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Saturday, after a morning and early afternoon painting and pulling up weeds and poison ivy (so far, no rashes!), I picked my mother up at the airport. She landed right on time, but I got there a little early so I’d have a chance to do a little reading.
I’m not doing a lot of reading these days, you know.
To my surprise, she’d only brought one suitcase with her (it was a DAMN heavy suitcase, though!), and I pulled it out to the car and then up the stairs when we got home.
Did I mention it was a damn heavy suitcase?
The spud had taken the day off work so she could get ready for homecoming, and she’d had her hair professionally put in an updo, and my mother admired that, and then we sat around and talked until it was time for the spud to get her homecoming dress on, and her date came to pick her up.
I think the spud did a mighty good job picking out a homecoming dress, personally.
After the spud and her date left to go have dinner before homecoming, my mother and I went out to dinner as well. We discussed going to where the spud and her date were going, just so we could spy on her, but when we walked into the restaurant, there were a bunch of people waiting so we left and went to Applebee’s instead.
At Applebee’s there were a ton of kids headed for homecoming, and we sat and looked at all the girls in their finery. Seriously, why even bother to bring boys to the dance? Boys’ homecoming outfits are borrrrrring, whereas it’s fun to look at the girls.
We went home after dinner and watched TV with Fred, including episode 2 from this season of Grey’s Anatomy (woot!), and a little after 10:00, Fred said “I’m about to pass out” and I said “I am too”, and my mother was tired as well, so we all got up and went to bed. I had just gotten to sleep when the spud woke me up to unhook the back of her dress for her, and when I saw it was 11:00, I asked why she was home so early.
It turns out that the dance was boring, so she told her boyfriend that he could go home at 10:00, and she’d get a ride home with her friend, and her friend wanted to leave a little before 11:00.
Ah well. At least she looked good!
Sunday morning my mother and I went out and had breakfast at the little country restaurant down the road from the Smallville house, and then went out so she could see the house. She seemed to like it, and kept me company while I put a second coat of paint on the closet doors (I had Fred remove all the doors in the spud’s bedroom and the guest bedroom so I could paint them, and it’s slow going, because I put on one coat of paint, then have to wait for it to dry before I put on the second coat, wait for that to dry, then flip the door over and start again with the painting. Luckily we’ve got time.). Then I helped Fred measure for crown molding in the guest bedroom, and held one end up while he nailed it in place.
We’d talked about putting my mother to work at the Smallville house, but there was just really nothing for her to do – me either, for that matter – so we left Fred to his crown molding and coves and corners, went to get him some lunch, and headed home.
I threw together a
lasagna for dinner, and a hot dog and bean casserole (for Fred to take with him for dinners on the nights he works on the house this week), and then sat on the couch and alternately played with Maddy, read, and talked with my mother.
I don’t know exactly what our plans are this week. The spud turns 18 on Thursday, but she has to work so we’re taking her out to dinner and having a birthday cake for her Wednesday night instead. Other than that, I don’t know. I mentioned hitting the
Unclaimed Baggage store, and she seemed interested.
I’m hoping at some point to get out to the Smallville house and bring Momma Kitty, Daddy Kitty, and the kittens inside, since I’d like to keep them (temporarily, until they can be examined and fixed) in the master bedroom.
Oh, I guess I didn’t mention – Fred talked to the neighbor Saturday, and she told him that Momma Kitty had just shown up one day, so she started feeding her, then she had her kittens, then Daddy Kitty showed up (so she doesn’t think he’s really Daddy to the kittens), so basically they don’t belong to anyone. We’re having them all fixed, and she’s willing to take Momma and Daddy once they’re fixed, and we’re going to foster the babies until there’s room open at the pet store.
Naturally, they all disappeared Saturday afternoon and didn’t show up at all on Sunday, so we weren’t able to lure them inside (a task which shouldn’t be too difficult with the assistance of some soft cat food or ham or turkey, since these cats are total vacuum cleaners), but Fred’s going out to the house on Tuesday and will call me if they’re there, so I can go out with supplies to keep them pampered and fed and safe until we can get them to the vet.
I hope they don’t freak out too much at being brought inside, but every time we open the door and they’re hanging out on the porch, they seem very interested in coming inside. I hope we don’t traumatize them.
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Signs of Fall in the back yard.
While pulling down poison ivy on Saturday, I displaced this mother Pillbug and her baby.
Cotton plants growing by the side of the road.
Momma Kitty thinks you are acting very suspiciously and if you make any sudden moves, she WILL kick your butt.
All four kittens.
All that’s left of the squirrel Momma Kitty hunted down and killed.
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More pictures are hither.
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Previously
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: I believe that might be a personal record, right there.
2002: My poor baby.
2001: it’s MY journal and I’ll exaggerate if I want to.
2000: No entry.
1999: Why we don’t need another cat, by Fred]]>