Yeah, the Beast is at it again. He just can't leave well enough alone. I was perfectly happy with my computer and the thought of him transferring all my internal organs ... err, parts to the new computer case made me shudder. It's not that he isn't able. It's the fact that he can't leave well enough alone. I KNEW something would be screwed up. It's just how things go when he does anything on the computers. It's part of his *upgrading* and things ALWAYS get screwed up SOMEHOW.

The case is beautiful. It is a Xion and looks like something that belongs on a robot. It has blue lights inside it. Even the three fans have lights so when it's ON, it looks neat as hell. The transfer didn't take all that long. I was busy putting stuff away from my hunting and gathering trip. I went to the Walmart in Boaz (the town just south of us) because the Beast claimed it was a bigger and better grade store. I had to see for myself. He was right. It's about half again as large as ours without counting the auto center or the nursery. Incredible. Tells you the difference between the towns since our area is considered a *farming* area. We get a break on state taxes but I guess we also get a lower grade of *stuff* since there are so many Mexican laborers living in the area. They don't make a lot of money so it's geared to that.

Anyway, I did a big shopping since we were out of a lot of stuff. That left the Beast free to do his worst...or best, however you want to look at it. He had decided that my hard drive was not big enough so he had a new hard drive he was going to put in as my primary drive. He had backed up my complete system which you can do with my Vista program. Not all the Vista programs have this feature since it supposedly allows you to completely restore your system if you should have a hard drive failure. Sounds good, right? Well, the best laid plans of mice and men......

Once he had put the primary hard drive on, he put the drive with the complete backup on, too. Then he formatted the drive and put the basic Vista program on the new, larger drive. That SHOULD have allowed us to completely restore all my programs, updates, etc. from the old drive to the new one. Easier said than done. He worked on it for a couple hours and could NOT get Vista to do what it said it could do. When you go to their restore, it keeps asking for cd's. When he backed it up, it recommended putting it onto a hard drive but DID offer the cd option if you wanted it. Nowhere did it say that it would ask for it and not give you a viable choice for grabbing it off of the other drive. The Beast was pissed at first, then puzzled and then finally gave it up. He went to that drive and just grabbed some of the folders that had the important stuff I wanted. He will tackle it again until he finally gets it right. It's just the way he is.

The bad thing is, he will have to get up at 3am tomorrow to download all the updates that we should have been able to grab off the full restore on the other drive. For a starter, there are 168 mb of Windows updates and another 70mb to download for our virus program. Like I said, no good deed goes unpunished, does it?

The reason he has to get up at that time is we have Hughesnet satellite service for our internet. Our downloads are limited. If we exceed them, we get *punished* for 24 hours before we can get back onto the internet. But, they allow unlimited downloads between 3-5 am. We had to do that for our laptop and didn't get all it needed with one shot. The Beast finally took it with him when he knew he was going to be staying in a motel and used THEIR internet to finish the downloads...LOL

The Princess took Chewlee over to the boyfriend's house after she got back from her management training class in Birmingham. She got up late (and it's a 2 hr. drive from here). I asked if she got in trouble because of being late and she said they didn't get started until 10am so it was fine. She wasn't the only one late. The teacher of the course was also....LOL

The boyfriend still lives at home with his mother. He's a college student, too, and even has a class with the Princess. He did that on purpose. He actually hoped to get into her English class but it was full so they are in Psychology together. That's the Friday morning class. They did their homework together this evening and his mother and little sister played with Chewlee. They really love her and I found out they are going to pick her up on Saturday to take her to the boyfriend's sister's birthday party. Kaitlin just loves Chewlee and wants her there. I just rolled my eyes because Chewlee is always into everything. Then I found out they are having it at a roller rink. That made me just shake my head because I KNOW that Chewlee will want to try skating. She has a hard time walking in shoes, let alone trying to put a tiny pair of skates on her. I don't think the rink will have any her size so that means someone, probably the mother, who also loves Chewlee, will be dealing with her. They are brave souls is all I can say.

Back to the Walmart thing.....the Walmart in Boaz really IS a better class of store. I remember that K-Mart had (and probably still does) different *classes* of stores. I took a walk through the clothing section and saw a LOT of things that our store doesn't have and never did. The prices weren't bad either. I even bought myself a really nice pair of pants and a matching jacket in that velveteen material for just $7 each. They are White Stag and really beautifully made. I grabbed myself a nice mock turtleneck top to go with it so I got a complete outfit for less than $20. I like that in a store.

