REAL Family Press - 12/29/08

Mornin’, Mornin’… Twice yesterday I heard from my family members they had gotten a greater appreciation of who I am and what I do on a daily basis… Yes, I did look to the ceiling to see if it were about to fall in on top of me!... LOL

First it was Paul… Saturday night was a bad night… I’m still battling this cold and went to bed to sleep around 10PM… After being woken up for the fifth time, I finally said the heck with it at 12:05AM and got up… It was everything from the neighbor’s dogs next door barking like a nut around 11:30PM to our own dogs… Including Mr. Sweetie who wanted to be lifted up into his cubby hole spot underneath my computer desk (in the living room when I was asleep in my bedroom!)…

I worked through the night until about 4-4:30AM when I started running out of steam, so I attempted to curl up on the futon for a few hours sleep until Paul got up… No sooner had we all settled in when Riley started whining and being restless (no Des the previous day or night)… Got him settled down and another neighbor started moving his dogs around (his kennel is outside in his backyard between the two houses), so that started our dogs to growling and barking… Up again… By this time I’m no longer patient and kindly toward anyone – I JUST WANT SOME SLEEP~!!!... LOL…

As I’m in the bathroom, I’m listening to Paul, Louie, Zeus and BeeGee snoring down the hallway, so that’s not an option… The futon is out… So while I considered going outside and crawling into my truck’s back seat or the lawn recliner outside (nope, there’s bugs outside at night!), I realized that Desiree’s bed (futon) was empty…

Like a thief, I snuck down the hallway into her room, quiet as a mouse and did my absolute best to not make ANY noise as I crawled into her ‘cocoon-like’ futon… Pulled her new coverlet over my head, contemplated how quiet it was in there and within seconds, I was asleep!

I vaguely heard a few dogs walking down the hallway, I suppose looking for me, but that’s ALL I heard until I was awaken by the sirens screaming down the main thoroughfare towards the hospital, and then YogiBear ‘hound-dogging’ out back… Apparently Paul had gotten up a few hours earlier and did my usual morning routine around here, then left to go run some errands… The doggie door was open and those that wanted to go out back, did so…

When Paul came in, he immediately said he’d gained a greater appreciation for what I usually do every morning – plus the fact I’d apparently shook him and Des up for neither one knew where I was!... LOL… Desiree guessed I was in her bed and had been desperate to get some sleep if I was… Good guess, Des! My little girl knows me well!... LOL…

A few hours later, Desiree came home from her 4 days of house- and pet-sitting… And she repeated the same observation of appreciation for me!... In her case, she not only had a house to look after, she also had 7 dogs, 8 cats and 2 horses – one who is named ‘Ditzy’ and has Cushings, so has to get meds every day… It’s one thing to have a 5 pound Chihuahua to do this with, but quite another to deal with a HUGE horse who’s name is pretty appropriate on top of it!...

I think her comment was (almost quoting here), “I just couldn’t believe how much work it was to get all of the stuff done every day… Now I know what you go through all the time!”… Add to that list, replenishing whatever is used up around here, picking up behind two other people, the laundry and just my own life, hobbies and passions!... LOL…

It’s not easy, but then again, whose life is, ya know?... It was nice to hear from both of my family members they realized it’s not easy to ‘walk in my moccasins’…

Desiree is opening this week at the school and as I checked at 5:45AM this morning to see if she was up, her comment to me was, “Who in God’s name puts their child in winter camp at 6:15AM in the morning????”… LOL… Parents who have a long drive and need to get to work? Parents who start early in the morning?... Desiree will have a greater appreciation for what I went through in her earlier years as I struggled to ‘do it all’ as a single working mom…

It’s so funny (at least to me), to observe Desiree (and sometimes Paul) go through something that I’ve been dealing with, almost as if it is a completely new thing… And to listen to their struggles as they encounter new obstacles, extra work, changes in their lifestyle, etc… Maybe at the end, we will ALL have greater appreciation for each other’s contributions to our family’s life, health and happiness?... …

Moms and wives just don’t get enough appreciation for the things we do because after awhile, we always make it appear so easy… It’s really our own fault, ya know? (smile)… We tend to hide our struggles (‘ya never let them see ya sweat’ mindsets) and our satisfaction comes from the streamlined appearance of ‘all is well here on the homefront’… It’s very much like watching a duck swimming on a pond… Above the surface, we look serene and balanced, but under the water line, we’re paddling like crazy!

(…and I can just imagine some of you all nodding your heads in agreement on this point!)….

