Today was a truly strange day with Chewlee. She was probably at her naughtiest. She was full of energy and running around like she was on speed or something. She was getting into everything that she knows she shouldn't. She had to touch everything...not just once, but multiple times. She kept smearing her hands on the TV screen and the full length mirror. She was grabbing the dogs chew toys from the dog and then throwing them at him...hard, not gently towards him like she normally does. It was incredible. I could have sworn someone gave her a bottle full of concentrated sugar water and she couldn't stop herself.

She was, however, ready for her nap and the Princess got to put her down before she had to leave for work. I was not looking forward to when she woke up after the morning we all suffered through. She was only slightly better when she woke up but cried every time she was told *no* or told she couldn't have something. And I mean cried...with real tears streaming down her face.

I dressed her warmly so the Beast could take her outside with the dog and take some pictures. She got very happy because she really IS a ham and loves to have her picture taken. As soon as the Beast would take a couple shots of her, she would run over and expect to be shown them. She knows about the fun of digital cameras, as you can tell. Then she would run off to join the dog in some act of energetic play. When I finally brought her into the house, she cried again because the dog didn't come in with us. As soon as he was done doing whatever it was that kept him from joining us, he came to the door and Chewlee was happy again. But then she totally ignored him....LOL

I really think Chewlee wasn't feeling very well even with all the energy she seemed to have. She kept grabbing her juice bottle and blankey and laying her head in my lap. If I pulled her into my lap, she would slide down to the floor because she wasn't comfortable there. Then she would lay down on the floor and twist herself around until she was in the proper and comfortable pretzel position (it's what it looked like) and she would get very quiet. She kept bouncing back and forth from the computer room to the living room floors.

I got busy making dinner (baked ziti) and the Beast decided to make a chocolate cake. We weren't in a hurry to eat so I waited to put the ziti in the oven until his cake was done. The cake was delicious, by the way. So was the ziti. Now usually Chewlee is totally underfoot and wanting to see everything I am doing when I am preparing something. Not today. She came in quietly, looked around, handed me her bottle for a refill and then went back to watching TV. Actually, she goofs off during any show on TV but watches all the commercials. I mean it. The Beast had CNN news on most of the day and she was content laying on the floor because they had commercials. They don't have them as often as the programs *I* was watching so she spent more time in my computer room with me.

She finally started getting really cranky around 7pm so I put her to bed figuring she would rest for about 20-30 minutes like she usually does when she gets cranky way before her regular bedtime. To my surprise, she zonked out. When the Princess got ready for bed around 10, she checked and the baby was in sore need of a dry diaper. She brought her into my computer room where the baby pulled her blankey over her eyes and kept trying to turn on her side to sleep while I struggled to put a dry diaper on her along with her jammies. The Princess got her a bottle and the baby barely was awake when she was returned to her crib. I checked her for a fever but there was none so I have no clue what is going on with her. Unless, of course, she is like many of us in the family that fight off something by sleeping to let the body do it's thing.

The Beast got me a thumb drive so I am going to have to learn how to post pictures on here. Now when he has pictures I want, he puts them on the thumb drive for me (after he makes them jpegs) so maybe I can make this more interesting from time-to-time.

I was going to start another blog on another site for the hell of it but, after uploading pictures on it five different times (it kept disappearing almost every day), I figured the hell with it. I have no clue why because I followed the instructions and it would be there when I signed out but not the next day. They would be there even when I would check a few hours after putting the pictures on IF it was the same day. I don't need the aggravation and I'm not a teenager that changes pictures on a daily basis and doesn't mind it. I left a post giving THIS site for those that read the few blogs I had done (yes, I had readers that were not family....LOL). I'm sure they may not leave it up but it was worth a try. Only time will tell.

Buttmunch called me today and we talked about her daughter mostly and her ex-. He truly is an asshole and stupid, too. I don't think he truly realizes that Buttmunch could have his ass thrown in jail for disappearing with Teri but, now that we found her (and him) he's trying to get child support from her because he's *taken care of her all this time and she needs clothes*. Yeah, right. Like Teri would see any of that. He just wants money is all and he's not using his head. He tried to threaten her with taking her to court but I really don't think he wants to open up that can of worms. First of all, her daughter is now old enough to have a say-so about where she wants to be (which parent) and it might not work out the way he would like it to be. THAT part I think he realizes. But, he would also have to show the *temporary* custody papers he was given (and it's all dated, etc.) which would only prove that he never lived up to the agreement AND that he obviously kept her hidden. He is a real expert at how to avoid being found since he's spent most of his life hiding from creditors, etc. I don't think even now he has a phone in his name.

