The Games Hillbillies Play...

So last night we were out doing chores and then I got my mare out and was generally spoiling her (because she is THE most divine equine). As I was walking by the front of our tack shed, leading her, I heard my husband from behind the shed:

Hubby: Babe, can you help me real quick?
Me: Sure, whatcha need?
Hubby: I am having a little trouble with this electric wire (from the electric fence we keep the calves in-not like an ELECTRIC WIRE). Would you go into the shed, in the back corner where the electric box is, and pull that orange wire back inside a little way?
Me: Sure.

So, I walked into the shed (unsuspecting lamb to the slaughter), and without question, I grabbed the orange wire...yelled (because as if you didn't see it coming from a mile away - I just got the crap shocked out of me), flailed my arm, scared the wad out of my horse and then heard hysterical laughter from the other side of the shed wall.

He lives now only because he can outrun me.

In the News...

Well, I've officially had 11 inches cut off of my hair. I LOVE it. My head feels so light!! The pile of hair in the floor after cutting the length and thinning and texturing what I have left was quite impressive - maybe a little scary. Hubby is a little sad but says it looks nice. Pea Pie LOVES it which surprised me. And hey, I got through an entire night of sleep last night without myself or hubby rolling over on my hair and waking me up! Good times.

On to the news:
Does anyone else think that on top of the fact that it was thoughtless and cruel, the whole low flying of Airforce One was absolutely unneccesary? You want a picture of that stupid plane with the Statue of Liberty then photoshop it. I was furious and so sad to see hundreds (probably thousands) of New Yorkers running out into the streets, fearing for their lives. Personally, I want to know EXACTLY who was behind this stunt. HEADS SHOULD ROLL!

It's official - one death in the U.S now from the Swine flu. My hairdresser has, in fact, stocked up on canned goods and bottled water - she did the same with the bird flu. I chuckled at her last night and she told me not to be bringing myself over to her house when I need a can of corn because she's not opening the door for ANYBODY... I sincerely hope that they can get a handle on this thing soon, though. From what they are saying, it's really hitting the elderly and small children - typical for the flu.

Then there was this little pearl on the news last night:
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Tinker Bell has been reunited with her owners after a 70-mph gust of wind picked up the six-pound Chihuahua and tossed her out of sight. Dorothy and Lavern Utley credit a pet psychic for guiding them on Monday to a wooded area nearly a mile from where 8-month-old Tinker Bell had been last seen. The brown long-haired dog was dirty and hungry but otherwise OK.
I am so glad Tinkerbell is okay. Don't you know they never thought they would find her? Am I the only one shocked that Waterford Township Michigan has a pet psychic, though? I have never researched it, but I feel very confident in saying that we don't have a pet psychic in my entire county...

And last but not least - certainly the most shocking: Arlen Specter leaves the Republican party to join the Dems. I am blown away (kinda like Tinkerbell the Chihuahua).

In midst of learning to care for the new bunny, and a new load of bottle calves on top of the regular chores at home, I can honestly say that this is about all the news I'm up to date on right now. Happy Wednesday!!!

Bits and Bobs

I have had the song Trudy by Charlie Daniels stuck in my head and playing on a loop since Saturday. I am not joking. The major problem with it is that Saturday was the first time I ever heard the song so I only know about 20 words and those are the ones that keep playing... sigh.

With my courage bolstered by Julie at 47 and starting over (sorry Julie, couldn't get the link thing to work), I am off this evening to have about 12 inches cut off my hair. I don't believe I will miss it. I found a great picture of a Meg Ryan haircut that I will be giving to my stylist as an example. I wonder if merely by cutting my hair I can make the rest of me look like she does in that picture. Hey, I'll live in my little fantasy world and you live in yours.

Please take good care of yourselves (I should take my own advice here). My 44 year old uncle had his THIRD and FOURTH heart attacks this past week. The third put him in the hospital, the fourth happened while he was still in there. GEEZ!! He is home now and feeling okay, but he is young and not a horribly out of shape person.

We are looking at about 9 more days of forecasted rain in my area.