Over the weekend, I decided one of the main problems around here is me and not them… I have this concept of “inviting” that is severely misguided… To me, it has to look inviting before I can retire from any task or chore… The sink and kitchen needs to look “inviting” when all the dishes are washed, dried and put away… I don’t feel so apt to go cook if I see I have things to do before I can start… Same goes for just about any other thing I can think of – going into my closet and finding stuff scattered about is not ‘inviting’ to me… Although I’m so anal-retentive about my closet, it is scary!

Paul’s anal-retentive about putting his clothes away… I don’t always get the drawer stuff put away like he does, but I’m worse about the hanging stuff (I probably have more of it)… A bathroom has to be clean (at least to me) to be ‘inviting’ for me to take a shower… Even relaxing at my kitchen window looking out has to be ‘inviting’… If every time I look out, I see things that need to be done (the lawn mowed, dead flower beds needing to be clipped off, etc.) that time is not ‘inviting’ to me… Or if I’m trying to mentally concentrate on something at my computer, the background noise of ‘boom, boom, crash’ from Paul’s increased volume on the TV is not only NOT inviting, it eventually moves into annoying…

However, I have come to realize that my definition of ‘inviting’ is not the same as anyone else’s… Any time I talk to my Momma, she’s forever telling me that she needs to get her house dusted, or do this or that… Although Desiree’s room stays in a static condition of messy, I have to admit how ‘inviting’ it was when I crawled into her ‘cocoon’ and was able to snag a few hours of some much needed sleep!... Even Paul must have his own definition of ‘inviting’… Coming home, no one talking to him or bothering him in any fashion, eating something and zoning into the TV as he ‘stares into the fire’ like the cavemen must have done!... I’m trying to readjust my definitions, as you probably can tell~!!... (smile)…

This house certainly wasn’t ‘inviting’ with Desiree gone for four days and nights… I kept telling myself this is the way it is going to be soon or in a few years, so get used to it… It wasn’t easy and by Sunday afternoon, I didn’t even want to really come home after running a few errands with Paul… The idea of coming home and Desiree not being there, Paul glued to the TV and me doing what I do every day was just about more than I could think about!

What a great surprise to find she’d come home while we were gone!... At first I thought it was just another ‘stop-over’ like she’d been doing the past few days… When I realized the people she’d been house-sitting for had arrived home, and she was back for good, my attitude about being here changed immediately!

After a few minutes of ‘catch-up’ she and I headed over to Borders to browse through their ‘year-end blow-out’ sale… She and I can easily spend 2 hours or more at that store… We also stopped and got a coffee as well, still doing more catch-up and talking about things in general… My life would be not much more than a charcoal gray without the vibrant colors that Desiree brings into it… I am NOT looking forward to the day she finally moves out, as much as I know it is inevitable and is natural to happen… In my heart I will be happy for her, but I will also be sad for me…

I have never understood parents that couldn’t wait for their kids to move out and leave… I have celebrated every one of Desiree’s successes and achievements as much as I have commiserated with her set-backs and disappointments… I have thoroughly enjoyed each plateau of her life, from the second I knew she existed until the very second now… She has taught me so VERY much about life and being her mom and friend is what has made me the person I am today…

I’M SO GLAD SHE’S HOME AGAIN~!!!... LOL…

As Always,
The Lady

REAL Family Press - 12/25/08 - Merry Christmas!

The house is quiet now… Someone got sick about 4AM so both Paul and I were up, cleaning it up, rearranging things, etc. He’s gone back to bed while I finished up and he’ll sleep in now for a few hours on this Christmas morn… The dogs have all found their ‘secondary’ spot around the house – Zeus will stay with his dad for sure and the majority will be out here with me, snuggled in for another few hours of sleep…

This is my ‘magical time’ of the day – every day… The only ‘no-no’ is that I can’t make noise or cook anything that would wake any of my family up… The world outside is still dark and the earth smells clean and alive… The birds sing their harmonies and it is just great to be alive, ya know?

Yep, even on a bad day, it’s great to be alive…

I’ve already had a few emails from REAL Family members and the world truly does go on, despite changes in everyone’s lives… The amazing thing about life is we tend to think how it is right now is how it has always been… Christmas is all about your religious beliefs (or not at all if you don’t have them) and the commercial enterprise of the holiday that began in the 1920’s…

To me, it’s hard to imagine Christmas without a tree… The two other ‘standards’ to me are a great fruitcake and a Honey Baked Ham… The first is an old tradition that started back in the days of Egypt and the Pharaohs… But the second is one that actually began in my mother’s era… Isn’t it funny we think of these things as always ‘having been’ when actually it all depends on someone’s marketing plans for this time of the year?... LOL…

I couldn’t find a decent fruitcake this year… I looked… And looked… The one I finally found just doesn’t cut it for being a good fruitcake… In a block form and not a ring, it isn’t chock full of the candied fruits and has a blah taste… 

