and promptly tossed all their clothes and packed their suitcases full of Nutella to bring home. If they were really lucky, they had friends who either came to visit in the U.S. on a regular basis or who could be inticed into shipping a jar of Nutella to the States every so often.
You knew when you had one of those precious jars that you'd better savor it. Make it last. Ration it. Hide in the back of the cabinet to keep the kids out of it. After all, who could tell when you'd get another jar.
Then, the makers of Nutella hit on the brilliant idea of importing it to the U.S. Ah, veritable gold mine of Nutella starved people would flock to the stores and buy it. No more waiting for your European buddies to hook you up. Now you can just head down to the neighborhood grocery store and buy all you want.
But you know, I think I may have prefered it when Nutella was rare and came with labels printed in German or French. You enjoyed it and savored it and when it was gone, it was gone. You sighed over the memory and went on with life. And you couldn't read the nutrition label.
Now Nutella is available here and it comes with an English label. Honestly, if you are going to eat the stuff, you might as well just glue the jar to your ass. No, actually that wouldn't even do. You need to go get a 5 lb sack of flour and glue that to your ass. You see, the fat and calorie content of that little jar of divinity is hugely disporportionate to the size of the jar. There is a fat and calorie black hole in that jar and it sucks in way more fat grams and calories than should rightly fit in a jar of that size and then regurgitates them on your ass.
When Nutella lived in Europe, this wasn't a big deal. It was a rare treat. The calories didn't count, especially since you couldn't read the label (even if you spoke fluent German you could tell yourself you couldn't read the label). And you got to eat it once every couple of years. Not even as bad as birthday cake since you get that once a year.
But now, it's invaded the U.S. It's in our stores. And sometimes it leaps off the shelf into the grocery cart when I'm on the peanut butter aisle. I hold firm and only give in to the tempation a few times a year, though.
But oh my, the things you can do with a jar of Nutella, especially when you know there is more for the easy taking back at the store. Nutella smeared on a cookie. Nutella on cinnimon toaste. Nutella on ice cream. Cookies made with Nutella with more Nutella schmeared in the middles. Nutella on a freaking spoon with you look furtively around to see if the kids noticed you opening the jar because you don't want to share.
Even the knowlegde that I can't get my blue jeans past my hips didn't keep me from indulging in a Nutella crowned cookie or 12. The kids and I had managed to eat half the jar in just 24 hrs. # days later, the jar is almost empty. And I am sadly contemplating buying more right away because the girls like it on toast for breakfast and they are actually eating and getting some freaking calories in them before school. Yeah. Uh-uhn. That's the reason why.
I may never fit in those jeans again.
You see, not all that long ago, the only people in the US that knew about Nutella were those fortunate enough to have traveled to Europe or to have a European friend who could be their dealer, um, import agent. Americans traveled to Europe and discovered this deliteful little jar of sin and promptly tossed all their clothes and packed their suitcases full of Nutella to bring home. If they were really lucky, they had friends who either came to visit in the U.S. on a regular basis or who could be inticed into shipping a jar of Nutella to the States every so often.
You knew when you had one of those precious jars that you'd better savor it. Make it last. Ration it. Hide in the back of the cabinet to keep the kids out of it. After all, who could tell when you'd get another jar.
Then, the makers of Nutella hit on the brilliant idea of importing it to the U.S. Ah, veritable gold mine of Nutella starved people would flock to the stores and buy it. No more waiting for your European buddies to hook you up. Now you can just head down to the neighborhood grocery store and buy all you want.
But you know, I think I may have prefered it when Nutella was rare and came with labels printed in German or French. You enjoyed it and savored it and when it was gone, it was gone. You sighed over the memory and went on with life. And you couldn't read the nutrition label.
Now Nutella is available here and it comes with an English label. Honestly, if you are going to eat the stuff, you might as well just glue the jar to your ass. No, actually that wouldn't even do. You need to go get a 5 lb sack of flour and glue that to your ass. You see, the fat and calorie content of that little jar of divinity is hugely disporportionate to the size of the jar. There is a fat and calorie black hole in that jar and it sucks in way more fat grams and calories than should rightly fit in a jar of that size and then regurgitates them on your ass.
When Nutella lived in Europe, this wasn't a big deal. It was a rare treat. The calories didn't count, especially since you couldn't read the label (even if you spoke fluent German you could tell yourself you couldn't read the label). And you got to eat it once every couple of years. Not even as bad as birthday cake since you get that once a year.
But now, it's invaded the U.S. It's in our stores. And sometimes it leaps off the shelf into the grocery cart when I'm on the peanut butter aisle. I hold firm and only give in to the tempation a few times a year, though.
But oh my, the things you can do with a jar of Nutella, especially when you know there is more for the easy taking back at the store. Nutella smeared on a cookie. Nutella on cinnimon toaste. Nutella on ice cream. Cookies made with Nutella with more Nutella schmeared in the middles. Nutella on a freaking spoon with you look furtively around to see if the kids noticed you opening the jar because you don't want to share.
Even the knowlegde that I can't get my blue jeans past my hips didn't keep me from indulging in a Nutella crowned cookie or 12. The kids and I had managed to eat half the jar in just 24 hrs. # days later, the jar is almost empty. And I am sadly contemplating buying more right away because the girls like it on toast for breakfast and they are actually eating and getting some freaking calories in them before school. Yeah. Uh-uhn. That's the reason why.
I may never fit in those jeans again.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Prozac Nation
I have submitted my request for citizenship. Celexa nation, actually. So far, I'm liking it just fine. Am I happy that I've reached a point in life where I need medication to deal with things? No, I'm not. But I am. And I'm glad it's there. Because the way I've been feeling, the way I've been reacting to everydamnthing isn't normal. Or if it is, I don't want to be normal. And apparently my doctor agreed that it wasn't normal because he wrote the prescription.
But I haven't screamed at my children in four days. I've been happy to give and recieve hugs and kisses from them. I've played with them. Saturday night, we were having dinner at my parents with some other family members and I got tickled at something my cousin said and I laughed. I laughed out loud, for several minutes. I haven't done that in months.
Am I happy I need pills? No, I'm not. But I'm happy I'm finding myself again. Happy that I'm enjoying my family again. Happy I can laugh again. And one day I won't need the pills to do all of that stuff, and I'm happy about that, too.
But I haven't screamed at my children in four days. I've been happy to give and recieve hugs and kisses from them. I've played with them. Saturday night, we were having dinner at my parents with some other family members and I got tickled at something my cousin said and I laughed. I laughed out loud, for several minutes. I haven't done that in months.
Am I happy I need pills? No, I'm not. But I'm happy I'm finding myself again. Happy that I'm enjoying my family again. Happy I can laugh again. And one day I won't need the pills to do all of that stuff, and I'm happy about that, too.
Monday, August 17, 2009
I hate August
August is the one month of the year that I simply loath. Despise. Hate with a passion. Oh sure, my girls' birthday is in August, and that's something happy. And the first day of school is in August. That's always a cause for celebration. But those happen early in the month, leaving nothing else to look forward to except the cooler breezes of September.
Every year when the girls start back to school, I think I'll start back to my walking routine. This year, I'm dragging the dogs along. We headed out about 9am and walked for about 35 minutes. About halfway through, I was drenched with sweat and the dogs were panting like we'd been running. Now it was only about 75F. Not that hot, right? Ah, but you forget the unpleasant pea soup that posses for an atmosphere around here in August. Sweat doesn't evaporate, you can't get a deep breath and climbing a hill makes you feel like you're going to pass out.
The dogs were glaring at me and I could tell they were thinking "Hey, do you see this fur coat? Huh? Didja? Well, why don't you wear it? I'm hot. I want to go home. You try walking around on hot pavement in the middle of freaking August with a fur coat on and see how enthusiastic you are about the idea. Stupid human."
But we did it, and will be doing it again several days a week because my pants are all tight and I refuse to go buy more in a bigger size. My dear friend Toni has reminded me that I'd prefer to spend most of my 30s basking in my hotness, when I'm aware enough of my sexuality to enjoy it. Especially since when I was young and slender and actually was hot, I was too dumb to realize it and enjoy it. Thus, I am determined to fight the ravages of being fat, getting pregnant with twins while fat, and then getting pregnant with a fat baby while slightly less fat. I may never be a Playboy bunny, but I can damned well get to the point where I look hot with clothes on.
