Month: July 2008

  • Saturday 2 Days in a Row

    FIRST OF ALL . . .

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, JAMES!!!!  He's 29, again, I think!!!!

    It felt like it was Saturday, yesterday, and the calendar says today is also Saturday!!!  Even though we really didn't do much for the 4th of July, the knowledge of the date made it feel like I was "off" work or like a Saturday.  Not that I'm really EVER off work - not as a wife and mother.  Jesse worked yesterday (he's never "off" either). He had 2 helpers and finished the jobs he would have had to do today.  AND, he came home at a reasonable time . . . 5:00ish.

    He was beat and we decided to fix hotdogs INSIDE and do the outside grilling today.  We ate a smidgen of my potato salad and baked beans.  Annamarie was so sick, she ate pudding and a couple small, individual meals (chicken with noddle rings) that I keep in my cabinets for sore throat emergencies.  We rented a couple of movies and watched "National Treasure 2" and enjoyed it.

    Unfortunately, Luci wasn't feeling well and, around 3pm,  I sent her (crying and protesting) to my bed to take a nap.  She slept for almost 2 hours.

    Somewhere around dinner time, Rissy and I began to feel "not right" and had scratchy throats with lots of sneezing.  We attributed it to all the fans going (ceiling & floor fans).  It only got worse while we watched the movie after dinner.  The tissue box was passed around freely to whomever called for it.

    We saw some great fireworks on TV.  Out our den window, we were able to view some beautiful displays in the sky.  The ones locally went on past 10pm leading me to believe they were neighborhood fireworks.  Technically, we are in a school district that allows fireworks; but, we are serviced by Oklahoma City's fire department and fireworks are prohibited in our neighborhood.  When we drove to see fireworks last year, the neighbors were boldly out in the streets with their fireworks - lots of people.  Either they don't know any better, or our area isn't policed frequently enough to stop the perpetrators.  At any rate, last night's law breakers gave us a wonderful show in the sky!

    I took an Actifed tablet before going to bed and gave Rissy Dimetapp.  I woke up several times in the middle of the night sneezing or having to blow my nose.  My throat still felt itchy.  This morning I'm trying to convince myself it's only my allergies giving me problems!  Rissy, too.  Then I heard the "seal bark" cough coming from her room while she slept, and I'm no longer convinced it's just allergies.  Annamarie woke up and said she feels much better and can smell.  Luci regained her sense of smell yesterday.  I think we'll spend the day at home with Jesse, maybe watching the other two movies, and there's still lots of baked beans and potato salad left for a nice meal tonight.  I may add deviled eggs.  He bought some hamburger meat and watermelon while he was out yesterday.  Even though we bought all that ground beef at Sam's, we buy only lean meat and it doesn't make good char-grilled burgers.

    Stormy and Chirper are "play attacking" each other as I type.  I was worried she had hurt him (I heard several meow "screams") but she is lying flat on her side on the floor watching him with her tail thumping.  That's a sign of playfulness in cats.

    Here are the pictures of today's infirmed:

    Luci sitting on top of Annamarie - she seems to like being ON people, rather than BY them!

    Rissy slept in this morning, at least until the seal bark cough started.

    And, finally, here's me.  That's all you get to see.  I'm wearing my bathrobe and don't feel much like getting dressed!  I don't have a red neck (maybe some of my CA family thinks I AM a redneck!!!), and I don't know why my skin looks so splotchy in this photo.

    Tomorrow, one of the  churches we attend is having a barbecue (hotdogs and burgers - AGAIN!!!!) with another church.  Our church is primarily African American and the other church is Caucasian.  Since I'm Caucasian and Jesse is Hispanic, we had a personal call from the pastor to ask us to please try to attend.  I just hope we are all feeling well enough to go in the morning.  Rissy is always the one who worries me the most because she tends to go into bronchitis and asthma, like me.

    Well, Jesse just got up and I'm going to take advantage of him being home and spend some time with him!

  • 4th of July Celebration

    I don't mean to start this with a "downer" theme, but I will tell my story and then make things a little lighter.  Those of you who know the devastating news we received earlier this week (about Chirper) know how attached we are to pets.  They are like family and we care for them as we would care for our children (with a financial limit on sick pets, that we don't place on our children) and they play an important part in our lives.  Yesterday, with renewed strength, I felt better about Chirper and what had been dealt to us.  I let Stormy outside early, around 7:30am, and went about getting ready to take her and Sampson to the vet later.  She didn't come back, despite us calling and calling for her, and we canceled the vet plans.  She didn't come home by 1:30pm when we got ready to leave for the therapy appointment.  HIGHLY unusual for her.  She wasn't home when we returned at 4:00pm.  I was beginning to worry she was trapped in someone's garage (the heat is deadly In Oklahoma right now) or something worse had happened.  I tried to do the things I needed to do around the house, but there was a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Dinner came, dishes were washed, laundry started, Jesse finally came home from work . . . and still no Stormy. 