A fruitcake is the one thing I really enjoy about Christmas… After my disappointment this year, I’ve decided next year I’m making my own… My mother has a great recipe that I have somewhere and tomorrow I’m going out to get the candied fruits needed before they disappear off the shelves again… Come June, I’ll be making a few fruitcakes and even if no one else enjoys them, I will~!!!… LOL… Guess it is the reputation of it that has caused people to not buy it as much any more…

Last night, Desiree went off to her house-sitting gig about 5PM and I had already started a fire in the fireplace for her before she left, so it was going when Paul came home as well…

Usually Paul sits in the family room watching TV while Desiree and I set up shop in the living room… For a switch, he came into the living room and watched TV here last night… There’s a gas starter in the fireplace, so it’s a simple thing to start a fire, and we still have wood from about 3-4 years ago… It’s just never hot enough to get a fire going, but when I redid the living room last year, I purposely positioned the futon and TV so you can sit and enjoy the TV with a fire…

It’s a nice and cozy spot – Desiree’s favorite in the house and with the bottom kick-out of the futon up, the puppers climb up with you, snuggle in and it’s really a comfy place to decompress after a long day… Santa had already made a stop here for most of us, and he backtracked with Desiree’s gifts late last night as well… LOL…

Doubtful that Desiree will read the Press ahead of time, so I can now tell you all that she’s got a ‘Betty Boop’ Christmas headed her way… Other than the two books she specifically asked for, everything else is ‘Betty-Booped’… LOL… She’s gotten into this theme in the past year or so, and this year for Christmas, I decided to do it all in that theme…

Everything – from car mats and sun shades for her car --- to personal things like a wallet, tote bag, earrings --- to a doggie T-shirt for her Riley – is done up in Betty Boop… She’ll LOVE it… I even managed to find a pair of slippers for her in the motif… I wore out the poor Fed Exp and other delivery services as they arrived from all over the place with the stuff… Thanks to the Internet, and the resurgence of the popularity of this icon, Desiree is going to have a ‘boop-boop-be-dupe’ Christmas! LOL…

Paul has off tomorrow too… A four day weekend where I don’t have a major project to be done around here… LOL… That’s MY Christmas present to him… … Maybe he’ll take the time and wade through the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’ to gather up all the tax receipts for me?... Naw… Don’t see that happening!...

Every Christmas he asks for some series on DVD and this year was no different… I’m guessing he’ll be watching this year’s Christmas gift, although we still have that cabinet door to install, so who knows?... Maybe he’ll surprise me in that regard!

The Christmas lights just came on across the street… They have two young sons (about 10 & 11) so I imagine the wrapping paper is flying over there right now… Our presents are around the tree, waiting for Desiree when she comes home in a few hours… She says 9:30AM but if I know my daughter, I imagine she’ll be home sooner than that! There were no late night calls last night, so I’m guessing she’ll be a bit homesick this morning when she finally wakes up…

I’m not a good present receiver… I get more enjoyment out of watching others get gifts… Both Paul and Desiree tell me I’m just too hard to buy for because there’s not really anything I want or need… But I sure love watching them open gifts and their reactions doing it~!!!... THAT’s Christmas for me… Watching my family happy and healthy, ya know?

I’d like to go see “Marley and Me” at the movies this afternoon… It premieres today and all three of us read the book this year – and LOVED it… I understand they changed part of the plot and Marley was adopted, not bought at a breeder’s… Maybe Hollywood is finally waking up to their contribution to the unwanted overpopulation problem we have… That would be a nice thing, huh?...

Speaking about nice Christmas gifts, do any of you all remember Malibu?... He was a Chihuahua foster I had for about 6 weeks in 2007… He had a heart on the side of his coat and was scheduled to be killed because of overt aggressiveness?... Malibu got adopted by a nice lady and her teenage daughter and few months later, in Christmas of 2007 Paul played “Santa” at PetSmart… Malibu and his owners came into have their pictures taken and Malibu recognized Paul despite the Santa costume~!!!…

Well, last night I got a call from Malibu’s owner and she told me how great he has been doing… That was the best ever Christmas gift… He’s dearly loved by her daughter and his best bud (canine-wise) is a large Siberian Husky… Apparently when Malibu gets chilly on these early mornings, he stands in between his bud’s legs and has a full canine coat around him to keep warm~!!!... I can just imagine the visual of that… A Chihuahua standing between the legs of a Siberian Husky to stay warm on a chilly Californian morning…

What a neat call to get on a Christmas Eve for me!... These are the neat things you can’t wrap up and put underneath a Christmas tree~!!... They truly are PRICELESS~!!!

