Thursday, December 18, 2008

Cub Scout Pack Meeting Tonight






Going to the Fire Station.

Been to a Fire Station.

Fun then.

Not excited tonight.

But know I'll like it when I get there.

Burn, baby, burn.

~~~

This could well be a haiku if haikus were actually written in this style.

Firetruck 05
Originally uploaded by SepiaBillo
(flickr.com)

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Gingerbread Victorian


Gingerbread Victorian
Originally uploaded by broax
Phew!

I started this at about 10 this morning (baked the pieces last night) and just finished it ~ it's 2 a.m. What a job!

I used about $200 worth of candy and sugar, but aside from the pain of spending that much, the real work was making it stay together! I probably used 45 or 50 chopsticks and lots of shishkabob (sp) skewers to keep it upright.

I really hope that UPS gets it to Tulsa okay.




(okay, I'm lying.)

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Here Comes Suzie Snowflake!


singer mary martin
Originally uploaded by hastingsgraham
That was a great song. Why don't they play it on the radio anymore?

Big News! I bought the first Christmas present of the season today. I needed to go to Walmart to buy some tinfoil pans, and happened upon a couple of things that looked promising for Sid. So all of THAT pressure is off!

I'm sure by Christmas eve I'll have Mark and Scott's gifts all set, too. Walmart should be open late.

Yikes.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Flock the Halls

December 3, 2008.

And I'm so psyched. Christmas is coming soon, and I'm not sick of the seasonal props or songs yet!

Since the real thing dries up too soon for me to give up, I'm ready to settle, and pull the ol' fake tree out of the garage; putting it together branch by metal pot scrubber branch and slinging strings of each person's favorites along the branches ~ blinking tiny colors, fat old-fashioned non-blinking colors, white blinkers up the middle. With all of the strands of wonderful light, it's amazing that the breakers don't pop every half hour.

I adore Christmas. I love the colors, the dangles, the lights and twinkles, the glitter and glitz. I don't care how commercial it is. I just love it all.

Especially what it really means. And I'll celebrate that amidst color and song.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Up at 1:30 am



Originally uploaded by shadowplay
Just painted my nails.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Memorial of Victory in Second World War

I'll write about the Rodina-Mat memorial later. Oh yes. I will.


Just know this. I've been there.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Depression


Depression 6813.5
Originally uploaded by Kurt Preissler
Been feeling really low today, so I decided to look thru Flickr to find
a photo that would represent my emotional state.

There were photos of people slumped in chairs and corners, heads in hands. Seriously hopeless. "Wow. That's depressing," I thought. Too dang depressing for MY blog!

Then I came across this. Huh?

A depression . . . in the ground.

And I laughed.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

We've just witnessed history.


President Obama and Family
Originally uploaded by zhaydi
A week ago, the United States held it's Presidential election ~ a long slog of campaigning that lasted for what seemed like forever. We had a glut of choices throughout those 2 years:

Democrats: Barak Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton (the little engine who thought she could & dang well should), Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson.

Republicans: John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, Fred Thompson, Tommy Thompson.

And don't forget Ralph Nader, who didn't even make it onto the Washington Post's list. (Is he still LIVING???!!)

Besides the spectacle of Hillary hanging on like an irritating drop-kick chiuaua on the country's ankle, we had the skewering of Mitt Romney and the question of whether a Mormon who wears "magic underwear" should be the President.

All those other guys? Meh.

When push came to shove, it was down to John McCain and Barak Obama. Naturally, the paranoid, uber-conservative, we-only-know-white-people, insular friends of ours came out in droves ~ emailing their hysterical anti-Obama warnings. He's Muslim! (So what?) His middle name is Hussein! (My middle name is Lynn, but I'm not in cahoots with Loretta Lynn.) He's black! (Okay. I won't even go there.) I even got an email that featured lines of red and blue of alternating huge type warning of the certain death of prayer, faith, God, and the downfall of the country if Barak Hussein Obama took the office. We were entreated to pray 4 times a day to "keep him out of the White House!"

I really liked both candidates. They each have things that I value. They each have things that I disagree with. I was so torn that I really had no idea who I was going to vote for. I felt that either one was a fine choice ~ or maybe that either choice might be the lesser of two evils!

So I didn't know who I would choose until I opened my mail-in ballot and had pen in hand. And when I sealed the envelope, I had a feeling of peace come over me. I don't know that it was a confirmation of a good choice, but I do know that I was glad it was over.

And now that all is said and done, I'm thrilled to have a black family in the White House. I believe that if he does nothing else, he will change the perception of the U.S. abroad ~ which is what we reeeeeaaaaallllllly need.

