Meowing Mommy

Ya,ll…I have been feeling very mommy-like recently. This kitten came to us in such a state that she requires a lot of care, attention and general watching over. I gotta give her medication, check her eyes and ears, ensure she is eating, drinking, pooping, that she has learned to wipe after said pooping, although I am not sure how I would teach her to do so if she didn’t come with that knowledge already.

Now that she is feeling better, much more energetic, and since she has finished her dosings of antibiotics and is generally better, we are mixing her with the original cats. Who hate her. So when I am at the library Saturday, I also go to the pet section and read up on common reactions of felines to new home invaders. My cats are normal and I am doing what I should do with them. Tell them how much I love them and give them extra treats and basically kiss their ass. So…I am wiping one cat’s ass and kissing the other two.

Since the kitten is no longer locked in the bathroom, she is able to get into so many more things. She loves the taste of electrical cords. She loves attacking my feet while I am on the computer. She generally likes destroying anything she sees. So…Discipline is coming into the picture. She is getting knocked on her nose for all this misbehaving. She is learning “No” means Mommy is fed up and is gonna pick you up and proclaim you as devil spawn.

She is exploring this big new world we call our apartment. The other cats, after 3 days of her being loose, are at least staying in the same room with her. They still growl and hiss and run away if she dares to cross that invisible boundary where no feline under the age of 5 can cross.

But back to that mommy-ing and discipline. I have discussed Yoda’s puking issues. They haven’t let up. This morning, after the kitten slept with us all night from 9:00-6:00. (It has been years since I went to sleep at nine. Man that rocks!). She had some needs to address when she got up. She headed straight for the food bowl, litter box followed and so on and so forth. I get up and start reading blogs and making coffee. Because as another sign I am getting old, I am getting up earlier so I can have a more relaxed morning. I don’t really pay attention to all the noises around me, as kittens make a lot of noise. When I stand up to get my cup of joe, I see cat puke. Not that this is a strange occurrence. It is just like many mornings of the past 6 years of my life. Except kitten is eating it. Voraciously devouring regurgitated cat food. So I try to distract her with another item. Some other play toy. But she loves puke apparently. As I am cleaning it up, she is tearing apart the paper towels hoping to get another nibble. And Yoda is growling away. Constant growling.

And so I ask Yoda, “Are you mad that she is present or are you mad that she is eating your sacred puke?”

I voted on the latter.

Fun Monday: Fridge View

So Amy wants to see my fridge?

Here is the front:

Various magnets, brochure from the local library I keep since it has their hours listed, chart of prices from my shopping trips. I am trying to get a "good" price list going so I can stock up when the price is right. I just gotta figure out when that is! I am an Excel geek!


And a Kansas girl!









Here is a wide view of the contents:



















Off to the left of the top shelf, coffee creamer and hard liquor. Very important components of a healthy diet. That large pitcher is from Pampered Chef. While I use it for tea now, it is designed to be used with juices. It has a waffle-y paddle type thing that is attached to a handle on the lid for easy mixing. Great for OJ - mix it up if the pulp settles to the bottom!






In the middle is tea and water, but off to the right is a box of Shiner. I believe in a well-rounded diet! Hmm... how many are left? (I just realized I am flipping off the camera. Oops!)














On the second shelf, you will find cut cantaloupe, bread, eggs, tortillas, and some other basics. We are getting a bit low on fridge goodies. I am trying to clear them out over the next week for our vacation.


















And on the bottom shelf? This is where thawing meat is typically stored and a lone Coke. I think that is chicken breast on the left and pork chops on the right. It sometimes is a surprise when I open these foil wrapped goodies.






And the door? I have it well stocked with various condiments:


Mmmmm...hot mayo. I heart Hot Mayo. Nothing better than a ham samwich with hot mayo! And brown mustard. Perfect on hot dogs!

On the left you can see my favorite nail polishes, chilling in the butter dept.

















Grape jelly, salsa, couple of refilled water bottles are on the middle shelf. I have recently been eating PB&J's so the jelly is getting a bit of use.








And my most constant companion, Kitteh, couldn't resist the opportunity to check out the inside!

And hey, look at my toe!