Boaz has a lot of outlet stores and people come from all over to shop there. There's an outlet store for almost any brand you can name. I was just shocked because I didn't realize how BIG the area was before the Princess INSISTED that was where she wanted to go to look for her new work pants and shirts. They DO have a dress code at Radio Shack. I like the ones she bought with their logo on it through some online site better than the expensive ones she bought at the outlet store in Boaz. They don't need to be ironed, unlike the ones she bought to start working. Oh well, live and learn. She paid a bit more for them but they are worth it. I refuse to iron her shirts any more, although I did it a couple times when she first started working. That was BEFORE she got the ones from the online store. I keep those washed and hung up, let me tell you. She has so much going on that ironing is NOT a choice nor anything she seems to find time for either.

Oh well, time to hit the sack for me. The Princess leaves for school early and she works from 5-8pm after that. It gives her just a two hour break from her classes to try to get any homework done so that means I will have Chewlee under MY wing for the whole day. She will be ready for bed by the time her mother gets home from work. I need my beauty sleep....LOL

Love you all and hope you keep warm while this arctic blast hits us. We will wake up to weather in the teens here tomorrow and Friday and single digit on Saturday. They say it will be very windy and our wind chill will be in the minus range. Shudder. It's the reason I did our big shopping. I have NO intention of going out there if I can help it.
Tell everyone you love that you do. Life is short and getting shorter all the time.

I have to admit, I am using that heading more because of surfers than anything. My sister, Bratfink, does it a lot. The idea tickled me. Is that how you get new readers? LOL

Actually, Bratfink and I DID discuss sex the other night. We were reminiscing about it. Between the Beast's two strokes and his high blood pressure pills....well, that kind of went out the window. All I can say is *thank goodness this didn't happen when I was younger*. I enjoyed sex but who doesn't? Enough about that.

The baby is still not back on her normal schedule but she is getting closer. I really think she's been fighting something off. She's sleeping more than she did when she first got here. She isn't teething that we can tell. She is also telling me more often that she wants to go *night, night*. She will sleep for an hour or so and then she is up and feisty. Right now, she is averaging two naps each day and still going to bed at a decent hour. She sleeps most of the night but WILL wake up and want another bottle. I keep a bottle ready in the fridge just because of that. I bring it in, she will smile and grab it and lay right down and go back to sleep without fully drinking it. She's going to be a kid that wakes up during the night to ask mommy for a drink, wait and see.....LOL

I finally took down all of my Christmas decorations. I hated to do it since they make the house seem so cheery. But, I took down the lights on the deck and front porch, the small Xmas tree and all the other stuff and got them packed away. Christmas is officially over here now. I am waiting to see Chewlee's reaction to the Xmas tree being gone. She loved the lights and the little ornaments I had on it. I have had a little Xmas tree for years (mostly because I had one for all our houses for the patio areas). I purchased and made ornaments for it that were smaller than normal ones so that it looked nicer. I put a big red bow that has a small *gift* package at the center of it and I even have small *gift* ornaments that we hang on the tree or I sometimes stack underneath it. It's really cute.

The Beast is a *bah humbug* person but he has gotten more into the spirit of the season the last couple of years. He won't help put out the decorations but he DOES put thought into the presents that HE buys. Buying gifts for the kids and grandkids is left up to me, however. If I get stuck, he will make suggestions but his suggestion is usually this: *Oh, hell....give them cash*.

My gift to my sister, Bratfink, is her membership on Pogo. I have to admit, it's really a selfish gift. I enjoy playing games with her a lot. We don't always like the same games but we do like a lot of them that we can share. It makes it fun for ME. I do it because I love her and I know that she can't afford it otherwise. I've been there. I can appreciate what she and the Boy are going through. Been there, done that. Plus, I had two kids and was preggers with a third one at the time. Not fun. At least it's just her and the Boy plus the cats. The cats can be almost as expensive as kids at times.

I have had two old friends on my mind the past week or so. No reason that I know of but suddenly, there they were. Taking up room in my mind for no apparent reason. I lost track of my friend, Carol Walley (whom I would love to contact if I knew where she was now). I think she might be in the Tampa/St. Pete area since she and her sister, Dana, inherited their mother's house there. If they didn't sell it, they might have moved into it together.