I don't know that I'll pray for him 4 times a day, but when I do pray, it will be that he will be protected, and will make good choices to help our country get back on track.

God Bless the United States of America!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Too lazy to bake!


no bake cookies!
Originally uploaded by gracefullady
Yesterday I was starving for junk - not an unusual event in my life.

I planed on baking chocolate chip cookies, but I decided they were too much work. (I'm such a homemaker.)

So today I finally caved and decided to make an easier-style cookie - NO BAKES!

My first mistake was to double the recipe. Quickly followed by the fact that I used a too-small pan. But I had already put the butter in and it was a'meltin' ~ and I thought that Mark had pitched our bigger pot cuz the teflon is getting wonky on the bottom. But that's another story.

So I started adding the sugar, foolishly hoping that, against the laws of the universe, the sugar in melted form would somehow fit into it. Then I forgot how many cups of sugar I had added.

I realized there wasn't enough room for all of the ingredients anyway, so I decided to look around for another pan. And found the one Mark hadn't thrown out and made the switch.

So I faked it and added sugar until it looked right. But then there wasn't enough cocoa powder. Or oats.

The mixture rose to the top of the pan ~ and as I frantically stirred and lowered, and lowered the temperature, it boiled over. It was too heavy to lift with one hand, so I just resigned myself to a later scrub job.

When all was said and done, I had a ton of sugar/butter/peanut butter/vanilla syrup, and enough oats that it took so long for it to mix up that it all sugared.

So now we have about 10 cookies and a huge bowl of sugar/butter/peanut butter/vanilla oat granola.

And I don't even want any.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

A Grilled Cheese Stream of Consciousness

It's 4:30 on election morning, and I've been watching a verrry old rerun of While You Were Out while I put off going to bed ~ as usual.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a commercial for Kraft cheese featuring a little girl eating a grilled cheese sandwich.

Mind you, I hate Kraft fake cheese squares. But I love grilled cheese sandwiches~ especially when dipped in Campbell's tomato soup (made with milk, not water ~ gross).

And that made me think of how, in one of my favorite movies, Benny and Joon, Johnny Depp's character taught his mentally ill sweetheart Joon how to cook grilled cheese sandwiches using an iron.

Great movie. Great sandwich. And a great way to make one.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Suprise! It's not the forest!



Last week a bunch of us girls from Church packed up our sleeping bags, pillows and SNACK FOOD and piled into vans and cars to strike out on our big camping trip. Caryn Stapp had been planning this trip for about 6 weeks. She had camped at the place a bunch of times, as had a lot of the other women, so I gave my money for my spot at the campsite, and I got psyched!

I was so excited to sleep under the stars in a lovely forest setting and feel as though I was back under the Montana Big Sky. I looked forward to seeing the lovely lake and walk on it's beach. I couldn't wait to smell the pine needles, pick up pine cones, make s'mores over a campfire, and keep an eye peeled for deer wandering into our campground.

First clue that something was going south was when we started driving toward San Francisco instead of toward Auburn. Wait! What about our planned stop at In 'N Out! That's in Auburn.

Okay, I thought. There are 'hills' in the distance. People here think 'hills' are mountains, so the campsites must be there. And there are lots of In 'N Out Burgers throughout CA. That's why we're stopping in Fairfield. Enjoy your shake, Patty. We're not in Kansas anymore . . .

Because somewhere into our 2nd hour on the road, Caryn mentioned the ocean.
What?
Me: I thought we were going camping by a lake.
Caryn: No, we're going to the ocean.
Me: But you said 'beach' and a lake.
Caryn and a couple of other people in the van: No. Didn't you read the emails? Its at the ocean! The ocean has a beach!
Me: Noooo. You're kidding, right?
Everyone in the van: NO!
Me: You promise?
They promised.

At this point, I swear, I had to do some major mental readjustment.
Especially when I learned we were staying at a hostel.

But when it all came down to it, we ended up at a really cool, famous place called Point Reyes. It has a billion ecosystems, so although I didn't get any s'mores, I did get to see pine trees, sleep in a sleeping bag, see stars when we walked back from eating in the hostel's kitchen . . .

And although I didn't see it for myself, my friends tell me they did see a deer - splayed dead on the beach.

pacifica2
Originally uploaded by cobaltika

Monday, October 20, 2008

"Do a Good Turn Daily"


Cub Scout 3
Originally uploaded by Drunter&Druber




On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake,
and morally straight.


I was just called to be the Cub Scout Webelos leader here in my Woodland Stake Church group.

I really love the Scout Oath. I DO try to help people. But the only part of it that I am actually living is the whole 'morally straight' thing.
