It would be Monday.

My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?,,,, Erma Bombeck

I really loved that lady. Martha just doesn't put it out there like that.

I was really, really, sleepy this morning when my gruff-voiced alarm clock announced the 6 a.m. hour so after I wrestled the terrorist through breakfast, teeth brushing, getting dressed, and bus boarding, I went back to bed for another couple of hours of sleep. It didn't help much, I still feel like the north end of a south bound mule.
Could be just because it's Monday although Monday's shouldn't be that much different for me than the other days of the week.

I did have a sweet note in my email this morning that made me laugh with delight, mainly cause I've been there and done that and without nearly so much patience.

Jerri to me:

I went to the bathroom today and while I was in there
I cleaned it and gathered up dirty laundry. When I
walked into the kitchen Alexis had covered herself and
the floor in baby powder. I was so mad, but had to laugh.
She looked at me like to see what my reaction was
gonna be and when I laughed she was relieved I think.
She said, "boo moma I am a ghost" and then she
started taking off her shorts and said, "I have to get
my butt white too." The kid is crazy!
After mopping up the powder cause it doesn't sweep well,
we made fudge. I told her don't lick the spoon til we are
finished cause no one wants to eat something that has
your slobber in it! I hate when people eat off of a
spoon and puts it back in the mix! yuck! Anyway I went
to put the box in the trash and when I turned around
she was casualy stirring the chocolate, and I said, "did
you lick the spoon?" and she replied with an oh so
serious, "no" but the chocolate smeared across her face
told a different story! I will send that pic later! I
have not put it on the puter yet!

Hugs, Jerri Alexis and Jillian

I have a headache.

And the bright, Fallish, background I had in here before wasn't helping it much so I decided to change things up a bit,,again. This one's easier on the eyes, don'cha think? I intend to spiff things up with some graphics someday too but I haven't been of a mind to try to figure out how to do that in this format yet. The differences in this template and the other one, that I'd had for a couple of years, is enough that it's like a new foreign language to me and I ain't never been good at no "furrin" languages.

Sometimes I reckon I've got a bit of the racoon or raven in me that causes the occasional, spontaneous urges I get for bright colors and "flowerdy" britches. (I have 1 pair of those britches and my kids just hate em.) And sometimes I have this yearning for a friend who'd wear red and purple with me so I could become an honest member of the Red Hat Society and not have to go at in solo. I know, in my heart, I'da been one of those saloon floozies if I'da been born back in the days of the wild west.

Red and Purple

Grandma's getting older and her eyes are getting dim
Her random access memory, is half of what its been.
When Saint Peter comes to call someday, She'll say I cant go yet.
He'll have to wait for Grandma, cause she's surfing on the net.

Pumkin in my closet.

The Chick (doing the "holding my pee-pee shuffle")

Nanaw: Do you need to go pee-pee on the pottie?

Chick: No.

Nanaw: You're holding yourself Alexis, you need to go potty.

Chick: Nooooo, there's a pumpkin in there.

Nanaw: There's no pumpkin in my bathroom, you need to go potty.

Chick: There's a scary pumkin in you closet!

Nanaw: Come on, Nannie will help you and I'll scare away the pumpkin if he's there.

The Chick goes potty, Nanaw looks in the closet and finds a pumpkin!!

It seems the Chick had taken a look in the closet the last time she'd gone to my bathroom and I have my little Halloween imp stored in there who has a pumpkin pocket on his cape. Every time you touch him he says stuff like "Happy Halloween" or "Boo! I scared you!". It's a wonder the child didn't pee all over herself!!

So Nanaw is now the Scary Pumpkin killing hero.



I'm going to write my letter to Santa soon to see if he'll bring me a camera that'll do justice to these beautiful moments.


At sunrise


At sunset


Dew kissed morning glory.

Jerri's been updating her site.

Thought I'd post the links to the new postings over at Jerri's site. There are new photos on the Chick's page, and Jillian's page and the holidays page.
She has also been sewing up some new kiddy clothes and has some great new stories about what the Chick has been up to.

If ya'll are of a mind to, you can go by here and give her your vote for her site.

I should give up.

I tend to get distracted when I'm doing most anything so it takes me 3 times as long to do distracting stuff like housework. This morning I was going to take some clothes out of the laundry room to hang them in the closet. I noticed the load of towels I'd folded earlier on the loveseat so I grabbed them in my spare arm. On the way through our bedroom I noticed there was about half an acre of dust on the ceiling fan in there, so I laid down the towels and went back to the kitchen for that nifty little swifter duster thingy. Going back into the bedroom I think,,"I'd better get an old sheet to put down so I won't have to vacuum all this stuff up and strip the bed", and I noticed the towels stacked on the edge of the dresser. I was still toting the clothes on hangers so I put down the duster thingy and grabbed the towels and went to put them away in closet and bathroom. I went to the hall and got an old sheet to catch the dust and then I couldn't find the duster thingy.

It was under the sheet that I'd spread out.

After I cleaned the 1/2 acre of topsoil off the fan blades it came to me, if this fan was ready for planting then the fan in the living room was probably ready to harvest, so I gathered up my sheet and headed for the outdoors to shake the dust out before going to dust the living room fan. On the way I put in a load of towels to wash, answered the phone (didn't want any handicapped lightbulbs), and finally make it to the door to see that it's raining cats and kittens out there. I have a dilemma cause I'm still holding a sheet full of 1/2 acre of soil and a swifter duster thingy.

