[My] Life in Wisconsin

September 15th, 2006 -Daniel DeGrave

September 15th, 2006  -Daniel DeGrave
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Happy 25th Birthday, Daniel...
and yes, this is the definition of a bittersweet birthday.
You have now turned 25-
an entire quarter of a century; and have just lost your sister...
Find your peace in knowing she is with you always...

And Good Evening to all of my friends- and to the 'lurkers' too- all of whom have taken a moment of your own time to send a note of sincere condolences our way-

BTW, Daniel is on the far right of this photo...

It has been a wretched few days here... No sleep, (very little anyway), even with getting a shot for my stupid head yesterday. It seems as everything is either going too fast- or in slow motion; and I don't know why.

My HP PSC500 failed me this morning as I tried to make copies of all the photos I had of Reianna... And of all times for that to go- The scanner doesn't work at all- says it's not connected etc etc etc... (Uh-huh).

So I 'made' photos by copying them- They will all be on Reianna's Memorial Boards then. --Changing computers in January, I never did re-hook up my old computer to retrieve all of those pictures... I will do that one day soon-

But for now, what I have for Susan and Dennis and Daniel will have to suffice.

I brought Sue's copies to her home today- Dennis, Daniel and David will be here in the A.M. to help Casey move- Dennis can have his then... Think I will put them in an album too so they do not get misplaced. But, oh!, what a job to make all the reprints this way. OK, so NOW I have also run out of photo paper...

I found myself running the entire gamut of emotion since Wednesdays phone call, and as I sorted through all of the pictures today- Some of those making me cry, and wanting it all back- Some of them honestly making me laugh out loud from the memory of it all.

Picture this: 6 kids in a teeny little old Datsun! Yes, they all fit- Of course that was before all the new car seat laws- (I think you have to have them in a car seat until they are 25 or so nowadays)! That was also before I had bought my then new 1985 Buick Electra Estate Wagon- with the 3rd seat! (They would argue over whose turn it was to sit back there).
Once there, they would make faces at all the cars behind us...
And we would sing- LOUDLY- wherever we would be going to...

We still are not entirely sure why God chose to take Reianna- She died about noon on Wednesday- The autopsy is not yet finished, so that, in and of itself, dictates when the funeral can be. He said that the private viewing will definitely be Sunday, with the service to be held then on Monday- Long weekend for everyone.

And if for no other reason than to get everyone busy, I am glad that Casey and Roberta are moving tomorrow. They will have a little place in Pulaski, and with everyone pitching in to move, it shouldn't be taking them too long at all. (Which is NOT to say that CaseyAnne is all packed either)!

Roberta is moving everything she can tonight- Casey has already brought a bunch of stuff over- She still has to take that whole dorm bed/desk/dresser thingie apart- (I say leave it for the guys to do)!

I sat down on the floor the other night- everybody had been here- and was gone again- And just cried and cried. You just miss people so much more now, especially when you know you will never be able to see them again. Death does that not to the decedent, but only to those of us left behind. But my little Miss Punk came to me, sat down and gently laid her head against me as if to say it would be alright. Oh, my Faith assures me that it will. But surely this will take much time.

Reianna has left behind 3 small children- There are no words to say how my heart breaks for them all- The youngest is only 9 months old...

When I met Reianna, she was so quiet and shy- but came out of that quickly enough once she realized that she would be getting a whole bunch of sisters out of the whole deal! She loved to come out here- And loved my Mom so very much- And I can remember the time that she asked Mom if it was OK to call her 'Grandma'? My mother (almost brought to tears at that point)- said, "Of course you may! One can never have too many grandmothers!" Those two always had to share their birthday cakes too- Fun to watch them try to blow out the candles- And with that is yet another small consolation as I know that Reianna and my mother are together once more!

Reianna always made people so happy to be near to her.

We used to walk back to the woods a whole lot in those days- Each child would see something new each time- (sometimes with every step)...