As far as 'Physically Strong' ~ not even.
Mentally Awake ~ zzzzzzz . . . sniff, snort, huh?

But I did this 'job' in Montana for over a year, and I really enjoyed it. (I even have my own Scout Shirt!) The boys are at a really delightful and fun age, and they are so enthusiastic and 'teachable.'

I especially enjoy the yearly Pinewood Derby. Each boy gets a kit with pieces of wood, and the wheels and axles to build a small car. You get to carve the car to whatever shape you want, but it has to be the correct weight so they'll all be equal. It's really fun. The boys are always so excited and proud of their cars. But I think the Dads sometimes get more invested than their sons!

Better go and work on becoming physically strong and mentally awake!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Autumn's Apple


Autumn's Apple
Originally uploaded by naughton321


It's a lovely October afternoon and the earth is calming down and settling in for winter. Some leaves are still changing from green to red or yellow or orange. Some are falling. The days are getting shorter. It's the most beautiful time of year and it makes me want to break out the t.v.-watching footsie socks and settle down with a good book.

Happy Autumn!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A Screaming Halt


A Screaming Halt
Originally uploaded by Gregory Pleau
I talked to the admin at school today and made plans to take a leave of absence and then switch to night classes. I'm so relieved that I can have a little easier schedule.

I won't start nights until the end of January, so it's another 'hurry up and wait' situation. But I'll be starting on Perms - like I would have on Monday - and will move along into Hair Design. I'm excited, because it won't be long after that until I'm working on the floor.

So, that's that!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

weapons of grass destruction


weapons of grass destruction
Originally uploaded by dro!d
Seeing these pup feet (pootsies - rhyme with footsies) on here, I miss my big old dog Yogi who passed away a little over a year ago. Only Yogi had 'star toes' - hair between the pads that splayed out into little stars. The best feet in the world.

Anyhoo... (I really HATE that expression) ... today was a lazy day. I haven't been to school in 2 days because I had a horrible migraine last Friday and it was an awful day. I just got so tired and frustrated that I was ready to quit.

But after thinking it over, I've decided I'd like to transfer to the night classes. They're part-time, and start at 5:30 pm and finish at about 10pm - the perfect time for me since my body and mind starts to come alive after about 2 in the afternoon!

Unfortunately, it takes about 18 months, and I would have to go in on Saturdays, but I really want to finish. I just have to finalize things with the admin at school. But I think they like my monthly cash payments enough to work with me! (HA.) Hopefully!

On another note, we have the Presidential Debate on t.v. and it's so obnoxious. McCain and Obama are arguing about stupid things - 'you said this about me!' 'Well, you said this about me.' I'm not particularly fond of either of them and don't even know who I'll vote for. It will be the lesser of two evils - if I can even choose one.

Viennese 'hot' dog


Viennese 'hot' dog
Originally uploaded by P.U. Who?
I took this picture last year when Mark and I were in Austria. We had strolled through a little rainstorm into the posh downtown of Vienna. We passed Tiffany's, Dolce y Gabanna, Versace, etc. I took photos of cathedrals, shops, statues, and fountains.

But this is my favorite shot.

If ever an animal looked embarrassed....

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Happy October


happy halloween
Originally uploaded by rist2796
I love this picture because I've felt flu-ish for the past couple of days.
It didn't help knowing that the girl I ride to school with spent a week hitting her forehead on the toilet.

School has been pretty fun lately, and I'm glad I didn't bail after week 3. This mod has been Hair Color and we spent the first 2 weeks learning the color wheel ("Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?") and then brushing shaving cream on our doll heads. There are 9 State Board Procedures for how and where to apply hair which hair color or bleach, so it's a bit confusing at first. But now we've dyed and bleached our little 'quads' (a scalp with 4 sections, each a different color) as well as done 'weaving' and 'slicing.
Okay, nobody cares, but it's cool.

Mark and Sid have been in Europe over the past 10 days, and I miss them like crazy. Mark gave a presentation at a medical conference in Germany, and right now they're in Holland touring Amsterdam. Have I mentioned that I miss them like crazy?

It seems as tho every time Mark leaves, something goes wrong. This time the washing machine flooded. A lot. The only nice thing about stepping barefoot into 1" of cold water is realizing it's very clean. And the worst thing is realizing that when the guy fixed it for the same thing 2 weeks ago, it didn't work and he'd have to come back. Luckily I have tomorrow off so he can come and fix it I won't smell at school this week.

Anyway, I'm going to go and find something good to do that doesn't involve getting out of this chair. So I guess I won't really 'go.' I'll just let my fingers do the going and see what I can find on my little Dell.

