Today was dominated by Romeo, the pit bull puppy we rescued. He's about 5 months old (our guess), and white with black spots. He is absolutely adorable, and he's now in a safe foster home with a loving mommy! We can't take anymore critters in right now, as we have a totally full house. Fortunately, one of the wonderful members of WAEN stepped up to take the little guy. I'm so happy that he will be safe and loved. He can learn to play with toys, go up and down steps, sit on furniture, play outside, and never worry about being hit or kicked again. He spent about four hours with us today until Kelly was able to pick him up, and we (L & I) really enjoyed him. The cats, however, did not. They were not very nice, and all he wanted to do was play! We also have some very stressful but potentially very good things going on. It's very depressing and sad right now, as we have to hold off and not make a move immediately. Meanwhile, well over a hundred animals are suffering in horrifying conditions. We've spent a lot of phone time and planning time today, though, and hopefully will have awesome news to report soon.

We had a super productive school day yesterday, and L was so into the history we were working on, that she didn't want to stop. We did a lot of extra, until I finally had to stop as I was starting to lose my voice from so much reading and talking! We had a pretty good day today, too, but didn't get all I had planned done. The puppy situation was unexpected, and she wanted to play with him while he was here, so we didn't get music done. We have all day tomorrow, though to catch up.

Mark is chopping veggies for the Alliance's annual chili cookoff tomorrow night. He's won the last two years and is determined to win this year, too. Everyone else is determined to beat him. It should be interesting. We all look forward to going, as there are so many delicious vegan chilis, and it's an 'all-you-can-eat' event. We enjoy the people, too, but the chili part really rocks! We've never had a bad chili there--the worst we've had was "okay" chili.

We looked at Dej's senior pics last night and selected one to go in the yearbook. We will go back in a couple of weeks to choose the ones we want to order. That's going to be hard, because there were so many good ones. She hates them all of course.

L. has been reading voraciously lately (LOVE that!), and yesterday found a Far Side book and started reading it. She loves it and has almost finished it. I know she doesn't get all of them, because the humor and references in many of them are too sophisticated for her. She gets enough to find it funny apparently. She has been taking the book everywhere with her. She also started drawing her own little cartoons last night. I was surprised and impressed with her very creative feminist comic. She asked me to take a picture and put it on my blog, so here it is. "were" is actually "wear", but she struggles with wear/where/were right now.

"Mommy! I did it all by myself!"

The thrill of mastering the towel wrap. She has asked me for a couple of years now to wrap her hair up after showers/tubby time just like I wrap mine. She has never been able to wrap it, flip it, and have it hold--until last Sunday. She was so excited, and it was so cute! It flashed me back to when I was little--I'm not sure of the age, but I remember being equally entranced by my mom's towel wrap. I also remember working on it and being thrilled when I finally mastered it. I absolutely LOVE being this little girl's mom! Check back with me in 9 years or so...that may change drastically. ;)

We're in full swing on homeschooling and having a great year so far. I've stepped up the work level quite a bit this year, as she's definitely more ready and able to keep up. I am using the book, "The Well-Trained Mind", as a guideline in my curriculum development. I'm trying to mix a very rigorous classical education with unschooling concepts--if you can make sense of that! So like me to try to make to opposite extremes work together, huh? I'm good with extremes, though. It's the middle of the road stuff I've never mastered. :D It seems to be a good fit for us at this time, and the beauty of homeschooling is that, if it isn't working well, I can just modify it. One of my coworkers said today that trying to home school my little one must drive me crazy. I am so happy to say that it doesn't. I LOVE it. She LOVES it. We are having so much fun learning and exploring together. I am only sad that I wasn't able to do this with Dej. It is a LOT of work, and I do mean a lot. Sometimes I don't necessarily feel thrilled about creating another set of story problems or scrambled words, but it is so worth it, and the fun of working with her more than makes up for the yucky parts.

My poor little Lila kitten's problem eye has taken a turn for the worse. We will be going to the vet tomorrow for, what seems to be, my weekly visit. You know it's bad when most of the people at my very busy vet clinic recognize my voice over the phone and even know all of my cats by name/color/recurrent health problem(s). I look forward to the day that I don't have to see or talk to them for at least a month. Someday. Maybe.

