Unapologetic American

Flooring in the 'Bury

2010-10-05T00:33:00.002-04:00

Stayed in the southernmost house today to work on the flooring, and, if I don't say so myself, kicked butt. Got lots done (the hardest parts of the whole project actually, where all three rooms come together and meld into one...very...long...row....that all has to fit together. I won't say that there wasn't some blue language and frustration, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with my progress today.

Convinced Richard to take the night off from Smyrna also; he didn't sleep much last night and since I have all the power tools in my car (we won't leave anything in the house until we're living there since the robbery), he was kind of forced to take the night off, which is a good thing. A little reading and rest will do him good.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy day; Smyrna in the a.m. for some insulation work, then pick up my father-in-law for his follow-up appointment at the doctor (I'm counting on all good news!). After that, I'll pick up Anthony at home and head to Milford; we start our next pre-puppy class tomorrow night at 6 p.m. We've got five new families taking classes to get pups; that will run for two hours, and then we'll have class right after at 8 p.m. Wednesday the bathtub refinisher guy is coming to schedule our master bath reglaze, then Mom and I will motor over to BJ's for a little retail therapy. Then I'll meet Richard in Smyrna for a few hours of work.

I'm praying this rain will end soon; it's starting to affect my mood. So gray and drizzly and cold! I actually contemplated putting the heat on today. But I resisted. This is why you need a gas fireplace...perfect for days like this.

On an interesting note, I took our truck to the dump today to get rid of garbage. We only have first and second gear in it now. I just shook my head. For now, we'll just use it for trash hauling. Very slow trips to the dump LOL.

Calling tomorrow to schedule the move of the Pod...finally feeling like this adventure will be ending at some point....getting excited about finally having Smyrna feeling like a home instead of a stick frame structure. But we're probably going to be staying there for a good while, and we want to make it a home for us. We may never leave it (we both HATE moving)...we've met a lot of the neighbors and we like them...so far, it's been a huge improvement over our neighborhood in Salisbury. Much less unfriendly...although the way it's been in Salisbury lately, everyone is just afraid to come out of their houses.

Going to try and get some sleep now, it's almost 1 a.m. and I need to be up early. Good night!

October 2nd Already!

2010-10-03T01:00:00.006-04:00

Time is going by so very fast and it makes me wish I required no sleep. Well, actually it's one o'clock in the morning, and I'm sitting here listening to Richard snore (yes, I'm jealous) and sleep is evading me. Thinking about all that there is to do in the upcoming weeks.

Today I finished removing all the old insulation from the new house, and am about 2/3rds of the way done replacing it. I've gone through about 5 cans of that Great Stuff, the insulation that comes in a can...love that stuff. I'm hitting every nook and cranny and hole and suspected hole...I told Richard that I was trying to make the house "tighter than a duck's behind"...I'm aspiring to an extremely low energy bill. We've replaced the heating system, are replacing the windows and I'm hanging new insulation. As far as I'm concerned, we shouldn't even have to turn on the heat or the a/c. The drywall guys will be coming on the 11th, which is perfect, as I'm leaving for New York on the 14th. After the drywall is done, the tub, sink and toilet can go into the bathroom, and as far as we're concerned, we can move in. Woo-hoo! (And, hopefully, by then the survey will have been done which will mean the town can issue our permit which will mean the fence will be installed!)

The dogs have been helping out as much as they can. As far as I can tell, Anthony is the supervisor. All the responsibility must be wearing him out. Mookie is our "nervous-Woody-Allen" dog, who constantly watches the neighborhood for any signs of neighbors.

Maggie and Roger moved in last weekend; yesterday is the day that we actually moved OUR stuff to the pod in the driveway (which will get picked up this week and moved to Smyrna); Richard and I are now in the guest room, and they have moved their stuff (and the cats) to the master bedroom. The dogs are thoroughly confused, poor things. They don't know which end is up, why we go on such long car trips to a house that has no rooms....why Mommy cries at the drop of a hat....then laughs hysterically, lol. (Not really, but maybe just a little bit.)

We've had two days of sun, and I've heard a nasty rumor that we're going to get rain again this week for FOUR WHOLE DAYS. I'm going to somehow have to get the Smyrna grass cut before the rain starts tomorrow, and leave a note for Mag and Rog to please mow the grass here. All summer no rain, and now we're getting two weeks' worth. Sigh.

Starting to coordinate our trip south for Christmas...it's looking like it's just going to be Richard, Anthony and I. Roger is going to have to work up until Christmas eve night; Max is not going to be able to take time from the new job. Very mixed emotions about all of this, but this trip is so important to my Mom and Dad. We've had one Christmas together in the last 12 years....and I miss them so very much. I know they love Florida, but I absolutely hate them being so far away. This year has been a rough one healthwise for my mom, and it's looking like my dad's crohn's disease is starting to flare again. 2011 just might be his year for surgery again. Sigh. If I could just be many places at one time, things would just be easier....

Fall evenings have finally arrived, and I get up every morning, joyfully shivering in the cold morning air....been waiting for this all summer. I actually put on a sweatshirt for a little while last week....

On a wonderful note, our Delmarva GEB region had our second graduate; Hawkeye graduated from the Heeling Autism Program on Thursday. His raisers, Sandy and Mike Calloway and their children attended, as did Barbara and Randy. Barb said that there weren't enough tissues in the whole kleenex factory for Sandy. What a wonderful/terrible day for them...but seeing Hawkeye with his new partner made it all worthwhile.

Anthony attended yet another community gathering at the Carlisle Fire Department in Milford; it was the beginning of Fire Prevention Week, and also the day before the big race in Dover. Patty and I accompanied Anthony, but nobody really paid any attention to us...only to the dog (which is the way we like it). We had lots of fun going through the fire house, and they had an actual Nascar driving simulator there, so we of course had to take a few spins around the track. All I'll say is that I'm keeping my day job.

It was a nice day with nice people....always good to meet people in the community.

We also got to go up to New Castle to Richard's office; Anthony was a perfect office dog. Unfortunately, no work was done when Richard took him on a tour of the plant.

It's been a hard couple of months for all of us; Richard looks so tired all the time, we're both a little on edge. But we knew going in that we'd go through this. We knew at the beginning that it was going to be hard to get this done, and it would be hard not to snipe at each other at times...but we're still a team; he's still my best friend and I'm his. We're starting to talk about the "after" time...when we can go back to sharing the crossword puzzle on Sunday, watching the football games together (right now we usually can catch the Sunday night game; we turn it on and promptly fall asleep about two minutes later). This will be a finished project, and we will be all the better for it. We're hoping for a two to three year time period before we will sell the Salisbury house, and then we'll have a nice house in Smyrna, no mortgage, no debt, (no worries?)...and maybe even a late model car for each of us.

The dogs, of course, will still have about 2.5 thousand toys.

Insomnia.

2010-09-16T23:19:00.001-04:00

Been forever since I've updated...and I've kind of been putting it off because it has been such a long time....kind of like going to confession when I was young. At some points, I'd think that I'd just be in there most of the day, so it was easier to not go.

However, my niece Katie has a blog, and she uses bullet points to say what she wants to say. I'm totally going to steal her idea; it doesn't seem so daunting that way.

I've got a bit of insomnia tonight, which is odd. I was so tired when I got home from Smyrna, I thought I'd be asleep within minutes. That was about four hours ago. Sigh.
We're moving along on the Smyrna house, albeit not as fast as we'd like. For about a week, it was kind of like peeling an onion. Take up one piece of wood, and we'd find that underneath it needed fixing. It just makes everything take that much longer.
We've had the truck for about 2 weeks now, and the other day it started making a noise I've never heard in a car before. With a sense of foreboding, I took it in to Daves. Continuing it's reputation, the truck now needs a new transmission for $2800. We're trying to decide whether or not it's stupid to keep throwing good money after bad. It's Murphy's Law, this being a time we REALLY need a truck. Oh well, we'll figure something out.
While I'm typing this, the Real Housewives of DC is on; these people are awful and making me mad just by being on the tv. I loved the housewives of Orange County, New Jersey and even Atlanta. These people are just....stupid.
Mr. Anthony is now 84 pounds; a very large boy. He's become a little bit sensitive lately; we were in Lowes in Dover yesterday, and they had an animated halloween witch on display. It scared him (it was motion activated) and he started to bark at it. So we're going to stop there again tomorrow, and each day that we go by. He's also being challenged by dog distraction....only a few months to go now, and I don't want to send him without addressing both of these things. Other than that, he's a big giant joy in my life who still makes me laugh today as much as he did when he was a puppy.
Richard is settling in with the new job, and this week he finally sounded like he was happy about it; up until now, he's been struggling with trying to catch up after the (TMI) move, learning to do everything a different way, and assimilate to being "upper management". We went and had lunch with him this week (Anthony and I) and Richard was pleased as punch.
Everybody has new jobs (except me, LOL) and I'll fill you in on them next time. It's all so good. Lots to tell, but I'm getting sleepy and I'm going to take advantage of it!

No Apologies

2010-05-26T19:00:00.010-04:00

You would think that with everything that has been going on in our lives, I'd have a lot to talk about. I truly do. But finding the time/energy/thought processes to do it is something else entirely. Tonight, I skipped baby puppy class to just ingest meds and chill out with the three dogs. Been alone since around 3 p.m. after Mrs. Maggie Roof stopped by to get our suitcases to use for their honeymoon cruise. She and I talked about the "letdown" that both of us are feeling after the wedding. There's lots for me to do around here, but I'm truly missing the wedding planning. :) It was a beautiful wedding, a beautiful party; it was just over so truly fast.

First and foremost, I'll talk about what didn't happen that day...my parents were not there. They called on eight days before, and said they couldn't come; my mom, who has been having constant pain, is scheduled for hip replacement surgery in mid-June. We all figured she'd medicate herself and come here and then go back home for surgery. Unfortunately, her body had other ideas.

They tried every way possible to get here. She can't fly on a plane. She can't sit in the car for all those hours from Florida to Maryland. She's tried every drug; they all made her loopy, but none took away the pain. Her heart hurt, our hearts hurt. She was trying to convey to me that if there was any way possible, she would be there. This wasn't something she had to explain. This is her only granddaughter, and if she could have been there, she would have been there. I immediately went into "joke" mode, to try and make her laugh, make her feel better. Didn't work. We both cried. Over the next few days, I tried to talk with them every day, to let them know what was going on, what we were doing. I wanted to include them, all the while wondering if I was making it worse by telling them everything. Sigh. It was ultimately a no win situation. We forged on; I tried calling every day, even if it was just for a minute.

I immediately regretted my decision to not hire a videographer. When I told Barbara what had happened, she immediately offered her and Randy's services to tape everything for us; she said that they had done it a bunch of times for family and friends. I was torn. These were my guests, and now I'm asking them to work? But I said yes anyway, in spite of my hesitation. I'm glad I did. These are two wonderful wonderful friends.

The wedding went off almost without a hitch. Richard, Roger and I got to the Civic Center early to set up the tables with table numbers, candles, etc. We found that instead of 19 tables of 6, 7 or 8, there were 20 tables of 6. Eeeeeeek. I had a mini-panic (because I didn't have COMPLETE CONTROL over the seating arrangement and couldn't micro-manage it to death). But in reality, the problem was fixed in about 30 minutes. I then rushed to the hair salon to get my hair done...I give it about a 75 out of 100. I would have liked it less pouffy, and probably should have had more hairspray (the wind tousled it immediately). Ah well, hindsight is always 20/20. RUSHED home from there, stopping to get Leah some nail polish remover, and ran upstairs to get dressed. It was starting to get hot, which I knew was going to wreck my hair (what a shock...and which is why I wished it was a winter wedding lol). Limo arrived early....it was actually a bus with a disco ceiling. The limo had broken down and they sent this instead, which was absolutely fine.

Got to the church and found the bridal party, who immediately offered me a Smirnoff Ice. Tempting, but I hadn't eaten a thing all day, and I didn't think it would be wise to imbibe. Headed back to the front of the church, and started seeing everyone. I was so emotional....so many people came from so very far away. Tears. Stop. Tears. Stop. Tears. Stop. Thank goodness I had grabbed one of Richard's hankies from the drawer before we left the house. It was awesome...I stood there and greeted people and listened to them tell me how beautiful I looked. I'm actually thinking of putting the dress back on next Sunday and standing at the back of the church. I liked the compliments. :)

Kevin walked me down the aisle to my seat; at that point, Martha and I stood to go up to the alter to light the candles that would be used later to light the unity candle. She was nervous, and we clasped hands and walked that LONG walk up to the top of the alter (it wasn't really long, just seemed that way in heels). We lit the candles, and turned and walked back towards our seats.

Now this part we had planned beforehand, but didnt' tell anybody. When we got back to our pews, we faced the front of the church, then turned towards each other, and high fived.

It got a laugh. (Oh, I live for the laugh, don't I?) I think it calmed her down a bit, and we both grinned from ear to ear.

The bridal party came in, all looking so handsome and beautiful. I actually was thinking "this is really happening". The flowers, red roses and white tulips, were in beautiful contrast to the bridesmaid's black dresses. The ushers had red rose boutonnieres to match.

Then Richard and Maggie appeared at the back of the church. Pachabel's Canon in D started to play (Maggie didn't want the bridal march). I saw her and her father, and immediately started crying. I choked it down, looked at Martha, and she started crying. We kind of did this back and forth crying thing; I'd get under control, and she'd start; she'd get under control, and I'd start.

Maggie looked so so beautiful. So, so happy. Richard's eyes were shining. Maggie was beaming.

The ceremony was over so quickly. I just wanted to sit there all day and watch these two people declare their love to each other and to God and to all of us for the rest of the day....I didn't want it to end. But it did. They marched back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Roger Roof. Our hearts wanted to burst with happiness.

It was a beautiful beautiful wedding.

Tomorrow, I'll write about the reception. :)

Oh Blogger, How I've Missed Thee

2010-02-26T10:50:00.002-05:00

I know that it's still February, and it's winter. But it's just so cold! I'm tired of the snow. I want it to be warmer (but not hot)...I want I want I want. Sorry, just had to get that out of my system.

Much happening in our lives; Biggest news? Richard has accepted a promotion with Testing Machines; he's going from blue collar to white collar, which means that his travelling will be greatly reduced. He's going to have an office that he'll have to report to every day, and a title, and minions and the like. He's also going to have to relocate. Me too. We're moving!

This was all part of the plan for the future, just not the immediate future. TMI will be opening its' doors in New Castle, DE in April, 2010. Richard's contract that he's signed stipulates that he must live within one hour of New Castle. Whoa!!! Timing is everything, right? So maybe I shouldn't wish for spring so soon. We have Maggie's wedding, and now we have a move to plan; we have a house to sell, we have a house to buy. I guess that's why I've been waking up at night in sheer panic...how are we going to get this all done?

We started looking at property, and at house plans. Diane sent me a plan that we both fell in love with; it's very open, it's on one floor, and it's perfect (except for some minor adjustments for the Christmas Tree closet). We looked for land in Milford, Harrington, Dover, Farmington....there's plenty of land available.

But wait. We've got to sell this house first. Uh oh, it's time to finish all those projects! It's time to get rid of all our crap! It's time to pull our hair out!

It's a bad time to give up cursing for Lent. :)

There's a foreclosure house in Debbie and Christian's neighborhood, and while looking for property, I happened across it...and it's way out of our price range. But it led me down another path...why don't we wait to build? Why don't we get something small, and very cheap, and live there for a few years until the market picks up? We can rent this house to the kids, buy a foreclosure house for as little as possible, live beneath our means for a few years, sell this house when we can get our price, and then use that money to build our new house, sell the little house, and move in with (hopefully) no mortgage and no debt (or as little as possible). I've been listening to Dave Ramsey in the afternoons, and reading his books; he says "if you live like no one else, you can live like no one else". He advocates no credit, cash only, eat rice and beans (figuratively) to save money, drive an old car, and sleep easy at night. Our foreclosure house plan fits right into that scenario.

We're actually hoping to see one of the houses listed this weekend. It's in Hartly, DE, way out in the boonies. It's going to go to auction at a minimum $68,000 bid; we drove by, and it's a little manufactured home, with a big boat, and a big camper in the front of it (no wonder they couldn't pay their mortgage) and a HUGE satellite dish in the front, which made us laugh. Detached three-car garage, one acre of property. Needs lots of love.

I'm so excited at the prospect of all this. It's about a 180 degree turn from how it's been recently...always acquiring stuff, things, spending on this and that. Richard and I have lamented about how we miss the simpler way of life; how it was when we were younger. I think we're both ready for this change. Scared to death, but ready :).

Verklempt

2010-01-14T22:17:00.009-05:00

The sun shone today and provided central Florida with warmth; most of the "ghosts" were gone today. After a cool start, we hit the high 60's, almost 70 degrees. It was divine. I'm really starting to think that I did bring them this cold snap...it's leaving almost at the same time I do.