Booo!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

nowopen!


nowopen!
Originally uploaded by Rob!
PAIN

i really am coming to hate weekends.

i have the energy (and caffeine pills and dr. pepper) to get thru my 4 9-hour days at school - where i'm mostly on my feet - then on friday nights i just come home and die.

because of my fibromyalgia, i can barely move on saturdays, so i spend most of the day in bed and live on pain medication.

then on sundays i'm thrashed.

mondays seem to be okay, but then it starts all over on Tuesday at 7am.

and every single morning of the week, i wake up and wonder, WHY am i doing this?

and every single day at school, i'm glad i am.

it's these dang weekends.

oh well. it's only another year.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Saturday, September 13, 2008

PROUD TO BE SMOOSHED !



PERFECT.

You Haul ~ for little m:)
Originally uploaded by Ben Kimball

Pre-Smooshed.


I was driving home from school after a wretched day this week and I saw a lovely
Porsche Carrera - the youthful symbol of
"someday I'LL make it big and drive a car like that!"


"Wow," I thought. "That just looks like a V.W. Bug that's been
smooshed between 2 other cars!"
(I may have even said it out-loud, although I was alone in the car.)


So it got me to thinkin' ~ even though I really had been thinking really hard all day at school....

Aren't we each pretty ritzy and cool in our own way? And appreciated by our most important people ~ just because of our own gifts and talents?

I guess I'm okay with being a V W Bug on the outside as long as my loved ones
think I'm a Porsche on the inside.

Although, I would rather be light blue than yellow.

Carrera 4
Originally uploaded by Aron Andrew

Friday, September 5, 2008

The Box Cut!


My manniquin head, again!
Originally uploaded by Sugarblue
Today at school we did a couple of increase-layered sculpts on our sweet little mannequin heads. The first one was reallllly 70's - kind of a Farrah Fawcett of Charlie's Angels cut. Luckily, the hair on our dolls is real hair that is curly, so it styles easily and looks only semi-wonky.

The second sculpture we did was an increase-layered 'box' cut. It is a long layered mass of hair as well, but when you hold it upside down, it looks absolutely square. Thus, when I saw this photo on 'flickr,' I thought my little head had hated the cut so much that she did herself in.

I passed my quiz today, and my sculpts went fairly well (I'm trying to unlearn my perfectionism) so I came home with better self-esteem.

Now I just have to do a chapter in the workbook, study for the next test, put together a big project book, and not freak out.

No sleeping for ME this weekend!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

What I learned in Haircut School


Haircut 8/25
Originally uploaded by carinp
It's been a loooonnnnnggg day.

I got some more practice on this type of cut (solid form) this week. It's a cute, current cut, so I gave up on trying to grow mine out and had it done on my own head Saturday. I am now younger and prettier - in my own warped mind.

Today was Labor Day - a day off from school mostly because I'm off on Mondays!

I got up and goofed around for a while since I spent Sat & Sun mostly sleeping & recovering from last week. (This school thang is gonna KILL me!) Then I tossed in a couple of loads of laundry so I'd have clean underwear and towels for school, then I decided to study, and then study, and then do a little studying. (Did I mention that I failed my 2nd quiz?)

I wrote the key info from the first 30+ chapters from our book into a small notebook which is about the size of 3 X 5" cards. I probably wrote about 50 pages.

It took over 5 hours.

If I fail another quiz, my self-esteem will be in the gutter and I will want to quit -- even more than I already do when I'm exhausted and overwhelmed.

Anybody want a haircut??

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

I CAN DO EUROPEAN BI- LEVEL CUTS ALREADY !


haircut from the right
Originally uploaded by wip-hairport
We practiced sculpting the 'solid form' today - meaning the same length all around (no layers).

I was so good at it that it took me about 20 minutes longer than everyone else. (That's what you call 'sarcasm.')

I would get everything straight, then check a piece from each side in the front. They were NEVER the same length; thusly (as my father would say), one side would be longer than the other. We, in the business, call that 'asymmetrical.'

But what we, in the business, were supposed to be doing was 'symmetrical.'

Clearly, I have a lot to learn. But I'm having a blast.

~Oh, and by the way, the photo is NOT the cut I goofed up. This girl actually wanted to look like this!

Monday, August 25, 2008

THIS CAT THING MAY NEVER END!


Today Lacy started to act wonky. She's been sneezing and sniffling, and then began to look as though she was having little seizures. This morning, we realized that Sid had been giving her 1/10th of her antibiotic, so neither the incision nor the (usual!) cold she caught at the vet was being treated.