Thank god the plant sale is over! This is Mark after the plant sale. We were visiting my parents, and because he wasn't moving, he was sleeping. Luciana had a little fun during his nap. This weekend was his first off in weeks! He spent Saturday with Luciana on an adventure. It's been a while since they were able to go on one. They played mini golf, drove go karts and went through the arboretum. Today she spent most of the day playing with Hunter. I am feeling very Luciana deprived this weekend. :(

L & Hunter were working on building a pond in his back yard. They dug up a pit and used saran wrap to try to contain the water. It kept them very busy throughout the afternoon. She's really into ponds (and of course the accompanying fish, turtles, and frogs). She's determined to start building our pond this spring. We just got a ton of library books for her to read about pond building. She will research and take notes all winter and hopefully be ready for that as one of her big spring projects for school.

Last night we went out for date night. Mark planned the evening out and I had no idea what we were doing. We went to one of our favorite Indian restaurants. We had great food but not the best service. Service does tend to be kind of hit or miss there, but the food! The food makes up for it! We then went to see Reefer Madness - The Musical. It was absolutely fabulous. One of the lead actors was also a lead actor in The Complete Abridged Works of Shakespeare, which we saw there last year. He was completely different yet equally good in both roles. I wouldn't have recognized him if Mark hadn't pointed it out. He's so much better with faces. The play was much funnier than the movie (which we enjoyed) and was very well done. I'm so glad we were able to go. Dej would have loved it; we both commented on that last night.

M & I lucked out while sitting on the back patio on the swing this evening. We had a ruby-throated humming bird snacking on the blue salvia on the deck for quite some time. It was so cool to be able to watch her for that long at that close range. It was almost like being back in San Diego for a minute. We've had more hummers this year by far, and I'm not sure why. We have basically the same array/quantity of plants, and I still haven't put the feeders back out. Maybe it's another side effect of global warming. At any rate, we are all enjoying having so many this year, after my failed efforts of years and years to draw them here with feeders!!

Tattoosday 5 & 6

Mark took several shots of this but none of them turned out really crisp. They all seem to have a slight blur. Oh well, you get the idea anyway. This is the last tattoo blog for me, until I get my next one done. We'll see if I can cover Mark's next week... I'm only posting one of my last two. It's just words--no pictures on this one. It's the first AR tat I got, and while I still love it, I wish I had gotten it about three times bigger than it is. It's on my upper left shoulder/back (I'm not quite sure how to explain it) and says simply, "Meat is Murder". I am an avid font collector. One can never have too many fonts, especially when they are free. "Murder" is in a cool font I downloaded with little blood drippings sprinkled about. I actually had initially selected a bold block font for the "Meat is" portion, but when I got to the shop (this one was done at Diamond Ted's, before I knew Austin very well), Ted suggested this cool reversed shadow font instead. I really liked it, so we switched to that. Actually, Ted's wife Holly, who I went to high school with did this tat, and Ted did my first one (the scorpion). My only non animal rights tattoo is my first one, and I'm not posting a pic of that. It's a purple scorpion. It's on my lower abdomen, by my hip bone, and I no longer care to show that area to others. :D I got my scorpion when I was 18, because I am a Scorpio. I still like it and definitely don't regret it, but it was cuter before my pregnancies!

Not feeling very chatty tonight. Teenagers suck!

Hairy Balls

A couple of weeks ago, while we were walking through Olbrich Gardens , we ran across this wicked cool plant that Mark couldn’t identify. It is extremely rare that he can’t immediately identify something. He took a picture of it with the intent to send it to Jeff (Olbrich’s director) to get the identification. A few days later, while at the farmer’s market, we ran across the same plant, used in some fresh flower arrangements. They were mixed with the bright orange Chinese Lanterns and were absolutely gorgeous—very original. Due to the Petey factor, we can no longer have fresh or dried bouquets in the house. We asked the woman who made the arrangements if she knew what it was called, but she didn’t. Well, we got the identification from Jeff (finally), and it was worth waiting for. It’s even worth its own blog entry (if nothing else, it proves I still have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy!). I have to grow this next year! It is called Hairy Balls. Officially it’s: Gomphocarpus physocarpus 'Hairy Balls'. Nothing like honesty in labeling! Bonus points if you can spot the grasshopper nestled amongst the hairy balls.