So, bring it on August. I'll be back out there tomorrow. But don't bring it on too much, because I really hate August.
Every year when the girls start back to school, I think I'll start back to my walking routine. This year, I'm dragging the dogs along. We headed out about 9am and walked for about 35 minutes. About halfway through, I was drenched with sweat and the dogs were panting like we'd been running. Now it was only about 75F. Not that hot, right? Ah, but you forget the unpleasant pea soup that posses for an atmosphere around here in August. Sweat doesn't evaporate, you can't get a deep breath and climbing a hill makes you feel like you're going to pass out.
The dogs were glaring at me and I could tell they were thinking "Hey, do you see this fur coat? Huh? Didja? Well, why don't you wear it? I'm hot. I want to go home. You try walking around on hot pavement in the middle of freaking August with a fur coat on and see how enthusiastic you are about the idea. Stupid human."
But we did it, and will be doing it again several days a week because my pants are all tight and I refuse to go buy more in a bigger size. My dear friend Toni has reminded me that I'd prefer to spend most of my 30s basking in my hotness, when I'm aware enough of my sexuality to enjoy it. Especially since when I was young and slender and actually was hot, I was too dumb to realize it and enjoy it. Thus, I am determined to fight the ravages of being fat, getting pregnant with twins while fat, and then getting pregnant with a fat baby while slightly less fat. I may never be a Playboy bunny, but I can damned well get to the point where I look hot with clothes on.
So, bring it on August. I'll be back out there tomorrow. But don't bring it on too much, because I really hate August.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
How many have you read?
This is making the rounds on FB, so I thought I'd play along.
The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?
Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read. Tag other book nerds.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6 The Bible X
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte X
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles DickensX
Total: 8
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas HardyX
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare Does it count if I've read most of them?
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier X
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger I started this when I was about 20 and thought it was horrible, so I didn't finish it.
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
Total: 3
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell X
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens X
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy I've read part of this, but not the whole thing.
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams X
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck X
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Total: 6
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
Total: 4
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez X
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood X
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding X
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
Total: 6
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martels
52 Dune - Frank Herbert X
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley X
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Total: 3
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck X
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Total: 1
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker X
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce X
76 The Inferno – Dante X
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray X
80 Possession - AS Byatt
Total: 6
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles DickensX
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert X
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom X
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
Total: 5
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
Total: 2
Grand total: 44
I've read more of the classics than the modern works. A lot of the modern books have reputations as tear jerkers and I try to avoid that kind of book.
The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?
Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read. Tag other book nerds.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6 The Bible X
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte X
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles DickensX
Total: 8
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas HardyX
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare Does it count if I've read most of them?
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier X
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger I started this when I was about 20 and thought it was horrible, so I didn't finish it.
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
Total: 3
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell X
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens X
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy I've read part of this, but not the whole thing.
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams X
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck X
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Total: 6
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
Total: 4
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez X
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood X
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding X
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
Total: 6
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martels
52 Dune - Frank Herbert X
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley X
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Total: 3
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck X
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Total: 1
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker X
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce X
76 The Inferno – Dante X
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray X
80 Possession - AS Byatt
Total: 6
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles DickensX
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert X
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom X
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
Total: 5
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
Total: 2
Grand total: 44
I've read more of the classics than the modern works. A lot of the modern books have reputations as tear jerkers and I try to avoid that kind of book.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mental health issues, parenting and other desiderata
Mental health issues. Why do they have such a stigma in our culture? No one thinks badly of a diabetic needing insulin and nutrition counseling or an asthmatic needing an inhaler. Why then is there a stigma to mental health issues. They are just as real, just as debilitating as a physical disease left untreated. And yet, we think that we should just shake off the depression, talk ourselves out of the anxiety that we know is out of proportion.
Besides that, everyone is a little bit crazy at times. Everyone needs a sympathetic ear, a sounding board. Marriages can always benefit from an outside viewpoint, especially since communication skills aren't something we learn is school. Even if your parents are great at communicating with each other, it doesn't mean you will be, or that your spouse won't feeling like clobbering you if you say something like "And how does that make you feel?"
I think as a parent, mental health is even more important. If parents go off the deep end, we risk passing our issues on to our kids. Case in point, my entire freaking family. Hello, they have more issues than the New York Times. But god forbid you actually try to deal with them. Oh no, that gets you shunned and accused of breaking of the family. "Why can't you just forget about all that?" might be wailed at you.
Still, it is the brave ones who admit they have problems, that get their asses in therapy and work on being as healthy mentally as they are physically. My mother was one of the brave ones. Hell, she ended up becoming a counselor herself, although she never practiced. So you would think that perhaps I would not be afraid of the stigma, would have sense enough to realize that I can't pull myself out of this funk. But no. I suffered through postpartum depression without ever saying a word because I stupidly told myself I had to suck it up and take care of my babies by myself, like a big girl. And now, I find myself dealing with it again. Well, not postpartum depression as I haven't grown a watermelon or two in my stomach for a while.
This time, it seems more like anxiety issues. I've always known I had some weird triggers. Telephones and people being late are biggies. But more and more it is carrying over into other things.
The state of my house (which I can sanely state isn't that bad). But the kids' rooms just make me want to sit down in the floor and cry. I cannot even stand to stay in the girls' room long enough to put up laundry. And yet, I feel anxious when I'm playing on the computer instead of cleaning.
My writing. Can't write if I won't even open the damned document. But I feel like I'm neglecting something else, something that might be more important. Like scrubbing a fucking toilet. After all, I'm not getting paid to write and might not ever see a paycheck for it.
My horse. I can barely stand to look at her right now. I don't know if I'll ever be able to ride her again. Or any horse, for that matter. And I'm avoiding the issue by not even going over there. But if it dries out, I'll be riding the lesson horse on Sat., even if all I do is sit there and cry.
Money. Huge issue. The idea of going shopping makes me want to hyperventilate. The girls' birthday is coming up and I haven't done a damned thing to get ready for it.
My kids and the noise and messes they make. Which leads us to my second topic.
Parenting. If someone had said to me before I had kids "You know kids make messes and scream and yell and carry on like heathens most of the time, don't you?" I would have looked at them like they were an idiot and replied "Of course I know that. It's part of having kids. They scream and yell and drive you crazy and leave crap all over the place. You deal with it. That's part of being a parent."
So, my kids scream and yell and act like heathens and leave messes. And it's driving me crazy. But I'm not dealing with it. I scream and yell and tell them to clean up or I'm going to throw everything away. I tell them to go outside if they want to be loud. The worst of it is that I've realized in the last few days that I can't even enjoy them laughing and being silly. The sound of your child's laughter is supposed to be a joyful one, right? Well, it just gets on my nerves. I just want them to hush.
I want to wake up to something besides the sound of them fighting. I want to eat a meal without them laughing over fart jokes. I want them to be able to pet the damned dogs without screeching "Whose a good girl?" at the top of their lungs. But most of all, I want to be able to enjoy the sound of their laughter again. I know parents are never happy about the mess and the noise, but I'd like to be able to at least deal with it without feeling like I'm going to lose it.
I don't want to listen to the chaos and wish I was back in my college apartment with just me and the cat again. After all, I spent many a lonely Friday night wishing that I wasn't alone, that I had found The One and had kids and messes and noise. I know being alone is worse than this. I don't want to be alone again. I want to enjoy my family again.
So, what am I doing about it? Um. Well, I've looked up some phone numbers for therapists. I even found one that has horses. Having a phone phobia kind of sucks at times like this.
I'll keep you posted.
Besides that, everyone is a little bit crazy at times. Everyone needs a sympathetic ear, a sounding board. Marriages can always benefit from an outside viewpoint, especially since communication skills aren't something we learn is school. Even if your parents are great at communicating with each other, it doesn't mean you will be, or that your spouse won't feeling like clobbering you if you say something like "And how does that make you feel?"
I think as a parent, mental health is even more important. If parents go off the deep end, we risk passing our issues on to our kids. Case in point, my entire freaking family. Hello, they have more issues than the New York Times. But god forbid you actually try to deal with them. Oh no, that gets you shunned and accused of breaking of the family. "Why can't you just forget about all that?" might be wailed at you.
