Those of you looking for the laundry soap recipe, it’s here. I think I mentioned I was going to use it to do laundry over the weekend. I did, and it works very well, and there’s just the slightest scent of Fels Naptha soap when the laundry is done. If that bothers you, you can … Continue reading “7/8/08”
Those of you looking for the laundry soap recipe, it’s here.
I think I mentioned I was going to use it to do laundry over the weekend. I did, and it works very well, and there’s just the slightest scent of Fels Naptha soap when the laundry is done. If that bothers you, you can add a cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener bin in your washer, and your clothes will smell like nothing at all when they’re dry. (No, they don’t smell like vinegar at all, I promise.)
Unless you hang them out to dry, in which case they’ll smell like sunshine.
Edited to add: You can usually find Fels Naptha and Borax in the laundry aisle, but washing soda is really hard to find, at least around here. I ordered the soap (actually, several bars since it didn’t change the price of shipping) and the washing soda from here, and they also carry Borax.
That site does have a “make your own laundry soap kit” with pre-grated Fels Naptha, but I tossed my bar of soap in the food processor and it worked like a charm.
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Boneheaded things I have recently done:
1. When playing Scrabulous on Facebook the other night, I lined up my letters and hit “play word” and was incensed when I got the “invalid word” message. “That’s a word!” I protested loudly. I turned to Fred “Isn’t (the word) a real word?!” “Yes,” Fred agreed. “Well, goddamn Scrabulous won’t let me play it!” I was appalled. “H-A-R-E-L-I-P?” Fred spelled. Which is when I had to admit that I’d spelled it H-A-I-R-L-I-P. “That’s not a real word, it’s just another word for ‘mustache’!” Fred teased me. Luckily, I had the letters to play it spelled correctly, so all was good.
2. I mailed off ten bill payments yesterday and just now realized that I sent them off with 41-cent Christmas stamps affixed rather than the correct 42-cent stamps. So now I’m waiting to see if they get returned to me.
3. I went out to feed the pigs yesterday afternoon (usually Fred’s job, but he had to take Sugarbutt and Newt to the vet, so I offered to do it for him), and when I got out there, the pigs (who were sound asleep in their nasty fucking wallow, which they PEE IN if it’s not wet enough for them) came running and then they stood by the fence and started shaking the mud off while they waited for their food. Needless to say, I showered and changed clothes when I got back inside. Blech.
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With Nance and Trey’s absence, my house is far too quiet. Even the cats are laying around, depressed that they don’t have Trey to bully into petting them and rubbing their ears.
Actually what “Miz Poo” spent an hour doing on Saturday was:
1. Started up a new Gmail address for herself.
2. Tried to sign up with MySpace. ONLY she stupidly put in her true birth date (September 17, 1999), and since MySpace doesn’t DO cat years, it was under the impression that she was only 8 years old and wouldn’t let her sign up.
3. Tried again with her age in cat years.
4. No success.
5. Started up YET ANOTHER Gmail address for herself and tried to sign up with MySpace.
6. No success.
7. Fumed and fussed and fidgeted.
8. Got on Fred’s computer and tried to sign up with MySpace.
Apparently her lack of opposable thumbs makes this whole computer thing difficult for her, though. Trying to manipulate the mouse makes her cranky. Also? Get your own damn computer, cat!
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Fred got back from the vet yesterday to report that Sugarbutt has to keep the collar on for another week (his toes are healing, but slowly, and we need to keep him from licking between them and aggravating the condition). Also, the vet thinks that Newt’s tail was broken when he was younger and either never healed, or has been reinjured. We got pain pills for Newt: hopefully if the tail doesn’t hurt, he won’t worry at it and it can heal. But if it doesn’t get better in the next 10 days, the vet will have to remove the end of Newt’s tail and he’ll end up with a bobbed tail similar to Mister Boogers’.
I’m hoping it heals; I’m not looking forward to keeping Newt inside while his tail stumps heals.
Goddamn cats.
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Kara and the kittens are venturing downstairs more and more often. They don’t stay downstairs for very long (although Inara really likes to hang out with us in the living room every evening for a while), but it’s nice to see them venturing forth. Yesterday, Sugarbutt and Kara almost came to blows because Sugarbutt was trying to go hide in his closet (in the hallway) and she was blocking the entrance.
Our cats are also occasionally venturing upstairs during the day. Spanky and Tom have both been seen nose-to-nose with Kara. There’s always lots of hissing, but eventually our cats retreat and peace is restored.
“You want a piece of ME? Because I will mess you UP.”
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I went looking for Joe Bob the other day and thought he’d gotten out of the damn back yard again. After some closer looking, I realized he’d just taken refuge in the clump of whatever-it-is growing in a corner of the yard.
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Previously
2007: No entry. 2006: Just a quick picture to let y’all know what we did with our Saturday morning. 2005: I turned and gave her the Bug-Eyed Look of Annoyance*, to no avail. 2004: “Agh!” I yelled. “I hate you kitties! I hate you all!” 2003: Do motherfuckers retain water? 2002: “Your cheatin’ heeeeeart…”
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
Our Independence Day was pretty relaxed and low-key. We hung out at the house in the morning, Nance used my homemade laundry soap to do a load of laundry (and gave two thumbs up to the homemade laundry soap!) and hung it out to dry. Trey helped Fred with his work on the old chicken … Continue reading “7/7/08”
Our Independence Day was pretty relaxed and low-key. We hung out at the house in the morning, Nance used my homemade laundry soap to do a load of laundry (and gave two thumbs up to the homemade laundry soap!) and hung it out to dry. Trey helped Fred with his work on the old chicken coop (it wasn’t up to Fred’s exacting standards and needed to be torn down to the frame and rebuilt) and then Nance and Trey and I abandoned Fred to his working-outside-in-the-unbearable-heat ways and went out for a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We swung by Publix, picked up a few things, and then headed home for the rest of the day.
By the way, the making of the cake took longer than it should have – I’d wanted to make it first thing in the morning – because it went like this “Okay, this butter has to be at room temperature, so I’m going to set it out now, and then it should be ready to go by 9:00.”
At 9:00 “Okay, I should be able to… (looking at the recipe) Well, shit! The sour cream is supposed to be at room temperature too!”
At 10:00 “Okay, this should be quick… (looking at the recipe) Well, shit! The eggs have to be at room temperature TOO!”
I didn’t end up baking the cake ’til we got back from breakfast and Publix, and it’s a good thing I glanced at the frosting recipe when I was making the cake, because the damn cream cheese needed to be at room temperature TOO.
A word of advice – read the entire recipe closely before you begin. DUH. You’d think I’d KNOW that by now.
Once the cake was out of the oven, we all kind of scattered. Nance said she was going off to read, and I claimed I was going off to read as well, but – as I told Trey – “Saying I’m going to go read means I’m going to read for about ten minutes and then take a nap.” While I was reading, it started to rain, and then I watched it rain for a few minutes and started to doze off. Then the kittens did something to wake me up. Then I’d doze again and they’d do something to wake me up. Repeat 10,000 times until I figured it was about time to get my ass up and make the frosting for the cake.
The frosting was especially easy, so once it was made and the cake was frosted, I thought about just sprinkling the blueberries and raspberries on the cake in a random pattern – I was NOT getting the damn pastry bag out and piping stripes and stars on the damn thing. But in the end, I did use the blueberries to mark off a blue square in the upper left corner and the raspberries to mark off stripes.
I took a picture, of course. But I couldn’t get a good picture with the pan on the stove, so I put the pan on the floor, and when Nance walked into the kitchen, there I was bent over the cake trying to get a good picture.
Here’s a tip: if someone teases you about being a Housewife of Doom and a perfectionist, it is difficult to refute that assertion if you’re caught in a compromising position. Just so you know.
So for dinner, we were going to grill out steaks, but due to the weather I ended up having to make them inside. Nance and Trey also got to experience the green beans I’ve made several times since I “discovered” it (did I ever mention that I leave out the red peppers and it’s perfectly fantastic anyway?) and oven-fried summer squash and zucchini.
Later, we cut the cake and Nance and Trey and I each had a piece, and we all pronounced it fabulous. I couldn’t finish the piece I took, and neither could Trey and for that matter neither could Nance (word of advice: take half as much cake as you think you’ll want. You can always go back for more!) and we later fed it to the pigs. Fred didn’t try a piece until sometime Saturday morning, and he was distinctly underwhelmed. Which is fine with me – it’s not like I was planning to ever make it again, I just wanted to give it a try. (We froze about half of what was left and fed the rest to the pigs and chickens.)
Fred and Trey went off to watch movies, and Nance and I hung out, then put the chickens up and fed the pigs their nightly snack and hung out some more. Nance was packing and we were hanging out, and she called me into the guest bedroom to see that Sugarbutt had burrowed up under the comforter and was napping there, and we laughed.
Not ten minutes later, Mister Boogers came over to me, looking for a pet and acting generally guilty, and a minute later Nance discovered that someone had peed on the guest bed.
GODDAMN CATS.
So we stripped the bed and remade it, and I told all the cats that I hated them – I mean, Nance completely understood, she has cats herself, but GODDAMN the little fuckers. Why must they be such assholes, I ask you?
Saturday morning we planned to leave the house at 7:00 so we’d get to the airport around 7:30, which would give Nance and Trey an hour and a half to get through the ticketing process and security and all that. I figured I’d wake up around 5:15, as I’ve been doing most days, so when I woke up and glanced toward the window and saw that it was light I assumed it was 5:15ish. I lay in bed and petted Miz Poo and let my mind wander, and then I wondered if I should get up, and so I looked to see what time it was.
I am so blind without my glasses and the bedside table is far enough away that to see what time it is, I have to squint very very hard and then lean off the side of the bed a little, in the direction of the clock on the table. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was 6:21!
I managed to shower, scoop the litter boxes and let the kittens out of the foster room, and still had time to sit and talk with Nance and Trey before we left the house.
At the airport, we headed for the Delta counter and were told that Nance had to check in at the kiosk, she couldn’t just go and stand in line. Further, there were at least two Delta employees circulating, helping people check in, and it was RAWTHER a great big clusterfuck and I’m not sure why those two employees couldn’t just stand behind the counter and print out tickets to make things go faster, but I’m not in charge of that sort of thing so WHATEVS.
I talked Nance through checking herself and Trey in at the kiosk – well, actually I started to talk her through it, then I elbowed her out of the way and did most of it myself because I’m a bossy bitch. She had their tickets, checked their luggage, we stopped and looked at the gift shop, and then we were at Security.
I waited ’til they got through Security, waved goodbye to them, then left the airport. I stopped at Publix to get groceries, then went home.