And the freezer? That's where most of the stuff is! I try to keep it stocked with meats for our various meals. I wrap them with plastic wrap first and then cover them in foil. It works well.

You can also see some veggies off to the left.







In the door, is my coffee stash and a cold beer mug. Those English muffins probably should be trashed. They have been there forever. There is also some hamburger meat on the bottom left. I wasn't joking when I said my man is meat lover!







So go look at everyone's fridge. Have a Great Monday and a Happy Week!

The kitten likes to read...


She is quite interested in Revelations.












I am pretty sure she is going to attend an Ivy League college.




She was so interested, she was devouring the text.

But I was able to get a few pages read.

Solitude

I am enjoying the quiet around my little abode. I miss my man, but it is nice to be able to lay around and do whatever my little heart desires. Which today has consisted of reading a book. Checking out books on Colorado for the upcoming vacay (see below). Visiting the wonderful world of Wally. Drinking coffee. I think I may go crazy later tonight and....wait for it....wait.....Go to.....wait........Arby's! Folks, the excitement in my world in small town New Mexico may get your head a-spinning.

So...is it wrong to enjoy being alone this much? I do miss him. And have a hard time sleeping without him. But I am a solitary individual. I could very well be a shut-in hermit. If I am ever left alone too long, you may want to check on me to ensure that I haven't taken in 30 cats and a pet rock. Because I am very susceptible to being a crazy cat lady.

One of the company wives was trying to reach me earlier, I am guessing to break me out of my hermit-ness or she may be lonely as the company is keeping her man quite busy. I, however, am perfectly fine to not speak to another human for the next 36 hours. Is this wrong?

So...Anyone have thoughts about Colorado? Since we abandoned the Euro-trip, we haven't decided on where to go for our vacation. In a week. He pooh-poohed the Go West, Young Man idea. And since East and South lead us to places that we either lived for 1/2 our lives or to where you need to have at least applied for a passport to enter, we are probably going North. Colorado here we come. Until we decide to fly to Chicago or DC or Kansas City or stay at home and put a kiddie pool on the patio and drink boxed wine and eat Gobstoppers for 2 weeks. Not that I am doing that for the next 36 hours. Just call before you come over, I may or may not need to hide a few things.

Up At 3 A.M.

I just got home from Big City. The big city with an airport. The big city airport that has a four-way stop at the largest intersection nearest to it. I guess this should be added to the reasons I hate it here.

Last night we drove to the Big City, camped out in a hotel for $80 so we could get to the airport at a decent time. Given the fact that once you leave Texas, you can’t take the time zone with you, we were working an hour behind the scheduled flight time. So….we crashed as soon as we arrived there last night. Got up at 3 A.M. our time. I dropped the man off at the airport and proceeded to drive 2 hours home where I am awaiting the start of my work day. It is gonna be a rough day. Me sleepy.

I have spent all my adult life in large cities that had several freeways running through the middle of the airports. I lived 15 minutes from IAH and worked 15 minutes from Hobby. I lived in Arlington for awhile, about 20 minutes from DFW. I now drive 2 hours to get on a plane!!??!!! By the time I was halfway home, my dear was in Dallas. This is nuts.

And I am tired. Could someone send me a Starbucks soy latte?

Thanks, you’re the best.

Cutting Out

We are working on saving for a large goal. And we are trying to reduce expenses. I believe I am a pretty darned frugal girl already. So cutting more is worrisome…where? We live quite sparse already. What do you cut next?

We don’t have car payments, therefore our car insurance is quite cheap. We don’t have a Starbucks in town so we have no latte factor. We don’t pay for cable. We do pay for internet. But I dare someone to cut that from my cold dead hands. I bet I would still fight!

I don’t get mani/pedi's because it weirds me out to have someone do that for me. I don’t buy new clothes. I come home each day for lunch and cook nearly every night at home.

I unplug a good amount of appliances already. We could turn up the AC a bit and sweat more…

We could cut my cell phone, but we don’t have a home phone. And I drive a car with nearly 180,000 miles. I feel much safer having a life line should my beloved car go kaput.