Still, it is the brave ones who admit they have problems, that get their asses in therapy and work on being as healthy mentally as they are physically. My mother was one of the brave ones. Hell, she ended up becoming a counselor herself, although she never practiced. So you would think that perhaps I would not be afraid of the stigma, would have sense enough to realize that I can't pull myself out of this funk. But no. I suffered through postpartum depression without ever saying a word because I stupidly told myself I had to suck it up and take care of my babies by myself, like a big girl. And now, I find myself dealing with it again. Well, not postpartum depression as I haven't grown a watermelon or two in my stomach for a while.
This time, it seems more like anxiety issues. I've always known I had some weird triggers. Telephones and people being late are biggies. But more and more it is carrying over into other things.
The state of my house (which I can sanely state isn't that bad). But the kids' rooms just make me want to sit down in the floor and cry. I cannot even stand to stay in the girls' room long enough to put up laundry. And yet, I feel anxious when I'm playing on the computer instead of cleaning.
My writing. Can't write if I won't even open the damned document. But I feel like I'm neglecting something else, something that might be more important. Like scrubbing a fucking toilet. After all, I'm not getting paid to write and might not ever see a paycheck for it.
My horse. I can barely stand to look at her right now. I don't know if I'll ever be able to ride her again. Or any horse, for that matter. And I'm avoiding the issue by not even going over there. But if it dries out, I'll be riding the lesson horse on Sat., even if all I do is sit there and cry.
Money. Huge issue. The idea of going shopping makes me want to hyperventilate. The girls' birthday is coming up and I haven't done a damned thing to get ready for it.
My kids and the noise and messes they make. Which leads us to my second topic.
Parenting. If someone had said to me before I had kids "You know kids make messes and scream and yell and carry on like heathens most of the time, don't you?" I would have looked at them like they were an idiot and replied "Of course I know that. It's part of having kids. They scream and yell and drive you crazy and leave crap all over the place. You deal with it. That's part of being a parent."
So, my kids scream and yell and act like heathens and leave messes. And it's driving me crazy. But I'm not dealing with it. I scream and yell and tell them to clean up or I'm going to throw everything away. I tell them to go outside if they want to be loud. The worst of it is that I've realized in the last few days that I can't even enjoy them laughing and being silly. The sound of your child's laughter is supposed to be a joyful one, right? Well, it just gets on my nerves. I just want them to hush.
I want to wake up to something besides the sound of them fighting. I want to eat a meal without them laughing over fart jokes. I want them to be able to pet the damned dogs without screeching "Whose a good girl?" at the top of their lungs. But most of all, I want to be able to enjoy the sound of their laughter again. I know parents are never happy about the mess and the noise, but I'd like to be able to at least deal with it without feeling like I'm going to lose it.
I don't want to listen to the chaos and wish I was back in my college apartment with just me and the cat again. After all, I spent many a lonely Friday night wishing that I wasn't alone, that I had found The One and had kids and messes and noise. I know being alone is worse than this. I don't want to be alone again. I want to enjoy my family again.
So, what am I doing about it? Um. Well, I've looked up some phone numbers for therapists. I even found one that has horses. Having a phone phobia kind of sucks at times like this.
I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
It's as easy as falling off a horse
You know, falling off a horse is surprisingly easy. It's the hitting the ground part that is hard. Actually, even hitting the ground isn't that bad. Hitting other stuff on the way to the ground is rather painful, though.
I fell off my horse yesterday and I hit the gate on the way to the ground. I have a bruise on my ass the shape and size of one of the gate rails and another bruise on my arm that I just found this morning. My entire left side hurts, and that's not the side that hit the ground. That's the side that hit the gate. Some of it seems to be pulled muscles from fighting to stay on, too. The only thing on my right side that hurts is my jaw. I have a bruise along it. I must have bounced it off the ground.
I've discovered something, though. The worse has happened, and I survived. I'm not even really hurt. It wasn't that bad. Sure, I cried. It hurt like a motherfucker at the time. I've got bruises and sore muscles. But I'm ok. Hell, the side that actually hit the ground isn't even sore.
When I got back into riding a year ago, I found I had developed a fear of falling off the horse. It made me nervous all the time. I've got this fear of failure in other parts of my life, too. It shows up most noticeably in my writing. I'm afraid of failing, so I avoid actually writing. If I never finish, I can't get rejections, can I? But I have gotten a rejection, and it wasn't that bad. All that bruised was my ego, and not even that much because I knew that the manuscript I submitted wasn't all that fabulous since it was one of the first ones I'd ever written.
I got back on the horse, though. She freaked again but I landed on my feet that time. I've kept writing, and I'll land on my feet with that, too.
Don't be afraid to do the things you love. There are worse things than falling, like never getting on in the first place.
I fell off my horse yesterday and I hit the gate on the way to the ground. I have a bruise on my ass the shape and size of one of the gate rails and another bruise on my arm that I just found this morning. My entire left side hurts, and that's not the side that hit the ground. That's the side that hit the gate. Some of it seems to be pulled muscles from fighting to stay on, too. The only thing on my right side that hurts is my jaw. I have a bruise along it. I must have bounced it off the ground.
I've discovered something, though. The worse has happened, and I survived. I'm not even really hurt. It wasn't that bad. Sure, I cried. It hurt like a motherfucker at the time. I've got bruises and sore muscles. But I'm ok. Hell, the side that actually hit the ground isn't even sore.
When I got back into riding a year ago, I found I had developed a fear of falling off the horse. It made me nervous all the time. I've got this fear of failure in other parts of my life, too. It shows up most noticeably in my writing. I'm afraid of failing, so I avoid actually writing. If I never finish, I can't get rejections, can I? But I have gotten a rejection, and it wasn't that bad. All that bruised was my ego, and not even that much because I knew that the manuscript I submitted wasn't all that fabulous since it was one of the first ones I'd ever written.
I got back on the horse, though. She freaked again but I landed on my feet that time. I've kept writing, and I'll land on my feet with that, too.
Don't be afraid to do the things you love. There are worse things than falling, like never getting on in the first place.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
I'm happy to report
We are married after all! Mother was able to get us a copy of our marriage certificate. Yay Mom!
It is still a mystery as to what I showed the SS people all those years ago, but there you go.
It is still a mystery as to what I showed the SS people all those years ago, but there you go.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Are we married, or not?
It seems that the manwhore's employer wants to see proof of our marriage so that I can stay on his health insurance plan. Something about saving money. Just a copy of your marriage certificate, they said. Ok, we said. So, we started looking for it. After going through files of 15 yr old bank statements, even older traffic tickets (his, not mine), old research papers and college notes, we haven't managed to find hide nor hair of a marriage certificate.
Neither one of us can actually remember getting one or sending off for it when we got back from our honeymoon. But I somehow managed to change my name on my Social Security card, and I do remember having to show them some proof that we were married. You would think that proof would have been a marriage certificate. I don't know what we showed to the human resources people way back then, either. Maybe they didn't ask. But if we had a copy of our marriage certificate, it has disappeared into the black hole of missing things, likely to never be seen again.
Fortunately for me, the State of Alabama seems to be lackadaisical about who they give them out to, so long as the person has all the right info. So, I've sweet talked my mother into going to get us one on Mon. If she fails in this task, I will have to make the trip down there and get it myself, which I really don't want to do. So much easier to have Mother to it for me and stick it in the mail.
But, are we married without the proof? Maybe. Maybe the kids are proof enough. That and the ball and chain around his ankle...
Neither one of us can actually remember getting one or sending off for it when we got back from our honeymoon. But I somehow managed to change my name on my Social Security card, and I do remember having to show them some proof that we were married. You would think that proof would have been a marriage certificate. I don't know what we showed to the human resources people way back then, either. Maybe they didn't ask. But if we had a copy of our marriage certificate, it has disappeared into the black hole of missing things, likely to never be seen again.
Fortunately for me, the State of Alabama seems to be lackadaisical about who they give them out to, so long as the person has all the right info. So, I've sweet talked my mother into going to get us one on Mon. If she fails in this task, I will have to make the trip down there and get it myself, which I really don't want to do. So much easier to have Mother to it for me and stick it in the mail.