The other person on my mind is an old friend I worked and played with for several years. Priscilla La Porte. I know she divorced her husband and was working as a full time companion since she was a medical tech that has a lot of experience handling older, sick people. I hope they are both okay and doing well. I am praying for them both because Bratfink told me she believes God puts them in our minds when they need our prayers. I can dig that.

I have to go do a major shopping tomorrow. That's the day we get our big social security check deposited in the checking account. I have a list that looks like an inventory check list. I told the Beast that he is stuck babysitting if the baby wakes up from her nap because that is the time I will leave. She NORMALLY sleeps for an hour and a half to two hours so I should be able to make it back before she wakes up. I told him that he will just have to put a diaper on her and then feed her. That should occupy another half hour if I am held up for some reason. It's the changing of the diaper that will get to him because it's usually not just a pee diaper.....LOL I have no pity for him. HE is the one that made the decision about bringing the Princess and Chewlee here to live with us. I would have rented an apartment for them nearby. But that's ME.

In truth, I have enjoyed having them here most of the time. The Princess has to learn some good habits and I hope I can get her to do them before they DO move out. She is lazy in a way that she shouldn't be. It doesn't take much time to be neat if you develop good habits. She USED to have them so it's just a matter of making herself remember them again. It will make life on her own again much simpler. I have seen improvements in her the last few weeks but there is still a way to go. I am patient.

Chewlee finally got to see her new bear in action. It has those fiber optic lights inside it and it's really cute to see them. You have to clap to get the lights started and its under the surface of the head and chest. The teddy bear is white and incredibly soft. I was surprised to see how it affected Chewlee. She wanted to take it to bed with her and didn't want me to turn off the lights. I guess it's soothing to her. The lights turn different colors...green, blue, yellow and red. She feel asleep with her arm wrapped tightly around it. It wa soooooo cute! I did manage to reach in to turn off the lights so the battery wouldn't run down. I have no idea how long it will last or where you would find a replacement for it. Probably Radio Shack. They have everything in batteries it seems. LOL Perfect for the Princess since that is where she works.

I made black beans soup and some rice today. I was going to make boneless chicken breast strips (I make the best honey mustard dressing) but decided that the bean soup would work better in this cold weather we are having. We are supposed to be getting some incredibly cold weather on Friday and Saturday where the wind chill will be in the minus area. Brrrrr!!!!!! I am a wimp. I have my long underwear on as it is but I guess I can keep it on under my clothes like they did in olden days. LOL.

I admit I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather. It's just not my cup of tea, so to speak. I lived for too many years in Florida and got really spoiled that way. Heck, when the weather dropped down to 70 or below, I was wearing sweats and a coat if I had to go outside. The best I can say is that we don't get much in the way of snow or I would be truly miserable.

The Beast bought me a wonderful coat from L.L. Bean for Christmas. I just love it. It is a down coat with a fur lined hood. It's incredibly warm without being a HEAVY coat to wear. I bought myself some fully lined leather gloves so I am all set. My boots are warm, too. Those aren't new. They were bought the first winter we spent traveling up to Chicago. As a diabetic, I protect my feet. I keep them warm and always have something on my feet. I always have socks on and either slippers, shoes or the boots. They say diabetics die from the feet up so I am going to keep a close eye on those suckers. I won't go down without a fight!

Well, it's late and the Beast just went to bed. Chewlee has been asleep for hours now and even the Princess went to bed early. She has to make that trip to Birmingham for the Manager Training class so she has to get up at 6am to be able to leave by 7 and arrive there by 9am. She won't be home until 7pm so it's a long day for her. She HATES the drive but, what can you do? You want the position, you take the inconveniences that come with it. HER manager is in training to be a district manager so she will end up managing this store here after her training (and HIS) is over. She may end up being the youngest manager Radio Shack has ever had. She is only 19 now and won't be 20 until August.

Oh, and the Beast will be leaving for his trip to Chicago at the end of the month. His Aunt Marge and cousin Bevie will be visiting there at the same time. Also, his cousin Butch. I'm glad that he and Baron will be having a good time. It means *I* won't have to worry about exercising Baron during that time. Baron will be visiting *his* cousins at the Beast's brother's house. HE has two German Shepherds and he just finished putting up a new fence in his backyard so they can run and play to their hearts content......as long as there is no snow anyway. Baron is a wimp, remember.

Goodnight all. Have a great week and I hope you don't live in an area that has really BAD weather hitting you. Love you all.