Missing connections

I often find myself shocked and dumbstruck by the number of really intelligent, caring people who just don't make the final connection. I frequently encounter people who fight tirelessly for the environment, feminism (or the rights of another oppressed group), animal rescue, etc. I don't understand how they can care so deeply for these issues, particularly those involving animal protection and rescue, but are never able to make the next logical jump. These people are tremendously distressed by the suffering of a feral cat, or an injured squirrel, or a dumpster dog, yet seem unable to grasp the fact that their lunch or dinner suffered an infinitely worse life and ultimately a cruel and painful death. Those who have worked closely with animals know beyond any doubt that all species greatly value and will struggle and fight bitterly to preserve their lives. They know without a doubt that these creatures experience pain and fear. Yet somehow they are able to short circuit their logic facilities to extend the same care and consideration to those animals as they are to those for whom they have dedicated their lives to protect and care for. WTH?? I was really hit with this again yesterday when talking to my veterinarian. I have been with this vet for over 12 years. He's a wonderful man, and I trust him with the lives of my babies on a regular basis. There is no question that he cares for his animals, and my animals all know this. Trust me when I say, they can tell! We were chatting about his upcoming trip to see his twin brother in CA and he told me they always go fishing when he visits. Huh?! This man knows first hand how animals suffer and experience fear and pain. I have seen him cry over these animals. Yet he is able, unthinkingly, to spear and rip open the most nerve intense, pain sensitive portion of a fish--the roof of the mouth. He is able to throw them into the boat and watch them struggle and suffer unspeakably as they slowly suffocate (a very painful death), while thrashing around trying desperately to find the life-saving water. Again, WTH?? I left there feeling very sad and very puzzled. Is this only in the U.S., where we are trained by TV, schools, and churches not to think? Not to question the way it is, was, and always shall be? Or is it just that humans are so good at selectively tuning out that which makes us uncomfortable? I have no answers, but I should would like some. This world would be so amazingly improved if only 10% could just make the connection!

Speaking of my vet, Jasper has what appears to be a fairly 'routine' bladder inflammation and needs to take pills to reduce the inflamation. He should be fine. I asked him if the ratio of 3 out of my 5 male cats having bladder problems is unusual. He said it's a bit on the high side. I am doing everything right as far as food, water, etc.--all the physical measures that can be taken to reduce the problems are already being done. The only additional thing I could do would be to switch them all to a totally wet-food diet. Eewwww!! It would cost $7/day to feed them that way, and I simply can't do it. Also, that may not help at all. He did have some VERY helpful advice though. He said his guess would be that my boys' problems are probably triggered by stress, as that is often the culprit in these cases. With the ever-changing population of critters in my house, that has to cause them some stress. So, I need to really stick with not bringing anyone else in for a while. We have to get some stress-free time under our belts here to give everyone a chance to be totally healthy and strong. He also reminded me of Feliway, which I used to use as needed but somehow forgot about. They now have diffusers (like Plug-ins) that can be refilled, and each fill up lasts for about a month. He felt that would be extremely helpful and said that it should be a staple in all multi-cat households. I got online and read a lot of good reviews about it, so I ordered a three-pack of diffusers.

I also talked to him about Lila's ongoing respiratory problems. He felt it very likely that she has suffered permanent respiratory damage/scarring from being so intensely ill so young. She will probably always have these problems--if not constantly, than quite frequently. It may never turn into anything more than an annoyance, but I will need to always watch her closely as she's at high risk for developing bigger respiratory ailments. He said I could use a baby bulb to suck out her snot (perhaps the grossest sentence I've ever typed), but it would probably upset her tremendously. He has had great results with putting in one drop of a saline solution that's made for human noses/sinuses (not Afrin or anything like that--just saline solution) in her nostrils as often as she will let me. It works well for people, so I'll see if that helps her out any.
I got an update on Haiku (Lila's brother) from his new mommy, and he is doing really well. Haiku and Lynx (the cat she had already) have made friends and play together quite a bit. He's been neutered. He's still very playful and very loving and is completely healthy. He doesn't have any of the respiratory problems that Lila has. She said he is the hit of her ladies' book club meetings, and goes from lap to lap enjoying the love. How cute is that?!