Took Dad to the hospital early; Mom had a doctor's appointment early afternoon. We had a quiet day, doing house stuff, trying to accomplish everything we wanted to accomplish at the beginning of this visit. Walked the dogs. Had lunch. Mom went out to the backyard and surveyed the frost damage. I took that opportunity to take my camera, and get some nice photos of Augie; spent some time doing puppy massage on him. He ate it up, laying in his yard, his mom there, all the mulch he could munch on (and nobody saying no), and his "sister" there giving him a massage. It was a good and peaceful time with him.

Mom's doctor visit went well; he checked her Coumadin level, and it looked very good. I loved this doctor, who I had the opportunity to meet while she was in the hospital. This is my parents' GP, the "good" Dr. Reynolds, as one of the surgeons referred to him. He is a doctor who will not schedule more patients than he can see in a day; he actually spends time with each patient. He seems to have very old-fashioned values that you don't see in the medical field too much these days....almost worth moving south to find such an unusual M.D. :)

Picked up Dad then and went back home. Dad put Augie in the back of the car, and I took my bag of very stinky, very tasty dog treats and as many tissues I could stuff in my purse.

Dad couldn't come into the room. He looked so torn as we went in. We had a few minutes with Augie, and then the doctor and two of the vet techs came in. It was a five tissue farewell; it was also such a blessing to see all of these people feeling as we did. They were all crying right along with us. We were all down on the floor, and it happened so very peacefully. He truly just went to sleep, with his head in my mom's hands. She was the last person he saw, and he went over the bridge surrounded by people that loved him. Watching all that happened today, I felt sure of what I said to Mom and Dad, that it had been his time. As sad as we all were, when we finally left the room, I saw my dad hug my mom so tight. He took her hand, and then he took my hand, and we walked out together.

Getting back to the house, we all appeared to have been run over by some kind of truck...even Cassie. She was unusually quiet. We ordered a pizza, and surprisingly, ate it all up. We then sat together, looked for funny things on television (settled on two old Seinfelds) and all went to bed early. I've finished packing, and can just enjoy a bowl of cereal and coffee before it's time to leave for the (1) doctor and (2) airport.

It's been a long ten days; not the trip we had all planned (the plan? two hours in the surgery center and home); but I'm so thankful that I was here for everything. Dad said before "oh no, we're going to have to cook and clean ourselves". Ha! I baked more than I cooked (not that there's anything wrong with that), and my cleaning skills are less than stellar. But I'm ready to get home to my house, my family and my pups. I'm ready to get back to my life; it's been suspended since the middle of December with Maggie's graduation coinciding with Mom and Dad's visit and going straight through until now. Been a great break.

It's a new year, with new things happening. A wedding :). Max starts training for the fire department on the 28th. Richard's company will be moving to Delaware perhaps by the middle of spring. We have a new class starting pre-puppy classes, four pups are ready to head back to New York, and Mr. Anthony is going for his jacket in the next few weeks.

Godspeed, Augie Doggie.

Onward and upward, people.

Hard Decisions

2010-01-13T23:17:00.004-05:00

When my dad picked me up at the airport last Tuesday, we had a good hour to talk on the way home. We talked about lots of things, the upcoming surgery, the past "house flood", the new carpets, new toilets, new ceiling in the garage.

Also Augie. He asked me to just look, and to tell them what I thought about how Augie was doing. I guess to have an "outsiders" look at him. I think that our hearts and minds can be clouded by love, especially when it comes to our animals. I told him that I would, and I would keep my own feelings out of it (good luck, right?)

I spent all Thursday and Friday with Augie, as Mom and Dad were at the hospital all day, both days. All the rest of the days, I walked him, I let him out and in, I took him to the woods for short walks in the afternoons. He had bad days, and better days; but honestly, he had no good days. Poor Augie doesn't live anymore. He sleeps, he eats. He goes outside, and has a terrible time going back up the stairs. I told my mom what I thought yesterday, and she said that she'd call the vet next week and go in a speak with her; ask her if she thought it was time to say good-bye.

This morning, she had to call the vet to get more painkillers for him...I listened to her speaking to these wonderful people at the vet, and all of a sudden she was saying that she thought it was time, she wanted to bring him in. She broke down on the phone, and my mom doesn't ever do that. She's private, and kept apologizing for crying. All of this made me start crying (you all know I have NO problem with tears in public, and am very demonstrative of such)...Augie's been around for so very long, 13 years.

I told Mom and Dad that I wanted them to do it while I was here; they have always been there for me, and I'd like to be there for them this time. My dad didn't understand at first, and kind of second-guessed doing this, but after a few minutes, realized that it was the right thing to do. I remember that feeling when it got to be the time to take Roxy for that final vet appointment; it was a panic-filled feeling, thinking that there had to be something else we could do instead of this.

My eyes are filling as I'm even thinking about doing this tomorrow. We all know it's the right thing at the right time. But it's just so damned hard.

Beautiful Day in Florida...almost 56 degrees today!

2010-01-12T21:47:00.003-05:00

It actually was a really beautiful day, sunny, crisp and a bit chilly. Nothing wrong with that.

Mom is coming along slowly; she's walking more than I thought she would at this point, which is great. She's leaning more on tylenol than the pain medication, and really is only taking the tylenol at night. Dad and I took down all the Christmas decorations outside, and got all the blanket "ghosts" off the plants.

Mom and Dad head off to bed around 8, so I'm sitting here watching The Office, and laughing all by myself. I love this show.

It's been a rather slow day around here, so I had to keep myself occupied. :)

From Balmy Florida....24 degrees and falling....

2010-01-10T22:09:00.003-05:00

Oh my. It's so cold :) I actually feel for these poor people down here, so unused to the cold weather. Their bodies are acclimated to much more temperate weather. I actually saw snow flurries last night. If you are here on vacation, you picked a very bad week. On the way back from the airport, we saw someone water skiing; I figured it was a vacationer who was determined to get a little water skiing in....in a wetsuit.

Mr. Murphy has followed me here...and brought his law with him. Wednesday morning, my mom shakes me awake around 6:30 a.m. She had been bitten by a tick the previous week, and woke up to find a red ring around the bite mark. She had remembered that Max had had the same thing happen to him, and wanted to know if it looked the same to me. It did, albeit much smaller than Max's....much earlier noticed, I think. We all had the same thought at the same time. "Is this going to screw up the surgery?" I voiced my opinion that I didn't think that it would affect it; inwardly, I wasn't so sure. Off they went to the "doc in the box".

They returned a few hours later, with a prescription for penicillin, and a green light on the surgery.

Thursday comes, and off they go, first thing in the morning. Hours passed; around 9 a.m. Cassie and I set out on a long walk. We walked all the way to town, and down to Lake Dora. It was kind of nice; downtown was deserted (too cold for anyone to be walking the streets), and it was pretty much me, Cassie, the loons and an egret that was perched on the trunk of someone's car. We walked for awhile, and got back at 11:30 a.m. Spoke to my dad, and the surgery on my mom's ankle and knee had been a success; however, after the surgery, her heart went into atrial fibrillation. They took her from the surgery center over to the emergency room at the hospital, hooked her up to monitors, and said that they might keep her overnight for observation. They put her on coumadin, and started watching her. Unfortunately, it's a pretty small hospital, and they were filled...no beds. She and my dad were in the emergency room until almost 11 pm. STRESSFUL, to say the least. But she finally got a room. At this point, everyone is just concentrating on her heart...she was in a bit of pain in her ankle, but not too bad, she said.

Saturday morning, I went with my dad to the hospital early, and got to meet the osteo surgeon, and then her regular doctor, who informed us that my mom would be coming home that day. Hooray! It was 11:15 a.m. when we got the news. Figured it would take awhile to get out of there. "Awhile" is not quite the word. The hospital is small, and being Saturday, had a skeleton staff. We actually wheeled her out of there at 4:45 p.m. It was a long day for all, but the result was worth the wait. :) Bonus...the Jets won their playoff game last night. Yes!

Today was routine; some housework (vacuuming, laundry, dusting), taking care of the patient with my dad, headed into town to see what's new in Mt. Dora (I could have spent more time down there, but may head back before I go home), walking the dogs in the woods, and then back to lay on my mom's bed with her, and watch movies (We Were Soldiers and Gladiator), with my dad keeping us apprised of the score on the game.

Tomorrow we schedule doctor visits for the surgeon, the cardiologist and the regular doctor.

I miss home; the hubby and the kids. Two days away is kind of like running away to vacation, not being responsible for anything that you usually do at home. When day three came, I was really missing Maryland. Today Richard told me that it was kind of boring around there without me. I really did think that he was going to enjoy the peace and quiet....maybe he just misses Anthony.

Speaking of Anthony, he doesn't really miss us at all. Debbie is watching him, and she sent this picture today. Looks like Ink has replaced us in Anthonys heart... :) Miss that little guy.

The Christmas I'll Never Forget

2009-12-26T20:51:00.009-05:00

I think that lots of people were expecting this Christmas to be a different type of Christmas than they were used to. The economy, especially, was the number one reason. People are cutting back, they just cannot afford to go overboard (and compete with themselves on the number of gifts they gave last year vs. this year). I include this family in that group. Christmas gifts have come all year, in the form of car insurance being paid, cell phone bills being paid, supporting at least three or four full-time employees at Peninsula Auto through our wonderful, person, cash-for-clunkers (that we are still having repaired at regular intervals). If this goes on, Peninsula may be able to afford to open a second location.

Then Tuesday night, five days ago, everything changed. An 11 year old girl, Sarah Foxwell, went missing. An amber alert was issued, there was already a suspect in custody. It was cold and it was dark. It was three days before Christmas. She was wearing a tee shirt and red pajama pants with Christmas trees on them. The fact that her pj's had Christmas trees on them made it even more poignant for me. This was a girl who was thinking about Friday; I remember being 11, and as Christmas approached, I was hard pressed to think of anything else.

Tuesday night turned to Wednesday night. Wednesday night turned to Thursday. Searches all over the county. Rumors were spread, and then discounted. Professionals came from all over to help with the search; the community wanted to help, but Sheriff Lewis asked that we wait, and let the pros do it.

And still it was just so cold at night. I couldn't get the image of the tee shirt and the red pajama pants with the Christmas trees out of my mind.

I spent Thursday getting ready for Friday. Last minute gifts, cooking as much as I could cook to bring dinner over and celebrate with Mom and Dad Demers, and Celine, Steve and Leah, who were coming from New York. Thursday night we went out for a family dinner, all of us that could (missing both Maggie, who was about three blocks away from the restaurant, working, and Katie, who was actually working at the restaurant we ate at). We left the restaurant; Sheriff Lewis gave a press conference. He was calling for volunteers to help search. Whoever could, please show up at Shorebirds Statium at 7 a.m. the next morning, Christmas morning.

I talked about it with Richard and Max; we all wanted to go and help. I spoke with Maggie and Roger, they wanted to come. We all thought that it would be a small number that could turn out; we wanted to do something. I made an executive decision that Richard should stay home; he had taken Anthony for a short walk in the cold, and it really really bothered his hand. We weren't sure what conditions we would be walking in, we weren't sure how long it would take. I know it bothered him to be left behind to "man the house"; it bothered me to leave him alone on Christmas morning, to wake up to an empty house.

We left at 6:40 a.m., stopping to pick up a friend of Max's on the way. I was impressed, because I don't know that I would have done that at 18 years old.

As we came upon Shorebirds Stadium, I felt my chest tighten and the hairs stood up on my arms. There were so many cars there already...so very many people had come to search. We parked the car, and got on line. Maggie and Roger arrived and joined us; as we waited to sign in, we passed boxes and boxes of food, cases of water and soda, the Station 7 restaurant's mobile unit serving hot food to the searchers. So many members of law enforcement, almost all of them looking tired, none of them sitting down. We signed in, and went inside the stadium. Lots of people were there. Sleepy people. Anxious people. Black people and white people. Old people and young people. More men than women, and quite a few young people. Nervous laughter, quiet conversations. We heard from the sheriffs, the troopers and the county attorney. We were going to separate into groups of 10 or so, and would be given our areas to search. Seems simple, right.

The logistics of arranging such a large search with professionals must be daunting. Doing it with all those professionals, and then adding in 3000 untrained volunteers must have seemed an almost impossible task. But it got done in about 2 hours. We stood as patiently as we could and waited; everyone was just so anxious to just do something.

Finally we got our assignment. We were going to search Perdue, the headquarters and the processing plant off of Old Ocean City Road. We loaded into cars and drove over there. It was the four of us, plus about 25 other people. We split up; our group searched the fence line, the woods next to the plant, the railroad tracks. We were told not to touch anything that we found; we were to look for anything that looked like it didn't belong, anything that was out of place. We came upon a drainage ditch that was frozen almost completely over. We stopped and looked at it, and were trying to find the reason for the non-frozen part. There was a steel plate covering an access to the ditch, and I went and lifted it; all the while I'm thinking in my head "my god what if she is under here I don't want to see this". But she wasn't. She wasn't in the dumpsters, or in the brambles. She wasn't on the side of the bypass. We walked and walked, and I was so scared that I would find her or I would miss something that would lead to her. We walked through snow, and mud, and water. We just kept walking and looking; poking and peering. We found nothing. Between the two groups, we searched the whole property. We made it back to the cars and were told that searches were called off for the day. We were to report back to the stadium and check in, and then we could leave.

We got home around 1:30 I think. Went into ninja cooking mode, mashing potatos with one hand, frosting a cake with the other one. All of us just wanted to sleep; we were tired, but I think we just wanted to escape what we had done that morning. The last thing we wanted to do was go anywhere...but it was just what we needed. We brought dinner over, we had shrimp and stuffed mushrooms. Ham and potatoes. Cake and pie and more pie. And wine. A few extra glasses of red wine.

They found her around 4 pm. Max got a text message saying that they had found her. I told him not to believe it until it's confirmed....which it was a few minutes later. It was the ending I expected, but one that I hoped would not come. Someone said that she was found in an abandoned chickenhouse. That was oddly comforting news to me; I thought again of the cold, the rain and the dampness.

Lots has been said about her family; this is not the time for judgment. This is the time for taking care of our child, and taking care of all of our other children. Use your anger and frustration to let your elected officials know what happened here in Salisbury, and let them know that things must be changed so this will never happen again.

I talked with God a lot yesterday morning, as we walked through forest, and briers and mud, through riverbanks,and along the bypass, and everywhere else we could see. He was there with us yesterday. For me, Christmas suddenly stopped being about things; Christmas was the people who came out to look for the little lost girl.

HOORAY for Baggy Pants

2009-12-20T13:41:00.005-05:00

NEW YORK (Dec. 18) -- A career criminal massacred three members of a family in their apartment but fell to his death when he tripped over his own baggy pants.

David Karp, AP

Workers from the medical examiner's office carry the body of a murder suspect who fell to his death from an apartment building fire escape.

Police said Hector Quinones, 44, shot and killed Carlos Rodriguez Sr., 52, and his 24-year-old son, Carlos Rodriguez Jr., then stabbed to death the younger Rodriguez's grandfather, Fernando Gonzalez, 87, according to reports in the Daily News and the New York Post.

The elder Rodriguez's wife, Gisela Rodriguez, 49, and her daughter, Leyanis, 28, walked in on the carnage. Quinones heard keys in the lock and opened the door for the women, police said.

He shot the mother, who was grazed on the head by a bullet but managed to run from the apartment. The killer was just about the grab the daughter when his low-slung pants fell down and he tripped, the Post said. That gave the young woman the chance to run into a back room, where she found the bodies of her brother and father.

Quinones yanked up his pants and scrambled after Leyanis Rodriguez, who climbed onto a fire escape, screaming for help to construction workers on the roof of a nearby building, the Post said. The attacker followed her onto the fire escape, but once again his drooping pants fell and he tripped, plunging three stories to his death.

Estella Carrino, who manages a street-level bicycle store in the building, said she heard the body hit the ground.

"He had no jacket on and his pants were down. He was very dead," she told the Daily News.

Eldon GEB | A Dog Named Christmas

2009-11-24T21:42:00.001-05:00

Eldon GEB | A Dog Named Christmas

Posted using ShareThis

Finky Inky Got the Job

2009-11-22T21:07:00.002-05:00

Rockland County Police Department has hired Miss Finky Inky.

She'll be a star at her new job; I'm still digesting it.

Sigh.

Aunt Eleanor's 70th Birthday Party

2009-11-22T20:54:00.002-05:00

This weekend Richard and I, Richard's dad Ronnie and Diane all piled into the car, and made the trip to Patterson, NY to Anthony and Kelly's home for a surprise birthday party for Ronnie's sister, Eleanor.

What a wonderful party! So good to see family, to hear stories, to laugh, enjoy good food and good wine.

The best gift? What it was all about? Eleanor's reaction to her brother coming all that way for her birthday. It was priceless. We all cried.

November 20, 2009

2009-11-20T22:24:00.003-05:00

I walked a mile with Pleasure.
She chattered all the way,
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me.
-Robert Browning Hamilton, "Along the Road"

Today we went to Bethany Beach, DE, to St. Ann's Church, to attend the memorial service of Lisa Cavalluzzo. Lisa was 45 years old, and she lived in Delray Beach, Florida.

