3/9/10 – Tuesday

A few weeks ago, as you might recall, I posted about Hoyt, one of the foster kittens from the True Blood 6. The people who adopted him found out, through an emergency visit, that he had Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). They asked the shelter manager if she knew of any good homes because … Continue reading “3/9/10 – Tuesday”

A few weeks ago, as you might recall, I posted about Hoyt, one of the foster kittens from the True Blood 6. The people who adopted him found out, through an emergency visit, that he had Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). They asked the shelter manager if she knew of any good homes because if this turned into a chronic condition, they weren’t going to be able to afford regular $1500 emergency vet visits.

I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but I posted about it just to see, and then Michelle came forward and said that she wanted him!

I held my breath and emailed her to make sure she was serious, then sent her the contact information for the shelter. She did all the usual stuff, filled out the application, talked to the shelter manager, and then the shelter manager talked to Hoyt’s parents to make sure they were really prepared to give him up. They were, and the date was set for the transfer, and I was even invited to come to the shelter to meet Michelle and see Hoyt again.

Did I mention that Michelle lives in North Carolina?

So, I fretted for two weeks about the whole thing – fretted that Michelle would change her mind (though she never once gave ANY kind of indication, in fact she was thrilled to be adopting Hoyt, but I’m never so happy as when I’m worrying, you know), fretted that her car would break down on the 7-8 hour trip to Alabama, fretted that she’d get here, we’d meet up at the shelter, and then Hoyt’s parents would change their minds about giving him up.

In other words, it was business as usual for me. At least I had somewhere to direct my need to worry, right?

This past Saturday came, and I left the house, headed for the shelter. Michelle was already there when I arrived, filling out paperwork, so I crossed THAT worry off my list. We went into one of the cat rooms and petted cats and waited for Hoyt and his parents to show up. They did, so I crossed THAT worry off my list, too.

(I don’t know what I’m going to worry about now!)

So Hoyt’s parents put him in the small bathroom so that he could use the litter box and calm down a little from the drive and then we stood around and talked about Hoyt.

You guys, there is no doubt in my mind that Hoyt’s parents love him and were heartbroken to be giving him up. They told us story after story about him, and he is obviously growing up to be one sweet, silly character of a kitty. He’s a talker, and will hold conversations with you, or with the wall (heh), and he loves to be held on his back like a baby. And gorgeous? OH so gorgeous!

Did I bring my camera with me. OF COURSE, I’m offended that you’d even ask such an obvious question.

Did that camera have a memory stick in it? OF COURSE NOT. Gah!

So since Hoyt had had time to chill out (though I think he might live in a state of chill, really), we went to see how he was doing. He was doing just fine, thank you, and Michelle got to hold him, and I got to pet him, and he settled down in Michelle’s arms and watched the cats in the cat room through the windows. He talked a few times, and I don’t know WHY I was so surprised, but his voice sounded exactly the same as when he lived with me!

We talked for a while longer, and then it was time to put Hoyt in his carrier and load him in Michelle’s car. Hoyt’s mom and dad said goodbye to him, and then went off to their car before they started crying (which was a relief, because no one cries alone when I’m around!), and then off Hoyt went to his new home in North Carolina!

I fretted a little, as is my way, while waiting to get word that they’d made it home safely, but Michelle was kind enough to let everyone know that she and Hoyt had made it just fine. She also reported that whenever she said something to another driver, Hoyt popped up to give ’em hell, too. HEE.

Here are a couple of pictures that Hoyt’s mom and dad shared:


Don’t his eyes look GREAT?

And then yesterday, Hoyt took paw to keyboard to send an email to let everyone know how he’s doing.

Hi Mom & Dad,

I made it to NC after a long & boring car trip. I miss you but I’m doing fine. I’ve met the other lady Julie and my big brother PitStop. That’s him in the picture. LOL the lady keeps trying to take my picture but I won’t stay still more than a minute 🙂 It’s fun watching her try.

Yesterday, the door opened and there was a big gate thing up in the doorway (baby gate) and me & my brother could see each other. He’s kind of big so I puffed up and tried to look as intimidating as I could. I don’t think it worked because he just kept coming back to the gate to see me. We chatted and smelled things out and before you know it we touched noses a few times. Then the gate was taken down (see the picture? no more gate!) and wow was I happy to see the rest of my new place!

There are STAIRS with a turn in the middle! I LOVE playing on them. You can see in my picture I am at the top of the stairs just waiting for someone to come up. I have been getting exercise by running up and down and all around. HA my big brother is SO slow; he can’t keep up with me. I have been exploring everywhere and checking it out. I like the windows so I can stalk the birds and lay in the sun. Pretty cool.

I think they are head over heels for me – I am adorable you know 🙂 pretty sweet set-up. As soon as me & my big brother know each other a little better we can team up and live like rockstars! All we have to do is be sweet and lovey to the ladies and we’ve got them wrapped around our kitty toes.

I have been eating and drinking and using the scratching post and doing all the good stuff I’m supposed to so don’t worry. You took good care of me and just so you know I gave her all kinds of hell getting that pill down me! What a rookie 🙂 lol.

Thanks for letting me come here – I will write you again soon!


This is PitStop, Hoyt’s big brother. This picture is cracking me UP. He’s all “HelLEW, laydeez!”

He’s a very good typist for a cat, isn’t he? 🙂

Thanks, Michelle, both for adopting Hoyt and for sending pictures and an update. I know that Hoyt will be happy in his new home and very well taken care of!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: (Nance is laughing at me right now, I guarantee it.)
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: So when I reached down to pet his head, IT WASN’T HIS HEAD I GOT. ::shudder::
2005: Killing the messenger.
2004: Howling and hissing and growling and yowling ensued.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: Gather ’round, younguns, and hear the heartbreaking tale of farts and betrayal…
2000: You still love me, though, right? Um, right?

3/8/10 – Monday

Please, if you’ve ever added me as a friend on Facebook and I haven’t friended you back, friend me again, or email me and tell me to PAY THE FUCK ATTENTION TO WHAT I’M DOING, because it’s likely I wasn’t paying attention and hit “ignore” (or whatever the other option that isn’t “add as friend” … Continue reading “3/8/10 – Monday”

Please, if you’ve ever added me as a friend on Facebook and I haven’t friended you back, friend me again, or email me and tell me to PAY THE FUCK ATTENTION TO WHAT I’M DOING, because it’s likely I wasn’t paying attention and hit “ignore” (or whatever the other option that isn’t “add as friend” is). I’ve never NOT friended someone who wanted to be Facebook BFFs and I’m pretty sure I’ve never unfriended anyone that I’ve friended, I am clearly a Facebook slut who’ll friend anyone who’ll have me.

And of course, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on my pearls of Facebook wisdom. HA.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I mentioned something to Fred the other day about Facebook, and he said “No one ever friends me on Facebook!”

“They don’t?” I said in surprise.

“Never,” he said grumpily.

“That’s strange,” I said. And then I realized.

“You don’t HAVE a Facebook page, dumbass,” I said, swatting him on the arm.