 Once though, it was March- a thaw had come- everything was pretty muddy- I chose not to go with them-
Zoe, being the oldest, would watch them close enough; and besides they all knew where they could go/not go anyway...
About 45 minutes later, we had a whole houseful of hysterical children- laughing, crying (and everything inbetween too)...

...Seems as though they had taken a shortcut across the field. Half of them had come back with their boots- half of them only with their dirty soaking wet socks-
They had gotten stuck in the mud so bad that they couldn't even pull their boots out!
(I think it was a full 2 years later that Farmer Fisher finally plowed those boots up)!

Yes, we had plenty of fun- a few of the normal trials and tribulations of children growing up, but nothing that should have led to death at 27... Too young- and she had so much to do yet...

For now though I am going to try to get a bit of sleep- Am so tired, inside and out. It goes all the way through- and it cuts way deep sometimes...

I hope everyone is having brighter and lighter days than we are at this point. Have a good weekend.

And may God Bless you all for your kind thoughts, words of encouragement, and all of your offered prayers-

XOXO,
Anne


Friday September 15, 2006 - 09:24pm (CDT)

It is done... Labor Day 2006

Wednesday September 6, 2006 - 01:35pm (CDT

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Oh, POOPIE... I "lost" my entire entry earlier- (And I had this 'feeling' that I KNOW I should always listen to- and for some reason I chose not to this morning)... And I also know I should be writing this elsewhere too...

And so, to begin again... ...elsewhere!

I first want to thank those of you that have written to ask if I am still alive. I have just checked for even an intermittent pulse, and found one, so can assure you that I am! And I have been on here- still trying to play 'catch-up' and 'keep up' with all of your own news and blogs etc etc etc...

And so; back to Sunday morning...

David was here bright and early to set up the tent- (Having had knee surgery on thursday, this was no small feat for him). Always nice to have a few minutes to chat with him too; such a kind and decent family man.

While he was here, Greg pulled in- with his John Deere on the back of his trailer- He cut down the tall weeds around the cornfield; and oops, removed only a row or so of the corn while he was at it. (Oh well, they did say the corn would be all off the fields BEFORE the end of August)- He also mowed down what was left of the garden that I didn't plant this year...

Now, while these two men were here, and working hard to make it all so very pretty, still another truck pulls in the yard! It was the painter man who had stopped early last month wanting to paint the roof on my house. Was glad that David was still here, because he knows SO very many people- Lots of connections and all. While he didn't know this guy, he did know many of the people this man had worked for... And after a little wheeling and dealing, Painter Longsine did agree to my offer. (I can be very stubborn). The roof of the house was done within the next 4 hours. All beautimous once more! I am really happy to have had this done- and before another winter would come, too.

Before all these guys had gotten here, I had been trying to get the tub and sink in the bathroom to unclog themselves. And they refused to even listen to either common sense or my desperate and urgent pleas... (Those damnable drains even completely ignored the cussing)!

For the past week I have been almost haunted by Pa's words when this had happened to us (and how many times) years ago. Back then he would say he 'would get to it when he got to it'; and in the meantime we could just either bale the water from our showers into the toilet, or go bathe in the river... He would end that speech with the ever ominous "just wait til you have a home of your own!"

(Well, I never thought it would be the SAME home for Petes sake)!

Sunday morning, before Casey had left for her shift at the station, she had asked me when I was going to work on the tub...

Ha-Ha, (MY TURN)!...

But I was so tired of baling the H2O too, so I plunged and drano'ed the darned things- over and over and over again.... YUCK....

When they finally did let loose, of course my house now smelled exactly like I had not only made baked beans, but that I had added rotting eggs to them as well.... Wanted to upchuck- (didn't). I did open all the windows- and turned on all the fans, in the hopes that even some of the obnoxious odor would move outside and dissipate. It is also one more reason I agreed to have the roof painted that day, (as I would much rather be smelling the paint fumes than the drain goos fumes)...