Hugs to all and Merry Christmas!
The Lady

REAL Family Press - 12/24/08 - Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone~!!! I hope this finds everyone ready for Santa to come tonight… A HUGE thanks goes out to Santa’s Elves Online who worked their little keyboards and creative brains to pieces, answering all the emails from the kids (little and big) online for yet another year… Some have come back year after year and a “e-APPLUASE” to every one of them! Hip-hip-HURRAH!!! (bowing deeply from the waist)…

Well, I must have been a bad girl this year because Santa gave me a big fat head cold (or now chest cold) this week ahead of time… I ‘gave into it’ yesterday but today I’m doing one of those ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ routines because it is Christmas Eve… Apparently I kept Paul up last night with my coughing and congestion (my, what a switch, huh?)…

But I’m afraid he’s caught it also… However I’m not so sure who brought it home first… We’re a ‘kissy-kissy’ bunch around here and I felt fine… Went to adoptions on Saturday and within an hour of coming home, my throat started feeling scratchy… Then it went downhill from there!

Unfortunately, the latest foster I pulled from the shelter is also battling diarrhea and a bit of food aggression – both take time to be taken care of and when I’m sick, my reserve of patience usually runs lower… He was in the shelter for 5 months, so my heart strings got pulled, and I couldn’t put him out of my head… No one else overwhelms me – I do it all by myself!... LOL…

So, between running for tissues for me, I also am running for paper towels and Nature’s Miracle nonstop right now… At least it keeps life interesting, huh? Tiny Tim didn’t get adopted in time for Christmas, so he’ll be spending the holidays with us as well… They say “there is always room for one more around the table” and I guess I am grateful for the things I can do… Bandit is #45 since I made that promise to Rogaine and I need to keep that in front of me mentally instead of this sore and runny nose! Get with it, Linda!... LOL… I have the CD from “Momma Mia!” running and that’s good to keep you stepping right along as you get your chores done for the day!

Last year, Paul went to a jeweler’s and bought me a diamond for our 10th wedding anniversary… I’m not an ungrateful woman, but there are three parts of my body that I’m a bit particular about (my eyes, my fingers and my feet)… As I’ve gotten older, even those have lost whatever charm they had… And I’m very particular about the kinds of rings I wear – consequently I wear few!... LOL…

I tried to learn to like the ring he bought (even more because of what he paid for it), but I just didn’t like it even one little bit… I didn’t want to hurt his feelings (but I did in the end anyway)… After a few days I just put it away and didn’t wear it, and although he doesn’t notice much, he did this… The end result after a lot of grief, is that I wanted to take it back… The jeweler’s response (reader’s digest) was that it “has the value of glass once you walk out the door with it”…

Them be fighting words, ya know?... …

No exaggeration here, I fought them all year long over this… It was paid for by an American Express card and eventually they agreed to a store credit – not good enough!... What guarantee do I have the merchandise I walk out with will be of any greater ‘value than glass’ after an ordinary transaction and all this hulla-ba-loo, ya know?

Eventually we won – we returned it in the box, worn maybe three times and received a full credit on the AMEX account… I knew we would win eventually just because it became a matter of principle for me… And I seldom give up or in on those things… Especially when I feel I am getting ripped off in a major way… $2,500 is a MAJOR ripoff for something that you don’t like and is going to sit in a box in a drawer somewhere…

Not even intending to replace it at all, I was in Mervyn’s with Desiree last week and she got an AWESOME coverlet for $5.09~!!!... Her first ‘OWN’ purchase for one day when she eventually moves out… Passing by the jewelry counter with so many empty shelves, I spotted a ring that I really liked… So much I stopped and asked to try it on… And drooled… Something I’m not apt to do…

Desiree hit Paul with it as soon as he came home apparently… LOL…

Tired as he was, back we went and although the one I was looking at was gone, there was another very close to the same design… Don’t quote clarity and weight to me, ‘cause I’m just that kind of gal… Things like this (to me) are all about look and if my fingers won’t look fat wearing them… LOL…

Bottom line is that I finally got my diamond after 11 years of marriage!... At 80% off of the usual purchase price… I’m a happy, happy camper in more ways than one… Even better, we spent 8-9% of what he did last year… That’s my kind of price tag – a ring I can wear every day without having to stick my hand in a bubble wrap bag, ya know?