But, are we married without the proof? Maybe. Maybe the kids are proof enough. That and the ball and chain around his ankle...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Some Mother's Day thoughts from my daughters
They did these at school with the help of their teacher, who laminated them. Of course, they will go in the cedar chest. Mrs. S had them answer questions about their mom and fill in the blanks. I put their answers in quotes because I can't figure out how to do underlining in blogger.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom! by Ellie
My mom's name is "Amanda." I call her "Mommy." I think she is "30" years old. Her hair is "brown." My mom is pretty as "a flower" and smells as sweet as "a flower." She can do many things. I think she is best at "cooking." My mom is very smart! She even know "2+2." If I had a million dollars, I would buy my mom "flowers." I love my mom because "she kisses me ever night!"
Happy Mother's Day, Mom! by Emma
My mom's name is "Amanda." I call her "Mommy." I think she is "32" years old. Her hair is "blond." My mom is pretty as "a princess" and smells as sweet as "a cherry." She can do many things. I think she's best at "writing books." My mom is very smart! She even knows "how to ride a horse." If I had a million dollars, I would buy my mom "roses." I love my mom because "she kisses me every night."
Happy Mother's Day, Mom! by Ellie
My mom's name is "Amanda." I call her "Mommy." I think she is "30" years old. Her hair is "brown." My mom is pretty as "a flower" and smells as sweet as "a flower." She can do many things. I think she is best at "cooking." My mom is very smart! She even know "2+2." If I had a million dollars, I would buy my mom "flowers." I love my mom because "she kisses me ever night!"
Happy Mother's Day, Mom! by Emma
My mom's name is "Amanda." I call her "Mommy." I think she is "32" years old. Her hair is "blond." My mom is pretty as "a princess" and smells as sweet as "a cherry." She can do many things. I think she's best at "writing books." My mom is very smart! She even knows "how to ride a horse." If I had a million dollars, I would buy my mom "roses." I love my mom because "she kisses me every night."
Sunday, May 03, 2009
A little poetry for a Sunday afternoon
"Some Wishes for You" by Charles Stephens
I wish for you...The thrill of knowing
Who you are,
Where you stand,
And why.
Especially why.
I wish for you...Not great prosperity, but great dreams;
Not riches, but a sense of your own worth,
These are what I wish for you.
Not even long life - however proud I'd be to have it so -
Instead, I wish for you...A life that is crammed with living,
Hour by hour.
I wish for you...an occasional troubled heart
To know and feel and change the woes and injustice
of a world that keeps you sleepless.
I wish for you...Solitude in the midst of company,
And a mind full of company within your quiet times.
I wish for you...Full todays and full tomorrows.
And love...I do wish for you...a bounty of precious love.
May you have it, and give it away frequently and abundantly.
I wish for you...The thrill of knowing
Who you are,
Where you stand,
And why.
Especially why.
I wish for you...Not great prosperity, but great dreams;
Not riches, but a sense of your own worth,
These are what I wish for you.
Not even long life - however proud I'd be to have it so -
Instead, I wish for you...A life that is crammed with living,
Hour by hour.
I wish for you...an occasional troubled heart
To know and feel and change the woes and injustice
of a world that keeps you sleepless.
I wish for you...Solitude in the midst of company,
And a mind full of company within your quiet times.
I wish for you...Full todays and full tomorrows.
And love...I do wish for you...a bounty of precious love.
May you have it, and give it away frequently and abundantly.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Yay, cows!
The girls had a field trip to the MTSU dairy farm today. It was fun and educational. I found out that diary farms are much stinkier than I thought they would be. It wasn't cow smell or poop smell. The barn where they milked the cows and stored the milk before transport smelled like rotten milk. Yummy! I also discovered that cows are expensive to feed. They eat 30+ lbs of grain a day at a cost of about $5 a day. No wonder milk is so expensive.
Furthermore, I think that there is something really wrong with the world when it is more cost effective for a dairy farmer to not allow calves to nurse at all and feed them from a bottle. WTF? They loose money when the cow is out of production because she is nursing her calf, and apparently bovine milk replacer is cheaper than bovine milk. So they pump off the colostrum for the calf (humans don't get that yummy bit) and give it to them by bottle, along with every other feeding until they are eating hay and grain. It's a strange, strange world.
We got to pet a cow, and that one obliged us by pooping just as we were walking up. All the kids had great fun yelling "EEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!! POOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPP!"
And we got to drink some chocolate milk, which was very appetizing after smelling the rotten milk smell in the barn.
The barn cats seemed to steal the show with our class, though. The kids were more interested in petting them than learning about cows. It was a fun trip, though. And now I want ice cream.
Furthermore, I think that there is something really wrong with the world when it is more cost effective for a dairy farmer to not allow calves to nurse at all and feed them from a bottle. WTF? They loose money when the cow is out of production because she is nursing her calf, and apparently bovine milk replacer is cheaper than bovine milk. So they pump off the colostrum for the calf (humans don't get that yummy bit) and give it to them by bottle, along with every other feeding until they are eating hay and grain. It's a strange, strange world.
We got to pet a cow, and that one obliged us by pooping just as we were walking up. All the kids had great fun yelling "EEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!! POOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPP!"
And we got to drink some chocolate milk, which was very appetizing after smelling the rotten milk smell in the barn.
The barn cats seemed to steal the show with our class, though. The kids were more interested in petting them than learning about cows. It was a fun trip, though. And now I want ice cream.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Book Review: Jenny Crusie's Faking It
I've been on a Jenny Crusie kick lately. Her books are generally fun, funny, fast paced and pretty hot. Faking It was no exception and might just be one of her best books. Tilda is an art forger gon straight and Davy is a con man gone straight. She just wants to save her family and stay out of jail. He just wants to get back the money that his former lover swindled from him, that he swindled from her. When Tilda and Davy meet in a closet and agree to help each other, tempers ignite, passions flare and secrets will be revealed.
Throw in the sister that has an alternte personality, her gay ex-husband, the hit man, an attempted murder or two and it's just all good. I give it an A+.
Throw in the sister that has an alternte personality, her gay ex-husband, the hit man, an attempted murder or two and it's just all good. I give it an A+.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Maybe I should indulge my horse's maternal desires
Every so often, I email the very nice lady from whom we bought Hope. I sent her an email this week with a picture of Hope watching over the new foal at the farm and asked her if Hope had ever had any foals. J told me that yes, she's had one foal, before she bought Hope. The people she bought Hope from were in the process of negotiating that sale as well, and supposedly sold the cold for $40,000. No, my fingers didn't stutter. Forty-fucking-thousand dollars. Da-yum! That kind of money is enough to make me rethink my stance on exploiting my horse's uterus.
Of course, I don't have a clue who Hope was bred to, I'm not a trainer, and not going to allow any foals she might have in the future to be trained in the "Big Lick" Walking Horse world. And "Big Lick" people are the only ones who are going to drop $40,000 on a Walking Horse colt. Of course, there is still the biggest reason of all: if we breed her, it will be because we want the foal, and I'm not going to be willing to sell it. So, no exploitations here. But $40,000 is enough to make me fantasize anyway.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Remebering Maggie
Today is my beautiful Sundust Maggie's birthday. She would have been 18 yrs old. I've thought about her so much these last few weeks, thought about all the things I was looking forward to doing with her that we never got to do. I still miss her every single day. Having Hope is a blessing and a balm. She so clearly needed us, needed the love that we have to give. She eases the ache in my heart. But Maggie is not forgotten, is still loved and there will always be a piece of my heart that belongs to her.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Storm trauma
Last Friday, we had some sever storms to come through middle TN. The tornado that left 2 dead and 35 injured and many houses destroyed was less than 10 miles from my house. My kids spent about 45 mins or longer huddled in the downstairs bathroom while I stood watch at the back door, looking to the SW so I could see what was coming at us. I watched a rotating clouds go over my house, clouds that in less than 5 miles from here had a funnel cloud hanging from them. I don't know if it ever touched down. There were so many small tornadoes in the area that day that it might have been one of those or it might have just made a funnel and then fallen apart.
Monday afternoon, we had yet another line of thunderstorms come through. They hit just as school was letting out, and wouldn't you know, the kids all had dentist appointments that afternoon. We had to stop by the house and get the stroller for Sam, because he had gone to sleep, and while I was out of the car getting it, we had some lightening to hit really close by. FLASHCRACKBOOM! And I screamed. I was a little bit wound up.