Back outdoors then- and to (re)move a few more weeds, to do a few last run-throughs with my own mower... Jenne and Isaiah came out once more, and we worked our backsides off too. We took Isaiah, and the cart back to the woods, and brought the picnic table up to the backyard then. Had to go real slow coming back up to the yard- as I had Isaiah on my lap, with Jenne precariously balancing the picnic table on that little cart... All the while the inside of my house being terribly neglected... as it still is...

When Casey was finished with her shift Sunday afternoon, Tim and Kelli came- They all went to Fleet Farm to get the roofing supplies that he will need to repair the leaky flat part on the addition part of the house. Jenne and I cleared out yet another spot in the garage to store those supplies. It is all metal too- and almost even matches the roof on the house! It will all look so nice when it is done. (Gee, and it won't even leak)!

Labor Day 2006

On Monday, Zoe called real early to say she had the flu- (had been up all the night, with the 'both ends' stuff that we all dread). I think this was the very 1st Labor Day picnic that she has ever missed too.

Jenne picked up My Little Miss Valerie, and they were here by 8:30. Berta came with her Little Gabriel, and I started the fire. (Such a good little Boy Scout I am, I had that wood lighted with my first match)! We set up all the tables and it finally began to look and smell like Labor Day should! The above picture attests to that- Then came the chairs-

In the meanwhile, Master Gabriel had been so happily playing in his little excersaucer thingie- Just watching all of us running this way and that, and to have him squeal every now and then to laugh at us.

Having gotten here while it was still a bit chilly, and being in the shade, we had left his little denim jacket on... (Yeah, you see it coming)... all of a sudden, he is screaming to high heaven-

I was behind the house filling the little pool- Hearing that shriek, I thought "bee"... and was right about that. He had gotten stung on the thumb, the wasp trapped by his little jacket cuff; Gabriel very very upset about it too. Much like Jenne was (28 years ago anyway), Isaiah could not stand to see his little cousin in pain and started crying too. I took Gabriel and asked Berta just to throw on a bottle for him... Of course we didn't know if he was allergic yet, so we were all worried about that too- (Oddly enough there is a bit of happiness for this grandmother to keep hearing him cry too- As long as they cry, their throats are not closing up).

And so I let him cry and just walked with him and sung off key to entertain my own self. (Oh wait, I always sing off-key)...

He didn't want that bottle- dearheart that he is, he just wanted to be held.

Since we were all involved with this little guy, obviously we weren't watching over anything else... A few minutes later, who should walk into the garage but Punkie- and completely soaking wet too!!! Guess the pool was just too irresistable for her to pass by; and given the fact that Gabriel had been making too much noise, she had just plunged in. So now we had 55+ pounds worth of wet puppy dog too. At least it was humor-ridden and broke the bee-sting nervousness that we had all felt.

Gabriels forearm had swollen up to his elbow- Suamico Sheriff had pulled in the yard a few minutes later, and I asked him if we could have given Gabriel a benadryl pill- He said yes, but that he sure would be sleepy. We never did give that pill to Gabriel, and he was fine anyway. I told the officer to stop back in an hour or so to have a hot dog or a hamburger- nasty to have to be on patrol on such a nice day.

I had not met this deputy before, but he was not real young either- I asked him to park at the end of the driveway anytime he wants and nail everyone that goes over the speed limit- Tired of taking my life in my hands just to get my stupid mail... And he did park at the end of the driveway then. Nice, that. And with all the old pines, the cars do not see that it is a police car until they are right in front of him- and then oops, too late, baby!

