The Package

I'm way overtired tonight, due to a headache and a really fun late night with friends last night. We will be watching LOST in a few short minutes (as soon as Dej arrives), so tonight's entry will be short and simple.

L is working on the very last step of her taa tai tai taa adavus in Bharatanatyam. She's trying to clean up her steps and focus on the little details. Every finger on each hand has a particular position, the head, the eyes--there are so many tiny details that really make the step, and it's fun to watch her brain and body try to coordinate everything. Meenakshi is still out on maternity leave, enjoying her beautiful new baby, and Ramya is doing a great job filling in for her!

Basil & Charlie

The twins have returned home, and we are working on getting them all settled in. Since people aren’t beating my door down to adopt two big strapping boy kitties, they will be staying with us. They are still sequestered in the cat room (L’s old bedroom, which now contains my exercise equipment, and lots of cat trees, toys and window views). Like most declawed cats, they are insecure and are “slinkers”. They are finally starting to walk normally in their room. Once they feel secure enough not to slink around in there, I will start introducing the other cats one at a time for very short play dates. Another sign that they are ready to start meeting the other members of their family will be when they start playing ‘footsies’ under the door with the other cats. They are fully aware of the presence of others and peer out curiously at the cats in the hallway when we open their bedroom door.

When we picked them up Wednesday, we met at a halfway point in IL, so it wasn’t such a long trip for us this time. I was really distraught when I saw them pull up with the kids in tow. I was hoping it would just be the dad, with whom I’ve been talking. I was envisioning horrible scenes with the kids (girl is around 7, boy is around 4) weeping over their cats, and I really was not up for dealing with it. Much to my surprise, the children were completely non-phased by the cats leaving. Not a single one of the whole group showed an inkling of sadness, nor did any of them interact with the cats. Dad seemed to feel some guilt, but that was about the extent of it. They simply handed me the carrier, stood there while I transferred them to my carrier, and hopped back in their car to continue family fun night. Wow. When I pulled the little boys out of their carrier, which they were trying their best to hide in the back of, they looked out and saw their family on the other side of my car window, and looked extremely confused and distressed. My heart hurt for them!

I don’t think I will ever place an animal with a non-animal rights person again. Other than my parents and a tiny handful of people I know very well, I simply cannot trust anyone with such an innocent, precious being. All of these people always have their limit of animals or more, so in other words, I am just done with placement. People are not worthy of animals for the most part.

There were no flags whatsoever with these people. They were screened well and were recommended by a friend. They checked out well—they had another older cat with some physical issues and they sought out the necessary vet care immediately. The kids were happy to have the kittens to play with, were very gentle with them, and each got to name “their” kitten. The boys were named Petey and Charlie. Neither boy knew their name. Neither boy illustrated any understanding of any words at all, which is very strange after having lived with them for almost eight months! Even the ferals I have brought in have picked up their names, the term I use to call them for treats, and some other common cat words and phrases. They must have been basically left on their own in that big house, which is a tragedy, because when these two left me, they were the two most cuddly, affectionate kittens I have ever met!

In this case it turned out well that the boys didn’t know their names at all, because I wasn’t sure how to handle having two cats named Petey. Since my Petey knows his name very well and has the honor of being named after Peter Young, I certainly couldn’t change his. We kept Charlie’s name and changed Petey to Basil. L liked that name because it is close to ‘Baxter’. Half the time I say it, I end up saying Baxter instead. My brain really needs to get with it, so I don’t confuse this poor boy. We are working with them on name recognition, and I would like them to learn the right names!

Both boys are a bit overweight, which isn’t good at their very young age. Basil is bigger than Charlie, but both could lose a pound or two. They’ve been eating cheap, crappy food, which makes them feel hungrier and fills them up with a lot of empty calories. Once I get them fully switched over to our much better food, I’m hoping they start to drop a little weight. It really annoys me that they were fed such cheap, crappy food. It is so important to the quality and length of an animal’s life that they eat the best quality food you can afford. I realize that not everyone can afford a high-quality food (but perhaps a little re-prioritizing would allow for better life for the animals), but I’ve seen their home, the cars they drive, etc. They are far from able to afford a high-quality diet for such a small number of animals.