“That’s no excuse.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Saturday mornings, Fred and I leave the house right before 7:00, so we can get to Publix the instant it opens (or shortly thereafter). Our grocery list is usually short, but I need Fred along to lift the heavy stuff (the gallon of milk and such). I’m sure he’s counting the days ’til I get clearance from the doctor to resume normal activities so he can stay at home while I schlep off to the grocery store.

We blew through Publix pretty quickly, picked up the stuff on our list, and headed for the checkout. Fred started bagging the groceries while I ran my debit card through the reader, and then I stood and watched him doing the rest of the bagging.

I glanced over as a teenage bagger, clearly intending to walk by, approached our lane. He saw me see him, winked at me, and then abruptly changed course to help Fred with the bagging duties.

Our stuff bagged, Fred and I headed for the exit, and I said (JOKINGLY, I assure you), “That kid was totally flirting with me!”

Fred smiled. “Obviously he thought you were a GILF.”

“Huh?” I said, stumped as to what the “G” could possibly stand for.

“Yeah, a GILF,” he said proudly.

“Girlfriend I’d like -?” I began.

Grandmother,” Fred said, and grinned at me.

I swatted him on the arm, laughing.

“A girlfriend wouldn’t be buying stool softener,” he added, guffawing at his own wit.

Fucker.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

On a side note, while the bagging was going on, the bagger held out to me the box of stool softener we were buying, and said “Do you want to put this in your purse?”

I struggled for a nanosecond with the idea of saying “Oh, let my husband put it in his pocket, SINCE IT’S HIS.” before I said “No, you can go ahead and bag it.”

On the way out to the car, Fred said “When the cashier was ringing everything up, I almost pointed to the box of stool softener and said ‘THAT belongs to my WIFE.'”

Tell me we’re not perfect for each other.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Yesterday we went to Dog Days, the flea market in Tennessee, because Fred got some t-shirts from there a few weeks ago, and not only were they inexpensive, they were the thick fabric he likes (he doesn’t like thin t-shirts), and they held up well in the wash. He wanted to get some more and we didn’t have anything else planned, so off we went.

That place was PACKED. The line stretched almost out to the main road, and it took forever until we got to the entrance, paid our $1 parking fee, and parked.

I told Fred I wished we’d brought a trash bag with us, because the trash by the side of the road was bumming me out. I cannot STAND the fucking garbage people toss out their windows, it drives me nuts.

(It especially drives me nuts when they do it on our lawn. A few weeks ago there was a goddamn DIAPER by the mailbox. Fred watched me go to the mailbox, get the mail, look at the diaper, and then come back to the house. He gave me hell for not picking it up, but please. I AM NOT PICKING UP SOMEONE ELSE’S SHITTY (I assume) DIAPER. If I had any idea what motherfucker tossed that on my front lawn, I would have picked it up, taken it to their house, and set it on fire on their front steps. Fuckers.)


This little swamp is by the entrance to the flea market. The little tricycle in the middle of the swamp has been there as long as I can remember. It kind of creeps me out.

So we parked, and started walking up the aisles, looking at all the usual crap. I don’t know why we bother with looking at the stuff on the near side of the bridge (there’s a small bridge over a creek), because all the stuff we’re REALLY there for – the chickens and turkeys – are on the other side of the bridge. But we moseyed along and looked at the stuff for sale, and the people who were moseying along as well, and eventually we made it to the GOOD part of the flea market.

Fred ended up buying five t-shirts (and I live in hope that he’ll get rid of the awful, hole-riddled t-shirt he bought at Fuddrucker’s in Fort Walton Beach, FL several years ago), I bought a box of Girl Scout cookies (Samoas), and we spent a lot of time looking at all the puppies for sale.

Puppies sure are cute.

We also looked in amazement at the HUGE table of pickled goods (pickles, pickled okra, pickled eggs, pickled bologna), but didn’t actually buy any of it, though I certainly made some mental notes.

We looked longingly at the chickens and turkeys and eggs, but even though we’d brought a carrier with us (just in case), we didn’t bring any living thing home. “We don’t need any more chickens” is our new motto. Not that I expect us to abide by our motto for long, but we stuck to it this time!

We were home by noon with Fred’s new shirts and my Girl Scout cookies, and spent the rest of the day hanging out like the slugs we are.

Today, it’s supposed to be sunny and 68. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it really happens!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 


Kara says, “Come over here, darling. I won’t chew your face off. Much.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: Not that I downloaded them illegally, because I would NEVER.
2005: “This is good!” he said. “Old people always know where the good food is!”
2004: That guy, I thought to myself, looks an AWFUL lot like Larry the Cable Guy.
2003: No entry.
2002: Know what made me laugh so hard I cried, and even now when I think about it, I grin and giggle involuntarily? The idea of a cat using the word “manipulate.”
2001: It’s a comfortable pattern for me.
2000: No entry.

3/5/10 – Friday

Yesterday morning, I had breakfast with friends (cat-lovin’ friends, so there was plenty of talk about poop and worms and such at breakfast, of course, which always makes me laugh. I know it sounds gross, but there’s very little you can talk about at a meal that will put me off my feed these days.). … Continue reading “3/5/10 – Friday”

Yesterday morning, I had breakfast with friends (cat-lovin’ friends, so there was plenty of talk about poop and worms and such at breakfast, of course, which always makes me laugh. I know it sounds gross, but there’s very little you can talk about at a meal that will put me off my feed these days.). Before I left the house, I noticed that I seemed a bit colder than the weather (mid-30s warranted), and while I was eating breakfast, I was REALLY cold despite the fact that I could feel the warm air coming down from the vent nearby. Then on the way home, I had the heat turned up full-blast and wondered why I was so cold, and suddenly the light bulb went on over my head, and I felt my forehead.

When I got home, I took my temperature with the new thermometer, and it read 99.9. Then I took my temperature with the OLD thermometer, and it read 100.3. Then a few minutes later, I used the new thermometer again, and it read 100.4.

So even though they couldn’t seem to agree on the exact number, it was clear I had a damn fever along with some lovely chills. I also felt really, really tired and had a headache. I took some Tylenol and then called Fred to discuss whether I should call my gynecologist to report the fever. I had no other symptoms that the piece of paper they gave me before I left the hospital listed, and I just KNEW if I called the office they’d want me to come in, and I had NO desire to schlep my ass all the way across Huntsville, given the way I felt.

Ultimately, we decided that I should go take a nap and see if the Tylenol would bring my fever down.

I got my bottle of water and was going to head to the living room to lay down on the couch under my electric throw, when I noticed that there were four cats gathered around the wash stand, in the dining room. From under the wash stand, I could hear a cat banging around and growling. At first I figured that one of the cats had a toy he was protecting from the other cats, and almost walked away. I decided to make sure it wasn’t something more, and I was about to get on my hands and knees and look under the wash stand, when Jake shot out, a huge fucking vole in his mouth. He was going to run down the hallway, saw me, and changed course into the kitchen.

“Really?” I said grumpily to the other cats. “We NEEDED another good hunter in the house? You think? I blame you,” I said to Newt. When I’d gotten home, Newt was out in the side yard watching a vole run around, and occasionally pouncing on it. I opened the door and called him inside, and he’d come in willingly enough. The vole ran off in the direction of the driveway, and I figured it would run across the driveway and into the foliage between the garage and workshop. Apparently, instead, it ran into the back yard and into the jaws of Jake. (Fred, by the way, is SO proud of Loony Jake and his huntin’ ways.)