This morning, the Princess asked me for help on her psychology paper. I was stunned. It took me back to when she was in high school and I would look at her English papers or compositions and just be shocked at them. She had the worst grammer when she wrote. Her spoken grammer was fine but making that transition to paper seemed to escape her. I was prepared for the worst when I plugged the thumb drive into my computer.

First of all, her written grammer has improved tremendously. Somewhere, somehow she finally *got* it. I could concentrate on making minor spelling corrections and removing information that was either repetitive or not necessary. It's actually a biography of some psychologist I have never heard of before. She had to tell about him and give a synopsis of his theory. I moved some information around because it didn't flow right or was *disconnected* from it's proper place. Just common sense things. I saved her original copy and my revised copy for her so she could learn what she had done incorrectly (from my point of view but I DO have some experience in this from my work at an advertising company, among other things) Besides, this is the area I have always done well as long as I didn't write when I was feeling emotional....LOL

I never finished college. In fact, I only got in a couple semester while living in California (it's very cheap when you are a resident) and going for my real estate broker's license. I think if they had CLEP tests that I could have taken, I probably would have gotten my degree easily. They now offer those tests online...sigh. That's was back in time, however, when computers took up whole rooms.

I used to write papers for college students for some extra money back when my kids were young and money was tight. Yes, even then we had tough times, especially if you had a large family (and four kids was considered large). I mostly wrote book reports and special reports. I did a couple of term papers. I felt guilty about it mainly because I enjoyed doing it so much. It never took me long and they always got good grades on them. I did several for one of my sister's boss's, in fact. But that is another story.

Now, when the Princess was in high school and I tried to get her to correct her papers, she would always get ticked off and blow it off as unimportant. She CLAIMED that the teachers weren't looking for proper grammer as much as correct information. I tried to impress on her that writing well was going to be important to her in her working life. But, you know kids, they don't think about such things and, if they do, they really don't believe it. They think they will impress a boss just by their looks and the way they talk. NOT!!!!!!

Ahhh, but life is full of surprises, twists and turns. One thing the Princess has learned is that it is NOT a fairy tale and everyone does NOT live happily ever after. Life is paying rent, buying food, paying utility bills, car payments and insurance and all kinds of things you don't think about when Mom and Dad are paying those bills. She learned that the hard way, especially when the sperm donor didn't want to work and then, after she threw him out, he didn't want to pay child support. She was fortunate that she had a good head on her (and started using it for a change) and a good job. If the sperm donor hadn't started stalking and terrorizing her, she would still be in Florida. But, he did and so we moved her up here.

She seems to like it here much better except for the weather. She admits she likes being with us...for now....because she needs to get on her feet before she can become independent once again. It will be less expensive for her to get an apartment and pretty much everything else is less expensive, also. She is making good money as an assistant manager and that means a lot. She is also determined to get her degree.

After I finished doing my editing of her paper, she finally revealed the truth about why she wanted me to review it for her and help. Her best friend is one of those people that can listen to a lecture, take almost no notes and ace a test or a course. The Princess has never been like that and has to study. She wants my help because she doesn't want her best friend to get a better grade than she does. How's that for a come down? LOL...well, I'm glad she thinks I can help at least.

Well, it is 34 degrees outside and feels only slightly better inside. I just had to turn up the heat and turn on my little room heater here in my computer room. The Princess had to go to work but just for four hours today. Chewlee is in here with me, demanding my full attention so I have to close for now.

Love you all and may you have a great day and a wonderful week.

The Princess finally started her classes in college here. She had to withdraw from college in Florida when we moved her up here but, once she got everything done here, her grants kicked right in so she was able to pay her tuition from them. She also purchased all her books (mostly used ones since the new ones are incredibly expensive) and still has money left for anything that comes up later.

Her first class was on Wednesday. I believe it was an English class. English 201 or some such thing. She had another one but I don't remember what it was and her class today was psychology. It's the only class she didn't get out early from and she also has a paper she has to write for it. Too funny. She was on her laptop as soon as she got home to start it while it was fresh in her mind, I guess. Then she had to dress for work and head off. Because she has two classes on Thursday, she gets the whole day off. Friday is a different story and it means she will always be closing on that day. The burden of being assistant manager and having a child to support.