Tonight will be very quiet around here… Desiree is doing a great deed for someone else – she’s house- and pet-sitting for someone so they can all get together as a family in another state… She’ll come home from work, pack a few things, then get over there before they leave… She’ll come home tomorrow after she’s got all the chores done with the dogs, cats and horses… Be here for a few hours and then head back for the afternoon routine…

I expect to get a lot of phone calls the next four days until she comes back home once they get back!... LOL… She’s not really that far away from us (same valley) and she’s looking forward to doing this just because it’s a nice thing to do for someone else… I’ve gone once with her on a practice run and she’ll do fine…

The bittersweet part about all of this is that it will be the first time she’s not awoken here at home with me on Christmas morning… Through the years, she’s not been as enthusiastic about being woken up at 4AM to open presents… … So I anticipate those times are gone until she’s married and the first grandchild comes along…

In the meantime, this is a ‘themed’ Christmas for her… I won’t say what it is because she still reads the Press and I don’t want to give away the surprise ahead of time… But I think she’ll love what Paul and I have gotten for her… Our baby is growing up!

Well, “Squirts” has decided to bestow another present (thankfully he’s learned to hit the pitty pads finally!)… So I must close for now and wish you and yours the best ever of family holiday times… Stay safe, out of the snow, ice, sleet and rain – enjoy your families, fireplaces and memories to be made which are priceless!

Hugs to all and Merry Christmas to all!
The Lady

Linda, Paul and Desiree

And that's when the fight started...