AND. . .yesterday, we took the adhesive tape off of her good leg because it was getting ratty and frayed and was really bothering her. It covered the fentanyl pain patch, but Mark said that the usefulness had probably worn off. The patch itself was completely stuck to her fur, so we left it. No biggie, right?

Wrong. Biggie. Evidently, since then, she had licked a patch that still had active meds and they probably made her loopy!

We had discontinued her oral pain meds (per instruction), so the vet said she was probably still in pain and because of her cold, she couldn't breathe right if she put her head down. When she started to fall asleep, she'd catch herself and jerk up to stay awake. She would be laying on her side and just spaz. But what finally pushed it over the edge was when she sat facing the wall with a glazed-over look, and just start to tip over.

Well, of course, all of this seizure-tipping over deal started at about 7pm, so I figured, "What the heck. Why not spend another wad of cash on a cat that we've already spent a fortune on?" I mean, which is worse? Spending nearly $2000 and letting the cat die within a week, or putting out another $170 to get her back on track.?

They gave her an IV of fluids to re-hydrate her and flush out the fentanyl, as well as some tranquilizers to help her rest.

WE got lots of reassurance - and a nice VISA charge.

Crazy-expensive cat ---- but she's dang cute.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

A TRUE VIENNESE "HOT" DOG.


Viennese 'hot' dog
Originally uploaded by P.U. Who?
I took this photo last fall when we stopped in Vienna on our way to Ukraine. We got there during an unusually wet time, and it was clear that this little dog found the weather as unpleasant as we did. But it didn't stop him from hitting the shops with his ladyfriend.

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

On a different note, Lacy the kitten had her surgery a few days ago. Luckily, it cost $300 less than anticipated, so we can still buy lentils to keep us fed.

She's actually pretty pathetic. Her bad leg is shaved all the way up her backside, and she has a 3" long row of big stitches along her hip. I thought her injured part was lower down, but that turned out to be her ankle - so it's good that I didn't open my own veterinarian business.

She was in the hospital for 2 nights and when she came home, she was so excited (and still had a fentanyl pain patch) that she raced up and down the stairs and ran around the house. I just knew that she had blown out almost $2000 bucks worth of work. But we locked her into a crate and hoped for the best.

That night, we decided she'd be more comfy in the little bathroom, but knowing that she loves sitting in the sink and waiting for someone to save her in the mornings, we put a full laundry basket on top of the sink and my big sewing box on top of the toilet so she couldn't make it up there. The next morning we found water, food and litter all over the floor

- and Lacy was laying on the laundry.

Cats.



(photo originally posted by 'P.U. Who?' on flickr.com)

Saturday, August 23, 2008

I'LL FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THERE -- EVENTUALLY!?


chaos by design.
Originally uploaded by D.James | Darren Ryan
What the heck have I done??
WHAT THE HECK HAVE I DONE?


I got through my first week of school, even tho my brain exploded on Wednesday.

This picture SO represents how I feel right now. I know there's a finish at the end of this whole program but how in the heck am I going to figure out how to get there?

The week was madness. We covered 14 chapters - and it's a foreign language. It's not hair 'cutting,' it's 'sculpting.' They're not 'scissors,'
they're 'shears.' There are design lines and projections, activation, mobile, and uniform. Each term has a definition, and each definition has 2 to 7 parts - each with IT'S own definition.

After a while, it all blended together, and nothing stuck in my brain. I read and read, and I felt like I was swimming upriver. Naturally, all of the other students are catching on quickly, and shouting out the answers. And I sit and stare - but at least it's not with my mouth hanging open.

My table-mate is a young gay boy named Cory, and he is the nicest kid. He's 6'4" and has this huge body that takes up more than half of our space - his stuff spreads onto my side of the table, and his legs are always shoving my chair over. Luckily, he's already had 1300 hours at another Cosmo school, but his dad decided not to pay for it. (He couldn't get student aid cuz he lived at home, so he moved out for a year to be eligable for a loan.)

So he knows TONS already, and since he is also a drag queen (!), he knows more about make-up and famous product brands than the teacher! He actually owns his own blow-dryer that he paid $350.00 for, and has a studio partnership lined up. Anyway, since he's my partner on procedures, he's a great help to me. And his hair is really short, so he's easy to style!

We did get to cut our model head's hair on Friday, and that was pretty intense, but I did well and it was a real boost for my ego! It gave me hope that even tho I flunked my very first test that morning, I might just get through it. The funniest part was that when we had to shampoo the heads in the sink, mine ended up face down, and I got water all over the floor. It was a mess, but everyone got a real kick out of it.