She has a monthly Manager In Training Class that requires her to drive to Birmingham. No small thing, that, because it is about a two hour drive. Luckily, they pay her a set amount per mile and it works out to be more than she would earn for the time involved. The Regional Manager likes her so, when he found out about her school schedule, he changed the day that those classes will be held in the future.

What is interesting to watch is how much more animated she has become in just a few classes. She, like all of us, really needs the interaction with others her age. It's not something she gets at work so her friends have been limited to a few she met via the Internet originally. Of those, she has only kept two or three as friends and only ONE of them knows where the Princess lives. We have met the family (and had them in our home over the Holidays) and they are nice people. I am happy that she seems to be using her head on the quality of friends she is making here where she has started *fresh* and isn't hampered by her friends from middle and high school.

We all need the intellectual stimulation that things like friends, schooling, even work, can bring us. Games that require thought (scrabble, monopoly, chess, trivial pursuit, etc.) are another way to keep your mind working and your interests alive.

My sister, Bratfink, loves to surf the Interwebs (as she calls it) for random things and has found some interesting sites because of it. She also shares in her blog (www.xanga.com/bratfink) as well as entertains with her continuing saga of The Weirds. The Weirds are her best friend's family. I've known The Boy for years and heard about the family for a much longer time than she has blogged about them. I think that a number of people urged her to write about them and so she does on a daily basis. She has a unique sense of humor that is entertaining at the least and enlightening at times when we need to be reminded that there are many ways of looking at situations. What might seem dire or depressing can be made different with a change in ATTITUDE. It's all in how you look at some things.

I bring this up because I realize why Chewlee, the baby, loves to spend her time with me. I do NOT get upset at many of the things that the Princess does. I have raised a couple generations of kids now, in one way or another, and I have learned the difference in what is important and what is not. I don't over-react to things like the Princess does.

I know that all kids like to explore and push the limits. They like to try things (like climbing) and they want to do things without help. I often let Chewlee do things her mother would NOT let her do because, at some point, she needs to learn many of these things. I take the time to show her how to do those things safely. She usually will listen. Climbing down the stairs, for example. I led her over to the railing (it has supports she can grab onto) and showed her that she can use those to steady herself while going down the stairs. The Princess doesn't have the patience and will either block her from going down the stairs or carry her down. That doesn't teach her anything. I have let her climb on things and stayed there while she made her attempt and applauded when she succeeded. I also show her how to get DOWN, which is just as important.

I have also learned that there is NOTHING that cannot wait a minute or two when she demands my attention for something. It takes very little to satisfy her and distract her with something else if I really need to get something done.
I can always insert a DVD of hers or one of mine that she enjoys watching. She is fascinated with anything that has music in it and will dance when the music comes on. She just LOVED Jumanji because of all the animals and she loves both Dr. Doolittles. I have almost all the Disney animated movies and those will keep her riveted for hours on end.

She has a need lately to try saying new words and will watch my lips closely to see how I move my lips and if I use my tongue. Some of her attempts at words like *walrus* and *octopus* are hilarious. She really hasn't mastered how to say *L* in a word yet. She is much more vocal than most 18 month-old babies, and that makes me proud. I like to think it's a genetic trait since that seems to run in our family. She is already recognizing a lot of letters and numbers. Babies are really little sponges and it all depends on what you expose them to and how you work with them.

Oh well, it's late and I should get to bed. I have a sinus cold and it's wearing me down. I am cold and have my electric blanket over me right now because of it. I need to get on my jammies and head for bed.

Love you all. Love deeply, laugh often and dance like no one is watching.

I know I have told you before that Baron is a wimp. It applies to both cold and rain. Any other conditions do not bother him (wind, bright sunlight, dismal days, etc.). But snow, cold and rain make him a wimp. He will actually run and hide rather than go out into it, regardless of how badly he has to pee or chit.

For example, yesterday we had an overcast, drizzly day. I knew Baron had to pee because he kept going to the door and barking. As soon as he put his nose out of the door and felt the rain (which was more like a heavy mist most of the day), he would dig in his paws and back up. No way was he going out in THAT.

This went on for literally HOURS. It got so that he was at the door every five minutes. I finally had it and actually dragged him out the door and stood in the rain myself calling him down from the deck. I walked around in the wet yard, calling him while he stood like a sentinel at the top of the stairs. After about five minutes of urging (and I think the rain, which had gotten more vigorous during this interlude), his bladder finally did him in and he came running down, gave a token sniff to his favorite spot and peed like a race horse. Then he ran over to his OTHER favorite spot and took a huge dump. I had to laugh except I was soaked and ran into the house. It took him another few minutes before he came bounding back. He ran around and *danced* with his relief.

