Wednesday, May 31, 2006

It's gonna be a long summer...


Man o man! Have we had the rain and lots of crashing and banging to go with!

The storm that rolled through today was unreal... it thundered with such force you could feel it in your chest! It just shook everything... it verged on the creepy. Of course, we desperately needed the rain, that's for sure. I'm more than ready however, for it to back off for a couple of days.

I could not put off yard work, so per the norm, I mowed the lawn that was nearly six inches high even though I hurt like hell. What a surprise. I knew it was going to rain again, so I had decided I would mow lawn until I ran out of gas or it started to rain.

I ran out of gas (thankfully with only a small part of the back yard not done) but after putting everything away, I made it into the house just before it came down in buckets.

What made it particularly odd was how slow the storm moved. It rained so hard and for so long with no let up in sight! It just kept raining! There flash flood warnings out everywhere. My Dad called and said the storm drains where he lives couldn't handle the water and his front yard was flooded. That hasn't happened since the city put in the new curbs and gutters and that was more than 14 years ago!

I have to go down there tomorrow to check the basement to ensure there isn't water runoff down there. Dad can't navigate the steps much because there isn't a railing and with the house being so old, the steps are very narrow and steep so it's safer that he doesn't go down.

I need to go down to take him groceries and do laundry and so on and so forth anyway. Being as sick as I was recently and my life being, well, my life... I need to go spend the day, period. It's been too long since I spent a whole day with him. He'll like that. I just have to cover up how much I hurt.

So, if I'm going to do that... I need to hit the sack! Hopefully the cold front will finish moving through, the heat and humidity will ease down and I won't feel like I'm trying to breathe through Jell-o.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Well... it worked... sort of

What it feels like outside...

What it feels like in my bedroom "slash" office!

I put my air conditioner in and what a pain that was! Quite literally... I can't even lift my arms to put a t-shirt on. So it'll be button up shirts for a few days. Aren't repeated surgeries fun?

Even though I put the a/c in the window the temperatures didn't plummet but with the temps over 80 and humidity at 72% the a/c is better than sliced bread!
Even with my pain levels off the charts and having to migrate from recliner to bed and back to recliner, I was able to get some fairly decent sleep. Anytime I can get real sleep it's a huge plus in the cycling down of my pain levels overall.
I consider myself very lucky when I can accomplish that and still be lucid. Not that I rely on narcotics... they don't affect the damaged nerve pain that I endure 27/7. But when I do physical stuff and have torn muscles in my chest (highly likely and common when I do stuff like putting in my a/c... Who knew?)
My loved one that underwent surgery for the cancer got a good report and is feeling much better and is making great, steady progress in her recovery. That makes me feel better knowing that the outcome won't be like my Mom's was... dying far too young.
I guess I should actually do something today. What I should do is some cleaning or something productive that won't hurt me further... me? I'm thinking I going to stay holed up in my bedroom and read a book... yeah, that's the ticket!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Only here...

An Hawaiian Waterfall

Okay... more weather rant. It got to the high 80's yesterday! Then later thunderstorms and so much rain! (Which we desperately needed) Then humidity that knocked me down hard. I wonder if I would mind it less if I lived in a setting like that? Logically I know the answer is that it would probably be worse but it helps to dream every now & then that you didn't have to live with limitations...

Today more rain, then more rain and I feel like I'm breathing water. It doesn't help that I swear I can hear the grass growing with the rain and heat... so the chance of not having to do lots of yard work just went down the drain... Literally.

I had to venture out among the pouring rain and was afforded at least some relief by my car having air conditioning! Yay! Of course, then I noticed that the gas consumption was not quite so good.

Figures. I finally get a car that's decent enough to have a/c... and gas is three plus buck a gallon so I'll hardly be able to use it. Why am I even surprised?

So my project for the afternoon is going to be digging out my air conditioner from the scary closest and putting it in the window of the bedroom...

I mean why wait? If I put it in today the temperatures will then immediately plummet and with the a/c in the window the furnace will run. Either way I'll be more comfortable... It's win-win!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Finally! Nicer weather...

Two nights ago living in the Not-So-Great-White-North really sucked. We actually had freeze and frost warnings. I covered my outdoor lilies and other plants. My flower beds run along the sides of my house so generally you don't get frost that close. I only have one bed "out" in the yard. So I thought it really was silly to cover them but why take the chance?

I'm sure glad I did! I couldn't believe the frost! When I pulled the sheets off the plants they were quite damp as they began to thaw out. If I would have had to drive anywhere early, I would have had to scrape my windshield!

Only here, can you go from frost/freeze warnings to 70 degree days at very nearly the end of May. Enough already!! Die old man winter! Die!