Finally, as I was getting ready to leave, I asked if they could tell me about the boys’ personalities, likes/dislikes, little quirks, and anything else they could think of that would help make their transition easier. All they could come up with was to tell me they like to eat. Really? After eight months, that’s all they could think of?!! When I took the kittens to them initially, I had only known them for four months, and still managed to have tons of details about each one (down to which color of fuzzy mouse each prefers to play with—seriously). Even now, with as many animals as I have, if someone were to ask me that type of question, they had better be prepared to listen for a good long time. I would give you more details about each than you could possibly imagine. They are my babies, and it’s one of my top five priorities in life to ensure that I know each animal individually and can therefore give them the best life possible.

I need to get away from the rescue work and back to being an abolitionist animal rights activist. There are lots of people who will step up to help place the cute little dogs and cats, but not so many willing to get down in the trenches of activism that will effect change in the right direction. I must be strong! I keep trying to get back to basics but then get sucked back into the rescue stuff. I’m feeling very disgusted with our species these days, and since I feel that 99% of humans do not deserve a companion animal, it would make placement nearly impossible for me. I used to have faith in our screening process, but I don’t see myself ever being able to make a confident placement again.

But…back to the twins. It is a little disconcerting how much they look like Ivan. Particularly Basil. Their dispositions couldn’t be any more different (thank Cthulu!!). It might make it a little tricky for our guests to know which of the three are asses and shouldn’t be touched (Ivan). Ivan is not going to be happy to have two more energetic youngsters around, and I’m curious to see if he reacts differently to them at all, because they looks so similar to him.

We had a catnip party in their room yesterday. They had fun and were very cute rolling around like kittens, even though they are ginormous. All the flecks on the carpet in these photos is catnip—not general nastiness. I don’t want to upset them by vacuuming in their room yet, so it’s just going to have to stay in the carpet until they are feeling secure.

<-- They love the laser toy!

(Basil has a blue collar, and Charlie has green).

Ab Aeterno

I have to briefly mention the last ep of LOST. It was so good! Ricardo's story was such a tragedy. I enjoyed the fantastic acting, the story, and the many interesting pieces of information we have been given. I won't drop any spoilers about the next ep, but I can say that those who have seen the script promise another amazing ride for next week's Package. I'm waiting with bated breath!

The first flowers in our garden have opened!

What a week! I've been a horrible blogger. I've been struck with some manic organizational compulsion this week. I've been sorting, organizing, and cleaning. There's no particular reason for it, and it wasn't the most convenient week for it, but when those moods strike I've learned to just roll with it. My closet is a thing of beauty right now. I keep walking in just to look around. It won't stay this nice for very long. None of my work will last for long, but it's making me really happy at the moment.

I've also been spending lots of time with my newly returned grandkitties--the previously adopted kittens we had called 'the twins'. There will be a post about them coming soon!

We got L's new headboard and bed frame this week, so H & I worked for a good chunk of today getting everything assembled. That boy loves to help with absolutely anything! L helped for a while, too, but was in a bit of a pissy mood. She got bored (?) and went outside to swing and chat with M, who was cleaning the lovely piles our dogs love to leave all over.

We had to replace her old headboard and frame. They were ancient. It started out as my childhood bed. Then it was Dej's--with a new mattress/box spring. Then it was L's. I painted it for her so it would be pretty and match her room. She's used it, jumped on it, and moved it several times. When we moved it into her new bedroom, it wasn't up against a wall for the first time in decades. We realized then it was so rickety, that it needed the wall for stabilization. She was emphatic that her new headboard have a bookshelf (like her 'old' one).

We weren't able to find any locally, so I looked online. I LOVE Overstock.com!! We got the very nice headboard that she picked out, along with the steel frame, at a good price. On top of that, it was delivered to our door for $2.95 total, and it was HEAVY! I'm very impressed and will definitely shop at Overstock.com again.

She's very happy with it. We got it made up, and she's in the process of putting things in the shelves right now. She's putting a lot of thought into her shelf space. We're both pretty sure that Tica will end up claiming the big middle spot in the headboard, so she's planning to just put a pillow and blankets in there for her. Tica is charging around on it, under it, and being extremely cute.

We took L & H to see Alice In Wonderland last night. We all enjoyed it. It was based very much on the poem, Jabberwocky. We got to see the Jabberwock, the jub jub bird, the frumious bandersnatch, and the vorpal sword. Dej could still give a rousing rendition of the poem (if she was forced to), but I learned last night that L no longer remembers it. She memorized it years ago, so we will be revisiting that. Soon. Very soon. I think I may introduce it to H, and see if I can encourage him to memorize. It is a tragedy that most kids aren't required to memorize things anymore. It is such a wonderful way to build and strengthen those neural networks. My kids will thank me for it someday. :D I also believe the ability to correctly read both prose and poetry is a vital part of a child's education. I really love the power and nuances of language (both of humans and non-humans) and am so happy that my girls appreciate it too! I'm grateful my parents passed that appreciation down to us (my brother and me).