I pray she finds now what she had been searching for all her life; I pray her parents, her brother and sister, her family, will be comforted. I pray that we learn from our sorrow.

There was a time in my life that I walked the same roads that Lisa did; I found my way back. I wish that she could have done the same. There but for the grace of God go I. When I found out the terrible news, I called my Mom. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her I was so sorry for the awful decisions I had made in my life at one time. I was sorry for putting them through so much pain and anguish. I was sorry for choosing the easy road, the road that didn't involve personal responsibility. I read the mass card that was given out; on the back was the Serenity Prayer. How many times had I read that? I thought of Lisa, and wished that she could have lived it.

How do you find the right words to say...they don't come. I saw my family, my parents there in Lisa's family today. I saw the sadness enveloping the family. There but for the grace of God go I.

Sometimes we're so busy living day to day that we forget what is important in this short life that we have. Tomorrow is never promised. Live today as if it is indeed your last one. Don't hold grudges. Tell your parents you love them. Tell your children you love them. Kiss your dog on the lips (ok, I know I'm pushing it here).

Lisa, I hope that you rest in peace; Mr. & Mrs. Cavalluzzo, Joe and Regina, my prayers are with you always. I hope that you can all find comfort in the love from your family and friends.

Ink Update

2009-11-20T07:55:00.002-05:00

Today should be Ink's last "interview" with the police department that is interested in her. She might be released as early as today. (Can you tell that I'm gunning for her to fail this police test?)

How convenient that we'll be up in Paterson NY tomorrow....a mere 30 minutes away from the kennels.

Hmmmmm.

(Psst. Inky. Today's the day where you want to be a crazy, running around, not listening, stupid, jackass dog. Don't listen to anything anybody tells you. When they tell you to heel, you need to jump on people. Use your nails. When they tell you to down, run away as fast as you can. Bark loudly at people. Scoot your butt along the floor -- that's a good one. )

New Bumper Sticker

2009-11-20T07:45:00.002-05:00

Saw a bumper sticker on a car in front of me the other day. It read:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8".

When I got home, I looked it up (thank goodness for Google). Seems this saying has become popular according to Google stats!

Psalm 109:8
"Let his days be few; and let another take office."

I'd like one of those stickers!

Little Maggie...Not So Little Anymore

2009-11-18T06:47:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share my newest pictures of little Magnolia Leigh. Poor child. How awful of me to make her put on wigs and then take pictures. She's going to hate me when she brings a boyfriend home, and her Mom and Dad take out these pictures.

For the record, I had the complete cooperation of her mother.

Time Marching on at an alarming rate....

2009-11-16T22:13:00.005-05:00

So much has happened since I've been regularly posting; life moves on while we're busy making other plans.

As of right now...Richard and I had a nice three-day weekend in Florida. Flew into south Florida, where Richard had a small job, and then drove up about three hours to Mount Dora. We got off the plane in Ft. Lauderdale, and walked over to Hertz; they have the car sitting there with the trunk open. I had asked what kind of car we were getting, and was expecting a mid-sized something. We put the bags in the trunk and closed it, and then I saw the Mercedes symbol. I said "holy crap Richard, it's a mercedes!" We were tickled. Very nice car; drove nicely, cool stuff inside. My dad was appropriately impressed; Richard told him that we knew we'd be driving them to dinner that night, and couldn't show up in just any car. :)

We of course, had to take some pictures with it before we took it back.

We got to see Augie, and I was very sad when we left, and shed some tears; it's probably the last time I'll get to see him.

He's old, and he's struggling a bit. That's going to be a terrible day in my parents house. They love that boy so very much. I just hope they both have the strength to do the right thing for Augie when the time comes. This poor sweet boy.

Mr. Anthony comes home tomorrow from Debbie and Christian's house; Debbie told me she's in love, but she's tired! Anthony viewed little Maggie as "his size", so she was fair game; he wanted to play with her like he plays with his brother, and those little puppy teeth are like pins. So restrictions had to be imposed upon the visiting little black puppy...but all in all, Debbie was thrilled with him, and I got lots of positive feedback from her. She's coming to Salisbury tomorrow to drop him off, and I cannot wait to see him.

Spent today looking for the "perfect" gift for Aunt Eleanor's 70th birthday. Finally found a nice frame after about six hours of shopping. Saw Santa in the mall, and asked him why he was there so early. He didn't have a good excuse, just like the stores not having a good excuse as to why the Christmas decorations are put out in the stores before halloween is over!

Participated in a Guiding Eyes conference call this evening from 7:30 until 8:30 pm; looking for new ways to recruit raisers. I think that the economy has hurt GEB (as well as every other charitable organization, probably). Our region is the only one that consistently has new raisers...whatever we're doing, we're doing right.

Trying to get the other raisers to get their pups out and volunteer for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign. Be a good way to get the organization noticed, and very good practice for the pups.

I'm typing this with one eye closed, so I'm ready for bed. Tired tired tired. That damned air they pump into the malls. It'll get you every time.

2009-10-06T18:23:00.003-04:00

2009-09-16T15:18:00.002-04:00

Just fed Ink the last dinner I'm going to feed her. That made me incredibly sad.
Gonna miss her.

But, on the other hand, I can't wait to see what she's going to do for someone else. That's above all, above all.

Friday, September 11, 2009

2009-09-11T19:36:00.002-04:00

It's as good a day as any to start writing again. It's gotten to the point where it's like with a friend you haven't been in touch with for awhile, and the longer it goes on, the harder it is to pick up that phone, because you feel baaaddddd, but not bad enough to suck it up and just make the call. Today's a good day to suck it up and start writing again. Much much much has happened over the summer, our lives have gone in different ways. But, for the moment, things are calm and steady, which is a welcome relief.

It's been a very gray, very dreary, rainy day. Perfect weather for this day. Every year, it seems to ebb; the coverage, the documentaries, the ceremonies for 9/11. But I seek them out; about a week before, I start to look at the History Channel, the ID channel, National Geographic channel. I start to watch, and watch everything I can that is related to the attacks. This year I even ordered a documentary from Amazon that's only been broadcast once (in my defense, it's an awesome film, and I've wanted Richard to see it for years). It's not come in the mail yet, but I know I'll sit down and watch it as soon as it gets here.

I don't know why I keep watching these things; maybe I'm just still trying to understand why it happened.

Did you know that you can see pictures of the jumpers after they landed? They are on the internet. Why? What's the purpose of having these pictures available to anybody? To strengthen American resolve? Not likely. It's more like a sick voyeurism that fuels our society. I imagine that you can pretty much find a picture of just about anything on the internet. I've certainly found some unusual ones, but I tend to focus on the funny, not the gruesome.

What led me to look for pictures of the jumpers was that I've been thinking about them for the past few days. I was thinking about how horrific it must have been in those buildings to have come to that decision. Was it that, or was it the last bit of control they had over their own lives? If you look at the pictures, some of them look like they are flailing wildly as they fell, yet some look posed and peaceful. I think about their families. Did they recognize them? Could they tell? Would it be better to have that memory, then to have nothing at all, the way it it was for most of the victims' families.

Thousands and thousands of images from that day; they never cease to move me incredibly. I wish more people looked at them. It is frightening how quickly complacent we've all become.

For me, this will always be a day of memory, and of sadness for all of the victims and the people who lost them.

GEB Puppies on the Today Show

2009-08-06T17:12:00.002-04:00

One of the boys featured in the video is Ink's daddy, Alex.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Five Greatest Sentences That Are Incredibly Relevant Now

2009-07-28T11:59:00.003-04:00

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy
out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another
person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to
anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because
the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets
the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get
what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any
nation.

5. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Adrian Rogers, 1931*

SWAT Team to Escort Jackson Body

2009-07-07T13:10:00.001-04:00

SWAT Team to Escort Jackson Body

Shared via AddThis

WHY????

Is someone going to kill him again?

What a Week it's Been for this united states...

2009-06-28T22:31:00.002-04:00

In the category of 'celebretard worship', they're dropping like flies. First, it was Ed McMahon, which made me a bit sad, as he and Johnny Carson and he entertained me as a child (when I snuck staying up and watching The Tonight Show on the black and white tv); but he was old, and it was his time to die. He had a long, and mostly good, life.

Then Friday came, and the news that Farrah Fawcett had died. Another death expected, as she had had such a long battle with cancer. It bothered me that she never married Ryan O'Neill in the end; they just ran out of time. And it bothered me that her son was in jail when she died. Ah, what we do to our parents. Ah, what we do to our children.

Friday afternoon came the passing of Michael Jackson, which shocked (and didn't shock) me. To look at him, he look like a time bomb just waiting to go off. Many many accolades, all news stories revolving around him. King of Pop, child-molester, wacko-jacko. He was an incredibly talented individual who was a prime example of what environment can do to a child. His father took his childhood in all ways and shapes, Michael Jackson was determined to be a child when he was older. Was he a pedophile? I don't know. Where there people around him only to use him? Definitely. It is a tragedy that someone that is so brilliant and talented and wealthy would have such an unfulfillable life. It's just sad.

I thought the cycle of three was done.

Then this afternoon, Billy Mays is dead. Holy crap. This starts the count again. Now I'm waiting for two more to go.

I would have thought for sure that Billy Mays would have had something that came from as seen on tv to keep him alive.

Sad. Our pop icons are dying.

Direct from Salisbury, MD via The Colbert Report

2009-06-26T10:32:00.002-04:00

Salisbury on the map once again. This is a very very funny video, taken at Mitchells Marshall Arts, regarding a pretty neat program for senior citizens called "cane fu". The Colbert Report, of course, makes it really funny with random statements from the students of cane fu, and compares the "cane fu army" to a sleeper cell.

Good to see something other than the canonization of Michael Jackson.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Enemy Within - Cane Fu

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Mark Sanford

The Pelosi SmartCar

2009-06-15T10:16:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's a bit over the top, but funny/true/funny/true.

Whatever she's saying, she surely believes in it....

2009-06-11T21:10:00.002-04:00

Cop Tasers 72 Year Old Woman

2009-06-09T15:40:00.003-04:00

Sounds horrible, right? The video is edited to elicit sympathy for the kindly old great grandmother. I'm going to try and find the uncut version...it comes across quite differently. This shows the power of the media...a story can go one way, or completely another way, depending on the editor.

I hope that when I'm 72, I've lived enough life to know when to shut up and do what the officer tells me to do, and when he says "I'll tase you" I won't respond "Go ahead, I dare you".

Just proves that age does not always bring wisdom. :)

Life lessons...

2009-06-02T08:32:00.002-04:00

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Need a Smile?

2009-05-25T21:16:00.002-04:00

When I grow up, I want to be like this.....

Mother's Day and Demolition

2009-05-13T20:12:00.012-04:00

Saturday morning, we went to the rental place, and got ourselves a sixty-pound jackhammer. We didn't know how to use it exactly, but we quickly figured it out. Heavy? You betcha. Efficient? Hell yes.

We worked from about 3:30 until 7:00 pm, Max and I; we made it about three-quarters of the way around. Fortunately (for us) a huge and terrible Maryland thunderstorm come through. It was hot, and the storm brought the promise of cooler temperatures. The physical aches and pains I was expecting didn't really happen; we were really, really tired, but not terribly sore. Sleep came quickly; it was a good kind of tired. So often I feel emotionally tired rather than physically, especially when I'm not feeling very well. I so prefer the physical exhaustion...it makes for a good, honest nights sleep.

Sunday morning brought Mother's Day...a beautiful bouquet of roses from the kids (Maggie, Max and Roger), and a sleep-in, read the paper in bed with tea morning (actually, we do that most Sundays); the aches and pains that I had expected previously had visited sometime over Saturday night, but it still wasn't as bad as I thought. There was no way we could start hammering before ten; I'm sure the neighbors didn't appreciate all the noise, but before ten on a Sunday morning, even I would be complaining.

We only had about one-quarter of the concrete left to do; maybe it was because we knew what we were in for, maybe it was because we were sore...but that small space took us three hours. Granted it was the large area around the stairs (which is twice as wide and twice as thick), but it seemed endless. But we slowly kept at it...and finally, it was done.

Poor Richard didn't get to play with the jackhammer, but we let him try it for a minute. If you look in the picture, the pose he has is almost the same as the pose of the man on his shirt. Funny!

Ta Da!

After a thorough cleanup and rejuvenation (a shower and a caffeine pill) we headed out for our Mother's Day gathering. Diane and Joe were nice enough to host this years fete'....we brought an appetizer (which so needed more spice) and Mom and Dad brought shrimp cocktail....and then we had Chinese food. Yum. It was a really nice, low key dinner with our family, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Joe and Diane have a really big, really gross snake in their birdhouse (I hesitate to think about what happened to the bird!), and we didn't get to see it, but we did see the skin he had shed. It was at least 5 feet long. Ewwwww.

Joe had made dessert (chocolate chip cake YUM)...it was a really nice day capping off a really productive weekend.

Here's more results from the demo:

My New Favorite Website

2009-05-12T11:05:00.004-04:00

Ok, I've found a really, really good website. Here's a sample:

It's at www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Rain, rain and more rain. Wait, there's the sun. Oh, never mind. It's going to rain again tomorrow.

2009-05-08T09:46:00.006-04:00

It's been a long and busy week, and filled with grey skies and rain. The sun is out today, and it feels like an old friend has come back.

Wednesday, Richard and I went to pup class, and Debbie met us there. She took Inky back for the long weekend...and we miss her like crazy. Very quiet around here. Mookie is moping a bit. I've only heard from Debbie once, and things are going fine over there. We're really hoping that we can do a dual-raise for the rest of the time that Ink is here.

Thursday I got up really really early (like Richard early), and made my way to Barb and Randy's house, where we met up with their son, daughter in law, grandaughter and Barb's mom; we drove up to New Castle, where Barbara was being honored with a Jefferson Award. It was a fun ride, with much laughter and discussions, and giant cups of coffee.

We got there, and there were five people being honored. The Jefferson Awards were started by Jackie Kennedy to recognize outstanding service to community by individuals. There was Barbara, and then there was a lady who was a breast cancer advocate (she lost her mom to breast cancer, and was also a survivor herself), a lady who worked at Delmarva Power who organized and orchestrated a gift drive for needy children and senior citizens who wouldn't otherwise have had any holiday gifts, a doctor who worked with the terminally ill and their families, and a man, who was very involved in his community (not sure what he did, he was rather shy and did not make a speech). The award itself is beautiful and heavy (I told Barb we needed to put it on a big chain and then she could wear it like Mr. T).
One of the highlights of the whole morning was Maggie, Barbara and Randy's grandaughter. She is just so funny, and several hours in, she had warmed up to me, and was shaking my hand and sharing her bracelets with me. Definitely a heart stealer, for sure.

I must admit to being a bit jealous, as Debbie has called Auntie Barbara for a several hour babysitting job for the littlest Maggie; Debbie doesn't like to inconvenience people, and hesitates to ask anyone. Her email to Barbara said something like "I figured I'd ask you before we asked the neighbors". I can just picture Barbara responding with lightening speed (she herself told me it was in all caps...) that she'd love to babysit.

This is the picture I got this week...she's the world's smallest fencer. "En guarde!"

You know I'm going to get around to putting a tiny little fencing sword in her hand at some point.

Goodness, kids are awesome.

Yesterday was my Maggie's 22nd birthday, and she took the night off from work to come and spend it with us...I was really glad! I did figure that she's got Roger now, and she's young, she would want to go out somewhere...but she opted for hamburgers and hotdogs, homemade potato salad, french fries and cake with her family. Roger got there a bit after dinner from Seaford, and it was a really nice nite. I totally slothed out and got a cake from Food Lion, which was good, but just not homemade. I was writing the message on the cake in blue icing, and it all came out in a glob...it looked awful...but we laughed about it. I made a rather politically incorrect joke about it, and lit many many candles. It was a very nice night; Maggie and Roger are on different schedules than us...11 pm for them is just getting started. I could barely keep my eyes open! It was a good night, and it's truly hard to believe she's 22 years old.

Today I'm going to catch up on all that I didn't get to this week...get ready for the weekend. It is Mother's Day, and we're going to Diane and Joe's for dinner on Sunday. All the women don't have to cook...and that's a good thing. It's going to be a nice, low-key day. Joe even made the cake! (I hope it's chocolate chip cake!)

It's now 10:45 am on Friday...and it's getting cloudy. No more sun until Sunday, but that's ok. It's going to be there for Mother's Day (if it knows what's good for it)....

Thursday, almost Friday

2009-04-30T23:19:00.005-04:00

Today, Ink and I took a ride to Harrington to see Debbie and Christian, and of course, the marvelous Maggie. After the less-than-thrilling response from Ink at the festival last Saturday, Ink greeted Debbie and Christian with much more enthusiasm...which made me feel much better.

It was Ink's first meeting with her new sister, Maggie. I was a bit anxious about it, and had brought the "baby" doll home last night from puppy class. Ink pretty much ignored it, but that really didn't make me think that she'd ignore the baby.