I followed Jake into the kitchen. He went to the corner near the sink, dropped the vole, then snatched it up again by the scruff, and growled at me. I grabbed Jake by the scruff, shuddered, grabbed the vole by the tail, and Jake released it.

This vole, I’m telling you, was a big motherfucker. We’re seeing a lot of big voles lately, it seems. I guess baby vole season hasn’t started yet. Its body was bigger than my fist. But I had it by the tail (UGH) and carried it out beyond the garage and let it go.

I got inside, grabbed my bottle of water, and headed for the living room. I got my heated throw, turned it on, and started to lay down on the couch, when I smelled the distinctive smell that drives me to a homicidal rage.

Someone had peed somewhere.

I spent the next ten minutes sniffing every damn inch of my couch before I found that one of the pillows had been peed upon. I gathered up all the pillows, tossed them in the washer, told all the cats that I hated them, resniffed the couch, determined that the source of the smell was gone, and was just about to lay down when Fred called to see how I was doing. I took my temperature, and it had gone down to the mid-90s. It continued to drop down to normal (my temperature regularly runs about 97.2) and never came back.

I continued to feel really sleepy all afternoon, so I mostly sat on the couch and watched TV (I would really love to know how the holy fuck they’re going to wrap up Lost in the next 10 episodes, given that the storylines seem to be meandering with no forward motion lately). Last night, we watched 24, which I completely slept through, and Survivor, which I did not.

I slept pretty well last night, and this morning I feel perfectly fine.

Very weird.

(And yes, if the chills and fever come back, I’ll go to the doctor. I promise!)

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I saw this on People of Walmart. I wonder if anyone ever submitted a picture of you when you’re buying 80 lbs of kitty litter.

Better watch your back!

I only check out People of Walmart occasionally, so I’m actually not sure – do they only post pictures of people in Walmart, or do they include other stores? Because if it’s Walmart only, I’m safe – I get my litter at Sam’s! 🙂

And 80 lbs of cat litter? I WISH I only bought 80 pounds at a time. It’s more like 400 pounds at a time! I seem to recall (though I’m too lazy to go looking for it) posting a picture once of the inside of the back of my car with 10 40-pound buckets of litter, two huge bags of cat food, and another ton of canned cat food.

If you guys see a picture of me posted on People of Walmart or elsewhere, you better tell me!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Is it just me, or is this Mr. MFSW and a room full of partying cheerleaders?

If it is him, way to spend your interweb photo royalty checks, Grandpa!

For comparison purposes, Mr. “Motherfucker say what?!”:

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I had severe endo too, and they had to switch to abdominal incision from the laparoscopic because of this. This was 4 yrs ago and it’s the best thing I could have done! I’m on bio-identical hormones. Have you decided on which kind of hormones? Or is your head spinning at the thought of that so soon??!!

Right now, I’m on an estrogen patch and progesterone cream and feeling good, but I’m reading about my options. I finished The Hormone Solution the other day, and just started What Your Doctor Might Not Tell You About Menopause this morning. At this point, I’m much preferring the latter to the former, mostly because I’m disturbed by the fact that Dr. Erika Schwartz (the doctor/ author who wrote the first book) “prescribes” Progesterone cream in the following dose: 5-7 mg per kg of body per day. When I figured that out, it was 360 mg of Progesterone per day. The conventional wisdom (and what Dr. John Lee, the late doctor/ co-author of the second book and pioneer in the field of bioidentical hormones) “prescribes” is 20 mg per day. Needless to say, that’s a huge difference.

But anyway, I’m going to keep reading, and discuss it all with my doctor at my 6-week checkup!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

You need some of these!

Indeed I do!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

do you follow “shit my dad says” on twitter? if you’re not, you should really check it out. in any case, that old curmudgeon in the photo sort of looks like the shit my dad says guy!

I do follow that guy on Twitter, and it usually makes me laugh. And you’re right, I see the resemblance!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

After my hysterectomy, and despite my 9″ incision, I was feeling good pretty quickly. I asked my doctor if I could do more than he’d originally given me permission to do. He gave me some great advice, which is that after major surgery, your body heals at a rate of approximately 10% per week. So even tho I was feeling 75% better, my body had only healed 10%. And just in case I still thought I knew better, he told me that the result of over-doing it could be herniating my incision and having to start over with the staples. Needless to say, I stayed put. Argh.

Herniating my incision is my biggest fear! I am definitely taking it easy, but also REALLY looking forward to the next three weeks being over and getting the clearance from my doctor to get back to business as usual. I’m enjoying the downtime, but it’s kind of starting to get old!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Can I tell you my horror story of stuff in the wall, can I, can I??? Anywho, last summer, we kept hearing sounds in the wall and ceiling. We thought they were bats. We figured first frost, they’d go away. Ummmm, nope. After hearing fluttering in the wall that turned into purring noises, we called the exterminator. We had a yellow jacket nest about 6 ft wide by 2 ft tall in the wall over the doorway to our kitchen. The purring noise was all bajillion and one of them buzzing their wings at the same time to cool the nest. Yeah. SUCK! So $1200 later and our house is pest free. For now.

That is the CREEPIEST (and yet COOLEST) story EVER.

Pictures, please?

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

What do you guys do to keep the dogs’ fur from matting with all the dirt and outdoor living?

Fred brushes them pretty regularly, which seems to do the trick (and you should SEE the amount of hair he gets off them!). They do very occasionally get a mat, and we carefully clip out the mat with small scissors.

What amazes me about the dogs is how incredibly dirty they get, and then the next morning you see them, and they’re absolutely pristine. I always say their fur must be made of Teflon. The dirt slides right off!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I live with my sister, and she’s the “handyman” of the house. This sounds exactly like something I would of said. “Oh yeah… she brought in a CHAINSAW to cut a hole in the wall.” LOL!!!

For those of you who didn’t see Fred’s comment, he didn’t bring a circular saw in to cut through the wall, it was a jig saw. IN MY DEFENSE, the handles on the jig saw and the circular saw are very similar, and I guess I didn’t look that closely at the saw – just saw the handle, and my brain filled in the rest, erroneously.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Personally, I think cold snaps, but warm spells.

That’s right, warm SPELL is what I was looking for. Doesn’t “cold snap” make it sound like the cold is a living thing that comes up and flicks you on the nose and runs away giggling while you’re sputtering and trying to figure out what just happened?

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

…do you mind being facebook friends with your readers? Or do you reserve it for people you really know? (In other words, if I try to friend you, it won’t freak you out, will it?)

I love to be Facebook friends with my readers! And I’m not that easily freaked out. 🙂 You can find me on Facebook here. I don’t update my status all that often, but I enjoy checking out everyone else’s!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 


Stinkerbelle in one of her rare un-hatin’ moments.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: DAMNIT.
2008: Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted? A. Miz Poo!
2007: “Yeah, it’s really fleein’ the interview,” Fred said.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: You suppose they’d mind if I went over after dark and pressed my face up against the window to see what’s going on?
2003: Maybe I should go for the dreadlocks look…
2002: Any resemblance to persons living or dead are completely coincidental. I don’t fart.
2001: every Mulvaney shat gold upon command three times a day.
2000: Here at casa bitchypoo, we believe in extremely lazy Sundays.