I'm in love with these pictures of Hallie and Lila (mommy and baby)! I don't like that the pics of them in the window sill look a little nasty. I wash that sill all the time, but it is a favorite cat spot, and they always manage to leave little kitty-litter footprints on the cream-colored paint. Lila still comfort suckles her mommy almost every day, and they spend a lot of time cuddling, grooming and napping afterward. They also play together a lot. They are so precious to watch together! Lila also really enjoys playing with Oliver and Petey. She pounces on the tails of Ivan, Jasper, and Baxter sometimes, and plays with them occasionally, but they aren't quite as playful as Ollie & Petey, who still play like kittens.

It should be Tattoosday 5, but

I thought I had a picture of the one on my back (and Mark thought he took one) but can't find it. It's been a long day, and I'm just too lazy to take a picture, download it, and post it. So next Tuesday, I'll do 5 & 6. Then I'll have to see how sneaky I can be about getting pictures of Mark's 5. Allegrea is working on his #6, so hoping that will be done soon. It will be very cool!

Well my almost two short-week respite from medicating cats will be over tomorrow. Poor little Jasper has blood in his urine now. It's not severe, and he's not blocked, so he will probably just need some pills twice a day. Funny how it seems normal for me to have to medicate cats a couple of times a day, and it seems strange when I don't! My life is backwards in other ways, too. ;)

We had a nice visit with M's parents Sunday. Dan wasn't able to make it this time. Tonight's pics are from our visit to the gardens with them and L. playing Kerplunk with Grandma Carolyn. To totally digress here, I had the game, Kerplunk, when I was a child and loved it. As an adult, I just find it a total PITA to get the zillion little plastic sticks through those tiny holes! I noticed as we walked by this planting by the fountain in the English Cottage garden, that L was very color coordinated with the plants. I had her set up for the perfect shot, but she was very squirrelly and silly and wouldn't pose for me or be still. I had to catch her on the move. My dream of the perfectly coordinated portrait dies yet again. They went to Rotary Gardens and shopped at the plant sale first. L and I met them there (Dej worked all day), and L led us around the gardens. We spent most of the time at the koi pond, as that's by far her favorite part of the garden. Number 1 favorite is the koi pond; number 2 is the duck pond; number 3 is any other water at the gardens; and number 4 would be the plants. Water is very cool, and I'm always intrigued by the passion children seem to naturally have for water. As much as I LOVE plants and gardening, though if I had to choose, I would probably choose to spend the day at a waterfall rather than a garden (Shhhhh--don't tell my husband that!).

D had senior pics taken yesterday, or rather half of her senior pics taken. It rained the entire day, so she couldn't do the outside portion. She will have to get spiffed up and go back again, and she is very unhappy about it. She totally did not want senior pics and keeps whining that it's a waste because she looks ugly and dorky in every picture. She has always been photogenic (when her eyes are open--she does have a knack for having her eyes closed in most pictures).

I've had a little more time to read, as I don't have to feel guilty for reading when it's crappy and rainy outside. I've been reading more of Anthony's book (Omni-Science and the Human Destiny). It's so enjoyable. It's so like him, that it's almost as if he were here again. It reminded me that I miss talking to him. He is so very interesting and intelligent! I've met many other vegans/AR people and many people who are passionately riveted by science, but I thought I was the only one in whom the two passions intersected until I met Anthony! I'm going to really have to nag him to slow down enough to get his second book published!