What's there to do but shake the sheet out in the kitchen floor and sweep it up? So I did. Then I cleaned the fan in the living room and,, did it again.

Now I need to take out the bag of trash that weighs a ton but I think I'll wait till it stops raining because I could get pretty wet by getting distracted out there.

404 (haven't a clue)

When I got my first online capable computer back in 1997 the only thing I knew about the internet was that there were chat rooms where you could have conversations with people around the world by typing what you had to say. This sounded wayyyyyy cool to me so soon enough I was plugged in, plugged up, and made my first attempt at communication, Chat Style.

It only took me about 15 minutes (what can I say, I'm slow) to realize that, in order to carry on a conversation in this way, I was going to have to learn the language of Chat Abbreviations. I would see LOL, and BRB a lot and was wondering WTF was going on. I quickly learned the best way for me to reply to the question
a/s/l? was to respond with "old as dirt/sometimes/LA" since I figured this was a polite way of letting them know that not all of my business was to be shared. This also gave those folks that were always sending these requests for PMs to back off.

Back in those days there were only a few abbreviations to learn in order to be able to carry on a half-assed intelligent conversation (although sometimes I had my doubts there too). It's not so these days, the abbreviation list grows and my memory shortens so I rarely venture into a chat room anymore.

ADN chat abbreviations could be declared a new language, right along with Ebonics and redneckese. It would be a short-hand language for communication where you'd just have to know your ABCs and be able to memorize a list of abbreviations to replace whole sentences of the English language. Long gone would be the days when you not only had to learn how to read, but learn how to spell. Dick and Jane would never be the same.

CDR (See Dick run.)

CJR (See Jane run.)

CSRw/D&J (See Spot run with Dick and Jane.)

BWTHDIK? (But what the hell do I know?)

CUL8ER!!!!

"Babies and Gentlemen" and those of you who like braggin Nanaw photos,

Presenting,,,,,,The Chick and the Terrorist.

Bits and Bytes

No Debit Cards For Evacuees Outside Texas. Whoa! There was some misunderstanding going on with that deal from the beginning because the debit card thing was only for quick relief for the evacuees who were staying in Texas. Evacuees elsewhere will have to go through the correct channels to be given checks or debits to bank accounts.

My questions are, What banks? What bank accounts? And who's going to print all those checks for those without bank accounts? Are the New Orleans evacuees being aided with the millions contributed by the the rest of America or are the funds going into a "general account"?


Even amid the panic and destruction you'll find the sad, but sweet, humor of some situations.

Potbellied Pig Resists Evacuation.

It's another morning.

5:45 a.m.: Nanaw drags her tired, old, butt outta the bed and goes directly to the coffee pot, by feel, cause her eyes aren't open yet, grabs pancakes out of the freezer and tosses them into the microwave, sips coffee for the 2 minutes it takes to zap em then puts them on a plate and squirts some syrup on.

5:50 a.m.: Feels way to the laundry room and grabs shorts and shirt off of hangers and lays them out.

5:55 a.m.: Takes coffee to tiny puter room and connects to Internet by dial-up to read Headlines but it takes 10 more minutes for eyes to focus.

6:15 a.m.: Goes to wake theTerrorist from his boyish dreams.

6:16 a.m.: Goes again to wake Terrorist who's lagging in the bed.

6:17 a.m.: Goes, with threats of withholding Friday pep rally funds, to wake Terrorist. Terrorist awakens.

6:18 a.m.: Reminds Terrorist for the 3,450th time of the morning routine expectations,,,,,, Eat breakfast, brush teeth, wash face, get fully dressed.

6:40 a.m.: Goes to bathroom to get snoozing Terrorist outta the floor. Remind him about brushing teeth.

6:42 a.m.: Goes back to bathroom to find Terrorist dipping toothpastefree toothbrush into stream of water, make him actually put toothpaste ON toothbrush and insert into mouth and brush.

6:50 a.m.: Instructs Terrorist to get dressed.

6:52 a.m.: Instructs Terrorist to get dressed.

6:54 a.m.: Grabs belt and instructs Terrorist to get dressed.

6:59 a.m.: Terrorist dressed.

7:00 a.m.: Reminds Terrorist to watch for school bus.

7:05 a.m.: Pries Terrorist away from cartoons and out the door to wait for the bus.

Thank God there is school. Thank God there are teachers. Thank God for the school bus. Thank God for coffee.

Just one of those times.

What could go wrong, did, at the pageant last evening. Both my son and I bought the wrong tapes for the video recorder but we're hoping to get a copy from someone. The photo opts were not easy to come by because they wouldn't let us near the stage and then I had a horde of folks standing in front who wouldn't get their big heads out of the way. The lighting in there was HORRIBLE. I need a camera with a great zoom lens (Santa, are you listening to me?) Better micro capabilities would be nice too!

Our Chick didn't win but she sure did look cute up there on the stage. The only problem she had is that she wanted to sing and dance and wasn't too interested and the "just looking pretty" part. One of the ladies there told Jerri to put her in the talent show where her light could shine. The Chick loves to dance and she loves to be naked so her Daddy says, "We've just gotta keep her off the poles".

Anyway, here's the Chick.



I hope Jerri got some close-ups of her in that cute little dress. I'll post some later if she did.

Photo Alert

Abie, in the woods, in deep thought.