When Buttmunch finally got mad, after trying to keep her cool, he suddenly backed off and then tried flattery on her (which she said made her want to laugh and barf at the same time). It was the first time he EVER backed off when she got mad so it took her a bit by surprise. She told Teri that she would do what she could but she wanted to be sure the money went to HER so she needed to be able to send it somewhere that her father wouldn't have access to it.

Teri wants to come and spend a couple months with us after school lets out. That surprised me a little but I don't think she's thinking seriously about what it would be like on a daily basis. First of all, the Princess will be working and not able to spend a lot of time with her. Second of all, she'd better like fishing because that's probably the most excitement she's going to see with US...LOL. Of course, she might have fun with Chewlee...for a while. But she's a teenager and she likes *doing stuff*. Her mother told her to think about it and then talk to us. I let the Beast know and, after he wiped the shocked look off his face, I told him she wouldn't be calling us about it for a couple weeks I'm sure.

But, if she does indeed want to come, I wouldn't mind. But I think she would be smarter to consider it for a month or six weeks at the most. She could make the trip to Chicago with me and see more relatives that she hasn't seen in many years and my sis-in-laws new house has a pool. I'm sure she would love that.

Okay, time to close this and get ready for nite-nite myself. Oh lord, how we start imitating the babies around us after a while. Love you all and have a wonderful day/night until you read me next.

It really WAS a quiet day here at Brat Farm. The girls were gone all day (but should be home shortly) so I just enjoyed the peace and quiet. The Beast was installing his new home theater setup so he was out of my hair all day, too. He even made up some shelves for the speakers so they wouldn't be within Chewlee's reach. I could just see her grabbing them like a new toy and ripping the wiring out of it. That would NOT be a good thing.

We didn't hit the Santa Fe Restaurant like we originally planned but ate Mexican from Theresa's Mexican Restaurant in Guntersville. Really good Mexican food and reasonably priced. I just LOVE their chili rellanos (they ASK if you want green peppers or poblano peppers). Chili rellano is not authentic unless it's poblano. The dinner came with a beef burrito and Mexican rice. I say Mexican rice because it is NOT Spanish rice (which has tomatoes in it). It's more like a rice pilaf.

I love their food and the sauces. I have to remember NOT to fill up on the chips and salsa. I still managed to have my head sweating within just a few minutes of eating a few. That's when I really enjoy the salsa. It just doesn't work for me unless it makes me sweat....LOL.

All I did that was constructive was to wash a few towels and the dog's blankets from the love seat and the car. I figure I will do the Beast's and my clothes tomorrow since it's going to be a bit cooler anyway. I may have to do a couple loads of clothes for the Princess since she was kept by Kim yesterday and today to give me a break. THANK YOU KIM!!! I need a break on occasion. *laughing* Love that Chewlee but she has more energy than I do. I've started to take a nap when she does lately. Otherwise, I find myself being snappy with her and she doesn't deserve that when I am just tired and cranky.

I am glad that I have the doctor's appointment on Wednesday. This elbow fluid is starting to really annoy me. It's still as large as a ping pong ball and it's FULL. I hope the doctor DOES drain it off for me. I've tried the ice, compression and elevation recommended and it didn't do a thing for me. At least it's not inflamed and doesn't hurt.

I guess I will go check and make sure the baby's bed is neat and ready for her to come home and sleep on. The Princess can take care of herself. Her bed always looks like a nest and I have stopped trying to neaten it. I just keep the door closed. If she ever marries, I hope she remembers how to even make a bed....LOL.

Well, I will close for now and do a quick look at Chewlee's bed. I might even empty the dishwasher (the Beast took care of all the dishes today). I just cleaned the stove top off and wiped down the counters. Hope you all had a good weekend. I sure did.

Love you all and lots of hugs. Be sure to tell those you love that you do as often as you talk to them. End your phone conversations with a simple *Love you!* and it will spread...watch and see.

It was a beautiful day today. Not the warmest but feels warm after some of the bitter cold we had here the last month or so. I think it got up to about 68 according to the Beast's little contraption on the deck. I told him I was sorry it didn't include the humidity here in the house and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. I could have bitten my tongue.