3/4/10 – Thursday

If you and I are not Facebook BFFs, you might have missed my status update last night. Last night – oh, the horror! – we watched 2012, the apocalyptic movie starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and two very annoying children. At almost three hours long, it was one bloated piece of crap. Roland Emmerich does … Continue reading “3/4/10 – Thursday”

If you and I are not Facebook BFFs, you might have missed my status update last night.

Last night – oh, the horror! – we watched 2012, the apocalyptic movie starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and two very annoying children. At almost three hours long, it was one bloated piece of crap. Roland Emmerich does some good-looking destruction shit, but when it’s interlaced with overacting and incredibly annoying children, well, I just hope John Cusack and Amanda Peet were VERY well paid for their parts.

If you’re going to watch it, I recommend you fast-forward through the character development horseshit (except for the parts involving Woody Harrelson, because he’s funny) and just watch the pretty explosions and destruction.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

On the GOOD side of stuff to watch, I finished Season 3 of Californication yesterday, thanks to Webster and her suggestion of NinjaVideo.net. (THANK YOU, Webster, you’re a life-saver!)

I started watching it on my laptop, and though the picture wasn’t very good (the laptop is getting old), I kept on going, because I HAD to know what the hell happened. Round about episode 9, I updated my DivX player stuff so I wouldn’t have to watch the episodes in Flash, but then whenever I tried to go to the site, something tried to get me to download stop.php, and a check of Google told me it was malware, so I watched the final episodes on my desktop (which I hate to do, because I like to relax while I’m watching TV, damnit!)

But that last episode of the season – WOW. Hank Moody’s been smart-assing his way through life for the first three seasons (minus the last show), but shit got serious in that show, chickens came home to roost, and I’m thinking David Duchovny deserves some sort of acting award for his performance.

I have no idea if there’s going to be a Season 4 (I hope there is), but if not, that was a pretty good way to close out the series.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

You’ve met Mr. “MOTHERFUCKER SAY WHAT?!”, right?

Meet his brother, Mr. “THE FUCK YOU SAY!”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

According to weather.com, it’s supposed to be warm and sunny for at least the next five days. I don’t know that I believe it, but it’s nice to think it could be true!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

It being that time of year, we’re starting to gear up to get ready to possibly think about planting the garden. Some day.

Last night I ordered seeds for Sungold cherry tomatoes (the best kind of cherry tomatoes there are, in my opinion), swiss chard (which I’ve never had, but I understand it’s like spinach, you can eat it raw in a salad or cook it, and it grows better in hot weather than spinach does), carrots, and catnip. I’m going to have two raised beds behind the back yard this summer – one’s going to be for carrots, and one for catnip. And BOTH will have fences around them so the cats can’t get to ’em!

I tell you, I canNOT wait ’til we get our first tomato of the season. I know it’s ages and ages away, but I’m still looking forward to it a LOT.

Summer can’t get here soon enough.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 


“You’re wearing… THAT?”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: Hail Stinky/ Full of Hate/ The Tom is with thee.
2008: The pigs reported that he tasted “Too humany.”
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: Dumbass things I did yesterday.
2004: I think I need to go back to high school.
2003: “Well, good luck to Daddy on that,” I said.
2002: (You just shut up)
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.

3/3/10 – Wednesday

The snow is gone – it was gone by early afternoon – and what remains is muddy muddy mud. And it’s kinda cold. The air, I mean. Well, I assume the mud is cold as well. There’s nothing going on ’round these parts, so here – some pictures I’ve been saving to share with y’all. … Continue reading “3/3/10 – Wednesday”

The snow is gone – it was gone by early afternoon – and what remains is muddy muddy mud. And it’s kinda cold. The air, I mean. Well, I assume the mud is cold as well.

There’s nothing going on ’round these parts, so here – some pictures I’ve been saving to share with y’all. I think I took them about a month ago (before surgery, at any rate), just so y’all know I really AM still taking it easy, I wasn’t out traipsing around with the camera yesterday.


I saw this little colander at TJ Maxx and really liked it for some reason, so bought it and brought it home to put the eggs that are too small to sell in. Of course, we get a lot more small eggs in the course of a day than we’ll use in that same day, so they tend to build up, and when Fred was making dinner last week, one of the eggs toward the bottom was rotten, so now that colander lives in the fridge.

But I still really like it, no matter where it lives.


Birds in the tree outside the computer window.


One of our Light Brahmas. You probably can’t tell from the picture, but these chickens are HUGE.


Pretty rooster of an unknown breed.


This rooster stood there on one foot for ages. Mud = cold feet.


“What?”


“Whatcha doin’ there, Bob?”
“STANDING ON ONE FOOT, WHAT’S IT TO YOU?!”


I took some leftover scones out to the dogs. They’re so funny – George will just stand right there and eat whatever you give him, but Gracie takes whatever the snack of the moment is, and runs off. Probably so George won’t steal it from her.


::CHOMP::


Miss Stinky in her porthole window. She’s the only cat I’ve ever seen in that window; I wonder if she’s the only one who’s figured out that she can get there from the mantel.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: “LAYDEES,” he crows. “I SAY! CAN I GET SOME LOVIN’?”
2008: That, my friends, is a powerful stench. And it wasn’t a pleasant one.
2007: No entry.
2006: “MmmHMMM, I KNEW that was going to happen, the dumb bitch was lifting shit long before she was supposed to!”
2005: By the way, Erika: who watches your kids while you’re busy reading PEOPLE and firing off those indignant letters?
2004: Have I mentioned that I adore my DVR?
2003: Ah, you poor damn AOL users.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: See? I always say “Thank you” to the freaking servers at fast food places. Yet all I get in return is rudeness.

3/2/10 – Tuesday

Mother Nature is a whore. Seriously. That’s what it looks like out there right this second. LE SIGH. The dogs are out running the perimeter, which surprised me since in this sort of weather they’re usually lazybonesed up in the coop. Oh well. At least the snow isn’t supposed to stick around for long. (Huh. … Continue reading “3/2/10 – Tuesday”


Mother Nature is a whore. Seriously. That’s what it looks like out there right this second. LE SIGH.

The dogs are out running the perimeter, which surprised me since in this sort of weather they’re usually lazybonesed up in the coop.

Oh well. At least the snow isn’t supposed to stick around for long.

(Huh. Apparently it snowed last March 1st, too. Fucking Mother Nature.)

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

It is apparently Elwood’s goal in life to stand or sit or lay so that his asshole is directly against me. I feel like I spend the majority of my life fending off his back end.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Speaking of assholes, here are a couple of entries in the “Christ, what an asshole” category:

I AM DENISE ALBERT AND I HAVE A CHILD AND NO ONE HAS EVER BIRTHED A CHILD IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANKIND BEFORE, THEREFORE I AM SUPER IMPORTANT BOW TO ME. (She later said, after everyone posted comments talking about what a self-important asshole she is, that she was trying to be funny. DOUBT IT.)