One area where I refuse to cut anymore is on food costs. I am way behind on my Quicken updates and since we haven’t combined our finances yet, it is hard to get a real feel for the grocery costs, but trust me, I do quite well in this area. I buy generic, I load up during sales. I shop at different stores to get cheaper prices on certain items. So I refuse to go down to ramen or macaroni and cheese or beans. Nope, uh uh.

Help! What other extreme ideas do you have? What problem spending areas do you have that you know you should cut? Where do you try and cut small corners? What do you try and do when you can’t cut anymore but need to?

Fun Monday: Bestest of Buds

So, Willowtree has asked us to:

"Tell us about your best friend. Particularly things like: where you first met, how long you've been friends and why you think you are best friends"

When I think of my best friends, I consider several of my friends very important to me. Two others are notable, but the two who are my bestest are Kaytabug and Not Craig.

I have posted before about how I met Not Craig. He is my best friend, he is my mate, he is the person I wake up to and fall asleep with and can spend the whole day chatting away with in between. We can spend an entire day at home, talking and still have more to say when we have to go to bed. He makes me laugh until I cry. He lets me cry until it is time to make me laugh. He puts up with my bad moods, my stubbornness, my ridiculous issues, all with tender care. He makes me want to be a better person. He is a wonderful man and I am so lucky to have him as one of my best friends.

Kaytabug and I met way before I have any recollection of living. I have vague memories of our childhood, various bits and pieces of hanging out during the summer, after school, on the weekends. Various memories of all four seasons. Everyday from the first couple years of life until I was fifteen, when my family moved. I have lots of memories of my friendship with Kaytabug. Riding our bikes across town every day in the summer. The skating rink. Her teaching me to ice-skate when the creek behind our houses froze over. Sneaking out. Her doctoring up my knees after a really bad bicycle crash. Sneaking cigarettes behind her house. Our first boyfriends. So many varied memories.

The strange thing about our relationship is that it continued when I moved. I have a box full of letters from before email existed. We wrote back and forth constantly after I moved. Updating each other on the minutae of our existence. Once we upgraded to email, we continued our communications back and forth via email. And now, we chat via instant messenger. I suppose due to the long distance aspect of our relationship, we have not chatted on the phone much over the past years. Even now that she is in the States, we use IM primarily. Now that she has a blog, I love to learn new things about her and her life that we never think to discuss.

Two summers ago, after I uprooted my life (discussed in the Not Craig post), I took a week off and drove from Houston to Kansas to see her and other old friends. I stayed with her at her mom’s house, on the same street we grew up on. The same house where we had many sleepovers, built haunted houses in her basement and played in the backyard. We picked up like we always have, just meshing so well.

While our lives have taken different paths, our collective history keeps us as friends. I always wonder if we would be friends still if I stayed in Small Town, KS. I also always wonder if we will stay friends for the remainder of this journey.

She fascinates me with her wisdom, her wit, her ability to always say the right thing. She has sent me gifts after not seeing me or my home for years and always gets it right.

Our relationship has spanned nearly the entire 3 decades we have existed. I know that we will continue to be friends for the remainder of our existence. I just hope one day we can sit on one of our front porches and drink coffee in the morning, instead of doing it over a thousand miles and a keyboard.

My Sunday To-Do's

I couldn’t sleep anymore this morning. I have this evil affliction that I cannot sleep in very late. There have been a few wondrous times in my life where I was able to sleep past 10 A.M., but they usually involved lots of beer and passing out around 6 A.M. Can you imagine how lovely I would be if I wasn’t able to sleep in those days?

But now, I am officially old. I have said that I was old before, but waking up both weekend days before 9 A.M. without purpose, may actually seal my old-ness.

So, I am up. And wondering what I should do. I need to hem my work pants that I bought at the thrifts in Austin and then throw all my laundry into the washer. I find it odd that 2 of the pairs of pants I bought both have the left leg hem undone. Did these come from the same person whose left leg is 1 ½” longer than their right? These questions wake me early on a Sunday morning… Anyhoo…I have made a deal with my downstairs neighbor that I wouldn’t start laundry until 11 A.M. at the earliest. He is a restaurant manager at one of the three restaurants in town and I don’t wanna piss him off. I am sure to see him on a semi-regular basis and do not want him to drop my portabella on the floor and then spit on it before it arrives at my table.