My Monday morning mystery

Alliteration just never gets old for me.

Before my caffeine fully kicked in this morning, I walked into my office and was immediately hit with two issues. First, I noticed a note left on my keyboard. I got an adrenaline rush before I even read the note, because a handwritten note usually indicates that a user was desperate to find me, which usually means that something vital isn’t working right.

I then turned to toss my coat over my guest chair--its usual spot—and saw that the chair was gone! I wandered over to Sandra’s next door, thinking it would be there, as she frequently borrows it for meetings with her users. It wasn’t there. She borrowed it Friday, but her user returned it, as she always does. Nobody had seen my chair. This may seem really unimportant, but guest chairs are like gold, and I wasn’t about to lose mine, as I wouldn’t get another very easily or quickly. I work for the state, where resources are limited and budgets to acquire new resources are even more limited (non-existent really).

I sent out a department-wide e-mail asking for the return of my chair. After about 20 minutes of no replies, I started to mourn the loss. I reflected on all the good times we had together. The way it held my coat because I was too lazy to actually hang it on my hook; The way the stains on the seat form interesting designs; The way my users plop down in it to ask me to do one more thing I don’t have time for; Yep, it’s a special chair. A few minutes later, a co-worker walked it back over. He found it in his cube this morning, and didn’t know where it came from. The earth has now resumed its rotation and life can continue, because my crappy, cream-colored guest chair is returned to its loving home.

Bullet number three hit during that time frame as well. An e-mail popped into my box stating that the people who adopted my twin grandkitties were moving and decided they didn’t want to keep the boys anymore. As per our contract, the kittens would return to me in that situation. I immediately replied that I would get the kittens as soon as they would like me to. I will most likely be picking them up later this week, so I have a few days to decide what the hell to do with them. The most gut wrenching bit of news, though, was that they’ve both been front declawed. WTF!!! My poor babies were disfigured for life, and there is nothing I can do to restore their missing “fingers”. They are stuck for the rest of their lives with a shadow of what their lives were supposed to be. I am beyond furious that these people violated my kitties and then just dumped them at the first inconvenience.

Unfortunately, this is fairly typical of “pet owners”. They make me sick. I hope, at some point when they are helpless and dependent on others, they are treated with the same care and compassion they’ve shown the kittens. They’ve set a fine example for their children about how to treat others when they become inconvenient. Here’s hoping their crotch spawn ends up with better values than their parents are teaching them—except when it comes to picking out their parents’ old age residence and care.

I want to be very clear here. There is simply no excuse to dump an animal. Ever. The only exception that we’ve encountered and completely understand is when the animals’ caretaker dies or enters long-term hospital care. If you are/have dumped an animal for any other reason, please understand that I think you are despicable trash and are wasting valuable space and resources that others, much better than you, could be using. If I’m remotely nice/polite to you, it is simply to ensure that I get the animal away from you. I couldn’t give a shit about your feelings, your excuses, and I have no intention of relieving you of that twinge of underdeveloped guilt you feel. I have made a permanent assessment of the quality of your character, and nothing from that point forward will ever change it. I may continue to hide my feelings for a variety of other reasons (none of them having to do with you or your atrophied feelings). Nothing will ever change my decision about you. So save your little bullshit lines that you try to toss out at me while I take the animal, who's already been through way more than and survived much tougher than you ever have or will (because those are always the animals that I work with). I will take that animal and love it through the terror and grief it experiences when it loses another family and home due to no fault of their own. I will try to resolve the behavioral issues that are introduced after yet another dump and traumatic change. I will try to reaffirm to them that there are indeed a few humans who are worthy of their unconditional love, though you are most certainly not one of them.

Oh, but it’s okay if the animal is going potty in your house, you say. There are 10,000 different solutions for resolving potty issues. Get off your ass, turn off the computer games or tv, and in about 10 minutes you can find those solutions. Try them. Keep trying them. It’s not rocket science. It just takes consistency, a little understanding of how the animal thinks, and a little effort. I’m not even going to waste time enumerating the many possible solutions to this problem. You don’t have the time to spend with them and it’s not fair? Oh, right, you made a bad decision and can’t manage your time, so an animal pays. Their oh so much better going through the trauma of being dumped again. Make time, use doggy daycare, get your animal a friend, look into cooperative pet-sharing arrangements, hire a dog walker or a neighborhood kid to come over and play with it. Again, 10,000 different solutions. Make an effort and find one.