I got up, bright and early, to make potato salad for our lunch with my son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter. The Princess had to work but planned on coming home for her lunch while her aunt, uncle and cousin were here so she could visit for a bit. I knew the kids wouldn't stay long since they had one child at home that was sick plus recuperating from dental work yesterday. My grandson, who is 16, stayed home to take care of his sister (as he told me on the phone) and I forgave him for it. I got to talk to him but he wasn't fooling me. Teenagers do NOT like visiting *old people* no matter WHO they are. They have their own toys and friends that they prefer to waste their time on. I understand this after raising my own. The older they got, the more difficult it became to make them do things with US (the parents) and that included our vacations.

What's funny is hearing them talk about these same vacations that they moaned and groaned over back then. Now, to hear them tell it, those were some of the BEST TIMES they had. I know my face has to have a shocked look on it and I have told them....*Now WAIT A MINUTE! Look at me. Are you SURE you are the same whiny kids that WE took on vacation with us then? The ones that cried and moaned and groaned?* It's incredible to me.

Doc, my grandson, will come happily later on in the year when the fruit is ripe and ready for picking. He will plunge right in to help gather it up. We did that with my blackberries and raspberries. All I had to do was show him how to do it correctly and he stripped the bushes down for me so I could make some jam. He was disappointed he didn't make it here for the peaches but he was tickled to know that we will more than likely have cherries AND apples from all our trees this year. That is if the buds give any indication.

I fed Chewlee and the Beast, got the onions and tomatoes chopped up for the hot dogs later on then kept part of it for the potato salad. I chopped up the celery and had everything ready. After peeling all the eggs and cutting it up, it was just cool down the potatoes and then get it all mixed. It was wonderful, btw. I also made some baked beans and everyone must have had a taste for them since nothing was left after lunch. Maybe it was just that our appetites perked up a bit with a *picnic* type meal because it reminded us that spring is just around the corner. I kept on my jammies until I HAD to get dressed. Then *I* got dressed so it was less of a hassle to get Chewlee into clothes.

I didn't go crazy with cleaning like I had at Christmas. The house was neat and I wanted to concentrate more on the visit than anything else. I gave the Beast his card (a cute one that played Willie's song *You Were Always On My Mind*). I wasn't really expecting anything from him since I TOLD him he was taking me out for dinner and that worked for me. I had bought some white tea roses for the kitchen table but he surprised me with a dozen red roses. I mixed them together and ended up with a pretty arrangement.

Then Johnnycakes showed up after the Princess got off work and gave me a dozen white tulips with a pink-tinged edge on them. They are just beautiful. I gave him a hug and a kiss to thank him and he actually blushed. Gotta love 'em....LOL

After my kids left at 3 and before the Princess got home, I finally got Chewlee down for her nap. She had fought it all afternoon with having company. Then I laid down to take a little hap. It didn't last long (or long enough) and I am really tired now. As soon as I finish this, I am heading for bed.

Once the Princess got home and got Chewlee ready to take over to Johnnycakes, I got the kitchen cleared up and then straightened out my computer room. The Beast bought some new speakers for our surround sound and spent a couple hours getting that in place. One of the speakers had either blown out or just died for some reason. He loved having it so he decided he would finally take care of that. I was stunned because.....now wait for this....you won't believe it.....HE READ THE DIRECTIONS!!!! I know, I know...shocking, isn't it?

The end result is that it sounds great. It's not quite as powerful as the original setup was but it is great. Something odd happened that we didn't expect. After it was all set up, for some reason our HD TV picture sharpened up even more than it had been. Don't know how the sound could have affected the picture but SOMETHING he did sure had that effect.

With Chewlee and the Princess gone and the Beast otherwise occupied, I got a couple loads of clothes washed, dried, hung up, folded, etc. and put away. I still have two loads to do (the loads I got done were mostly towels and blankets). I will get the rest done tomorrow. I was busy but not pressed or stressed.

Johnnycakes mother called me late in the evening to tell me she was keeping my girls at her house for the night. I was glad she called but figured it would probably be the case since the Princess hadn't gotten Chewlee home around her normal bedtime. She does try to have Chewlee sleep in her own bed whenever possible. She just sleeps better. Kim said Chewlee seemed to have no problem going to sleep there and I told her it had to be because she felt comfortable (and safe, too, I am sure).