The Chick on stage with one of the local bands yesterday.

Feels like Monday

I had a weekend full of visits from little girls which ended with a mostly lazy day yesterday. I did stir a little around noon to answer the phone and talked to Trish for a few minutes. She'd enjoyed the holiday weekend without the girls and was trying to get herself geared up to head back to work today. I could hear the girls arguing in the background as we talked and it reminded me that I had "been there". But she's lucky for the most part since Jordan and Jaylen are very polite, and mostly well behaved, little imps (grin).

Jerri called around late afternoon to tell me of the Chick's latest antic. She took her to the Tri-County fair to look around a little and ride a few of the kiddy rides because the pageant is tonight and there won't be time for her to ride then.

Anyhow, Jilly was wanting a bottle so they sat at a table under one of the tents to feed her and there was a band playing on a little stage there. Chick kept trying to get on the stage and Jerri kept dragging her back so the lead band singer motioned for Jerri to let her go to see what she would do. Music is all it takes for that gal to put on her dancing shoes and she put on a show for the audience. When she got tired, she told the audience, "Thank-you ladies and gentlemen" and climbed off the stage cause she was thirsty. Jerri took some photos of her performance but hasn't sent them to me yet.

I've got my video camera charging now so I can tape the pageant for Jerri and I hope to get a hand free so I can take a few still shots. There's no telling what she'll entertain them with cause that child is a little clown.



I'd best go get my bath now so I can make a fast trip to town to go to the bank and try to remember to buy some video tapes.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Words of a Wise Man

There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they can make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs-- partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs. And there is a certain class of race problem-solvers who don't want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public.

,,,Booker T. Washington, 1911.

Many of these people such as Mr. Washington spoke of are spouting their diseased words as one of the most horrible tradgedies continues to unfold. They must be so proud. Many of the citizens of New Orleans have put their hard-to-come-by funds into the pockets of the same.
I wonder how much money the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition has donated to the Hurrican Katrina victims or how many Rev. Jackson gave rides to, in his car, when he left New Orleans the other day?

New Fuel Sign

I reckon these will be up all over the country pretty soon.
(I hope this danged thing shows up this time!)

We're a little slow down here but finally,,,,,

Memphis is finally waking up and beginning to do their part although Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton states that the Pyramid (known locally as the Tomb of Doom), which until recently, sat empty, can't be used to house evacuees due to the fact that Hollywood, to the tune of 6 million bucks, has leased it to make a movie. The old Mid-South Coliseum, where they plan to house them for a short time, is booked for shows later this month. They can't miss out on making a buck ya know.

And I'm proud as punch that our little county is doing what it can to help the folks that have wandered across the river here. I am much relieved that our southern hospitality isn't a failure after all.

Help Unite People

My DIL, Jerri, just sent me this link. It will take you to a bullentin board which was set up to help people find out news about loved ones and friends who were caught up in Hurricane Katrina.

Guard Bird

Ok, so he's not going to jump on someone and take a hunk outta their leg for messing with my property, but he does let me know when someone has pulled up in the drive, or is out in the yard. He can hear the school bus coming a mile away and lets me know that our Zach coming home. He's also a good teacher cause as soon as all the grandkids figure out that what he's doing to his perch and toy is not "playing", he'll save us that talk about the birds and the bees.

And he's also a damned good alarm clock!

I am furious!

I've been watching the news reports about the aftermath of hurricane Katrina with much sadness. Every station shows footage of the devastation left in the wake of one of the most destructive storms ever to come onshore in the U.S. When I saw video of the people looting in New Orleans and Biloxi I at first felt pity because I felt that perhaps they were hungry, and wet, and needed clothes and food, but after watching for awhile, I noticed that it wasn't only food and a few clothes these people were hauling by the arm loads out of the shops and stores.

Many of the evacuees have made their way north to our doorstep. Every hotel and motel in Eastern Arkansas, Northern Mississippi, Memphis, and many other areas, are full and beyond. The Grand Casino just across the river in Tunica, Mississippi has opened their doors and provided their grand ballroom for as many of the refugees as they can hold. Although safe from bodily harm, these people are running out of funds to pay for food and shelter and they have no idea when they'll be able to return home or even if they have a home to return to.

Although many of the hotels have reduced their rates for the evacuees, there have also been cases where they increased them "to keep the wrong sort of people out". It sickens me. I have to question why haven't they set aside a few rooms to offer these people at no charge? Had this tragedy not occurred they would have the empty rooms, right?

Another reason for my fury is an announcement made on Channel 3 news last night. They had to ask for many of the area churches to open their doors and their coffers to help. They had to ASK, people! There was a time when the Churches would have been the first in line to give aid in a tragedy such as this. What have our southern claims to Christianity become?

I'm proud to be a southerner with a southern claim to hospitality but at this moment I feel so ashamed.

Tis The Season

It's the time of year when the men folk around here are making their preparations for the arrival of the first Autumn hunting season. Guns are lovingly cleaned and polished, the spider webs are shaken from hunting coats, ammo belts, and game vests, and plots and plans are made to bring home meat for the table. A glow surrounds them and this strange gleam shines from their eyes as they gather to talk of their aim to kill the poor, defenseless, animals that they'll stalk for the next few months.

I have to tell you, most of the animals are fairly safe from the great hunters of this family because, although they profess skill as hunter-gatherers, we'd most likely starve if we had to depend on them to keep meat on the table. If, and when, they do bring home game, it is at great cost, so great that I believe I could have filled the freezer with a winter's worth of well cut, beef steaks for the same price.