Anyway, it's really fun - while I'm there - but when I wake up in the morning, I'm ready to quit because it's sooooo hard. They say it will get better, so I'll tough it out and it will finally sink in one of these days.

Bye!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Some things are just pretty!


Yesterday's Bugs !!!
Originally uploaded by bevcraigwhite
I love bugs and I adore this bee.
So I just decided to post it.

I guess I should fill in on what happened at the vet's yesterday.

Lacy is only about 10 months old and she is has long black angora fur. She is dainty and demure, but is as independent as can be, and will put up with cuddling for no more than 20 seconds ~ unless she's sick and too tired to care. Then she'll last until she wakes up enough to leave. She always acts as tho she's offended by more than a couple of pats and gives the most pathetic and whiny little meows. Nothing scares her.

I got her at the pound when she was about 5 months old, but she was long and light as a feather. She came into the house like she owned it and bullied Charlie into being her buddy. I don't know what he'd do without her.

So. . . as mentioned before, she was favoring her back leg and it would turn in bizarre angles when she sat down. She didn't seem as tho she was in pain, so I didn't think much of it - oh, except for that whole "it'll be my luck it's cancer or something" because I'm always sure that the stuff I love will be taken from me cuz I'm not worthy. Gee, that was deep.

Anyway, when we went to the vet, Dr. Jenny put her thru the ringer. After she put her on the floor and tried to get her to walk around - yeah, right. Every cat wants to stroll around a terror-smelling vet's exam room. So, the first chance she got, she made it into a little crawley-hidey-hole and the vet had to get down and drag her out. Good start.

Then the mashing began. This woman pushed and pulled every little piece of her back end and basically tried to find a bump or defect - and if she couldn't do that, she wanted to make her yowl or jump. She even warned me to watch out for the front of me if Lacy went nuts.

Finally, she laid her on her side and smooshed her a bit more until Lacy hissed. I have never heard Lacy hiss, so it was clear that she'd had enough. Poor little cat. It's like taking a baby to the doctor and not having a way to explain why you're helping them hurt her.

Turns out that her knee keeps popping out of place. (Yes, she popped both knees in and out to see.) The knee cap is off to the side. But, hey. Let's take x-rays.

That must have been fun for the poor little thing.

After the x-rays, Dr. Jenny took me back and showed me the films. It was so gruesome. It was clear that they had to splay her out flat to film her hips and legs. It looked like they did x-rays of turkey thighs, and I could just picture her skinned like a rabbit. I know that's sick, and it made me want to cry.

But there was the knee cap. Right there on the side of her leg. Where it's not supposed to be. So far, there's no damage to the joint, but it's bound to happen if it's not fixed. And it will get more and more painful, so she'd be miserable and crippled. So we talked about what the surgeon would do and it's awful. I picture this gentle little thing with a tube in her throat.

So I came home from the vet feeling sick and wanting to cry.

Anyway, looooonnnnggg story short, it will cost about $2100, and that's not a great thing for the budget. Mark and I differ on how to handle it, and he can't imagine spending that much on an animal. And I don't know what to do. I mean, I could wait on school so the money could go for the surgery. Or maybe Heavenly Father will bless her and cure her so she can get better and everything can go on as before. But is that selfish? Should I sacrifice if I want to keep her? Am I not sustaining my husband if I want to spend money he doesn't want to spend - and that we need for Sid's and my school? And does Heavenly Father want me to learn how both of those things? I hate this.

But I'm like Charlie. I don't know what I'd do without her.

So. How about that bee picture.

(Photo originally downloaded by bevcraigwhite on flickr.com)

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

VISA Card


VISA Card
Originally uploaded by Bummz&Tubz
Well, here's my choice:

Cat knee surgery / no school

vs

Put the cat to sleep

I hate this. I really do. How do you kill a kitten because it costs too much to make her comfortable?

This sucks.

Cat Debt


09/09 Vet Day
Originally uploaded by Maricy_vet
Put it off as long as possible, I guess.

Lacy the shelter kitten has been hobbling around the house for a week or so - her left back passenger-side leg doesn't seem to be working right.

It's been about a month since her last visit (that was for a red, swollen eye that required antibiotics), and 2 months since the previous one (for a bad cold that required antibiotics), so I should just leave them a book of signed checks to use throughout the year.

Hopefully, she'll just have a 'hitch in her git-along' and it won't require surgery and chemotherapy and radiation and chelation therapy and a wig and a catheter and B-12 shots and then an amputation and a prosthesis and physical therapy.

Maybe she's just faking it.

Let's keep the old fingers crossed.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Can I bring Crayons?