Which reminds me, that my dear friend Pat (who really needs to call me back ASAP!!) wrote this amazingly kick-ass screenplay that I need to nag him to get published too. It's too good and too important to live on a laptop! It is very cool to have so many fantastic and talented friends through whom I can live vicariously. :D

M & I watched Citizen Kane last night, for the first time as adults and in its entirety. It is a very good movie. If you haven't seen it lately (or haven't seen it) you should really watch it. I really enjoyed it, and I love the rich characters in it. I'm always fascinated by a rich, well-developed character in any genre. It's something that's hard to develop well, and to sound really old, I think most modern movies and books are too lazy to invest in developing and fleshing out the characters. They rely too much on glitz and effects for my taste. Now for a complete change, from culture to hmmm, not sure what to call it exactly, M & I went to see Superbad for date night Saturday. It was an interesting mix of raucous, bawdy comedy and fairly fleshed-out, believable characters. Parts of it were screamingly funny. We both felt it would have been better, though, had they edited out about 20-25 minutes. There were a few parts that dragged. Overall, it was better than most comedy movies today, and we do enjoy a good laugh!

I finally got Mark's pictures from this weekend (as I again forgot my camera). Here are a couple from the farmer's market. We sat in some shade by the capital to cool off (and enjoy our popcorn) after walking through the very hot crowded market.

Today, like so many other days, we spent time at our vet's. I took Cami in (the little girl foster who is living with my mom) to get spayed. Then I had to take Ivan and Jasper back for their annual check up and distemper boosters. Ivan was terrified and buried his head under my arm, because if he can't see the vet, she can't see him. ;) They checked out healthy, but Ivan needs to watch his weight a little. Okay, I need to watch his weight a little. He's gained quite a bit of weight since his surgery in January. When he was having problems with his bladder, up until the surgery, he didn't feel well and lost almost two pounds. Well, since then he's gained three! He was so pathetic that I really spoiled him and gave him all the treats he asked for. I wanted him to regain the lost weight. Now that he's a strapping 12.5 pounds, I need to cut back a little on the spoiling with treats. That won't be easy, as he's quite pushy when he wants something. Cami's spay went well, and I get to bring her back to my mom's tomorrow. She was so sad today when I had to take her out--she whimpered in the most pathetic way, and it broke my heart. The poor little bug finally has a good home, her fourth home in the last month, and she did not want to leave it. I can't wait to take her back tomorrow, as I know she will be so very happy. It's those few happy moments in AR work that keep me going through all the stress and depressing stuff.

Luciana was on a cleaning tear today. She was so industrious this morning. This afternoon, she got so into her art projects, that I decided to switch our schooling plans around to let her run with it. She came up with the most clever and creative projects. The beauty of homeschooling is that when she gets into a groove like that, I have the flexibility to rearrange things to accomodate her. It is just so much more natural and right for us. We did some cool work on conservation studies, which I find as enjoyable as she does.

Logan called me tonight to update me on his first two days of kindergarten. He is loving it, which I didn't doubt for a minute. He's at a good school, he's smart, well behaved (for the most part), and very personable. He likes his teacher, and his favorite parts are recess and snack. We talked for about 45 minutes. It's so fun to talk to (or listen really) to little ones when they are excited about things! I'm still trying to get over the fact that he's in kindergarten already and will soon be six!

Manic Monday

MONDAY

We got up and went to Palmer Park with Orinda and the boys. I'm so sad that I forgot my camera! All three kids had a blast tearing around Camden Park. They could see the wading pool, though, and repeatedly asked to go in. We hadn't really thought about that and didn't intend to go to the pool as we were tight on time. It was the last day of the season that the wading pool was open (and not nearly as crowded as usual), and it was perfect swimming weather, so we just let the kids go in and play with their clothes on. It didn't bother them, and I was warm enough that I was pretty happy to get in too. I had a skirt on, so I was able to go in and walk around with the kids without getting too wet. My skirt was pretty wet by the time we left, but we all had fun. L & Logan had a blast. Colton wasn't sure about going in initially, but we eventually got him to wade in and walk around with me. He was on leaf patrol and was so cute about trying to pick all the leaves out of the pool. I worked on bug patrol and tried to rescue all the ants and various other bugs. I had a moment though, when I saw Japanese Beatle struggling in the water. I really dislike them. They're beautiful bugs, but what they have done to my roses is so not nice, and they really are a problem. BUT it was a fellow creature who wished to live and was struggling to do so. Bottom line was, a fellow being needed help, I was there, so I gently scooped her out of the water and put her on the dry ground.