After years of shooting her mouth off to everyone who would listen – and I believe she even wrote a BOOK – about her autistic child who became autistic (in her opinion) due to his MMR vaccinations, and then about how the Healing Powers of Jim Carrey HEE-UHLED! her child, it turns out that self-appointed Voice of Concern Dr. Jenny McCarthy is reversing her position.

I think it’s likely that her exact words were “Oopsie! Nevermind!”

(Please note that I DO NOT CARE whether you vaccinate your child or not. It’s your decision; I vaccinated mine, and I’d do it again. But for the love of god, do research and rely on information from reputable sources rather than from the fucking Hollywood flavor of the moment.)

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

One day last week, the cats kept leaping up on top of the canning cabinet (which we use as a pantry, at least until we get the Amish-built pantry that has been sitting in the garage for NINE MONTHS into the house) and staring intently at the wall. I was all “What the FUCK has gotten into you fuckers? GET DOWN!”, but finally Fred realized that there was something going on inside the wall.

There was something moving around in the wall, and it sounded like it was trapped and couldn’t get out.

You can imagine how thrilled I was at the idea that something was trapped inside the wall and couldn’t get out, would ultimately die, and stank up the kitchen.

(Also, probably it was a mouse, and the mice around here are awfully cute. Not that I want one living – or dying – in the walls, you understand.)

We cleared everything off the top of the canning cabinet/ pantry, and Fred went out to his workshop to get a saw.


Newt kept an eye on the wall from close-up.


Suggie kept an eye on the goings-on from across the room.

The mouse in the wall got quiet while Fred was out in his workshop, but when I knocked on the wall, it would start moving around again. It sounded pretty much like it was leaping upward, trying to grab hold of something.

Fred came in from his workshop, and though I’d expected he’d gone out to retrieve some sort of handheld saw to saw a hole through the wall so we could rescue the trapped animal, what he actually came in with was a circular saw. (At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what it was – it had a round blade, and I’ve heard mention of circular saws before, so I put two and two together.)

“That mouse is going to drop dead from a heart attack when you turn that thing on and start sawing,” I said to Fred.

We debated on whether or not Fred should go ahead and cut the hole in the wall, then decided to wait and see if the mouse could figure out a way out on its own. About ten minutes later, we realized we hadn’t heard any more noises from inside the wall. Fred pounded on the wall and waited. Nothing. We waited a little while longer, heard nothing, and – most telling – the cats all lost interest in the wall.

Too bad, though. I’m sure I would have had QUITE the tale if he’d actually had to cut a hole in the wall and tried to grab a mouse to save it. I bet he would have dropped it, and one of the cats would have gotten hold of it and ran off into the house.

Oh well. I’m sure there’ll be other mice (unfortunately).

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 


Jake and Elwood love to hang out in the foster room on sunny days.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: March came in like a lion yesterday.
2008: No entry.
2007: “Yes, they’re AWFUL. They taste like my grandmother’s attic*!”
2006: I call him Bob.
2005: Bouncing like that just can’t be a good thing.
2004: “DAMN it’s cold in here, give me some ass!”
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: Let’s just hope she wasn’t preparing him for the slaughter.
2000: No entry.

3/1/10 – Monday

Happy March! New month, new banner. This one was created by the wonderful Christine, who has done many, many of my banners lately. Newt over there in the corner of the banner is cracking me UP. Thanks, Christine!!!   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * … Continue reading “3/1/10 – Monday”

Happy March!

New month, new banner. This one was created by the wonderful Christine, who has done many, many of my banners lately. Newt over there in the corner of the banner is cracking me UP.

Thanks, Christine!!!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I’m a little bit torn between being really fucking annoyed at Mother Nature – hello! It’s March! In Alabama! This is some ridiculous, cold-ass shit for March in Alabama, and I am ready to have the temperatures consistently in the 50s at least, thank you very much – and being kind of glad that the temps are what they are. Last year, we had a long warm snap (does warmth snap, or is that only for the cold?) in January, which convinced the fruit trees that it was Spring and thus time to blossom, so despite the 300 (slight exaggeration) fruit trees we have, we ended up with very little fruit.

I’m definitely grateful that we haven’t had any rain for a week. Things are still muddy outside, but not as muddy as they were (not that I’d know, I’ve hardly gone outside these last two and a half weeks, but that’s what Fred reports). Of course, we’re due rain and snow tonight, so there you go.

I guess it’s March’s plan to come in like a lion. LE SIGH.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I did NOTHING yesterday except lay on the couch for hours, reading Fred’s finished masterpiece from beginning to end.

Fred wrote a book, which you might not know if you’re not a regular reader of his site. He wrote it, finished it, edited it, edited it, and edited it yet again before he turned it over to me for a beginning-to-end reading. I knew the plot of the story and had read about half of it in bits and pieces while he was writing it. I also knew most of the plot points, but there were still parts of it that took me by surprise. It’s a real book, and I might be biased (in fact, I likely am), but I think it’s damn good.

Now he’s trying to find an agent, so who knows when y’all will get to read it?

Anyway, I read his book from beginning to end, spent some time online, put some laundry away and nothing else at all, but by the end of the day I was hurting and actually needed to take some of the good drugs to make the pain go away. I was bitching and whining to Fred at bedtime that I was ready to get over this “healing” and “recovery” bullshit, and he pointed out that it’s still been less than three weeks since I’d had surgery.

And I was like, “Are you fucking kidding me?! I thought last Wednesday marked three weeks!!!”

Apparently I lost track of time and thought I was coming up on four weeks, rather than three.

So then I was like, “Huh. Well then, I’m doing pretty damn good for three weeks!”

It’s all about perspective, I guess.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

It’s da Poo.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: Natalie Maines could use some wardrobe advice, though, and I hope I’m not trampling all over her Right to Freely Dress Like a Bag Lady when I say that.
2006: It was so friggin’ cute I made Fred listen to it, too.
2005: I have my finger on the pulse of pop culture, apparently.
2004: A day in the life.
2003: What makes me crazy.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Okay, enough of the wallowing.

2/26/10 – Friday

So, I got my hair cut yesterday – it kind of desperately needed it, it had gotten pretty long – and then I stopped by Kohl’s on the way home to see if I could find any sort of sleep pants to wear around the house ’til the swelling in my belly goes down to … Continue reading “2/26/10 – Friday”

So, I got my hair cut yesterday – it kind of desperately needed it, it had gotten pretty long – and then I stopped by Kohl’s on the way home to see if I could find any sort of sleep pants to wear around the house ’til the swelling in my belly goes down to a reasonable level and I can wear pants again.

I ended up with a $5 pair of purple velour pants. Heh.

When I got home, I put my oversized sleep pants and sweatshirt back on (it’s nice to go out in public, but it’s nice to get my comfy clothes back on, too. Stupid swollen guts. I BLAME YOU, UTERUS!) and puttered around for a little while before turning on the Blu Ray player and putting the last disc of Californication, season 2, in the player. The player thought and thought and thought and then spit the DVD back out. I was all “GODDAMN BLU RAY PLAYER!” and put the disc back in.

Same thing.

This time, I thought to actually pick up the disc and look at it. It was fucking CRACKED. I was all:


“Motherfucker say WHAAAAT?”

But it was okay, because I had some episodes of Ellen on the DVR, and that kept me entertained until Fred got home.