It seems so out of balance that as I shop for school, my list includes a notebook, pens, and a padlock (It's been 34 years since I've had a locker - SCORE!) but I'm skipping the paste, pink erasers and round-tipped scissors.

But the toughest omission has to be Crayola Crayons. I'll miss the unique smell and the joy that those bright, hopeful colors bring every time the box is cracked open.

Somehow, I doubt that the smell of peroxide will be a good substitue, even if it does do the 'coloring' job.




Saturday, August 9, 2008

Gimme a Ring Sometime.


Olympic Logo
Originally uploaded by bergendahlc
Well, the Olympics are on, and we're watching some young, amazingly outrageous young men flipping around on the rings. It's amazing how they can hold themselves in those 'crosses' and fling themselves around into landing just SO.

Although their muscles are cut and defined and bulge with power, my first thought upon seeing a closeup of one young man was, "I could get a needle into those veins."

The opening ceremonies last night were extravagent and lovely, but I got bored so when Sidney admitted that she was as well, we switched channels and watched something vapid. Clearly it was memorable.

Of all of the events, I believe the gymnastics is my favorite - not just because I could draw blood from the contestants, but because the movements are so graceful yet strong.

A girl from our ward, Jill Camarena, is competing in the shot put, but I don't know when she's up.

This is boring, so I'm going to shut up now.

Sometimes I can be witty, sometimes I'm just boring. Right now, I'm afraid I'm just plain boring.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

11 ding dong days.

I am

soooooooooooooooooooooooo

bored.
I just want school to start.
NOW!

Is that too much to ask?


curlers
Originally uploaded by
JMS2 on flickr.com

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

"never stop"


never stop
Originally uploaded by stoneth

Today I went to the Wayfarer Center.

There was no meat in the refrigerator. None. So we opened the massive freezer thinking that there would be some hamburger that we could thaw to make spaghetti. But there were only a couple of boxes of hotdogs and a few tubes of Jimmy Dean sausage. Seems the stores are mostly donating baked goods now - rolls, cakes, cookies.

There was a little plastic tub with cut veggies - broccoli, baby carrots, celery chunks, cherry tomatos - and a small 4x4 bowl with carrot slices.

So my friend Connie Crandall went to the store to buy some lettuce and green onions, and while the hot dog buns thawed - there were boatloads of those in the freezer - Warren McCray (mid 80's and a teriffic cook - when there are supplies) and I opened up the frozen hot dogs and got the water boiling.

When the salad building was in full gear, Warren found some Portobello mushrooms in the fridge, so I chopped those into huge pieces*. They were a kind of double-edged sword: for the adults they were a gourmet addition to the salad. But an, 'Oh, GROSSS!" for their children. *so they could be picked out!

During the preparation, a weathered woman came over to talk. I made some sort of goofy apology about the sparse meal of just hotdogs and salad, and she said that she could tell that it was being made with love.

That's why I attached the photo. There is hope and courage, sadness and struggle in the faces of the many homeless people that I've seen. I'm always reminded that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and that He loves them ~ and I am His earthly hands to help lift them up. And that it is only by His grace that I am so blessed.

(Photo originally uploaded by 'stoneth' on flickr.com)

cherry garcia ice cream





Well, in the spirit of bolstering the shaky U.S. economy, I purchased 2 pints of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream tonight.
In the spirit of OCD, I ate one entire pint an hour later.

And in the spirit of feeling like an out of control glutton, yes, I do.
(Photo originally posted on flickr.com by 'cafemama')

~~~~~~~~~~

In other fascinating news - that I'm only posting because I'm here and I feel like I should actually SAY something - Mark leaves for a massive 4-day Boy Scout Campout tomorrow morning, so the two of us went to Costco today to purchase bazillion potatos, several boxes of cookies, tons of sausage, and about $300 worth of other food. (No B&J CG, tho.) It was great fun for me, because I am always happy shopping and spending money.

The only problem is that we took Sidney's truck. The tail-gate doesn't go down, so we had to pass several 50 lb boxes over the top then slide and mesh everything together. It all fit perfectly - kind of like playing one of those fit-together games - but it was such hard, hot work that it wasn't even worth spending somebody else's money to get my shopping fix.

Maybe that's why I 'needed' an ice cream fix.


~~~~~~~~
Have you ever noticed that all of the "Hot Girls" and "Live Links" telephone hook-up commercials come on after 11pm. Oh well.

Ooops. Leave it to Beaver is on. Time to go.

Monday, August 4, 2008

wigs


wigs
Originally uploaded by honkytonks
Well, I'm ticked.

I had written a cogent and riviting entry about my experience with completing my FBI paperwork. But the attached (wigs) photo somehow became distorted and when I tried to re-format it, it got deleted.