After the park it was time for L & me to make our annual trip to LaborFest for animal patrol. Mark stayed home to finish up a landscape plan that needed to be done today. This event tends to be more up close and confrontational than he likes anyway. Dej had to work 9 hours today. L thrives at this kind of stuff. It's kind of funny how we go to these same events year after year, and the same people are there. They know us, we know them, in some cases our relationships are okay and sometimes they are hostile. It's just a little odd, the way we seem to be part of the long-term fabric of one anothers' lives, yet we are completely polarized. Petting zoo--not as bad as the last year. The calf wasn't quite as skinny this year but clearly had some pain/discomfort with the front left hoof; there was a duck in moult and it is not the time of year for the moult at all; some were clearly still nursing, with no babies in site. They were out in the hot sun, hungry, all day. At least while we are there observing, taking pictures, and staring, they give them water and are much kinder than they are when they don't know we are there. They don't feed them, so that the animals come up and beg from the children, who then bug their parents to pay for food to feed the animals. L spent her time there pulling up the lushest grasses from the lawn and feeding the animals. She also showed all the children who came near that they could feed the animals for free! It was classic to watch her running her little kid revolt right next to the petting zoo. They couldn't do a dang thing, and since she's a kid they couldn't really mess with her (it doesn't stop hunters, but normal people don't mess with kids).

The ponies were absolutely miserable, with not nearly enough water. They did not get a single break. They were chained to the bars and going around and around and around in a circle all day. They had about two inches of leeway on the chain, allowing very little movement of any kind. They had a very difficult time as the flies were out and biting in droves but their limited range of motion left them pretty helpless to the attacks.

The camels (courtesy of the Zor Shriners)--left in a hot metal trailer with limited air circulation for about an hour that we saw--plus transportation time, which we didn't see. The unloading process was painful to watch. One guy, in particular, really, really did not want to step out of the trailer. Once they finally got him out, he did not want to kneel to get the saddle (?) on. Then he did not want to walk when the children got on for rides. We watched these old men struggle with this camel at every step of the way. Of course they were not remotely concerned with the fact that the animal may have been in discomfort, but minimally deeply did not want to participate. They were extremely frustrated and kept looking up at us, as we stood there with cameras and video, shooting away. It was clear that they couldn't figure out how to handle this "troublemaker", while being observed and recorded.

The Pickett Family circus was there again with their trained monkeys. L engaged in and won an argument with the man, Vern, last year about the treatment of the monkeys. He recognized her again this year but didn't try to talk to her. The monkey was terrified and did not want to be there. She kept jumping off the man and scrambling up the nearby umbrella post, clinging to the top and hiding, whenever he got close enough for her to reach it. Each time she did this, he yanked like hell on the chain around her neck, and pulled her back to his shoulder to continue collecting money from the children in the crowd. Once or twice during every performance, Vern's wife, who looked as nervous and afraid of him as the monkey did, gave him sips of Pepsi (monkeys just love corn syrup and caffeine!). He also tried to jump off of Vern and nestle in her shoulder for comfort. It was heartbreaking to watch her.

I hate to say it, but I feel our only chance for helping these animals in the future is to make sure we are there every Labor Day, watching and photographing. At least that improves their conditions. I don't see it ending, though. We tried to talk to one of the female event organizers--let's just call her Butch. Butch was raised on a dairy farm and 'don't see nuthin wrong with havin those animals there'. We tried our best to explain very moderately to Butch what some of the issues were, but she was unwilling to listen really. We also tried to present alternative events, where they could still have animals that the children would enjoy, but in a way that wasn't hurtful to the animals and could educate the children. I think the E word might have scared her a bit. Upon checking out the sponsors, I don't think we will have much luck there, either, as the majority are quite redneck themselves. Oh, the joys of the midwest! It was quite exhausting as the LaborFest grounds are very open, no shade, and it was very hot.