I am wondering (not worried yet) about this swine flu. I've decided not to get all concerned like I did with the bird flu, but it tends to stay on your mind whenever they constantly talk about it on the news. It's good to stay informed of course, but I don't want to run out and stock up on water and canned goods yet or anything.

Here's to today being far better than yesterday even if yesterday was the best day you've ever had!!

You know how I know it's Monday?

Because so far this morning, I have lost my new rabbit (Pea Pie found it hiding under the entertainment center), ordered an unsweet tea with 4 lemon wedges from Sonic, was charged for two of the lemon wedges, because apparently anything over 2 has been deemed too many, received a SWEET tea with TWO lemon wedges and didn't realize it until I was already half way to work AND got ketchup on my pants. Yes, I eat things that require ketchup for breakfast - I'll have none of your namby pamby sweet and flaky breakfast fluff! Okay, OCCASIONALLY I'll eat a pancake or two, but OTHER THAN THAT...
I mentioned our new bunny.

This is his (or her, we don't know) picture as it appeared on CraigsList. It is even cuter in person!!! And SWEET! Even if it is a little escape artist. It cleans it's little face and everyone makes cutesie noises (you can't possibly help it). So, we discussed what we should name it and part of the problem was that we didn't (still don't) know if it's a boy or a girl...I must have missed the rabbit anatomy class in Ag. So, we're discussing and Pea Pie comes up with this - How about Cotton Tailed Ninny Muggins? Obviously a play on words from the movie Elf and Will Farrel's reference to himself as a Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins. How could I say no!? So, meet little NinnyMuggins. If he/she/it doesn't make you say AWWW, then you are a heartless devil and should henceforth no longer be allowed to look at rabbits!!
You know How I know I've watched the 40 Year Old Virgin one too many times?
Because I keep Titleing my blog with You know how I know...

Life in the Ozarks

As I sit here on this lovely Saturday morning, eating Slim Jim brand beef jerky (they are experts in all things dehydrated you know?) and nursing a helluva sunburn from horseback riding yesterday (should have taken the sunscreen), I am just so happy and content to be here in the Missouri Ozarks.
Of course everything is budding and blooming right now and there was a section of road on the way into work that just had me reeling with the green-ness of it all. I'm certain there are more beautiful places in the world, but in my travels, I haven't seen any yet. And how about the fact that in my 9 mile drive to work, I never have to so much as roll one tire tread onto a highway - it's backroads all the way. Cattle and horses, green pastures and woods, the folks you meet driving really do wave at you. Then I drive into this tiny town where I work (population 1,400 - who would believe there had been a Ford franchise here for over 50 years!?) and there is Main Street with the historical buildings, flea markets, the feed and seed with farmers sitting out front selling their vegetable plants - soon they will be selling their vegetables - and a lovely park right on the creek. Don't get any grand illusions of dangling your feet in there, though. Crane Creek will turn you blue with cold in mere minutes even in the hottest temperatures.
This is a place where the old arts are still alive - quilting, weaving, canning (yes, I consider being able to have fresh tasting veggies in midst of winter an art), leatherworking, instrument making - among many others. A place where you know if every computerized thing in the world disappeared one day, the folks here would survive - make that THRIVE - quite nicely.
So, I guess this is what "they" call waxing nostalgic. I'm not sure exactly why they call it that, but wax on glasshoppah - wax on!!

You know how I know my son is going to be a State Trooper?

Because all he's missing are the Aviator sunglasses!!

Happy Earth Day!!

From an article in THE SUN this morning:
Scientists warned that the increase in big-eaters means more food production — a major cause of CO2 gas emissions warming the planet.
Overweight people are also more likely to drive, adding to environmental damage.

You can read the rest here.

Well, I'll be! I never dreamed my overweightedness (is that a word?!) was causing global warming! I thought it might be all of the big industrial companies dumping waste into the water and all of the landfills and other such things. Who knew it was my tendancy to eat and drive the 9 miles to my work? Too bad those Little Rascal things run on a battery. If they were gas-powered I'd get one and ride it around my office (you know, because apparently overweight people don't want to walk any more than absolutely necessary).