Well, apparently so were the kids, or at least Ellie, because when we got to the dentist, we sat for a bit to let the rain slack off, and then I pushed the button to open the door and told them to jump out and run to the door. But Ellie wouldn't jump out. She got practically hysterically crying and saying "No, I don't want to go out! I'm scared. Please, let's go home, can we please just go home, Mommy?"
Dude, I just about fell apart over that. But, it also snapped me back together and made me realize I can't let my fears get a hold of me so badly. I mommied up and got her calmed down and we went on in to the dentist and she was fine.
The only blip after that was Sam had a come apart when we tried to wake him up for his turn in the chair. I ended up having to reschedule him for a time that wasn't nap time.
Thank god the rain and storm was done and over with and the sun shining by the time we came back out, though.
Monday afternoon, we had yet another line of thunderstorms come through. They hit just as school was letting out, and wouldn't you know, the kids all had dentist appointments that afternoon. We had to stop by the house and get the stroller for Sam, because he had gone to sleep, and while I was out of the car getting it, we had some lightening to hit really close by. FLASHCRACKBOOM! And I screamed. I was a little bit wound up.
Well, apparently so were the kids, or at least Ellie, because when we got to the dentist, we sat for a bit to let the rain slack off, and then I pushed the button to open the door and told them to jump out and run to the door. But Ellie wouldn't jump out. She got practically hysterically crying and saying "No, I don't want to go out! I'm scared. Please, let's go home, can we please just go home, Mommy?"
Dude, I just about fell apart over that. But, it also snapped me back together and made me realize I can't let my fears get a hold of me so badly. I mommied up and got her calmed down and we went on in to the dentist and she was fine.
The only blip after that was Sam had a come apart when we tried to wake him up for his turn in the chair. I ended up having to reschedule him for a time that wasn't nap time.
Thank god the rain and storm was done and over with and the sun shining by the time we came back out, though.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Man, other countries get all the good commercials
This might just be the funniest commercial, evah: http://tinyurl.com/ck8kra
Warning, not safe for work, contains some innuendo about shaved pusses.
Warning, not safe for work, contains some innuendo about shaved pusses.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
You might be a redneck if...
...you transport a horse in the back of your van. Well, it is a "mini" van and the horse is a mini horse.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
After the pro haircut
I took Em to see Ms. Jane, our hairstylist tonight. She did a great job with what she had to work with. Emma likes her hair, though, so I guess that is all that matters.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Kids and scissors
My mother tells me that every child goes through a phase with scissors. Ellie had a short phase where she liked to cut hair off of her stuffed animals. When she was 4. The girls are 6.5 now. And yet, apparently Emma is just now having her scissor phase. She claims that her hair was getting on her nerves.
I almost cried. I might still cry. I was on the phone with our hairstylist less than 10 minutes after we saw what Emma had done. Behold the damage:
Monday, March 30, 2009
Two good eye doctor visits
Sam and I have both had visits to the eye doctor in the last few days and we both had good reports.
I went last Thur and everything is great. I made him do a visual field test because I've pulled out in front of two cars recently, and my visual field is just fine. Apparently I just need to pay more attention when I'm driving.
Sam had his check up today. Other than some minor screaming when he had to have eye drops put in to dilate his eyes, he was fabulous. And his vision hasn't changed any, which is wonderful. He earned himself a trip to Target as a reward. I was surprised that we came out with a Lightening McQueen and not a Thomas, but he is thrilled. Probably because it is loud.
I went last Thur and everything is great. I made him do a visual field test because I've pulled out in front of two cars recently, and my visual field is just fine. Apparently I just need to pay more attention when I'm driving.
Sam had his check up today. Other than some minor screaming when he had to have eye drops put in to dilate his eyes, he was fabulous. And his vision hasn't changed any, which is wonderful. He earned himself a trip to Target as a reward. I was surprised that we came out with a Lightening McQueen and not a Thomas, but he is thrilled. Probably because it is loud.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Clearly I am the vision of a delicate flower of frail feminity today.
I stopped by Home Depot to buy some play sand for the kids' sandbox. HD employees are a little overly helpful in general. When I'm in a funk and just enjoying roaming around the store, it gets annoying having every person in an orange vest asking me if I need help finding something. Ironically, it usually never fails that when I actually do need help finding something, there isn't an orange vest to be seen. But I digress.
Today, I was after play sand, which comes in 50 lbs bags. Not light, but hey, one of my kids weighs almost that much and I can pick her up, as well as feed bags, hay and the like. I was picking up my third bag when a lady rushed up offering to help. She wasn't even an employee, as she wasn't clad in orange. I told her several times that I didn't really need help, all the while thinking it was really easier to do it myself. She watched me put it in the cart and walked away saying "Oh wow, those are heavy, wow."
Pushed my cart to the register and the lady there asked me twice if I needed help out. On the way out the door, another employee, male this time, told me to just pull my car up and he'd load it for me. When I said no thanks, he asked me twice if I was sure and "it would be no problem, ma'am."
By the time I got out of the store, I was ready to scream "I can fucking pick it up all by myself!" Because I'm ladylike like that.
Today, I was after play sand, which comes in 50 lbs bags. Not light, but hey, one of my kids weighs almost that much and I can pick her up, as well as feed bags, hay and the like. I was picking up my third bag when a lady rushed up offering to help. She wasn't even an employee, as she wasn't clad in orange. I told her several times that I didn't really need help, all the while thinking it was really easier to do it myself. She watched me put it in the cart and walked away saying "Oh wow, those are heavy, wow."
Pushed my cart to the register and the lady there asked me twice if I needed help out. On the way out the door, another employee, male this time, told me to just pull my car up and he'd load it for me. When I said no thanks, he asked me twice if I was sure and "it would be no problem, ma'am."
By the time I got out of the store, I was ready to scream "I can fucking pick it up all by myself!" Because I'm ladylike like that.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Smooshed toe, Part 2
I don't think it is broken, but I'm yet again limping because of a smooshed toe. This time a horse stepped on it. Not my horse, but one of the lesson horses. He was being a total PITA and wanting to graze, not be ridden. I was lead lining Ellie around because she whined through her entire lesson last time. She was doing fine this time. The horse was not. And he stepped on my damned toe and just stood there.
I don't think it is the same toe as last year. I'm not going to the ER for Xrays this time, either. For $200, I can sit at home and eat advil and put ice packs on it. Besides, it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as when Sam broke my other toe last year, so I'm not wasting a copay on the ER.
I don't think it is the same toe as last year. I'm not going to the ER for Xrays this time, either. For $200, I can sit at home and eat advil and put ice packs on it. Besides, it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as when Sam broke my other toe last year, so I'm not wasting a copay on the ER.
Friday, March 13, 2009
I'm ready for spring, Part 108478910485701875
One more in the list of many reasons I'm ready for spring: I'm so very tired of have to soak and rewash Sam's shirts because he has smeared food on the sleeves. Short sleeves eliminate at least that one laundry hassle.
Current temp on this the 13th day of March: 38F. Yesterday it was raining, sleeting and snowing all while the Bradford pears and buttercups were in full bloom. Gotta love springtime in the South.
Current temp on this the 13th day of March: 38F. Yesterday it was raining, sleeting and snowing all while the Bradford pears and buttercups were in full bloom. Gotta love springtime in the South.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I don't know! I just don't fucking know the answer!
I swear, I'm going to rip all of my hair out. I can't handle the questions any longer. My children have officially driven me over the edge.
Kid, "What's that?"
Me, driving the car and not admiring the scenery "I don't know, I can't see what you are looking at."
Kid, "But what is it?"
Me, "I don't know. What color is it?"
Kid, "Square."
Me, starting to twitch, "That's not a color. What color is it?"
Kid, "Oh, it's black."
Me, not seeing anything black, "I still don't know what it is because I can't see it. What does it look like?"
Kid, "It looked like a cow."
Me, resists the urge to bang head repeatedly against the steering wheel.
Kid, "What's that?"
Me, driving the car and not admiring the scenery "I don't know, I can't see what you are looking at."
Kid, "But what is it?"
Me, "I don't know. What color is it?"
Kid, "Square."
Me, starting to twitch, "That's not a color. What color is it?"