I told the Beast that the next time HIS wimpy dog needed company to get his butt outside, guess who was NOT going to do it???? Three guesses and the first two don't count. I went and changed my clothes while Baron celebrated his bravery and relief by running and jumping around while the Beast chased him with a towel, trying to get him dried off.

Well, today it POURED. I mean it, it came down like I haven't seen a rain in quite a while. It also rained almost the whole day long. We had both flash flood warnings and flood warnings, it was THAT bad. My back yard had about two inches of water in it. It's not like we haven't needed rain in this area, we've been in a drought situation for several years. Nature seems to be making up for it now since we are WAY above normal now. I think if we get a few more storms like this come through here, we might actually be back to normal again.

That means we had the same situation with Baron when he needed to *go*. And dig in his heels, he did. The Beast tried everything, including walking him with an umbrella but the dog doesn't know he should stay UNDER it to keep from getting wet. He didn't like getting his paws wet either. All he wanted to do was go home but he finally peed and headed back towards the house. He didn't want to spend another minute out there for anything else. The same went this evening. When he started his going to the door every five minutes, I locked myself in my computer room and told the Beast *YOU wanted a doberman, YOU go outside with him this time, not me.*

I found out that he didn't take Baron out. He told the Princess to take him for a walk. Her boyfriend was here so she didn't argue. But, she found herself dragging him down the driveway and out onto the street. He wouldn't move. He finally tried to make a break for it back to the house, dragging her with him. If not for her boyfriend, he might actually have dragged her since he IS strong. Especially when he wants something bad enough and all he wanted was to get out of the rain.

The Princess came into the computer room (her dresser is in here, remember) and changed into dry clothes, muttering and swearing under her breath. Even SHE told the Beast..*It's YOUR dog. I can't help it that he's such a wimp but I refuse to drag him and try to get him to pee.* So, now he has no choice. All the capable women in this house have now HAD it with Baron. I swear I will kick his butt out the door and lock it. He has a dog house in the yard. He can always head for it to get out of the rain but I'll be darned if I am going to be a doorman for a dog that won't go out in the rain when he needs to answer nature's call.

Chewlee hasn't been feeling well. We don't think it's a cold and it doesn't seem to be teething. But she isn't her normal, cheerful self and she is sleeping more often. Not as long, but more often. She usually only takes an afternoon nap right around 11:30 or 12:00 and she sleeps for an hour and a half. For the past couple days, she's gone down for her nap as usual around noon but sleeping for just an hour at the most. Then, around 3 or 3:30, she is ready for another nap. That one will last an hour. Tonight, at 6pm, right after eating dinner and taking her bath, she started saying *night night* and she meant it. She found her blankey, asked for a ba-ba and, without waiting for it, opened her bedroom door. I looked in and she was trying to hoist herself up into the crib. It was funny because she REALLY wanted to go to bed. We did, however, manage to distract her and told her to lay down on the pillow I put on the floor of the living room. She did that and lay there quietly with her bottle for an hour. The only reason she didn't go to sleep was because Baron kept going over and bothering her. HE wanted to play. She just wanted to pet him. By 7pm, she started getting really cranky and crying to go night-night so the Princess finally put her down.

I told the Princess that she might just nap for a little bit (I know the feeling) and, sure enough, after a half hour of rest, she was ready to get up again. She will probably stay up until around 9 and then go to sleep for the night. Right now she is bounding around the house with Baron following her. They seem to be having fun and they both are getting exercise so who cares?

We were under three different weather alerts today:tornado watch, flash floods and flooding. It's definitely been a wild weather day. At one point, the wind was so violent, I went outside to check the clouds and look for signs of a tornado. If there was one, it wasn't close enough for us to even get the hail so I was relieved. Wind I can take, a tornado...no thanks. Been there once (had the roof taken off from over our heads in the middle of the night). Don't need to repeat the experience, thankyouverymuch.

We lost our internet and the TV for about 15 minutes each since they are both satellite services. That wasn't all that long, I know, but I worry when the weather is bad enough to affect them both. I figured that meant that the worst of the weather had passed over us and was heading to somewhere else.