Kim's mom and dad were at their house today and *Paw-paw* had Chewlee sitting in his lap while he read to her. Chewlee loves to be read to and is so good when you do that. She also loves to point to pictures of things she may not recognize and will then look at you like she's asking...*What is this?*

She watched me turning pages by licking my finger and she has started imitating that now. Of course, SHE has to do it for every page.

Oh boy, I really AM tired so I am going to close for now. Love you all and hope you had a great Valentine's Day.

It was a banner day for Chewlee today. This was the first time she got to go out with the Beast and me. I had the Princess leave the car seat and then spent 15 minutes trying to get it installed. They are NOT like the old car seats. I guess they are more secure but...damn! What a pain in the ass!

Chewlee was great in the car. We went to see the flooring the Beast wants to have installed in the kitchen and living room areas. I had to agree that it would look wonderful and found a color I liked that I think will look well with the cabinets. When the Beast first told me about it, I thought the price he quoted was just for the flooring but it included someone else installing it. Wow! What a relief THAT was to me. The Beast just is NOT up to getting it done without it dragging out for days and days. No way did I want to live through THAT. The floor guy is coming on Tuesday to measure the areas so they bring enough to get the job done. He SAYS it should only take a day but we shall see.

Then the Beast took me to Lowe's to show me the area rugs we could choose from for the living room. I think I would only want one down in the winter. However, HE likes the ones that I think of as *old people* patterns. Very busy and old fashioned looking. Me? I like some of the artistic ones...free form stuff. Or the ones that look like they are an Indian (American) design like some of the patterns you see on Navaho rugs and pottery. Well, there is time to argue but I already told the Beast NO WAY will we get that shit he likes. I think he was shocked that I was so adamant. I told him we are NOT his aunt nor will we have anything that looks like something she would choose for her home. I love her dearly but she is not me in my choice of anything.

The Princess and Johnnycakes decided they want to go to Gatlinburg for spring break. They spent the day looking at cabins for rent in the area and found a couple they really liked. When they showed me, heck, I liked them too. In fact, I would love to live in them...they are THAT nice.

They were shocked to find out that the one they really wanted required one of the people renting to be 21 or older. Since Kim didn't want to come along, the Princess was trying to find someone (a relative) that would meet up with them and sign for them (they would pay, of course). However, I don't think that worked for them. It really was a ballsy thing to do but, hey...nothing ventured and all that.

Then....they found a place they could rent that just required a valid credit card in one of their names (I think) and they liked it better because it overlooks a lake in the area. I told the Princess to make sure the railings were too close together for Chewlee to push through or else keep her in a life vest while outside. She is NOT afraid of water so that could be scary. The Princess said she would show me the site tomorrow after work.

My son and daughter in law are coming to visit tomorrow. Nice Valentine's Day gift for me since I enjoy their company. It's actually because they are buying the Beast's MAC and want to repay us some money we lent them. The MAC is the main thing. I told my son I just didn't trust sending it through ANY delivery service. If we had the original packaging...MAYBE...but it would be well worth the 3 hour ride down here for them to just come and get it. I just didn't know it would be on Valentine's Day.

When the kids leave to return home, the Princess should be off work so the Beast is going to take me to dinner at the Santa Fe Restaurant that opened up here a few months ago, I think it was. I KNOW they have good steaks and would like to see what else they offer. It will be nice since it's been over a year since we last went out to dinner. We DID have lunch in Huntsville at Outback (courtesy of the Princess, which I thought was so sweet). We love that place but, obviously, don't get there often. It was our first time there since we moved to Alabama full time. We WILL return, though.

I finally got through to my doctor's office when we returned from the flooring expedition. I was so shocked, I almost lost my voice. I set up an appointment for Wednesday (it was the earliest I could get one) and also told the nurse what prescriptions I needed called into the pharmacy at Walmart. Lo and behold, they were actually ready and waiting for me when I showed up there after I put the baby to bed. I wondered if the doctor would renew my pain medication but he did...if only for this month. I will deal with the others I need when I see him. I only asked for what I was totally out of and was grateful for that.

So, hopefully, I will get rid of this fluid in my elbow on Wednesday. It's really annoying. If I go to lean on my elbows to read something on the screen of the computer, it's painful now. It's THAT full of fluid. I think that some of the lifting of the baby (she's getting heavy) aggravates it. I got the Beast to do the really tough lifting of Chewlee today and will try to keep that up until this fluid is drained off. It's about the size of a ping pong ball now and very, very full.