I need to do some Ebaying, which today will consist of counting sewing pattern pieces and posting the patterns. I have a ton ready to count, but have been putting this off. I did post a boatload of stuff yesterday while my dear was working hard out in the desolate oil fields of far West Texas. And getting sunburned. I think just being in close proximity to me causes a reduction in a person’s melanin. You may want to stay away from this portion of Texas/New Mexico as you will never be able to have a tan again. Something I do aspire to in life. In secret, though. Sun is bad and causes wrinkles and skin cancer. So…I guess I will just deal with being as white as typing paper. That is all right. Life could be worse. They could stop making Gobstoppers. Yep, moved away from sunflower seed obsession, hello Gobstoppers!!

So, today I also need to change out my brake light. My lovely car is missing a brake light. An extremely serious officer of the law who takes his job super serious, pulled me over to inform me in a most serious voice that my brake light was not functioning, seriously. And then he sternly advised in a most serious fashion that he was declining to provide me with a ticket at that time and would instead provide just a very stern and serious verbal warning that I have a burned out brake light. Dude, he is so needing to smoke a joint or something.

He also had a SWAT badge. I wonder how many SWAT situations arise in this small town. However, I am much comforted that in the case of a SWAT-y situation, he is ready and very serious at all times. You never know when a girl in a Corolla with a fresh loaf of bread, a nice smelling candle, brown sugar and cinnamon pop-tarts and other assorted groceries, is gonna take 5 people hostage in the back seat of her car and drive around with a broken tail light refusing to roll down her broken window. Thank goodness SWAT is nearby. I am comforted. But still can’t sleep late.

I must return to Big Lots again this weekend, in search of foil and plastic wrap. I bought a large amount of meat yesterday and need to divide it up and freeze it. I am so dating a meat and potatoes type of guy. I have tried to make meals without meat.

Me: Honey, would you like spaghetti for dinner? Response: With hamburger? Me: No…we don’t have any thawed. Response: No, let’s just go to McDonald’s. …

Ok, whatever, I am estrogen filled and don’t quite understand. I love dead animals just as much as any other self-respecting Southern gal(don’t throw things K, I am pretty damn Southern …. My man wears wife beaters and has a red neck….and I post songs about turnip greens, ya’ll!), …but I don’t require flesh-eating at every meal. But that is just me. And we must respect the desires of each person that resides in our household. So off to freeze some dead chickens and pigs. Cows were properly frozen last night.

I also should probably call my Dad today. He hasn’t called me since we spoke and I told him that I was pregnant and not sure if I was gonna keep it, but truly was just referring to finding a sickly kitten. He may not have recovered from the heart attack I caused. I may wanna wait until tomorrow night….

Hmmm…that may be the end of my Sunday To-Do list. I may read a bit more in Apollyon, the fifth book in the Left Behind series. This job business is getting in the way of my reading about the end of the world. Bad job.

Have a wonderful Sunday, folks. If you want some dead pig, head on over to my place this evening. I am fixing to cook some up and may throw together some collard greens and corn bread, if you ask nicely.

Kitty Schmitty

Who knew a tiny little kitty requires so much time….my week has been occupied with that tiny monster. She is doing much better. Her left eye still is bulging a bit (you can see this in the pics) I just can’t tell if it is ruptured or if it still has a chance of healing. It seems that she still has a bit of trouble seeing when we are 3+ feet from her and/or when it is low lighting.



She is also still sneezing, but this has slowed in frequency. She also has fleas. We dunked her once we realized it, but the simple antibacterial hand soap didn’t cut it and I am off to find some more potent stuff later.



She is running around the bathroom like a mad woman when we let her out of the tub. She definitely is feeling better and is acting more kitten-like. My hands are starting to show her “love”. However, once she tackles my hand, bites it a few times, she rolls over and wants her belly rubbed. She is still the most loving cat I have seen.

I have to give her amoxicillin and put ointment in her eyes 2x a day. She is getting smart to these treatments and last night’s dosing was a mess.



Off to find flea treatment and perhaps spend my day with goggles, a broom and a box of 20 Mule Team. Check this.

Surprise!

I called my Dad last night. He asked what I was up to. I told him, just shopping at Walmart. And he asked for what.




