Not serious, as in "Oh here is the formula for fixing global warming". Seriously rambling as in all over the flipping map, rambling!
I have several points I want to make so let me number them and see if I can stay on track.
1. DWTS - what the hell were they thinking? Isn't the title Dancing with the STARS? Because I read the list of the new cast and I thought they had changed it to Dancing with the NOBODY, LOSER HASBEENS AND WANNABES. Ol' Carol Brady is the only one you could remotely call a star.
2. What has happened with people and phone etiquette? People call you and are rude. I call people and they are rude. No one seems to want to be polite anymore. What's up with that?
3. My savings account has been eaten alive by vet bills this past month. The schnauzer Maxwell Banks II is still at the hospital convalescing after his second surgery in 2 days so those bills are still mounting. Methinks it will be a very lean and very homemade and creative Christmas this year spent admiring our healthy pets rather than store-bought gifts!
4. My friend Ula told me yesterday that someone she knows told her that the reason so much bad shit is happening is because Mars is in retrograde. Some astrological stuff that was way over Ula's head and mine as well. (Good Lord, will you look at that? I was thinking astrological shit, and my fingers typed stuff and censored me. I wonder how that happens?) So, anyhoo, whatever is going on with Mars, I wish it would please and very kindly stop. First my little cat Fergus Jackson MacPhee almost dies. Then I had a HUGE upset with my vet's office. Maxwell Banks II in for 2 surgeries. My sweet and precious little Rachel Pie left important keys at my house so I had to UPS them to her. And not 2 hours later she calls to tell me she lost her flipping wallet. wtf? I immediately passed the phone to her father, the infamous Mr. Big Ed who has similarly lost wallets, atm cards, etc. Rachel Pie's response to me was this "It happens to everyone". Really? I am gonna have to disagree on that one, Little Bitty Pie Person.
Mars, get yourself out of retrograde already! Enough is enough.
5. My grandma has been in the hospital for 5 weeks and was just moved Thursday to an assisted-living facility to do dialysis for 2 months as an in-patient. Supposedly if her kidneys respond well to this course she can then go home and just go for dialysis on an out-patient basis. I probably should have listed this at the top of number 4 with Mars and his retrograding. But every day I talk to her on the phone and afterwards I say "Poor Grandma". I feel so bad for her. No one should spend their 92nd birthday plus 5 more weeks in a stupid hospital. That's 1/12 of her 93rd year started out not even being in her own home. I am planning a trip out there really soon to visit and see what I can do for her.
6. Speaking of trips; I know I just returned from 2 separate trips but I am headed out again today. My sister, let's call her Bertha is driving over here and then we are driving together over to our aunt's home to spend a few days with even more relatives visiting from California. So I will be gone for a couple of days. Right now I should be folding clothes and such before I leave but no, I thought I better type this to you instead!
7. Tomorrow is September. Wrap your brain around that little thought for moment, won't you? Is it just me or does it seem like the previous 8 months have flown by in the blink of an eye? Have I done all the things I set out to do this year? Not even close.
8. A little more on the t.v. updates:
Survivor is coming soon!!! Yea! I am soooooo tired of the BB cast and I am so ready for this to be over.
Top Shot, the show that was on the History Channel hosted by Colby Donaldson (of Survivor fame) is coming back for a second season!! Woot!
Brian Cranston won another Emmy, 3 in a row, for playing Walter the meth dude on Breaking Bad. That is a fabulous show. Make sure you watch the new season when it comes back.
That new show "The Big C" starring Laura Linney is really good. I love the quirky characters. And it is set in Minneapolis/St. Paul which is really fun.
Ok, I am all done rambling now. See you in a couple of days!!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Maxwell Banks II and the Case of the recurring bladder stones
My little schnauzer, Maxwell Banks II is now a senior citizen in dog-land. He is 13 1/2 years old. And old age has not been kind to the small grumpy dog. Old age has kicked his ass up one side of the street and down the other. He can't hear anything except really high pitch sounds, he is developing cataracts and can't see shit, he seems to have a case of Old Timer's, and his hips are stiff when he wakes up and has to stretch before hopping out of his bed.
But the worst thing for him? Bladder stones.
He developed some of these 3 years ago just after his 10th birthday and had to have surgery. They opened up 2 places, one in his bladder and the other down along his urethra to remove the ones that were stuck there and causing all the pain, discomfort and bleeding. And I was told at that time that schnauzers are prone to these and that once you get them your chances are HUGE that they will come again.
And 3 years later, here we are again. My poor pathetic grumpy little schnauzer is at the hospital having surgery for the second time in 2 days to try and remove all the stones and give him a little relief.
Didn't I just have to be here reporting about our young cat Fergus Jackson MacPhee being in the hospital having all his issues? What gives with all these damn pets having health concerns? Was my savings account just growing too much? Was it creating an imbalance somewhere that needed a huge expenditure to even things out? Come on, already!
This is my little fat dog, Max.
Let's all say a little prayer that Max tolerates the surgery well and that he can live out his remaining years without the pain and nuisance of these damn bladder stones. And while we are at it, let's also pray that this new vet knows what he is doing.
But the worst thing for him? Bladder stones.
He developed some of these 3 years ago just after his 10th birthday and had to have surgery. They opened up 2 places, one in his bladder and the other down along his urethra to remove the ones that were stuck there and causing all the pain, discomfort and bleeding. And I was told at that time that schnauzers are prone to these and that once you get them your chances are HUGE that they will come again.
And 3 years later, here we are again. My poor pathetic grumpy little schnauzer is at the hospital having surgery for the second time in 2 days to try and remove all the stones and give him a little relief.