    I prayed, "Oh God, what are you doing in my life?  Not two cats.  Please!"  Bedtime came and still no Stormy.  Jesse was as worried as me that something was very dangerously wrong.  I also was aware of the fact that if someone left Thursday to go out of town, it would be Sunday before they opened their garage again.  I prayed - man did I pray.  "Lord, I named her Azariah (whom God protects) and I'm trying hard to have faith and believe she's safe.  But I'm so scared I'm going to lose another pet.  We lost a cockatiel suddenly last year in May, had to give up our wonderful pony last fall, then Jesse-boy (cat) died the day after Valentine's Day, then Chirper's diagnosis and now this . . . How did Job cope?  How did he have faith?  Please give me that same faith."

    With a very heavy heart, we locked up the house and set the alarm and I got ready for bed.  I felt so bad, I even wore my "dalmatian dog" night shirt - a comfort night shirt I've had for about 20 years and reserved for the nights I feel sad.  Don't know why, but that shirt has been a tradition forever (it was first Stephanie's when she was 10yo & she's 30yo now) and has become a symbol of my state of being.  My family affectionately says, "Things must be bad for Mom.  It's a dalmatian dog night."  My youngest girls claimed to have never seen it before, so that should tell you how long it's been since I've felt so down.

    Rissy told me I had forgotten to cover Tango's cage (our cockatiel) and went with me, turning on lights as we passed through rooms to get to the den.  She hopefully looked outside the glass door in the den one more time and turned on the outside light.  My heart broke for her because she was worried just like me.  She almost screamed, "Mom, turn the alarm off, I see Stormy!"  It WAS her and she had not one injury to her body.  I went to the kitchen and put her kibble and water dishes down and sat on the floor with her.  Jesse said, "Thank you Lord!" and ushered the girls away from me.  I bawled my eyes out as I thanked God over and over again for His mercy and goodness, and I apologized for my lack of faith feelings earlier.  I had given her up to God's hands, but my heart was screaming all day "No! No! No!"

    That's the sad story with the happy ending of my yesterday.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Now, about how I will be celebrating most of July 4th!!!

    I've read some other blogs yesterday and this morning.  I was interested in all of things different people have planned to celebrate the 4th of July, today.  We've never done a whole lot, especially after fireworks were banned in almost every county.  We sometimes watch a fireworks show from our car, parked a great distance away from the crowds, enabling us to make a quick escape from the large mass of traffic following the fireworks.  Jesse said he'd cook hamburgers & hotdogs outside (that means me making potato salad while he works today) and maybe ribs.

    I've been busy with different things away from home this week:  Chirper's vet visit, lunch & running errands with Jesse, yesterday's therapy appointment, and just plain kicking back one day.  So, here is what will keep me busy for most of my day:
     

    Rissy's laundry:

    Luci's laundry (doesn't look like much because most of her dirty clothes are on the floor in her bedroom!):

    My laundry:

    Annamarie's laundry:

    AND, Jesse's laundry (which is sorted on the kitchen floor in this picture):
    Yes, his socks get that dirty when he mows.  I use lots of bleach and Borax to get them "kind of" white again!

    As if that wasn't bad enough, here is my kitchen bar AGAIN!!!!

    The good part about the bar (I always look for something to be glad about) is that those ARE clean dishes and not dirty ones.  They are all the large things I used to cook double recipes so I could share some meals with our pastor and his wife - the one who has the feet & leg problems.

    I can't explain the salad dressing, graham cracker box, brownie mix box, bag of rice, and toothpaste still sitting on the bar.  We bought those things the day Jesse was with us - 2 or 3 days ago.  I think those items came from me being disorganized or lazy - not sure which one!!! LOL

    This morning at 6:30am, I finished Jesse's laundry, did mine, and have started on Annamarie's.  Her whites and mine are in the dryer now.  Most of the bar stuff is put away.  I'm eating cold French toast and sitting here typing in my dalmatian dog night shirt - yes, I went ahead and left it on!

    Luci hasn't been feeling well and Annmarie has a horrible sore throat, so today's plans may be only me making a potato salad and some baked beans, Jesse cooking outside, and then fireworks on TV.   Annamarie is only able to eat pudding this morning, despite the dose of Ibuprofen and Cepacol.

    I keeping singing the last few words of the Star Spangled Banner,

    "and the home of the brave."