TOP O THE WORLD TO YE CHILD

The Title of this post was the title of my mother's morning email to me. It's amazing what a bright, funny woman she is (sans alchohol)...
Sidenote: Talky Pete just went into the bathroom on his cell phone. I think that he thinks we can't hear him with the door closed and the fan on, but that's not at all the case.
Back to mom: She is always complaining that her mother acts just like her mother's mother did. I'm always saying that my mother acts just like her mother does (except grandma isn't a mean old alchy). But, you can see where I'm going with this. At some point, my son could say that I act just like my mother. And I'm actively trying NOT to act like my mother, so it will just be all that much more sad if he says it. And scary for him.

Back to my art class tonight. That's going fine. Having been my high school art teacher, I'm sure Mrs. Jones wouldn't be surprised to find out that I haven't practiced one time this week (I'll do it at lunch), but I won't be telling her. She's a very nice but rather stern woman.

So, last night, on my way home from work, I saw a cat sitting on top of a metal fence post. I pointed it to hubby and kind of laughed until he said, "Boy, they had him bayed, didn't they?" And then it dawned on me: Why WOULD a cat be sitting on top of what must be a very uncomfortable fence post? Hubby informed me that there were two dogs laying in the grass underneath the poor kitty. I promptly pulled over, turned around and went to help the kitty. Anyone watching would have taken me for a loon, but I jumped out of the car and ran screaming and flailing my arms at the dogs. They ran away and poor kitty sat there crying until I helped her get down. Then I looked up and saw the owners of the dogs standing in their yard staring at me. Like I was crazy. No surprise there. I didn't bother to tell them that their mutts were tiny terrorists and should be ashamed. People who raise their dogs to act that way won't listen anyway...

Wow, I can't think of a title for this post!!

Well, I took the kids to the movies this weekend. Turned out that Meg's guy couldn't go. His birthday is today and his parents had planned on celebrating with him over the weekend. So, I ended up taking my son and his girlfriend (who seems to be sweet and cute and polite, yay!), both my little sisters and my little cousin Brent. Along with hubby, that took up all the seats in my SUV, so the younger of hubbies girls and her boyfriend came along in her truck. It was quite a group! The kids saw Fast and Furious (I felt comfy not being in there with them since the 16 year old was seeing that movie and offered to keep an eye out) and hubby and I saw 17 again. It was definitely worth seeing. Boy, if I were 17 again, I'd have quite a thing for that little Zack Efron!
Yesterday it started out raining and then it rained some more, but by late afternoon and evening it had decided to rain, so we ended up spending the entire day inside. Except for hubby who mistook one 10-minute, rain-free period for a sign that it was time to mow. He gets my tenacious award for the weekend since he refused to stop mowing just because it started raining again. I would guess he mowed 2.5 out of 3 acres in pouring rain. The yard really did look great this morning, though!
I hope you all had a great weekend and are looking forward to an even better week! Now I have to get caught up on your blogs!!

Last Minute Superhero

Well, Pea Pie has a school dance tonight. Hubby told him to stick to slow dancing (because he really believes that the irish jig Pea busts out in is how he actually must dance. Pea told hubby this morning that the last time he fast-danced at school, people kept asking him if he was looking for his keys. Then he started jumping around grabbing his pockets. He's such a hoot! Anyway, we had a quick dance lesson before school. Not that I was procrastinating. I just learned about this dance last night. Apparently my son is the Procrastinator - not quite as cool as the Terminator, but a heck of a lot more suspenseful.

In midst of writing this post, I received confirmation that my biggest (and only local) competitor has just gone out of business. My phone is ringing off the hook.
Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Sometimes there's just no excuse...

I am swamped with work this morning, so I will leave you with the following story and a question. The question is, Don't you think maybe, in light of what happened here, they should re-hire the nurse and layoff the manager?
Hope you all have a great day!