I just checked my weather beetle and there is more rain expected tomorrow. *sigh* Another wonderful day with the wimp dog. Then it's supposed to be sunny but cooler for the rest of the week. I'm so glad. I am a sun person. I LIKE the sun and blue skies. It's my favorite type of day. I don't mind the cold as much if the day is bright and sunny. It always feels colder when the day is dismal even if it isn't, know what I mean? In my own way, I am a wimp, too.

So, here I sit in my flannel jammies with both socks AND a pair of fluffy slippers on because the weather is supposed to drop down into the 30's tonight. I have both my down comforter AND an electric blanket on my bed and I even have my bedspread on it. I want to be WARM when I sleep. The Beast tells me that the temperature of my body rises when I go to sleep. This only happens during the winter. I've heard of such things happening to mountain climbers and those Sherpa people in the Himalaya mountains. I guess that it wouldn't be too far a stretch to figure that anyone who hates the cold like I do could do it on some instinctive level if the mechanism is there for us to *tap*. Stranger things have happened. I can't be the only non-mountain climber/non-Sherpa person to do it. He (the Beast) claims that he has always snuggled close to me when he gets cold just because of that. I know that I sometimes wake up with my hairline sweating but thought it might be from being too warm with all my *aids* on the bed. Guess that's NOT the reason at all.

It's time for me to fold some more clothes. I've neglected doing my own dirty clothes because of trying to get the blankets, comforters and sheets from our company taken care of between taking care of Chewlee and preparing meals. I've also been keeping Chewlee's clothes up and, occasionally, some of the Princess's stuff. I almost died when I walked into my bathroom to take a shower while the baby was sleeping and my hamper was overflowing. It was mostly the Beast's stuff but...even so! When I folded his underclothes, I discovered that it has been 12 days since the last time I did them. Oh well. I guess I need to make a list......LOL

Love you all. Take care of yourselves and live every day like it is your last. Tell those you love that you do. Love deeply. Laugh often. Smile when speaking on the telephone. That smile affects your voice and it will help the person on the other end of the line by lifting their spirits. Try it sometime.

How was your New Year's Eve? Mine was quiet since I had volunteered to babysit Chewlee. The Princess was going to a party and staying overnight with Tara. I found out, however, that the hostess of the party did NOT let her go to Tara's since she had imbibed and the cops were out in force. Thank you, Kim. She did make it over to Tara's the next morning for a short visit and explanation and to pick up something left there for us.

Chewlee was tired and actually went to bed early. So did the Beast who is still recovering from his double trip for Teri Lynn in a matter of three days. I played on Pogo and chatted with my sister, Bratfink until she pooped out and went to bed....early. So, I joined some friends online that were playing and we wished each other Happy New Year when it happened. I popped in one of my favorite DVD's to watch until I got tired and had a new year's coffee and Bailey's. Not exciting, I know, but eminently satisfying to me these days. Small pleasures seem to satisfy me more and more. Besides, my days of drinking 'til I drop are long over....LOL. For this, I am extremely grateful. I learned to hate hangovers more than any liquor.

Oh, don't misunderstand me. Give me a good Irish or Polish wedding, funeral or family reunion and I can drink with the best of them. No, I should say this...I WILL drink with the best of them but I have become a light-weight. Although good conversation, laughter and good company will increase my capacity, it doesn't take all that much to make me want to head for a bed and sleep. I don't get hangovers any more because my body won't let me drink that much any more. Plus, one episode of sleep-walking while drunk and falling down a steep flight of stairs scared the crap out of me. I was extremely lucky that my sister-in-law had thrown all the kids dirty clothes and a stack of dirty towels at the bottom of the stairs. Otherwise, I would probably have had more than just a few scratches. How I DIDN'T wet my pants amazes me since that was where I was headed in my half-asleep state.

The year just past has not been a really good one for me, personally, nor much of my family for one reason or another. We had some happy times (weddings, for example), new homes for some, and other things that vary from person-to-person. But there were also deaths, jobs lost, health problems...one favorite aunt of mine had a re-occurrence of cancer in the same area she had been treated for it two years previous. It saddened me greatly since she became severely ill during chemotherapy this time and they had to stop it. It took two weeks for her to recover from a single episode. She is now resigned to leaving us shortly and it still makes me cry. She is probably right. Although she is 84 years old, before this she was active and self-reliant. All of those I love seem to be dying. It is one way I know that I, too, am getting older.