Kid, "Oh, it's black."
Me, not seeing anything black, "I still don't know what it is because I can't see it. What does it look like?"
Kid, "It looked like a cow."
Me, resists the urge to bang head repeatedly against the steering wheel.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Cupcakes and horses
This week was the birthday of the late Dr. Seuss and the girl's school celebrated all week with readings and activities, including making green eggs and ham on Friday. We finished out the week with cupcakes for afternoon snack on Friday. I was asked to bring them and make them as dr. Seuss-ish as possible. So, I did my best to make "Hat" cupcakes from The Cat in the Hat. They were a huge hit.
Adding to our busy week, on Thursday, we finally brought home our new mare, Hopes and Dreams. She has settled into the routine at the barn nicely, although she is still shy about being caught. Hope is completely in love with Ellie, though. And the feeling is mutual. We spent a most of the day there yesterday and I caught her up to brush her and just handle her some. Hope was dancing around a little, totally unsure of what was going on. Ellie came up to the fence and wanted to help me brush. I swear that the minute Hope saw Ellie, she just gave a big sigh and stood stock still. Ellie brushed Hope from head to toe and Hope never moved a muscle.
We went back over today and Hope was clearly delighted to see Ellie. We hung out at the fence for a while and if Ellie walked down the fence, Hope would follow. When Ellie walked away, Hope would snort at her to come back. It is a total love affair between the two of them.
Hope let me kiss all over her face, too, and I'm just in love with her, as well, but I completely realize that Hope likes the girls more than she likes me.
P.S. For any horse people that might read this post, yes, I am quite aware that her feet are horrible. The farrier is coming on Friday, and she will not be ridden before we have clearance from him. Her teeth need floating, too, and that will be done in April when the vet is out.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Give a child a Clorox wipe and she'll clean the bathroom
I have been observing the incredible phenomenon that, in my daughters' kindergarten class, that the kids actually enjoy the privilege of cleaning up at the end of the day. The teacher gives them a cleaning wipe and the two kids whose turn it is just go to town and do a fairly good job.
Last week, I succumbed to the lure of anti-bacterial and anti-viral Clorox wipes and bought some to try and stem the spread of germs around here. So far, it isn't helping. But, upon noticing the kids' bathroom sink full of toothpaste spit once again and the general yuckiness of the room, I had the brilliant idea of telling the girls they were now in charge of cleaning their bathroom. After all, I don't use that bathroom, ever. Why should I clean it? I'm not the maid, after all. She quit, or never started or something.
So, I got the Clorox wipes and told the girls to have at it. I vacuumed the floor and put something non-caustic inside the toilet, but they did the rest, even cleaning the floor with the wipes and cleaning the toilet. I was completely impressed and THEY THOUGHT IT WAS FUN!!!!! They want to do it again! I no longer care that cleaning wipes are overpriced and wasteful. I don't have to clean the bathroom anymore!!!!! I bet they'll even clean the bathroom downstairs, too, since they think it is so much fun.
The maid has left the building!
Last week, I succumbed to the lure of anti-bacterial and anti-viral Clorox wipes and bought some to try and stem the spread of germs around here. So far, it isn't helping. But, upon noticing the kids' bathroom sink full of toothpaste spit once again and the general yuckiness of the room, I had the brilliant idea of telling the girls they were now in charge of cleaning their bathroom. After all, I don't use that bathroom, ever. Why should I clean it? I'm not the maid, after all. She quit, or never started or something.
So, I got the Clorox wipes and told the girls to have at it. I vacuumed the floor and put something non-caustic inside the toilet, but they did the rest, even cleaning the floor with the wipes and cleaning the toilet. I was completely impressed and THEY THOUGHT IT WAS FUN!!!!! They want to do it again! I no longer care that cleaning wipes are overpriced and wasteful. I don't have to clean the bathroom anymore!!!!! I bet they'll even clean the bathroom downstairs, too, since they think it is so much fun.
The maid has left the building!
Monday, March 02, 2009
I feel so inspired
We had a very nice retreat this weekend. Lots of good, bad for you food, chocolate and wine to help us relax, as well as some creativity seminars, massage, singing along with Mama Mia and generally having a girly good time. I highly recommend it. We finished the weekend off with about 3 inches of snow on Sunday morning. Very pretty.
You can just see the lake in this one.
And the road home.
You can just see the lake in this one.
And the road home.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Birthday cake for breakfast
Mmm-hmmmm! I had cake for breakfast this morning. After all, it's my birthday, so why not? We celebrated some last night because I am leaving in a few hours to go on a writer's retreat for the weekend. Poor me, having to spend most of my birthday away from my family. I'm so distraught. Just ignore the completely packed suitcase in the background.
I have to admit, I'm not used to eating tons of sugar first thing in the morning, and I feel a little sick after the sugar rush from all that icing.
On a totally depressing note, one of the other horses at our barn died this morning. She was colicing yesterday, but they thought she wasn't that bad. D hauled her to the vet for the owner, and the vet thought she just needed fluids and some red blood cells and pain relief. Ruby's condition deteriorated during the night and she was in extreme pain that couldn't be controlled, so the decision was made to put her down. D was distraught when she called this morning since she was the one who cared for her on a daily basis.
A bad month for the barn.
I have to admit, I'm not used to eating tons of sugar first thing in the morning, and I feel a little sick after the sugar rush from all that icing.
On a totally depressing note, one of the other horses at our barn died this morning. She was colicing yesterday, but they thought she wasn't that bad. D hauled her to the vet for the owner, and the vet thought she just needed fluids and some red blood cells and pain relief. Ruby's condition deteriorated during the night and she was in extreme pain that couldn't be controlled, so the decision was made to put her down. D was distraught when she called this morning since she was the one who cared for her on a daily basis.
A bad month for the barn.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Don't open the door, moron!
I've decided that the world is full of idiots. Nothing new there, but I had another encounter with one last night.
If you see a small child with no adult in sight running for the door of a restaurant, would you open the door and let him out? I hope you said no, or I'm going to smack you. DON'T OPEN THE DOOR! Small child running + open door + no parent = small child in parking lot potentially getting hit by a car.
Several times a year, this happens to us. Ellie and Emma did it and now Sam does it. The running child would slide out of the booth and take off for the door before I could even get to the edge of the seat and stand up (one reason I don't care for booths). Said kid would be out of sight in a flash. Pretty much every damned time it happened, some moron opened the door for the kid.
Most of the time it isn't the restaurant staff. We eat out often enough that most of them around here recognize us and won't let the errant child out the door (the teenaged hostesses at Logan's are the main exception).
It is almost always a man that opens the door. Maybe it is just so ingrained into them that it is rude not to open a door that they can't help it. But when the person you are helping is three feet tall and doesn't weigh enough to push the door open by himself, maybe, just maybe, it could occur to you to not let the kid escape? And then perhaps I wouldn't have to look like a dumbass running pell mell through a restaurant trying to catch my kid. Please?
On the other hand, I could just put a leash on all the kids so they can't run away from us. It might save us all a headache.
If you see a small child with no adult in sight running for the door of a restaurant, would you open the door and let him out? I hope you said no, or I'm going to smack you. DON'T OPEN THE DOOR! Small child running + open door + no parent = small child in parking lot potentially getting hit by a car.
Several times a year, this happens to us. Ellie and Emma did it and now Sam does it. The running child would slide out of the booth and take off for the door before I could even get to the edge of the seat and stand up (one reason I don't care for booths). Said kid would be out of sight in a flash. Pretty much every damned time it happened, some moron opened the door for the kid.
Most of the time it isn't the restaurant staff. We eat out often enough that most of them around here recognize us and won't let the errant child out the door (the teenaged hostesses at Logan's are the main exception).
It is almost always a man that opens the door. Maybe it is just so ingrained into them that it is rude not to open a door that they can't help it. But when the person you are helping is three feet tall and doesn't weigh enough to push the door open by himself, maybe, just maybe, it could occur to you to not let the kid escape? And then perhaps I wouldn't have to look like a dumbass running pell mell through a restaurant trying to catch my kid. Please?
On the other hand, I could just put a leash on all the kids so they can't run away from us. It might save us all a headache.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Syber bullying
Yes, that "S" is deliberate. If you know what it means, fuck off the whole lot of you.