Wisconsin nurse called out of surgery and laid off
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A nurse was called out of surgery so a manager could tell her she was being laid off. Dean Health said the surgery was minor and the patient wasn't affected, but the manager who summoned the nurse from surgery violated medical protocol. Dean Health spokesman Paul Pitas said the incident happened at Dean's West Clinic in Madison on Wednesday or Thursday.
Pitas said there was a period of time in which a nurse wasn't present during the procedure. He said while there were other clinical staff present, the absence of a nurse is a violation of patient care procedures.
The Madison-based health care provider announced Wednesday that it planned to "immediately" lay off 90 employees.
Pitas declined to name the employees involved or what type of surgery the nurse was attending when she was called away.

Tidbits...

Men are weird and seem completely unable to pay attention to details. Yesterday my husband sold his truck and is not picking up his new one until Friday. We work together, so he was planning to ride to work with me as usual this morning, but my son had a dentist appointment and I was going to be late. So hubby calls in and just says I'll be late, Pea Pie has a dentist appointment... I was standing there saying TELL THEM WHY (as in that he didn't have a vehicle) thinking that they would wonder why he needed to be at this dentist appointment. But, he didn't. Men...Weird...

Pea-Pie was told this morning that he won't have to have braces after all! YAY SAVING MONEY!

My right eardrum has had what sounds like a bass drum beating up a storm in it for a week. If that means I have some kind of weird health problem, I don't even want to know about it.

The extremely hot lumberjack looking fellow who powerwashes the lot is here today. It's not hot enough for him to take his shirt off... COME ON SUMMER!

I took my second art class last night (from my high school art teacher who is a super cool lady) and I am so excited about learning to draw and paint that I woke up this morning singing about it.
My husband thinks I'M WEIRD.

The other blogs I read are talking about wordless Tuesday or some such thing. I don't know anything about it, but I AM going to shutty now.

Teen Dating....or THESE KIDS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!

My mom is not what you would call a good mom. If she were an animal, my sisters and I wouldn't be here now because mother is the type who would have eaten her young. Top it off with a big ole bout of alchoholism and you can see what I'm dealing with.
So, there are 20 years between me and the next sibling (we'll call her Meg since that's her nickname) who is now 14 and 22 years between me and the last (we'll call her Leon since that's her nickname) who is now 12. Just throwing out those numbers incase you're bad at math.
Sadly, mother's poor view of the world causes her to try and tear everyone else down with phrases including the words fat ass, dumb ass, lazy ass (apparently she's obsessed with ass). I had recently noticed that my 14 year old sister was displaying some of the classic signs of low self esteem (which will happen when your own mother spends her days yelling various ass names at you), so I decided last weekend to have a long talk with Meg (and Leon for good measure).
The talk included boys, sex, alcohol, good decisions/bad decisions, self-worth, a brief excerpt from my husband and his male point of view, some funny and not so funny stories from my youth, boys, sex, proper cell phone use, consequences to bad decisions, boys and sex. Then I covered my opinion of why mom treats us the way she does (low self esteem also). That may have been a mistake, since the second mom walked into my house to pick up the girls, Meg informed mom that she, too had low self esteem. I'm hoping Meg forgot and didn't bring it back up lest my head end up on a platter...
Meg seemed to really understand the talk, which calmed my nerves a bit because she was most definitely headed down a bad path and I want her to avoid that path as if it's the plague.
Anyway, part of the issue was based on my mother's point of view that noone should date until they are 16 - which only caused me to sneak around and was having the same effect on Meg. Don't get me wrong. I love the idea of not dating until you are 16, but when you are growing up in a house with no attention (except negative), you WILL seek attention elsewhere.
After a long talk with my mother (and the point of this whole entry), I am taking my son and his girlfriend and Meg and her new young beau (who seems to be a really great, family oriented kid) on a triple date to a movie with me and the hubby this weekend. I guess I will sit in front of them but in the same theater. Or maybe go to the next theater and watch a different movie. I JUST DON'T KNOW!!! Wish me luck!

Down on the farm...