I stopped to pick up Panera (Debbie's favorite), and we made our way north. I was excited about seeing Debbie and Christian, and seeing baby Maggie and how much she's grown.

What a wonderful surprise when I got there...Debbie looked wonderful and Maggie looked bigger and Christian looked tired but happy...and they were so excited to see Ink, and Ink was excited to see them. I was very happy about that. Ink sniffed around for a bit, and pretty much totally ignored the baby. Christian went so far as to bring Maggie down to Ink's level; still nothing. There was a tiny bit of sniffing, and she would look over when the baby would cry or grunt, but Ink too the whole thing completely in stride; she behaved exactly as she should have.

As the minutes wore on, Ink seemed to acclimate herself to the house. She checked out her bed, still right in the same spot that it had always been, and she climbed right in and made herself at home. Christian picked up the tennis balls, and Ink got up and played soccer, and chase me, just like nothing had every changed, that she had never left. I really enjoyed seeing her doing this, and I tremendously enjoyed Debbie and Chris' reaction to Ink being home. They've missed her so much.

I, of course, maximized my opportunity for baby time. Debbie was enjoying herself, as was Christian, so bit the bullet and said I'd hold the baby. Those tiny, tiny fingers. I was telling her to say "Aunt Margo"...she just grunted at me, and that made me laugh. I still swear it sounded like "Aunt Margo". :)
She is a tiny little ray of sunshine. Feeling that tiny little head nestled against yours is almost indescribable.

We went to take a walk before it was time to go, and Debbie took Ink and the stroller too, just to see if she could. It worked out beautifully. Ink walked at about 95% loose leash, and actually walked by "Jack" the miniature collie with hardly a glance.

We talked about Ink coming back home, and about a trial-sit, which we're going to do the weekend after next. That way, we'll be home in case it gets to be too much, and we can come and pick Inky right back up. They are also going to sit when we head down to North Carolina for Marissa's graduation and party. I said we could co-raise, and split the time; or work up to Ink coming back full time slowly. Or we could finish her. It's their call; no matter what happens, we'll all be heartbroken together when it's her turn to go.

I didn't get home until 4:30...it's been a long time since I've just gone "visitin' ". Going to do it next week too...Poor Deb is a bit lonely and needs some company! This flu epidemic makes her wary of going out (and rightly so). It's starting to make me wary.

We've made such great and wonderful friends with this group of people; we've almost become "social". I think I've finally found my "niche".

S**t

2009-04-30T22:27:00.000-04:00

We got the news today that my sister-in-law, Jennifer, is battling breast cancer. We don't have any of the details yet.

Talk about feeling totally ineffectual and inadequate. I wish there was something I could say or do.

Prayers please.

Quiet Sunday Morning

2009-04-26T09:33:00.005-04:00

Well, here's Richard and Ink with all the beauty queens of Delaware....very sweet ladies, who were so impressed with our dogs.

We went to the Bug and Bud Festival yesterday in Milford to help staff the Guiding Eyes booth. It was so hot, and I was a little bit nervous about how Ink would behave. I'd say the first five minutes were a little difficult, but she hit her stride quickly and behaved like a champion for the rest of our "shift". Mr. Elton and Linda were there, and Elton was extraordinary...he's quite the crowd pleaser as people don't know whether he's a dog or a horse. Lots of children came up to the booth, and it was a lot of fun. We had a 50/50 raffle, and money was flowing in. I spent lots of time handing out information, and telling people how great it is to raise a pup. It was hot as blazes, and we were very grateful for the tent. Delicious festival fare for lunch, sausage and peppers. Fun day.

We were right across from Brutus, a St. Bernard belonging to a lady who did massage. He was big, slobbery and very cool. :)

Our booth at the festival. Thank goodness for the shade!

Debbie came down with Miss Maggie, and my she's grown already! Debbie looked wonderful. Miss Ink didn't give Debbie the greeting I'd hoped she'd give her, but it was probably the worst place for a first meeting...way too many distractions and Ink, by the time Debbie got there, was exhausted. She and I are going to see Debbie and Maggie this week, during the day, when it's quiet, and not in the middle of a crowd of people . I know that Debbie had to be a bit disappointed in the lack of excitement from Ink (I would have been), but I think it'll be different when we go to the house.

The end of the day held the prom for Max and April. She looked beautiful, and he looked handsome...and both looked so grown up. We went to April's house for pictures, and met her whole family, who were great. They were all ribbing Max, and it was taken in great stride.

Of course, we had to have the once-over with the sticky tape to get rid of the dog hair.

Always my babies.

It was a good day.

Bon Voyage, Mr. Kramer

2009-04-24T08:45:00.004-04:00

Kramer left yesterday to begin the second leg of his wonderful journey. We're all going to miss him so much; he was the dog that we all looked to when we began the region here. We all wanted our pups to be "just like Kramer".

His kennel will be very hard to fill.

Coming soon to a sign in Salisbury......

2009-04-22T21:32:00.000-04:00

....or muskrats!"

Jones Good Ass Barbeque and Foot Massage

2009-04-22T21:05:00.003-04:00

Not sure if you can see this clearly, so if you really want to explore this website, the address is Jones Good Ass Barbeque & Foot Massage

You betcha.

Wednesday, and the last day of rain....

2009-04-22T17:06:00.007-04:00

It's been so dismal, and as soon as the sun peeked out...I took Ink and ran out for an adventure (a walk). We headed north, to the great north shopping plaza. First in to Southern States, where we picked out a toy (a camouflage wubba), and then took a long walk around the store's perimeter. That's when I heard peeping. I looked up, expecting to see baby birds in a nest. Nope. It was coming from the middle of the store; there were three horse troughs filled with baby ducks and baby chickens. So so cute. Ink really wanted to get right in with them. We settled on her getting a little bit close, but not close enough to grab one!

Of course, after we left the store, we started our walk around the perimeter of the parking lot, behind Target, behind Home Depot, behind the yellow/blue electronics store of which we do not speak. We were about halfway around, and the skies opened up. I guess guide dogs must always be prepared to work in any weather. Guide dog puppy raisers need to be better prepared. :)

Been a busy month so far. Last weekend I rode up to New York with Barb and Randy. We went for Barb's friend Cathy's graduation; Cathy was getting her second guide dog, Ginny. Her first dog, Mogie, also attended. What a sweetie. Cathy is keeping her. It was very inspirational to see the new guide dogs with their new owners...the puppy raisers all sitting together, all crying. One of the graduates was a close friend of Jane Goodall, who taped a really nice message of encouragement for all.

We toured the kennels then, and I made an attempt to kiss and be kissed by every single dog in there. What a bunch of big sweeties. I wish I could have seen when they let all the dogs out at once (one kennel at a time, about 100 dogs each kennel)...it must be a bit of controlled chaos. I'll see that next year at the Regional Coordinator's Conference, which I'll be missing this year (Max's graduation falls right on day 2!). Barbara introduced me as a co-coordinator of the Delmarva region...I was surprised and very tickled. :) Lunch was at a real deli, Boars Head ham and swiss on a real kaiser roll. Heaven.

It was a day that just made me feel that what we're doing is important and needed; you know it, but seeing it on such a personal level really solidifies it, kinds of buffers the feelings of loss we all feel.

Mr. Kramer is leaving us tomorrow, to begin his journey. I look at him now, and I cannot believe he's the little pup I met that day in February that got me started raising these dogs. He was the example I looked to, as we are about four months behind him with our dogs. We had a little going away party for him last Wednesday, as it was his last class with us. It was not without tears, presents or Frosty Paws for the pups. This morning, as I was sending a note to Barbara, offering her hot fudge sundaes, alcohol, crying towels, chalupas, anything to help, I started to cry. Great, let me lend you my shoulder, just wait until I stop crying myself. Ha!

It's been an emotionally challenging week, many ups and downs; however, tonight, after all this rain, the sun shone. I saw the sun out while it continued to rain, and ran for the camera. It was out there, just like I'd hoped. It was good to see it.

Monday Monday

2009-04-20T09:17:00.000-04:00

A few seconds to start the week off right:

Holy Bunny, it's Easter Already

2009-04-11T21:40:00.009-04:00

Hard to believe, tomorrow is Easter. This is my first without any Easter baskets, and I'm halfway missing doing them, and halfway relieved that I didn't have to do them. We are having an Easter dinner though; roast beef, garlic mashed potatoes and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Not a typical Easter meal, but then, we're really not typical people. :)

The week started out with a shock on Monday night; all House fans will know what I'm talking about. Kuttner was a character on that show that I really liked, and although I know it's a show, it made me sad. This followed a few days of sad movies...first we saw Marley and Me, which was good (not as good as the book) and sad, and then we watched Seven Pounds, with Will Smith, which was an incredibly good movie, although it did cause me to sob rather hysterically at the end.

Richard and I travelled to Virginia Tuesday and then on to Baltimore on Wednesday morning. Three jobs, and lots of driving. I played chauffeur; Richard drives so much, and I really enjoy it. After we finished the second job in Virginia, we headed to Newport News, and we had dinner with Jimmy and Charlee. We got to meet their dog, who was a big sweetie, and their apartment was cute. It really reminded me of apartments I had when I was younger...I don't miss apartment living! We went to Chili's; unfortunately I was driving, so I stuck with iced tea. It was a nice dinner, and it was nice to get to know Charlee a bit better. After dinner, we parted ways, and we headed back towards Richmond, and to a Holiday Inn. I love staying in hotels...king sized beds, lots of pillows, and Coke machines right down the hallway. The wake-up call came way too early, way before sunrise, and we were headed towards Baltimore. Unfortunately, we had to fight the Washington, DC traffic, and it made me think of how much I don't miss commuting. After Richard finished the last job, it was on to Milford, DE for a quick lunch and then Puppy Class at 1:30. We had a great meal at a restaurant called The Georgia House, and the cream of crab soup rivaled Annie's soup (it only lacked the huge pile of crabmeat Annie's puts in the middle of the bowl). Richard napped in the car while I did class, and then it was on to home, and boy was it great to get there. Going away always makes you appreciate your own home and your own stuff.

While in Virginia, we passed a sign for the town of Croaker. I really liked that name. It might even be in my top ten list of town names. However, it will never surpass Two Egg, Florida, Hot Coffee, Missouri or Dildo, Newfoundland.

But Croaker, Virginia was cute. I wonder if there were lots of frogs there.

Or maybe a lot of deaths.

Thursday, Richard went back to see Dr. Cuomo, who's a bit concerned about his inability to bend his fingers. He's going to talk to Salisbury's only hand specialist, who may want to see Richard. Doctor spoke about a procedure called a capsillectomy, which would open his fingers at the joints and loosen the tension on the tendons. But that's getting ahead...

Friday he went to the nephrologist, the kidney guy. He's ordered some tests, and wants to compare them to the last ones done in December. But we did get some questions answered regarding diet; we only have to worry about protein intake if his function drops to 15 - 20%, and that's hopefully not something we'll ever have to face, because at that point we would also be dealing with either dialysis or transplant.

Next week it's the Hematologist/Oncologist. Maybe we'll be able to find out if this is a kidney problem, a blood problem, neither or both.

I really really like things in black and white; Richard's health has way too many shades of grey for me to be comfortable. Must be the control freak in me.

This morning was our last pre-puppy class; we had four raisers show up to let the new people work with their dogs. Its hard to believe this is the third generation of pups coming from Delmarva. This coming Wednesday, it will be Kramer's last class before he heads to New York for his IFT (In For Testing). So we're planning a little bon voyage party with some cupcakes and some frosty paws for the pups. Hard to believe that this is the tiny little black puppy that I was so impressed with at that very first meeting. Time flies.

Poor Debbie is going through her post-partum blues; poor thing. I told her that she would stop crying when Maggie turns 21. That at least made her laugh. Hopefully, she'll be coming to class on Wednesday with the baby; she told me that she had taken her first walk around the block yesterday, and she cried because she missed Miss Ink. I think that I may ask her to sit for Ink when we go to Marissa's graduation in June...if she's ready.

Ok, guys, it's 10:30 and I'm sleepy. My pillow is calling me. Richard is asleep. Dogs are asleep. Cats are asleep. My turn.

I'll post VERY soon with pictures of pool destruction. Its going slowly (due to the lack of manual laborers), but it's going. But there's no rush. The garden club won't be touring any time soon.

night night.

Local Commercials...gotta love em

2009-03-31T20:16:00.000-04:00

Crazy Bruce's Liquor - watch more funny videos

Sheep Art

2009-03-31T19:33:00.001-04:00

Take two minutes and forty four seconds and watch this. It's very cool. Might have had a little digital help with some of it, but it's fun.

Welcome, Miss Magnolia Lee

2009-03-31T13:20:00.003-04:00

Weighing in at 7 pounds, 11 and 1/4 oz, Miss Magnolia Lee Parrish (Maggie) has finally arrived. I say finally, but she was not due until April 1st.

There's just something about holding a baby in your arms that makes the world seem all right.

May God bless her always.

Joke of the Day (Week, Century?)

2009-03-26T08:43:00.000-04:00

A man gets on a Greyhound bus and sits down next to another man. The man who was already seated looks at him and says, "Hey guy, your face is really flushed, are you feeling alright?"
The man replies, "I'm not sick, just really embarrassed. I bought my ticket here at the counter from a woman who was very well-endowed and I said to her, "I'd like a ticket to Tittsburgh, please."
The first guy laughs and says, "I wouldn't worry too much about that; I remember seeing her, she's probably heard much worse than that from guys. Besides, that was just a harmless Slip-Of-The-Tongue;
why just the other day my wife asked me to pass her the salt & pepper at the dinner table and I said to her without thinking, "You stupid bitch you've ruined my life!"

Transitions

2009-03-25T19:55:00.002-04:00

Today in the middle of puppy class, Debbie had to say goodbye to Ink for awhile; tears ensued. But this is a short hiatus. Debbie and Christian plan to have Ink back for at least the last month before she goes back to New York, perhaps sooner. We've put our puppy plans on hold until after Max goes to Texas and gets settled. This works out for everyone; Debbie and Christian can see if it's working with Ink and the Munchkin, and if it's too much, Ink can come back here. If Ink does go back to them earlier than we think, then we can babysit, etc. until after August.

I felt awful for Debbie, and on the drive home, I kept looking at Ink, and she just looked so very sad. Or maybe it's just those soulful lab eyes. I was thinking that she must have sensed something was going on, something was different in the house. Between the baby preparations, and seeing her stuff all packed up, she must have been a bit confused. Poor thing.

Miss Ink is in the middle of her first heat, and we have some concerns, as her discharge has a strange color and a foul odor. We've contacted the GEB vet, and I may end up taking her to Harrington to Debbie's vet. We'll see. But we did stop and get her proper "pooch pants" from Pet Smart. The region bought them, and I think it's a great investment. They're washable, and we can pass them around as needed. I, of course, went back to Pet Smart and got two more pair, because you really need one extra (at least) while you're washing the original pair. She looks cute in them, but not as cute as she looks in the Scooby Doo underpants.

We got home, and her reunion with Mookie was a great one...they really enjoy each other. I'll probably inundate Debbie with pictures and movies and stories, just to keep her up to date on her puppy.

Here's pictures from yesterday's class, teaching the pups to "get dressed". This is Kristoff, who I would steal in a minute. He's the mellowest pup, and has a huge head and giant paws. He's going to be a giant...albeit a gentle one.

In other, non-dog related news.....last Saturday Max and I took a road trip to UTI in Exton, PA. I was more than impressed with the operation. We took a tour of the school, and Max took a 200 question scholarship test. I kept looking at all the new students and say $25,000, $25,000, $25,000.

Of course, it wouldn't be complete without pictures!

(I'm pretending to look concerned about some reading on some kind of computer equipment for reading some kind of revolutions per minute).

I have no clue about cars.

I do wish that Max was attending in Pennsylvania...it's so much closer. AND, it also has this place to buy your beverages.

I'm done thinking now. I'll post again tomorrow. Brain is turning off....now.

My Father Makes Me Laugh....

2009-03-08T17:13:00.000-04:00

My Next Phone

2009-03-03T09:10:00.001-05:00

Gas Prices on the Rise Again

2009-03-02T17:33:00.001-05:00

This story from today's news:

Talk about skyrocketing gas prices! One man from Richland, Washington was in for the shock of his life when he filled up the gas tank of his ‘94 Chevy Camaro.
When Juan Zamora stopped to refuel his car at a Conoco service station in Richland, the gas pump’s calculator registered a total fee of $26.

But in a freak computer hiccup, the PayPal debit card he used recorded the transaction as $81,400,836,908. Yes, you read that correctly, that’s more than 81 billion dollars.

“That’s a B, as in billions!” Zamora told the Tri-City Herald.

Zamora says that he always refuels at the same gas station during his weekly commute.

He only learned of the astounding figure when he received an email later that afternoon informing him that his debit card, which started out with $90 on it, was maxed out.

Initially, Mr. Zamora thought it must’ve been a joke. But after contacting PayPal customer service he was surprised to see that the company treated it as anything but a laughing matter.