Didn't I just have to be here reporting about our young cat Fergus Jackson MacPhee being in the hospital having all his issues? What gives with all these damn pets having health concerns? Was my savings account just growing too much? Was it creating an imbalance somewhere that needed a huge expenditure to even things out? Come on, already!
This is my little fat dog, Max.
Let's all say a little prayer that Max tolerates the surgery well and that he can live out his remaining years without the pain and nuisance of these damn bladder stones. And while we are at it, let's also pray that this new vet knows what he is doing.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Cruisin' - Part Dos
You know how some people are called Anglo-philes or Franco-philes? Because they love everything English or French? Not me. Not even a little bit. I swear I was switched at birth and should have grown up in Mexico.
I am a Mexi-phile.
A Mexican-wanna-be.
So of course I was most excited to get to Cozumel on our cruise since it was the only Mexican port of call. What a wonderful way to end the cruise with a day in Mexico. And you already know what this means, don't you?
No matter how nice Mexico is, no matter how gorgeous I found Grand Cayman to be; nothing prepared me for how gorgeous and seductive Jamaica is.
I am in love with Jamaica. I loved all the people I met. I love the accent! That should go without saying. The lush, tropical green-ness was espectacular, to use the Argentine vernacular.
Our boat docked at Montego Bay. I didn't see a great deal of that fair city as I was on a tour of Croydon Plantation. Check out the website of this gorgeous place. I'll wait. Immediately, I was taken on a wonderfully air-conditioned tour bus up the windy road up the mountain to the Croydon Plantation. Donald, our bus driver immediately put on the Bob Marley tunes and we all were mellowed out and happy to be there. Natalie, our tour guide was the cutest thing you ever saw! I wanted to fold her up and put her in my pocket to bring her home with me. Her two kids might have missed her, don't you think?
Let me show you a bit of the Jamaica I saw:
This is from our ship looking at our entry point. It was very cloudy and lush, that was my first impression.
This is from our tour bus. Just green as far as you can see.
Look up there! The Uptown Cuisine Restaurant. Very Rastafarian. And don't you love how they put the green trash can in front of the green part of the building? Love it!
And in case you missed eating at the Uptown Cuisine, why, right up the road is the Lick Finger Cook Shop. Is that the cutest thing ever?
This is at the Croydon Plantation. We were way up at about 5000 - 6000 ft. elevation and had the most gorgeous panoramic view. I will get some of those shots in here, don't worry.
Now, you may not be able to tell what this is. It is a close-up of the leaves and fruit of the almond tree. Yes, these little green things will become the almonds we all know and love so well. Next, is a better shot of that same tree.
Look at that tree! Isn't it gorgeous? The other thing you should notice is that it is on an encline. We really were up at the top of the mountain.
See that up there? That's not grass. That is a field of pineapple plants. Gorgeous!
Look at that one! That's a Neem tree. I know! I was so excited. I use Neem oil, Neem shampoo on my dogs. Neem is good stuff. It's like tea tree in that it is so versatile. My very first Neem tree.
This is the bottom half of an Ackee fruit tree. You know the song "ackee fruit, salted fish is nice, and the rum is fine any time of year" This is the tree the ackee fruit comes from. Apparently ackee fruit and salted fish is the National Dish. Unfortunately, they only served us one meal and it was jerked chicken. Which was wonderful, but more about that later.
This is a close up of a few of the TWENTY-SEVEN different varieties of pineapple they grow on this plantation. See the cute little baby pineapple growing up top of the plant in the middle? We were given tasters of 7 different varieties to try. And yes, they did all taste slightly different from each other.
Another panoramic shot of the view. But what I want you to notice is the pine trees in the front there. Pine trees. In Jamaica. Did you ever think you would see that? I believe they were called Jamaican Pine trees. Beautiful!!
And believe it or don't, but that little guy up there? That is a coffee plant/tree. This is where the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee comes from. The best coffee on earth comes from these little trees. Each of these coffee plant/trees has a companion banana tree right behind it to give it shade so that they get just the right amount of sunlight to grow the world's best coffee beans.
Next is a more close-up shot of the coffee berries/beans.
See them all in there? All different stages of ripeness. Aren't they gorgeous? Aren't you tired of me going on and on and saying how gorgeous everything in Jamaica is?
Well you are in luck, because right after this picture we made it to the pavilion where they had prepared a lovely Jamaican meal for us. And right when we got there the heavens opened up and poured rain like you wouldn't believe for the next few hours. And this made for a very interesting ride home down the mountain now that the roads were all wet and running with lots of water.
Back to the lunch they served us. We started out with a lovely little cucumber dish. They were sliced paper thin and then marinated in a sweet vinegar/sugar concoction much like you use on sushi rice. Then we had a greens dish called Callaloo. Tasted like greens. And I like greens, so that was fine. Next was a rice and beans dish. The rice was a basmati type rice with little red beans added in. Then we had jerked chicken. I don't know if the correct name is "Jerk Chicken" or "JerkED Chicken". Regardless, everything was wonderful.
Also they gave us little cups of the coffee grown there and then led us to a booth where they were selling said coffee. And that is where I bought as much coffee as I could carry.
There were also lessons on the steps to produce the coffee, and on the honey they raise there. So I had to buy honey too.
It was a prosperous day for the Croydon Plantation with me and my family all visiting and shopping there, is what I am saying!
We got lots of lessons in how to speak in the patois from our tour guide, Natalie. By the end of the day, we were all saying "Ya Mon" to anything they asked us. "No problem Mon".