For instance, dove hunting season begins this weekend and the projected expense is,,,

Sunflower seeds planted in May for a field for hunting, approx. $125.
New hunting license and a case of shotgun shells $ 80.
Insect repellent (cause those skeeters are rough this time of year) $10.
Incidentals $25.

Total: $240.

That'll be the cost of the meat for maybe 2 dinners made from the doves they'll kill. I do believe I could buy some fine beef for several dinners with $240.

Deer hunting season is even more expensive due to the costs of the deer stand, the arrows (for bow hunting with the $250 bow), the shells (for rifle hunting with a $700 rifle), the food and supplies for deer camp (if they go), the hand held GPS, at least 2 compasses, the atv, the gun case, gun sling, and don't forget the incidentals.

Is it worth the money? OH yeah, even if they don't bring home meat for the table, it's gotten them out of the house and out of my hair, and like I mentioned, the animals they hunt are mostly safe.


My thoughts and prayers are with the people in Lousiana and Mississippi who've had their worlds turned upside down and I hope John stayed safe!!

All cozy and safe here

current weather map

But those poor folks south of us are taking a beating right now.

I've been watching the weather on tv and on my puter and sending keep safe vibes down to John and Wanda who are coping with Hurricane Katrina. We'll get some of the weather off of this ole gal as she makes her way north but it'll depend on her track as to how much of the wind and rain we'll be having. It's the beginning of harvest time here and although my little acre needs a drink of water, the rice fields will suffer a big loss if we get too much rain, and especially, very much wind. The cotton harvest isn't too far off either so a lot of rain right now won't be a good thing for it.




Now, to answer the questions about the crappie we had for lunch on Saturday.

Crappie (pronounced croppie) are a fresh water, game fish that are plentiful in the lakes around here. The very biggest ones, that I've heard about, can weigh over 3lbs but I don't believe I own a frying pan big enough to cook one of those fellas. Most of the time James fillets them but we also like them fried whole (after scaling, gutting, and removing the heads). The flesh is white and flaky and soooooooooooo good!

What a nice day.

I awoke this morning around 9ish to the pitter-patter of rain pelting the roof. We've been dryer than a pop-corn fart so that was a beautiful sound and the fact that it felt many degrees cooler than it's been these past few weeks was another good beginning to the day.



Later in the morning the Chick came prancing in all dressed up as a pink princess followed by her Mommy, Daddy, and baby sister, Jillian. We had a late lunch, early dinner of fried catfish and crappie, with fries, hush puppies, a salad, and some sliced tomatoes and onions.

I'm still burping.


I took this photo of Zach and Willie late yesterday afternoon while they were resting after a game of fetch.

Useless

Most people have those rare days when they can't get motivated to do anything but it's the opposite for me lately, I get those rare days when I actually DO something.

Today ain't one of them.

Instead of brushing this hair that looks like I've been plugged into an outlet, I've been checking to see if I could be hypnotized.

I could.

Then I discovered the reason behind all of my meandering ways by going here.

Not surprising.

Then, just to pass a little more time before I make myself move to fold that waiting load of laundry, I made a movie and played another game.

I'd better go brush my hair and get that laundry folded or I'm going to grow to this chair.

Have a great weekend!

Sometimes it's just a shitty day.

I had to post this before I forgot to cause I love to pass fun things on to my friends.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/games/catchash1t.html

Thursday

I love it when I open my email and I have photos. Jerri snapped some new ones of the Chick and Jillian. Jilly will be 7 wks old tomorrow and weighs over 12 lbs already. The Chick started her dance class on Monday and LOVES it. Jerri said she was standing in the vestibule waiting for her to come out after class and all the little girls streamed out, but no Alexis. Finally, since all the other little girls had come out to their mommies already, she went in to find her. She was standing in front of the mirrors, still dancing.


I took this shot early the other morning. It's that time of the year, again, when I'm up before the sun.

You know you're sick when,,,,,

You're snorting, sniffing, and coughing and you lay down for a bit and have a dream that the door at Wal Mart ate yer shoes, you left your cell phone at home, and you had to walk for 3 miles, on bare feet, to find a place open (An all night florist, can you believe that?) to use their phone to call home.

I awoke from this NIGHTMARE to the sounds of my mother-in-law coming through my front door. I don't know if she knocked first, I musta been bitching about my sore feet and didn't hear it.

What was the meaning of THAT dream I wonder?

Email from my sister

A lot of folks can't understand how we came to have a shortage of oil here in our country.
Well, there's a simple answer. Nobody bothered to check the oil. We just didn't know we were getting low.

The reason for this is purely geographical,,our oils is located in Alaska, California, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Our Dipsticks are located in Washington.

A note from TW

Our little blog community slowly and sadly dwindles and I've felt pains as each one has made the decision to put blogging on a back burner as other, more important, things in their lives take more and more of their time.

I sent a note to TW last week to say how much I've been missing her and she replied with this sweet and newsy letter and gave me permission to post it so all of her blog friends would know what's going on in her life right now.

Thankee, Miz Brenda.