My personal favorite: you’ve had a new baby or feel the animal is a threat to your child(ren). Learn how to fucking parent. Learn how to manage animals. If you are not bright, consistent, or compassionate enough to work through a solution without dumping family members, you shouldn’t be leaving crotch droppings around that will end up being a detriment to society. The rest of society doesn’t want to have to deal with your poorly-raised little precious(es). My children have been exposed to every possible personality of so many different species. Some of these animals are feral and red zone animals. My children have each been bitten one time. In both cases, they knew immediately it was their own fault, because they knew exactly what the animal was trying to communicate with them but chose to ignore it. They were never bitten by those or any other animal again. Unless the children are retarded, they are perfectly able to learn to speak and understand the language of any species with which they spend time. They are much better at it than adults. Instead of using it as a teaching opportunity, you take the easy way out and communicate very clearly to your children where you stand with unconditional love (you don’t get it and because of that, they probably won’t either). I have never placed an animal that hasn’t been thoroughly tested and proven with children. It’s not the animal, it’s you. You’re unqualified to raise an animal, and you’re unqualified to raise your children. Get off your lazy ass and parent! Kids are work. Animals are work. Both are a lifelong commitment--at least they are for those of us with honor and decency. Don't have either one if you aren't capable of that kind of commitment.

I’m bored of typing now, though this list could go on for pages and pages. I’m done with the topic today. I do need to add, though, that before you get too excited and decide that I’m out of touch with the economic situation in our area…I am aware of people losing their jobs/homes and being unable to care for their animals. That’s a fairly easy fix in most cases, and one that we’ve handled extensively. I am supporting and maintaining several animals (and my friends are doing the same) who live with their families who cannot afford them. If they love them and provide a good home, we find ways to deal with the financial side. Additionally, we have had several short-term fosters—kept and cared for lovingly while the humans work on another living arrangement, and returned to their loving homes as soon as the situation is resolved. The financial situations are the least of our worries (and having said that, none of us is anywhere close to being wealthy)!

So here's the picture L brought home from church with her grandparents Sunday morning. I'm so proud that my anti-violence little vegan girl took the time to draw the blood on the sword (with the little puddle underneath) and the arrow coming in from the upper right. She used some snazzy metallic gel pens to color it in. I'm a little unclear as to what the hell they would talk about in Sunday school that involves armoured knights.

Spring

Friday night the children made suncatchers. There was a bin of them in the dollar section at JoAnn's when we went to pick up some paint earlier. The kids each wanted one, and things started looking pretty volatile when they found one and only one cat suncatcher. They both wanted a cat and neither was going for the variety of other very cute suncatchers that were there. I told the kids to look through all of the bins in the section, as sometimes things get mixed up. Meanwhile, I was trying to come up with a peaceful solution for when they finished looking and didn't find another. The miracle I was hoping for but not expecting occured. They found one more cat in a different bin. Whew. It's a really good thing, because I had nothing other than to say neither one could have it, which would leave me with two sulking pissy children.

I remember making these when I was younger, and I had made them with Dej when she was younger. It's pretty simple--just cut open the various bags of little plastic beads, fill each section of the metal form with the color of beads they desire, heat for 15 minutes to melt, cool, and voila--suncatchers. The kids spent a great deal of time chosing colors and placing the little beads in carefully, and then they decided that since they were all done, they would dump all of the beads into one container. That would have been fine, except that the kids bumped the pizza pan on which they were assembled, and Hunter's metal frame lifted just enough to let his beads roll all over. He was SO upset! He had to start the whole process over, but now the tiny little beads were in one big jumble.

He started to get a little emotional, so I told him to go down and play for a bit, and I would sort the beads back out so he could start over. My hands are no longer very dextrous. It must have taken me an hour, to sit there with my tiny tweezers and sort the beads by color. I did just enough to fill in his cats and left the rest a mess. He was able to reassemble his cat and was very happy with how it turned out. This time, however, rather than having each cat a different color (as he had previously, he decided to mix the beads all together. You know, the beads I just spent an hour hunched over my kitchen table separating. UGH!

That put me behind, so that when Dej & her friend came over to watch LOST with us again, I had to grade. I got it done by around midnight and then I was ready to relax and hang out.