Jamaica hasn't seen the last of me. I suspect there might be a love affair brewing for me and that island in the sun. Sorry Mexico, but sometimes a girl has to step out and see what she is missing.
One love, baby. or not!
I am a Mexi-phile.
A Mexican-wanna-be.
So of course I was most excited to get to Cozumel on our cruise since it was the only Mexican port of call. What a wonderful way to end the cruise with a day in Mexico. And you already know what this means, don't you?
No matter how nice Mexico is, no matter how gorgeous I found Grand Cayman to be; nothing prepared me for how gorgeous and seductive Jamaica is.
I am in love with Jamaica. I loved all the people I met. I love the accent! That should go without saying. The lush, tropical green-ness was espectacular, to use the Argentine vernacular.
Our boat docked at Montego Bay. I didn't see a great deal of that fair city as I was on a tour of Croydon Plantation. Check out the website of this gorgeous place. I'll wait. Immediately, I was taken on a wonderfully air-conditioned tour bus up the windy road up the mountain to the Croydon Plantation. Donald, our bus driver immediately put on the Bob Marley tunes and we all were mellowed out and happy to be there. Natalie, our tour guide was the cutest thing you ever saw! I wanted to fold her up and put her in my pocket to bring her home with me. Her two kids might have missed her, don't you think?
Let me show you a bit of the Jamaica I saw:
This is from our ship looking at our entry point. It was very cloudy and lush, that was my first impression.
This is from our tour bus. Just green as far as you can see.
Look up there! The Uptown Cuisine Restaurant. Very Rastafarian. And don't you love how they put the green trash can in front of the green part of the building? Love it!
And in case you missed eating at the Uptown Cuisine, why, right up the road is the Lick Finger Cook Shop. Is that the cutest thing ever?
This is at the Croydon Plantation. We were way up at about 5000 - 6000 ft. elevation and had the most gorgeous panoramic view. I will get some of those shots in here, don't worry.
Now, you may not be able to tell what this is. It is a close-up of the leaves and fruit of the almond tree. Yes, these little green things will become the almonds we all know and love so well. Next, is a better shot of that same tree.
Look at that tree! Isn't it gorgeous? The other thing you should notice is that it is on an encline. We really were up at the top of the mountain.
See that up there? That's not grass. That is a field of pineapple plants. Gorgeous!
Look at that one! That's a Neem tree. I know! I was so excited. I use Neem oil, Neem shampoo on my dogs. Neem is good stuff. It's like tea tree in that it is so versatile. My very first Neem tree.
This is the bottom half of an Ackee fruit tree. You know the song "ackee fruit, salted fish is nice, and the rum is fine any time of year" This is the tree the ackee fruit comes from. Apparently ackee fruit and salted fish is the National Dish. Unfortunately, they only served us one meal and it was jerked chicken. Which was wonderful, but more about that later.
Now get a load of that view. What would you give to wake up every day and see all that? Heaven on earth, that's what that is.
This is a close up of a few of the TWENTY-SEVEN different varieties of pineapple they grow on this plantation. See the cute little baby pineapple growing up top of the plant in the middle? We were given tasters of 7 different varieties to try. And yes, they did all taste slightly different from each other.
Another panoramic shot of the view. But what I want you to notice is the pine trees in the front there. Pine trees. In Jamaica. Did you ever think you would see that? I believe they were called Jamaican Pine trees. Beautiful!!
And believe it or don't, but that little guy up there? That is a coffee plant/tree. This is where the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee comes from. The best coffee on earth comes from these little trees. Each of these coffee plant/trees has a companion banana tree right behind it to give it shade so that they get just the right amount of sunlight to grow the world's best coffee beans.
Next is a more close-up shot of the coffee berries/beans.
See them all in there? All different stages of ripeness. Aren't they gorgeous? Aren't you tired of me going on and on and saying how gorgeous everything in Jamaica is?
Well you are in luck, because right after this picture we made it to the pavilion where they had prepared a lovely Jamaican meal for us. And right when we got there the heavens opened up and poured rain like you wouldn't believe for the next few hours. And this made for a very interesting ride home down the mountain now that the roads were all wet and running with lots of water.
Back to the lunch they served us. We started out with a lovely little cucumber dish. They were sliced paper thin and then marinated in a sweet vinegar/sugar concoction much like you use on sushi rice. Then we had a greens dish called Callaloo. Tasted like greens. And I like greens, so that was fine. Next was a rice and beans dish. The rice was a basmati type rice with little red beans added in. Then we had jerked chicken. I don't know if the correct name is "Jerk Chicken" or "JerkED Chicken". Regardless, everything was wonderful.
Also they gave us little cups of the coffee grown there and then led us to a booth where they were selling said coffee. And that is where I bought as much coffee as I could carry.
There were also lessons on the steps to produce the coffee, and on the honey they raise there. So I had to buy honey too.
It was a prosperous day for the Croydon Plantation with me and my family all visiting and shopping there, is what I am saying!
We got lots of lessons in how to speak in the patois from our tour guide, Natalie. By the end of the day, we were all saying "Ya Mon" to anything they asked us. "No problem Mon".
Jamaica hasn't seen the last of me. I suspect there might be a love affair brewing for me and that island in the sun. Sorry Mexico, but sometimes a girl has to step out and see what she is missing.
One love, baby. or not!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Cruisin' - Part I
For those of you who know me you may be surprised to learn that I was totally unprepared for being motion sick on the cruise. For those of you who don't really know me you may wonder why on earth a person who has always been motion sickness-prone would not seriously consider that this might be a teeny, tiny issue with going on a cruise.
