Baby Got Back

Today during lunch, I had the radio on, playing the station that has the retro lunch hour from 12-1 every day. While I do like a lot of current music (esp. System of a Down/Serg!!), the retro (80s & 90s) music energizes me in a different way. I can close my eyes and be young again. So even though today is cold, the sun is bright, the good music was turned up loud, and I was feeling pretty good by the time I sat down at the table to eat with my girl. Then she started talking. I have no idea where her topic of the day came from (maybe watching me eat?), but the lunch conversation starts like this--all spoken in the blunt honesty of an eight-year old, with no malice intended:

L: Mom, why did you quit trying to lose weight?

Me: I didn't quit trying, I'm just not doing very well at losing it.

<** a few bites later **>

L: You should just go to a doctor and have them cut off all your flubber <* as she grabs a chunk of skin from around her middle *> and sew the rest of your skin back up

<** I explain to her the concept of liposuction and the reasons why I will not be doing that. I'm done eating by now, and she continues to dawdle over her food. I start cleaning up the kitchen, dancing, because for some strange reason, I'm not yet feeling like a disgusting piece of shit. **>

L: Where did you learn that dance?

Me: Oh honey, when mommy was young, I used to go out dancing at dance clubs a lot. I loved to dance.

L: Oh, before you were so fat?

Me: Yes, before that.

L: With Dejanique?

Me: No, no, a long time ago.

<** Now I'm really dancing as I clean, as Sir Mixalot's Baby Got Back is playing, and I think there's a law or something stating that you have to dance to that song. **>

L: <*Giggles*> Too bad you don't go now, because you could really butt everyone out of the way.

Me: Hey, listen to the song! He's telling you that skinny girls aren't as attractive as healthy girls.

<** The next song that came on was a lifesaver, as by this time I DO feel like a beast that shouldn't appear in public. Thanks Rick S., cuz Jessie's Girl always cheers me up. **>

I'm pretty sure if today was dark and dreary, I would be curled up under the kitchen table, unable to leave the house. Really, I do want to lose weight. I am carrying about 15-20 pounds more than I would like. I'm 5'7. According to my doctor, I'm not overweight (I know, because in a weak moment, I tried to get some diet pills from her and didn't qualify). According to me, I am overweight. According to my youngest child, I am a giant, flubbery freak of nature.

I am so happy to see the sun, that I have the inside doors open. The animals and I love to look out the full-length windows on the storm doors. Right outside the side door is where I have our cat feeding station. The side door is also the door that the dogs like to look out. The rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk, etc. feeding station is over by the garage, as I don't want the predator and the prey to eat near one another. Our cat feeding station consists of cat food, which is eaten heartily by many other animals. We have seen cats (of course), possums, mice, and chipmunks, all eating from the cat food bowls. As you can see from the picture, the dogs have a great view of the bowl. Here's Jezi, enjoying the sunshine and watching the activity outside.

Our cats also line up at that door to watch the action. The presence of the dogs doesn't seem to affect the outside critters' eating at all. The last couple of nights, after we have all locked up and gone up to bed, we've been hearing loud banging noises that we initially couldn't identify. Mark finally tracked it down to the dogs flinging themselves against the closed, locked inside door on the side of the house. When he looked out to see what they were freaking out about, he saw a giant possum, completely unaffected by the ruckus, using both hands to stuff her little mouth full of the cat food.

In the summer of 2006, we had two baby possums that started showing up every night like clockwork to eat the cat food. We got to watch them grow up They took up residence under our back deck. Since that time, we have had possum visitors show up almost every night for food. While I have no way of knowing, I think (and like to believe) that it's the same ones--our babies. Even when they were babies, the cats would line up at the door and watch through the window, while the unimpressed possums continued their meal. Here's a shot of our babies, too. You'll have to excuse the perpetual doggy nose prints on the window. Oliver is watching one of the babies eat.