I get the idea that Nance never ever ever EVER wants to fly again, but I could be wrong, she’s kind of vague about it. Heh. Hopefully we didn’t bore Trey too much – that kid cracked me up. He got a hockey jersey at Hot Topic and he was way excited about it. He checked out the gym in the garage, and we had several talks about weight-lifting, his jersey, his friends, the cats, and… the jersey. He loves that jersey and I hope for his sake that it lives a long life. He loved it so much I was starting to wish I’d bought myself a damn jersey. He was making me jealous! Over a hockey jersey for a band I don’t even know! He’s a good kid and funny and he is welcome back any time!
Miz Poo, especially, took a shine to him. I mean, all the cats liked him but Miz Poo was all “This my boyfriend, y’all back OFF.” I do believe that all the cats approached him (and Nance!) for love and allowed themselves to be petted except for Stinkerbelle.
Nance texted me to let me know when they’d arrived home, and I suggested she just turn around and come back because I was bored, but oddly enough she wasn’t up for that. Hmph.
Because the cucumbers have started coming in with a vengeance, I spent most of Saturday morning and afternoon making pickles. I made a batch of dill pickles for Fred, a batch of faux-Wickles that a reader sent (only the recipe called for thai chilis, and since I couldn’t find any of those I ended up using cayenne peppers instead; we’ll see how that turns out), and a batch of Aunt Teh’s Bread and Butter Pickles. I have a few more pickle recipes to try, and then we’ll probably end up feeding the rest of the cukes to the chickens. We can only eat so many pickles in a year!
Sunday morning I got up around 6:30 (slacker!) and started right in doing the fun stuff – laundry, vacuuming the house, taking the recyclables to the recycling center, stopping at the grocery store, stopping at Lowe’s. I spent most of the day puttering around the house, getting little things done. We decided to have an all-veggie meal for dinner, so I prepared stuff like the oven-fried squash and sauteed vegetables ahead of time to lessen the amount of work that would need to be done in the hour before dinner.
The menu ended up being: corn on the cob; oven-fried pattypan squash, eggplant, and okra; black-eyed peas (from the freezer, left over from last summer), cherry tomatoes and mozzarella; cucumbers; and cubed summer squash, pattypan squash, eggplant, onions, and roma tomatoes sauteed together in a pan. For dessert: peach cobbler made with Splenda. Of that, the only things we didn’t grow ourselves: the coating on the oven-fried vegetables, the mozzarella, and the bisquick in the cobbler. And the Splenda, of course.
This farming thing is a pain in the ass sometimes, but when we can have an entire meal made of stuff that grew in our own garden, that’s pretty freakin’ cool.
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Kara and the babies are doing well. I let them out pretty much as soon as I get up in the morning, and they stay out all day until bedtime, when I give them a plate of baby food and then lock them in the foster room for the night. When I open the door in the morning, they about knock me over in their eagerness to get out, but when they realize I’ve got a plate of baby food they run right back in (except for Kaylee, who could not be less interested).
Every now and then the babies will try to nurse, but Kara shuts that down IMMEDIATELY.
I spend as much time with them as I can, and Zoe likes to snuggle up against me and let me pet her. I know their days are numbered and they’ll be going to the pet store when there’s room, and I think that if I can smother them with as much love as I can, it’ll carry them through those scary days until someone falls in love with them and takes them home.
I think this damn collar is breaking his spirit. All he does is lay around and sleep; no running around like his ass is on fire, no hanging out on top of the cupboards. It’s for the best, I know he needs to heal, but it’s hard to see.
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Previously
2007: No entry. 2006: Damn freaky cats. 2005: “It’s cancer,” Fred said. “That’s a tumorous lip if I’ve ever seen one!” 2004: I didn’t tell her that I think scars are badass and it can scar up all it wants. 2003: God, I hate people.
2002: No entry. 2001: So the house situation, oh what a story it is. 2000: This week, the devil won.
Happy Independence Day, Americans! (And happy July 4th to the rest of you!) Yesterday, Nance and Trey and I went to Target, stopped by Bed, Bath and Beyond, and then went to lunch at Lonestar before we hit the mall. I had a gift card for Lonestar, and it covered the entire check, but when … Continue reading “7-4-08”
Happy Independence Day, Americans!
(And happy July 4th to the rest of you!)
Yesterday, Nance and Trey and I went to Target, stopped by Bed, Bath and Beyond, and then went to lunch at Lonestar before we hit the mall.
I had a gift card for Lonestar, and it covered the entire check, but when I looked in my wallet to leave the tip (after arguing with Nance about it; Nance subsequently went outside to wait for Trey and I), I realized I only had a one dollar bill and a ten dollar bill, and had to bum $5 off Trey for the tip. Later, when I had a $5 bill, I tried to repay him, and Nance did a body block and adamantly wouldn’t allow it.
Evil people.
We went to the mall and spent a few hours wandering around, in and out of Hot Topic and Spencer Gifts and Dillard and Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret, and did a lot of people-watching. I actually didn’t buy anything (Fred is now dead from the shock of hearing such a thing, I’m sure), and Trey got a nice Insane Clown Posse hockey jersey for a killer price, and Nance got a sweatshirt for a killer price, but I just couldn’t find a thing I wanted.
We left the mall and headed for home, stopping at Publix on the way. I had a short list of stuff to get, so I blew through the store while Nance wandered around open-mouthed and tried to stop and look at stuff, but she was afraid I’d lose her, so she hurried to keep up. It honestly didn’t occur to me that she’d want to look around in a grocery store (besides, it totally didn’t even have a huge candy aisle like the one she took me to in Pennsylvania!), so we were out of there pretty quickly.
At home, we hung out, I checked on Kara and her babies and Trey and I shot the shit, and eventually Fred got home and we left for dinner at Big Bob Gibson’s. We always drag Nance and Rick to Big Bob Gibson’s when they come to visit, it’s TRADITION, so we did it this time, too. Trey mentioned that the BBQ chicken salad looked good, and I decided it did too, and then Nance got all copycat, so the three of us had that. The salad, I have to say, was very good, and the chicken was good, but I think next time I’ll have the salad with pork instead. Big Bob’s is known for their pork, y’know.
Fred and Trey watched Schindler’s List (hey, who doesn’t like a light, upbeat comedy, right?) and Nance and I surfed and gabbed the night away. I even put the chickens up by myself, and Nance and I went out to feed the pigs their nightly snack, so Fred could keep watching the movie.
In the highlight of the day, one of the cats peed on a cat bed in the guest bedroom. It could have been worse, but GODDAMN my cats and their nasty, assholey ways.
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As I’ve been going through my old entries and re-publishing them, I’ve been reading my entries from this time in 2005 and dreading what I knew what coming: tomorrow marks three years since Mia had to be put to sleep. For those of you who weren’t with me back then (or don’t remember), Mia and her babies were our first foster kittens. You can read about her growing sick and having to be put to sleep here, and then an entry about her the next day, here.
I ended up raising – so many of you donated – just under $2,200 in her memory. I think that is awesome, and for those of you who donated and are still around, I’ll say it again – thank you so much.
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Robyn, please thank everyone for their “logo love” and let them know that I’m a digital scrapbooker (never was, and never will be, a paper scrapper,) and your logo is from one of the MANY digital kits I have. The great part about digital is NO MESS and NO PAPER CUTS. And, you can reuse supplies over and over and over again. It’s my creative outlet. If anyone want to know more, you kindly linked them to my neglected blog and they can contact me through there. Peace!
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Sending happy and feel better thoughts toward Crooked Acres today. Sounds like a rough one. I am still sitting here waiting patiently to hear how the homemade laundry soap worked. I want to go get the stuff to make some, but want to hear your testimonial first.
I still haven’t used it – that damn Tide is lasting forever! – but I plan to do laundry this weekend and will use it then and report back (if I remember!) on Monday.
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I was going through my bookmarked blogs the other day and ran across the old link for Anita’s site (bald moses). I miss her writing. Do you know what happened to her? Is she writing somewhere else?
I’ll have to let you know; I’m not sure!
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So, does the new truck have a name?
Fred’s calling it Jezebel, I believe (well, actually he calls it “the truck”, but he’s called her Jezebel once or twice). Which is the same name the previous truck had. Fred believes in sticking with a good thing.
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Have you seen Chase No-Face? A warning, some of the pics are rather disturbing if you get close-ups. But the cat seems to be healthy, happy, pain-free, and thriving. My hats are off to the owners… I do not think I could do it.
I hadn’t heard of Chase No-Face (that I recall – and I think I’d recall!) and I didn’t get too far into the site, but god bless his owners for caring for and loving him so much!
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I hate to even ask this question (and I bet someone has already asked it), but are you thinking about keeping one of the kittens? I mean, I know that technically you don’t want/need another permanent cat but you sure do seem super extra bonded to those little fuckers. You practically birthed them yourself!
I am honestly not thinking about keeping one of the kittens – and mostly because there’s just no way on earth I could pick just one. I love River because he’s beautiful and goofy and playful. I love Inara because she’s my little explorer, and sometimes she’ll let me hold her and pet her for a long time, and she always greets me with a quiet meow. I love Kaylee because she’s shy but gets over her shyness quickly, she looks like a little raccoon, and she’s the sweetest little thing on earth. I love Zoe because she’s my troublesome little peanut and when I pet her she purrs immediately and I LOVE HER.
I swear to god, sometimes I really do feel like I birthed these kittens myself!
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Completely unrelated question here: I’ve been “hearing” you talk about a binder after your tummy tuck–what is that, exactly? Are there pictures of somesuch wondrous tool? You see, if I’m lucky to give birth to my watermelon in December, I’m wondering what I can do to help my body get back into the shape it’s supposed to be, and in my home country, there’s usually some wrapping of sorts going on (even with small weights, to help the innards deflate and contract faster). So, I’d be grateful for any pictures/ descriptions etc. that you could post.
It’s nothing magical, just kind of a girdle sort of thing and it looks like this. I’m still wearing it quite a bit, usually I go without for a few hours, then put it on around noon – I don’t know that I necessarily need it at this point (yesterday marked 6 weeks since my surgery), it’s kind of a security blanket.
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kaylee is the cutest kitty evah, next to Miz Poo. I am not cat-savvy, so what do you call that color pattern? Is that a tortie? Anyway, she was the cutest as a bebe and now….what a gorgeous girlie! I’d be VERY tempted to keep her, Robyn. You know you can always fit another kitty in at Crooked Acres, eh???? (wink)
She’s a tortie (tortoiseshell), or I suppose to be completely correct she’d be considered “tortie and white”, since I believe true torties don’t have white. I don’t remember ever seeing a tortie without white, though, to be honest.
We won’t be keeping Kaylee, not because I don’t want to (you KNOW I do!), but because like I said above, I couldn’t possibly keep just one of them.