So... enough ranting.

I've been busy lately with a little project for a dear friend. I've been using her photos to make some proto-types of note cards & business cards and such. It gets my creative juices flowing, which I like a lot. Literally as well. Coffee goes right through me!

I hope she likes what I've done... or done it enough for her to get ideas and formulate some of my ideas into customized ideas she has! I can't wait for her to get them!

Well, it's doctor day so I'll close for now. Wherever you are, what ever you're doing... be happy, be safe, know someone thinks you're very special... and know you are loved!

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Being sick sucks...

I was so happy to be going to a baby shower... then I got sick. After spending most of the day wanting to crawl away and die, I barely slept, then discovered that the 24 hour bug I had hoped it was... wasn't.

I still feel like a smelly, wet dishrag and I am hoping today will be the end of it seeing as we have a Confirmation to go to tomorrow. If I wake up feeling like I did this morning, that'll be out too.

I hate when this happens. It's doubly annoying because it was nice out and I could have been outside.

Well, I'm going to go crash again. I'm exhausted and as much as I have actually slept, it surprises me when I actually do sleep...

Ludie however thinks my being in bed nearly around the clock is heaven.

Freak.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Great & hopeful news!

Great news! My loved one had surgery yesterday and it appears they have clear margins all around so that should be the end of it! I am so overjoyed! They were able to leave a portion of the organ involved so that makes it even better.

My bite bruises are changing some very weird colors... some, I'm not sure are even in the color charts! (kidding)

Tonight I'm going to a baby shower... babies make me feel hopeful. I think it'll be fun. It's hard to even believe this particular Mom to be is actually a Mom to be! It seems like she was little more than a kid, um... I don't know... yesterday?!
Doesn't time go by in a blink...

Monday, May 15, 2006

My latest adventures have been interesting...

Meet the object of my recent adventure...
This is Arthyr, big dog huh?

That is a double bed he's lying on... and he's at an angle.

Now you will better understand the adventure

about to be set forth...

Art is one of my good friend's husky/hybrid dog. She's had him for almost 11 years. Unfortunately, the hammer was dropped on her by an complete ass and it necessitated a permanent change in his place of residence.

Imagine someone telling your child had to go... it's heartbreaking and unthinkable and for her, the only other option available was for her to put this beautiful animal down.

The other option was for him to make a permanent move to the beautiful and lush state of Alaska. This is where his human counterpart/sibling resides. It was the start of a painful journey for all involved.

When it was decided that Arthyr would move to Alaska, a very complicated ball was put into play. It involved about a million different details to be handled, such as numerous conversations, long distance phone calls, more emails than you could count, more decisions, both accepted and rejected, more changes, unforeseen monkey-wrenches thrown in for good measure, misinformation, frustration, completely unexpected cash expenditures...

It was in a word... Chaos.

I came into play as transport when I borrowed a friend's SUV to get Zoya and Art to Chicago O' Hare. His travel crate alone was huge. As you can tell from the photos above, this is not a small animal by any means. He's actually even larger, present day. Who would have thought that possible?

The grief my friend felt over having to say farewell to her constant and devoted companion was so heartbreaking to see. The only little bit of consolation was that at least he wouldn't be put down.

Getting him loaded into the car was one of the first issues of the day. We were forced to muzzle him because it was not something he wanted to do. At maybe at least a hundred pounds if not more, this was more complicated than you can imagine but we did it and we hit the road for about a five hour drive.

As we drove away and passed the home of the person that started all this bullcrap, I flew the bird the entire time we passed by and hoped that he saw me. Stupid and petty? Yes, but as I didn't have enough money for bail had I put a flaming bag of Art's crap on his front steps it was a safer option. And believe me, had I done it, it wouldn't have been a small bag by any means!

The first sign that things might not go off as smoothly as we had hoped, happened after about 30 minutes into the trip. With no advance warning, the stress got to him and he dropped some of the aforementioned crap. I was so glad I had used his dog pad and old towels to cover things up!

So, I screeched to a halt at the first exit, thankfully only less than a mile ahead, and while Zoya kept him from escaping the SUV, I managed to dispose of the offending matter and clean up and alleviate the smell with wet wipes. And to think I was concerned about him barfing. Who knew?

The next obstacle didn't happen until Rockford Illinois. We turned into a truck stop and since we had to go potty we figured naturally that so did Art. We were right, he certainly had to go. That was when things started to go horribly wrong.

When it came to getting him back into the SUV... it just wasn't happening. Our option was to once again get him muzzled. While trying to do just that, he did something I foolishly should have anticipated. He nailed me and I'm not talking a nip.