“Somebody from a foreign country who spoke in broken English argued with me for 10 to 15 minutes,” Zamora said. ” ‘Did you get the gas?’ he asked. Like I had to prove that I didn’t pump $81,400,836,908 in gas!”

He would have needed more than 3 billion fill-ups of the amount he actually pumped into his tank in order to reach that outrageous sum.

Eventually, Zamora said, he was finally able to convince the representative that he didn’t deserve to be in the same position as General Motors, who has lost roughly 80 billion dollars since 2005.

When Zamora returned to the Conoco gas station, he said, the attendant would not believe him until he showed her the printout of the PayPal receipt.

The exact cause of the error is still unknown.

As always, there’s a lesson to be learned. “I guess the moral of this story is ‘pay cash,’ ” Zamora said.

My favorite line? "Did you get the gas". Outsourced idiot.

I'm So Glad It Snowed!

2009-03-02T16:36:00.006-05:00

It really was a glorious snowfall, still pretty almost 10 hours later. We really thought we wouldn't see anything, because we never do. Boy were we surprised.

The birds somehow knew we had fresh birdseed, and we had a large group in the morning; by mid-afternoon, the big guys were here; lots of big blackbirds, but also grackles and red-winged blackbirds. We fed and watered them all; but I did put a secret stash on the porch steps for the little guys once the big guys came in. I absolutely love the junkos; they are my favorite year-round residents. Them and the cardinals.

Mookie had a wonderful time in the snow; it made us all think of Roxanne, and how she would suddenly become a puppy again when it would snow. I was really wishing Fina was here. I think she would have had a blast in this snowstorm. I'm sure she's in the middle of one too, and probably has more snow to play in than we have here; I just wish I could have seen it!

But, as much as I've loved this storm, I don't want to deal with the cold for months! It's going to be up in the mid-50's by the end of the week, and I'll appreciate that.

Wait, actually, for Richard and I, it's going to be in the low 80's; we're going to Florida on Friday, doing a job Friday, seeing my parents, and then leaving for West Palm Beach on Monday, to do another job before we fly home. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, and we're both looking forward to it! I'm hoping that it's still time for the strawberry festival, even though it's been a crappy year for them. We may have missed it. Last year when we went down, we got strawberries that were so incredibly good; they tasted like the first summer strawberries up here, or the first ear of corn that's local.

They tasted like summer.

(Fill in the Blank) On An Escalator

2009-02-25T09:13:00.003-05:00

The old saying "God helps those that help themselves" comes to mind...This is officially called Democrats on an Escalator, but I think you could change it to Americans on an Escalator, honoring the mindset of the "help-me" people we seem to have become.

Busy Tuesday

2009-02-17T18:10:00.009-05:00

Today a lot of things happened, all pretty routine, nothing dramatic or horrible or particularly stressful; it was just a crazy quilt of a day. Lots of snippets of different stuff.

Debbie called today to come and pick up Fink. Ink. She was very very happy to see her mom, and will probably sleep for a few days. I was nice enough to send her back with gas that almost cleared the room. This morning she got to Mookie's dog food faster than I could get to her...and the result was a malodorous dog with a case of gastrointestinal hiccups for most of the morning. We offered to watch her again when Debbie has the baby, but Barbara has already offered, and it'll be right after Mr. Kramer goes to NY for IFT. She's going to be sad, and Ink will keep her occupied and make her smile when she misses Kramer.

But we won't be labless long. We'll have Hawkeye for a week in March; this weekend I'll be watching Hooper, and I'm going to ask Pat if I can try and bring him here. It's going to be four days, and I just feel bad that he'd be alone that long. Mookie gets along with everybody; maybe Hooper will get along with mookie too. We could play ball for hours outside...maybe not hours. But it's fenced, and I'd feel less nervous playing with him in a fenced area. Those of you who know Hooper know that he's go anywhere after his ball...probably even in front of a car. So, fenced is better.

Today, we received Roxanne's portrait, which was a Christmas gift from my parents that we received two years ago. It took us almost a year to pick out the picture to use. It's so wonderful, such a wonderful likeness of her. The artist, Kathryn Bowden, is a lady down in Florida, who has a wonderful talent and can paint animals that look exactly like them...she captures their spirit within the paintings. I look at this picture, and it's her. Cleaner, though. But she captured the triangle eyes, and the "clown nose" as we used to call it. We're trying to decide where to put it; I suggested the kitchen because it was her favorite place in the house. We've all had the same reaction to the picture...silence and then tears. All of us. And it's not an emotion that we "caught" from one another. We've all done this at different times. Max walked in, looked at it, and wept; he said "I miss her so much". I told him that I thought about her every day, and had wondered when the feeling would go away, this sadness. But now I think that it won't ever go away. She'll be with us, in our hearts, and one day we'll all see her again. It's a beautiful portrait. But there is one flaw. There's no drool, and she's way, way too clean!

I am working on a project: this project is cake. I'm making a really neat cake that looks like a little girl's dress. Right now, I'm making the test cake. So far, so good. It's baked, and I've carved it into the shape it needs to be.

Baking it, making a pattern and carving it wasn't too bad...but the next step is coming up. The icing and decorating. That's for tomorrow...but today was the prep work. Fondant. I've always wanted to work with it...it's just so pretty on a cake. But everything I've read about it said not to buy it from Wilton already made...it's expensive and nasty. So, I looked on the internet, found a recipe, and decided to give it a whirl.

It's one pound of marshmallows, a few tablespoons of water and two pounds of confectioners sugar. Oh, and a half cup of crisco to grease your hands and the counter with, so it won't stick. (It stuck anyway, but my hands are soft). I got it made, and it's resting until tomorrow in the refrigerator. I was so excited about it....here's a pitcure, although it just looks like a white blob. But I think that its right, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with it! By the way, after I got this done, I found out that the cake I'm using as a guide was covered with frosting, not fondant. OK, so I'll make some flowers and a bow. It's going to be cool.

I'm starting to get Richard's cold...the one from Valentines Day and the day after. I started with a bit of a sore throat late this morning, and right now (7 pm) it's progressed into something I'm concerned about. I started on the Zicam therapy right away; I hope it helps. Baby puppy class and then big puppy class is tomorrow night, and I really would like to go and work Kristoff.

Richard has PT three days in a row this week, due to his going to NY on Thursday. It's going to be so strange to have him not here. He's been home every night from Thanksgiving week until now...that's a record. I'm worried about him going by himself, but it's not too far that I can't go up to NY in a couple of hours and help him.

I have lots of things I want to write about...the Barber Shop/Bail Bondsman commercial (in Salisbury, no less), Max's re-animated love life, among other things.

But right now I'm going to take some nighttime cold medicine, and wait for the doorbell to ring. President Obama signed the stimulus bill today and I'm going to try and wait up for the messenger who's going to bring me my bailout check.

Babysitting Miss Ink

2009-02-16T16:36:00.005-05:00

Since Friday, we've had a little black one year old guest, Ink. Or, as I've been mis-calling her, Fink (combining Fina and Ink). She's going back home tomorrow, and it's been such a fun couple of days with her. She's a great pup, and Debbie and Christian, her raisers, have done a wonderful job with her. Debbie is pregnant, and due in the beginning of April, so I'm hoping I'll get to have Ink back for awhile then. She and Mookie get along really well, and it was nice to see him running around like a headless chicken for a few days.

She's a small lab, about 10 pounds less then the rest of the class; her strength would fool you. She's almost pulled all of us off the couch while playing tug of war. Her tummy was upset the first two nights she was here, which resulted in not a lot of sleep, but last night she slept through (as did I), and today was a good day of puppy practice and playing with us and with Mookie, who I admit is looking a bit tired after three days of play!

We tried to take a picture of me and Ink, because one of my things for 2009 is to get more pictures of people, and not just animals...of course Mookie and Ink took that opportunity to have a raucous romp in the living room, running and jumping and trying to get each other. I of course was in the middle, trying to (unsuccessfully) regain control.

But we finally got a nice one, albeit one where I'm dressed for housework, puppy walking and yard work! It's been wonderful having her here, and we're going to miss here going home tomorrow.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-12T15:47:00.001-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Commercials and Other Random Things

2009-02-10T18:04:00.011-05:00

Valentines Day is Saturday. This is definitely not a post about wanting jewelry (although I wouldn't mind that either)...it's a post about commercials that insult our intelligence.

There's two commercials out there that irk me the most, and it coming up on Valentines Day, I've been hearing them on the radio, and seeing them on television over and over and over. The two are somewhat related, as they are sister companies, linked by their ability to charge incredible amounts for "gifts" that any girl will love! Lord.

The first one is the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Behold, the "Love Bandit Bear", yours for only $69.95. Oh wait, it comes with a personalized card. And a piece of chocolate. The commercial shows this guy sitting in an office at his desk, listening to a radio. For some reason, even though everyone else is in business attire, he is in jeans and a white tee shirt (better to see his tatto, I guess). Well, one of the girls in the office gets a delivery from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. All the other women gather around her as she opens the box, and when she takes out the card and the bear, it's like the biggest, loudest, female group orgasm that you've ever heard. These women are losing their minds over this bear, and the women want to know how come they can't find a guy who would send such a fabulous gift???? All the men nod knowingly, and one picks up his cell phone, one gets on the internet and a third dials the office phone, ostensibly all calling to place the orders for bears. The guy in the tee shirt is the one on the internet, and he finds a bear with a tattoo to match his! What freaking luck!!!

The other commercial is for the sister company to Vermont Teddy Bear, the Pajama Gram. Now, we don't have a group of women with their knickers in a bunch over a box containing pajamas, but we do have the announcer telling the men "this will guarantee to get her clothes off". Riiigggghhhhtt. They've even added a scene to make this commercial "funny". A lady throws her bra and it lands on top of a bulldog's head. Only, it's obvious that the bra was on the dogs head, and they removed it, and then showed the film backwards. Oh, ha ha ha. That was so funny that I feel like paying $100.00 for a pair of flannel pajamas that were probably made in a Sri Lankan sweat shop by some 4 year old seamstress.

And the announcer tells all the men listening..."she'll think you spent weeks planning this". Rrrriiiigggghhhhhttttt. Only if she's an idiot.

Oh, this so insults my intelligence...but obviously it must be working, because they've been running these commercials for years, always before holidays. Is this the "Hot Chocolate Set" for men? (You know what I mean...once I got a Hot Chocolate Set from my boss and his wife. Now, she didn't know me very well, but Scott, her husband, did. He knew my situation. I was a single mom struggling to feed, clothe and house her two children. I really could have used a gift certificate for groceries. But I got this big giant box with two mugs with snowmen on them, and two packets of Swiss Miss hot chocolate. I think there might have been a few candy canes in there, and a whole lot of crinkled up paper to take up the rest of the space in the box. It's always kind of represented to me the ultimate in the useless, unthoughtful gift; I've always tried to give a gift that means something, or at least give something someone can use, or something that will make them laugh. There's always thought behind it.)

Anyway, I won't be getting a teddy bear or a pair of pajamas in a hatbox this year. Thank god. I'm married to a man who would never fall for that. Flowers? Great. Love them. New vacuum cleaner or a scooba? Even better. A scooba and a pair of flannel pajamas from Target that has dogs on them? The best. A new longarm quilting machine? I'd jump up and down many many many times.

You want to get a teddy bear for your woman? Go to Hallmark. They have them there. Or goodwill, you can get two for $1 on Thursdays. You want to get pajamas for your squeeze? Go to Walmart. You'll have enough left for a tank of gas and a few beers.

But I'm lucky enough to be married to a man that knows me, and knows what makes me happy. I'm not your typical wife (I got a used tiller for my 44th birthday, and I couldn't have been happier), but he makes the effort. I'm lucky enough to get gifts all the time, not just on Valentines Day. We're not even going to go out on Saturday. We'll go another day when it's not so crowded. We got it like that.

Happy Valentines Day everybody. Hope you don't get a bear.

It's Almost St. Patricks Day

2009-02-08T16:09:00.001-05:00

A New Romance Novel....

2009-02-08T16:08:00.004-05:00

If you can't read it, it says Puppy Love, the many romances of Wanda Marie, by Cosmo Cavalluzzo

Sunday Sunday.

2009-02-08T15:51:00.002-05:00

I'll start out by saying I got no sleep last night. You know how you toss and turn and toss and turn, and finally get to sleep. Well, the last part didn't happen. That was with PM's too. Richard was moving around quite a bit too, and I finally said that I might as well go downstairs, then maybe he could find a comfortable spot.

I settled in in the couch, and I did manage to clear 3 worlds in super mario. Woo hoo. I'm stuck in world 6 now though. I'll figure it out.

So I've been less than productive today; I had planned on being super productive, due to this wonderful gift of springlike weather. But I'm moving slowly, with a headache, and am gastrologically challenged. :)

Richard's having an uncomfortable day also; physical therapy hurts so much, and we're doing it constantly, almost. I'll see him sitting there, and he's working his fingers back and forth. He's really giving it his all.

We'll both be so much better when we can get back to normal, but I don't see that coming anytime soon. It's such a slow, slow process. But we really, really need to get back to normal. Soon.

As he's recuperating on the couch, I pretty much leave the television for him to choose. I'm in and out. His choice for recuperation tv has been HGTV, and DIY network. Home Improvement Shows. We're seeing reruns of reruns.

So I had finished what I was doing in the guest room, and thought it would be a nice time to sit down with a cup of tea in the den. I walked into the den, and Richard was watching another home improvement show. I made a snarky comment "Haven't we seen all the home improvement shows on tv?" Richard said that there was nothing on, that I could put on what I wanted. I told him that he could choose, but just not home improvement.

So he put on golf.

That's why I'm updating my blog here at 4:03 pm, on Sunday afternoon.

Progress, Progress, Progress

2009-02-08T00:53:00.003-05:00

We soldier on. Richard has had his heavy metal off for eight days now, and has been to physical therapy three times. We do physical therapy every day, several times a day. We should do it more...it's a long and involved process which involves him moving his hand and wrist until there is incredible pain for him, and either Billy (the PT guy he sees) or me manipulating his body to achieve said pain. I'm not a trained therapist, but between watching the expert and watching Richard's face, I'm starting to get the hang of it. I just move his fingers, or his hand several different ways until I see him grimace. Honestly, that's how I know how far to go. It sucks, but it's necessary.

Honestly, the lack of movement in his hand and wrist scared me at first. After the first week, I've seen an improvement of almost an inch in bending his fingers down. As for pushing his hand backwards against his wrist, it's only about a half-inch. But anything is good; this has been such a long haul for him. We've both now been on each side of the fence in terms of patient and caregiver, and appreciate how hard it is for each other. As a caregiver, I am much more cranky though. And, as a patient, I'm am much more cranky also. Richard is Richard, and as usual, is almost never cranky. But he does take many more naps than I ever did.

Life is slowly getting back to normal; I went to puppy and big puppy class in Georgetown this week. Debbie is getting more and more pregnant, and I was supposed to help teach baby-puppy class before this all happened...but I went and little baby Kristoff was there without his raiser (she's due to have a baby any minute now). So I took the class with Mr. Kristoff, and I'm in love with him. Even his sharp needle teeth. The raisers are doing a wonderful job with him, and he's sharp as a tack. I've tried to snag babysitting duties when she does have the baby, but I think that everybody wants to sit for Kristoff! I have Miss Ink coming this friday and she'll be with us until Monday, and then at the end of March Jewel will be staying with us for about a week. I'm keeping my hand in...going to the conference with Barbara and Debbie in May...and probably coming home with a new puppy from there. We'll be ready by then, all healed and hearty and ready to go.

It's now 1:16 a.m. Time to try and get some sleep. More closet cleaning, and Freecycling tomorrow.

Nurse Rached signing out.

Hindsight is 20/20

2009-02-02T21:21:00.002-05:00

Well, it looks like the orangutans were wrong...their record is now 4 and 1, and 6 and 5, respectively.

I did, however see another video, where a black bear did, in fact, correctly picked the Steelers. I can't find that video right now...and it's a moot point.

The superbowl yesterday was one of the most exciting ones that I've seen: kudos to the Steelers! The Cardinals gave them a run for their money, and kept it interesting all the way up to the end.

Until next year: Go Green Bay!

I Hate Like Hell to dissapoint the Steeler fans....

2009-01-31T15:19:00.002-05:00

Although I am not taking a position on tomorrow's Super Bowl, I had to pass along this video which may or may not change your mind about who you pick.

The experts in the video below have a record of 4 and 0, and 6 and 4.

This was on the news this morning, and may, in fact, change the Vegas odds.

Just Because It's Friday

2009-01-31T01:17:00.001-05:00

How It's Made

2009-01-31T00:41:00.003-05:00

I love the Discovery channel. I think it shows I'm getting to be an old lady...I love to learn about things, I watch programs I think of as "interesting". Did you know that Hitler designed the Volkswagon Beetle because Germany had just built the Autobahn and nobody had cars to drive on it? I can't remember how much the Beetles cost, but it was a figure that most german families could afford.

Learned that on the Discovery Channel.