Clearly, I have invested way too much time and emotional energy in a bunch of faceless bitches on a message board since the shit flinging I've attracted over all the stuff with Maggie and now our interest in buying Hope has cut entirely too deep for my own liking. Time to find something else to do with my time for a while.
Clearly, I have invested way too much time and emotional energy in a bunch of faceless bitches on a message board since the shit flinging I've attracted over all the stuff with Maggie and now our interest in buying Hope has cut entirely too deep for my own liking. Time to find something else to do with my time for a while.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
My Hopes and Dreams
So, we've been horse shopping. Yes it has only been a week and a half since Maggie died, but I could see no reason to just sit on my thumbs and wait some indefinite length of time. Besides, looking at new faces has helped me to deal with my grief for Maggie. She isn't forgotten and never will be, but it is time for me to move on.
I miss riding, as it had been several weeks since I had ridden Maggie before she died. I miss having a velvety soft nose to rub that is mine, not borrowed. I miss having those ears that perk up when I come around and eyes that light up and that nicker that says "Hello! Where have you been?" Hell, I miss Maggie. I hate that I will never get to see her shed out this spring, that I will never take her trail riding. But she is gone, and tomorrow is another day.
So, we went horse shopping yesterday. D and I had 3 stops on our list with 5 horses between them. I rode some very nice horses and had two that I could have brought home and been thrilled with.
One was a little, short black 14 yr old Walking Horse gelding. Very laid back, kid safe, been there-done that. He responded nicely, but nothing seemed to bother him. He's had a lot of years of teaching kids how to ride.
The other was a taller, pale dappled gray Walking Horse mare. A smidgen less laid back at first, but she also had a bunch of dogs running in circles around her. That's enough to make any horse antsy. But, the dogs were put up and she quickly calmed down. Beautiful ride, nice energetic walk. She's had 2 yrs of professional show level training and several years of trail experience. She is very sensitive in her mouth and seat and was just a pleasure to ride. And I think she would force me into being a better rider, whereas the other fellow is so laid back that my skills could never improve and I'd be just dandy on him.
So, I really dithered over it. I was seriously thinking that I wanted a shorter horse this time. I was a'hint the do' when legs were being handed out, as my grandmother would say. In other words, I've got short legs, even for being short. I don't think I'll ever be able to mount 16 hands without a step. But 14 hands, now I could probably do that.
So, of course who have I decided to make an offer on? The taller mare. She is about Maggie's size, so I figure that I'll be able to mount without the step at some point. But I just really enjoyed the ride and really am looking forward to improving my skills with her. She's not more than I can handle, but enough to make me pay attention and not just hang on for the ride. And the girls just love her color.
And her name? Hopes and Dreams. Hope is her barn name. I thought it fitting in a way, because I had felt so much like my hopes and dreams had been shattered when I lost Maggie. And now I have Hope.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
I'm bending my own rules
I don't do antibacterial cleaners (I do use antiviral tissues, though) and don't, as a rule, use cleaning wipes. I use a dilutable cleaner and a cloth. But, I've had 3 colds back to back, we've had that strange stomach bug, the girls have been coughing their heads off for weeks, so the rules are out the window.
Today I'm scrubbing and cleaning and wiping everything down with Clorox wipes, which are antibacterial and antiviral. Rules be damned, I'm tired of being sick.
Today I'm scrubbing and cleaning and wiping everything down with Clorox wipes, which are antibacterial and antiviral. Rules be damned, I'm tired of being sick.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
This and that
We have the crud. (Mostly I'm just jabbering to get Maggie's picture to move down. I cry every time I look at it.)
I'm not sure exactly what kind it is, but we have it. The three of us girls are coughing. Sunday night I started running a fever and had the godawfulest stomach cramps. I would have been quite happy to throw up if it would have made it go away. Never puked, though. Stomach cramps continued off and on yesterday. I woke up feeling 90% better today.
Last night, Em had a fever and she's home with me today. She was complaining about a stomach ache Friday and Saturday. Ellie had a fever a week ago and she has complained about a stomach ache in the last week, too. I talked to the manwhore earlier and he's planning to come home from work because apparently he's got it now, too.
So far, Sam is the only one who hasn't come down with it, although he fussed about his stomach hurting late last week, too. He never had a fever, though.
On the horse front, we are slowly looking for another horse. I know it will make it easier to move on if we have another long face looking at us over the fence. I'm still reeling and guilty and grieving and pissed and just all around missing my sweet girl. I know she wasn't so sweet towards the end, but I know I will spend the rest of my life wondering if we did the right thing, even though the vet told us we were making the right decision.
I confess that my house looks like I've spent a week curled up crying over my horse and curled up holding my stomach. Eek!
I'm not sure exactly what kind it is, but we have it. The three of us girls are coughing. Sunday night I started running a fever and had the godawfulest stomach cramps. I would have been quite happy to throw up if it would have made it go away. Never puked, though. Stomach cramps continued off and on yesterday. I woke up feeling 90% better today.
Last night, Em had a fever and she's home with me today. She was complaining about a stomach ache Friday and Saturday. Ellie had a fever a week ago and she has complained about a stomach ache in the last week, too. I talked to the manwhore earlier and he's planning to come home from work because apparently he's got it now, too.
So far, Sam is the only one who hasn't come down with it, although he fussed about his stomach hurting late last week, too. He never had a fever, though.
On the horse front, we are slowly looking for another horse. I know it will make it easier to move on if we have another long face looking at us over the fence. I'm still reeling and guilty and grieving and pissed and just all around missing my sweet girl. I know she wasn't so sweet towards the end, but I know I will spend the rest of my life wondering if we did the right thing, even though the vet told us we were making the right decision.
I confess that my house looks like I've spent a week curled up crying over my horse and curled up holding my stomach. Eek!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
In Memorium Sundust Maggie
April 20, 1991 - February 12, 2009Though we knew you but a short time, you were so loved. I had been waiting for you for so long. Three short months wasn't enough time. You'll be missed for the rest of my life.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tomorrow is Vet day for Maggie
We will be trailoring Maggie to the vet tomorrow morning. Her appointment is at 10:30. Please keep us in mind, send some good vibes, whatever.
I'll update when I know something.
I'll update when I know something.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
From the biggest horse to the smallest
So usually when the girls are having a riding lesson, they ride Random, who is a 16H tall paint quarter horse who is a retired hunter jumper. Translation: she's pretty damned big. I have to stand on a barrel to get on her. Even the step isn't tall enough.
Today, Emma had a lesson on Random and then we hung around to watch H work with one of the mini horses, Knee High. Knee High is coming 4, unbroken, never had a person on her back, ever. And she only like 8 or 9H, I guess? H flapped a bareback pad, stirrups, bridle in her face and Knee High just stood there. Put it on her, Knee High just stood there. Did some walk, trot, canter work, and Knee High just did her thing and paid no attention to the stirrups banging or the bit in her mouth.
So, I asked Emma if she wanted to ride Knee High and she took off running for her helmet. She hopped up on Knee High and we went around the round pen several times with Knee High on the lead line and me holding onto Em. Soon I was standing in the middle taking pics and eventually we had Knee High off the lead line.
She really didn't know what to do with the signals from the reins but she walked along pretty as you please around the edge of the round pen and never batter an eye at having a rider. She is such a fabulous little horse.
Today, Emma had a lesson on Random and then we hung around to watch H work with one of the mini horses, Knee High. Knee High is coming 4, unbroken, never had a person on her back, ever. And she only like 8 or 9H, I guess? H flapped a bareback pad, stirrups, bridle in her face and Knee High just stood there. Put it on her, Knee High just stood there. Did some walk, trot, canter work, and Knee High just did her thing and paid no attention to the stirrups banging or the bit in her mouth.
So, I asked Emma if she wanted to ride Knee High and she took off running for her helmet. She hopped up on Knee High and we went around the round pen several times with Knee High on the lead line and me holding onto Em. Soon I was standing in the middle taking pics and eventually we had Knee High off the lead line.
She really didn't know what to do with the signals from the reins but she walked along pretty as you please around the edge of the round pen and never batter an eye at having a rider. She is such a fabulous little horse.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Small update
So, we've got an appointment to take Maggie to the vet. It's not until next week, though. Such is the thing when you deal with a large equine hospital. She's safe enough for the time being. She has been separated from the other horses to protect the other owners and D. I went to see her briefly today and cried all the way home. This on top of crying all evening yesterday.