I have always and I mean ALWAYS either had to A. take loads of Dramamine and sleep like the dead through a trip or B. be the driver. You will be happy to know that since I learned to drive and figured out that driving really helps stave off the effects that I don't take the Dramamine. I don't know what they put in that Dramamine shit but it knocks me flat the hell out!
Back to the cruise. Every time I have asked a cruiser how they deal with motion sickness I have gotten the same response from all of them. (and they are all big fat liars) "Oh, the ship is soooooo big and stable you won't feel a thing!!!!" Lying liars, is what those jack asses are. Lying liars.
So I went with the information provided to me (by the lying liars) and did not prepare myself for being sick. and dizzy. and nauseous. and did I mention dizzy? We boarded this ship and it was Party Central immediately. Oh, the happiness surrounded us! We set sail around 4:30 - 5 -ish. I didn't wear a watch. It is not a vacation if you have a watch. We then got ourselves all dressed up and made our way to the dining room. And immediately upon sitting at that rocking, rolling, vibrating table I had to get up. I was having such a hard time keeping my lunch where it belonged that there was no way I could eat. So I excused myself and went to my room and was very sad for myself that no one (ahem, no one, cough, Mr. Big Ed) came with me and tried to take care of me and make me feel better. No one.
You know, when you take a little trip with 15 of your closest family members including your mother, and your husband and your offspring that you very nicely carried around in your womb for 9 months each, you would think that SOMEONE, anyone, would want to feel for you and take care of you. Well, if you think that then you my friend would be like me and be sadly mistaken. Miss their elaborate 3 course meal presented with flourishes by our lovely wait staff? Not a chance.
To make this sad and very long tale much shorter I will just say that Monday brought more of the same dizziness, vertigo, nausea, etc to my door. By Tuesday morning I was figuring out ways to get off the damn rocking boat and fly my ass back home to terra firma. But first I was going up to the Spa Deck to rub a ton of conditioner into my hair and then sit in the steam room. And when I got to the Spa I read the Menu of things available to me and my eyes lit on the Accupuncturist and choices of treatments. And down in the middle of the list was . . . . . . . .
Sea Sickness!!!!
O M G! The stars had finally aligned for me. Relief might be in sight. So I asked at the desk and made my appointment and then rushed through my steam and shower to wait for the accupuncturist. And then he came. My saviour. His name was Garith and he is a Kiwi. And what a nice and soliticious soul that Garith was. We talked for a good long time and then I layed down and got needled and relaxed for a good long time. And I started feeling better. And better.
And that for me was when the cruise really began. Before Garith? That was not just my first cruise, but my last. After Garith? That was my first cruise of who knows how many!
I had a ball. I joined in every trivia and name that tune challenge I could find. We played games, we laughed, we danced in the disco to all of Michael Jackson's hits, we ate fabulous food, we slept like babies being rocked to sleep. I have never slept so long! I swear I slept a minimum of 10 hours each night. Well rested, I was.
We had a room steward assigned to us. Ours was named Leslie. Leslie is a nice young man from India who has never met an orthodontist. Nevertheless, Leslie has a very large and warm smile. And one of his duties each day was to take a bunch of towels and create cute little towel animals and leave them on our bed with our "after dinner and going to bed" mints. Let me now share with you a few of Leslie's creations.
Now isn't that guy cute? I thought it was a bunny. But everyone I showed it to said it was a dog or a pig. Adorable!
Then we got this really cute komodo dragon looking guy. I loved him!!
Look at that elephant! Isn't he precious? And let me show you a picture of my sister's elephant. You will see that Leslie is a far superior towel animal folder than hers.
And look who we found hanging around in our room! A cute little monkey. How cute is that! And if you look in the mirror behind him you will see the reflection of my side of the bed with millions of pillows.
And the very last night there was a bat hanging in the rafters. You can't make it out very well in the photo, but he had fangs.
Now, after all that excitement do you think we gave Leslie a nice big extra fat tip? Of course we did! We loved Leslie. Every single time we left the room and that must have been hundreds of times a day, he ran in there and cleaned up after us and made everything all pretty and clean again.
Tomorrow we will continue the exciting saga of Lisa Pie's First Cruise. I know y'all are now all going to go origami your own towels, aren't you?
I have always and I mean ALWAYS either had to A. take loads of Dramamine and sleep like the dead through a trip or B. be the driver. You will be happy to know that since I learned to drive and figured out that driving really helps stave off the effects that I don't take the Dramamine. I don't know what they put in that Dramamine shit but it knocks me flat the hell out!
Back to the cruise. Every time I have asked a cruiser how they deal with motion sickness I have gotten the same response from all of them. (and they are all big fat liars) "Oh, the ship is soooooo big and stable you won't feel a thing!!!!" Lying liars, is what those jack asses are. Lying liars.
So I went with the information provided to me (by the lying liars) and did not prepare myself for being sick. and dizzy. and nauseous. and did I mention dizzy? We boarded this ship and it was Party Central immediately. Oh, the happiness surrounded us! We set sail around 4:30 - 5 -ish. I didn't wear a watch. It is not a vacation if you have a watch. We then got ourselves all dressed up and made our way to the dining room. And immediately upon sitting at that rocking, rolling, vibrating table I had to get up. I was having such a hard time keeping my lunch where it belonged that there was no way I could eat. So I excused myself and went to my room and was very sad for myself that no one (ahem, no one, cough, Mr. Big Ed) came with me and tried to take care of me and make me feel better. No one.