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Ok, after reading this entry, and hearing about your desire for an above ground pool, I proceeded to dream last night that I was visiting your house, that you had indeed gotten the pool and that you were swimming in it with Mr. Boogers. I also went swimming, and when I was finished, I went into your kitchen and Fred handed me a kitchen curtain to use as a towel. At this point, I realized that I was, in fact MUST BE, dreaming and woke myself up. Just wanted to share.
I love it when you goofballs have weird dreams about us!
(Also, the extra towels are in the washstand in the dining room. In case anyone needs to know in a future dream!)
Mister Boogers is not much of a swimmer, either, by the way.
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I haven’t seen the book (blue eggs/yellow tomatoes) but the glowing reviews on Amazon are suspect (to me anyway). Two are from Altadena CA, which is “minutes from downtown L.A.” which makes me think these are the author’s neighbors/friends/relatives. The few recipes mentioned in the reviews do not entice me–it’s the kind of book foodies in L.A. of a certain age love. I wouldn’t buy it.
The only cookbook I’ve bought recently is Small-Batch Baking. When we were in Tennessee a few weeks ago, I was looking at a cookbook, and Fred said “Are you going to buy that?” and I said “Why on earth would I? I have the best cookbook on earth. I call it THE INTERNET!”
I hadn’t, though I don’t know that it would stop me should a miracle occur and I could ever drag Fred off the farm for more than a few hours at a time.
I didn’t happen to catch it, but I’ve seen lots of news stories (and an Oprah show, if I recall correctly) about the Amish teens and their “running-around time”, known as Rumspringa. For a while I was absolutely fascinated by the concept, and I still think it’s pretty interesting.
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You could just get ONE cute cat paw print tattoo… you know, to represent ALL of your cats, or to just show your LOVE of cats, or to show that you’re a crazy cat lady… I think you should. And Fred should get one too.
I think Fred is more likely to go vegan and buy a Prius than to ever get a tattoo – he has less than no desire to ever do it. I tried to convince him to have my name tattooed on his ring finger so he’d be as cool as Tommy Lee (and because he doesn’t wear his wedding band), but he wouldn’t go for it. Hmph.
I said a few years ago that I wanted to get this tattoo. I also like this one. Who knows if I’ll ever actually get one? We’ll have to wait and see!
By the way, when I was looking at cat tattoos on Flickr, I came across this picture of a cat, tattooed. I think you can imagine my opinion on THAT.
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The kittens and Kara have recovered nicely. The kittens are back to bouncing around like little rubber balls, and Kara has taken to sitting atop the dresser in the kitten room, and I’m pretty sure that’s because the kittens can’t get to her there. A couple of them tried nursing yesterday, but Kara was having none of it. I think it’s safe to say they’re weaned.
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“She thinks that collar will keep me from going over the fence HAW HAW HAW!”
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Previously
2007: No entry. 2006: Shut the fuck up and go away, Tori. NO ONE CARES. 2005: And I know you fucking lame-os won’t go so far as to PICK THE FIREWORKS SHIT up or even send your kids around to do it.
2004: No entry. 2003: Something on the floor? 2002: Something on the floor? 2001: A bunch of links that probably don’t work. 2000: Because, you know, that’s how someone gets to be 183 pounds over their goal weight – by eating the grapes instead of the strawberries.
Since y’all have asked (or commented) in my comments: Trey is Nance’s 14 year-old son. Though I am struck with the urge to call him her “man friend” from here on out. Heh. Sugarbutt had between his back toes cleaned due to an infection (ya damn SKIMMER; I just wrote about it on Monday!). I … Continue reading “7-3-08”
Since y’all have asked (or commented) in my comments:
Trey is Nance’s 14 year-old son. Though I am struck with the urge to call him her “man friend” from here on out. Heh.
Sugarbutt had between his back toes cleaned due to an infection (ya damn SKIMMER; I just wrote about it on Monday!).
I know why the vet told us to use paper in the litter box for Sugarbutt.
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Mission accomplished!
Next mission: convincing Trey to get a mohawk and dye it pink.
(Just kidding. He has no desire for a mohawk!)
Me = bad influence.
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I left the house bright and early yesterday morning to drop the kittens and Kara off at the vet. I put all the kittens in one carrier and Kara in a carrier by herself, and as I left the house I said to Nance “The kittens have never been in a car!” and she said “Then how the hell did they get here… oh, right! They were born here!”
Guess what sometimes happens when kittens ride in a car for the first time, and they are very scared? Well APPARENTLY sometimes they barf. A lot. We were about five minutes away from the vet’s office when they started up, and I stopped as soon as I could in the parking lot of a gas station to see what the hell was going on. What was going on was that there was barf all over the cat bed inside the carrier, and the kittens had tromped all through it, so they had vomit all over their paws and they were scared and LET US OUT, DAMNIT.
I had to get in the back seat with the carrier, napkins in hand, and cleaned them as well as I could. They kept trying to climb out of the carrier (River, especially) and I had to push them in, and it was a big, barfy mess. Eventually I gave up, and drove the rest of the way to the vet’s office and warned the vet tech that they were a mess.
We weighed them (they all weigh between 3.2 (Kaylee) and 3.5 (River) pounds; Kara weighs 8.5 pounds) and then the vet tech took them off to the back to put them in cages, and I left for home.
When I got home, we sat around and shot the bull for most of the morning, then decided what to do, and headed for Closeville. We ate lunch at Logan’s Roadhouse. I’ve never been there before, but the food was good (I had a grilled chicken sandwich) and we had mini-desserts, which came in these little bitty shotglass-sized buckets. It was just the right amount of sweet.
Nance asked where a Starbucks we’d seen the day before was located, so we headed there. They didn’t have the cup she was looking for, so we turned around and headed for the Wal-Mart in Closeville. On the way, we passed a tattoo parlor and Trey asked if we could stop, and I said “It’s up to your mom”, and Nance rolled her eyes and growled “OH FINE.”
That place was closed, though, due to a family emergency, so Nance called a place in Huntsville she’d tried calling earlier in the day (apparently tattoo parlors don’t open ’til noon or later), found out the details of what needed to be done, and asked if we needed an appointment. The woman told her we could come right then, so we turned around and headed into Huntsville.
600 pages of paperwork later, Trey and Nance went to the back of the tattoo parlor. I stood and looked at tattoos* and waited to hear a scream of pain, but before I knew it, out they came. Trey didn’t appear to be about to faint (though Nance was another story!), and he had a nice, shiny new badass eyebrow piercing.
We headed home, stopped at Wal-Mart because I needed supplies to make the Fourth of July cake. They didn’t have ANY raspberries, I couldn’t find the cream cheese, and that freakin’ place was so packed I could barely move without someone blocking my way. Since I have to go to the store to get steak (we’re grilling out tomorrow), I figured I’d worry about that stuff tomorrow (today), and we left.
Fred was home when we got there, and after a little while he came inside with a bucket of green beans and cherry tomatoes. Then he started pizza dough in the bread maker, and we left. I dropped him off to pick up his truck, and then headed to pick up Kara and the kittens.
When I walked in, the receptionist said that she wasn’t sure if all the kittens were done (apparently they’d had a busy day), but luckily they were (Kara was still very groggy), and I put their carriers in the back seat and headed for home. When we got home, none of the cats were up for playing – the girls all slept, Kara was weaving around like she was drunk, and River looked at me like “I could play… if I have to. I don’t have to, do I? I can just take a nap?”
Poor babies.
*I saw a really cute cat paw print tattoo. I reflected that I could get a paw print tattoo for each of our cats on the back of my shoulder (and down my back), but if I get them for each of our 9 cats, I’d have to get them for the cats who’ve passed on, right? And then as each cat passes on and we get new ones, I’d have to get a new one for each new cat. Like Fred said, “You’ll have 50 paw prints by the time you’re 65!” Ah well.
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Anyone see the Mack truck that hit that poor kitteh?
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Previously 2007: Two movies in one summer. Can my heart take it? 2006: “I love you, but GODDAMN DO I HATE HIKING.”
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry. 2003: Miz Poo vs. The Intel Man. 2002: Fred tries to poison me. 2001: Letters. 2000: It occurs to me that that’s perhaps far more detailed than y’all need.
New month, new logo! This one was created by Aly, who’s done a LOT of my logos. So talented, that girl. Thanks, Aly! (You might need to clear your cache to see the logo at the top.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have you checked out Imaginary Bitches, the YouTube show? I’ve watched them all, and have to … Continue reading “7-1-08”
New month, new logo! This one was created by Aly, who’s done a LOT of my logos. So talented, that girl.
Thanks, Aly!
(You might need to clear your cache to see the logo at the top.)
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Have you checked out Imaginary Bitches, the YouTube show? I’ve watched them all, and have to say that I find them pretty amusing. That lead actress is adorable.
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I spent about an hour yesterday chopping and freezing summer squash, zucchini, and pattypan squash, and by the time I was done, I was ready to kick Fred’s ass. The man planted THREE ROWS of squash this year.
I really hate him.
I find that I’m filled with hatred a lot these days. Last Friday Fred and I went out to dinner, and then he decided that we should drive around Closeville and look at trucks. We ended up stopping at the car lot where he got the truck he already had and he got the keys to the truck he eventually ended up buying (on Saturday) and we took it for a drive. The passenger’s side seatbelt didn’t work and neither did the air conditioning, so when we got back to the car lot I was not only full from dinner but super-hot from the driving around in 100-degree heat and I was annoyed and unhappy, and so Fred headed to the office to talk to the guy, and I followed him and he went inside while I stood outside, arms folded, and he whispered “You sure are radiating the hatred right now!” and I was all “BECAUSE I HATE BEING HOT AND BEING FULL AND I AM BOTH RIGHT NOW.”
So, Fred got a new truck. It’s green, it’s wonderful, you can imagine the impact on my life.
I spent all day yesterday doing laundry and cleaning and by the time 2:00 rolled around I was wiped out (I don’t remember the last time I slept past 5:15), and so I went upstairs and laid down on the bed with the kittens. Kara came along to see what the hell I was doing and whether I knew any nice single unneutered boycats I could introduce her to, then the babies nursed for a few minutes, and then they all curled up and we snoozed for ten minutes, until Kara started up her goddamn yowling.
AGH.
Fred left work a little early. Sugarbutt and Newt both needed a visit to the vet and since I didn’t want to have to wrangle them both myself, Fred made the appointment for a time when we could both go. Except that Newt, that fucker, disappeared and was nowhere to be found, so Fred ended up taking Sugarbutt to the vet. A few months ago he was having an issue with his foot, where he was licking it raw between his toes, so I took him to the vet and they gave us an antibiotic ointment and his toes got better and then they got worse, so we started putting the ointment between his toes and then it’d get better and then worse – which we only realized when we saw bloody pawprints on the counter – and finally between the bloody toes and the fact that his upper lip was swollen (which I just noticed late last week), we gave up and took him to the vet.
