Happy Halloween!!

Our little Tricksters will be on a sugar high for a few weeks after all the fun they've had these past several days. I uploaded some photos of them in their costumes here and here if you'd like to take a look.

HORRORSCOPES

Ascaryus (Jan 20-Feb 18): This Halloween looks to be a scary one for you. But before you go around crying, "Ooooh, I want my mummy! I want my mummy!" think about this: You want more lovin’, right? Well, if you run around like a scaredycat, you will, to quoth the raven, "Neverscore."

Pieces (Feb 19-Mar 20): Vampires are evil, hypnotic people who will emerge in the night and drain you. Sounds like someone I used to date. You need to be careful because you may have closed the metaphoric coffin lid on a relationship, only to find that this person will rise from the graveyard of your heart to worm their way back into your life. One word of advice from "Buffy The Vampire Slayer": A vampire can only come in if you invite them.

Scaries (Mar 21-Apr 19): You've got to pick up every stitch this Halloween because, unless I miss my guess, it must be the Season of the Witch. If only every holiday could be commemorated with a bad Donovan song. Wouldn't it be great, on Thanksgiving, to sit around the table, giving thanks for the bounty we are to receive by singing a rousing round of "Mellow Yellow"? That is truly the most horrifying thought you can be faced with this Halloween.

Tarot (Apr 20-May 20): Sure, you ladies have been looking for some lovin'. But you don't want to go for just any Tom Dick and Harry. And heaven forfend you go for any Jack you find, especially when that Jack is some hollow-headed grinning gap-toothed idiot. But then again, despite his weird exterior, if you look inside, you'll see a flame burning bright. This might be the season of the witch, but if you try not to act so witchy and look past the odd exterior, you'll find hidden depths in the ugliest places..

OnlyOneEye (May 21- Jun 20): Horror is in the eye of the beholder, whether that eye be bloodshot and yellow, peering at you from the shadows of the night, or whether the eye is a horrible dismembered giant radioactive eye. What is truly scary? A werewolf? A werewolf is not so much a horrible half-man half-beast as a chronic undershaver. A headless horseman is just the victim of a particularly bad hair day. In much the same way, you can find the brighter side of anything that comes your way, no matter how horrific or annoying.

Dancer (Jun 21-Jul 22): Scary is relative, and we don't just mean your crazy relatives who threaten to come visit for six weeks, but rather the idea that whereas a movie with monsters made out of cardboard boxes and paper mache may have been the scariest thing you'd ever seen when you were eight, it now looks like crap. You must get over your initial fears of a new project or relationship; although it seems insurmountable now, if you stick with it, you will eventually be able to overcome it.

Tao (Jul 23-Aug 22): Frankenstein's monster was, of course, made out of the parts of a couple dozen other people, which must have been hell when it came to custody hearings. Nothing's more awkward at a family reunion than having one-tenth of Cousin Harry show up at the buffet. You, too, feel like you're being pulled in twenty different directions, but you'll soon receive the jolt you'll need to get on your feet again.

Vertigo (Aug 23-Sep 22): Pity the poor skeleton who wanders around on Halloween, looking so unfashionable in all-white a full two months after Memorial Day. Of course, he can't help it, and he is actually successful in the love department; after all, he is "ribbed" for her pleasure. This week you'll find that you attract more flies with honey than even dead zombie flesh, and being inherently nice to the opposite sex will make them flock to you like vultures to a skeleton.

Webra (Sep 23-Oct 22): Zombies are pretty well-known for trying to suck the brains out of people's heads. As was every high school algebra teacher I ever had. Coincidence? Considering that those people were always pale on the point of being green, had trouble communicating more than moans and incoherent screams, and had awkward, stumbling walks down the hallway, I think it's lucky I escaped without some horrible "Night of the Living Dead scenario." You escape a horrific fate worse than death , if you can steer clear of boring people at parties.

Scareio (Oct 23-Nov 21): You think you're being slick, but the truth is that you're like a ghost; people can see through you, and all the noise you're making is more effective scaring small children and dogs than actually doing anything. It's time to leave your old haunts and take care of that grave matter that's all your vault.

Sekeltarious (Nov 22-Dec 21): Boo! Scared ya!