I should have been better prepared and I paid for it. Luck was with me as I had a watch with a thick metal band and the cuffs of both a denim shirt and jacket to cushion the bite.

A dog that size has incredible bite pressure and I discovered this to be the bone-chilling truth when I discovered later that night that I needed a pliers to remove my watch because he'd compressed the latch nearly shut. If you saw the resultant bruises you'd understand the full scope of this incident.

After almost an hour it was clear that we wouldn't be going anywhere soon. What a dilemma. So after four phone calls, we were offered a glimmer of hope through a mobile vet service.

She agreed to come sedate him but it would cost more than a hundred dollars in cash. So the decision was made and the dog was sedated. This was okay partly because the airline said it wasn't a problem. The vet made it very clear that sedation could cause him to stop breathing during the flight but it was a chance we had to take.

As the medication began to work, it was still a major production getting his clearly drugged body into the crate. He still had more than enough strength and attempted to defend himself in his terror and confusion by trying to bite.

Thankfully the drug slowed him enough to get him muzzled but it still took almost 10 minutes to get him in that crate. This was also with the help of the vet and her assistant so you can see how much a fight this dog was putting up. We finally managed to get him in, loaded the crate in the SUV and headed back out onto the road, bruised, battered, gun-shy and completely freaked out. But at least on our way once more.

We made O'Hare and managed to find where Zoya and the dog had to be dropped off and I was directed to a parking area. Everything was full except the remote parking lots. When they call it 'remote parking' they mean it. I had to take two buses and an el to get back to the airport. Sheesh!!!

I found Zoya checking in and she was quite unhappy. Seems the airline neglected to tell her about a $75.00 fee she'd have to pay upon check-in. She was so far less than thrilled, you can't even imagine. So... she gets checked in, and the men that were to take the crate to the holding area showed up and that was when the biggest bomb was dropped.

TSA would not let him be checked through until they could see completely into the crate. I was dumbfounded with complete and utter disbelief. Our offer of a flashlight, an x-ray... fell on deaf ears. If they couldn't inspect the crate, it wasn't going on the plane.

I understand about these restrictions, and I understand why they are in place but there should have been alternatives (like letting him go through the x-ray... they have big enough ones that scans all freight!)

So there we are, opening the crate to let him out, in an area filled with people! I had the irrational fear that this could be much like letting a live badger loose on a full plane. We are talking about an animal that was clearly and completely stressed to the max.

What made it worse that once his back end had barely cleared the crate when we had to yell at them to check the damn thing because the dinks weren't even paying attention!!! Our hopes of getting him back in before he realized it went right out the window then and there.

We were then forced to muzzle him again (and the sedation wasn't as heavy as before) I managed it but the fight was on. There we are struggling with him he's snarling and snapping through the muzzle and catches me once again (other hand and luckily with the muzzle no complete compression) At this moment I became aware of perhaps 10 airline and TSA employees standing around and laughing at us trying to get him crated.

This was when I lost my temper.

It's something I do very, very rarely but I simply lost it. We were on a slippery marble-like floor and just when we'd make some headway, the crate would slip. So I very contemptuously snarled something along the lines of, well I rather tersely asked someone, anyone to stop being a**holes and at least stand at the back of the crate to keep it from slipping.

Suddenly two or three people emerged, chastised by my outburst, as the others scattered. We managed to get one to hold a lead threaded through the grate of the crate and after nearly 15 minutes got him enclosed once more.

I had by this point become aware of the fact that in his distress and fear, he'd peed on me. I didn't know for sure what upset me more, the fact that I got peed on or the reason behind it. It was his terror that ultimately won that debate. Then as the adrenaline level started to taper off I realized I had hurt myself pretty badly in the process.

Oh, and in a situation when you can't think of anything worse happening... her flight was going to be delayed for two hours. That meant she wouldn't be arriving in Anchorage any earlier than 1 a.m. And I thought I had it bad all I was facing was a seven hour drive.

We said our goodbyes and I headed back to the car. Aware of a couple of people kind of looking around trying to figure out "What is that smell and where is it coming from?" I immediately pasted the same look on my face and looked around too.

When I got back to the SUV, I suddenly decompressed and cried for a half hour. Then I crawled in the back, stripped off my peed on jeans, used the wet wipes to clean myself off, pulled my other jeans on, threw away the pee jeans and finally headed for home.

After returning home, I took great comfort in The Wookie and after a Saturday morning visit to the Walk-in Clinic, felt even more comfort from the pain meds! Ya' just gotta look for the positive!

As an update, three days after arriving at his new home he is indeed a dog vindicated. He's adjusting well with no apparent grudge against Zoya for the trip and has not shown any aggression whatsoever.