The whole story of the blog is this--I inadvertantly left my draft up
and the Hunter read it. Unfortunately it was an entry where I was
b!tching about him. He knew I had a "blog" but he didn't realize what
kinds of things I was posting. Of course, it didn't happen on any of
the days where I posted good things about him. So I told him I'd take
the blog down, that I didn't mean to hurt anyone, just to have a place
to vent. Taking it down has paid off big time. He's pretty much being
the nice decent guy I remember from way back. And it works out since I
was having less and less time to give it anyway.

My MIL has had complications from her knee replacement and was in and
out of hospitals in Atlanta, but I think is home for good now. The
Hunter's grandmother is in the hospital with pneumonia, (she's 95), and
her kids are all giving her grief and just don't want to deal with her.
His sister is taking advantage of all the illness to make off with some
more money. And then, on top of all that, we had to have our poor
Beastie put to sleep on Tuesday. We've had three tumors removed this
year, and they finally did an x-ray and found the reason for her
problems wasn't all the little tumors but the grapefruit sized one in
her stomach. After this last surgery she was going downhill and in such
pain. The Hunter was so upset, and Paloma was inconsolable--she and the
Beast were the same age. So--looks like I've had my blog entry right here.

I hope to keep up with everyone, but now that the urchins are back in
school I think the Hunter is going to actually find things for me to do.

If anyone you know I know asks for my e-mail, feel free to give it to
them. If you wouldn't mind posting any of the above (if anyone cares,
that is), maybe folks will know where I went. I know I disappeared
abruptly, but it was something that had to be done.

Keep well, and drop by on your way to the beach sometime. I miss you.

TW

Mary lou was kind enough to send me TW's email addy since I'd lost it when I changed hard drives. She or I will be glad to send you TW's addy if you'd send us an email requesting it.

I know each of us started blogging for different reasons and for some of us the reasons have changed, some have stayed the same, but for all of us I believe it's been an enriching and enjoyable experience.

I started blogging after I first visited Special K's blog and thought to myself, "hey, here's a way I can say what I think, get all the frustrations vented, and not have to worry about hurting those people's feelings that caused the frustrations in the first place". While that has changed, somewhat, I still use my blog as a journal to record thoughts and events that I feel strongly about, and to post about my family doings. I still write for me.

I do not always have time to read each of the blogs every day that I so enjoy reading, but when I can, it's almost like sitting down to have a cup of coffee and conversation with a friend when I do get a chance to stop in. I love each and every one of my blog buds very much and I cherish their friendships more than anyone could ever know.

I sure do miss my blog friends who are no longer posting but I also understand their need for change at different times in their lives.

Why do you blog?

Creative Grandparenting 101

After being climbed over and up several times by the Chick this morning I asked her if she was a monkey cause she climbed me like a tree.

Chick as she's climbing up into my lap again: Nanny's a banana tree.

Nanaw Banana Tree as she's being stabbed in her bark by little toes: Oh, NO, there's a monkey climbing me! What color monkey are you?

Chickie monkey as she reaches the top branches: I'm a blue monkey!

Nanaw Banana Tree: OUCH, monkey! What are you pulling my leaves out for?

Chickie monkey: I not pull out you leaves. I'm picking you bananas to eat em.

(sounds of munching, creaking branches)

Nanaw Banana Tree: You need to climb down little, blue monkey cause my limbs are going to break soon.

Chickie monkey: You not broke Nanny, you be alright.

I wanna know where it is written in the Grandma Book that you'll have to spend time as a tree. I thought I was wise about this stuff and knew all about having to be stuff like dogs, cats, and ducks, but that tree stuff is tough.

When you're hot, you're hot!

Never mind that it's been 100 degrees in the shade around here over the past few days, but I also think the devil himself has taken up residence in my body somewhere and he's been stokin' those fires with pine shavings. A cool bath hasn't even helped today cause I swear my body is heating up the water as soon as I sit in it. The bubbles were even popping to release the steam,,,,I swear! I'm smokin'!!

We're supposed to be getting a cool front through our area tonight or tomorrow brining temps that'll be 10 degrees cooler. I'm almost praying for snow (slapping hand over mouth).

School Days

I had to hold myself back to keep from running out the door to kiss that bus driver right on the mouth this morning, I was that happy to see that big, ole, yeller bus coming up the road. Zach trudged out to the driveway, shoulders slumped, as though he'd lost his best friend, while his best friend of the summer was peeping out the door (trying to contain her estatic lust for the bus driver.)

Jami called to tell me how the girls made it through their first day of school. Abie made the decision that today was her first and last day of pre-school because the teacher was mean (because Abie had to fold up her own nap mat), and the lady in the cafeteria was mean (because she put bread on her hamburger), so she's decided that she'd rather stay at home (as IF).

MeriKate said she had fun. That surprised me because I figured she'd be the one to balk about going back so that's a relief!

Krysten was happy with her first day because it was Friday and they normally don't have homework on Friday's and she doesn't like for homework to infringe on her play time.

Trish called to tell me that Jordan has decided to be satisfied with her new 2nd grade class even if none of her friends from last year are in there.

Jaylen always loves pre-school, the getting UP to go to pre-school is the part she hates.

I mostly lazed around all day with a smile on my face!

Ya'll Smell Anything?

That aroma in the air around here would be a spiritual garden floral of jasmine, citrus, and lilies mixed with the whispering warmth of African violet, sunset amber, and golden raspberry with perhaps a shimmering of yellow tulip, sparkling star fruit, and everlasting flower. If your sinus stop tighter than a much loved jug of moonshine you'll know you've arrived.