I made dinner last night (it’s not an issue, as long as Fred gets out the pots and pans I need and puts them on the stove so I don’t have to lift them), it was a true Crooked Acres meal. We had pork chops, zucchini pie, and corn on the cob. It was AWESOME. I don’t know if it’s possible to mess up cooking the pork chops we have, because all I do is rub them with spices and then cook ’em in nonstick pan. They come out fantastic every single time.

The zucchini pie was made from zucchini I dehydrated last summer (I rehydrated it in warm water for about an hour before I put the zucchini pie together), and I made it without a crust and it was still fabulous. But seriously, zucchini, onion, and cheese – how can you possibly go wrong?

The corn was a bit chewy (I think I overcooked it), but still not bad, in the scheme of things.

So anyway, later in the evening, Fred was eating his snack of bran flakes in front of his computer, and he suddenly had to get up and go do something (break up a cat fight, I’m thinking), and when he got back to his desk, Elwood was bellied up to the bowl of bran flakes, slurping up the milk.

“Get away from there!” Fred said, half amused and half annoyed. He’s such a bad boy.” I turned and saw that Fred was holding Elwood so that Elwood’s belly was pointed toward me. I cannot resist a fluffy belly, so I reached out and squeezed it.

Elwood, that motherfucker, react by digging his back claws into my hand, and I ended up with a painful puncture wound in my right pinky, and I was all:


“Motherfucker that HUUUUUURT!!!!”

Of course, it’s my own damn fault, because you’d think by now I’d know better than to grab the fluffy belly of a cat. How many times do I have to be injured before that lesson sinks in, you suppose?

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

*Please note: In the week after I had surgery, something got fucked up, and I wasn’t receiving your comments in my email for that time. It’s since been fixed, and it’s likely that there are comments I didn’t see, even though I went back and read them.

If you left a question, and I haven’t answered it, whether in the comments section or this entry, feel absolutely free to ask again!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

We live on a busy street so I really don’t want Snickers to go outside, but he is determined. Whenever we leave he is right at the door trying to sneak past us. At night, when I gather up the newspapers to put in the garage recycling bin, all he has to hear is the papers rattling and he tears for the door no matter what part of the house he is in. We always have to be “on alert” for a possible breakout. What can I do to discourage this behaviour? Of course, he has a pet chip and collar, but it’s the traffic I worry about. Any help would be appreciated.

In the past, we’ve kept a can of compressed air by the door to discourage cats who were insistent on going outside, and it helped deter them from trying to run out the door. I don’t know that that’ll work with a particularly insistent cat, though, so I’m throwing this out to the readers – suggestions, y’all?

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

So will you go into menopause now?

Technically, since menopause is defined as The time in a woman’s life when menstrual periods permanently stop, then yeah, I’m in menopause. I think you’re probably asking whether I’ll have the lovely symptoms that indicate one is going through menopause, though, the hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, trouble concentrating and all that. If we’re able to get my hormones regulated properly, then I shouldn’t have to deal with those issues, or at least I’m hoping I won’t. So far, I haven’t had any hot flashes (THANK GOD), and I don’t believe I’ve been particularly irritable. It’s still kind of early, though – two weeks and two days, uterus-free, woohoo! – so we’ll see how it goes.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Glad you are feeling better! Every female on my mom’s side of the family will exit this world without their gallbladder or female reproductive organs (endo, c-section issues, etc.) and they all live to be like 100 (knock on wood).

Now, that’s what I like hearing!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Also, when my brother had major hand surgery a few years ago, he woke up claiming he saw my (deceased) grandpa (who was the anesthesiologist, apparently) and BEGGING for his pants. He claimed that someone stole them while he was asleep and that he needed his pants or something horrible could happen (he was SO stoned).

They do steal your underwear if you go in with them on…bastards.

This cracked me UP. I always wonder if I’m going to wake up after surgery and be freaked out. Hasn’t happened yet, but there’s always a first time, right?

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

How are you managing to keep cats off your lap while you are recovering? I know if I spend more than 3 minutes laying on the couch, esp if I have a blanket, I am fighting off my two furry beasts like I was covered in tuna.

Until yesterday, every time I sat or lay down, I’d have a full-sized bed pillow over my abdomen. In addition, I had a can of compressed air nearby, and any time I sensed a cat thinking about climbing on me, I’d shake it in their general direction. It worked really well – all the cats behaved themselves EXCEPT for Miz Poo, who has a deep-down need to be up in my shit as much as possible. I’m recovered enough now that even if a cat bounced across my stomach I should be okay, but I’m still pretty vigilant about making sure that doesn’t happen.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

If you think of it, could you post a photo of the tin that the popcorn came in, or measurements? Walmart and other similar -mart type stores used to sell tins of popcorn around Christmas time which came in sizes of “enormous,” “super-jumbo-tron,” and “holy shit, are you fucking kidding me?!”

Here ’tis, with Jake and Elwood to give you some idea of the size (I really should have taken a shot more from the front of the tin than from the top, I’m thinking!). It measures 8 inches high, and 10 inches across. Can you believe there’s still that much popcorn left? Fred asked me to hide it from him because he was grabbing a handful every time he went into the kitchen. In the act of hiding it from him, I kind of ended up hiding it from myself, and how delighted was I to remember that it’s there? SO delighted, believe me!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I’m glad to hear that this is behind you. You are such a trooper. You seem to breeze through surgery. Do you really not get anxious? I am so envious of people who recover nicely. I am a WUSS about surgery. I do not handle anesthesia well, and am a slow waker upper. I can’t handle narcotics (they make me puke). Not a good combination. I wish I could be one of those people who woke up easily (enjoying the nap) and could take the pain meds, enjoying the ride….For the record, I am a NURSE, you’d think I’d have a better GRIP, eh??? I love your uterus talk. Cracks me up!

This is how I am, anxiety-wise: I am perfectly fine with all aspects of surgery right up until the time I get into the hospital gown and into the bed in pre-surgery. Then I get REALLY nervous. When I went in this time, I was laying there, just this side of terrified, and I was thinking “I’m never this nervous! What if my instincts are trying to tell me something?! MAYBE I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!”

Then I remembered that I ALWAYS pretty close to terrified at this point before surgery – when I went in for my weight loss surgery, I was on the verge of getting up and leaving right up to the point where they wheeled me off to surgery.

I think I completely forgot to mention, by the way, that this is the first surgery I’ve had where I felt no nausea at all the next morning. I’m wondering if that has something to do with the fact that I had a cup of chicken broth and a cup of jello the evening after surgery? Maybe the nausea has been caused by hunger?

After Fred’s sister told him (before I had surgery) that I would be bed-bound for two weeks after surgery, Fred scoffed and said “No she won’t! She comes from sturdy Yankee stock!”

Of course, what Fred fails to remember is that on my mother’s side I come from sturdy Yankee stock, and on my father’s side is the man who a few years ago was like TWENTY FEET in the air trimming a tree, fell OFF the ladder, practically ripped his arm off, and DROVE himself to the emergency room. He’s also the man whose gallbladder was basically mush and, according to the doctor, had to have been feeling pain from gallbladder attacks for about a year before the pain got so bad he requested my mother take him to the emergency room.