Fred and Sugarbutt weren’t gone long (since I had shit to do, Fred took Sugarbutt by himself), and when they got home Fred reported that there was a growth between two of his toes, they thought it might be a bacterial infection, and I have to take Sugarbutt back to the vet this morning so they could knock him out and clean between his toes really well.
It’s always something.
Newt moseyed home about five minutes after Fred and Sugarbutt got back from the vet. He’s got a sore on his tail, about two inches from the end, and it looks horrible and he keeps worrying it, so he needs to go to the vet, but it’s hard to do that when the little fucker disappears. I guess I’ll have to keep him in one morning instead of letting him out, ya think?
Kara’s still in heat, still with the ear-piercing yowling from time to time, still looking for love in all the wrong places. Thank GOD she’s still settling down at night.
Miss Momma does not approve.
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Tomorrow, the kittens go to be spayed and neutered. Poor little monsters, they have no idea what’s coming!
Previously
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry. 2005: That Tom Cruise. What a fuckin’ loon, huh? 2004: Jesus christ. After almost five years of marriage, wouldn’t you think he’d KNOW that there are only two ways to answer that question? 2003: And then she vaulted her portly ass across me to say good morning to him, cracking three of my ribs in the process. 2002: We went to see Minority Report on Saturday, and though I really liked it, I did NOT enjoy sitting next to Billy Bob ShutTheFuckUp, who was compelled, when not clearing his throat loudly and phlegmily, to remark upon each and every plot point.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
Holy crap, Nance and Trey are going to be here tomorrow, and I haven’t scrubbed the baseboards or put a fresh coat of paint on the downstairs bathroom! (Ha!) I’ve warned Nance that the house is a pig sty, but I don’t think she believes me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I had a busy and productive Saturday, … Continue reading “6/30/08”
Holy crap, Nance and Trey are going to be here tomorrow, and I haven’t scrubbed the baseboards or put a fresh coat of paint on the downstairs bathroom!
(Ha!)
I’ve warned Nance that the house is a pig sty, but I don’t think she believes me.
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I had a busy and productive Saturday, which allowed for some slacking on Sunday. I love it when that happens. Not only did I have 3,000 pounds of summer squash and green beans to process, I also had to clean the kitchen and move some stuff around and… hm. I sure did think I got a lot more than that done, but at least my kitchen is clean and kind of organized.
Fred suggested that I use the dressing in the 3-Bean Salad recipe to make a 3-squash salad out of some of the summer squash, zucchini, and cucumbers we had. I cubed everything up, added half a sliced onion, and dumped the dressing over it. I made it in the morning and let it marinate all day before we had it at dinnertime. It was really good, but my digestive system disagreed with that assessment, and I got up so many times early yesterday morning to use the bathroom that at 4:30 I finally said FUCK THIS and just got up instead of trying to go back to sleep.
By 9:00 I’d done some laundry, some more kitchen cleaning, taken the recycling to the recycling center, and gotten groceries and was home again. I spent the morning cleaning the kitchen, including both refrigerators, and cleaning out the last couple of cabinets I hadn’t gotten to on Saturday. I moved some stuff around on the counter tops in an attempt to declutter, moved the furniture in the front room around, vacuumed the downstairs, and then spent the rest of the day kind of slacking, along with hanging out with the kittens and doing some more laundry.
One of the things I did on Saturday was make my own laundry detergent. I used this recipe, and it was really pretty easy. For a few dollars, I ended up with two gallons of detergent. I haven’t used any yet (I want to use up the old stuff before I do), but I’ve heard it works well. I didn’t add any scent to mine, because the smell of the Fels Naptha soap is kind of pleasant.
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Foods which I have recently made:
Lemon Crisps. They’re like small lemon sugar cookies. They’re supposed to be round, but the whole “roll dough into a tube, refrigerate for three hours, then cut into nice neat thin round cookies” is apparently beyond my skill set. They were good, despite their odd shapes, with a very light lemon flavor. I had thought that they’d be crispy, considering the name, but they were soft. Maybe I did it wrong, I don’t know, but in any case they were damn good.
Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. These were very reminiscent of carrot cake (maybe because of the cinnamon and nutmeg). I liked them, but Fred LOVED them, declaring the recipe a “keeper”. The pigs also gave them two grunts up. (What? The recipe made two dozen cupcakes. We can’t eat two dozen cupcakes by ourselves, so the pigs – as usual – benefit.)
Also, the three-squash salad I referenced above was really good – I’d probably add a handful of lightly steamed green beans next time – though as I also mentioned, my digestive system wasn’t a fan. Stupid digestive system.
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It was with great joy (NOT) that we realized, Thursday evening, that Kara had gone into heat. How, you ask, did we know such a thing? Well, if the super-friendly rolling around and purring wasn’t a clue (she’s always been, after all, a friendly girl), and the yowling didn’t clue us in, the fact that any time we touched her anywhere near her tail she crouched down and presented her back end was what made us realize what was going on.
I think you can bet that by bedtime Thursday I was kicking myself for not taking her to be spayed after her first mini-bout of being in heat a few weeks ago. The yowling of a female cat in need of some attention is ear-piercing, to say the least. I called Friday morning to make an appointment to have her spayed – and made an appointment for the kittens at the same time – and the first available time they had was Wednesday. I went ahead and made the appointment, but told Fred that if Kara got too loud at night, we’d have to set her up in the garage overnight.
Luckily, she’s been settling down at night and not yowling THANK GOD. We’ve taken up the gate at the bottom of the stairs so she can be downstairs with me if she wants, and on Saturday she drove poor Spanky crazy. She’s apparently latched onto the idea that he’s the big stud in the house (poor lonely Momma cat and a houseful of neutered males!) and if she’s in the mood for love and sees him, she’ll flop down in front of him and present her back end. He just looks at her like “I don’t know what you want, but I wish you’d be quiet about it!”
She got going with the yowling and low crawling Sunday afternoon and Tommy (who was laying in a cat bed on my desk) got up and jumped to the floor. Fred said “He’s going to go take care of her!” A minute later, I saw Tommy stomping across the back yard to the patio, looking for some peace and quiet.
Our cats are being remarkably patient with her – there have been some dustups, but interestingly they only happen when one of our cats ventures upstairs during the day when Kara and her kittens are out of the foster room. On Friday I was in the kitchen and heard a loud noise, Miz Poo came flying by all puffed up, and I went upstairs to see Kara all puffed up and sending hate rays toward the stairs. It appears that Miz Poo had gotten too close to a baby, and Kara had to show her that that was NOT okay. Saturday she went after Mister Boogers and scared the shit out of him.
He’s not as badass as he’d like to think, apparently.
So anyway, Kara and the kittens are going to be spayed and neutered on Wednesday (welcome to Crooked Acres, Nance and Trey! Here, listen to a cat in heat! Accompany me to the vet first thing Wednesday morning! Do we know how to PARTY here, or what?!) and then it’s just a matter of waiting until room opens up at the pet store.
(I’m in no hurry for them to go. For the record!)
They’re still occasionally nursing (if you look by River’s (the gray tabby in the middle) right ear, you’ll see Kaylee’s orange ear sticking up). Because I was curious, I timed them this time to see how long she’d let them nurse before she got up and walked off. 90 seconds is all they got – and I managed to get a ton of pictures of them during those 90 seconds. I always grab the camera when I see them nursing, because I always think it’s going to be the last time!
Previously
2007: No entry. 2006: Must be ’cause I’m so approachable. 2005: Hobbies. 2004: Fred calls Miz Poo “Musty.” 2003: He sighed. “Because everybody knows that 256 (the total number of pages in the book) is 2 to the 8th, which is 2 to the 6th times two squared, which is 64 times 4, so you should print four blocks of 64 pages.”
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry. 2000: Folks, it’s Dumbass Day.
Hey, Rescue Me fans – did you know that they’re doing short “mini-sodes” to tide us over until the next season starts sometime in 2009? The DVR caught the first one Tuesday night, and we watched it Wednesday. And then I watched it twice yesterday. It’s only a few minutes long, but it’s hilarious. I … Continue reading “6/27/08”
Hey, Rescue Me fans – did you know that they’re doing short “mini-sodes” to tide us over until the next season starts sometime in 2009? The DVR caught the first one Tuesday night, and we watched it Wednesday. And then I watched it twice yesterday. It’s only a few minutes long, but it’s hilarious. I think the best part of the show is when they’re all sitting around the table at the station, shooting the shit. I hope all the “mini-sodes” are this awesome.
I’m currently reading The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver. I’m about halfway through the book (maybe a little less), and it’s making me a bit paranoid. The book’s about data mining, and it’s kinda freakin’ me out, man.
I don’t know that I can ever think of Lincoln Rhyme as a white man, since Denzel played him in the movie.
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But seriously? What do you do with pigs?
You spoil them rotten until they get big-ass, then you slaughter and eat them, of course!
Nope, I’d never heard of it. According to Amazon, it’s a recipe book. Anyone read it? Do I need it?
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I’m sorry if this question has been asked before and I missed the answer, but do you feed the pigs sweets b/c it makes their meat sweeter? Or is it just b/c it fattens them up?
Actually, it’s (c) None of the above. We feed them sweets because they like sweet stuff and it makes them happy when we bring them chocolate. I don’t know if it makes the meat any sweeter (I’d guess “no”), but I’m looking forward to finding out for myself!
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I am horrified that you would waste good chocolate on pigs. Then again, you will probably be making your ham sweeter. Feed on.
We might eat one or two of the chocolates from the box as we’re feeding the pigs. But I don’t know about “good chocolate” – it’s not like it’s Godiva!
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While watching the pig video, I got to gigglin’. I understand giving the indoor pets snacks (I give them to my pets of course!) But I started wondering how many “farmers” go to give their livestock “snacks?” You guys are the best!
It’s the unspoken rule that any animal who steps onto Crooked Acres must be spoiled rotten for as long as they’re around.
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Americauna, black crested golden polish – did you ever think you would know so much about chickens?
No! It’s kind of amazing, really – I didn’t expect to retain as much information about the different breeds as I have.
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How do you trim the chicken feathers? Scissors or some exotic chicken feather shears?
I have a pair of nail scissors that I got from a manicure kit that I use only for trimming back chicken feathers. I never expected that I’d ever type those words. I was curious and had to go see if there are any such things as “chicken feather shears”, but Google gave me nothin’.
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Have you been using your Ped Egg? My feet are looking a little nasty and I wanted to know if it was worth the money.
I think the Ped Egg is definitely worth the money. I have the tendency to use it for a couple of days in a row, my feet look a little better and less dry and scaly, and then I stop using it until the hideousness of my feet bugs me again. Probably if I used it every day, I’d have lovely feet, but I’m far too lazy to do that.
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Robyn, have you seen this
I hadn’t – how cool is that!