People came all day long- Some had to work later- some had been to work earlier- Brandi, Crystal and Traci had an ongoing rummage sale all weekend long- Crystal, Russ and kids had come early, and Brandi and Ashley never could get here until about 6:30 that night. But that's even nice too because then I get a little more 'one on one' time with them too, just to catch up on their own lives and what is going on. Roberta stayed all day- along with Master Gabriel too of course- And really helped to clean everything up. Jenne had also left very late, after all the tables and chairs had been put away. So much help- and I think I need to send them all some nice "Thank You" notes too. I don't know how many people made it to the woods or down to the river; but I do know that the kids were not in the least bit bothered by the fact that I had just filled that kiddie pool with well water that morning. When Isaiah had gotten out, he was completely white and actually shivering! But never mind- because HE didn't care, he just wanted to go back in!!! I had just sent all of Valeries clothing back home so she would have them all for school then, so I didn't have anything to put on her. Kathie just happened to have brought a bunch of clothing for a rummage sale, and had some things in there for her- Later I just threw on an old makeshift sundress on Miss Valerie- out of an old sleeveless top I had; pinning it just so, it looked real cute, otherwise she was too hot as Kathie didn't have any shorts in there for her. But Kathie had also brought some fresh out of the oven wonderful cookies for everyone too! And of course some of the Ryans came- It just wouldn't be right without them... And babies and grandbabies as well...

My sister Mary did not come. Her lymphedema in her right arm/shoulder was so bad she could barely move the rest of her body; let alone her arm- And she was terribly missed by us all. The doctors removed 22 lymph nodes, (21 of which were malignant)... I pray for her always; and not only that she beats this awful cancer... She is- and always has been, an amazing fighter; even my 9 year old backside will remember that forever). She will fight this too, on all levels; until it too, has passed. WHATEVER IT TAKES...

.

.

THE HISTORY OF IT ALL...

57 years ago- in 1949- (the year my mom and dad got married), they began this Labor Day tradition with our neighbors, The John Ryan Family. At that point, it was just Mom and Dad, and Ginny and John- All of us kids came later... They packed a picnic basket and headed off to the back forty, sitting on a hill within view of the river and ate their little sandwiches- just enjoying the peace- and each others company, until it was time to go home and milk their cows. Each year thereafter, a new child- or children were added. New neighbors, new friends- and all of their children/grandchildren.

Since that 1st picnic, many have passed. We remember those with a little prayer each year. Many too, have gone their separate ways. Some are just MIA. And still, we are now into the 3rd generation having their own small children along- I can only hope that the Annual Yusvak Labor Day Picnic continues throughout- with/without my own presense... We used to always go back to the back forty- There was a huge sandhill that Pa would clear off every year- Us kids would take about a 25 foot running start and plunge over the edge, flying through the air... What fun that was! Just to be flying for that short while. Then there were always the inner tubes to take down the river- and all the kids would end up at Wouters Front, dripping wet, and I suppose smelling much like Punkie did on Monday Morning! But Joe never complained either... There was always Moms Poppy Seed Torte- (which when fed to small children would ensure that they would nap long enough for their parents to enjoy each others company)! And fresh Carrot Cake too! Always the REAL hot dogs from Blazei's- Homemade- in the skin- and wonderfully tasty- an old family recipe- (Pa used to slaughter for John Blazei way back when)... Mom would make hot dog buns- a huge pot of hot cocoa, and real lemonade too. Ginny Ryan would make her potato salad- And everybody else would also bring along a whole bunch of yummy food too. Nobody ever was lonely or went hungry in these parts back then; no matter how tough times got. Those were the days...

And these are the days now- Of friends I have never even met, yet feel so cherished by and friendly toward- the days of the miracle of cyberspace. Of being able to write down my thoughts and feelings, and maybe to have them run a bit parallel to what someone else might be going through in their own lives- and to be able to show them that life does go on...

Of happinesses, joys, sadnesses and tears. And I am glad that the worst tears as of late have only been shed over the indignity of the wasps and the bees.

I hope the same holds true in your own lives...

For now and for always;

XOXO
Anne

Wednesday September 6, 2006 - 01:35pm (CDT)

Land of the Free, Home of The brave

Friday August 11, 2006 - 05:19am (CDT)
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And so I have used the title entry from my July 4th post- But I do think that it is appropo for this email I received from Duane this morning... And it is also MORE than appropriate with respect to what happened in the UK yesterday- And we will never know exactly how many lives were saved- How many disaster have been averted...

Credit where credit us due: Thank you Tony Blair for being proactive enough, and for having enough chutzpah to integrate all these ideals to spare the lives of our friends, family members, copatriots and compadres ... To have under your direction- (and with our blessings), people with more than half a brain; and that KNOW how to use it too...