“Oh, just buying stuff for your potential grandbaby.”




“We haven’t decided if we are going to keep it yet.”







The polite man that he is, didn’t say a word. Just waited for me to further explain.

He must have been shitting bricks. Or jumping over the moon. Either one, he didn’t say a word. Just kept quiet. That man is not going to die of old age, he is going to die from politeness.





I then proceeded to explain:










We found her Sunday night in our parking lot. She is about 4-5 weeks old. Weighs just a pound. I am thinking of calling her Lydia if we do keep her. Cuz she has kitty chla.my.dia.



So that evil sounding disease…in cats, is simply an upper respiratory infection. Can’t we call it simply feline upper respiratory infection? Or FURI for short? Are we really that short on disease names? They came up with freaking restless legs syndrome...come on now!

She sneezes a lot and has a pretty yucky meow for now. But the big concern is her eyes. One is really bad off, her left eye. Right now, we don’t know if she will end up being blind in that eye. The right one is healing up nicely and she is definitely able to see out of that one. Distances are a problem though.



She is doing much better. She was playful today when I got home from work. She is the most loving thing I have ever seen, but to see her play was great, as it is an indication she is getting better. I am sure to complain about this in a week when my hands look like Edward Scissorhands went nuts on me.



So, if you are the sort, pray for this poor kitty. She is blessed to have been found. And we are doing everything we can to ensure her health, but I am so very concerned about her eye.



And suggest a better name...I have been given the ixnay on Lydia by the masculine portion of this domestic partnership.

My Car

I bought her when I was 23. My first car that I bought. She was mine, all mine.



She was purchased from Hertz. They have a program where they sell their old rental cars at a flat price. No haggling. You like the sticker? Then buy it, you fool. My parents had previously bought 2 cars in this manner. I was intimidated by the whole car dealer process and had done my research. I knew what I wanted and what the going price should be. And I found 3 Corollas at Hertz in Houston. I test drove all 3 and settled on what is now mine. I really wanted the light purple one, but it had obviously been ragged out before, so color aside, the Gold Corolla came home with me.

My dad, being a Ford Man, wasn’t thrilled when I bought it. I had my reasons. I was in college, waiting tables and was poor. I needed a cheap car that got excellent gas mileage, would require few repairs, cheap repairs and would last until I had some actual money. Consumer Reports ranked the Corolla #4 on the bestest of the best, behind Accords, Camrys, and Civics. I couldn’t afford those, so I settled on #4.

I have since put 152,000 of my own miles on her. As the photo shows, she has a total of 178,689 miles. I drove to Kansas with her. A soul-cleansing drive that was much needed. I drove to Austin countless times while dating Not Craig. I drove to my parents in Dallas many times, most notably for Hurricane Rita. We drove her to Austin and back just last week.



I have not been kind to her. I get her in sticky predicaments. I don’t always perform proper maintenance. But she forgives me. She is so reliable.

She does have a few issues, don’t roll down the driver side window, it won’t go back up, the automatic locks work spottily, careful when using the visor, it may end up in your lap.



Something about that car….She has been dinged too many times. The first occurred when I was driving home after the bars closed when a crazy drunk guy riding a Motorcycle, rear-ended me. He flew way up in the air, landed on concrete, without a helmet….and was standing by the time I stopped my car and ran back to him. He was a bit sore the next day, but perfectly fine!!

When I first started my last paralegal job in Houston, I parked in a downtown flat lot. When I left work one day, I found that someone had backed over the hood. Damage a good foot into the hood. A guardian angel left a note providing a license plate number. While the lady denied that she had done the damage, the cops disagreed and her insurance company fixed my baby up.

A year or so later, some fool dented the fender. His buddy fixed it. And I drove around for a year with a mismatched bumper because the guy sucked at matching paint. But no worries, I was rear-ended in fair time. Progressive really impressed me with their service with this repair. Quick and easy. It might be sad when your car gets hit frequently enough that you begin to rank insurance companies...

The next damage was my fault. I skidded on wet pavement on the way to work and rear-ended someone. I was down to minimal insurance at that time, so the repairs were borne by me.