Capricandycorn (Dec 22-Jan 19): You're in the zone this week! The Twilight Zone, that is, and it's going to be a creepy thrill ride with an incredibly ironic twist at the end that serves as a commentary on our mixed-up Cold War nuclear society. Don't let the creepy situations you get yourself into this week get you skittish. Let them get you Skittles; why not go Trick-or-Treating? It's fun to dress up, get given stuff, and not have to give ten percent to a big guy named Huggy Bear. And Halloween candy doesn't count as calories!

Ha!

Down south, Bubba called his attorney and asked, "Is
It true they's suin them cigarette companies fer causin
People to git cancer ?"

"Yes, Bubba, sure is true," responded the lawyer.

"And now someone is suin them fast food restaurants
Fer makin them eit fat an cloggin their arteries with all
Them burgers an fries, is that true, Mista Lawyer?"

"Sure is, Bubba."

"And that lady sued McDonalds for millions when she
Was gave that hot coffee that she ordered?"

"Yep."

"And that football player sued that university when he
Gradiated and still couldn't read?"

"That's right," said the lawyer."
"But why are you asking?"

"Well, I was thinkin .. . . What I want to know is, kin
I sue Budweiser fer all them ugly women I slept with?"

Ornament Exchange

Jerri's doing an ornament/card exchange over at her place and she wanted me to let ya'll know in case you wanted to participate. Click here to surf on over and check it out.

I Remain Frustrated and Furious

The meeting on Wednesday was a total waste of time except for the fact that he has a certain diagnosis of ADHD but things didn't go as I had hoped and I feel as though we're only up to step 1 1/2, maybe. The psychiatrist's attitude was sort of, "Let's get this over with so I can get out of this hellhole." She met with Zach for 15 minutes or so, met with Jami and Zach for 10 minutes, then sent them out with a prescription for Welbutrin. I was not given a chance to even talk to her, much less, be able to ask my questions and voice my concerns. I gave the prescription to the receptionist and told her we wouldn't be needing further appointments and I'd sign forms to have his records sent to our family doctor.

The place was more or less another one of the assembly line care centers that we're so graced with here in the delta and it pisses me right OFF!

To round out the day of disappointments, we got Zach's 9 week grades. He had A's and B's in every subject except for Math, and that was a big fat F. I've known for 9 weeks that he's been stuggling the most with 4th grade math, why else would I be spending hours, upon hours making him worksheets for practice, going over and over the areas where I see he's having the most problems? His teacher also knows that he's struggling with math (not with the basic problems, but those that take more than 1 or 2 steps to solve) and in order to let me know that she knows I get this little, short, report that says he's enrolled in a computer assisted course called Math Concepts and Skills for 10 whole minutes each day!

Now I could be wrong, but I am thinking that if I spend 4 to 5 hours working with him each day, this 10 minutes of computer assisted instruction isn't going to do the trick. Ya think? I'm getting all fired up here folks. I feel like a momma bear with a cub who's in danger and I'm about ready to bite some heads off.

Anyway, I'm taking Zach to see the family doctor again as soon as we can get an appointment next week. I'm going to gather up all my research and get ready to get down to business to see if there's not something that can be done to help this child and I'm not going be afraid to step on as many toes, or heads, as it takes!

Oh, and before I forget,

Happy Halloween Ya'll!!

No Rest for the Wicked

Jethro

I had thoughts of snuggling back down this morning but those were very quickly dashed by the rumbling noises coming from the ancient cotton picker in the 20 acre test plot of cotton that joins us to the south. Normally these experiment guys don't get in much of a hurry to do their farm-ly chores so I guess the threat of rain has put the hitch in their pants today.

Ah well, the living room floor needed vaccuming anyway.

The school Halloween Carnival went off without a hitch and I expect the Athletic Department (AKA the football team) raked in some big bucks over the activities from the past week. I know it lightened my pocketbook a tad. Zach wagged home around 5 lbs of the most useless candy that could be had,,you'd think if they were going to keep the dental association in business, they'd at least make it a family affair and put some good chocolate stuff in there for Nanaws, huh? He also, with the utmost care, (at least as much as an active 9 yr old can care) brought home his prize goldfish. I'm not sure who thought up THAT bright idea for a prize but I'm going to be on the lookout for them and think of appropriate revenge.

Where does one put a goldfish when one is not prepared to adopt a goldfish? Luckily this Nanaw cans her tomatoes every year so Mr. Goldfish spent his first night at his new home in a quart canning jar. Don't laugh, so far it seems that this fishy is the only one that we know of that survived the night, other fishy prize winners have told us that they've been having numerous fish funerals.