You know, when you take a little trip with 15 of your closest family members including your mother, and your husband and your offspring that you very nicely carried around in your womb for 9 months each, you would think that SOMEONE, anyone, would want to feel for you and take care of you. Well, if you think that then you my friend would be like me and be sadly mistaken. Miss their elaborate 3 course meal presented with flourishes by our lovely wait staff? Not a chance.
To make this sad and very long tale much shorter I will just say that Monday brought more of the same dizziness, vertigo, nausea, etc to my door. By Tuesday morning I was figuring out ways to get off the damn rocking boat and fly my ass back home to terra firma. But first I was going up to the Spa Deck to rub a ton of conditioner into my hair and then sit in the steam room. And when I got to the Spa I read the Menu of things available to me and my eyes lit on the Accupuncturist and choices of treatments. And down in the middle of the list was . . . . . . . .
Sea Sickness!!!!
O M G! The stars had finally aligned for me. Relief might be in sight. So I asked at the desk and made my appointment and then rushed through my steam and shower to wait for the accupuncturist. And then he came. My saviour. His name was Garith and he is a Kiwi. And what a nice and soliticious soul that Garith was. We talked for a good long time and then I layed down and got needled and relaxed for a good long time. And I started feeling better. And better.
And that for me was when the cruise really began. Before Garith? That was not just my first cruise, but my last. After Garith? That was my first cruise of who knows how many!
I had a ball. I joined in every trivia and name that tune challenge I could find. We played games, we laughed, we danced in the disco to all of Michael Jackson's hits, we ate fabulous food, we slept like babies being rocked to sleep. I have never slept so long! I swear I slept a minimum of 10 hours each night. Well rested, I was.
We had a room steward assigned to us. Ours was named Leslie. Leslie is a nice young man from India who has never met an orthodontist. Nevertheless, Leslie has a very large and warm smile. And one of his duties each day was to take a bunch of towels and create cute little towel animals and leave them on our bed with our "after dinner and going to bed" mints. Let me now share with you a few of Leslie's creations.
Now isn't that guy cute? I thought it was a bunny. But everyone I showed it to said it was a dog or a pig. Adorable!
Then we got this really cute komodo dragon looking guy. I loved him!!
Look at that elephant! Isn't he precious? And let me show you a picture of my sister's elephant. You will see that Leslie is a far superior towel animal folder than hers.
See what I mean? Her elephant doesn't even have eyes!
And look who we found hanging around in our room! A cute little monkey. How cute is that! And if you look in the mirror behind him you will see the reflection of my side of the bed with millions of pillows.
And this little sting ray followed us back on board from Grand Cayman. Heh, that Leslie is hilarious!
And the very last night there was a bat hanging in the rafters. You can't make it out very well in the photo, but he had fangs.
Now, after all that excitement do you think we gave Leslie a nice big extra fat tip? Of course we did! We loved Leslie. Every single time we left the room and that must have been hundreds of times a day, he ran in there and cleaned up after us and made everything all pretty and clean again.
Tomorrow we will continue the exciting saga of Lisa Pie's First Cruise. I know y'all are now all going to go origami your own towels, aren't you?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Back from the Cruise
Yes, I am back from the cruise. I made it through. The first 3 days were "rocky" indeed!
And then I found the accupuncturist guy up in the Spa and he fixed me. Only now that we are back on terra firma; I am still rocking!! WTF???
Today is unloading suitcases and doing tons of laundry and taking the small and perfect Rachel Pie shopping for even more clothes to stuff into her luggage before shoving her on a plane.
So, exciting photos of the cruise and destinations will have to wait till tomorrow.
But I just wanted to let you know that I am back and to wait with anticipation for upcoming pics!!!
p.s. My little Fergus Jackson MacPhee is doing much better. thanks for all the prayers and well wishes for my little kitty boy!
And then I found the accupuncturist guy up in the Spa and he fixed me. Only now that we are back on terra firma; I am still rocking!! WTF???
Today is unloading suitcases and doing tons of laundry and taking the small and perfect Rachel Pie shopping for even more clothes to stuff into her luggage before shoving her on a plane.
So, exciting photos of the cruise and destinations will have to wait till tomorrow.
But I just wanted to let you know that I am back and to wait with anticipation for upcoming pics!!!
p.s. My little Fergus Jackson MacPhee is doing much better. thanks for all the prayers and well wishes for my little kitty boy!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
I'm back . . . . and I am gone again
Hey there! I was gone for my nephew's wedding and all the accompanying festivities over the weekend and the wedding took place on Monday evening. It was a whirlwind of excitement over there, is what it was!
This wedding was one of the very best I have ever been to, if not THE very best. The ceremony itself was the most beautiful thing I have witnessed. A+++++
And then the reception, well, the place was gorgeous, the service was impeccable, and the food was topnotch. And on top of that! they mixed up the families on the seating chart and we all have plenty of time to get to know each other. Too much fun!
I will ask permission of the honeymooning couple when they return if I can post a few pics so you too can share in the joy.
And speaking of the honeymooning couple; we are all going to meet up tomorrow on a cruise ship. It's my Mama's birthday and she planned this trip with (mostly) all her kids and (mostly) all her grandkids in attendance. That's the way things work, you plan anything for August and there will be someone who is either still in school or starting school or whatever and they just can't attend. You get 80 - 90% attendance in our family and you just have to call it good.
For us, leaving home and hearth is a big deal due to the two 13-year-old dogs, the two 9-year-old cats, the two 4-year-old cats and the 3 year old ADD puppy. We made arrangements for the 3 dogs to board at the vet's office and my sister-in-law is to come over and pat the cats and replenish food and water and "un-replenish" the litter boxes daily. And then last night happened . . . . . .