Just in time for our 11th wedding anniversary today, I got the following in my email box... ... How appropriate! So I couldn't resist sharing with you all too!
~~~ The Lady

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My wife sat down on the couch next to me as I was flipping channels. She asked, 'What's on TV?' I said, 'Dust.'
And that's when the fight started....

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My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds.' I bought her a scale.
And that's when the fight started....

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When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive... so, I took her to a gas station.
And that's when the fight started....

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I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason, took my order first. "I'll have the strip steak, medium rare, please." He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?" "Nah, she can order for herself."
And that's when the fight started....

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My wife was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. She is not happy with what she sees and says to me, "'I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment." I replied, "'Your eyesight's damn near perfect."
And that's when the fight started....

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I tried to talk my wife into buying a case of Miller Light for $14.95. Instead, she bought a jar of cold cream for $7.95. I told her the beer would make her look better at night than the cold cream.
And that's when the fight started....

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My wife asked me if a certain dress made her butt look big. I told her not as much as the dress she wore yesterday...
And that's when the fight started....

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I asked my wife, "Where do you want to go for our anniversary?" It warmed my heart to see her face melt in sweet appreciation. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she said. So I suggested, "How about the kitchen?"
And that's when the fight started....

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My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex?" "No," she answered. I then said, "Is that your final answer?" She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying "Yes." So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."
And that's when the fight started....

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I have earned the right to be wrong...

This arrived in my email yet once again and I thought others might like to read it if they haven't yet... The author is unknown...

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I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion.. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

It's always something!

Sunday afternoon I lost my connection to the Internet (we have broadband here)… Initially I figured high winds again… Came back a few hours later, troubleshooted it and rebooted it, got online for just a bit and then it went down again…

Found my hardwire had been crimped again when it was caught in the door to Paul’s office… Straightened that out and rebooted the system again, but this time it did not come back up…

Got up at my usual time at 2:30AM on Monday morning and spent the next 11 hours dealing with the phone company who we get our broadband through, OMG Walmart’s (and their staff person who reportedly ‘knew about these kinds of things’ – NOT), the help desk from the product he sold me and finally I went to Best Buy WITH the modem/router and got the right thing this time to get us back online…

Geezie, peezie~!!!

At one point on Monday I was so frustrated, I was just about to call Paul and tell him he needed to come home NOW and fix this problem~!!!... GRRRRRRRRR…

Unfortunately the jack from the phone company for the broadband is in his office (aka the “Black Hole of Calcutta”) and Paul makes ‘piles of unknown origins’ in his office… I’m not talking piles of things like I have, where it’s all together in one pile and is the same topic, same project, etc… I’m just talking random piles, not stacked, just crap piled together…

I followed one cord around the room, trying to troubleshoot the problem, and found it had no connection at the end – just cut off… I must have pulled his computer forward at LEAST 50 times, switching out wires to find the problem (which turned out to be the OMG Walmarts guy’s stupidity, selling a router only when what we had previously was a modem/router)…

Between having to work in Paul’s mess in his office and the idiot at OMG Walmart’s, I can’t remember when I’ve been so frustrated over something… Several times I thought to myself to just forget it and walk away… At one point in the middle of the night (with no stores open at that time), I decided to go through some of my ‘to do’ list and I’d get a few small things knocked off it, then I’d need Internet access… So I’d skip over that and go onto the next item or task… And then the problem would repeat itself – no Internet, can’t do this now…

I am really, REALLY good about working through problems – seeing things through to the end without losing my patience or getting frustrated… And I seldom ask for help from others unless I absolutely cannot do something myself on my own – even if it means I have to shove something inch by inch, eventually I will get it moved or fixed or whatever…

I finally got Paul’s computer up and back online around noon time and then headed off to get mine done… No more crimping my hard line in the future, because I went wireless… Desiree’s new laptop is already wireless but because of our setup, she’s been having to use a hard line for Internet access – no more as well… She and I are both wireless now…

As for Paul’s office?... Well, I know I left it in a worse mess than when I found it (if possible) but it doesn’t look that much different… sigh… He’ll get frustrated one day and go in there, start throwing things away left and right… And will throw away or shred things we need… Such is his way of doing things, but as long as I don’t have to deal with it or look at it, it is not my problem…

At this time of the year, most people are all wrapped up in the Christmas frenzy, but I’m the odd ball that’s trying to make sure I have all of my receipts in the tax box, nothing pending in my stuff, ready to just box it up on January 1st and be able to get on the taxes ASAP… It is a ritual of sorts for me – I pull checkbook copies on New Year’s while others are nursing their hangovers!... LOL…

And this is also the time of year for me when I reflect on things I haven’t completed, start planning on things that I want to complete and/or start the next year, etc… Sorta/kinda a cleaning out of the old and looking forward to the new, ya know?... Having the computer or it’s Internet interface going down at this time of the year is not a good thing for me!

In the end, a burnt out modem/router caused 11 hours of major grief, heartburn and irritation, but on the positive side, it removed the irritation of occasionally finding my land line kinked up in a closed door by someone else, so I guess that’s a good thing! Lemonade out of lemons, ya know?