Since Jethro (aka Mr. Goldfish) survived his tight confines overnight, we made a side trip to Walmart to buy a fish bowl yesterday, and since no fish bowl was to be had there, we ended up spending $20 bucks on a desktop aquarium home for the little fella. You do the figures, $1 goldfish - $20 goldfish home, we're spoiling him already so he'd better not die or this could get to be a very expensive prize here.

Later on today there's Zach's first appointment with his psycologist. Ya'll wish us luck cause he's hinted that his report card (that they'll be getting today also) is going to be sporting a big, fat, F in Math. This would upset me much more if I didn't know how hard he's worked to do this stuff and how hard I've worked to help him learn it. I hope these folks can help us cause I will surely die of exhaustion and a broken heart if they don't!

Blinded by The Light

I was cold and still sleepy after Zach left for school this morning so I snuggled down on the couch and drifted off to sounds of the Today Show. Suddenly this light appeared behind my eye lids.

My asleep brain: Whoa, is this THE light? It can't be The light, my feet are still cold.

My trying to wake up brain: Don't be so stupid, go back to sleep.

My asleep brain: But look, it keeps getting brighter and brighter. Something's going on here.

My trying to wake up brain: Well, if you don't believe me, open your eyes, but that's going to mess up this great nap we're taking.

My asleep brain: This is too cool, but it's getting so bright it's uncomfortable in here.

My trying to wake up brain must have given up the argument at this point because I opened my eyes to see the sun glaring through the kitchen blinds, directly into my eyes, as I lay there snoozing on the living room couch. I quickly shut them but the moment was gone and I got up from my warm spot and greeted the day. Again.

Doncha just hate it when you think you might be having an other-worldly experience and life wakes you up?

Haunted Trail

this little pumpkin had a great time.

I think the kids had a good time but I wore out long before they did.



I also took some photos of Zach's friends who went with us but I forgot to ask permission to post them. I'll try to remember to ask and will post them later if I can.


One of Zach's classmates made this little cuties to sell for their carnival. Aren't they the sweetest little things? Who knew you could make such sweet ghosts from flour and salt clay?

Little Bits and AT&T Still Sucks

This danged dial up is still giving me grief. The lines are so bad out here that early in the mornings I can't even log on because the noise on the lines is so bad. That sucks because lately early mornings are the best times for me to log on for any length.

Now for recent news updates from my spot in the delta.

I'd searched and searched for this photo of Jordan and Jaylen to put in my webshots album and finally found it. Trish gave it to me a couple of months ago and I love it. Jordan and Jaylen are doing exceptionally well in school and aren't giving their momma too awful much grief. (Are they Trisha?) Jordan is about done with the fall softball (I think) and is busy now with youth basketball.

The Chick had a nasty ear infection last week but other than it making her a little cranky, she's been going about business as usual. She takes a dance class on Tuesday afternoons and a tumbling class on Wednesdays. She's at her Auntie Cindy's this weekend so they can go to the State Fair.

Jilly Beans has been sick this week and even stopped eating for a day or two. This is something that makes her Momma worry a lot because this baby really loves some groceries! She came to visit us last night while Jerri and Bubbie went to a ball game and she and Zach had a great time. She discovered (all on her own) how much fun it is to stand on the gliding foot stool for a little dryland surfing even though it puts a few extra gray hairs on her Nanaw's head.

Zach has been busy with homework (which is still giving his Nanaw a major headache) and with the activities his class has to do for the school's Halloween Carnival this week. Thank goodness the carnival is Monday night so our pocketbook will have a rest after that.

MeriKate has been having headaches every day so Jami took her to see the family doctor this week. They did a CAT scan and found there are some problems with her sinses left over from the accident she was in a couple of years ago. They are sending her back to Children's Hospital in Little Rock as soon as an appointment can be set up.

Krysten and Abby are both doing great in school and Abby doesn't even fuss so much about having to go anymore. For awhile there, she was hating the whole idea of school. Krysten is in 2nd grade this year and is already reading at 5th grade level, she loves books.

Our young neighbor, Jessie, came by with a friend last night to show us her Halloween getup. I didn't have a chance to snap a shot of the look on Jillian's face when she saw the girls, but I wish I had.