Yesterday M & I went to the Green Owl in Madison. Finally. We've been wanting to go since it opened, but haven't had the chance yet. In short, we LOVED our food. Desserts were very weak. They definitely need more vegan dessert selections, particularly chocolate desserts. We were having a really hard time chosing which entree to try, as so many looked good. M ordered this: VEGETARIAN ITALIAN BEEF house-made seitan in a rich, spicy broth with giardiniera (pickled vegetables). Served on a roll. It came with a side of roasted potatoes seasoned with herbs. It was delicious. I ordered this: STUFFED RED PEPPER a stuffing of bulgar, lentils, slivered almonds and golden raisins baked in a fresh red pepper, topped with a Moroccan tomato sauce. It was also delicious. I couldn't finish it, so I have half my entree here in my fridge, and it will be eaten! We also got a cup of soup to start with. He ordered the bulgur chili, and I ordered the curried cauliflower. We each liked our soups, but his was a little too spicy for him, and mine was a little less spicy, so we switched. We're excited to go again and try some of the dishes that looked so good.

Last night I went out for a bit to a friend's 30th birthday bash. We met at the Opus Lounge (in Madison). I haven't been out to a bar for years (other than a quick drop by at students' graduation parties, so that doesn't really count), and haven't been out with a group of girls at a bar since--I think since we've been married, so we're talking a really long time here! I was dreading going into a smokey bar, which guarantees that I will have a horrible headache (and often a migraine) for the rest of the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised, then, when I saw the "No Smoking" signs on the door and remembered that Madison is ahead of the rest of the state and their bars are smoke free now. That made me SO happy!!

My voice was just starting to return, and was at the melodious three-pack-a-day-smoker voice stage, which in our family is called "a rhonda voice". I can't explain why. My husband used that phrase when I met him. Any woman with a raspy, husky voice or a hacking cough was called a "rhonda". He never really explained the association, but it has become kind of a B-D family shortcut to describe voices or people. In M's world, someone can just look like a rhonda, too, without a voice being involved. Fortunately we don't have any friends or relatives named rhonda. Anyway, so there are always certain stages in my laryngitis where he calls me rhonda. Can't tell you how much I love that.

I had fun talking to the women and drinking some really tasty, fruity drink that went down like juice instead of alcohol. It was much too delicious. It's also the first time I've surpassed my two-drink limit. I wasn't driving, though, so I could indulge a bit. I realized when I was telling M about it that I really don't do anything with my women friends that isn't animal-rights related or serving some practicial purpose (taking our kids somewhere together, etc.). It was a few hours of complete, pointless frivolity. It was kind of fun. I really enjoy hanging out with "the girls". I'm trying not to ruin my fun with the inevitable guilt that keeps trying to creep in over the wasted time and money! Hey, my sweet friend Kristin only turns 30 once, so that's not really a waste. If I repeat that to myself 50 more times, maybe I'll be okay. :)

but I'm not dead yet

I now have absolutely NO voice at all and am still feeling surprisingly shitty. I just can't shake this and am getting really crabby about feeling this way and not being able to talk. The animals are behaving like full-on thugs and Luciana is taking advantage however she can. Our homeschool work for today can't be done until I can talk, so all we have to do today is watch Vincent Price's "The Masque of the Red Death".

We've been talking about the bubonic plague in history, which for some twisted reason, has always infatuated me. (Maybe because it reminds me of Monty Python's Holy Grail, which always makes me lmao! ;) As a loose tie in, we read Poe's, "Masque of the Red Death", so now we're going to watch the movie and compare it to the short story.

I have a ton of material that I REALLY need to lecture on tonight in class. It's complicated, vital, and if I can't get it covered tonight, I will be forced to modify the rest of the semester to accomodate this. I'm really, really irritated about that. I just need a voice for an hour--that would get me through it.

M & L were busy last night with their traditional St. Patrick's Day preparations. They decorated the house, cranked up the Celtic music (oh yay), and got to work on making dinner. They accented their "Irish meal" with Irish soda bread that L made green, and of course, M's green beer. Due to several animal-caused disastrous messes, I spent most of the night cleaning up after them and didn't even get to eat.

After dinner, M & L started their soap carving. It was cut a little short, and they each only made one boat this year. Both boats are still floating in our bathroom sink this morning (complete with the little die-cast D & D figurines inside). After 11 or 12 years of M's traditional soap carving with our girls, we had our first injury last night. L's knife slipped and cut into the web between her thumb and finger. She cried for a little bit, but we got it cleaned up and bandaged and she returned to her carving (using a butter knife this time). I'm actually surprised it took so long to have an injury. I'm sure it would have happened years ago if I was trying to carve.