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Your rant about the side door being locked reminded me of Keith from KATG when he gets mad. “OF COOORSE it’s locked! That’s how I WANTED it! GOOOOD!” (read in a Keith- voice). LOL!
Every time they talk about Keith ranting like that, I laugh my ass off because that is exactly what I do. I don’t know WHY, but bitching and ranting like that always (eventually) makes me feel better.
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And you should tell folks your scar is from a magic trick gone tragically wrong.
It goes well with the scars I have on my stomach and on my back from having moles removed. I tell people that I was running from the cops, they shot me, and the bullet went in my stomach and came out the back, but did it stop me? NO. Because that’s EXACTLY how much of a badass I am.
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Did you have back fat wings before your LBL and if so, are they improved afterwards?
Yeah, I had back fat before surgery and it’s mostly gone now, because the surgeon reached up and liposuctioned the fat rolls under my shoulder blades. It’s much improved, but I think it’ll look even better next year when I have my upper body done.
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Wow Robyn, you’re healing nicely! Just curious… do you enjoy swimming? When I manage to get about 30 more pounds off, I’m looking forward to buying a new swimsuit and a pass to the nearest pool. It’s not my size that’s stopping me from going now. My old swimsuit is beyond worn out and the reward of a new suit combined with the joy of swimming is my motivation.
I do enjoy swimming, but I can’t remember the last time I went swimming! For a few years we swam at a quarry in Madison, but it’s since closed, and we don’t have a pool, we’re not near the ocean, and I have no desire to swim in the nearby lakes or rivers. I think we need a pool. And since we’re not in a subdivision anymore, we could have an above-ground pool and no neighborhood organization to stop us!
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My mom had knee replacement surgery a few years back. The sutures thing – get used to it. She pulled sutures out of her skin for a couple of years. She mentioned it to her doctor and he said that it happens to some patients. It’s like your body doesn’t dissolve the sutures like “normal” people. My mom said she is just “too sweet”. Mosquitoes don’t attack my mom either. Do you have problems with mosquitoes biting you? I understand the cool gross thing. She’s pulled them out in front of me several times. She said when the sutures work up to the skin, they act like she has a black head. She would squeeze it to pop the suture through the skin and out comes the tweezers. Hers are normally only about an inch long.
I do occasionally get mosquito bites, but I don’t have a big problem with mosquitoes. I have to say, having sutures pop up and needing to be popped like blackheads, well, it’s gross but it sounds kinda cool, too. I can’t help it, I’m a popper!
So since the pet store had a bunch of kittens, sounds like you will get to keep custody of the young’ns a lil longer. I was starting to worry. I figure they will be going to the vet very soon and then off to the store for adoption. I’m sure you are willing to hold on to the kittens a little while longer! I cannot figure out why Kara is still so protective of her babies. You think she’d want to get them out of her “fur” for awhile. Are they still nursing?
The kittens and Kara are going to go to be spayed and neutered the week after July 4th. After that’s done, once there’s room at the pet store, they’ll be going. I expect that the kittens will be going before Kara, and that Kara will be hanging out here for a while. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get her socialized around other cats before space is available at the pet store.
I think it’s mostly habit that has Kara still so protective of her babies.
The babies had a long nursing session earlier this week. What happens most often lately is that they see Kara laying there, they go over and start sniffing around, sometimes they even get a moment or two of nursing in, and then Kara gets up and walks off.
“Seriously.”
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My best friend and I are taking our kids (mine’s 9, hers are 7 and 6) to the Smoky Mountains for a few days. We know we are going to spend some time at Dollywood, but we’d like to do something in Gatlinburg, too. Since you’ve been there 30 gazillion times: What are the MUST see things in Gatlinburg? ARE there any must see things there? Or is it one of those places where just walking around for a day will do? Looks like there are a metric shit ton of Ripley’s-related things!
I’m going to cut and paste from an email I’ve sent out so that I don’t have to strain my brain to remember all this stuff.
I have no idea if this sort of thing interests you, but Zorbing has come to Pigeon Forge, and I’ve already told Fred that if he doesn’t take me Zorbing in Pigeon Forge this summer, I will go there ALONE, because it looks like the coolest thing on earth.
I always recommend that everyone take a day, go into Gatlinburg, park off the main strip, and just walk the entire strip from one end to the other. There are a billion little shops – if there’s something you want, chances are good you’ll be able to find it in one of those little shops. Also, the people-watching is really good!
Places we always, always eat in Gatlinburg are:
The Alamo (we usually go to the one in Pigeon Forge, though, I don’t know why. If you’re looking to drink with dinner (or lunch), you’ll want to go to the one in Gatlinburg, since Pigeon Forge is a dry… city? County? Whatever, they don’t serve alcohol in PF. Or they didn’t the last time I noticed; that may have changed.)
That’s about it, actually – we try to try out one new restaurant every time we go, but the three I mentioned are our favorites. We usually eat lunch at a restaurant, then get a pizza or sandwiches in the evening because the restaurants tend to be busier in the evening.
Oh! When I was in the area at Christmas a couple of years ago, we had lunch at a Japanese Steak house in Pigeon Forge and it was REALLY good. I can’t remember the name of it, but it’s on the main strip in Pigeon Forge (if you’re in Pigeon Forge headed toward Gatlinburg, it’s on the right side); I highly recommend it.
And a word of advice – if you’re going to eat breakfast, stick to Pigeon Forge and hit one of the pancake houses there (or one of the Cracker Barrels!). There aren’t as many in Gatlinburg, and they always have long, long lines.
Places to visit, off the top of my head – Gatlinburg has a nice aquarium; we’ve been there a couple of times, and enjoyed ourselves even when we didn’t have a kid with us. If you’re up for hiking, the Smoky Mountain National Forest has a lot of nice hikes (though I’ve really only done one, the Laurel Falls hike). If you’re just up for a pretty drive, the drive through the National Forest and into Cherokee is gorgeous on a nice day and there are lots of little waterfalls you can see from the road. Also, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is absolutely gorgeous. I’ve got a thing for waterfalls, and this drive has a ton of them.
Pigeon Forge has plenty of shopping, and they have the Smoky Mountain Cat House and Smoky Mountain Dog House near the Old Mill. We like to visit HHI (totally cheesy) and then walk back to the shops around the Mill, then cut across the street to the Cat and Dog houses.
While you’re in Gatlinburg, if they’re running the ski lift to the top of the mountain (and you’re not scared of heights), it’s totally worth the price; the scenery is breathtaking. And so is the view from the Space Needle in the middle of downtown Gatlinburg.
Okay, that’s all I’m thinking of off the top of my head. I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, but those are the high points. It’s been more than a year since I’ve been to the area, and I’m really starting to miss it!
We’ve never been to any of the shows, but I understand they’re good in a kind of hokey way. If you go to one and like it, let me know so I can keep it in mind for the next trip!
Also, Kinzie added:
Been going there all my life. The kids will likely enjoy the rock shops. There are a ton of toy stores and knick-knack places. Pancake Pantry has the Best. Food. Ever. (I recommend the Continental French Toast and the Banana-Pineapple Triumph. INDEED.) and you get to watch them make taffy and candy apples next door while you wait in line. Get some cinnamon bread from The Donut Friar in The Village while you’re there. Go to Ober Gatlinburg and ride the Alpine Slide (3x should be plenty for the kids – maybe just one). There is a lot of people-watching to be done in the evenings on the main strip, if you’re into that. Keep an eye out for magic stores and the like. Indoor mini-golf is fun. And Pigeon Forge has a ton of outdoor places with go-carts and water slides and so forth.
GOD, I WANT TO GO TO GATLINBURG!!!!! Can’t the pigs and chickens and cats take care of themselves?!
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Are you trying to lose more weight or just maintain?
I’m pretty happy at this size, so I plan to just maintain.
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Will Kara be returned to the shelter along with the kittens?
She’ll be going to the pet store to be adopted, but she’ll probably stay here for a while longer. Hopefully she’ll chill out a little and be a little less feisty with our cats.
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There used to be an Amish colony close by and every year they had a big fall festival and sold all sorts of things. I looked forward to going. They weren’t real friendly people, but that was their way. I don’t believe they would hurt anybody.
Yeah, the Amish are known to be very peaceful. I don’t think they’d hurt us, they’re just intimidating. It’s the lack of smiling, I guess. I really think they’re just very reserved and a little shy. Also, I worry about inadvertently offending them so I always make Fred deal with them – and they scare him a little, too. The unknown frightens us both. We are big scaredy-cats, have I mentioned?
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Whatcha gonna do with all that junk
All that junk inside your trunk?????????
heh…just kidding! You look really great; and I’ve gotta say, that is a nice ass! Whenever I lose weight, mine just gets flatter and flatter. I got no junk, no junk, no junk inside my trunk…
Damn you for putting that song in my head! I’ve been singing Baby Got Back (because I just saw the episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel sing it to Emma to make her laugh), and it adapts nicely to a song I can sing to the cats (“I like THAT BOOG and I cannot lie, you other kitties can’t DENY, that when a cat stalks in with an itty bitty hate and a little stump in your FACE, you get HISSY!” and then it kind of breaks down from there, shaddup). But then, I suppose that My Hump, given that “hump” and “stump” rhyme, won’t be a difficult adaptation, either.
I have to say, I don’t think my butt looks bad. It probably helps that I started out with a bubble butt, so I didn’t end up with the dreaded flat ass that people have the tendency to develop after a lower body lift.
Annnnd let’s move on from my ass, shall we?
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I’m not a perv or anything (yeah right) but can we see a picture of yer can/tush/butt full on please? I’m curious to know if the ass matches the tummy!
No, I think you guys have seen about as much of my ass as you’re going to. 🙂
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Hope there’s time to get this in for the Friday questions: Any ideas on what would cause a ~4 month old kitten to suddenly revert back to nursing behavior? We got Cassie at the beginning of May; she was listed as being 8 weeks and 3 (2?) days when we got her. She never exhibited any nursing behavior at all (except occasional kneading, which all my cats do).
In the last four days, I’ve noticed her being VERY aggressive in attempts to nurse on one particular pillow I have (it’s got a “furry” cover), to the point that I have to shoo her off of it because she’s biting into it and trying to rip the cover off. My first thoughts were that she was losing kitten-teeth and was just looking for something to teethe on, but the more I watch her, it seems like she’s trying to nurse and gets frustrated and starts biting and tearing at it as a result of frustration.
Yesterday and today, I noticed that she has been trying to nurse on the two more tolerant older cats – both male, and not appreciative of her efforts, to say the least. I had to break up a fight this afternoon when Packer finally lost his temper and whapped the crap out of her for several minutes – but Cassie still wouldn’t leave him alone. (Bill has hissed and spat at her a few times, but otherwise just keeps moving out of her way, and Lord help her if she ever tries it on Mr.T.)