Tonight the little park/hiking trail nearby is hosting a "haunted trail" for the kiddies in the area to trick-or-treat. Zach is looking forward to it and hopefully I'll be able to snap a few shots of the entertainment. (ha!) Monday night we'll be at the school Halloween carnival and I plan to have a seat at the Bingo game for however long it takes to win a prize. I haven't been lucky enough to in the past but maybe this year's the year! Then, Saturday night, Jessie is having a Halloween party. She always invites all our babies to the event and they're all really looking forward to it.

Well, that's it for now. I hope all is well in your neighborhood this weekend!

Dragging

Please excuse my lack of posts here lately. I'm trying, I really am, but even mudane things are becoming mountains these days and I just get too tired to think.

James has been home for the past 3 days, harvest is done, and there will be a little field work to keep him busy for a few more weeks,,, but not enough, so my winter insanity may be starting early. I'm not sure I can make it through till spring without doing someone bodily harm.

Put In My Place

I was raised to believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion but this doesn't entitle them to be ugly about it. I've always kept this part of my raising in mind when stating my opinion about any matter of things that may come up in a conversation and just such a conversation occurred the other day that caused me to have to dig deep to take a firm hold of this advice to keep from becoming really ugly.

My husband has an uncle who's the type who'll take anything and turn it into an argument. He's been married about 4 or 5 times and the more I think about it, the more I realize the women probably left him in order to keep themselves out of prison for murder, because the man is an arrogant ass. Actually, he's an ignorant, arrogant ass, and he reminds me so much of my father and oftentimes, my husband.

An ignorant, arrogant, ass is someone who has an opinion about something and insists that their opinion is the only correct opinion that can be true about it. The ignorant adjective is used in order to describe their certainty that they know all the facts about the subject because they read it in a newspaper article once or on the NBC nightly news. (Modern day IAAs have often read one article from an internet site). I'm not saying that there is not much to be learned from such sources but the IAA mostly only uses ONE source in order to make their decision in a matter because they're more interested in having their say and having you agree with them than they are in the truth about anything.

Ok, now for the conversation.

While sitting in the kitchen waiting for time for the visiation for the uncle who is deceased, I was talking with an older lady, man, and my mother-in-law. We were mostly just making small talk but one of them mentioned something about the war in Iraq and how they sure hoped it wouldn't turn out to be another Viet Nam. IAA uncle, who hadn't been doing anything other than his usual staring into his coffee cup, suddenly jumped up from the table and shouted, "I was there! The Viet Nam war was what it was because of YOU people, YOU protested, YOU didn't let us finish the job over there, YOU are to blame for it!"

I almost started laughing at the man. It was such a shock to see someone actually behave like that in front of folks who weren't family, but I noticed how the older lady across the table from me kind of turned pale, over being shouted at like that, so I quickly changed the subject.

Then later on I screwed up and said I didn't like Bush and the man started shouting at me "for being so stupid, and women like me were the reason women shouldn't be allowed to vote!"

In a calm voice I told him that I thought he was in dire need of a brain transplant, and a padded room, then excused myself before he could launch another tirade, and went outside to sit in the swing with my sister-in-law.

Has anyone else had a dressing down from their neighborhood IAA lately?

We Must Do Our Part to Prevent Terrorism

PLEASE DO YOUR PATRIOTIC DUTY ON SATURDAY

As you may already know, it is a sin for a Taliban or Al Qaeda male to see any woman, other than his wife, naked and that he must commit suicide if he does. (actually I didn't know this, hmmm).

So this Saturday at 4PM Eastern time, all American women are asked to walk out of their houses completely naked to help weed out any neighborhood terrorists. Circling the block for one hour is recommended for this anti-terrorist effort.

All men are to position themselves in lawn chairs in front of their house to prove that they are not Taliban or Al Qaeda, and to demonstrate that they think it is okay to see nude women other than their wives. To show support for all American women and since the Ta liban and Al Qaeda also do not approve of alcohol, a cold 6 pack at your side is further proof of your anti-terrorist sentiment. For good measure, have various pork products cooking on your BBQ grill.

The American government appreciates your efforts to root out terrorists and applauds your participation in this anti-terrorist activity.

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

IT IS YOUR PATRIOTIC DUTY TO PASS THIS ON.

My crazy cousin sent this to my email. I don't reckon he knows that it's supposed to be a good bit cooler by the weekend,,,,,oh wait,,,,maybe he does!