In other words, on one side I’m sturdy Yankee stock and on the other side I’m stoic ignore-it-and-it’ll-go-away Southerner.

My people don’t take kindly to lollygagging.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Tell the kitties they have to scoop their boxes themselves.

Oh, Fred’s the scooper these days. I originally told him that I thought I could get back to scooping at about two weeks after surgery, but since I do NOT want to do irreparable damage to myself, I let him know that it’s going to be a while longer. (It’s not the actual scooping that’s the issue, it’s the bending AND scooping AND lifting, and having to do it for five litter boxes, twice a day!)

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Do NOT be tempted to vacuum or do any other domestic chore. I decided a couple of weeks after my hysterectomy that I’d wash the floors. And promptly slipped on the wet floor and it HURT! Vacuuming wasn’t much fun either.

I am not touching that vacuum until I’ve been cleared at my six-week visit. And then you better believe that I’ll be vacuuming like a motherfucker!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Love the sound of that popcorn. We don’t have fancy schmancy pop corn like that down under (although I stand to be corrected if any antipodean readers know of a source).

Come on, Australians, SURELY you guys have some fancy popcorn? Share the knowledge!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

When you wrote that Stinkerbelle didn’t like to go out, it reminded me of the first cat I had after getting married (Punkin, she lived to be 20 years old!) Punkin insisted on going out to roam a few hours every day, always returned before night. If I didn’t let her out, she’d go nuts — climbing the door trim, yowling, etc (and she was spayed early on). Anyhow, after about 5 years, one day I let her out — and instead of taking off like a shot, she sat on the porch awhile, looking around. Went out into the yard, sniffed at the grass a couple of times, then came back to the door. And that was it — she NEVER wanted outside again. I even put her on the porch a couple times, and she would zoom right back into the house. I guess she decided she was “retired” from outdoors, and preferred being inside!

I love that!

Maxi has been spending a LOT of time inside lately. In fact, I think she went almost five days without stepping outside at all. She’s spending her nights inside, and even over the weekend when it was warm and sunny out, she had no desire to go outside. It’s very weird, because over the past three years, she’s been outside more than in; even on the coldest nights, she’s preferred to stay outside all night and just come in long enough to warm up and eat.

I suggested to Fred that maybe she’d had a run-in with something (a dog or raccoon) and it scared her, but now I’m thinking maybe she’s decided it’s time to retire from being an outside cat!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Love the pics of Newtles. He looks like he has taken to regular meals juuuusst fine. Or is that winter weight?

I think it’s just winter weight – he and Maxi both generally slim down a bit in the summer. But make no mistake – Newt does adore his regular meals!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

When i had my full hysterectomy in 1995, it wasn’t laparoscopic. When I woke up in recovery, a nurse came over to tend to me. She had a list of questions to ask me, and one of the first she asked was, “Is there any chance you may be pregnant?” I stared at her and responded, “Not if y’all did your job right!”

This reminds me that before surgery, they had me pee in a cup, and after the IV had been started, the nurse came in and said “Well, you’re not pregnant!” Um, yeah, good goddamn thing, I guess, huh?

HEY! In addition to all the other good stuff (no more pap smears, no more worries of ever developing endometrial/ cervical/ ovarian cancer, no more periods EVER), this means I’ll never have to take another pregnancy test again!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

http://www.thedoghousediaries.com/?p=1306

Did we all mention how much we missed you last week?

That cracked me UP!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I have to admit that I didn’t read any comments this time because there were just too many – BUT – to answer your question re: Californication – my husband watched and watches all episodes on NinjaVideo.net . It’s not a “trusted” site yet, and you have to download an applet to play it. But he watches movies that are still in the theaters! (Also, we haven’t had any problems with it.)

I think I’m going to have to get over my dislike of watching movies and TV shows on my laptop! (And thanks for the tip!)

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Was Stinkerbelle always… less-than-social? Or did she grow into her attitude?

Stinkerbelle was actually the worst of a litter of four of the MOST feral kittens we’ve ever had (pics of all of them here). The fact that we are actually allowed to occasionally pet her these days is a source of endless amazement for me. In fact, all of her siblings went to the adoption center before she did, because we thought she needed more socialization. As soon as she was alone in the foster room, her attitude changed completely (thus proving the concept that separating feral kittens from each other changes the way they interact with humans). We kept her for a while longer (a few days, I think), then I took her to the adoption center.

A few days after that (possibly even the next day, it’s been 2 1/2 years and I don’t remember the specifics), I had my regular stint at the adoption center, cleaning out cages, and I made the mistake of reporting to Fred that it looked like she’d spent the entire night digging at the door, trying to get out of her cage.

That was all she wrote. Fred, who was half in love with her to begin with (he’s a sucker for a blue-eyed girl), demanded that I let him stop on the way home and get her. I eventually gave in, and she came home with him that night.

Her name was originally “Maryann” (we went with a “Gilligan’s Island” naming theme, kinda), and when Fred suggested “Stinkerbelle” as a new name, we both laughed. She’s been Stinkerbelle ever since.

Her deep love for Tommy has never wavered, either. BOY she loves her some Tommy, and has from the first moment she laid eyes upon him. Poor Tommy – it ain’t easy being The Ambassador.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: “What’s this ’sit’ they keep saying to me?!”
2008: “You (kick) are such (kickkick) an asshole (kickkickkick) get in that goddamn house!”
2007: Christ, what a weekend we had.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: God, why why WHY do women do this to themselves?
2003: A Day in the Life of Spanky.
2002: No entry.
2001: Saturday was my dumbass day.
2000: No entry.

2/25/10 – Thursday

Dudes! Remember how yesterday he was all “Who in the what, now? Refi rates have hit what? Is that good or bad? WHERE can I find out more information about this refi stuff?!”? TODAY, he’s all “Motherfucker say what? I have to go back to SCHOOL now? Social Security ain’t gonna pay me for going … Continue reading “2/25/10 – Thursday”

Dudes! Remember how yesterday he was all “Who in the what, now? Refi rates have hit what? Is that good or bad? WHERE can I find out more information about this refi stuff?!”?

TODAY, he’s all “Motherfucker say what? I have to go back to SCHOOL now? Social Security ain’t gonna pay me for going to no SCHOOL! How’m I gonna afford SCHOOL?!”

I think he’s really hit his niche with that look.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

You know, I have really been doing nothing at all lately except laying on the couch watching TV, and sometimes sitting on my ass in front of the computer.

(And directing Fred on what to do to keep the house semi-clean.)

So I has nothing for you today, and also I am going to be leaving for a little while to . Thus, a series of cat pictures. It’s been a LONG time since that, huh? Like, an entire day! You lucky readers!

We got Jake and Elwood what, back in… August? Mid-August, apparently, which I’ve determined by checking the dates on the pictures I posted of them on Flickr.

So we got them in August, and for these last six months, we’ve been waiting. And waiting. Annnnd waiting. We knew it was just a matter of time before they figured out how to use the cat door. They’ve been spending a lot of time hanging out by the back door watching the big cats go out and come in and sniffing wildly at the door.

Then Saturday, Fred said “I see Jake outside!”

The time had come. We dug through our baskets of odds and ends and collared up both Jake and Elwood.