The final collision has not been repaired. And I get angry each time I get into my car. During the ROT Rally in Austin a couple years ago, my dear and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the Oasis. And when we left, found that the rear driver side door had been hit. It is hard to tell in this pic, but that truck parked so darned close!



The culprit, presumably a motorcycle, had not left a note, just hit my car and ran. Oh it makes me so angry. (Albeit a bit amused that the car has been hit 2x by a bike!) I have been ever so diligent with keeping my car in grand condition and some fool ruins it. However, with her age, (and since it isn't a big cosmetic issue) I have decided it just isn’t worth it to repair the door.

I love that car. I am a sentimental soul. I am very attached to her. She has seen me through my crazy 20’s. She now welcomes me in my much more stable 30’s. I dread the day we have to part. She has seen me at my worst, patiently sat while I bawled my eyes out, responded in kind when I was angry and peeled out just as I wished for her to do.

Over the years, she has taken me everywhere my wild heart wanted to go. Somehow, that car is a symbol of my past. Through all the changes I have endured over the past 7 years, she has been the one thing that has remained constant in my life. The one thing that has not let me down.

I want to make it 200K. I would be thrilled if she lasts longer. I don’t believe that I will get rid of her on my own. I will keep her until she finally surrenders. Until she says that she is ready for the great junk yard in the sky, I will be her faithful owner.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

We attended our first Minor League Baseball game last night. They “feed” the majors. And they sorta suck. But it was fun.

First off, I was quite impressed with the stadium. I have attended an arena football game before in Lake Charles and I thought that stadium was going to collapse on us if someone yelled too loud.

I really shouldn’t be all that impressed since this is the same city that inspired Friday Night Lights. They are proud of their sports out here. Even if it is just pansy ass baseball and not a real man’s sport like Football.

Tickets were hella cheap. Beers were hella expensive, but they had Shiner, so I was happy. The weird thing about alcohol sales, at most sporting events, the cashier ID’s you, they ID your mom and your Great Grandpa Joe. Each and every time, even if they recognize you and joke and say “back already?”

Here….the cashier asked us for our stamp…..? huh? You have to go to the front of the stadium, hand your ID to an off-duty sheriff’s deputy that is severely pissed that he has to work at a pansy ass baseball game carding idiots. And then he stamps your hand. And then you walk back to the cashier to prove that you are of age and get your expensive Shiner. But, whatever, it was cold.

So the score was 16-8. Really freaking high for a baseball game. Their past scores seem quite high compared to the ‘Stros’….I dunno, arena football scores are ridiculously high too.

Now there are 2 extremely weird things witnessed last night. You vote on the weirdest.

Weird Thing #1:
Apparently these guys get paid very little. According to a Google search, they make $1,500 per month max in their first year and after that it is subject to negotiation, but no less than $1,500 per month. This excludes signing bonuses. Ok, I don’t know if they get paid this for just the season and have to go sell oil rigs for the rest of the year while practicing in the evenings. But yea, this is low. So, the practice is…if a player hits a home run, the fans wave a dollar bill, or more (especially for grand slams!) and the concession guys come around, collects them and gives the cash to the player. By the time the guy made it to us, he had a large stack and I thought about mugging him. But I may have spilled my Shiner, so I didn't.

Weird Thing #2:
The stadium was handing out baseball caps for the first xxx number of fans to arrive. We did not receive one. But who cares! We got the most awesome parting gift.



WTF.
Who gives out loaves of bread at a baseball game?

This is who.

Work It, Girl!

I have officially completed one week of work. My first worky-ness in 2007, for the Man. For a paycheck.

I enjoyed it. I enjoy the challenge of a new task. I met new people. I wore new (to me) clothes.

I did not enjoy getting up early. Or going to bed at an assigned time. I did not enjoy having to be away from home all day. Or not being able to do what I wanted to.

I know it is time for me to buck up and work. I took a lot of time off from the standard workforce. While I was making a bit of money doing my Ebay thing, it wasn’t much. And truly, the money was just starting to be anything worth calling home about.

I can say that if I made a decent living at home, I would definitely opt for it. I have never been so keen on being self-employed as I am now. I get frustrated at work because I am not in charge, I am working for someone else, following what I sometimes consider to be stupid instruction, just to make a buck.