I gave the Chick some perfume samples for her teeny, tiny purse. She's used every one of them, on everybody, and all the stuffed animals. The bird wouldn't stand still for it, but she's still plotting.

Ms. Chick decided yesterday to have a sleepover with Zach and Nannie. Then after going out to play for a bit, brought Jessie (from next door) home to stay too. Let me tell ya, there was some serious playing going on in this house! She finally closed her little, blue eyes at around 11 p.m. and I snuggled her down in Zach's room with Jessie. Zach followed soon after by draping himself across the foot of his bed to snooze. I crashed on the couch but later zombie-walked to the bed around 2 a.m.

At 4 a.m. PopPop brought the Chick to my bed because she'd come to the living room to chat with him and he was making coffee and not in a chatty mood (grin). Nanny was not in a chatty mood either so after crawling from my bed and crawling on the floor in Zach's room looking for a "lellow passie", and her "ring presssent", I was able to convince her that it was still night time outside and we should close our eyes for a little while. I fell asleep with a sippy cup propped up between my boobies. Amazingly the sippy cup was still in place this morning cause the Chick woke me up as she was retrieving it, no doubt due to the fact that I think I died for awhile and suffered rigor mortis.

That was before 8. I feel really, really, old this morning.

TO DO LISTS

I'm hopeless. Of the 113 things I have on this week's TO DO LIST I've done exactly 2,,,well maybe 2 1/2,,I do believe I've broken a record for avoiding, putting aside, procrastinating, and debating with myself about, the chores on that list.

I did finish up that danged tax return and get it in the mail but am still waiting for the depreciation schedule for the one that has not been put in the mail. (I reckon that lady's list has fewer check marks on it than mine). And I did finally call Meade to get them to send me a new software disk for these binoculars (that I finally found) so that I can eventually download the photos I took with them. That only took me 5 days to remember to do.

I did not, however, make it to the Open House at the school last night so I'll have to move that little item over to tomorrow in order to pay any fees and get the supplies list for Zach's school needs.

I won't bore you with the other 110 1/2 items cause then you'd know that I have done next to nothing around this house this whole, entire, summer.

As easy as riding a bike.

Do ya'll remember learning to ride a bike? I learned, by trial and error and scrapes and thorny bushes, to ride my friend's 26 inch boy's bike when I was 4 cause I didn't own a bike until I was around 7 or so. I can remember pushing that big, old, bike up next to their tall porch, leaning it against a post, then getting on the porch so I could climb off and onto the bike. Their drive was uphill so beings that I was atop that hill, I had a good down ramp in which to learn to balance and peddle that thing or wind up in that deep ditch full of thorny bushes on the other side of the road across from the drive. It only took 2 or 3 tries, to the best of my recollection, cause I have an excellent memory for pain. I also learned to keep my feet on the pedals and my ass on the seat after only one time of bouncing off and straddling that bar too.

To me, scrapes and bruises are the way of things if learning to ride a bike are your intentions. It's just part of growing up and I seriously believe bike riding led to the invention of bandaids (well I never saw a bandaid till I met up with those thorny bushes).

Not so much anymore. Some folks have invented a new kind of bike for younguns to learn to ride on. No more scrapes, cuts, or bruises, unless they can't sit up on their own yet, which, in my opinion, is not a good time in life to think of learning to ride a bike anyway.

I feel like the invention of this bike is going to put the bandaid folks plum otta business and make pansies out of our children. They won't have any scars to flaunt at Show and Tell and all those unscraped knees and elbows will lead them to believe they're model material or something.

It just ain't right.


The new SHIFT.

I have a question.

Do men come with a built in tuner that tells them the best time to act an "ass" is when you're in the throes of PMS or menopausal? Or are the men who do the "ass acting" just so out of tune, all the time, with anydamnthing but themselves and I most especially notice it when I'm having PMS or having one of those menopausal, "kill something", days?

Today has been one of those days.

The crying jag began this morning as I was watching The Mighty. I didn't select the program, it was just on when I decided to sit and watch TV a while. I'm not much of a channel surfer and just tend to gaze at the screen while other things are running through my mind. I'd seen this movie before and it made me cry then so I should have remembered and changed channels but I was just in a mood and feeling too lazy to even push the buttons on the remote.

Anyway, I was feeling headachy and tired after I'd watched the movie and James came in to take over the remote again, so I took a short nap. I think I dozed off a for a little while but Ya-Ya was throwing a bitch fit cause I'd left the room so I didn't sleep for long. So I got up and started cooking some supper while James was taking his second nap of the day.

My bad mood escalated when I woke him up to eat supper and he noticed that I'd forgotten to make the tea. He started in with his bitching and griping so I told him not to even bother eating if the damned tea was so important to the meal. He then proceeded to tell me that he'd been the one who bought the groceries,,,yada,,yada,,yada. I left the table and told him to "eat the damned things alone then!"

I was angry enough to cry again but I was so furious I didn't want him to see just how upset I was, and didn't. Later when he and Zach drove down to the farm to check on some irrigation pivots I again parked myself in front of the TV (after clearing up their supper dishes) and Extreme Home Makeover was on. It was so heartwrenching that I cried for 2 hours.

After all that cleansing crying I should feel better but I don't. It might be a good idea for these folks around here to lay low until this emotional episode is over.