I guess with a name like Abstract Arboretum, I should mention something that happens on that tree covered hillside I call home.
This weekend was an interesting one. Saturday evening it had stopped raining long enough for us to go horseback riding. After three weeks of cold and rain, I was happy that my mare had not forgotten everything she's ever known, but not too happy to find that she was full of what we like to call piss and vinegar.
You see, once upon a time, I was a young, fit woman. I had great balance and strength and took great pleasure in being able to ride any horse that you put in front of me. Then I got pregnant. And gained weight. And lost muscle. And YEAH, it WAS 14 years ago, but I'm what you might call a maintainer. I've done a wonderful job of maintaining my overweight, out of shape status ever since the day my son was born. I'm consistent if nothing else. And I'm seriously considering sueing whatever toy manufacturer spread the lies about Weeble Wobbles. Because they DO fall down. Often.
So, anyway, we went on a ride around the country block. It was probably an hour (which seemed like eternity) between me having to try and keep track of my dog who is not supposed to go with us but snuck through the woods and appeared after we were long gone from the house and my horse who thought every daisy blowing in the breeze was a rabid monster out to get her. I think I may have suffered a heart-attack in my butthole at some point, but fear will often do that to you.

Mundane Schmundane!

Friday again - time to focus on life and living it to the fullest (avoiding your mid-life crisis, not being so mundane, getting out of that rut...you get the picture).

Last Friday, I was a bit of a downer (even though I believe wholeheartedly in what I said), so today I will focus on something fun. This is geared toward women since our idea of fun is generally not a weekly field trip to the local strip club, however intellectually stimulating that might be.
What I am going to do is give you two suggestions - one for those who aren't being effected by this piss-poor economy and one for...the rest of us:

#1 - Sex in the City Girl's Night Out!
You might schedule a group mani-pedi session, see a fabulous chic flick, go to a fancy restaurant. Treat yourself. Do something you wouldn't normally do. Obviously, this is the expensive version.

#2 - Sex in the City Girl's Night In!!
Invite a few friends over - everyone bring a dish and it can be whatever they want. Don't do that mundane planning thing where you make sure there's a salad and a dessert and blah blah blah. Normal! Boring! Without planning, you might end up with 5 different desserts. Is there anything wrong with that? HELL NO! It's Girls Night!!
Have you noticed there is a lot of bartering going on in this economy? Have you noticed you can't do as much shopping as you might like? Well, here's a fun way to get new stuff FOR FREE!
Have each of your friends bring something from their house that they no longer want - something nice but not too expensive. Who doesn't have a great hardback book they could part with or a really nice bottle of lotion you haven't opened yet? Maybe a pair of earrings (okay, not 14k gold and diamonds, but you know something from a little boutique somewhere you spent mayble $20 on). I have a brand new watch still in the box that I got for Christmas and it's just not my style - something along those lines. When everyone gets there, try drawing numbers or playing a game to determine who gets what. No cat fights!
And hey, spend a buck at the Red Box renting a movie instead of $10 apiece going to the theater.

I like this Friday thing. I'm no genius about this kind of stuff (very mundane myself), but having to come up with these ideas makes me think there might be hope for me yet!
If you have ideas to add, please do!