As many of you already know I am both very deeply Christian, and exceedingly patriotic too- Having lived through the entire Vietnam War, and era; and seeing images and names flashed on the old black and white televison set in my younger days... I haven't forgotten...


I am sorry that this bloody "conflict" in Iraq is ongoing, but like the song says, we must all stand together...

God Bless America...

And grow up for Gods sakes, when you hear the National Anthem...



REMOVE ANY NON-MILITARY ISSUE HEADGEAR.

  • STAND UP.
  • SHUT UP.
  • PUT YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART- OR
  • SALUTE YOUR FLAG.
  • KNOW THE WORDS-
  • (and try to learn WHY they were written)...
  • SHOW RESPECT FOR THE FLAG-
  • FOR OUR VETERANS...
  • AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE SERVING US
  • and PRESERVING OUR FREEDOMS
  • AS WE SIT HOME AND WRITE/READ/THINK/PRAY...

XOXO,
Anne


Friday August 11, 2006 - 05:19am (CDT)


PV2 KLEIN, SEAN
13CSSB/20TH QUARTERMASTER
APO-AE 09391

Address effective May 15, 2008

Dogs Can't Spit

Dogs Can't Spit!
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Good Monday Morning!

   The above photo is of Kelli and I vacuuming Mr. Miller- (All 110 pounds of him looked so fluffy when we were done)!

   Still no rain here-  And generally when that happens, we get dumped on, bigtime, by a nasty storm or two.  I looked at the WBAY Weatherbug forecast- It said it should be raining by 3, if not by noontime.    ...I will believe it when I see it running off the roof!  (I believe I shall also go outside and dance in it)!!!  Picture that if you can! (oh, never mind).

   Now picture this...
 
   Yesterday morning when Casey and I went out to let Milly out of her kennel, the dog took off with speed I haven't seen from her for a long time; returning just as fast to show us the chipmunk she had gotten. Thinking it had probably been killed by some old poison, I made her drop it quick... To our surprise, it was very much still alive, and the little varmint took off, making only one fatal mistake...
   (Wait; That's all anyone or anything ever gets, isn't it)? 
   He ran into her kennel!!!  Her doghouse is in the back corner, and thinking this would offer it some protection, it ran behind there. Casey pulled the house out to offer Milly the chance to catch it again. Back and forth Miss Milly went- as the little rodent did the 'pickle' with her... He sought, and found, refuge UNDER her doghouse then, squealing all the while...   We picked up the doghouse, & like an arrow Milly shot underneath, and caught her animal... But it wasn't the one she was chasing either!     
   Big mistake then on Millys part-
 
   Grabbing the 1st thing that moved, she came out with a mouthful of frog pee... and no, dogs cannot spit- For a few seconds, we didn't know what had happened to her either. Dropping the doghouse, hearing the darned gopher squeak some more- and then we saw the nasty toad that had peed on Millys tongue- (She was actually drooling and foaming from the bitter taste)... Casey ran in the house real quick to fetch some fresh water...
 
   Round two then...  I lifted up the doghouse, and once more Milly shot under it- More cautiously this time, she came out with the little rodent in her mouth! All's well that ends well; and I imagine its little ratty soul is now in Rodent Heaven. Its furry body tossed in the dumpster...  (Rest in Peace)!
 
   Berta and Gabriel stopped out after mass. Shortly thereafter, Tim started putting my new storm door in.  It sure looks fine- (and with due respect to all the blood and sweat that went into it for him, it sure should too)!  Poor guy... It was SO freakin' HOT-  He did an amazing job; considering I had been previously told that the entire frame and both doors would need to be replaced. (Good thing Tim didn't see it that way)!  Roberta, Kelli, and I sat and watched the poor guy work...  (Quite a treat for me to watch somebody else do the work around here)!  Mr. Miller went and babysat with Gabriel, watching the little one in the playpen under one of the old apple trees. (Cute. Very cute).
   We all shared so very many laughs- Feels great to do that too!  All I had to offer them for the door afterward was 'payment by meal'- but I don't think they minded one bit either.
 