One of our little 4-year-olds, the MacPhee brothers, had been feeling a bit out of sorts. But this was not anything to be alarmed at because he had been to the vet's last week for a small bite wound and was still recovering from that. Anyhoo, we went to bed and about 1 a.m. he got up from where he was sleeping and walked over next to my bed and started crying. Loudly. Loudly crying. Like I have never heard before. So I turned on my lamp and jumped up and picked him up. What was weird was that when he started making this sound, all the other cats gathered near him and started crying as well. They never do that. I am holding little Fergus and checking everything on him and his breathing is really fast and shallow and his tongue is sticking out and he is in obvious pain. I am freaking out along with the other cats.
I asked Mr. Big Ed to please take him to the 24 hour emergency vet. And then I woke up my son and asked him to go along. Then the phone calls started back and forth. Poor little Fergus was in such bad shape they said they couldn't even assess him until they get a blood transfusion going to stabilize him. And the 24 hour emergency vet's office? They didn't have any blood, so my husband had to transport him a second time to another 24 hour emergency vet.
He is there now receiving blood and hopefully getting better. I am hoping and praying that numbers were skewed because of the existing wound and the antibiotics or something. But it is not looking good for my little Fergus Jackson MacPhee.
And I am leaving town very early in the morning. There is nothing I can do about that situation.
So if you are so inclined, please offer up a prayer for my small handsome kitty. Good vibes, well wishes, positive intentions are all gratefully accepted.
This wedding was one of the very best I have ever been to, if not THE very best. The ceremony itself was the most beautiful thing I have witnessed. A+++++
And then the reception, well, the place was gorgeous, the service was impeccable, and the food was topnotch. And on top of that! they mixed up the families on the seating chart and we all have plenty of time to get to know each other. Too much fun!
I will ask permission of the honeymooning couple when they return if I can post a few pics so you too can share in the joy.
And speaking of the honeymooning couple; we are all going to meet up tomorrow on a cruise ship. It's my Mama's birthday and she planned this trip with (mostly) all her kids and (mostly) all her grandkids in attendance. That's the way things work, you plan anything for August and there will be someone who is either still in school or starting school or whatever and they just can't attend. You get 80 - 90% attendance in our family and you just have to call it good.
For us, leaving home and hearth is a big deal due to the two 13-year-old dogs, the two 9-year-old cats, the two 4-year-old cats and the 3 year old ADD puppy. We made arrangements for the 3 dogs to board at the vet's office and my sister-in-law is to come over and pat the cats and replenish food and water and "un-replenish" the litter boxes daily. And then last night happened . . . . . .
One of our little 4-year-olds, the MacPhee brothers, had been feeling a bit out of sorts. But this was not anything to be alarmed at because he had been to the vet's last week for a small bite wound and was still recovering from that. Anyhoo, we went to bed and about 1 a.m. he got up from where he was sleeping and walked over next to my bed and started crying. Loudly. Loudly crying. Like I have never heard before. So I turned on my lamp and jumped up and picked him up. What was weird was that when he started making this sound, all the other cats gathered near him and started crying as well. They never do that. I am holding little Fergus and checking everything on him and his breathing is really fast and shallow and his tongue is sticking out and he is in obvious pain. I am freaking out along with the other cats.
I asked Mr. Big Ed to please take him to the 24 hour emergency vet. And then I woke up my son and asked him to go along. Then the phone calls started back and forth. Poor little Fergus was in such bad shape they said they couldn't even assess him until they get a blood transfusion going to stabilize him. And the 24 hour emergency vet's office? They didn't have any blood, so my husband had to transport him a second time to another 24 hour emergency vet.
He is there now receiving blood and hopefully getting better. I am hoping and praying that numbers were skewed because of the existing wound and the antibiotics or something. But it is not looking good for my little Fergus Jackson MacPhee.
And I am leaving town very early in the morning. There is nothing I can do about that situation.
So if you are so inclined, please offer up a prayer for my small handsome kitty. Good vibes, well wishes, positive intentions are all gratefully accepted.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Lent and the homeless
A year ago I decided to give up some of my food budget during Lent and use it to make brown bags of things for the homeless people I encounter. I used little brown lunch bags and put an apple or orange in them along with a bottle of water and a small pack of nuts or granola or something.
I then started adding in a slip of paper with something encouraging written on them, kind of like a positive fortune cookie. And then I added little handi-wipe things. If there were sandwiches in them these bags would look pretty much like a lunch you would pack for school. It was a way for me to try and impact the homeless directly rather than making a donation to the food bank or a shelter.
I got really nice responses from the recipients of these bags so I continued doing this, giving either a bottle of water or a little box of raisins or just something that I would try to always remember to load up in my car. Then for Lent again this year I revived the brown bags.
I am still giving packs of those cheese/peanut butter crackers, raisins and usually $1.00. We really must have the nicest and most appreciative homeless population here in town, because they are always so nice and will smile and make eye contact with me when I give these out.
Anyhoo, I was cleaning out a cabinet in my bathroom and came across a little bag full of toothpaste samples. Little samples like you get from the dentist, you know the ones. And a light bulb went off above my head!!! Add these dudes in to the homeless bags! Yes! I am betting they are really going to appreciate these things.
One of our city commissioners is trying to make it illegal to give a handout to the homeless. He is not the commissioner from my district and I have already contacted my commissioner and made my views on this very clear. It is an accepted reality that the majority of people are 2 paychecks away from being homeless. And it would behoove us to treat each other with a little dignity.
So I will go on doing my little part trying to help out, even if they do try to fine or ticket me.