The Definition of Insanity

Everyone buckle up. I am going to discuss same-sex marriage today (or as I like to call it: EQUAL MARRIAGE). Try not to faint. I was reading this Op-Ed piece in the New York Times and it really put things into perspective for me.
The first sentence of the article reads: "In 1958, when my mother, who was white, and father, who was black, wanted to get married in Nebraska, it was illegal for them to wed."
Well, that sentence and the rest of the article effectively BLEW MY MIND. Apart from the KKK and a few other select groups (of assholes) like them, who wouldn't say, today, that the idea of making it illegal for a white woman to marry a black man is INSANE? RIDICULOUS! Having been born in 1974, I didn't even know that such laws had ever existed.
I am a huge proponent of Equal Rights. I do not now, nor will I ever, grasp how any group of Americans (let alone our Government) should think that they have the right to tell two individuals who love one another whether or not they can wed. Or how about adopting? What poor, mistreated, passed-around foster child would not jump at the opportunity to be adopted by a gay couple who could provide them with the love and stability that they so desperately need? But no. Our government would rather see these kids in orphanages or "puppy mill" foster homes. (I know a lot of good foster parents, but there are also a lot of bad).
And here's another thing that really gets my blood pumping: Most states make it illegal for a gay couple to be married, yet any straight person can trot off to Vegas with a buddy, get wasted on free booze while he/she is gambling and run off to the nearest drive thru chapel after having known someone for all of 30 minutes to get married. THEN, after they've sobered up, they can get an annulment and start all over. The goverment lets straight couples treat marriage like a damned joke, but will not let committed gay couples, who would truly value the union, even have a shot at ONE marriage.
It is outrageous. This is 2009. There are huge problems in this world. Serious problems. People starving and dying from preventable diseases or being killed by corrupt governments. People losing everything because they can't find employment, being shot down in gang wars.
Knowing all of this, if you can look me in the eye and tell me that gay marriage should be illegal, I would suggest you do it from a distance.
Now...how do I get down off this soapbox?

Local Flavor

In the absolute absense of an idea for today's blog, I've decided to introduce you to my little piece of the world. Everyone drives through my area to get to Branson, but Branson ain't got nothin' on my neck of the woods. Isn't ain't a strange word? I can only deduce (after years of schooling) that it's a contraction for ain not. I just haven't figured out what ain means. Anyway, back to home:

There is a drive-in movie theater in the town that I live. I just wonder how many working drive-ins are left? It's a pretty cool thing to be able to pay five bucks apiece and see two movies! Plus, the snack stand puts every other movie theater to shame with the Sunset Burger. Sure, it's just a sloppy joe, but you won't find that at your local Wehrenburg will you?


And a mere six miles away, in the town I grew up in, we have white squirrels. That's correct, WHITE ones. There is a long-standing debate as to whether they are true albinos and some will describe them as ghostly. I think the ghostly thing is a bit of a stretch. Ghostly. Squirrel. Not nearly as scary as say... Rabid. Squirrel.

Last for today (this one really is scary) is the MOMO. MOMO is short for Missouri Monster and you haven't BEEN scared until you've encountered the MOMO. In fact, it's well known that he scares you SO badly, you can't remember to use your camera and capture him on film, so you'll have to excuse the absense of a pic on this one. Suffice it to say he is 7 foot tall with a pumpkin shaped head. He eats dogs and emits a really foul odor. I can only offer up this action figure rendition of him (behold the fear on the young-man-action-figure-face!!):

If you have not already bought a plane ticket or started making plans to visit this area, well... I just can't imagine what the hold-up is.

Crunchy Bacon Only Please

Well, the world's oldest known person is celebrating her 115th birthday in LA. Her only complaints are that she has arthritis in her knees and the home she lives in doesn't cook her bacon crispy enough. If I can still chew crispy bacon when I'm 115 (yes I do plan to live that long - probably longer), I will call that quite an accomplishment.
Full story here:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WORLDS_OLDEST_PERSON?SITE=VACUL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
I think I want to have a cane too. Whack people with it whenever I disagree with the way they dress and things like that. I am pretty sure you can get away with it when you're that old. I certainly wouldn't pummel an old woman if she whacked me with her walking stick.

Pea Pie reminded me last night that his birthday is one month away. He wants an XBox 360 Elite. Doesn't want much does he? He'll be 14 and has informed me that this is really the gaming system for him because it has so much memory that he's certain it will last him well into manhood. That is actually what he told me. Had the whole speech worked up, further convincing me that he will one day break into politics. I worked up a speech of my own convincing him that it was okay to buy a refurbished one off of ebay. He thought that sounded pretty fair when the alternative was not getting one at all.

Not a whole lot else going on around here. I am meeting my high school art teacher tonight to get a supply list so that I can start taking painting classes. I am always wishing I was more artistic, so why not give it a shot? Maybe I'll be a genius and I can just leave my mundane office job and enter the mysterious world of art! I'll start wearing flowing tie dye dresses and speak only poetic phrases. See what I mean? The world of art is so mysterious I had to make up my own version. For all I know they have strict rules against tie dye. Let's hope not.