    We all came in- (much cooler inside)- Ate our late lunch- With Master Gabriel being the center of attention throughout that meal- and how much he loved the drumstick ice cream cone that his mama was feeding him when his lunch was done!  He tried like mad to be able to lick it off his face too- It didn't work, but was SO entertaining for us to watch.   After this little ice cream fiasco, it was back outside to enjoy the shade- He played on his blanket 'til Milly joined us. She stole his toy- (a stuffed Sponge Bob), and there was war!  Gabriel even crawled off the blanket to get it back! Berta and I laughed so hard, (and with plenty of opportunities to laugh as this "give and take' show went on for about 5 minutes).
   Very, very CUTE! And yes, Miss Milly is ever so gentle with all the babies.
   (Well, with the obvious exception of that gopher baby)...
   Laughter and love--- Isn't that what life is made for?
   Have a good one; and as always, have a good one for me too!
   Anne

  !

Tags: funny, kelli, roberta, gabriel | Edit Tags

Monday July 3, 2006 - 07:19am (CDT)

Turtle Soup

I am not sure how this old entry ended up as a draft, but am off to try to find out.

Tuesday June 20, 2006 - 09:09am (CDT)
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Good Morning to All!
   Another "beautimous" day ahead- Like yesterday... and before the hot and muggies return... Enjoy. I shall enjoy it as much as I did yesterday.
   Zoe and Valerie stopped out after work; as did Jenne and Isaiah a bit later- The photo above is of Isaiah under the old crabapple tree... 
It felt uncommonly good to even sit with Zoe by the old barngrade while Valerie tried to learn how to 'serve' with her new ball. A nice break for me, (and no, sitting on the darned mower all day does NOT count)!
   One person emailed me and asked me about my usage of the word "Orwellian" It is from George Orwell's Book, 1984. In it he wrote about 'big brother' always watching you- every little thing you do. Personally, I thinkthat book only made everyone a bit more paranoid in my Mass Media Class- (as if the early 70's didn't already inspire us all to be paranoids!). So much of that book has come to light already- Not by 1984, but by now anyway- Cameras on everything. And no trust. I compared what Suamico has done with the garbage shituation to all of that is all.
Here is a link for you to read a better definition of the term... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orwellian

I got outside about quarter til 9 yesterday morning, and didn't quit until it was almost 8 last night- An 11 hour day for me- What do you think of that? But I got a ton of work done too- True to form, Waste Management came and picked up my stuff. I know the driver from when we were growing up.And such a nice guy- His dad and mine were real good friends; of course both of them are gone now. And both from abdominal aortic aneurysms. He told me his brother passed away last year- of Lou Gehrigs Disease. Sad that, an that he was gone in a very short while after his diagnosis. Hard on a family to lose even one of the brothers and sisters- Brings with it a real true reckoning of our own mortality when it is our own generation.
   His mom is still feisty as ever -Happy to hear that! The lady smokes a carton and a half of cigarettes every week, and is healthy as a horse! Hats off to her!
   I think when you get to be a certain age, you have earned the right to do as you please- If you want to go drink whiskey and dance naked on a bar or a table with only a lampshade on your head, that is your right!
   I even learned a few things yesterday too. First off please remember that I have lost some weight since last year- (No I haven't been trying, it has just happened)... So my clothes fit a little loose on me. Also remember I have a bit of arthritis in my back and bending hurts sometimes.
   Anyway, the most important lesson I learned is the fact that when you are sitting rider  22hp engine. I had to go over almost everything twice- and what a gas guzzler too! They had brought it to me so completely plugged up with ground/grass clippings that I had to clean the deck (off and out) before I even started to cut. But anyway, the yards/grounds look a heck of a lot better than they did yesterday morning, so I really shouldn't be complaining.
   I also cut back by the old campsite in the woods- Saw an old snapping turtle too. (He is very lucky that I even saw him in the first place or I would have had soup for supper)... There are a few nettles growing back there- (aka "Itchweed")... I have some stuff to spray them with, but will call Greg just to ask him if he wants me to. And a few baby trees I would like to transplant up here as well. I shall also call one of my ex neighbors from when we lived NE of Pulaski- He has a bunch of Ironwood trees back in the corral- maybe he will allow me to dig up a few of the smaller ones... They grow so very straight and tall- So pretty!
   When I came inside to get a glass of water, I noticed a message flashing on the answering amchine- The furniture store- Caseys new bed is in... YAY!!! (Took long enough... I honestly had forgotten about it).  I called her then telling her to grab some paint for her room- She went to Home Depot, and picked out paints for the walls and for the trims. I haven't seen the colors yet, but she said it will go very well with her new carpeting from last year.
   Heck, I'd better close for today and get a bit busy here- Tons of "shtuff" to get done today again. I came in last night because I was so dog-tired- Honestly, I could still be out there pulling weeds! Have a wheelbarrow full of them already!
You have a great day-- And as always, one for me too!
XOXO
Anne