Speaking of something ‘sour’ and switching gears here, I guess many of you have read or been made aware of Biden’s new family member addition?... Bottom line is that part of the new move to Washington was purchasing a German Shepherd Dog (or GSD) puppy, having someone else train it and then deliver it to Washington, DC on the 20th of January… With over 7,000 of these homeless and unwanted of the breed sitting in our nation’s shelters currently on death row, you’d have thought Biden would have considered the ramifications of buying a puppy mill puppy…

Apparently not…

Read more here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/16/112331/48?new=true

Obama made a small bit of history when he included the mention of their new addition in his acceptance speech – and made a lot of people happy when it was announced it would be a rescue and not a puppy mill purchase… I’m waiting to see how this all pans out, but I suspect one is a campaign promise and the other is just a stupid judgment error…

I don’t think people will let Biden forget about his decision however… And I’ll be REALLY curious to see the outcome of this puppy mill puppy purchase… Especially when it has now been proven this is NOT a reputable GSD breeder, but one who has been cited several times by the USDA and even lost her AKC membership because of shoddy record keeping and other factors – considering the AKC seldom terminates breeders from membership, that alone says something…

January 20th will be interesting if nothing else…

I don’t think the American public just ‘accept’ things as easily as they have been… Too many people are worried about their futures (for many different reasons, not just economical or financial)… When the economy is good, people tend to be a bit more accepting of things, but when it is not, it is a different story (or the easy acceptance factor goes into the toilet basically)…

When you have to make do with a lot less, that ‘a lot less’ becomes much more precious to you… And decisions (good, bad or a combination of the two) create action… The ‘ripple effect’ everyone talks about becomes a tidal wave and even if your life is not being greatly impacted by things, you can’t completely turn a blind eye to what is going on around you…

In our state they are currently trying to now tax vet services which previously was not taxed… Many people can’t take care of their pets needs now as it is, and the shelters are bursting at the seams… “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is now starting to have its effect on the Chihuahua breed and come Christmas, “Marley and Me” will spur an impact on the Lab breed… As Labs don’t grow out of that ‘annoying puppy stage’ until they are three years or older, we’ll see the impact of that movie for the next few years in our shelters… If they are successful at increasing the cost of medical care for those who have pets with this vet tax, even more dogs will end up in the shelters in the next few years… And EVERYONE who pays taxes is impacted by the increase at the shelter level – whether you own a dog or cat – for your taxes pay to kill healthy dogs and cats in the shelters when they run out of room…

Of course, in our state they end up going to the rendering plants and then into fertilizer and other products… Nothing is ever lost, just transformed according to the laws of physics… Shame we can’t realize this as a society and actually do something positive instead of consistently doing more negative things… It’s a tidal wave of bad judgment calls and actions, IMHO…

I truly can understand why people are so mentally weary when they come home, not wanting to do much more than eat something and bury their head in either the TV or one of their hobbies… Anything to block out all the news of the day, trials and tribulations of just simply living, ya know?... After awhile it just all gets to you… It’s hard to just keep ‘turning your eyes to the sun so you don’t have to see the shadows in life’… Some might call it ‘denial’ while others call it ‘survival’… I try and walk between the two concepts and even on my best day, I can’t always do it…

Desiree has her last final today and this marks the 1/3rd mark of her academia life… To me the middle 1/3rd is the hardest of most things… I’m no longer starting but the end is too far away for me to see… Keeping the momentum and spirit going is the toughest… I usually mentally ‘zone out’ to get through this section of anything… I keep telling myself I can’t quit and I won’t think of how much more I still have to do to reach resolution or the end…

And tomorrow, Paul and I will pass another year of marriage… It’s our 11th wedding anniversary (and they said it wouldn’t last 6 weeks~!! LOL… so much for that hue and cry in 1997, huh?)… … To me, the 5 year marks are the ones that become the benchmarks, so the 15th should be interesting… (smile)… And if you believe in the Mayan calendar, the world is supposed to end on December 21, 2012… I guess I should be grateful our 15th wedding anniversary will be December 18, 2012?... If we make it, the sense of achievement on that benchmark should validate my ongoing desire for completing things, huh?...

Desiree has left her laundry slide for a few weeks (~!!!) and my goal for today and tomorrow is simply to get all of her laundry caught up as well as doing my own… So much for exciting anniversary plans, huh?... The dryer is once again not drying like it should, so it becomes a tedious project to get it all done… I should be grateful though… Did you all hear about the lady who reached into her washing machine to find an 8’ foot python?... I’m not kidding – it is not a hoax~!!!

Read it for yourself here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25725071/

I’ve stopped doing laundry in the middle of the night because of the creepy crawlies and the occasional mouse that will INSIST on finding its way across the garage and over my foot while doing wash…

Now I have to worry about reaching in and thinking about that snake story… I haven’t been in deep ocean water since “Jaws”… Now the washing machine and that opened lid will make me think about that story and the snake!... :::SHIVERS:::… Just what I need~!!! … YET another thing to think about as I go along with my normal routine~!!!

As Gilda would say, “It’s always something…”

As Always,
The Lady

P.S. The Press will start being published here: http://ladyisreal.blogspot.com/ in case you fall off the list somehow, you can catch up there. If you fall off the Press list, to get back on you need to send a blank email to ladyisreal2001-subscribe@topica.com

Remind me when I forget, OK?

Mornin’ Mornin’… Almost everything I’ve learned in the past twenty years of my life have been either through watching Desiree grow up – or the dogs…

That’s a ‘big’ statement to make when you think about it… Prior to my 30th birthday, I think my learning curve came totally from my surroundings and environment, but not focused on any one thing… Many of the things I learned came from direct reactions to actions or situations – similar to the idea you don’t touch an oven again once it is turned on because you’ll burn yourself, but if not on, it is OK to touch…

Make any sense between the two different methods of learning?

I talk a LOT about Desiree and/or the dogs in the Press… Both are enormous resources to learn from and improve myself from… Education and perspectives I could not ever afford to pay for if dollars were the exchange currency… Thankfully, the exchange is done via love, attention, patience, observation, more love and patience, etc… LOL… Otherwise I’d be even more totally broke than we are!