1954

In 1954 (the year you were born)

Dwight Eisenhower is president of the US Nautilus, the first atomic powered submarine, launches Senator Joseph McCarthy begins leading televised hearings into alleged Communist influence in the Army Roger Bannister, a 25 year old from England, breaks the 4 minute mile with a time of 3:59 Supreme Court rules unanimously that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional Hurricane "Carol" hits the Long Island - New England area killing 60 and injuring 1000 Senate condemns Joseph McCarthy for contempt of a Senate elections subcommittee during his Army investigation hearings Playboy magazine issue features Margie Harrison, the first playmate Howard Stern, Oprah Winfrey, Christie Brinkley, John Travolta, and Jerry Seinfeld are born New York Mets win the World Series Cleveland Browns win the NFL championship Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup Lord of the Flies by William G. Golding is published

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

More cool things for your blog at
Blogthings

Full as a tick.

Jerri and Bubbie and the chicklets came over today and Jerri cooked a huge belated birthday dinner for me and my favorite cake (dreamcicle cake). Now I'm stuffed and lazy.

I finally finished one of the business tax returns that are due to be put in the mail on Monday. The other client hasn't sent me her depreciation information so I reckon it's gonna be late, not that it doesn't deserve to be late, the hussy hasn't paid me in MONTHS and she's in pretty deep now so I ain't a-gonna remind her again that the IRS wants her to file on time. I don't know what these folks were thinking, I do not work well under pressure, I get all rattled and it makes me want to kick something.

I've been trying off and on to teach the Chick my "Little Chicken" poem and she made some great strides with it today. As soon as she learns it I'll make a video of it so I can embarrass the hell out of her when she's a teenager. I've tried to interest the other kiddies in the poem over the years and they weren't much interested but the Chick has a sense of humor a Nanny can appreciate and it looks like she'll be the one.

Krysten, MeriKate, and Abie also came to see us today and were in rare form. The house was full of little girls for awhile there. The way Jillian is growing, she'll be right in there with the crowd real soon.



Nite all!

A visit from The Chick and Jillian.

A makeover for Zach and the Chick selects just the right shades of pink and blue while Miss Jillian watches the "goings on" around here from Mommy's lap. Then Zach watches his baseball dvd in which he and his team mates star, as the Chick accompanies the action audio portion of the film by providing us with a table dance.

There was some smiling going on round here.

The Time is Now.

Several months ago I was given a general diagnosis by my doctor. The diagnosis of congestive heart failure was general because I can not afford the high fees for the tests needed for a more certain diagnosis and since I don't have health insurance, a certain diagnosis would just be added worry in any case, sort of like damned if I do and damned if I don't.

I'm asking you to read about amendment HR676 and then go to this site and sign a petition supporting the amendment. It's time to take the profit out of health care and as easy as it is to sit back and do nothing when you're feeling all safe and covered by an insurance policy, the sky-rocketing premiums for health insurance and the cost of medical care will eventually affect you as well,, as it did me.

From all I've read and researched about this amendment, the cost to the taxpayer, at the most, would be a 2% addition to taxable income. Take a pencil and piece of paper and tally up the percentage of your NET income that you are currently paying for premiums. If you are one of those fortunate enough (and there are fewer of these every day) that your company covers you in full for health insurance, consider yourself lucky because at the rate the insurance companies are raising rates, it may not last long.

Please think long and hard and then sign the petition if you find it in your interest to do so.

It's Monday, and yeah I'm bitchin again.

Scrubbing Bubbles.

I found that by using this product the only way my tub looked clean was if I sprayed the stuff all over to form a layer of white over the dirt . That only worked for a few seconds, and then the foam disappeared and I was left with a dirty tub. Then I read the directions and realized that I was actually supposed to be the one scrubbing. Yep they roped me in again.

"Puttin Stuff Up"

I'm married to a fella who is always putting things away or as he says, "I'm puttin this up for when I need it." While I have no problem with him putting things in their place, I do have a problem with him never knowing where, IN this place, he puts it. The key word is this situation is UP. Pull up my little step-ladder thingy and look on top of anything above head level in this house and you'll find stuff that he's put up. Atop one of the built-in cupboards in the living room you'll find a jug of marbles and Indian arrow heads, his daddy's walking cane, a cap, 4 shotgun shells, and the personal sized GPS (with manual) that I bought him for his birthday this year. You won't, however, find the digital camera binoculars that I bought him for Christmas 2 years ago that I've been searching over a week for in order to try to take a photo of the hummingbirds buzzing the mimosa tree.

Phone Calls that begin with "What are you doing?"

When the phone rings at my house I am usually on the pot, or in the tub, or asleep, or up to my elbows in whatever happens to be in the kitchen sink, and I have to jump toy hurdles, and other obstructions to get to it (and that's on a good day, sometimes I have to find it first). I answer with a polite "hello" and most times, in reply, I get, "What are you doing?". I'd really like to know what I'm supposed to be doing when I am sporting a toilet paper tail, soap suds in one hand, and the phone in the other. One of these days I'm going to think of a good reply to the "What are you doing?" phone question but meanwhile I reckon I'll just continue to bitch about it.

Cooking

It pisses me off to spend 3 or 4 hours in the kitchen cooking a meal that takes this family 10 minutes to eat. I also get aggravated when asked if there's cereal when the table is full of finely cooked groceries (Zachary!). If I had aspirations of being a short order cook I'd be at a place where I'd at least get paid for it.

Did anyone go check out my State of Address?