M & L went to bed a little after 9. I stayed up and hung out with Dej & Luke, who came over to watch this week's LOST. I was very happy with all of the Sawyer-licious action last night. I wasn't actually thrilled with the plot of the alt timeline. Oh, I loved that he and Miles are parters--I've enjoyed both of their wit and sometimes caustic comments through the show, and think they work well together. The plot, though...really, he's an undercover cop, in a room that's bugged with surveillance and a ton of cops outside, and he has sex with the criminal as part of the set up. Really? With the whole precinct listening? Watching? I guess that's real job commitment. My favorite line this ep was from Flocke (fake Locke) to Sawyer: "I forgive you". It made me giggle. I had to rewind it and play it again!

Recon

I spent much of Sat. night, Sunday, and Monday resting in bed, because I was getting cold sweats and sick from being up and around. I piled on the drugs Sunday and managed to get our taxes done finally! That is a huge weight off my shoulders! I’ve never filed them this late before.

Monday was a furlough day. I didn’t plan to spend it lying in bed, but that’s pretty much what I did. Luce had the same cold resurgence that I did, and she woke up Monday morning and felt and sounded just horrible. I asked if she wanted to take the day off school, and she surprised me by saying yes. My friend, Orinda, stopped by for a bit early in the morning, but when she left, L & I both took a swig of Nyquil and crawled into my bed. L slept for about 3.5 hours and woke up feeling better. I slept for maybe an hour and didn’t feel better. I am feeling slightly better today, so I think I’m on the mend now.

I didn’t sleep last night, though, because of stress over a dog that will be put down if I can’t find a spot for her in 1-2 wks. I’m desperate and angry (over the dog being dumped because of inept people). I lay awake most of the night, enjoying tons of hot flashes, having panicky thoughts about this dog. Oh yeah, and also about the poor Canadian seals currently getting their innocent little heads bashed in by violent sociopaths (also called ‘seal hunters’)—it’s hard to sleep when I’m seeing their little faces when I close my eyes. Helplessness is so fucking frustrating! FML (no need to look that one up, mom)!

My voice stayed with me until almost the end of class tonight. I made it through the most important part, and I'm hoping it will return by tomorrow. It's really difficult to deal with my animals with no voice.

After class tonight, L & I worked on another one of our mystery puzzles. She was lured away by her daddy's St. Patrick's day preparations. They got all of the decorations hung up, and she did a little bit of Irish dancing (with some Bharatanatyam mixed in). Oh my god how I hate that damn Celtic music! It is like nails on a chalkboard to me. M had it cranked up really loud last night, and tomorrow night will be more of the same. They informed me that the reason I hate "their" music is because I'm part Scot and not Irish. They are very excited about tomorrow! They're pretty cute--they even have the bars of Irish Spring soap on the table, all ready for carving.

And now...I'm off to enjoy the highlight of my week--a little Sawyer action on (duh duh duh...DUHHHH) LOST

Seals In Canada Need Your Help, Now And On March 15

This month, the world’s largest slaughter of marine mammals is scheduled to resume, even as an environmental disaster is killing seal pups. This year, there are barely any ice floes in eastern Canada. The ice is critical for seals to nurse their young and for the pups to gain strength in order to survive. If Prime Minister Stephen Harper does not intervene and cancel the hunt, sealers will kill the few remaining survivors. Please join IDA supporters and other compassionate people around the world by taking action today and on March 15, the Day of Action for Seals in Canada. Click here to see what you can do for seals right now.

________________________________________________

Monday's miserable cold faded away fairly quickly, and I happily moved on. That's why I was really surprised when I woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck! I don't know if it's the same cold or a new one, but it's worse than the last one. This is not fair! Luciana is bad, too. She's been playing with H all day, and isn't quite as slowed down by it as I am. We are not able to attend our friend's birthday party tonight, because nobody wants to catch this mess!

Needless to say, I didn't even attempt to start the damn taxes today. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel well enough to focus on such horrible things.

The kids have created a big fort in the dining room, and at this point, they are planning to sleep in the fort. We'll see if that sticks, though. They have one of our camping lights in the fort, but insist that all the other lights on the first floor are off.

I'm in the midst of a little project, which I hoped to finish today but definitely won't, since I didn't even work on it today. I have a couple of wooden birdhouses that I received as a gift a zillion years ago. They were painted in the slightly rustic, country style, which is totally not my thing. I like the birdhouses themselves, though, so I got out my white & beige paints and lots of lace and other little baubles and am redoing them shabby-chic style. I have the painting done. I just have to pretty them up and then put them back together.