    To look at my mountains of  laundry, the dishes piled up on the bar (you should see the sink, the dishwasher is full of clean dishes!!!!), and nursing a sick child . . . I *must* be brave in my home!!!

    Happy 4th to all my USA readers!

  • Addendum To Today's Thus. 13

    LOL!

    I'm sorry to bore you with so many pictures today.  But I just had to add one more! 

    I was walking through my bedroom to get my laundry basket and noticed THIS . . .

    Apparently, ponytail elastics like to listen to music too!

    LOL!!!

    P.S.  I promise, this was not sitting here earlier this morning!!!!  And, I didn't even know we had the aqua kind with BIG plastic balls on the ends!

  • Thirteen Things
    About
    WHAT GROWS IN MY CARPETS

    I mentioned a week ago I was doing a study of something that appears to grow in my carpets.  Not wanting to appear an alarmist, I decided to gather evidence which I will present today.  I must mention, first, that I wear a ponytail elastic - a light brown one.  I wear the same one each day until it wears out.  It is kept on my sink in a pewter dish at night.  The 3 girls wear ponytail elastics, even sleep with them in their hair; so, they continue to wear the same ones day after day until they wear out and we replace them (always kept in their hair).  

    We wear plain brown or plain black fabric elastics.  NOT rubber and NOT fuzzy or adorned elastics.  The fancier ones have all been retired to a drawer in the girls' bathroom and are saved for JanaLyn (granddaughter).  

    My theory is that they grow in the carpet.  I wasn't sure at first, but I am now; as I have gathered many pictures proving they indeed are hatched in our carpet and prefer to live in the carpet rather than a drawer in the bathroom.  They breed and reproduce in many different shapes, colors, and sizes.  

    It is with great pleasure I introduce my presentation based on many days of observation accompanied with pictures, thus proving my theory.

    1.  Small black RUBBER baby ponytail elastic.  Not sure which room this was found.  Obviously just hatched.

    2. 
    Pink mid-size elastic (no one EVER uses colored elastics in their hair!) found by my
    desk.

    3.  This was an odd, fuzzy blue one found in the girls' bathroom
    near a pink wide tooth comb.  It had somehow managed to crawl off of
    the rug to the tile.  The wide tooth comb remained on the rug and appeared to want to have nothing to do with the fuzzy creature.

    4.  In the corner of the girls' room I found these three:  fuzzy lime green, plain burgundy, and fuzzy aqua ponytail elastics nestled in a corner.  I
    figured it must be a family, but none of them resembled the other, so I'm not sure!  That's a gum wrapper and dirty tissue wadded up by the family of pontail elastics. I'm not sure of the significance of the gum wrapper or the tissue.

    5. 
    A neighbor to the 3 ponytail elastics pictured above.  This is a large, thick black
    one.  This is also a different skate.  I'm not sure if this elastic is part of the family living in the corner with the other skate.  It may be single and looking for a meaningful relationship with another elastic.  I'm just not sure about this one.

    6. Here you
    see a baby, black, rubber elastic and a slightly larger white fuzzy one.  Apparently "color"
    isn't an issue involved in a relationship when it comes to ponytail elastics.  These
    were on their way from the bathroom rug to the tiled floor.  While they are sometimes found on tile floors, they are always in close proximity to a rug or carpeting.  Leading me to state, once more, I believe they breed and come FROM carpets or rugs.

    7.  
    This is a large black specimen.  They seems to like living near shoes and skates!

    8.  I found this large, black elastic sleeping under the bed with a
    hanger.  Since this was a large one, there may have been a whole family living UNDER the bedskirt.  Maybe a whole community.  I didn't check.
     

    9.  In our bedroom, at the end of the bed, is a love seat.  Here I found a baby, black, rubber elastic and a mid-size, black fabric elastic.  Obviously related, perhaps mother and daughter????  Aren't they cute? 

    10. 
    There is a carpet in front of the love seat (at the end of our bed) and
    then our TV cabinet.  Here you see, what I'm guessing to be, the daddy
    in the family of the two elastics posted above.  I'm not sure how they became separated by the floral rug, but they were obviously headed toward each other.

    11.  This one appears to be coming out of the room where
    Chirper stayed when he first came to our home.  Chirper couldn't crawl
    through the double door space, but apparently the doors presented no
    obstacle for this one large, black elastic.

    12.   I marveled at this red
    one with plastic, red hearts on each end.  Perhaps a set of conjoined
    twins????  This wasn't on the bathroom rug and, maybe, that's because it was
    hatched looking odd and then rejected by the other ponytail elastics in
    the house.  I'm guessing it was banished to live, forever more, under the toilet paper
    holder or behind the toilet itself, living a dull, cold, hard tile life.