Tuesday June 20, 2006 - 09:09am (CDT)

Dirty. Dirty. DIRTY!

Originally posted to my 360 blog, Saturday June 17, 2006 - 07:39am (CDT)


Dirty. Dirty. DIRTY!
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Good Morning to All;

   The photograph shows exactly what happens when the temperature reaches 93 degrees in the shade, and Punkin goes for a swim in the pool. It is of course what happens AFTER all of that... when she then decides she would like to play and roll in the old flower bed!   (And still another polish bath to be had before we got to go to bed for the evening)!

   West  Side Power came to relieve me of my brand new lawn tractor.  Image  I had checked the gas, (thankfully), before I had fired it up, and there was crap in the tank???  Looked like cardboard to me, and when Jim looked at it he said it appeared to be oil- I called them, and they brought me an older riding mower to use while they figure out exactly what is in there, and get it all cleaned out. (Oh well, with the unit they brought me, at least I can cut the lawns).  I sure won't enjoy that too much today as the temps will be near to 90+ once more.  One extreme or the other- Just like last summer... I do hate the heat along with the humidity.   And the storms that this weather brings...

    We had a scare with Amos-Kitty too. On Thursday morning he laid on the basement stairway, and tried to catch his breath for ever so long- He has had many episodes like this, and I always put off calling the vet- putting off the inevitable and all.  But seeing him like that, I just couldn't stand it anymore. I called the vet, and made an appointment to see what he thought.  As it turns out, the vet did an x-ray because listening to Amos' lungs sounding SO bad- and in all 4 quadrants of them too-  The xray came back negative for anything real disastrous- Amos is now being treated simply for asthma.  I just give him a little pill morning and night.  Dr. Spires also suggested that is why he doesn't eat or drink much, has been losing so much weight, and goes and hides in the basement.     The prednisone (steroid) will make him hungry(er) and thirsty (er), and maybe put a few of those pounds back on the old kitty!  I am so happy they didn't want to put him down. While we are never ready to do something like that, I think euthanizing him when his time comes is far better for him than letting him just waste away too...

   Yes, I did go in for a shot thursday afternoon... and yes I felt much better yesterday already- (Especially after the almost 15 hours of sleep I had gotten)!  I fell asleep shortly after I had eaten my sandwich that night- after I had gotten the shot... (It always knocks me out).  But I sure didn't mean to be leaving Miss Milly and SaraBelle out, (on their tie-outs), and that I also let Miss Punk have the run of the back entrance. Oops. Casey put everybody where they belonged then when she got back from Jamies volleyball game. 

   I'd better close for now- maybe go vacuum out the basement, as the vet said that the dust will aggravate Amos' asthma. It is the least I can do for him. I don't have much carpeting around the house to hold the dust, (and Lord knows I still get down on my knees often enough to get rid of the dirt on the floors). Hope this helps him out a bit.

   Have a grand weekend!

XOXO
Anna-Anna


Saturday June 17, 2006 - 07:39am (CDT)