When we lived in Chile I never saw homeless people. They had some good policies to keep people taken care of. But they had the worst problem with stray dogs and cats that I have ever seen. The most scrawny, emaciated and sickly animals you will ever come across. It was a disgrace. I was known far and wide for being the person who carried giant bags of pet food, treats and bottles of water and lots of small plastic bowls in the back of my car. We made the rounds to where we knew certain animals lived and did our best to keep them thriving and off the road and out of harm's way.
Any ideas of things I can add in to my little bags? Things I should try instead of raisins? Things I should leave out that are stupid? And! most importantly, what do you think of the little affirmation notes I was using last year? Good? Bad? If you like the idea, do you have any little gems I could use on the notes?
I then started adding in a slip of paper with something encouraging written on them, kind of like a positive fortune cookie. And then I added little handi-wipe things. If there were sandwiches in them these bags would look pretty much like a lunch you would pack for school. It was a way for me to try and impact the homeless directly rather than making a donation to the food bank or a shelter.
I got really nice responses from the recipients of these bags so I continued doing this, giving either a bottle of water or a little box of raisins or just something that I would try to always remember to load up in my car. Then for Lent again this year I revived the brown bags.
I am still giving packs of those cheese/peanut butter crackers, raisins and usually $1.00. We really must have the nicest and most appreciative homeless population here in town, because they are always so nice and will smile and make eye contact with me when I give these out.
Anyhoo, I was cleaning out a cabinet in my bathroom and came across a little bag full of toothpaste samples. Little samples like you get from the dentist, you know the ones. And a light bulb went off above my head!!! Add these dudes in to the homeless bags! Yes! I am betting they are really going to appreciate these things.
One of our city commissioners is trying to make it illegal to give a handout to the homeless. He is not the commissioner from my district and I have already contacted my commissioner and made my views on this very clear. It is an accepted reality that the majority of people are 2 paychecks away from being homeless. And it would behoove us to treat each other with a little dignity.
So I will go on doing my little part trying to help out, even if they do try to fine or ticket me.
When we lived in Chile I never saw homeless people. They had some good policies to keep people taken care of. But they had the worst problem with stray dogs and cats that I have ever seen. The most scrawny, emaciated and sickly animals you will ever come across. It was a disgrace. I was known far and wide for being the person who carried giant bags of pet food, treats and bottles of water and lots of small plastic bowls in the back of my car. We made the rounds to where we knew certain animals lived and did our best to keep them thriving and off the road and out of harm's way.
Any ideas of things I can add in to my little bags? Things I should try instead of raisins? Things I should leave out that are stupid? And! most importantly, what do you think of the little affirmation notes I was using last year? Good? Bad? If you like the idea, do you have any little gems I could use on the notes?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Questions, queries, things to ponder
I have had to go out shopping recently. In the old days, that would not even be news-worthy but 4 years ago I started The Compact which I have discussed ad nauseum and which also means I don't shop recreationally any more. It's a waste of time, $$, resources, etc. And the truth is . . . I don't need a damn thing. How many of us really and truly need anything? So, shopping is off my list of hobbies. But I have this nephew who is getting married and this weekend we have a full schedule of festivities. Friday night there are showers followed up by bachelor and bachelorette parties, Bridesmaid luncheon, another shower (hosted by moi, Queen B and my sister Bertha), Sunday is the rehearsal dinner and Monday is the Big Event. As you can see this will require a lot of clothes. A lot of different clothes. You can't wear the same damn thing over again to each event and look like a schmuck in all the photos. And I tried to shop at vintage and thrift stores first before I headed to the mall.
Shopping used to be fun. It used to be exhilarating. All those brand new things just waiting to go home with you! Now? Not so much. The store lighting is bad. You can't match colors worth a damn in those lights and you can't take things outside to check them in the natural sunlight. The new clothes smell is not the same as it used to be. Now it is too "chemical-y" and sometimes I have bought things in the last 5 years or so and that strong chemical-y smell never goes away. Wash all you will, it won't go. So those things are a HUGE waste of money and an even huger disappointment. What is that smell? It can't possibly be good for you to wear it against your skin and breathe it in, whatever it is.
And! In case that wasn't bad enough, most everything is made in China. I am trying so hard to live a good life and do the right thing. Buying Made-in-China crap is definitely NOT doing the right thing. You don't need me to tell you all the gazillion reasons why we shouldn't do that. So now try going shopping in a light-hearted mood and think about the fun times you are going to have in the lovely outfits you are trying to buy and then to be assaulted by this smell, bad lighting, salespeople who bathe in cheap perfume and find that 1 out of 10 items is NOT made in China. That one item? It was made in Taiwan. See? It gets depressing.
Are you depressed yet from just reading this? I am sorry about that. I guess my questions here are these:
1. What is that smell? Is it something sprayed on the clothes? Is it in the cloth before it is cut and sewn?
2. Do you like to shop?
3. Do you have certain criteria? Such as no Made-in-China? Or no man-made fabrics? Or only from Vintage and Thrift stores?
4. How about hand-made items? Do you sew? Do you knit?
5. And that brings me to this. What do you do with your old clothes? Do you pass them on, like hand-me-downs for kids? Do you take them to a consignment store? How about thrift stores? Or do you cut them up to go into a quilt or a braided rug?
I get really curious to know how other people do things. Lemme hear from you! And I will post some pics after the wedding so you can see all the lovely non-smelly, non-made-in-China clothes I ended up wearing!