I will continue to work on becoming my own boss. Working on other ideas for making money on my own.

I love that I was provided the opportunity to take the last half-year to discover more about myself and test my own fortitude.

I am not one that is ever satisfied. I will continue to strive for something more. But not between the hours of 8-5.

This is a Sad Post

I am currently contemplating a pretty heavy topic.

My Dad, who I am just like, said something today that he meant to tell my sister and I at a later date, not at all in the middle of grief.

My uncle passed away today. For the past year or so, my cousin has lived in his house and cared for him on a daily basis. She has given up her own life to care for her ailing father. She has sacrificed work, time with her kids and husband, her softball coaching, for her Dad. And I would bet all I have that if you asked her yesterday, tomorrow or a year from now, she would say it was completely worth it. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

My Dad today, when he called to tell me about Uncle L, in his sadness, let it slip that he had something he wanted to discuss, but at a later time. I said some flippant remark like I usually do and he said, well, if I or your mom am in a situation like my brother, put us in a home. Don’t stop your life to care for us when we are in a bad way.

It is difficult to respond, first off to the overwhelming grief that had already hit me and then to a statement like that.

I said that I bet my cousin found it very rewarding and wouldn’t have had it any other way. But….it may have been safer for all involved if my uncle would have been cared for at a facility. This is of course, in hindsight, after a couple scary incidents, involving lack of meds and my uncle being a large man. And another involving an oxygen mask and an overwhelming desire for a cigarette.

These situations could have been both avoided if he had been cared for outside of his home and more easily handled if they had occurred elsewhere.

My first response was, I appreciate his concern that I shouldn’t sacrifice my lifestyle to care for my ailing parent. But that I would do it anyway, if there was a way.

Each circumstance varies. Each of us leaves this world in a different fashion. Old age is kind to some and absolutely cruel to others.

If a person has Alzheimer’s, a nursing home is probably best. If a person is just getting older with various parts slowly dying like they do on my Corolla, why can’t they be cared for by their loving children?

There are financial concerns, of course. Lack of retirement and long-term care savings hamper choices for some seniors and create more dependency on their children. From what I know of nursing home expenses, unless a person is in a well-paid profession, they might be better off leaving their work for a while to care for their elderly parent.

More important, however, are the physical limitations. I find it hard to imagine me caring for my father at his current size. He is at least 2.5x my weight. I would be unable to adequately care for him in certain ways when it came to physically demanding tasks. Further, if his mental capacity had diminished, his larger size could be a danger to us both if he got upset like my uncle had done.

How about the emotional toll? Is it better to watch a parent deteriorate before your eyes, or on a weekly … monthly basis locked away from you with someone else taking care of their last needs? Is the guilt lessened if you sacrifice your life to care for them in the last months or years of their lives as opposed to paying someone else to do so? What about the time you take away from your kids? Your spouse? How about the toll that your kids bear watching grandma or grandpa slowly decline in health before them? Is this outweighed by their continued presence in their lives?

What are your thoughts?

I am not sure where I lie right now. I would like to respect my dad’s wishes. However, I was never very good at doing as he asked. And I can't imagine letting someone else be with him in his last moments.

Ending to Austin

We arrived home from Austin late on Sunday night. Much to our surprise, we were happy to come home. Vacation is wonderful. Absolutely great. But you still like your own bed. And the cats were missed. And the mosquitoes were killing us. I mentioned that we geeked out on the twin bed. Did I mention that we also slept on it together each and every night we were there?



So yea, diets? Back on. In case we return to Austin and decide to shack up with that same buddy!

We accomplished all of our goals for Austin, except those water-related. Mother Nature hampered those plans, but that’s ok. I didn’t feel like shaving or scaring young children with the Great White Arse anyway.

I am a horrible picture taker on vacation. I forget my camera and then when I do remember to take it with me, I simply forget to take pictures. I am including each and every picture taken in this post.




These pics were taken somewhere in West Texas because I felt horrible that I didn't take any other photos. And I think the wind thingys are neat-o.



Our absolute best night was our final night. My dear knows how much I love Malaga’s. They are a tapas restaurant. Very classy, elegant, see and be seen type of place. Which I despise, but the food – stellar. The wine selection – stellar. I love the place!! We pigged and drank and discussed life. How we could return to Austin. What to do and where to go next. After dinner, we walked to a different spot. We had a few glasses of wine there while we continued to contemplate our future. It was a wonderful evening out together.