Any ideas as to why, after nearly two months, she’s suddenly decided she wants to nurse again? And how I can redirect her to keep her from getting her ass kicked? Based on how viciously she bites, chews, and pulls on the pillow in between attempts to suckle, I can understand the older cats not putting up with her, but I don’t want her to get her ass kicked all the time. I don’t want to have to separate them, either, though, so… Suggestions?
I don’t know what would cause her to suddenly start trying to nurse again (maybe a reader will have some words of wisdom?), but I can tell you that of the nursing kittens I’ve had in the past, they all really like to go for the faux sheepskin beds we have all over the place, like this one. I’ve also heard that they really like anything made of wool. It’s certainly worth a try!
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Kittens are doing fine. Kara, on the other hand, is about to drive me batty. She wants the hell OUT of the upstairs, she wants IN the rest of the house, so she sits at the bottom of the stairs and howls. She has a VERY piercing meow. I blame this on Fred, who lets her out for a trip around the downstairs every time she meows. Damn him. We let her out of the upstairs last night, and there were some tense moments, but she stayed out for a few hours, and no one died. Progress!
The kittens, cute as ever. Here they are in the second part of their “9 week old kittens” video. Now that they’re 10 weeks old!
Previously 2007: Is it just me, or do these look like weirdly posed scenes, like something you’d see in the JC Penney catalog? I imagine a photographer yelling “Frick! You WANT him, you want him with every feather on your body, but Sugarbutt! You don’t even notice Frick, you’re just standing there being beautiful. Be beautiful, Sugarbutt! Be beautiful and feisty and unattainable, and Frick! Want him! Want him badly, but sadly, knowing that you can never have someone that beautiful. He’s out of your league! PERFECT!” 2006: The meals sucked, but we got t-shirts that were pretty cute, so I guess it all worked out. 2005: Can I sue for emotional distress?
2004: No entry. 2003: I never said I had a long attention span. 2002: You can imagine the zany situations.
2001: No entry. 2000: Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose.
So, I had my five-week follow up visit with the plastic surgeon yesterday. They took some “after” pictures, and then the nurse inspected my incision and found a few stitches (which were supposed to dissolve) that had worked their way to the surface of the incision. I’d noticed them recently (they just look like little … Continue reading “6-26-08”
So, I had my five-week follow up visit with the plastic surgeon yesterday. They took some “after” pictures, and then the nurse inspected my incision and found a few stitches (which were supposed to dissolve) that had worked their way to the surface of the incision. I’d noticed them recently (they just look like little pieces of string sticking out, nothing painful I ASSURE YOU, you big babies. You think I don’t see you there with the “Ewww” face on right now?) and so she got her tweezers and pulled them out. They were mostly just little pieces of string (and I couldn’t feel her pulling them out), but she showed me one that she got from my back, and it was about an inch long. I was impressed that she’d pulled that out and I hadn’t felt it!
And THEN, the surgeon came in and looked me over and cleared me for regular activity (though I need to work up to lifting stuff slowly) and he checked out my incision and we looked at my “before” pictures, and he told me that he was pleased with my results, and asked if I was. I assured him that I was very happy, then we discussed the “scar massage” I’m to begin immediately.
Scar massage, basically, is where you use unscented lotion, put it on the tip of your finger, and rub firmly along the scar line. It breaks up and softens the scar ridge under the incision line. They gave me a sample of Mederma and a sample of Eucerin. I picked up a tube of Mederma at Target, and apparently you can use it on old scars. I’m going to do an experiment on the scar on my stomach – the one where I had a mole removed several years ago – and see if it really makes any difference in the appearance of the scar over the next few months. I mean, I don’t really care how dark my scars are, I’m not going to be exposing my scars in public or anything, it’s just a matter of curiosity.
As the surgeon looked at my incision line, he pointed out a scabby area to the nurse and said he thought there might be some “suture material” there and asked her to take a look. He told me to come back at the 9-month mark, and left the room. The nurse had me lean back, and she got her tweezers out, and she started pulling on the scabs (there were two small ones) and we were both like “No, just looks like scabs…” and THEN this three-inch long piece of suture came out, and I was like “OOH, GROSS!” and the nurse said “Are you okay?” and I said “Yeah, I meant gross in a cool way!”
You weren’t eating, were you?
So ANYway, I asked about my binder, and she said that I could start weaning myself off the binder usage slowly, that if I suddenly started going without, it would put a lot of stress on my abdomen and would hurt. After my shower this morning, I’m going to go without the binder for a few hours and see how it goes. I do have a couple of Flexees “Waist-shaper panties” that I might wear for a while, too. We’ll see, I’ll play it by ear. Or by abs. HA.
The nurse said, “So are there any clothes you’re fitting into that you weren’t able to fit into before?” and I told her the story of my size medium shorts from Wal-Mart, and then I said “Actually, this t-shirt I’m wearing, I used to try it on and wouldn’t wear it because it was tight on my stomach, but when I was looking for something to wear this morning, I decided to give it a try!”
And she gave me a high five. Heh.
Here’s me in my Wal-Mart shorts and size L t-shirt (you can’t see the front, but there’s a pink flower, and it says “Maine” below it). I am fully aware that y’all are going to tell me that the shirt is too big, but what you need to keep in mind is SHUT UP. I didn’t go out and buy it, it was in my closet, and a smaller size would have shorter sleeves and in such a case y’all would be looking at my upper arms and no one needs to see that. Trust me.
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This past weekend, Fred decided he was caught up on his chores around the place, and he walked inside a little after 11:00 and announced “It would take very little to convince me to drive up to Lawrenceburg. I don’t want to work outside anymore, it’s too damn hot out there.”
“You know what I was thinking?” I said.
“What?”
“We should drive up to Lawrenceburg!”
And so we did. I mentioned that I wished that we could trust his truck to get us up there, because there are a few areas in the house where I’d like to put simple tables, and the Amish furniture I’ve seen has been the kind of stuff that would work perfectly. This apparently put the idea in his head that he should get a new truck (something he’s been talking about on and off recently), and so we drove through Closeville and eyeballed some trucks before we headed for Tennessee.
We were both starving to death by the time we got to Amish country, so we stopped at The Brass Lantern in Lawrenceburg, and we had the BEST burgers on earth. When we went into the restaurant, they seated us at a small table with four chairs. I had the utter nerve and gall to sit on the side next to Fred instead of across from him, and we were sitting there looking at our menus and my arm brushed against his and he said “You’re all up in my space, aren’t you?” and I said “Well, do you want me to move?” AND HE SAID “Do you mind?” So I called him a princess and got up and flounced to the other side of the table and apparently the people sitting behind us got a kick out of that.
Did I mention we had the best burgers ever? SO GOOD. I ate the other half of mine for dinner that night, and it was just as good reheated. NOM.
I tried to convince Fred we need one of these for the tree in the front yard. He wouldn’t go for it. Hmph.
Then we got in the car and headed for the Amish community. We passed about 10,000 used car lots on the way, stopped at a produce store to buy a few things, drove through the Amish community without stopping (the Amish peoples are so scary and flat-gazed and unsmiling that we rarely ever stop to buy anything, because we’re great big scaredy-cats) and then we stopped at a furniture gallery to look at the tables. I didn’t really see anything that was perfect (though I did point out a table to Fred, and he said “I could build something like that!”, so I snapped a picture of it. We’ll see if there’s any actual building done in the future. I AM SKEPTICAL.)
We stopped and looked at another zillion and thirty trucks (I suspect you can imagine just how interested I am in the whole truck hunt. PLEASE GOD MAKE IT STOP.), and then we went to the R3d T0p B@rgain B@rn, which is this, well, barn that’s crammed full of cheap crap. Imagine Big Lots, only not as classy. We stopped there because Fred likes to buy cable ties there; they’re apparently better than the ones he got at Big Lots.
As he checked out, the lady running the cash register looked at his shirt and laughed and pointed it out to the other woman working there.
“I like his shirt!” she said. “‘That’s what she SAID!'”
(Side note: Fred sent me an email the week before last with this link. Since I thought it was a t-shirt he needed (not that he really needs any more t-shirts, but y’know.), I ordered it. I also got him this one while I was at it.)
When we went out to the car, Fred said “I wanted to say, ‘That’s not what it says! It says That’s what SHE said!'”
We were headed back to the highway, cutting down a shortcut, when I saw a small animal by the side of the road, and then looked closer, and lost my shit.
“Stop the car! Stop the car! STOP THE CAR!” I yelled. I swear to god, Fred moseyed down the road for three miles before slowly coming to stop. “Turn around! Go back! THAT WAS A KITTEN!” He finally turned around, but he wouldn’t stop where the kitten STILL was because it was on a blind curve or something that he TOTALLY MADE UP and eventually he pulled over and I got out of the car while he was still slowly slowly SLOWLY coming to a stop.
The kitten, naturally, was no longer by the side of the road (I should note here that it didn’t seem to be hurt, was moving around just fine, but I didn’t think a kitten who appeared to be about the size of our fosters should be wandering around next to a road where the traffic moves pretty quickly) and I searched around in the brush and called for it. I could hear something moving off in the distance and when I called out, an adult cat meowed back at me, but after ten or fifteen minutes of searching I couldn’t find anything and Fred made me give up.
“You were like Arnie in Christine when he sees the car,” he said, then mocked me. “‘STOP THE CAR! STOP THE CAR! STOP THE CAR!'”
Fucker.
We stopped at the Bodenham General Store, which is our favorite store in Tennessee, and bought a few things, then headed home.
Sunday, since Fred still had that bug firmly up his butt about needing a new truck, he finished up what he’d wanted to get done outside and then asked if I wanted to drive into Huntsville to look at trucks. Since I had nothing pressing to do, I agreed, and we headed out.
I made him stop at the pet store so we could buy some cat food, and I looked at the cats in the pet room and holy COW there are a lot of kittens right now.
“I don’t know. It matches my collar, but it sure does use a lot of gas…”
We drove through the parking lot of a bunch of dealerships, but a lot of them were closed and Fred got annoyed and decided we should head home, but on the way home there was this used car dealership with a nice-looking truck out front. Fred checked it out and we eventually took it for a drive. When we got back to the lot, the salesman was sitting on the front porch of the house (it was originally a house, was a “Candle Cottage” for a few years, and now it’s the office for a used car dealership). I hate everything that goes along with the process of buying a car, so Fred went up to talk to the guy, and I went to wait in the car.
Fred got in the car (which surprised me, I thought for sure he was going to end up buying the truck.) and I said “I don’t like him. He looks like a douchebag.”
So we ended the weekend without a new truck which surprised me, really. We did go up into Closeville earlier this week to look at a truck Fred had seen, but he decided it was more than we want to spend. He’s made noises, since then, that we don’t NEED a new truck and it’s foolish to spend money on something like that that we don’t NEED, but I don’t know who he thinks he’s fooling. We’re going to end up with a truck, believe me. He’s a man on a mission.