I'm boring myself now.

So, it's 12:45 am, and I can't sleep. I'm watching "How It's Made", which is a pretty cool show. Well, tonight they are doing combination wrenches, deli meats, and golf carts.

The wrenches and the golf carts were pretty routine. The deli meats?

Theres a saying: Two things you never want to see made...legislation and sausage. Deli meats are kind of like sausage.

Eeew. I'm never going to eat bologna again.

The Beginning of the End

2009-01-31T00:22:00.003-05:00

Hooray! The Frankenstein-thingy is history. AND it was a totally routine, boring, run-of-the-mill, go-just-as-it-was-supposed-to procedure.

The procedure itself took about 10 minutes; the rest of the stuff took hours. We waited for an OR for quite a while, and then the anesthesiologist took time to get the nerve block done.

But Dr. Cuomo said A+ on the way the wrist healed; now Richard just has a tremendous amount of work to do with physical therapy. He's got almost no ability to bend his fingers right now, but the doctor feels that with a lot of hard work, he can overcome this. I think that he thought he'd be much better than this right after the apparatus came off, and I know that he's horribly frustrated, but all good things will come in time. Actually, we don't know how it's going to feel; the nerve block was supposed to last up to 12 hours, and I think he's going to have a significant amount of pain just from having the apparatus removed. Physical therapy starts Monday.

I took a picture of us while we were waiting in the hospital today; I'm really liking the picture, even though we took it just to be silly.

Tommorrow We Let Her Go

2009-01-23T19:06:00.004-05:00

I'm getting emotional. I really tried to concentrate on having a great couple of days with Miss Fina, and enjoying her as much as we could. And we accomplished that. Now, it's Friday night, and I've spent most of the afternoon and part of the evening trying to get lots of pictures with everyone.

I think I'm trying to capture just a little bit of her to keep with me.

Just Because It's Friday

2009-01-23T10:10:00.002-05:00

Other than soba noodles, I think the Japanese people's best invention is their television entertainment.

The Hospital: Exigo

2009-01-19T20:04:00.019-05:00

With so much time spent recuperating, you'd think I would have finished the hospital saga way before this. I have thought about writing about many other topics, but I've disciplined myself to not be allowed to write about anything else until I finish my story.

Cut to Saturday morning, PRMC ICU. Rules are rules in ICU, and they don't kid. Visit hours are enforced, and the nurses mean business. So the families wait in the waiting room.

One of the families in there was an older couple, and as time passed, we started talking. She told me her son was in ICU, on a ventilator. She didn't offer any more, and I didn't ask. After talking for awhile, she got a phone call, and being seated next to her, I heard her side of the conversation. She was talking about a fire, and how the baby was in Baltimore for an autopsy; her other grandson was in Johns Hopkins on a ventilator. My brain was sluggish, but I finally realized her son was the man I had read about in the news; he and his wife and two children had lived in a mobile home, and there had been a fire. The 18 month old boy had died in the fire, the five year old had burn and was on a ventilator, and the father had been burned and suffered smoke inhalation trying to save both boys. He couldn't save the baby. The trailer had burned to the ground; they lost everything.

I was so struck by this realization. I kept thinking to myself "how is she functioning?" I imagine exhaustion and repetition played a part in it; but then she said to the person on the phone that her son was despondent, and was asking his mother "how am I going to get through this". That was her breaking point; I had to go downstairs and outside to compose myself. I didn't want to make her feel worse.

For the next few weeks, I thought of this family all the time. I told people about them, and I'd cry. I just kept wondering how they were doing, how they were coping. Actually, the story was in the news quite a bit here, and the people at the elementary school in Willards organized several fund raisers, and asked for donations of anything, as the family had nothing. Someone was letting them stay in a rental house rent free for three or four months, but they needed everything. I went into the attic and got as much as I could; I had clothes that would fit the mom, so they went, and some dishes that we were saving for the kids that went. I took a trip to Walmart, and got Spiderman and Batman pajamas and sweatshirts, an art set, and some Batman and Spiderman toys for the 5 year old. It seemed so insignificant, but it was something.

But I digress.

Ok, I got really far on this part last night, but I think I erased it. Poop. I was all the way up till the trip out of ICU!

Oh well. Back to Saturday morning...Diane came in early Saturday morning, and brought coffee and the beloved cheesecake. It was so good to see her, and to have her there with me. We sat, and we talked, and we looked at the Ikea catalog. We planned the rest of Richard's life. Finally, we got to go inside. I saw Richard and was immediately overjoyed at his appearance. He looked about a million percent better than he had a mere 10 hours ago. Diane burst into tears, because, in all actuality, he looked like crap. But he was sitting up, and he had eaten breakfast, and he was smiling. He was pressing the little happiness button for morphine, but he was better. (More on the morphine issue in a bit). Diane stayed for awhile, and I think she felt a little bit better for seeing him, and seeing that he was on his way back from the nightmare that had been the night before.
We stayed in ICU all day; we were cleared to move back upstairs in the late afternoon, but once again, had to wait until evening to to anywhere. But it gave us time to experience the wonder that is the ICU. It's a terrible/wonderful place. The sounds that we heard in there were awful sometimes, and amazing other times. When they call a code, people come running from everywhere; I guess each person has their job to do in the moment, and the others come just to be there if needed. But it happens so very fast, lights blink and you hear running feet. The nurses who care for the patients are very professional, almost to a fault; but they don't have time to be chatty. The only similarity I found between the ICU's I see on television, and the real ones were the glass fronted rooms, and the sliding doors. Everything else? Just television.

Late in the afternoon, we discovered a small pool of water under the bed...turns out the small pool was the morphine running onto the floor. It explained why Richard was not as comfortable as he should have been...damn. I would have put my diet coke bottle underneath the drip if I'd have known. It would have been a hell of a cocktail. :)

We moved upstairs early Saturday evening, back to the 5th floor, into a private room, which was nice. It was my old room, which was ironic. Or, one of my old rooms. We settled in, again, with the hope that tomorrow would be the day he'd come home. Or at least be one day closer.

Sunday came, and Dr. Gittleman (the GP) came by. He wanted to run some more tests, plus they had to do yet another 24 hour pee collection. Richard wasn't happy, but I wanted him to be where I thought he still needed to be. He couldn't walk, he couldn't get around; he could hardly get out of bed still. We still had the kidney issue, and we had the antibody issue. I thought we'd get answers before he came home; I hate loose ends.

We settled in for a day of football in the hospital. We awaited the physical therapists. We ate hospital food. We passed another day in the hospital.

Monday dawned, and a few hours after I arrived, they released Richard. Right in the middle of the 24 hour pee test. Before he could walk well. I wasn't happy...and I didn't want Richard to miscontrue my feelings. I wanted him home more than anything, but I didn't want him home before he was well. I wanted answers to all the unanswered questions that were raised since this happened.

In a flurry of activity, the physical therapists came around, and took Richard down the hall to teach him how to walk up and down stairs, how to navigate on his supercharged walker, how to get the hell out of the hospital.

Truth be told, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to take care of him.

But finally they kicked us out of PRMC; we took the big ride down in the elevator. We got him into the car, and I drove home like I had 144 dozen eggs in the car.

But once we got home, it all kind of fell into place. We moved downstairs for the immediate duration. I faced cleaning the bolts coming out of Richard's arm, and once I faced it, it wasn't so bad. After a few nights, I stopped being afraid to sleep next to him for fear of rolling over on his arm. We muddled through the first few days.

It was good to have him home.

The Hospital...part 4

2009-01-03T20:50:00.007-05:00

I left you with Richard entering the OR high on valium, and me in the waiting room breaking all the rules with my chicken salad sandwich and diet coke. I had a good book to read, and there was a television and lots of magazines that I hadn't seen before to keep my occupied for the short time that I'd be waiting for Richard. Plus, as always, a bevy of interesting people to peruse; a hospital, like an airport, has lots of people and lots of interesting stories.

I ate my sandwich and tried to read, but I couldn't concentrate on the book. I sent out a mass-message letting everyone know it had started, and that I would let them all know when I knew something. I stared at the tv, and started listening to all the conversations around me.

The group of people sitting to my right were all there in support of their aunt/sister/cousin/co-worker, who was in surgery to repair an ankle with a compound fracture. She had been getting ready for work early in the morning, and a man had broken in to her house. In her attempt to get away from him and out the window, she fell and severely broke her ankle. (The guy ran away when she fell.) This lady was in her 60's, and I couldn't believe how awful this story was; I could only imagine how frightened she must have been. Can you imagine?

The people to my left were odd; an older man and his daughter. His wife was in for kidney stones, and the daughter spoke to him like he was three years old. I first thought alzheimers or dementia, but as the conversation went on, I discovered that they were just strange. When the surgeon came out to let them know all had gone ok, he gave the husband the kidney stone in a test tube. They were very excited about it. It was bizarre.

A third group near me were waiting on their husband/father/brother. It was another large group of people; Dr. Chin (my Dr. Chin) came out, and he called them into the little private room within the waiting room. They all came out about fifteen minutes later crying. It was pancreatic cancer. I can only imagine how Dr. Chin delivered this news; he's a great surgeon, but has zero bedside manner. I felt so awful for these people, that they were having to deal with this blow in a public place, in front of all these people. It was like the lady who died in the ER, I just wished I could have been anywhere else in the room, just to not intrude on this awful time for them. They just cried and cried; I looked down and tried not to intrude on their grief.

Little by little, people's surgeries were ending, and their families were being called in from the waiting room. I looked up to see the hospital volunteer packing up her tote bag and taking her cardigan sweater and going home for the day. It was 5:00 pm. Diane contacted me, and asked what was going on. I was clueless; there was nobody to ask. No hospital personnel, no nurses, no volunteers. By six, it was just me and one other family still waiting. By this time, I was extremely nervous, wondering what was happening, why was it taking so long, is he ok. A bit panicky. It was at that moment I regretted not having anybody come and sit with me.

All of a sudden, the door opens, and out comes Dr. Cuomo, Dr. Internist and Dr. Anesthesiologist (their names escape me at the moment). They ask me to step outside into the hallway. Talk about moving through wet cement, running to get the answer and at the same time afraid to get the answer.

They said that there had been a problem. AFTER surgery. The surgery had gone really well, although the break had been worse than they expected; the bones were all broken and pushed up towards his elbow. Richard had been wheeled into the post-op anesthesia recovery room, and within minutes had stopped breathing. They immediately put a breathing tube into him, and got him breathing again. They believed it was a reaction to the pain medication that they had given him. He was ok now, thought, they said, and they said a nurse would be in in a few minutes to take me back. I was trying to process all of this, trying to remember everything they said, and I couldn't. I just wanted to get behind that door. I gathered up my things and waited, tearing up and trying to control it. I sent out a very generic message to everybody, not saying anything but that he was out of surgery. I didn't really understand what had happened myself yet, so I couldn't explain it to anybody else. After what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, she came and got me and took me back to Richard. You know how usually your imagination is usually worse then the actual picture? Not this time.

Behind a maze of tubes and wires, behind an oxygen mask and a breathing tube in him, was my Richard. Looking tiny, and so very sick. There was no color to his face; what's the first thing you want to do when you see someone? You want to hug them, and hold them. Poor thing, there was nowhere to hug...everything had tubes and needles and wires going to contraptions on the wall. He was going in and out of consciousness; I told him I was there, and he was ok, it was all over. He was very agitated and confused; but he was also pumped full of drugs, and couldn't form words. Everything came out garbled and there was no volume to his voice due to the breathing tube. There were nurses everywhere, and a monitor that I soon learned to monitor myself. I finally understood Richard's confusion; he was asking if he had been in a car accident, or did he have a heart attack? I tried to explain to him that it had been his surgery, and that there had been a problem, but all was ok now. He went back to sleep, and woke up again, and we went through it again. This happened several times; I later learned from him that he would fall asleep and dream that we had left the hospital, but had gotten into an accident on the way home. He looked at me and said "I don't want to die"; this was the proverbial "straw" that made me lose control over my emotions, and the tears came.

When he would fall asleep, he would gradually stop breathing; I watched the nurse for a few minutes, and then I took over. When his respiration would fall below 6 per minute, an alarm would go off, and I'd shake him to wake him up. It kept happening, and due to the what had happened, they were going to put him in ICU, which in itself is scary. We waited in post-op for what seemed like hours, and finally transportation came to take him upstairs. While waiting, I got to watch the operations of the post op anesthesia unit, and I tell you, those nurses work their tails off. I don't think I could do it. There was this one man right across from Richard, and he woke up from anesthesia, and he was phycially fighting the nurse, who was trying to take his blood pressure. They were wrestling back and forth, and he said "I'll bite your boob!" I turned around because I was so surprised; she laughed and told me that people say the strangest things coming out of anesthesia; you never know what's going to happen. Once again, nurses, the unsung heroes.

I texted Diane at some point during this, I think it was when I went out to use the bathroom. She wanted to come down right away, with Katie. I told her to stay home, to come in the morning. There was nothing that anybody could do at that moment, and it was just going to be a long night. She said she'd be there first thing in the morning.

We got up to ICU, and it didn't resemble the ICU's I'd seen on television; it was very quiet, and the two nurses assigned to Richard were all over him, doing everything that was necessary; they let me stay for about a half hour until they threw me out. The ICU has very strict, very enforced rules. I told them that I would be waiting in the waiting room. They presented me with all the stuff from the old room, including the two gift baskets.

There was nobody in the waiting room; I decided that I would take all the stuff home, shower, change, and get back to the hospital. I packed up everything (there was a lot of stuff!) plus the two heavy fruit baskets, and went downstairs. As Murphys Law was in effect, I couldn't get to the front of the hospital; the exit was locked. I had to come out by the emergency room. It was cold, and I was planning to walk around. The security guard saw me and took pity on me; he picked me up and drove me around. I've never appreciated a warm car so much!

Got in the car and started the drive home. Of course, the waterworks started. I really couldn't believe everything that had happened. This was a simple wrist surgery, for pete's sake! I kept saying to myself "did this really happen?" There was a strange unrealistic quality to all of it.

Got home, let the dog out, showered, changed and went back. Nothing else happened that night; just a long night in the waiting room. They really don't make it comfortable for families that want to wait there. There's nothing to stretch out on, and it was cold. When I got back there, there were two other families on vigil, and we all spent the night in the same room, not really talking, respecting each others privacy and worry. I went out for coffee for all once, and another man did the same a few hours later. I know I could have left the hospital and slept at home, but I had promised I'd be right down the hall. Not because I felt like he was in any more danger...it was just that I felt better being close. And because I had promised.

The Hospital....part 3.

2008-12-28T20:07:00.003-05:00

Ok, now where was I. Ah yes.

Wednesday. Still in the hospital, and not one doctor has said "you can go home today". But the catheter is still in...we're hoping it'll come out today.

Appearance wise, he's looking better.

Not his hands, though. The broken wrist was wrapped up in bandages, but his fingers were swollen to what appeared to be a painful size, and were shades of greenish black. (Honestly, the picture really doesn't do them justice, they were much greener, dark green.) They have made me cry, several times. I look at them and cry a bit.
We settle into our "morning routine", tea (with no milk for Richard, due to the liquid diet), the newspaper and the morning news. Get Richard washed up, change the bedding, change the hospital gown. A few hours pass...

Great news...the catheter is coming out today! The catheter comes out, the liquid diet goes out the window, he can get out of bed to pee....things are starting to look up. OK, this is a bright spot, and we're both encouraged. Removal is short and sweet. Lunch is ordered up, and the physical therapists come again to work with Richard.

That was the plan. But he still can't put any weight on his ankle, and only a bit on his other knee. They are both swollen, and he really can't walk more than a few steps. Sitting up in the chair is too painful for him to bear for more than 10 minutes. Lunch comes, he eats a bit, and can't keep it down. (Actually, I used the term "lunch" very loosely. These pictures are of the PRMC version of "Hawiian Chicken" and "chocolate pudding". As you can see, it was a big hit with Richard.)

This is obviously not going according to plan. The longer he stays in here, the worse he's getting.

Dr. Cuomo comes in in the afternoon, to talk about Friday's surgery. It's obvious now that Richard won't be coming home until at least Saturday. But we both know that there are so many questions that need answers, and he's in the best place to try and get these answers.

Diane and Joe come; Mom and Dad Demers are there, the kids, Maggie and Roger and Max pop in and out; Barbara and Randy come from Milford with a huge basket of fruit and candy from the Guiding Eyes Delmarva Region. Linda K. comes to visit. Vicky and Larry come in. The phone rings, people from his work are calling to see how he is doing; his secretary, his bosses. I try and keep everyone updated via text messages...the blackberry has been a godsend. I can send one text out to ten people at a time...everyone is so worried, and I think that having "morning updates" and "evening updates" are helping to ease their minds. I truly don't think I could have made all those phone calls to all those people. I just didn't have it in me. (Actually, if I had to, I would have. But I wouldn't have been able to convey all the information I could texting.)