L bought (with her very own money) a little unfinished wooden treasure box, last time we were at Michael's. She loves to get those and decorate them. I'm not sure why she needs that many, but...whatever. She enjoys the process. She was able to get her project finished yesterday. This is her masterpiece.

Like a rhinestone cowboy

This morning, I was lying in bed awake, irritated that I was awake and didn't need to be. L was still sound asleep, and M had already left for work. The dogs started barking, which is not at all unusual. The urgency and duration of their barking was a little unusual, though. After about five minutes of it, I finally hoisted my fat ass out of bed to go downstairs and see what was going on and try to hush the dogs before they woke L up.

I got downstairs and saw Chloe, who was the only one STILL barking, looking out the living room window that overlooks our driveway. I was shocked by what I saw. I thought at first it was a Canadian Goose, but I looked more carefully and saw that it was a wild turkey. Then I saw the second one, just a few feet behind the first. The male & female turkeys leisurely wandered down my driveway. I did what any self-respecting half-dressed turkey-watching woman would do. I grabbed my camera and ran outside (in my nightshirt with wild, uncombed hair) to take pictures. The happy couple was strolling through my neighbor's yard (that's their flag...not mine) by the time I got out there with the camera, but I still got a few pics of them.

I encountered my fully-dressed neighbor, who was as confused as I as to why we have wild turkeys parading through our yards. We're right in the middle of town, and aren't really within the walking/minor flying distance of wild turkeys.

I'd like to say this was the first time I've found myself in a strange situation in my front yard while not fully dressed, but it's not. I doubt my neighbors are surprised by much that I do anymore. I was barefoot and freezing, so I ran back in to get something on. By the time I got back out there, I couldn't find them. I've been thinking about (and worrying about) them all day.

Shockingly, after all the noise the dogs made and me running around and slamming doors, L did not wake up for another 1.5 hours! The rest of our day was fairly routine--a productive school day, a good piano lesson, dog swimming, and pick up H for our 'weekend time'. The kids have been playing since.

This is my first opportunity to sit and relax today. I have a few minutes of down time, and then Dej & Luke will be coming over to hang out for a bit.

M will be in Fond du Lac speaking until tomorrow afternoon. I was planning to (FINALLY!) work on our taxes, but I'm not sure how successful I will be with all of the chores to manage, as well as care for L, H, & all of the animals. It could get interesting... He will be back in time for us to go to a friend's birthday party tomorrow night.

Dr. Linus

This is the cool cat laser toy that we got. It looks a little sex toyish to me. I told you my mind was a very scary place. ;) It's a great toy and was $20 well spent! The brand is Bolt.

I stayed home to recover yesterday. I got up in the morning, felt rotten, took L over to my mom’s, came back home, took some Nyquil, and went to bed. I don’t know why I never thought to take Nyquil during the day before. I wanted to sleep through as much of the misery as I could, so why waste time with Dayquil! It worked well, though by afternoon I had a migraine, and nothing worked on that.

I’m feeling slightly better today. I woke up tired (of course) and still not at 100%, but was ready to go back to work. I didn’t want to get any farther behind. It was a really foggy, depressing morning. It took me until almost 9:30 this morning to have my usual Tuesday awareness. It finally hit me that it was LOST day, and suddenly the whole day started to improve. Tonight is a Ben-centric episode, so that is really promising.

M and I were awakened a little after 2:00 this morning by the sound of a dog screaming. It was awful!! Chloe was yelping loudly and repeatedly. As soon as our brains woke enough to figure out what was going on, we went running down to the living room, where the noise came from. My adrenaline kicked in, and I started to shake and my chest was very constricted. She sounded like she was being killed! M got to Chloe first. We saw then that she was sound asleep. She wasn’t even aware that we had come stomping down the stairs and were looking at her. Poor Chloe must have been having a nightmare. She didn’t make any more noises after that and was perfectly normal this morning. It took me a while to get the adrenaline out of my system (it overrode the Nyquil I had taken) and calm down enough to go back to sleep.

While backing down our driveway, I noticed there was an Obama/Biden sign stuck into the branches of our contorted filbert tree in the front yard. I thought it was a very strange thing for someone to do and commented that it was odd. That’s when L piped up from the backseat and said she put the sign up there. She saw our old sign while playing outside with Hunter this weekend and put it in the tree. I asked her why. She said that the garden needed some color.