Anyway, last week I put on my cutest little cruel shoes and Mark and I raced my little '75 mercedes 450sl to the school where I finsished signing my future away.

Afterwards, my perfectly lovely dream car wouldn't start and Sidney had to pick us up. So much for lookin' hot.

*FBI is Federico Beauty Institute - but I love the initials. So much for soundin' hot.


(Photo originally uploaded by honkytonks on flickr.com)

Peach Freezer Jam


Peach Freezer Jam
Originally uploaded by loumcf

Ahhh, the smell of too many peaches.

Our former neighbors dropped off a huge bag of peaches the other day and they've been mouldering on the table while we wait for the perfect stage of ripe-goodness.

I'm not a big fruit person (unless we're talkin' the cherries in Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream), so I wasn't a big help at the testing.

Unfortunaltely, some started to look like rodents, and juice was spreading across the table ~

UNTIL . . . Mark came home today with a gleam in his eye and a plan to whip up a quick batch of freezer jam. His reasoning was that it was much easier than canning since you don't have to cook it. Little did he know....

I helped him by 'poaching' and skinning them and he, Sidney and I sliced and chopped. We had so many that we had to get into our food storage (church canned sugar!) for supplies.

It's 3 hours into the project, and I don't think Mark will ever make simple freezer jam again.

But it will never, EVER again taste so good!

(Photo originally uploaded by loumcf at flickr.com)

Sunday, August 3, 2008

The Bleeding Edge


The Bleeding Edge
Originally uploaded by photobunny

I learned 2 great lessons today:

1) Once the baguette is old and hard, don't try to cut it with the long and serrated knife.

2) Don't use Puff's With Vics Vaporub kleenex on a cut unless you take morphine first.

Luckily after a few minutes of pondering how I could get to the hospital so Mark could sew my blood-pumping knuckle up, the blood dried up, the stinging stopped, and I was back at the breadboard.

~ But the serrated knife was in the sink.

(No, it is not my finger. I don't have that kind of presence of mind! The photo was posed - the blood is cherry juice - and originally uploaded by 'photobunny' on flickr.com. Creepy-cool, hu?)

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Abhor then Embrace?

WHY ARE THESE DOLLS EVERYWHERE?

I go to Flickr for photos all of the time, and no matter what topics I tag, there's a stupid Blythe doll.

Looking for the tags below?

TELEPHONE, BUCKET, ELEPHANT, CREPES

Don't worry. You'll at least find a Blythe doll!

THIS photo is relatively sedate. They're often posed as though they're the owners' daughters or friends - leaning against a wall, standing by their bikes (yes, they have myriad accessories), with curlers in their hair, or even looking secuctive.

Today I saw a custom Edward Scissorhands Blythe that sold for $5000.

What is wrong with the world?

Don't they know that there are people out there who don't even have a Barbie?

(Photo originally uploaded to flickr.com by 'hello-d & Shifty')

Friday, August 1, 2008

Slug


Slug
Originally uploaded by Marj Joly


I went to bed at 7 this morning thinking ~
This is the schedule I was made for!

But I woke up this afternoon thinking ~
I feel like a slug.

If there was a picture of low
self-esteem,
it would be

[ HERE ] (Photo originally uploaded by 'Marj Joly' on flickr.com)

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Lamb-shank martini with garlic froth

Here’s to Mark!
Happy 49th Birthday, my love!

Last night, Mark's fam+Stephanie celebrated his 49th birthday at Woodland's fancy-schmancy Maritime Grill.

My entree was the massive lamb-shank. The bone was large enough to make Marmaduke's flea-bitten day, and there was enough left-over meat to blend a nice after-dinner toast.

Mangia!

(Photo originally uploaded by Alexandra Moss on flicker.com)

The Fairytale Cottages of Carmel

Okay, it's really Carmel, CA, but if I lived there I'd speak with a British accent and serve my guests peppermint tea in my great-grandmother's China cups. We'd also have scones (pronounced properly - scons) with clotted cream.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Bloggy droppings.

I don't know what webdings are cuz I'm toally clueless about this, but I'll try all of the fonts out. Nobody cares except me at this point. And I won't tell anyone about this cool-to-be blog
until I have it figured out, so . . . meh. Okay. I'm not impressed by webdings.

Ya know, I think I'm gonna hate all of the 'provided' fonts (i.e. the Trebuchet I'm trying right now - gag), so I might just have to make my posts somewhere else and then cut and paste to here. If I can be ever so clever.

So for now, my little Courier and I will shutty.

PU Out