Not that surprising considering he is no longer being forced into some awful form of torture by either Zoya or myself. Enjoy your new home King Arthyr... you'll soon hear the stirring of your ancestors in your soul.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

It's been a lovely day full of laughs & some tears...


Since I can't duplicate the laughter of the day, I thought this would make you smile!

I spent time at my best friend's parent's place. Her hubby is leaving for Afghanistan by the end of the week. So the family gathered to send him off with all the love we could.

The weather was beautiful, the food delicious, the company and conversation, loud and boisterous filled with laughter and love... then we ended the day with their daughter's uncle teaching her how to skip rocks across the pond as the sun began to set.

It was a great time and one that will be remembered with fondness I'm sure. When it came time for me to leave, I had a rough time... not unusual for me as I have always been emotional when it comes to farewells... but he knows I wish him all the best and will anxiously await his safe return.

Godspeed and good luck R.M.

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Yikes! Where have the days gone?

I can't believe it's already the 6th of May. I would really like it if everyone would stop with the Cinco de Mayo commercials too. They were getting on my nerves three days ago. What a stupid thing to rag about, huh?

I have reached a certain zen state when it comes to my loved one. I had her laughing today just a few hours after a painful biopsy procedure so I felt as if I'd helped. Often it came down to little things like that, that made a difference between a horrible day or a lousy day, sometimes elevating it up into and "ok" day. You just never know...

You guys will probably get a kick out of this too... I don't know for sure, I think it was about three summers ago when a new gas station was built nearby and part of it became an A&W. This was great because the only other one was roughly 70 miles away.

It had only been open about a week when I went through the drive up. I ordered a root beer (yummy!) a burger, onion rings... you know... the standard healthy meal. Anyway... the young girl at the window looks to be about 16 or 17, she takes my money, then proceeds to hand me my filled to the brim, large root beer. In a paper cup with one of those plastic snap on lids. She's handing it to me, holding it by the top of the glass!

You guessed it. The top of lid popped off because of the pressure of her fingers and dumps down my arm, down my door (inside and out) and pooled on my lap. Well, what pooled was what my shorts and shirt couldn't absorb.

I reached back toward her to ask for some napkins but she'd closed the window! I was about to get supremely pissed when a woman comes running out the back door with some towels and she trying to wipe down my car and she's apologizing etc. etc. and I just said, "Don't worry about the car." (Because it's basically considered a winter beater kinda' car with the exception being that I didn't have a nicer summer kinda' of car. But who knew?)

In the meantime the young girl is also now handing me napkins out the take out window. I just told them both not to worry about it. And I meant it... granted, I hadn't intended to shower in A&W root beer but I figured cold soda was a lot more desirable than scalding coffee. I assured the girl things were fine and even laughed and said, "I'll bet you won't hand any more sodas over like that again!"

So here I am today... three maybe four years later and I'm driving home and I decide, "Hey! An A&W burger & root beer sounds great!" Long story short... young guy working the window... he goes to hand me the soda (he isn't holding it like she had been) when he is distracted by something inside, he misses my outstretched hand and starts to lose his grip.

Now at this point, had he simply let the cup continue to fall it would have hit the ground, splashed up on my car. No biggie... Nope, maybe it's a guy thing but he goes for the save. That translates into him catching the cup at the bottom and in trying to bring it back up, he tips it right into my open window.

They are paying $65.00 to have the interior of my car shampooed on Monday.

They paid for the exterior carwash right after the incident. (Since I no longer have a winter beater kinda' of car now) and I have coupons for free food.

I know two things for certain... the chances of me ever going through their drive-through are pretty much slim and none at all. I'm also fairly confident in saying the only A&W root beer I'll be drinking, I'll be pouring from a can.


May 14th through May 2oth 2006 is National Police Week

In Memoriam

Somebody killed a Police Officer today and a part of America died.

A piece of our country they swore to protect will buried with them at their side.

The suspect who shot them will stand up in court,

with counsel demanding his rights.

While a young, widowed spouse must work for their kids,

and spend long, lonely nights.

The beat that they walked was a battlefield too,

just as if they'd gone to war.

The flag of our nation won't fly at half mast,

but next to their name they will add a gold star.

Yes, somebody killed a Police Officer today,

in your town or mine.

While we slept in comfort behind our locked doors,

a cop put their life on the line.

Now this officer's ghost walks the beat on a dark city street,

and they'll stand at each new rookie's side.

They answered the call, of themselves gave their all

and a part of America died.

Copyright: 1984 American place Hall of Fame

May God Bless Them All

May God Also Bless Our Brave Soliders on the Battlefields Around the World