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Fred has taken to picking up Kara and walking around the downstairs with her. Yesterday, he let her out into the downstairs hallway so she could walk around. Miz Poo was in the vicinity. Kara sniffed around and then rubbed on Miz Poo, and then she apparently realized she was rubbing on Miz Poo, and started a smackdown.
Poor Miz Poo.
So Kara has decided that she’d like the freedom of having the run of the whole house, pls, and so she sits at the bottom of the stairs and occasionally howls and I blame Fred for this annoying turn of events. If I could trust that she wouldn’t kill any of the cats who looked sideways at her kittens, I’d be more inclined to let her run free. As it is, for now she’ll get short periods of freedom.
“YOWZA!”
There are a bunch of really good kitten pics uploaded today over at Flickr.
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“I am Suggie J. Sugarton, and I disapprove this message.”
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Previously 2007: I figure it’s the goddamn circle of life and all that.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry. 2003: I know I did the same lazy-ass, stupid-ass shit, and in retrospect she didn’t beat me nearly enough. 2002: Fred: Hey. You’re married to an old white man.
2001: No entry. 2000: I’m having a klutzy day.
I have to confess that my taking Monday and Tuesday off from updating the journal was due less to the fact that I needed time away from the computer and more the fact that the “available space” percentage on the DVR dropped down to single digits. So I had to get some TV watched. I … Continue reading “6-25-08”
I have to confess that my taking Monday and Tuesday off from updating the journal was due less to the fact that I needed time away from the computer and more the fact that the “available space” percentage on the DVR dropped down to single digits. So I had to get some TV watched.
I know, I’m lame. But you’ve gotta have priorities!
I cleared off enough stuff so that there’s more than 30% space on the DVR now, which gives us some breathing room. It helped that I went through the THIRTY-SIX episodes of Roseanne I’d taped (don’t judge me, I love the hell out of that show) and deleted the ones I don’t want to see.
So, I’m back! Woohoo! And in lieu of a texty entry, I provide for you some of the sights (and sounds!) from around Crooked Acres.
You lucky fools.
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Every evening at dusk (which is around 8:00 right now), Fred and I go outside to close up the chicken coops. After, we walk out to the pig yard, and we give those damn pigs a snack. Lately, we’ve been feeding them several chocolates from an assorted box of milk chocolates we bought at the Russell Stover store (four 12-ounce boxes for less than ten bucks!). Those pigs LOVE them some chocolate. I finally remembered to bring the camera out with me one evening and made a movie. In this one, we (Fred) are feeding them those cream-filled chocolate eggs. Which were a hit. Most food items are a hit with the pigs, really. I find that I yammer a LOT (newsflash: standing by a pig yard: stinky! I know, I was shocked too!), so you might want to turn off your sound so you don’t have to listen to me babbling.
Cucumber plants, very happy. I’ve already made five pints of dill pickles, and we’re only getting started!
Squash plants, also very happy.
I love it when one of life’s little mysteries is solved. Remember a few months ago when I couldn’t find that bottle of Feliway and I looked EVERYWHERE and was completely mystified? There it is, under the secretaire in the dining room, with a bunch of cat toys. I wonder how it got there, CATS.
Outside the window over my desk, a spider has set up shop. She catches at least one big bug every day. A week and a half ago, three egg sacs appeared. I check every day, but no baby spiders yet. Every now and again, a little red spider visits. I don’t know if it’s the daddy spider or just a friend dropping by for bug guts. The mother spider never fights it off, though, and sometimes the little red spider helps clean out the web.
Mayfly, maybe? Whatever it is, it was living on one of the clothespins and wasn’t inclined to move, so I left it alone.
Maxi followed us into the chicken yard the other day and flopped down in one of their dust bath holes. The toddlers approached curiously, unafraid of her. They made her a little nervous, though.
Charlie and her twisted little toes. Poor thing – but she’s growing and thriving, so I guess she’s okay.
One of the white-crested black polish chickens. The poor damn things can’t see a thing, so I trimmed back the feathers. A whole new world opened up to them!
Some of the toddlers like to roost on these blocks.
Toddlers taking dust baths.
This one’s kind of neat – mostly black, with a patch of Americauna-like coloring on her/ his chest.
Black-crested golden polish, after I trimmed some of the feathers back. She was so calm while I did it, didn’t fight at all. Maybe she knew we were trying to help her?
Good ol’ Frick, taking a dust bath.
I don’t even want to know what Maxi’s thinking, here. Probably “Dinner!”
You see a recipe for Mississippi Mud Cookies that are basically chocolate cookies with milk chocolate chips, pecans, and mini marshmallows. You think “How could that possibly be anything but fabulous!”, right? I made them on Friday and was completely underwhelmed. I don’t know what was lacking, they were just kind of bland. We each ate a couple (the second one to make sure the first impression was right, of course) then fed the rest to the pigs. The pigs liked them a lot, especially the big one.
I came across this recipe for Pineapple Upside-Down Skillet Cake on the Razor Family Farms blog a few weeks ago. I printed it out, and decided on Friday to make it. I was really looking forward to it, but guess what I didn’t take into account? I don’t like pineapple, unless you’re talking about fresh chunks of pineapple in a dish. Duh. Fred liked it okay, but says that next time he’d prefer it if I used light brown sugar instead of dark. WHATEVS. Also, this picture illustrates why I am not a professional photographer. Could I have made it look any less appetizing?
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Kara and the monkeys are enjoying having the run of the upstairs all day long. Inara figured out how to climb over the gates (I was only putting the one across the top when I left the house; otherwise I just had two up with a gap at the top) so we’ve gone to keeping all three gates up during the day. Kara will occasionally come to the bottom of the stairs and check out the situation. Sometimes she just meows at whatever cat is there, and sometimes she hisses and flies at the gate. Fred has taken to, every now and then, picking her up and carrying her around the downstairs. So far she’s calm as long as he’s holding her, but I’m waiting for the time when she catches sight of the wrong cat at the wrong time and leaves tracks up one side of Fred’s face.
I made a movie of the kittens at 9 weeks old – well, I made two of them, I’ll post the other one on Friday. This one is what they’re like when they’re relatively calm.
Previously 2007: Three times in the course of an hour, the same conversation, word-for-word, I swear it.
2006: No entry. 2005: I’d say this country is going to hell, but that handbasket sailed a loooooong time ago. 2004: Yes. Robyn DID recently learn how to do popup windows. Why do you ask? 2003: Do I LOOK like an outside kinda gal? 2002: Which is when I realized that I’d actually dreamed the conversation and hug and kiss.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
Last night for dinner we had green tomato chili, which I made last July and then froze; I thawed it out and cooked it in the crock pot all day yesterday and it was DAMN good, although I forgot to put the cornstarch in three hours before it was finished, so according to Fred it … Continue reading “6-20-08”
Last night for dinner we had green tomato chili, which I made last July and then froze; I thawed it out and cooked it in the crock pot all day yesterday and it was DAMN good, although I forgot to put the cornstarch in three hours before it was finished, so according to Fred it was “kind of watery.” We also had green beans using Pioneer Woman’s Fresh Green Beans One Way, and they were FABULOUS, although we didn’t have a red pepper (and anyways, I don’t like bell peppers) and for some reason the broth didn’t boil away, so there was no caramelization. I don’t know why the broth didn’t boil away, I followed the directions to the letter, but like I said, the beans were really, really good anyway. And we ALSO had yellow squash. Smocha posted in my comments: Slice up the squash …sprinkle your baking sheet with olive oil. Lay all the squash flat, in one layer. Sprinkle the squash with shredded Parmesan cheese and bake for about 20 minutes . That’s what I did, and OH MY GOD SO GOOD. Cooking it so simply really brought out the flavor of the squash. I also sliced up some eggplant, but I sliced them too thinly and they burned. Next time I’ll use the nonstick baking pans ’cause the squash stuck to the pan, but it was fabulous anyway. SO GOOD. Though I used grated parmesan because that’s all we had on hand. Maybe I’ll pick up some shredded this weekend and try again.
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Yesterday marked four weeks since my surgery, so I decided it was time to go back to cleaning out the litter boxes. Fred didn’t argue with me at all, since he HATES cleaning the litter boxes. Not only did I clean the litter boxes, I did laundry, I filled bird feeders, I watered the plants on my front porch. I half expected to be achy at bed time, but I was fine, and I slept like a rock, and this morning I continue to be fine. Guess I didn’t overdo it!
I’m still not lifting heavy things, which means that when I wanted to hang Fred’s laundry out on the line, I had to put the wet laundry in a basket, then drag it down the stairs and across the lawn. When it was dry, I took down and put away his laundry in stages so I didn’t have to lift all that laundry at once OR drag the basket through the house.
This weekend I’ll probably give vacuuming a try and give the Roomba a break. I’m on a roll!
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My ‘thing’ would be that stuff needs to be put back where it belongs. I HATE looking for something that has been misplaced. In my perfect world, I could lay hands on anything in the house in pitch dark conditions…. but since I live with 3 other people, ain’t gonna happen anytime soon
In theory, my “thing” would be having stuff put back where it belongs, but in reality after I, say, use a pair of scissors I just lay them down wherever I happen to be, and wander off. And then the next day when I’m looking for the scissors that BELONG in my desk drawer, I have a screaming hissy fit because SOMEONE took my scissors and OMG why does NO ONE ever put ANYTHING back where it BELONGS, goddamnit!
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Oh And.. I have to speak up for Antibacterial hand sanitizer users. My family uses it a LOT but that’s because my dad is fighting cancer and is on chemotherapy. Hence his immune system is not what it used to be. So.. we’re cautious around him but when I’m at school? LET THE GERMS COMMENCE.
I suppose that’s understandable, though perhaps your father should just man up and kick some germ ass!
I kid.
“Let the germs commence” should totally be my new tagline, dontchathink?
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I have to sing the praises of the “Green Bags”. https://www.greenbags.com/ They have really helped my spoiled fruits and vegetables problem. I had a head of iceburg lettuce, which normally gets all “rusty” in about 3 seconds flat, in a green bag for A MONTH and it was still fresh, crisp and not rusty at all. I LOVE ME SOME GREEN BAGS. I haven’t tried them with blueberries, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they helped.
With all the fresh produce you guys have coming from the garden shortly, I bet they’d be a good investment. They can be reused several times by just rinsing them out and letting them dry.