For the two days that follow, basically not too much happens; we wait for Friday. We find out the surgery isn't until 2:45 pm, which stinks. Waiting all day for anything is hard, because theres no food, no drinking all day. We pass the time as best we can. Richard doesn't really improve at all during these two days. He's not getting a whole lot of rest though; he's had a series of roommates that are pretty hard of hearing, plus most of the hospital staff feel the need to TALK VERY LOUDLY and move the furniture all around when they come in to take care of him. Plus he can't remember how to work the television, so he calls the nurse once every twenty minutes or so. We chuckled about it in the beginning, but at this point, there's not much we can laugh about.

At about 2:00 pm, the transportation department comes up to get him; he'll be coming back to the same room, so everything can be left; that's one thing I don't have to worry about. Richard is on a special ICU bed, so there is (once again) great trouble moving him out of the room without hitting everything in the path of the bed. (Actually, the hospital now has a uniform color code for all their workers. Transportation workers wear beige scrubs; doctors wear white, nurses wear white and blue. But I didn't need to identify these transportation girls by the color of their uniforms. I could tell right away that they were nowhere near rocket scientist level, and were well suited to wear beige.) Poor Richard with his broken body is being taken down to surgery, and he's being banged off the walls like he's in a pinball machine. At this point, nothing is funny, we're both nervous, and this is finally getting underway. I walk down with him to the OR prep room, and then they tell me I can't be in there; I have to wait in the waiting room, and they'll call me when they've prepped him. So I go and sit and wait. After about 15 minutes, they call me back and I get to sit with Richard while the anesthesiologist comes in and explains everything (they aren't going to give him general anesthesia, they are going to just keep him unconscious with drugs; he won't be on a ventilator. This is due to his heart condition, and they just don't want to put his body and his heart through any unnecessary trauma.) He gives Richard the preliminary valium (jealous, what, me? Hell yes!). I kiss him goodbye and tell him I'll be right outside. It's about 2:40. The doctor tells me it will be about 1 1/2 hours for the surgery, but don't worry, it could go as much as an additional hour, since they don't know what is happening with the wrist; they can't decide how they are going to repair it until they open it and see how bad it is.

I go outside to the waiting room, find a seat, and look around. There's a sign on the wall "No food or drinks in the waiting room". I put my stuff down and head down to the cafeteria for some food and drink. I'm a rebel.

Two Weeks Until 24! aka When You Open a Can of Whoop-Ass, Jack Bauer Jumps Out

2008-12-28T17:07:00.004-05:00

I haven't finished the "hospital" story yet, but I will. Promise.

But it's only two weeks until 24 starts again, and my sister-in-law Diane asked me to send her Jack Bauerisms from my old blog...so I sent it, and I'm going to list them here....

Basic Truths About 24's Jack Bauer

Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.

If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.

If you wake up in the morning, it's because Jack Bauer spared your life.

Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.

If it tastes like chicken, looks like chicken, and feels like chicken, but Jack Bauer says its beef. Then you better believe it's beef.

Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.

1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight.

Let's get one thing straight: the only reason you are conscious right now is because Jack Bauer does not feel like carrying you.

Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.

Jack Bauer played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.

When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer hates lemonade.

Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.

Osama bin Laden's recent proposal for truce is a direct result of him finding out that Jack Bauer is, in fact, still alive.

Jack Bauer is the leading cause of death in Middle Eastern men.

Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.

When Jack Bauer was a child, he made his mother finish his vegetables.

Jack Bauer killed 93 people in just 4 days time. Wait, that is a real fact.

Simon Says should be renamed to Jack Bauer Says because if Jack Bauer says something then you better do it.

Jack Bauer won the Tour de France on a unicycle to prove to Lance Armstrong it wasn't a big deal. He thinks yellow wristbands are gay.

When Jack Bauer pissses into the wind, the wind changes direction.

Jack Bauer's favorite color is severe terror alert red. His second favorite color is violet, but just because it sounds like violent.

When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jack Bauer jumps out.

When Google can't find something, it asks Jack Bauer for help.

You can lead a horse to water. Jack Bauer can make him drink.

Jack Bauer can get McDonald's breakfast after 10:30.

When the boogie man goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Jack Bauer.

The Hospital...continued.

2008-12-16T22:01:00.003-05:00

Sunday morning. Woke up at 7 and bolted out of bed, fed the animals, let them out and in, showered and headed for the hospital. Felt like I was late, but I wasn't...think it was the guilt talking. I felt horribly guilty about not staying overnight with Richard; my brain knew he was fine and in good hands, but my heart felt like I should have been there with him in case he woke up. He was heavily medicated and exhausted, but I didn't want him to wake up and look for me, and me not be there.

I got there and he was sleeping. He looked like absolute hell...black eye, stitches and dried blood on his face, his wrist bandaged and a semi-cast on it. He was absolutely grey, and so small in the bed. I couldn't even give him a hug or kiss, for fear of hurting him. He slept on, and I was grateful for the time to compose myself.

Day two at the hospital brought more unanticipated news from the doctors: Richard's bloodwork showed extremely abnormal kidney function. The doctors weren't sure what was causing it, but was definately a cause for concern.It also brought out the bruising and trauma from the fall...Richard looked and felt like he had been run over by several trucks. His eye was black and blue, his forehead was three shades of black and blue, and his body ached like he had fallen 20 feet. He couldn't stand because he resprained his right ankle. (The doctors had reviewed the xray again, and said that there were no broken bones).

They started tests on his kidney function, and they called in a kidney specialist. His kidneys were functioning at 30%, and were not filtering the protein out of his body. They thought it may be possibly linked to a premature birth, they thought it might be kidney disease. They were just guessing at this point. But with Richard not able to walk and with a definite kidney problem, he wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't happy about it, but he had to stay in the hospital.

Monday turned into Tuesday, and then Wednesday. Surgery on his wrist was scheduled for Friday, and we figured he'd be discharged, and then readmitted on Friday. We were wrong. This visit turned into a Pandora's Box, with each day bringing more problems. He wasn't able to walk. He couldn't pee. He was anemic. His pain was at a level that required morphine. His kidneys weren't functioning. We had doctor after doctor after doctor coming in, and we couldn't hardly keep them straight. Physical therapists came in to try and get him up and around; it was difficult using a walker with a broken wrist and a catheter. He couldn't keep food down, but it might have been from the pain medication. Plus, he wasn't getting any sleep. Everyone knows that you don't sleep in a hospital, but when he got a roomate on Tuesday night, the circus was brought right into his room. Just when he'd fall asleep, someone would have to come in to do something, turning on all the lights, rearranging all the furniture, taking blood pressure and temperature readings. And he couldn't have anything to help him sleep, due to the subdural hematoma.

So, we're there all week, with no difinitive answer on the kidney problem, but we have a new kidney specialist who wasn't happy with "we'll just watch it and see what happens". This guy wants to find out what is going on, and orders more tests and calls in yet another specialist. But speculating on what is wrong is silly, and until we have a diagnosis of anything, we're not going to dwell on it. We see Dr. Yu in January (he wanted to wait until Richard is well on the mend from this before he subjects him to more tests.)

In the interim, physical therapy people come in, and there's no way in hell he can stand. They came in with this fancy walker, with a shelf where his left hand would go; they get him out of bed and he can put zero weight on his feet. He took no steps, and was in incredible pain. This wasn't good. Did you know when a man doesn't stand, he usually cannot pee? (Men are so strange.) So, here comes mr. catheter. Lord Jesus, the end did justify the means (he finally could pee through the catheter, so he was more comfortable), but what a horrible means of torture for a man. So now he's tied even further to the bed by the catheter. He's on a liquid diet, and can hardly keep that down. This is a man who cannot afford to lose one pound, and I can see him wasting away in front of me. It was kind of a panicky feeling, constantly, that I was feeling. Richard's life was moving fast in front of me and there was nothing I could do to help.

Things continue to happen outside of these little crises that we have...the world continues to march forward. School continues to be in session. Dogs and cats continue to need food, and to be let out, petted and watered. Cat litter needed to be changed. Laundry needed to be done. How do you do these things when you are at the hospital for 14 hours a day? I found out how.

The kids rallied. They worked together, they worked separately. Cooking, cleaning, feeding animals. Laundry. They put all the Christmas decorations up. I walked into the house late Sunday night, and it was spotlessly clean and decorated. I looked at Max and just burst into tears. It was about 9:30 at night, I had been at the hospital since 8:30 that morning...and driving home I was thinking about how I needed to clean up the house when I got home. I was just so tired, and walking into the house and seeing it like that...wow. I am so grateful and so proud of both Maggie and Max for all that they did during this ordeal.

On the animal front, I had called Barbara, our regional manager for Guiding Eyes, and let her know what had happened. She sent out the call for help, and an outpouring of help came. The plan was for me to take Fina to Delmar where Robin, one of the sitters, would watch her for a few days. It was left open ended, because I didn't know what was happening when. When I took Fina, it was like a thousand pound weight was off my shoulders. It eliminated the "whatamigoingtodowhatamigoingtodowhatamigoingtodo" regarding my commitment to GEB. Mookie would be fine all day, but Fina is still a pup and needs walking, training, poo and pee time. I didn't have time to worry about it, and having her somewhere else eliminated my worry. Richard was very upset when I told him she was going to the sitters, but his anxiety was over the fact that it was because he had fallen that this had to happen. I told him to stop worrying about it, it had to happen, and that was that.

Now I've started to jump back and forth on time and stories...sorry about that. It's after the fact, and I wasn't a good blogger keeping up every night. But plow on I will...

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.....

2008-12-11T20:49:00.001-05:00

Probably most of you who read this already know about what's been going on in our lives over the past two weeks. For those of you who don't let me fill you in briefly, and I'll add pictures where I can.
On Saturday, November 29, we were just doing routine things around the house. It was a fairly nice day, and Richard wanted to get the Christmas decorations done. He's done it a few times, I've done it a few times. In the years that he would be extremely busy or travelling a lot, I'd do it, usually when he was away, and he'd come home to a decorated house. In the years where I've been sick, he's done the outside, and the children have done the inside. I'm still recuperating from my plantar fascia surgery that I had October 24th;

so he headed outside after lunch. I asked him again if he wanted me to come outside and help him and he again said no, that he wanted me inside with my foot iced and elevated. (Yes, actually, I do feel guilty!) I kiddingly said to him to make sure he had his cell phone in his pocket, so he would be able to call me in case he fell off the ladder. (Is that an example of tempting fate?) He put on his coat, took Mookie with him, and went out front. Not ten minutes passed before I heard a yell from outside that stopped me cold. I ran out the garage door, and there was Richard, laying on the ground face down, blood absolutely everywhere. He was quiet, but conscious. I ran inside and dialed 911, and told them I needed an ambulance. I wasn't sure how far he had fallen, but he was in front of the garage door, and the little giant ladder was in full extension, so it was at least 15 to 20 feet. I ran back in and got the first thing I could grab to put under his head, a beach towel, and when I lifted his head to put it under, I saw that he had about a 3 inch gash in his forehead, and it was gushing. I grabbed another towel, and held it against the cut, trying to stop the bleeding. He said he was ok, and didn't need to go to the hospital (he later told me he said that he did need to go to the hospital...which for Richard is rare. He is king of the "it's only a flesh wound" club.) He said his wrist hurt and his ankles hurt and his head hurt. He asked me how I knew to come out; he didn't remember calling for me. He made a joke about Mookie just laying there after it happened; we both laughed about how Mookie was no Lassie, and would never have let me know that Timmy had fallen into the well.

The ambulance came in about 10 minutes or so, although it seemed like forever. Hebron VFD responded with an ambulance, and about two minutes after that, a fire truck. They put a collar on him, then rolled him over onto a back board, loaded him up into the back of the ambulance, and away they went, lights and sirens going. I was terrified, but I'm one of those people that kind of goes on autopilot in a crisis. I went inside with the dog, put on shoes, grabbed my purse and a diet coke, and headed for the emergency room. When I got there, I went to the window, and they wouldn't let me back. The ER is all different now, and everything is locked; there isn't access unless they grant it. So I sat quietly until I couldn't stand it any more; then I'd go ask, they told me I had to wait just a bit more, and I repeated the process. In the interim, I texted the children, and Diane and Jennifer, who was up for the weekend. Max was with his cousins, and I told him that he should stay there; I would keep everyone up to date when I found out anything. Maggie and Roger came to the ER anyway, and waited with me for awhile. FINALLY, the let me back. He was laying on a stretcher, and I was taken back by how much he looked like one of those Revolutionary War soldiers, with the white bandage wrapped around his head at an angle, and the blood seeping through it. He was awake though, and in so much pain. They couldn't do anything for the pain until they saw xrays and MRIs and determined the extent of his injuries. We waited for what seemed a long time (I'm sure to Richard it seemed days); finally the ER doctor came in with some news. His wrist was broken to bits, and his head needed stitches, but so far that looked like that was it. They called an osteopath for the wrist, and the ER doctor was a surgeon. They were going to stitch his head and cast his arm right there. Dr. Handel was the surgeon, and she was both very capable and funny; the three of us were laughing at the situation we found ourselves in. She said she had one of these every Christmas, and she hoped that we were the "one"; she didn't want to break her streak. She brought in all the stuff to stitch, and said that Dr. Cuomo was on his way for the wrist. The wrist looked like it had been pushed back, and was going to need to be pulled out and repositioned; they were going to need to knock him out for that (thank God). I said I'd be fine to stay, and she commenced to stitch Richard's forehead. After the numbing shot, he said he didn't feel a thing. Fifteen stitches, about an inch and a half above his left eye. Richard lamented the end of his modeling career as she stitched.

Dr. Cuomo came in just after that; they knocked Richard out with something that only lasts about 2 minutes, and proceeded to pick up his left hand and pull and push and twist.

I watched the stitching. I was fine. Dr. Cuomo pulled and manipulated the wrist back into shape in order to cast it. I almost barfed. That's a noise I never want to hear again in my life.

Dr. Cuomo said that he would need surgery; the break was bad. Weather or not the steel was going to be on the inside or the outside would be decided once they opened up the wrist. It wasn't an emergency, so it would be scheduled for later in the week, possibly Wednesday.

Ok, we said. Ok. We'll get a prescription for painkillers and we'll go home. He's going to be sore as hell tomorrow, but he's ok.

Just then, Dr. Handel comes in. She said that they are bringing in a Neurosurgeon; the MRI is showing a subdural hematoma. A what? This is a term they talk about on House, MD and on CSI and on all the other stupid television shows we watch. This is not something that happens to us. Now they are talking about neurosurgeons and brain surgery to relieve pressure.

Dr. Pierre, the neurosurgeon comes in and tells us that the brain bleed is between the two hemispheres of the brain, which, if you have a hematoma, is the best place for you to have it. Theres a bit of room there for the blood to collect; the doctor said that Richard would stay overnight so that they could watch it. We weren't happy, but it was just something that had to be done. So we resign ourselves to it, and we wait for a room. They tell us they are going to put him in the ICU so he can be watched closely, but they don't have a bed. They are going to open the old ICU, and they are calling in two nurses just to watch Richard. Ok, we say. We wait. Richard sleeps, as he's got some pain medication (not totally working, but making him a bit more comfortable). I think we waited in that room for about two and a half hours. Richard slept. I explored as much as I could the room we were in; I took some alcohol pads and Q tips and cleaned the outside of our cell phones. I reassured Richard when he woke up, and tried to get him back to sleep. I chased down the nurses for more pain meds. Finally, about 12:45 am, they came and moved Richard out into the hallway, for what I thought was the move upstairs. Turns out they needed the room. An ambulance had come in, and they came rushing in with a lady on a stretcher, and a paramedic on top of this lady doing chest compressions; the very upset family trailed behind. We were right outside the room, and I heard everything; the efforts made to bring this lady back, the decision to stop, the family realizing what was happening. Richard was sleeping, but I felt so awful to be within earshot of such a private, personal, agonizing family event. I felt I had no place to be there, to be so close, but I couldn't go anywhere else. That poor family.

We got up to the room at 1:45 am, 5 South, and encountered the nicest nurse. She helped Richard get comfortable, and gave him morphine for his pain. She and I worked together to get him settled, and by the time I left, I knew he would be in good hands.

I went home then, and that's when the tears started to come, on the drive home. But just a little bit. One of my thoughts was for Fina; how the hell was I going to do this? Richard was my backup walker; and I was still pretty far from being able to walk her three miles daily. My head was full of questions and worry; I got home and spent some time with the pups and fell into bed.

End of day 1. This is a longer story than anticipated so I'm going to write more later :).

Sister Mary Elephant

2008-11-27T21:59:00.003-05:00

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Roger You Met Now

2008-11-27T21:47:00.002-05:00

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Maggie Spice

2008-11-26T22:06:00.002-05:00

Create your own FACEinHOLE

This is a Real Story

2008-11-24T21:04:00.005-05:00

Man Recovering After Being Shot By His Dog
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 24, 2008

(AP) A man who was accidentally shot by a 12-gauge shotgun on Saturday after his dog jumped into a boat is recovering. Matthew Marcum's legs and buttocks were injured in the bizarre incident and he was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center in Portland.