Shopping used to be fun. It used to be exhilarating. All those brand new things just waiting to go home with you! Now? Not so much. The store lighting is bad. You can't match colors worth a damn in those lights and you can't take things outside to check them in the natural sunlight. The new clothes smell is not the same as it used to be. Now it is too "chemical-y" and sometimes I have bought things in the last 5 years or so and that strong chemical-y smell never goes away. Wash all you will, it won't go. So those things are a HUGE waste of money and an even huger disappointment. What is that smell? It can't possibly be good for you to wear it against your skin and breathe it in, whatever it is.
And! In case that wasn't bad enough, most everything is made in China. I am trying so hard to live a good life and do the right thing. Buying Made-in-China crap is definitely NOT doing the right thing. You don't need me to tell you all the gazillion reasons why we shouldn't do that. So now try going shopping in a light-hearted mood and think about the fun times you are going to have in the lovely outfits you are trying to buy and then to be assaulted by this smell, bad lighting, salespeople who bathe in cheap perfume and find that 1 out of 10 items is NOT made in China. That one item? It was made in Taiwan. See? It gets depressing.
Are you depressed yet from just reading this? I am sorry about that. I guess my questions here are these:
1. What is that smell? Is it something sprayed on the clothes? Is it in the cloth before it is cut and sewn?
2. Do you like to shop?
3. Do you have certain criteria? Such as no Made-in-China? Or no man-made fabrics? Or only from Vintage and Thrift stores?
4. How about hand-made items? Do you sew? Do you knit?
5. And that brings me to this. What do you do with your old clothes? Do you pass them on, like hand-me-downs for kids? Do you take them to a consignment store? How about thrift stores? Or do you cut them up to go into a quilt or a braided rug?
I get really curious to know how other people do things. Lemme hear from you! And I will post some pics after the wedding so you can see all the lovely non-smelly, non-made-in-China clothes I ended up wearing!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Weekend happenings
One of my nephews and his new wife were here this weekend. I say new wife because they have been married less than one year. Not because he has run through 2 or 3 of them already. I just wanted to be clear about that. Anyhoo, they got here Friday night and we got to spend part of Jonathon's birthday playing cards and just being together. It was a lot of fun.
All the other people who live here in this house were participating in a meditation retreat over the weekend, so nephew and wife and I went and picked up a friend on Saturday morning and went to the Farmers' Market. I don't know if anyone outside of San Antonio knows about the Pearl Brewery. But this place was gorgeous in its heyday and it is becoming one of the up-and-coming places to do business. You can read all about the goings-on at the website for the brewery and the Farmers' Market, if you are interested.
Oh! And here is an interesting little bit of information. One of San Antonio's best restaurants, the one that I always made sure to take visitors to, is located right next door to the Pearl Brewery and has been there forever. So now the neighborhood is taking off and lots and lots more people are going there (previously it was a kind of sketchy place to go at night) and what happens? The Liberty Bar packs up and moves! WTH??? Why now? I don't know. I have not made it to the new location yet, but it makes me sad every time I drive by the old, tired, leaning to the side building and see it empty.
So, back to the weekend story. We roamed around the Farmer's Market and I bought some lovely fresh produce and I found some people who are raising Heritage Hogs. I have never heard of Heritage Hogs, so I had to stop and check it out. Go here and see the kind of hogs they are talking about. I bought a roast and 1 pound of ground pork to try. I have heard of Heritage varieties of turkeys but I had never thought of heirloom breeds of hogs before.
Then we did a bit more shopping and then went out to lunch. Since it was getting so terribly hot outside, my new niece asked me to teach her to knit and crochet. So we sat inside where it was nice and cool and played with yarn. I love passing on my passion for knitting and crocheting. It's a great way to relax, to create something and to just spend time together. I really need to get a group going.
Nephew and new wife have already left and are headed back home. We had a really good visit and I hope we get to do this more often. I will try to remember to post something about the hog meat after I try it.
I hope your weekend was good, productive and spent in the company of loved-ones.
All the other people who live here in this house were participating in a meditation retreat over the weekend, so nephew and wife and I went and picked up a friend on Saturday morning and went to the Farmers' Market. I don't know if anyone outside of San Antonio knows about the Pearl Brewery. But this place was gorgeous in its heyday and it is becoming one of the up-and-coming places to do business. You can read all about the goings-on at the website for the brewery and the Farmers' Market, if you are interested.
Oh! And here is an interesting little bit of information. One of San Antonio's best restaurants, the one that I always made sure to take visitors to, is located right next door to the Pearl Brewery and has been there forever. So now the neighborhood is taking off and lots and lots more people are going there (previously it was a kind of sketchy place to go at night) and what happens? The Liberty Bar packs up and moves! WTH??? Why now? I don't know. I have not made it to the new location yet, but it makes me sad every time I drive by the old, tired, leaning to the side building and see it empty.
So, back to the weekend story. We roamed around the Farmer's Market and I bought some lovely fresh produce and I found some people who are raising Heritage Hogs. I have never heard of Heritage Hogs, so I had to stop and check it out. Go here and see the kind of hogs they are talking about. I bought a roast and 1 pound of ground pork to try. I have heard of Heritage varieties of turkeys but I had never thought of heirloom breeds of hogs before.
Then we did a bit more shopping and then went out to lunch. Since it was getting so terribly hot outside, my new niece asked me to teach her to knit and crochet. So we sat inside where it was nice and cool and played with yarn. I love passing on my passion for knitting and crocheting. It's a great way to relax, to create something and to just spend time together. I really need to get a group going.
Nephew and new wife have already left and are headed back home. We had a really good visit and I hope we get to do this more often. I will try to remember to post something about the hog meat after I try it.
I hope your weekend was good, productive and spent in the company of loved-ones.
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