Over the past year I’ve watched Mr. Sweetie struggle with his dementia and all of the other issues he as going on… His arrival here two years ago was chaos between the smells from him releasing his anal gland in pain (from his mouth), inability to allow anyone to come even close to his face, etc.
Next month he will be 15 years old (on the 15th as a matter of fact) and although he’s just as cute as a bug in a rug, even my vet says he was badly named~!!!... “Ain’t nuthin much sweet about him,” she says with a chuckle each time…

I’m a sucker for the unwanted, neglected and throwaways… While in my head, one day I’d LOVE to have one of those SMALL Chihuahua pups to raise from the start, my heart knows it will not ever happen… My destiny is to try and undo the failures and poor judgments made by other humans as they toss these little ones away without much thought into the shelters…

This might sound like one of those pages from “All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from…” books, but it is probably more true than most of us ever realized… Mr. Sweetie’s dementia has been painful emotionally to watch and get through at times… Thankfully everyone here is tolerant and understanding of what is going on --- the trouble is usually trying to figure out exactly WHAT is going on inside his little pea brain… Sometimes even I don’t know, and I’m the last resort to ‘doggie translations’ around here…

We’re about to start trying to find a medicinal solution to his dementia… Paul and I have discussed this numerous times and we both agree that as along as we can maintain a quality of life for him --- and his safety --- it’s our job to do so… Because of his psychological and emotional disorders, he will always be an ‘outsider’ in the pack around here… Much like society is with humans that don’t quite fit in… There’s not much difference when you come down to it…

The other day I caught Mr. Sweetie lifting his leg – twice in one day… This is one of my few bug-a-boos I won’t tolerate and will go after like winds in a tornado… Not just chemically but with training as well… No matter how bad I’m feeling, I will fly out of a chair or bed to address the behavior and get it gone!

As usual, however (LOL)… I’ve been pondering on the ‘why’ of it the past few days… Why, all of sudden, is he doing this after so many months/years of good potty behaviors?... I can’t simply dismiss things because he’s getting older… I accommodate their short legs and senior years by training them all to use pitty pads (especially helpful in the rain and winter season)…

And like one of those proverbial mental light bulbs this morning at 4AM as I’m standing outside and shivering my ‘you-know-whats’ off, it dawned one me… We just accept things that are going well without positive reinforcement… Doesn’t matter if it is training a dog or our interactions with other humans, our job, situations, etc…

I have done this CONSTANTLY as I’ve raised Desiree – praising her for all her achievements and celebrating her successes, trying to ignore her few failures unless they were dramatically affecting the whole house, etc… We’ve told her every day how much we love her – not as a habit, but spontaneously as things prompted us to feel the feelings…

Somewhere along the way I’ve forgotten to do this with Mr. Sweetie, reinforcing the good things he’s done as the issues with his dementia cause changes every day, causing those to come to the forefront of one's consciousness…

And I needed to be reminded of this – all I’ve ever needed to know (once again) I learned from our dogs!!!

It is the standing joke around here with ‘elevator up, elevator down’… Mr. Sweetie has issues with another dog getting too close to him, and he prefers to sleep in a doggie bed in a cubby hole underneath my computer desk… He can’t get up into there, nor can he easily get down (he can, but he won’t attempt it)… I don’t allow anyone else to ‘smell up’ his doggie bed either – the success of it is that it is his alone, ya know?

However, most of my days spent at the computer include this ‘elevator up, elevator down’ routine… If I’m here sitting at my desk, then I seldom allow anyone to sit in my lap anymore… Everyone is within a foot or two of me, but because I am up and down constantly, anyone sitting in my lap no longer gets to sleep when I have to disturb them by moving… So when Mr. Sweetie wants to be in that 6’ square ‘Ladyzone’ around my desk, I have to lift up his doggie bed into that cubby – and when he wants down, I have to lift the doggie bed onto the floor so he can step out of it…

You do what you gotta do, ya know?... It’s taken us a year to be able to carry him with two hands and him not screaming like you’ve just hurt him… Sometimes you can’t readily pick him up easily – he also doesn’t want ANY other dogs around him when he’s in this vulnerable position as you are touching him (vulnerable at least in his own mind)…

I have ALWAYS said Mr. Sweetie would have done much better in a ‘no other dog’ household for the most part, but he also wants dogs at a distance too… It’s a very delicate balance and tight rope we walk on a daily balance… And no one else wanted to take this on, no matter how many adoptions I took him to, how many people I talked to about him, etc... His age and health issues were just too many issues for anyone to adopt ~~ and I tried SO hard but failed to find someone who'd take him on and give him is own furever home alone... So you do the best you can, and then turn the page as Paul always says...

But again, isn’t that just like your life and society?... Each and every day?... One day you can mention the sky is cloudy and it’s OK… The next day the same comment will bring you a torrent of accusations why the sky has become cloudy today!... LOL…

I just have to keep in mind that dogs and humans have all the same needs… They need to be reminded all the time of the good things they’ve done, appreciated for their character assets and accomplishments and loved unconditionally without hidden agendas…

Once again, I’ve learned another value lesson from either my daughter or the dogs… Thank goodness I have them all in my life to keep me learning and improving!

As Always,
The Lady

Beginnings

I don't intend to write anything profound or wise in this blog... I am told by my very wise and educated daughter that I am an 'autowriter' per her literature classes, so I positive I will have grammar errors and misssspelled words!... Seems that blogs are last era's diaries, so this is nothing more than trying to keep up with the changing times... And Lord knows, my brain doesn't work logically (like with most people), so I can't imagine many other people will even read this blog~!!! "So why bother?" the Lady asks to herself... Hmmmm... "Because I can?"...

Maybe it is nothing more than celebrating the good things along the way - making lemonade out of lemons - and the need to validate that feeling when you happen upon it, ya know?

For example, a tragedy at sea in Alaska at the beginning of 2008 when Greg Clark was lost along with a puppy and his trusted dog, "Brick"... To read later that Brick survived weeks alone on an island and was found is one of those celebration moments that one has to acknowledge, ya know?