Marcum's father, Henry, said his 23-year-old son was about to tie up an 11-foot open aluminum boat, when his 3-year-old Labrador, Drake, jumped into the boat.

Matthew Marcum said his dog, Drake, is a good dog and he isn't upset with him.

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

The real reason the dog shot him? Here's a picture of the dog:

All he wanted was to be a ninja that year.

One More Thing....

2008-11-05T12:06:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, but I have to say this.
Did you see Michelle Obama's dress?
I think a very pissed off republican dressed her.

November 4, 2008 Plus One

2008-11-05T11:21:00.004-05:00

Aren't you glad it's over? I am. I'm tired of the uncertainty. I'm tired of the accusations, the finger pointing, the half-truths from all sides.

Barak Obama is now my president, and as I hope that others will have respect for the office and the person who occupies it, I will do the same. In 1998, I shook Al Gore's hand, and although I disagreed heartily with his political views and his ecological opinions (and the claims he made about the internet and "Love Story"), I was tickled pink to be shaking the hand of the Vice President of the United States. I don't agree with the policies of this administration, but I pray that we will all be able to work together to bring ths country back together again. I am thrilled that America has elected it's first african-american president; I'd be happier if he were a conservative. Obama has shattered a ceiling, and I'm hoping that his journey will be an encouragement to young people all over, of all races, to pursue education, work hard, and you can achieve wonderful things. I do wish that his grandmother had lived to see him elected.

The republicans had a wake up call in 2006, and chose to ignore it. They promised change, but did not deliver. We, their constituents, let them get away with it. We're all a party to our loss last night. As I told both Max and Maggie, if you don't like it, get involved in the next one and do something about it.

I hope that God does bless America. We need it.

As for me, I'm going to turn the tv off for awhile. Need a break from politics.

Happy Election Day

2008-11-04T19:40:00.001-05:00

Pins and needles.

I'm either going to be saying "I told you so" or "thank God"; hopefully we'll have an outcome in a few days.

Captain Success - Today's Story

2008-11-04T19:36:00.002-05:00

HAYDEN, Idaho (AP) - An 18-year-old Hayden, Idaho, man was arrested late last week after allegedly stabbing his mother when she forbid him to use an Internet social networking site MySpace. The teen was charged in 1st District Court with aggravated assault after his mother said he cut her wrist.

The mother said she confronted her 6-foot 2-inch tall, 320-pound son, after which he became aggravated and packed his belongings to leave their home.

Police said he pulled out a black and silver knife from his pocket as she tried to take his cellular telephone charger from him and cut her on the left wrist.

The teen then rode his bicycle to a location nearby, where he was later detained by police without further incident.

He was released from Kootenai County Jail on Monday.

Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin Florida Edition

2008-11-01T18:07:00.002-04:00

Florida is such a special state....

LAND O' LAKES, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- A nudist community on
Florida's west coast wants to be allowed a clothing-optional polling
site. The Caliente Resorts, located in Pasco County north of Tampa, has approached
election officials about the idea. Nothing in state law would
prohibit it, but the supervisor of elections says he is opposed to creating any
new precincts before redistricting in 2010.

Now, I can see why these people need their own polling site on election day; they are just so damn busy! Tuesdays and Thursdays, especially.

Things to do at Caribe

Daily Activities
10:00am - Spanish
Lessons
Come enjoy an introduction to the Spanish language each day in the
beach bar. Lessons are given by our activities staff and go over the very basics
in a fun, easy going way. In no time at all, you’ll get the hang of it, and all
the staff will help you along.
10:30am - Games
Monday:
Shuffle
Board
Tuesday:
Testicle Toss
Wednesday:
Bocce
Ball
Thursday:
Testicle Toss
Friday:
Darts
Saturday:
Rock
Painting
Sunday:
Bocce Ball
11:00am - Water Aerobics
Join us for a
low impact session in our main beach pool. As with all our activities, the staff
keeps it fun and easy going.
11:30am - Water Volleyball
By far the most
popular activity of the day. Games are open to all guests from beginners to
advanced. If you just want to have fun, laugh or play, water volleyball is for
you. The water volleyball pool is located next to the beach bar.
2:30pm -
Water Volleyball
Because water volleyball at Caliente Caribe is so much fun,
one tournament a day is just not enough for most guests!
3:30pm -
Games
Monday:
Casa Grande Tour & Bocce Ball
Tuesday:
Iced
T's
Wednesday:
Coconut Bowling
Thursday:
Crab
Race
Friday:
Body Painting
Saturday:
Testicle
Toss
Sunday:
Balloon Toss
4:30pm - !Happy Hour! and snack time
Meet
your friends every day (except for Friday) at the main pool for drinks and
snacks!
On Fridays it's a Coco Loco Party with snacks at the beach
bar!
6:30pm - Dinner Dress Themes
Monday:
Glam & Glitter! It's
gonna get Sparkly!
Tuesday:
Red Red Red! Nothing is Hotter than
RED!
Wednesday:
Peek-A-Boo Night! Something See
Through!
Thursday:
Smooth As Silk! Slip into something
silky!
Friday:
Pirate Night! - ARRRG Beach Dinner &
Party!!!
Saturday:
Feathers or Leathers! Decisions,
Decisions!
Sunday:
Sexy Black &White! It,s Ultra-Chic!

10:00pm
- Club Caribe opens and dancing begins!
Love to dance the night away? Then
this is the place for you. Fully air conditioned our new night club, “Club
Caribe” features great sound and mirrored dance floor to party till you drop!
Check out the dance pole! Walk across the room, and you’ll find our full service
bar and conversation lounges where you can talk, laugh, enjoy without ever
leaving the action.

Hot hot hot.

We Finally Got a Cool One!

2008-10-30T22:48:00.002-04:00

Aerosmith has generally left the politics to bands like U2 and the Dixie Chicks, but axeman Joe Perry says national security and economic woes have prompted him to split from the rest of the entertainment world and throw his support behind John McCain.

“We pretty much stay out of it, but seeing so many people come out for Obama, I just felt like ‘What the hell, I might as well raise my hand for this side,” Perry said from his Duxbury home.

The Bay State rockers have done a few fund-raisers for the Kennedy family over the years, but Perry’s endorsement of McCain marks a first for the platinum-selling guitarist/songwriter.

…“I’ve been a hardcore Republican my whole life,” he told the Herald. “My mother and father drilled into me from the very start that if you work hard and be positive, you’ll get what you’re working for. I guess I’m living proof of that.”

…“I’m an optimist. It ain’t over till its over,” he said. “I think that he’s got a chance.”

Best Campaign Video EVER

2008-10-30T04:10:00.001-04:00

WHAT? WHAT?? WHAT????????????

2008-10-30T00:23:00.000-04:00

Why Dogs Kill Their Owners

2008-10-29T22:00:00.003-04:00

Word to Your Great Grandmother

2008-10-29T18:11:00.002-04:00

This is so sad, but funny.

A teenager in Florida who used his 85-year-old grandmother to issue threats with a gun in a "gangsta rap" video has been jailed for 18 months.

Michael Alfinez, 18, admitted to abusing the elderly and a number of firearms charges. Alfinez is seen coaxing his grandmother Marie Huertas into flashing a gun at the camera and saying: "This is for all the pigs" and "I'll
shoot you". The Alfinez family has said that the
incident was a misunderstanding.
Outtakes: A sheriff's report said Alfinez, from Lake Worth, had admitted dressing up Ms Huertas and getting her to flash a gun and money at the camera.
Ms Huertas is seen wearing a full black balaclava and is heard uttering a number
of gangsta rap phrases, after repeated coaxing, that include expletives.
The Palm Beach Post newspaper said police arrested Alfinez in April after they found
outtakes of the video playing on a camera in his car. The Post said Alfinez had
told deputies he knew that there was something wrong with his grandmother's
memory. The sheriff's report says when police showed Ms Huertas the video she
said she was ashamed and did not use that language normally.
The Post quoted Alfinez's mother as saying: "This is my mother. This is his grandmother. Just today when he called me he said, 'Tell grandma I love her very much.' And she told me, 'Tell Mikey I love him, too.'"
Alfinez also admitted charges of shooting from a moving vehicle and firing into a building.

What a sweet boy.

Drop it like it's hot.

Hanging in Effigy

2008-10-29T17:56:00.006-04:00

Out on the left coast, someone made a "halloween" display consisting of John McCain arising out of a burning chimney, and Sarah Palin being hung in effigy.

Because she is a white woman, this "display" is being called "art". The secret service has investigated, and it was deemed "no threat".

More like no taste.

If however, I was going to make a halloween display on my front lawn, hang Obama from a tree and make Joe Biden emerge from the fireplace (with his hairplugs on fire), I'm sure I would be charged with a hate crime.

UPDATE:Effigies of Barack Obama were hung on the University of Kentucky campus and outside a home in Indiana after authorities said an effigy of Sarah Palin in California was offensive, but not a hate crime.

This is just getting stupid, people.

Fina's Weekend at the Shore

2008-10-28T22:37:00.000-04:00

Our Miss Fina went on her second big adventure sleep over for another new raiser family while I was having my foot operated on. It worked out that Margaret and Hugh Martin will be getting a puppy in early November, and needed a home visit and a sleep-over. So, at the last minute, I took Fina to Lewes, Delaware where we met the Martins, and she stayed from Thursday until Sunday.

They are a really sweet couple, who have a beautiful house right on the beach. Fina is surely experiencing lots of different things this month! Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of her from her time at the Martins, but from all reports she did great, except that she pulled while being walked (what else is new in a new environment?)

I think that the Martins will do great with a puppy....I really can't wait until the new pups come to the region. They are just so darn cute.

Captivity: Day 5

2008-10-28T15:02:00.004-04:00

Hello to all! As the temperature is in the forties, and the wind is howling at around 50 mph, I am not complaining about not being able to go anywhere. I'm concentrating on recuperating, and am very much enjoying being waited on. Today I had butternut squash soup (the new V-8 one) for lunch....thumbs up! I'm reading a great book, and am watching all kinds of crap on television. Important emails and text messages come on the blackberry.

My toes are quite yellow and my foot still bandaged. Doctor tomorrow, plus a blood pressure reading at Dr. Gittleman's office. My first big day out since last week! I'm looking forward to getting this big bandage off tomorrow, so I can see what's going on under there.

That's about the extent of my life right now. I can probably repeat all the political commercials I've seen over the past few days...can't wait until this is all over.

I leave you with this, which is something I took a picture of while walking Miss Fina at the mall...it struck me as funny.

In case you can't read it, it says "Do Not Put Child In Bag!"

Gimpy

2008-10-24T16:50:00.004-04:00

It's over! I'm officially on the mending track from this stupid heel spur.

Went to the Chesapeake Surgery Center at 9 am today; Dr. Rano came in at 10 am, and we were on the way home by 12 pm. I can't say enough about the doctor and the staff...they were awesome. What a difference from having it done at a hospital. Outpatient surgery centers are so much nicer...plus they had animal crackers and diet cokes to eat/drink after the surgery.

It couldn't have gone better...the nurse hit the vein with the IV on the second try (which is rare for me), the anesthesiologist Dr. Kelly gave me a wonderful, awesome cocktail that gave me a great sleep (I love anesthesia and if I was rich, would employ my own anesthesiologist to help me sleep at night), ha ha. All in all, it was a great experience...no complaints.

Well, actually, it's about 5:00 pm, and the numbness is starting to wear off. I popped a pain pill about 4, so that should take care of it. As I like to say, better living through chemistry.

I don't know, after all of the surgeries, the runs to the emergency room because my insides had burst open, this is kind of a small deal. In the scheme of things, it's small potatoes. But I'm a bit bummed because it seems to be way way small potatoes to some people that I wish would make a bigger deal out of it. They would make sure it was a big deal if the bandage was on the other foot (ha ha). But being wrapped in their own (self-perceived) problems is more important to them. Maybe I should drag my bloody foot around the house, leaving smears. "Oh, am I bleeding? Oh my, let me get that wiped up! I wouldn't want you to get my blood on your clothes that you have to wear to that job that you are forced to work at! That job that pays you a good salary, the salary that you use to NOT pay a mortgage or rent, pays you NOT to provide your own food, pays you NOT to pay a car loan, pays you NOT to pay for your own health insurance or doctor bills, pays you to basically entertain yourself, get yourself around town, see movies, eat fast food, etc.

By the way, I had the doctor remove my soul today to make room for all this sarcasm. :)

Let me stop. Poor poor me. There is not one shred of evidence that a pity-party helps you get over foot surgery.

My wonderful husband has been doting on me in my damaged condition.

I'm not allowed to put any weight on my foot for two weeks, and he has banished me to the couch. Crutches aren't as easy as they were when I was 17 (the last time I had to use them)...so I'm trying to be a good patient. My wonderful husband is....wonderful.

Life is....good.

Fina's Really Big Adventure with the Emmetts

2008-10-24T16:24:00.000-04:00

We have a lot of new raisers in our group, and they are going to be getting their puppies in the beginning of November. So, just like when we got Karleen, Miss Fina got to go out on a really really really big adventure with the Emmetts....she was going to go to their house from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday. They are a family of six, with four children, plus they have a dog. It was a perfect place for Fina to go to, to get a dose of something "different". Let's face it, I'm 47 a pretty predictable at my age. This was going to be a whole new world for her...and I think that Fina needed it!

Tricia was great...she's very technologically savvy, and I got pictures consistently for all of the days. She kept me very up to date on all of the activities, and all the behaviors. I think they only ran into one refusal, one that we've deal with, and it was Fina's refusal to get into the car. She has not done that for us in a long time, and I told them that it wasn't a big deal, if she didn't want to cooperate, she didn't get to join the party.

But Fina got to experience so many new things...being with little kids, being with animals, going to the beach, going to a 4H meeting, going to a mule show! (We actually picked her up at the Mule Show, and it was pretty cool.)

EJ Emmett is actually going to be raising a pup for his 4H project. What a great thing. I don't think my parents would have been keen on the idea if I had wanted to do it when I was a kid (Maggie actually said "hey, when I was in 4H all we did was make a house out of popsicle sticks!"). I think it's awesome that he's doing it, and that the whole family is a part of it. What a great experience as a kid. And, from what I could see, he's going to do an awesome job. All the kids were really great with her.

Here's the rest of the pictures from the weekend....she had a great time, and we got back good reports. All this training (nagging) is starting to sink in!

I can't wait for them to get their pups. Actually, Barbara and Gretchen asked me to help teach the new pup class, so I'm pretty excited about that. It's like babies...there's just nothing like a puppy. I just have to get this stupid foot healed first....

What's in a Name?

2008-10-14T17:33:00.002-04:00

I found a website called "World Names Profiler" and it'll tell you a bit about your last name. I did two of them.

Demers:
934.35 per one million people in New Hampshire
401.54 per one million people in Maine
401.05 per one million people in Vermont
362.77 per one million people in Rhode Island

Now, for Katie and Diane, who I know read this...

Cavalluzzo:
40.58 per one million people in Campania, Italy
18.94 per one million people in Ontario, Canada
14.46 per one million people in Basilicata, Italy
5.36 per one million people in New York
1.34 per one million people in Florida

Worst. Backflip. Ever.

2008-10-14T17:10:00.001-04:00

http://view.break.com/569469 - Watch more free videos

Dog Dance

2008-10-14T15:52:00.002-04:00

This video was sent to me by my GEB Regional Manager, Barbara, as a great example of relationship based training (which is what we use with the GEB pups).

But the connection that this woman has with her dog, and the absolutely beautiful music, brought tears to my eyes.

It's 4 minutes long, but stay with it. It's worth it.

Freecycle

2008-10-14T09:16:00.003-04:00

I've recently joined a Yahoo group called "Freecycle". It's a brilliant idea, very eco minded (unlike me); you list things you want to get rid of, or list things you are looking for. Then people who need or have these things contact you, and everyone is happy. I haven't taken anything in, but I have gotten rid of a ton of things I thought I had to keep...like old comforters, sleeping bags, printer cartridges, etc. I wish I had known about this sooner!

Anyway, there have been two posts that have made me laugh out loud. I'm going to post them here...one of them is ridiculous, and the other one is...well...ridiculous.

My son brought home a plant from school. I am in need of about 2
handfuls of soil to replant it. I might take a while to answer as my
computer is going to be hooked back up this weekend. I will get to
your emails asap. Thanks!

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

Hello,
I am looking for a treadmill and a Dyson vacuum or something comparable
to a Dyson. The vaccuum I have does not do a good job picking up cat
and dog hair.

Thanks so much!

First of all, go outside. Dirt is free and very plentiful.

Secondly, we'd all like a $600 Dyson for free. And a treadmill. (The treadmill, she'll probably get.)

I'd probably get kicked off the list for mocking the ads. But I just can't help it.

Cross Post...Is this Me???

2008-10-06T16:02:00.000-04:00

This is dog-related, and just funny. I first saw this years ago, and have thought of it often ever since....

Is This Me?????

2008-10-06T16:00:00.003-04:00

I saw this years ago, and always thought it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.