Hope and Chopstix

It's Monday. EW. Double EW. I was having such a great weekend and then I had to go to bed last night knowing that this morning would be Monday (ew).
I'm hoping today will improve. If not, I'm sure some chinese food for lunch will at least brighten my day a touch.


I do want to let all of you know some really great news. It's just.... Well, there are no words so I'll just come right out with it:
The 80's Phenom band SPANDAU BALLET is rumored to be going back on tour. This alone should bring our economy out of it's current slump what with everyone rushing out to buy tickets and t-shirts and what-not. And now that I've got the sarcasm out of my system, On to the weekend's happenings:

Saturday I was in Eureka Springs Arkansas. I got to meet a ton of new people and visit with some oldie but goodies, too. It was good for my soul. ES is a place where love and peace and good intentions just flow down the streets and you can feel it. I meant to get a bunch of good pics to post, but as is usually the case, I carry around my monster of a camera and get so involved in gawking and tawking that I forget to use it. I took maybe 5 whole pictures after loading TWO cameras! What a goob!

Here's one, though:

It's just such a beautiful place filled with beautiful people and the weather could not have been better for a gathering in the park!

Sunday the hubby and I loaded up and did a little shopping. He's agreed to let me dress him for work this summer which I'm really excited about. The old wardrobe of jean shorts, too-big shirts, knee high socks and high top tennis shoes had to go. He was true to his word and let me pick out some great shoes and clothes for him yesterday, although he declined the plaid shorts. Baby steps...

That's probably enough blabbering miscelany for the moment, here's wishing each of you a wonderful week filled with peace, love and accomplishments!

Avoiding the Mundane

I mentioned earlier in the week that I would like to take a little time on Fridays to try and find simple ways to improve life. I know I sometimes realize I am in a rut, living a completely mundane existence. Figuring out how NOT to do this can be very difficult for me (and strange as I am, I can't imagine I'm the only one). The problem, I think, is now heightened by the fact that the economy is in a bit of a slump and we might need to find things to do that will not cost money. So, let's start with something simple and free and something I believe with all my soul:

As I was watching the Twin Towers crumble during Nine Eleven, my heart, like everyone else's, was breaking. That became a life-changing day for me. I'm the type of person who gets really scattered (think Adult ADD) and can only calm myself by boiling things down to their simplest forms and that's what I did that day. I had to get a handle on my emotions, so it was very important to me that I get to the root of what was bothering me the most. This is what I realized:
On a daily basis, people lose loved ones. On a daily basis, people passionately regret the last encounter they had with the loved one they just lost. Maybe they didn't take the time to hug them. Maybe they were running late and they were irritable and they said something hateful. Maybe they did nothing at all, thinking they would get around to it later. There are a thousand different scenarios that could cause that kind of regret. It has been my goal, every day since Nine Eleven to make sure that doesn't happen to me or to someone I love. So, this week, I am proposing that you make sure it doesn't happen to you. If you find that you are running too late in the mornings to really focus on your children or spouse or parents or whoever you should be focusing on, set your alarm for an earlier time. Get up, get ready and then spread the love!
Remember that, even if you are mad at your husband because he forgot to take the trash out, you still love him. If you have to say, "Honey, I'm pissed about the trash, but I sure do love you," then say that.
Chances are, you will not lose anyone today. Won't it be great to know that you made someone feel special and loved and important?

It's Friday and I'm Plum Giddy!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Just a couple odds and ends today. I'm far too excited about the weekend to focus!