For those of you who don’t know, we have an electric fence around the back yard so the cats can go outside but can’t get out of the yard. If the cats get too close to the fence, their collars sound a warning beep. If they continue to get closer to the fence, they get a short zap. It usually only takes being zapped once. They’re pretty smart, they figure it out quickly. Not all the cats need collars – Miz Poo and Spanky have never once tried climbing over the fence. We used to put a collar on Kara, but she showed no inclination to go anywhere near the fence, so we don’t collar her anymore and have had no issues with her jumping the fence. Sugarbutt and Tommy, on the other hand, will jump the fence in no time flat (especially Tommy) if they’re uncollared, so we collar them up every morning. The only cat who never goes outside is Stinkerbelle – it’s not that she’s not allowed outside, it’s that she hasn’t shown any inclination to go outside, and since I imagine we’d be taking our lives in our hands every morning when we put the collar on her, I’m just as happy to have her stay inside.

Jake and Elwood didn’t like wearing collars at ALL, but they got used them within a few hours. Jake was in and out through that cat door like a champ. He spent most of his time on the steps or near the steps. Elwood? Not really much of a desire to go outside, oddly enough. We’re still collaring him up every morning, just in case, but maybe he’s decided he’s an indoor cat.


Jake, peeking through the door.


Happy Jake, at the bottom of the steps.


I don’t remember what it was, but something freaked Jake out.


But he got over it pretty quickly.

He stuck close to the back steps for most of the day, but the next morning I looked out and saw him hanging from the tree in the back yard (the tree has a piece of metal around it, about six feet up. The cats can climb up the tree a little, and hang there, but the metal prevents them from climbing too high.)

I think it’s hilarious that Jake is in and out all day long, but Elwood is really not all that interested in going out. Maybe he’s just a little scared and needs some time to get used to the idea. Who knows?

It’s VERY odd, seeing two little gray cats around the house wearing red collars. Elwood was curled up sound asleep yesterday, and I glanced at him, and he looked SO much like Mister Boogers that it took my breath away.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: I have so much to learn.
2008: “Well,” I said. “You really hit the fuckup trifecta this weekend, didn’t you?”
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: “That’s all she had to say! A simple ‘thank you’ would have made Doug as happy as a sissy with a dick in his mouth!”
2004: This DOES NOT STRIKE ME as a government that is staying the FUCK out of my face!
2003: A Day in the Life of Miz Poo.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Ahhh, sweet blessed Friday.

2/24/10 – Wednesday

Thanks, you guys, for your suggestions on what I should watch next! Once I’m done with Californication (which I expect will be this afternoon), I’m going to give Madmen a try (I’ve been wanting to try it out, but kept forgetting to add it to my queue) and then maybe the United States of Tara. … Continue reading “2/24/10 – Wednesday”

Thanks, you guys, for your suggestions on what I should watch next! Once I’m done with Californication (which I expect will be this afternoon), I’m going to give Madmen a try (I’ve been wanting to try it out, but kept forgetting to add it to my queue) and then maybe the United States of Tara. Eventually Dead Like Me, and The Tudors, and oh – just about everything y’all suggested!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

So, one day last week I was looking around online for information about progesterone, and I stumbled across a q&a page about hysterectomies. And on this page was the following line:

Some women will ask: Can I still have children after my hysterectomy? The answer is no.

Really? “Some” women will ask this idiotic question? Do they perhaps mean “No” women will ask this question? Or maybe “drunk” or “high” women? I mean, come on – they have GOT to be making that up, right? Or maybe they misunderstood the question? Maybe women were like “Can I still ADOPT children after my hysterectomy?”, and instead of saying “Lack of uterus does not, to our knowledge, bar one from adopting children”, they just said “No.”, and the country is filled with uterusless women who are mourning the fact that they can’t even ADOPT.

(Speaking of, kinda, y’all see that woman on Dr. Phil the other day who was a surrogate and gave birth to twins and then kept them herself? I had to delete the show after four or five minutes because she was so utterly smug and unlikable and I found I wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying, I was just thinking about how much I wanted to smack her.)

(SQUIRREL!)

Seriously, can you imagine? The doctor’s all “Blah blah uterus blah blah incision blah blah no hanky panky for six weeks blah blah and THAT is how a hysterectomy is done! Do you have any questions?”

“Yes, doctor. My husband and I are really excited to start a family. How long must I recuperate after surgery before I can start trying to get pregnant?”

Doctor (looking around for hidden camera): “Did I mention that I will be removing your uterus?”

Patient: “Yes, yes, you said that already. Do you think I could get pregnant by the end of the year?”

Doctor: “Your uterus will be GONE. Did I mention? That you? Will have no uterus?”

Patient: “Frankly, your insistence on going on and on and ON about my uterus is kind of annoying. Can’t you just answer the question?!”

Doctor: “Where are you under the impression the baby will grow?”

Patient: “Really? You’re a DOCTOR and you don’t know this? Suddenly, I think you might not be the one for the job. OBVIOUSLY when an egg and sperm meet, the resultant zygote travels down the fallopian tube, then flies to heaven, where it grows into a baby, and nine months later, the stork brings it and drops it on your doorstep. I mean, seriously, Doc, this is elementary stuff. HOW did you graduate from med school without knowing it?!”

And so on.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Late last night I finished We Bought a Zoo, and while overall I’d give it a positive rating, it was really less interesting than I expected. Also, not NEARLY enough pictures.

But in the course of reading the book, the author mentioned that there was a camera crew filming the whole time while they were getting the zoo ready to open again, and ultimately a miniseries called Ben’s Zoo aired in the UK. I thought that it was likely the miniseries would be interesting, so I went to Netflix and searched on Ben’s Zoo, and. Well.

Y’all go to Netflix and search on Ben’s Zoo and see what comes up. It’s certainly NOT what I was looking for. Ugh.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

I just went to weather.com to see what the weather’s supposed to do in the near future (the temperature’s supposed to slowly trend upward, or so they claim. I HAVE MY DOUBTS.), and this ad in the sidebar cracked me up:

The face is killing me. He’s like “Who in the what, now?”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Last weekend (speaking of weather, like I was up there just a second ago) was gorgeous and sunny. We actually went out into the back yard for a little while, and a handful of the cats joined us.


“Say, this warm weather is nice. It heats up the concrete and warms my belleh!”


Newt felt so good, he started rolling around…


Offended by this behavior, Sugarbutt came FLYING out of nowhere to put the smack down.


Note that Sugarbutt is multi-tasking here, running AND smacking.


But ultimately, Newt can go places Sugarbutt can’t, and so he sat atop the fence post taunting Sugarbutt for a good long while before wandering off to parts unknown.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Previously
2009: That’s helpful.
2008: Every now and then the finch would flap his wings and squawk indignantly.
2007: No entry.
2006: I hate spoiled rotten princesses.
2005: “4.2 billion,” he said suddenly. “Not 4.7. Because a regular signed 32-bit integer only goes up just over 2.1 billion – that’s 2 to the 31st power – and an unsigned would be one more power of two onto that, so–”
2004: Is it easier to write bad poetry, or am I just naturally a bad poet (and didn’t know it)?
2003: Let’s see whether or not I can give Lisa what she wants!
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Have you noticed that I feel like an idiot a lot?