Didja, huh? huh? It's all full of interesting stuff about this great Natural State I live in. If ya'll been over the there to look it over you've been mighty quiet in those comments ovah there. And I know ya'll aren't the quiet type. (grinning).



I've got some good news and some bad news about my day. The good news is we got about 2 inches of much needed rain. The bad news is that we had a lightening strike that knocked out the electricity for about 3 hours. Added to that bad news is the news that it also knocked out the satellite and they won't be sending a repairman out until TUESDAY! Being in the house with 2 males without a TV until Tuesday is going to be dreadful, I can feel it in my bones.

It was scary but also kinda funny when the lightening bolt did it's thing. Zach had been teasing Jordan about being scared of the thunder and I'd been on him about it. He'd gone over to the storm door, with nose pressed to the glass, and was taunting with, "see,,it's not scary Jordan, it's not going to,,,,," and about that time, in a split second, the lightening struck the pole about 400 yds from the house, and traveled down to the transformer across the road here and blew it up. It was a pretty big flash of light and a really loud boom and I believe ole Zach sprouted wings for a second because he flew across the room before we even heard the boom part. Needless to say, he didn't tease Jordan anymore about being scared of the thunder.

More good news is that I finished peeling, coring, and canning another cooker full of 'maters today but that could also be bad news because it wasn't a whole hell of a lot of fun doing it.



I had another smile earlier this week. I had been doing some laundry, vaccuming, and other fun stuff and I said to Jordan, "I'm sweating, reckon it's because I've been working?" No answer from Jordan who was sitting nearby in a chair. "Reckon I'm sweating from hard work?", I said again. There was still no answer from the chair where Jordan sat, so thinking maybe she'd dozed off I said, "Jordan, reckon I'm sweating because I've been working so hard this morning?" Finally Jordan answered with, "Nanaw, I don't know what reckon means." I had to smile about my cute, little, citified, granddaughter.

Saturday huh?

This child, who's name I won't mention, just awoke from his beauty sleep (it's nearly noon here) and wandered through here to say, "Breakfast, breakfast, (clap, clap) chop, chop."

Excuse me while I go hang his little scrawny ass by his toes from the mimosa tree.

Ready to bite bullets.

We got the news a few days ago that they have come up with a new dress code for the students of Barton-Lexa High School and Elementary School. These bullets around here sport my teeth marks due to the fact that we've found out about this through the grapevine of our little rural community and not due to the graciousness of the folks that run our tiny school district. The fact of the matter is, I spent over $130 at a great JC Pennys sale the weekend we were in Little Rock buying a few shirts and shorts for Zach to start school in and he can't wear any of the shirts to school due to this newly imposed dress code. I can also scratch the option of his being able to wear a few of the shirts that still fit him from last spring.

While I can't afford to waste too many dimes, it won't hamper our abilty to eat regularly or have electricity,,,,I'm just suffering from the aggravation of having to go out and buy more shirts that will fit the code. But there are families, many families, who have budgeted and struggled to purchase new school clothes for their children who will suffer a great financial burden over this. When asked why parents weren't informed of this change sooner, the elementary school secretary stated that letters were supposedly sent out with their last report cards in early June. Surprisingly, not one family received such a letter.

I'll leave you with these sweet photos (one taken by Jerri) while I go off and chew on a few more rounds of ammunition.

Stir Crazy

I believe I need to have more contact with the adults of our species because I’m just not getting out enough without at least one child in tow. I do have fears about it though ,,, I'm afraid I am severely lacking in adult conversational skills because I don't think Sponge Bob and Dora qualify as current events. I suppose I could start a conversation over lunch about the new animated Tarzan 2 movie. Think that would work? There was one time this summer that I was so desperate for adult conversation that I spilled my guts to a telemarketer that called and HE hung up on ME!

There have also been quite a few times lately that I've come to doubt my parenting skills at this age. I'm rediscovering that shouting to make a child/children STOP is like using the horn to steer your car, and you get about the same results. I have resorted to desperate measures, like when the kids are fighting, I threaten to lock them in a room together and not let them out until someone's bleeding.

I also feel quite inadequate in the housekeeping department. In one of the bathrooms there is toothpaste on the light fixture, water at least 2 inches deep on the floor left over from a kid throwing stuff not meant for the toilet IN the toilet and from their baths, and a dirty fingerprints on the shower curtain . Oh, and I forgot, at least one complete suit of clothes owned by the child who refuses to use the bathroom unless totally naked. Every time I hear Martha Stewart's name I cringe and want to do a swan dive into that basket full of dirty laundry that seems to breed in the utility room.

Hubby has mentioned several times that the peas, tomatoes, and green beans, needed picking and it was all I could do not to jump up and throttle him. I think he must have noticed that glazed look in my eyes because he come indoors today with 2 cucumbers that he'd picked.

I think I'd like to be alone just long enough to begin to feel a little lonely but as it is, I can never even go to the bathroom alone without someone screaming outside the door even though you've told them not to bother you unless it's an emergency. Their idea of an emergency and yours are not the same. I feel it's an emergency if bleeding is involved. The bleeding should be on site though and not from someone on TV. The ringing of the phone is not an emergency either and it makes me feel sort of naked to have a phone conversation from the tub, even if the caller can't see me.

Images of a tropical island with hunky waiters carrying little, potent, drinks with umbrellas are floating through my mind. This could be a sign of insanity.

Did I mention that it's just 16 more days until school starts?