    13.   My last specimen is a set of
    three fuzzy elastics (pink, dark purple, and red) found in the room Chirper used to use, by his kibble and water dishes. 
    Since this is normally the guest room, these seemed to be more bold
    than the others, seeking food & drink, coming out in groups rather than
    sending one leader during the day.


    So there, you have it.  My study on ponytail elastics and where they are actually born.  I know anyone reading this, who has little girls, may have seen the same evidence in their own home and scratched their heads in wonder.  How do they find their way?  How can so many be found in the carpets and rugs?  Why don't they stay in drawers or containers?  So many questions!!!!  

    My theory is this:  Carpets or rugs are a breeding and hatching area.  I would like to hear from those of you who have hardwood floors instead of carpets.  Do you have ponytail elastics on your floor, too?  Are they a different breed from the specimens I've presented?

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  • 2nd Wednesday Ed. - Urgent Prayer

    My heart is so torn right now.  I took Chirper back for a check up and his shots.  He has gained 10oz since being in our home 12 days.  Yay!  The vet couldn't believe how much better he looked.

    The vet said he had pretty bad gingivitis for a 10mos old cat.  I told him about him still having runny poop and the fact he had such an odd breathing sound when sleeping (sounded like something in his respiratory system).  He said, "You know, it occurred to me after you left last time, that we should run a feline leukemia on him - since he didn't have that vaccination as a kitten."

    IT CAME BACK POSITIVE!!!!

    I'm just heart sick.  I've cried.  I have no appetite and forced a sandwich down me at lunch.  He is looking good and doing much better than when I first got him - he's even gained more than 1/2 a pound.  How could this be a truthful report????!!!!!  AND, I've gotten so attached so quickly, so has my husband. 

    He explained the test as two different diseases and he only had one - for NOW.  It's like HIV positive and AIDS.  He has the HIV type part, which he could live with maybe 5 years.  He does not have the killing stage which is a completely suppressed immune system, like AIDS.  However, he is highly contagious to other cats - like Stormy.

    I went ahead and let him give Chirper his $22 worth of vaccinations because I couldn't make the decision to have him put to sleep right there on the spot.  In fact, I was having trouble wrapping my brain around what was being explained to me.  I told the vet I would go home and do some research online so I had a better understanding of what we are talking about.  The tester kit looks like a pregnancy test, except this has three circles in a triangle and the top and right side were dyed.  The one on the left wasn't positive - the one which showed the immune suppressant virus - what he DOESN'T have.  He said some cats can build up an immunity and kill the feline leukemia virus - but Chirper is older and has so many symptoms . . .

    I'm taking Stormy and Sampson in tomorrow for their booster vaccinations.  I'll also have Stormy tested for feline leukemia.  If she is also positive, there's no reason I shouldn't keep Chirper until he is no longer comfortable.  I'm so confused right now.  I've prayed that God would heal Chirper (yet I can find no place in the Bible that supports animals being healed, except that I know God cares about what WE care about).  I've also asked Him to protect Stormy.  Oddly enough, her middle name "Azariah" (given to her 3 years ago) means, "Protected by God" and I'm having faith that she will be okay.

    I'm weighing this poor little kitten and how happy he is with us and how well he has done since living with us, against the danger I might be placing Stormy in.  It's just awful.  I've prayed for wisdom because I know the Bible says of wisdom "Ask and ye shall receive" and the rest is just too confusing for me to process.  When the vet spoke to me, I felt like there was a ringing in my ears and nothing he was saying made sense.

    I've prayed that GOD will give me peace and a clear decision.  It's possible that Stormy is 90% protected because of her being vaccinated - but that also means 10% says she's not protected.  Also, it is spread by sharing food/water dishes and litter boxes.  I have no idea how I can control the feeding issue - Chirper has his OWN litter box.

    I know he is just an animal and, for some of you reading this, it seems like a crazy thing to be upset over - a cat we've had 12 days.  Those of you who love pets, will more easily understand my grieving heart.  The bonding is so strong and happened so quickly, that my emotions are speeding around in circles in my head AND my heart.

    If you feel led, please pray for both cats.  If you can only pray with me that Jesse and I have wisdom in making a decision to have him put to sleep or keep him until he's more sickly (and take our chances with Stormy) then please pray that we receive wisdom from God.

    I don't know what else to type.   I could pour my pathetic aching heart out for the next few hours; but, I think I've said all I need to say.

  • I Didn't Implode Yesterday

    I didn't implode yesterday because of the sudden (drastic!!!) change of plans.  I did, however, put a damper on the "being together" part for Jesse.