I noticed this steno pad lying open on our kitchen table this week. M is already starting to plan for his annual big St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Here’s the shopping list he wrote out. I often miss out on it, because if it falls on a Tues or Thurs I teach those nights. This year it’s on a Wednesday, so I get to participate.

I'm sick and feeling horribly sorry for myself. M had it over a week ago, and I was telling him last week how unusual it is for him to get something and me to miss it. Usually, whenever the girls get something, I do. Maybe one out of every five times or so, he gets it. I guess I got cocky about missing it a little too soon, because I started to feel bad yesterday and am still on the rapid decline. Unless my Nyquil does miraculous things for me over night, I probably won't be going to work in the morning. I'm just miserable. {/whine}

All three of us are snuggled downstairs with the pups watching Coraline. L chose to watch a movie for our Sunday family night. Instead of our usual popcorn snack, M baked some fries. I feel too icky to eat, so they are enjoying them without me. My daughter just pointed out to my husband that the circus-guy character on Coraline has a camel toe. And she used those words. Camel toe. That's all it takes to get the Camel Toe song stuck in my head for the rest of the night. (...your biscuit, your beavage, I see your cooter cleavage...) A timeless classic.

We arrived at dance a little early today, so we stopped by MadCats to pass some time. I picked up a couple of new toys, because I can't get out of that store without buying something for the cats. I've waited years for someone to invent this toy, and they finally did it. It's a hands-free laser. I can set it anywhere, angle it however I would like, and push a button to turn it on. The laser rotates in a random pattern, and it turns itself off in 15 minutes. The cats love it, and I don't have to deal with hand cramps from squeezing the tiny laser button. It's so cool! I need to pick one up for my grandkitties next week when we go to dance.

I gave the new exam in class on Thursday, and am pretty happy with the results. I need to shave a couple little things off, because it took more time than it should have. After I got everything graded, I ran some analysis on the test results as a whole, and then looked at each individual 'question' (they're not really questions, but that's close enough). The analysis and the students' performance indicate that it's a solid, fair test, so I'll keep it in the rotation. Whew. It's always stressful for me to have students take an 'untested' exam.

Friday night Dej & Luke came over to hang with me. M was out of town again, and it was nice to have the company after L went to bed. We watched the last episode of LOST again. It was a nice break from the grading, but they left around midnight, and I had to get back to grading. SO glad to be done!

I came across this photo (from xmas eve) while organizing my picture folders. It's of my cousin/friend, Denny, and me (both looking tired and full of grasshoppers :-). I'm posting it in spite of that, because of the lovely button I have pinned on my jacket. My mother-in-law brought it for me shortly before the holidays, so I thought the family party was a great time to debut the photo button of teen M in his soccer uniform. His hair is pretty special.

Sundown

I'm done with tonight's class and am now waiting for M to get home so we can watch tonight's LOST. He's out of town (AGAIN) speaking tonight but should be back in an hour or so. I'm being an exceptionally kind, supportive wife by not starting to watch without him. It's hard. I'm such a giver. ;P

I got my test written for Thursday night's class, so now I can relax for the rest of the week.. Scratch that. I just remembered that I still have to do the monthly bills and our taxes this week.

L and I are reading Gulliver's Travels for our bedtime reading. I think she will really enjoy the story and am hoping it will lead to some interesting conversations and ideas when we discuss the rich satire and philosophy. Because it was written nearly four hundred years ago, some of the language used is unusual to her, and I am trying anticipate and provide translations for her, so she doesn't get frustrated initially.

Tonight while reading, I came to the word, 'scimitar' and immediately provided the translation. She quickly informed me that she KNOWS what a scimitar is, her tone conveying the unspoken, "DUH, mom. Who doesn't know what a scimitar is!" I guess her D&D obsession has given her an excellent command of all weapons--real, imaginary, ancient, modern--she knows them all. She has a very unusual body of knowledge for a 10-yr old girl!

I'm finding that one up side to her having her own camera is that when I am too lazy to take photos and need some for a post, I can always pull some of hers from her storage drive. The down side became really obvious tonight, as we were getting ready for bed. As I was chatting with her, getting undressed, I noticed she was giggling her little ass off. I looked up to find she was taking video with her camera. We had to have a little chat about when we do and do NOT film people! It was even more imperative to get that established, because she likes to post videos on You Tube. That's such a horrifying thought, that I will probably have nightmares about You Tube videos of my big self undressing.


All photos are by Luciana. 1) Carrie; 2) Ivan; 3) Oliver