But then…
This is a belated comment about the Green Bags that somebody mentioned a few days ago. I was psyched, so went to the website to order some–ordered 5 sets of 20, at 9.95 a set, plus Shipping and Handling. Which the website said would be 9.95 for an order between $25.01 and $50.00. Had I really been paying attention, I’d have ordered 6 sets, because the website offered free shipping for orders over $50.00. Anyway, I got a confirmation email showing my order, which totaled 49.70, plus P&H of–get this–$34.95!!!! So I called to either get the postage corrected or cancel the order, and the customer service rep said she couldn’t do anything b/c the order wouldn’t be posted for 24 hours, so I’d have to call back. That was Friday. Called back today (weekend phone call said closed until Monday) and found–oh yeah–the order had “already shipped”. Asked to talk to supervisor–who kept me on hold for over 30 minutes while she “checked”. She said the website said it would be $7.75 or some such PER $9.95 order. Turns out the website I used–www.greenbagsstore.com–was not the website her company intended me to use, and they wanted to know where I got the web address. I said it came from a link to a link on a blog, and didn’t give further info. They finally agreed to refund me the difference between the $34 charge and the $9.95 charge I had agreed to, but they weren’t at all contrite. SO I’m posting this here, as an alert to Robyn’s readers, that this company uses deceptive practices and will overcharge like crazy if you order from them. I myself won’t order from them again. Grrrr. Makes me so mad when people take advantage of consumers! Readers–Any ideas about consumer websites I can post this to, to warn other would-be customers?
Alice, out of curiosity, how’d you get from greenbags.com to greenbagsstore.com? Did you just remember the name of the product and Google it, or did you click on a link somewhere on greenbags.com that brought you to the other?
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Hayden Christensen was also pretty good in “Shattered Glass” if you’re interested.
We actually saw that, and I agree. Fred’s a Hayden hatah, though, and will not be convinced that he might have some acting talent.
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Miz Poo is a tortie? Is that tortoise shell? What’s the diff between that and calico???
Elayne beat me to the answer:
Nicole: Calicos have fairly solid, distinct patches of the three colors (“red,” black/brown, and white), while on tortoiseshells the colors are blended, frequently giving a “mottled” appearance, and there is less (or no) white. Most tortoiseshell cats I’ve seen tend to have black, “red,” and a creamy yellow-orange color, rather than any white.
Like Elayne said, when the colors are “mixed” they’re considered torties; when the colors are mostly distinct from one another, they’re calicos. Miz Poo is, I think, considered a tortie and white. It’s all really kind of confusing!
Despite the fact that the web page claims that it poses no risk to pets or humans, does anyone not immediately imagine me zapping myself with that thing? Zapping myself repeatedly, even?
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I have a question for your readers…. I have worn out my fave shorts (cotton/lycra blend) that used to be sold at Avenue, and cannot find any plus size cotton/lycra blend shorts anywhere… help! They are the only type that fits nicely and looks halfway decent.
Readers, suggestions?
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I also wanted to mention that we have a cat with FIV that can’t be around our other cats, so we have separated our house into two areas. My husband built a sliding gate for our house out of white plastic lattice purchased from Lowes. It works great, looks cute, it is taller than a regular baby gate and it slides open and closed very easily so you can go from one room to the next with out having to take the gates down and put them back up again. And it is not solid like a regular door so the two parts of the house are not sealed from each other.
and
Something a friend of mine did for her child, which I thought was awesome, was to put a pretty antique style wooden-framed screen door with a latch on an interior door frame. It is brilliant – the room is closed off, but you can still see inside, and air can get through, and it is really easy to get through instead of taking baby gates down.
I originally kind of imagined Fred building something along the lines of a screen door, only instead of permanently mounting it, he could put two hooks on each side of the door so that if I wanted to go upstairs, I could lift it out, step through, then put it back. I like the antique style screen door idea! I don’t know if Fred would go along with that, though, I’ll have to work on him a little.
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Hi Robyn, curious minds want to know, why didn’t you return the pillow cases while you were still in the parking lot?
‘Cause I didn’t want to be late for the movie! As it turned out, I had plenty of time and could have returned them, but I always prefer to be early rather than late.
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What I don’t understand is white or cream colored pants, especially traveling. I’m always afraid I’m going to sit in something while visiting a tourist attraction or theme park.
I don’t wear white or cream colored ANYTHING, because I am such a slob that the pants or shirt would be stained in ten minutes flat. I’m a dribbler.
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I wonder why Shawn felt the need to introduce himself. And man, I hate it when I tell someone “You have the wrong number” and they respond with “Who is this?” HAAAAAAATE. “Who this is” is NOYGDMFB, all YOU need to know is that it is not the person you wanted it to be.
I know I’ve bitched about this before, but I absolutely LOATHE it when someone calls for Fred and I say “He’s not here, may I take a message?”, and then they pause and say “Who’s this?” I always want to yell “It’s the person who answered the phone, what the fuck do you WANT?” I mean, what the fuck? Who do they need to know who it is before they leave a message? GAH.
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I have a serious question because I am at my wit’s end with my roommates cat. This cat will not use a litter box, the box is spotlessly clean. However this cat will urinate and defecate on the floor, right in front of you, all the time as IF you’re not even there. My roommates have put her outside on several occasions, the problem and i am not lying…she’s so fat she can’t clean herself. It’s Georgia, it’s hot, she stinks, flies….maggots…it’s GROSS, then they have to clean her.
Her favorite places to go are in the dining room and the kitchen. She use to use the carpet in my room, until I banned her from that area, ripped up and replaced the carpet.
Any ideas? Truth be told, they don’t take very good care of her and I don’t think she’s been to a vet but once in her lifetime.
For her, a trip to the vet, immediately, or (preferably) another home. If she’s never been to the vet and their solution is to put her outside so they don’t have to deal with her, that’s just… ugh. It would be kinder to take her to a shelter than to leave her in that kind of situation.
For you, I say time to move or get new roommates!
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I didn’t realize how big the kittens had gotten until I saw that picture of Zoe nursing. OMG they are so big! tell them to stop growing!
I wish they would! They’re HUGE now, especially River, who’s well over 3 pounds. If I could keep them this size and this age forever, you bet I would.
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You have a Sony camera. Don’t you love Sony! I just got a new one and man I bet I have taken 5000 pictures.
We’ve always had Sony digital cameras and absolutely love them. We each have a Sony Cybershot DSCP200 (I carry mine around in my purse most of the time), and we share a Sony Alpha A100. Sometimes I prefer the smaller camera because it’s easier to carry around. The big camera takes some awesome pictures, though.
I think it’s about time to upgrade the smaller camera. Just because!
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Gael over at Pop Culture junk mail did a blurb about the terrified pickles last week. I’m sure thats what your searcher was looking for.
and
Huh; until the links to the site with the actual terrified pickles, I would have thought it was a link to this lady who has a fear of pickles.
First of all, I am disappointed to find out that Terrified Pickles is not, in fact, the name of a band. Secondly, that girl in the video? Bless her heart, but man. What a freak! I cannot believe the Maury Povich show is still on. I loved Maury back when he hosted A Current Affair, he was delightfully snarky, but that show of his – man, what a cut-rate piece of shit he’s got going on there.
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it’s those pickles you talked about that were the greatest ever. I think I may have seen them in the grocery store soon after that, but they have a sweetness to them and I cannot DO sweet pickles at all. So it’s a name brand, but it’s an odd-flavored pickle. Or something.
Wickles! Those things rock, but when I was visiting Nance, she had a particularly spicy jar of them, and I swear my tongue about burst into flames. Someone sent me a canning recipe that’s supposed to be just like Wickles – I can’t wait to try it out.
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I too don’t always wash my hands after using the toilet at home if I haven’t gotten anything on them BUT I will wash my hands every time if I am using a public toilet because who knows what the person before me had on their hands and then flushed the toilet.
and
#1 is public bathrooms. After I wash my hands there I must open the door with my paper towel.
I don’t use a paper towel to open the door to a public bathroom (my sister does and I always mock her), but I DO wash my hands after using the facilities. And then I’m sure I germ myself back up when I open the door. And then probably I chew on my nails or touch my face and then I am COVERED IN GERMS.
How many of you shuddered and ran for your hand sanitizer after reading that?
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any hair anywhere in my hotel room grosses me out
Hair does not gross me out. Is hair particularly germy? I mean, I wouldn’t particularly want to see pubic hairs laying all over the place or anything, but hair from someone’s head doesn’t worry me. Is hair phobia a widespread thing?
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I think my only other *thing* is keeping the kitchen clean. I cannot go to bed with dirty dishes piled up.
In the last several months, it’s gotten so that I’m the same way. The last thing I do before bed is make sure the dishwasher is loaded, set to wash in the middle of the night, and the counters are wiped down. I think it’s nice to be able to walk into a clean kitchen the next morning instead of having to immediately start cleaning it.
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OK, I guess you’re not as bad as this lady. 😛
I had NO IDEA hedgehogs could swim. That is about the cutest thing on earth.
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Why do you have millions of tomatoes? I have 6 tomato plants and maybe a total of 7 tomatoes. WTF??
You’d have to ask Fred, but it probably has something to do with the fact that he’s out there every single day weeding, watering, and sweet-talking every plant in the garden. As far as the assmaters, I bet the fact that they started life in a little plug of chicken poo (ie, fertilizer!) gave them a strong start.
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Oh, also …I’m dying to see your new stomach!
If you can handle the still-scabby scar, the stretch marks and the CLEARLY man-made belly button, you’re free to check it out here and here. Oh, and my skin’s so red because I had just taken the binder off. Those are my fancy size 8/10 shorts from Wal-Mart I’m wearing in those pictures, by the way.
(Those two links will pop up windows. If they don’t work for you, you can see the belleh pics here and here.)
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The final kitten movie from when they were 6 weeks old! Warning: May cause cavities due to the sheer utter adorable cuteness.
I love the look on Kaylee’s face like “Oh, UGH. Smells like HUMAN! How can they stand that smell?”
Closeup of nursing NINE WEEK OLD kittens. Momma didn’t put up with it for long.
All four kittens are present and accounted for – if you look behind River (the gray tabby in the middle), you’ll see Kaylee’s legs kicked out. She’s actually underneath him. I have no idea how that can be comfortable, but that’s always been her nursing position.
Oh, and for comparison purposes, here they are at five days old:
Lots more kitten pics over at Flickr. There are several that show off Zoe’s gorgeous stripes especially well.
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Miss Momma takes a cue from the chickens and tries out a dust bath for herself. She kinda likes it.
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Previously 2007: And since it’s still muddy in the garden, no weeding for me again today. Darn! 2006: “Save your breath,” I said, gasping for air. “I don’t believe a word you say, you lying liar.” 2005: “Spot caught a copperhead!”
2004: No entry. 2003: Poor Gram. 2002: Oh, quit with the gasps of horror. 2001: Lynn is very very nice, but as I’ve mentioned, she doesn’t appreciate the beauty of silence. 2000: I was giving out dirty looks left and right, let me tell you.