    We drove to the closest bank and made his business deposit.

    Then we went to eat.  MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!  He looked at me after dessert and asked if I didn't want a cup of coffee and I told him I was trying to limit my coffee intake.

    We left and went to Wal-Mart first.  I'm cooking some meals for a pastor's family.  His wife is having severe foot and lower leg pain with numbness.  She really needs to be off of her feet.  So, I bought ingredients to make spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic toast, and salad.  Also bought ingredients to make my cranberry sauce I bake with chicken breasts.  I was feeling VERY sluggish in Wal-Mart.  Incredibly tired.  And, it was only getting worse.

    We still had to go to Sam's (to buy another chub of ground beef) and I asked Jesse to please go inside and let me stay in the car.  He came out with a two chubs of ground beef and we drove home.  I was "whining" (nothing else I can honestly call it!!!) about how extremely sleepy I felt.

    We got home, put refrigerated things away, and climbed into our king size bed  (girls and us) to watch a children's movie.  I fell asleep before the DVD got through it's introduction of "coming attractions."  I woke up TWO HOURS LATER with Chirper still in the crook of my arm.  I felt drugged and MADE myself get up so I could start some of the cooking for the pastor's family.

    I made double recipes (for our family to eat, too) of spaghetti meat sauce and vegetable beef soup.  The girls were thrilled to eat Ramen noodles for dinner.  Jesse and I weren't even remotely hungry and finished up some Punch & Pour (Jell-o in cake) cake as our dinner.

    I went to bed a little before 10pm after leaving MORE dirty dishes everywhere and putting up the sauce and soup.  I think I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.

    I woke up this morning and made brownies, the pasta for the spaghetti, the rice for the chicken, and the chicken in cranberry sauce.  I just took out the brownies and cranberry chicken and stuck in a strawberry cake.  The pasta and rice are ready to be put in to-go containers.  I know it's known by all that I'm not a morning person, but I have to explain:  typing and cooking are two things I can do in my sleep!!!!! LOL

    I still need to fix the vegetables (frozen whole green beans and some extra sweet corn), make the garlic toast, and then frost the brownies and strawberry cake.  THE END!

    JanaLyn will be here soon and I'll watch her until early afternoon.

    I'll take the food to the pastor at church first (around 11am) and then (a few buildings down from the church is our vet) take Chirper in for his shots and follow up appointment before their noon closing time.

    THEN . . . it looks like I'll be coming home and doing lots of dishes!!!!  Most everything that has to be washed is too big for the dishwasher.   I can promise my bar will be filled with dishes drip-drying!!   Don't know what we'll do for dinner.  That cranberry chicken (although it was only 8am!!!) smelled pretty good.  I have enough to make that and cook some more rice and we haven't had that in a while.  So, that may be it tonight.  That, or bologna sandwiches!!! LOL

    It was nice to spend time with Jesse and the girls as a family, even if it was errands and lunch.  I feel bad that I slept through 2 hours of it and was groggy through 2 hours BEFORE I took my nap!!!!  It wasn't exactly what either of us had planned.  Then again, I hadn't planned on going anywhere and I wonder if the change of plans, indeed, is what sapped the life out of me!!!! LOL

  • Ever Changing Tuesday

    Here is what was supposed to happen today:

    1.)   Fast all food and water, so I could go for blood work at 9am
    2.)  Pick up Luci's and my  prescriptions at pharmacy on the way home
    3.)  Start laundry
    4.)  Empty dishwasher and refill.
    5.)  Take Chirper to the vet to get his shots.
    6.)  Pick up around the house and continue doing laundry.
    7.)  Clean bathrooms AGAIN (how do they get so gross so quick?)

    Jesse isn't working today, and so here is what's happened/happening, instead.

    1.)  Lab tech was late and I was starving (AND thirsty) when she called me in at 9:40am
    2.)  Picked up prescriptions and came home.
    3.)  Ate toast and drank coffee (the best I've ever had!)
    4.)  Went to the restroom to take my pills and realized I had forgotten to call in my birth control pills refill (at the same pharmacy I had just left 20 minutes earlier!)
    5.)  The vet won't be in until tomorrow.  No visit for Chirper today.
    6.)  Jesse has asked me to get his checks ready for deposit.
    7.)  No laundry has been started, nor will be.
    8.)  Jesse decided we should do something together today (yay!) but dishwasher will have to wait.

    So far, nothing is anything like it was going to be, but not necessarily a bad thing.  I'm going to go against my entire character and emotional make-up and try to be spontaneous today.

    I'll let you know tomorrow if I implode!