Moaning and a'groaning

I haven't had an ear ache since I was a kid,,, until now,,, and it's wrecking havoc on my beauty sleep. I have bags under my eyes big enough to pack all my clothes in and I'm a tad bit cranky (or maybe that stronger word would better describe it).

James's Uncle died early Sunday morning so I've been visiting with his aunt today and plan to go back tomorrow. She's 61 years old and she told me today that she's never spent a night alone in her whole life. I feel so bad for her.

I think I'm gonna hit the hay now. Hope everyone had a great Monday.

Cotton, Kids, and the 30 Minute Mile

A big, ol, fat, and fluffy bole of cotton.

The Chick's dusting off a little of the dust,,,but only a little.

Dust and dirt was put on earth especially for a baby's
little hands. Jilly beans is digging right in.

Zach and little Santos on the module builder.

My October sunflowers are a'bloomin again.

Last weekend Zach spent the day with James down on the farm, then on Sunday we went to a friend's farm so The Chick and Jilly Beans could play in the dirt. Today I took Zach back to spend the day in the field with his Pop-Pop, so for a few hours I'm foot loose and fancy free!

I hardly know what to do with myself so I'm not doing much at all.

I got behind a convoy of cotton pickers, bole buggies, and module builders on my way back from the farm around noon today. It didn't exactly take 30 minutes to travel a mile but it sure took a long time to go 8 miles with a traveling speed of just 20mph. They were too wide to get around on a 2 lane road with no shoulders, traveling much too close together, and generally being a pain in the pass!

Blue Thunder

We're finally having one day of Autumn weather and my feet are cold so I think it must be around 70 degrees.

Trish sent me an email a couple of days ago to tell me that Jordan's team, Blue Thunder, has been ranked number one in the NationalFast-Pitch Girls 8 & Under BRankings Report. Their team has only been playing fast-pitch softball for a couple of months so I think they're doing pretty danged good!

Labeling Students and other stuff

First of all, I wanted to mention that I spent quite some time yesterday trying to figure out why my clothes dryer wouldn't turn on before I finally put myself at the mercy of Sears' Repair Service. It seems that if you're having warranty work done (the dryer is only 8 months old), you can't expect a time frame for a service call that's any closer than "he'll be there between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow." To me, this generalized time frame means that I'd best not climb into shower or bath, go to the toilet for longer than 30 seconds, or leave the house for any reason, in case the repairman should arrive, or call.

Luckily, or not, the man arrived before 8 a.m. and was out of here by 8:15, after unscrewing two screws to replace a bad switch. Not expecting him THAT early, because normally repairmen never, in my experience, seem to get on the job too early, I was still in my nightshirt and boxer shorts, with a wild, pony-tailed, hair-do.

His day can only get better now cause he's already experienced the worst. But hey, the dryer's now working!

Now on to the labeling thingy.

Last evening, Jessie, the 12 yr old from next door, came over to borrow some dog food. Zach and I were trying to figure out Zach's math homework, which was algebraic expressions, and I asked her if she was taking pre-algebra in the 7th grade. She replied with, "yeah", and then went on to tell me that she was in the "smart" class. I asked her what she meant by "smart class" and she replied with, "There are 3, 7th grade groups, there's the smart class, the middle class, and then the dummies."

What the hell?????

Where on earth would a child get a notion like that? Is the school assigning labels to the students and placing them in groups to reflect this? I felt sick at my stomach to hear her words because I honestly believe that this is what they're being taught in our school.

I feel such sadness over the conversation and haven't been able to get it off my mind. How can they ever expect a child to do their best when less than their best is expected of them?

A Good Email Day

I love getting stuff like this in my email, especially things that I can relate to. Ha!

Important Words to Live By:

As I let go of my shoulds and feelings of guilt, I can get in touch with my Inner Sociopath.

I have the power to channel my imagination into ever-soaring levels of suspicion and paranoia.

I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault.

I no longer need to punish, deceive or compromise myself. Unless, of course, I want to stay employed.

In some cultures what I do would be considered normal.

Having control over myself is nearly as good as having control over others.

My intuition nearly makes up for my lack of good judgment.

I can change any thought that hurts into a reality that hurts even more.

I honor my personality flaws, for without them I would have no personality at all.

Joan of Arc heard voices too.

I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all those censorious, self-righteous people around me.