Once we left there, we headed to my parents for a cookout. We had lots of good food--grilled veggie burgers, baked beans, fresh fruits and veggies, and fudgie brownies with soy ice cream for desert. We watched The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again. I think the last time I saw that was probably as a very young child at the movie theater. L enjoyed it. I visited with our little kitty for a quite a while. She is so cute! Then it was time to go home, read, and get L to bed. Kind of a long day!

SUNDAY

Sunday was dominated by our long overdue trip to the grocery store. We should not put off our grocery shopping like that again. We had two of the large carts completely full. Two hours and $495 later, we were home and facing the loathful task of putting all the groceries away. That was another couple of hours. I made stuffed peppers with the lovely red peppers from the Farmer's Market, made & packed lunches for the week, ate dinner (which L complained about of course), and had to run with Allegrea to transfer the cat.

My mom agreed to foster her for a few days until we can come up with another arrangement. We have a lead on someone who may be able to find her a good home for permanent adoption, but we won't know for sure until Weds. Because we've learned that most good leads lead nowhere, we have a plan B, which looks like at this point, either Allegrea or we will take yet another cat. Neither of us has room, but since we seem to be the only two people who are willing to make sacrifices, adjustments, and share space to prevent a beatiful life from being taken, it seems to be our only plan B. After spending 10 minutes at the house of these old fucks who couldn't be bothered with this beautiful little girl, my skin was crawling. They are as selfish and obnoxious as two people can be. They basically giggled, as if it was cute, about the fact that they never really had pets. He proceeds to tell us (while sitting in his nasty-ass t-shirt and underwear) that they had a parakeet years ago, but had to get rid of it too. It's just too much and they're not used to pets. Our complete and utter distaste and disgust for these people could not have been more apparent. Without typing a book (too lazy tonight), I can't possibly paint a picture of how inane and worthless those two are. I'm just holding on to the fact that the universe will balance it out in the end, when they sit drooling and in their own shit because it's just too much work for their caregiver to be bothered with. It would do us all well to remember that most of us will leave this world almost as helpless as we came in--only not nearly as cute or fresh smelling. Maybe if we kept that in mind, people would be inspired to treat others the way they hope to be treated.

Once we got the little one settled in bed for the night, we went back downstairs. I got Ls homeschool activities ready and planned out for the week, and then we go to finish watching of Weeds season 2. It was as funny as always--LOVE that show!--but it left us with a really wicked cliff hanger. Now we have to wait forever for season 3 to finish up and hit video. Love the kiss (FINALLY) between Nancy & Conrad!

SATURDAY

We got up and headed to Madison for the day. It was a beautiful day, and while we probably should have stayed home and worked on yard work, it was nice to have a pleasant day away from home. We have a love/hate relationship with the Saturday morning Farmer's Market in Madison. We love all the goodies but hate the crowds. We got some produce and some Chinese Lanterns (a beautiful orange flower) that we have hanging in the kitchen to dry out. Petey hasn't yet discovered them. I'm hoping he doesn't. We had to forego the beautiful flower arrangements, as Petey doesn't allow us to have cut flowers in the house anymore. No matter where we put them or how I try to rig them so they can't be tipped over, Petey finds them, tips them over, and destroys them.

Luciana cut some flowers from our garden earlier in the week and made me a beautiful arrangement and even put them in a vase. She did a great job. Unfortunately, they have to be kept in the refridgerator. I really enjoy looking at them when I open and close the door. That's the only place in the house that is safe from Petey.

Oh yeah, we also made a brief stop at the West Towne mall. L had a Build-a-Bear gift card from xmas that she has been dying to use. Mark and I both dislike and put off mall trips, but it was about time she got to use her card. She picked out a cute (cheetah pattern & denim) outfit for her bunny & kitty and also got a skateboard for them. I'm not really sure why one would want a skateboard for a stuffed animal that can't even stand up by itself, but okay--it's her gift card. I happened to overhear her yelling at Dej yesterday, because Dej was wearing and using her little skateboard. Sometimes my family is just weird like that.

FRIDAY

Typical Friday, with my lunch at El Jardin, as usual. A former student joined us, and it was nice to hear that he is employed in the industry and doing well. Friday night Allegrea came over for a few hours, so we could decompress.