Since my health has now greatly improved and I am able to do so much more than I could for almost four years now, I have great hopes for the coming year. I hope to see the lower gas prices continue so we can do some traveling without it costing us an arm and a leg to do so. I hope that my daughter, Buttmunch's plans to move to our area becomes a reality in the not-too-distant future. She may not settle right here but she will be closer, we hope. She first has to complete the settling of her drivers license and then, hopefully, she may be able to buy herself a car. In this area, it's a real necessity.

The Princess starts back into college in a few days. I hope she is able to manage both school and work and that *I* can last it out until she is able to get the baby into day care. I love Chewlee but she needs other children and other people taking care of her needs for at least part of the time. I am NOT a young woman any more and really not up to taking on another generation of children (or even a single child). In my head, I am much younger than that face that looks at me in the mirror says I am. The body has betrayed me and I am not liking it much. I avoid the mirror as much as I can...LOL.

My sister, C (Tara's mother), tells me that her other half, Frankenstein, seems to be going downhill rapidly. I believe he is in his 70's now but he has survived a surgery that had less than a 50/50 chance of his surviving it, let alone NOT becoming a paraplegic afterward. I am praying that he doesn't leave my sister alone. She loves him and he's a nice man. When I could visit (when I still lived in Florida), I enjoyed visiting them. We would sit and talk in the evening, have a drink or two together, and really have a nice time. If he does leave us, I will mourn his loss.

The Beast is talking like he wants to get a lot of stuff done because he feels HIS health is not doing well. Nothing specific, just noticing that his gait is not good and getting tired more often. It's also taking him a long time to recover from any activity that requires either stamina or strength. He's still doing consulting for one of our old customers only this time it's just over the phone stuff. She is paying our cell phone bill each month so that he will always be available for her when she runs into a problem with one of five buildings she manages. They are trying to get them ready for sale and each is worth many millions of dollars. The sales commissions alone will guarantee her retirement so she has a vested interest. I think the Beast is anxious to see her retire, too. He told me today that he blames his strokes on HER and all the aggravation she caused him. Personally, I believe she aided greatly but wasn't totally responsible. He was a real asshole and has always over-reacted to small shit like it was some earth-shaking event. He never learned to stop and think about things before opening his mouth. He was just like HIS father before him. He believed everyone should FEAR him yet he never understood why no one loved him. And, of course, those that DID love him, he treated the worst. Sad. Sad. Sad.

Of course, since the Beast's strokes, he's mostly a different person. You see the old him on occasion but, as my one son said, he's now an old person trying to get into heaven...LOL. I am used to him now. I can't even say for sure that I love him because what I feel for him is so different from what I USED to feel. I will miss him when he dies and I am determined I WILL live to see that happen or else HE wins...LOL (yes, B, I remember you telling me that more than once). I have even made plans for after it happens. But, I don't believe it will happen in 2009 because then that would make it a GREAT year.

So, let us pray that people stop losing their houses and jobs. That there is less poverty around us. That we concentrate on restoring what has been good about our country instead of spending so much time, energy and money on OTHER countries. Somewhere the message of our forefathers has been lost. There was NOTHING about taking care of other countries in our constitution.

In our largess, sure...share the wealth, technology, knowledge with others. But, when we are bleeding from neglect right here at home, it should NOT be happening. Sometimes, you MUST be selfish in order to ensure we continue as a great nation. We should stop worrying about how second and third world countries view us. Stop sending food to others when we have people hungry living right here. Medical help and medical ships to other countries? Take care of our own FIRST. Jobs going overseas? Give tax breaks to bring them back here. Whatever it takes to stop this severe recession, do it. Don't throw good money after bad by bailing out badly run businesses without demanding a business plan that makes sense.

Stop the million dollar bonuses to executives of industries in trouble financially. Make those contracts null-and-void since they are bleeding the very businesses they have put into financial difficulties. Suspend income taxes for low income families and individuals for a short time to help those people to be able to feed their families. It's a small thing to a government but a huge difference to them. And...most of all....suspend ANY increases in salaries to CONGRESS! I am so damned sick of those people voting themselves huge increases in their salaries besides all the other perks they have given themselves over the years. What I wouldn't give for even HALF of the perks....better yet, half of the salaries.

How did I get on this rant? Oh well, it's just stuff that rolls around in my head from time-to-time and makes me mad when I hear about them.

I love you all and wish you a happy, healthy new year full of love, hope and good things.