The vet has said that the only thing he can think of that could cause this kind of behavior is an ovarian tumor. The fix is surgery. There is the slight chance (based on my own research) that it could be an ulcer or hypothyroidism. Of the three, well, I don't know what to hope for.
There is the chance that they won't be able to find anything wrong with her. This I am not hoping for, because then she is just a dangerous horse and we could be faced with the prospect of having her put down. I would not sell her knowing that she is dangerous. Even if the person I sold her to could handle her, there is nothing to prevent that person from selling her to someone with kids and someone could be hurt or killed. I won't take that chance.
Keep your fingers crossed for us.
The vet has said that the only thing he can think of that could cause this kind of behavior is an ovarian tumor. The fix is surgery. There is the slight chance (based on my own research) that it could be an ulcer or hypothyroidism. Of the three, well, I don't know what to hope for.
There is the chance that they won't be able to find anything wrong with her. This I am not hoping for, because then she is just a dangerous horse and we could be faced with the prospect of having her put down. I would not sell her knowing that she is dangerous. Even if the person I sold her to could handle her, there is nothing to prevent that person from selling her to someone with kids and someone could be hurt or killed. I won't take that chance.
Keep your fingers crossed for us.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
I guess I jinxed myself
Shortly after I wrote the last post, D (the barn owner) called and told me that Maggie attacked her again. This is beyond her experience and I don't know what we are going to do.
Looking better
The weather being what it is, we've only been able to work Maggie twice since she attacked two people. She's doing better. Hasn't attacked anyone else since then. Two lessons in the round pen of "You will move your feet when I say move or else!" have done some good, but we have plenty more to go.
She's lost 200 lbs since we got her in Oct, too, and she is at a good, healthy weight. Now she needs some muscle and that will come with exercise. You can tell she has hips, ribs and withers now.
The aren't the best shots, because she moved just as I snapped the pics both times.
She's lost 200 lbs since we got her in Oct, too, and she is at a good, healthy weight. Now she needs some muscle and that will come with exercise. You can tell she has hips, ribs and withers now.
The aren't the best shots, because she moved just as I snapped the pics both times.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Higgy Birthday Bad!
Happy Birthday to the Manwhore! Here's some birthday card love from Emma to him.
Ellie made him a card, too, but I can't find it. I'll add it when I find it.
Ellie made him a card, too, but I can't find it. I'll add it when I find it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I think my horse has gone bonkers
3 days in a row, Maggie has attacked someone. Twice she has gone after the barn manager and today she went after her former owner (who is now boarding her horses at the same place we are). Yesterday, D, the barn owner/manager called me all huffing and puffing and told me that Maggie had gone after her when she was carrying hay to the mini horses. Maggie bit D's ear and then turned and kicked her twice. Today Maggie went after her former owner (who owns the minis) and knocked her down.
We're all just flabbergasted because she has never acted this way before. My kids won't be getting back on her for a while, until we can do some ground work with her and figure out what the hell is up with her.
We're all just flabbergasted because she has never acted this way before. My kids won't be getting back on her for a while, until we can do some ground work with her and figure out what the hell is up with her.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Winter
I'm done with it. I'm tired of being cold. And I'm tired of days on end of low-lying, gray clouds. I'm ready for warm breezes, sunshine, buttercups and butterflies.
That is all.
That is all.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dogs and cats
It is so funny to watch the dogs and cats interact. The dogs both seem to have terminal adha and the cats, of course, are calm and aloof. When they are in the house together, it is quite the scene.
The dogs: Omgomgomgomgomgomg petme petmepetme! AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! You petted me. Oh look, a catheycatcomeplaywithme. Playwithmeplaywithmeplaywithme! I'm gonna poke you with my nose. Play with me, pleaaaaaaasseeee! Play with me! I'm gonna poke you again, whoah! Don't hit me, I'm gonna go away now.
The cat (hasn't even noticed the dogs yet): Open the door bitch. What do you mean you haven't gotten my food out yet? The service around here is severly lacking. Oh now you decide to feed me. Let's go, bitch, hurry up, can't you see I'm starving here?
The cat notices the dogs: What do you mean poking me in the butt, bitch? Can't you see I'm demeaning the help here? Oh no you did not just poke me again. Bitch, I will cut you if you don't leave me alone.
The dogs: Sheesh, can't even ask a fellow to play without getting smacked. We'll just go sulk in the crate for a bit.
The cat (has forgotten about the dogs): Hurry up, bitch, I'm starving here. Let's go. Finally. Move so I can eat and don't let this ever happen again.
The dogs: Omgomgomgomgomgomg petme petmepetme! AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! You petted me. Oh look, a catheycatcomeplaywithme. Playwithmeplaywithmeplaywithme! I'm gonna poke you with my nose. Play with me, pleaaaaaaasseeee! Play with me! I'm gonna poke you again, whoah! Don't hit me, I'm gonna go away now.
The cat (hasn't even noticed the dogs yet): Open the door bitch. What do you mean you haven't gotten my food out yet? The service around here is severly lacking. Oh now you decide to feed me. Let's go, bitch, hurry up, can't you see I'm starving here?
The cat notices the dogs: What do you mean poking me in the butt, bitch? Can't you see I'm demeaning the help here? Oh no you did not just poke me again. Bitch, I will cut you if you don't leave me alone.
The dogs: Sheesh, can't even ask a fellow to play without getting smacked. We'll just go sulk in the crate for a bit.
The cat (has forgotten about the dogs): Hurry up, bitch, I'm starving here. Let's go. Finally. Move so I can eat and don't let this ever happen again.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Dinner time at my house
Yesterday as I was surveying the pantry trying to decide what was going to be for dinner, I realized that I had the makings of white bean chicken chili. Yum. I love it. I would love to know how Ruby Tuesday's makes theirs because it is delish and mine is never quite the same. I'm always tinkering with how I make it, too, trying to get it just right.
So, I set out the basic ingredients:
Then I got to chopping and cooking.
Everything in the pan at last and let it simmer for a while. It smelled yummy, of course. Excuse the mess on the stove, it bubbled over a bit.
The result topped with cheese and sour cream like any good chili should be:
The reactions (Ignore the manwhore in the background. He knows he'd better fucking eat what I put in front of him if he wants to stay on my good side, ie get laid ever again. This isn't his favorite meal either.):
Ellie wouldn't even taste it. Feel that disgust coming through the screen?
Emma says she tried it and I think she ate a bite or two. She mostly ate bread.
And the Samster:
He's not so sure about it, but wait....
A clean spoon! He didn't eat an entire bowl, either, but he ate about half of it. He's got a cold, so he's off the hook.
Oh well, more leftovers for me.
So, I set out the basic ingredients:
Then I got to chopping and cooking.
Everything in the pan at last and let it simmer for a while. It smelled yummy, of course. Excuse the mess on the stove, it bubbled over a bit.
The result topped with cheese and sour cream like any good chili should be:
The reactions (Ignore the manwhore in the background. He knows he'd better fucking eat what I put in front of him if he wants to stay on my good side, ie get laid ever again. This isn't his favorite meal either.):
Ellie wouldn't even taste it. Feel that disgust coming through the screen?
Emma says she tried it and I think she ate a bite or two. She mostly ate bread.And the Samster:
He's not so sure about it, but wait....
A clean spoon! He didn't eat an entire bowl, either, but he ate about half of it. He's got a cold, so he's off the hook.Oh well, more leftovers for me.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Happy America!
Good luck, President Obama!
I'm so verklempt, I can't think of anything else to say. Happy history making day to us all!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A shout out
I want to give a nice little shout out to my cousin Jennifer. She has been designing my banners for me. The extent of my website design skills is limited to downloading free wallpapers from other places, so I bow to her ability to make banners to match for me. Rock on wid' yo bad self, girl!
And when I am a published writer, I'll be calling on you to help me design an actual website.
And when I am a published writer, I'll be calling on you to help me design an actual website.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Welcome to the 21st century!
AKA, Guess who finally got a digital camera? From now on, my blog shall be made much more interesting with the addition of many more pictures! Yay! See, look, the dogs:
What shall the future hold?
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