I mentioned earlier in the week "Talky Pete" who comes into my office and talks my leg off about nothing in particular, sometimes for HOURS per day. He does this no matter how busy I am. Have you ever had a moment where something so bizaar happened that you literally feared your brain would just short out or overload? That's precisely how I felt this morning when Talky came into my office and told me a five minute long story about how the detail guy here (T Dub) comes into Talky's office and... Talks too much about stuff that Talky just doesn't care about. And he does this when Talky is busy and no matter (this is where my brain started to sizzle) what kind of body language Talky uses to try and make it stop. OMG!!! I kept staring at him. Willing him to catch on to what he was saying. He even used the exact phrase I have used about him: "One story just turns into another story and then another." It was mind boggling and probably somehow karma repaying me for blogging about him in the first place. He did NOT catch on though and I know this because he is in here right now, as I blog and try to look busy.
Sidenote: T-Dub is a reference to the fact that the detail guy also helps with any plumbing issues we may have here at work. T-Dub is short for Turd Wrangler. He made himself a sign stating this and hung it at his work station in the shop. Gotta give him points for a good sense of humor!

On to the weekend: I'm off to Eureka Springs Arkansas tomorrow, my favorite little place on the planet! A place full of diverse and wonderful people who believe in Equality for everyone. I cannot wait and shall report back with pictures! I happen to know the one reader I have at this point loves Eureka Springs. The one reader thing is funny....cause it's true... lmao!

Pea-Pie

Although he doesn't say so, I'm sure my son is mortified that I still refer to him as Pea-Pie. Or Pwee Pie or My Ickle Bicky Boy. He's 14. And obviously a patient child as he has never said, "MOMMMMMM! STOP CALLING ME THAT!" He also tolerates my being overprotective. Tolerates it like a champ. I guess this is a bit of a confession on my part since it has absolutely nothing to do with the following story.

ANYWAY the boy and I often have conversations that leave me shaking my head and this morning was no exception:

P: Mom, do you know what a mandate is?
Me: Sure. It's like when the King or the President gives an order. It's called a mandate.
P: NO MOM. It's like when two totally straight guys have lunch together and catch up on what they've been doing. A Man Date.
Me: If they were totally straight, wouldn't they just call it lunch?
P: It's, like, the new catchphrase.
Me: Well, okay. I'm just saying.
P: (shakes head in exasperation at my all-encompassing uncoolness)

This cracked me up to no end. I'm off to call my gay friends and fill them in on the new catchphrase!

Royal Decrees and Mid-Life Crisis.

In my previous post about co-workers I did not mention the codgy old coot who is our mechanic. There wasn't a whole lot to say until yesterday. Yesterday I got to work before him and, APPARENTLY, I parked in HIS spot. Mind you, I had no idea that he had a spot. It's not even a good spot. It's behind the building. He didn't say anything to me, but apparently the entire rest of the building knew about it. This morning someone told my husband about it and he relayed the information to me (while smiling like the cat that ate the canary). Henceforth, let it be Royally (roll the r on that - RRRRoyally) Decreed that I shall park in the Coot's spot every single chance I get.

On to bigger matters: I was watching Desperate Housewives Sunday. It was a rerun but I had missed it the first time around. There was a scene where Edy's husband was explaining to Lynette (don't worry if you're unfamiliar with the characters, this will probably make sense in a minute) why men have midlife crisis (I don't know how to make crisis plural. It'll be fine). He said that the junk Lynette's husband had in the garage wasn't just junk to him. It was stuff he was "getting around to." And that one day, men wake up and realize they are never going to actually get around to those things and the life they have is IT. That's all. All they're ever going to be or do. I thought well, that's not just men is it? In fact what I thought was, "EEEEEEK!! Is this anything like the tower of craft supplies I have never touched, the sewing machine I don't know how to use, the shelf full of books on writing a novel I've never started?" It's NOT the Cricut Expression thingy I'm begging my husband to buy for me. THAT thing I will use. I've assured him of it and promised him that it is NOT like the ab lounge sport or the exercise bike.
Here's my point. (I do have one). I think it's time to be very aware that life IS passing us by. We cannot get these days back and we shouldn't be squandering them all on the mundane. So, I am going to give this some thought and start doing a blog weekly on ideas to stave off hundrum life. I first have to figure out how we will fit this into our busy schedules. I'll probably start tackling it this Friday. Let me know what you think! (all one of you).