So...We are safely back home and have a Whataburger souvenir. And that is really all that matters in the end.

Fun Monday

Deb has asked everyone to: Show your favorite place to relax. It can be a chair, corner, ledge, or limb. :) Get out those cameras and take pics or just write how you feel when you are in your "zone".

My purple patio chair is my spot.

I love sitting here in the morning. Reading a book, drinking coffee.



I love sitting here in the evening. Reading a book. Talking about the future with my love. Watching the sunset.




An older photo...



I love sitting here on the phone. Catching up with friends and family. Watching the kitties.

I am reporting straight from Austin, Texas. I am having a ball. We are little kids in a candy store. We have been stifled for so long in a boring small town with nothing to do and have been released in heaven. Our friends want to smack us each time we say, “hehehe, we’re in Austin” or “God, I love this town”.

We have:
Partied on Sixth Street
Ate at Kerbey Lane at 3 A.M.
Spent an entire afternoon and evening at Hula Hut.
Watched fireworks from Hula Hut’s deck.
Partied on Sixth and then Fifth Street.
Drank to excess with a Canadian.
Walked the strip.
Shopped at the Apple store on campus and at the Co-op.
Ate at What-a-burger.
Watched Transformers.
Geeked out together on a twin-sized bed with our respective laptops.
Got bit by 3,347 mosquitos.
Got a job (back home).

Still on the agenda is:
Eat at Shady Grove.
Obtain tee from Shady Grove.
Party on Fourth through Sixth Street.
Perhaps check out Barton Springs.
Thrifting.
Live music at some point.
Sleep in more days.
Take more photos.

Suck in all the culture possible. And hey, we love this town. Hehehehe . . . we are in Austin.

And I have a J.O.B.

Work Picnic!

Work has been stressing this week for the dear love of my life. In order to get him fed and see him for more than 2 minutes before he falls asleep, we had a picnic at his office last night.



Today is the last work day before he gets a 5-day break. Sometime soon, we will be heading towards Austin. Due to the rains in Texas recently, we probably won't be able to float the river, but I know we will keep ourselves occupied otherwise! Unfortunately, Carolyn Wonderland is not gonna be in town. CRIKEY!

Letting this small city girl back into civilization! Whatever you hear happens this weekend in the city, it wasn't me!

Friendship

My best friend, K, has written a wonderful post today. We grew up together in Kansas. Spent nearly every day together until we were 15 when my family moved to Texas. The memories K speaks of, those will always be my childhood memories.

I was extremely fortunate growing up to have the best friends a girl could ask for. And as we grow older, and friends come and go with greater frequency, I am so grateful to have held onto the friendship with K.

Love you, girl!

Free Stuff is Cool

In my personal finance journeys, I started requesting samples on a regular basis. I love free stuff and trying new products is great! I can't say that I buy the product because I get a free sample. I am still a cheapskate and buy generic on most goods, but it sure is nice that Dove, Tide, Revlon and others send ya free stuff to pamper yourself!

My favorite sites are:

Absurdly Cool Freebie Finder

Fat Wallet Forums

Free Stuff Times

Saving Advice dot Com

I just stepped out of the shower after using Dove's new Cherry Blossom & Almond Scent Body Wash. MMMMMM..wonderful stuff. But way too expensive for me to actually buy. Samples are so nice.

Look at my stash:



I try to use my samples shortly after receiving them, but these have been tucked away in cabinets and forgotten. And sometimes you just have too many travel deodorants to use all at once. Point being, this is just what has been collecting, I have received 10x this much stuff!

I try to go through the websites once a week and sign up for all samples I WILL USE! I don't sign up for something unless it will actually be useful to me. Except for that one time I ordered saddle soap. I don't know what happened there!

I recommend you get a junk email address via Yahoo or Hotmail for submitting on the forms. You will get lots of emails from the companies, no point in junking up your primary account. The requirements for each offer vary, but usually you submit your address, email address, maybe answer a couple questions and the product is on its way.

Go forth and get free stuff, folks!