Chewlee loved one of the floor stores. She made her way into the store room in back (she's quick) and just ran her little butt around and had to touch some of the rolls of carpeting stored on deep shelves. She learned that the carpeting sample pages that were hanging in a line down the rows could be flipped and she had a ball flipping them. The salesperson/owner fell in love with her because she pointed at him and said, *Papa?* Being a southerner, he heard it as *paw-paw* and was just tickled pink. He thinks she looks like a little doll with her top knot and compared her to Pebbles from the Flintstones but said it was *too bad she wasn't a redhead or she would be a dead ringer*...LOL

Well, time to get to bed. I'm late getting this done but was busy talking to some friends online. Time just flies. Love you all. Have a great weekend and a Happy Valentine's Day.

After all my concerns, today the Beast got outside and did some serious painting on the front porch because I told him it looked like a *redneck* porch. This time he used one of the small rollers we had. It looks nice and is almost completely done. He WILL have to finish it up at the top of the main posts and the one closest to the siding at the house. But...our weather is going to cool down so that will have to wait. But I know it will get done if *I* have to do it. I wouldn't mind at this point....the worst of it is done.

We still have the shutters of the house that will have to be either painted or replaced. Right now, I am all for painting the ones already up. The Beast hasn't decided yet. He wants to rip out the rug in the living room and scrape up the linoleum in the kitchen and replace it with laminate. We are supposed to go take a look at some of the different colors tomorrow so I have to remind the Princess to leave me the baby's car seat. She will be gone most of the day between school and work. Our son that lives in Nashville and his family are coming down on Saturday so we couldn't do it then nor on Sunday when many stores are closed here in the Bible Belt.

I want to stop and get some Mud Slide, if I can, at ABC liquors so I have it when my daughter-in-law is here. It's one of the few things she drinks. I think we will make something we can do on the charcoal grille for them to eat. She's a vegetarian but I have Boca Burgers in my freezer and she likes those. We can do hot dogs and hamburgers (I like hot dogs done on a grille). I'll just go ahead and make some potato salad as a side dish. I'll make some brownies, too, I think.

Johnnycakes mother got a hold of me today and was mad as hell at both the kids for not letting me know they were staying overnight at his house. She gave me HER home phone number (and I sent her back MY cell number) and said to call her at ANY time if this happened again. I think HER son will make MY kid's life hell if she ever does that again...LOL. (Don't forget, we adopted her and she is technically my daughter, too)

She also offered to take Chewlee for me if I needed a break. I'm hoping that the Princess finds a day care that will accept babies her age. She really needs to be around other kids her age. She LOVES kids...she also loves people. Kim was telling me that her dad was just tickled pink when Chewlee started calling him Pawpaw (which is what she also calls the Beast). Melted his heart, it did...how could it not?

I let her know that even if the Princess and Johnnycakes don't stay together that she can continue to be a part of Chewlee's life. There IS no such thing as too much love or too many people to love her in a child's life. The more, the happier, I believe. If I had to, I would bring Chewlee over to Kim's or have Kim come here to spend time with her.

Chewlee's birthday is on May 30. We are praying for really nice weather for her second birthday because we want to make it a nice, big one for her. My granddaughter, Teri Lynn, the one we found after almost 10 years after her dad absconded with her, should be here and so will her mother, I am sure. My niece, Tara and her kids, the paternal grandfather, my son from Nashville and his family (might...it's not a given) and Johnnycakes family should all be there. I would like to have it at one of the park's by the lake and have our pontoon boat there for us to enjoy also. It may be a really nice memory and lots of good photo ops, too.

Love you all. Have a great weekend all and be sure to tell those you love that you do. Life can be short. I recently lost a good friend from school and she will be missed this summer when a group of us old friend/classmates meet up in June. I hadn't talked to her in a while so I never got to say...Goodbye...love you...to her. I DID get to say it to my Aunt Bernice before she died but I still miss her and will for a long time. I will talk about that another day. Hugs.

We had lots of weather people and stations saying we were going to get lots of rain, thunderstorms, possible tornadoes....all kinds of bad things. But...after he spread out all that shit on the lawn...nothing was happening. The skies were cloudy but no rain.

He was depressed. I told the people on Pogo that I was playing a game with about it all and one gal said, *Tell him to wash the car. That always works.* Well, he did. And it did! LOL.

Yep, we got rain. Enough that it put all that fertilizer and bug stuff into the ground where the grass and trees could enjoy it. It also meant we could let the dog out into the back yard, too. He was missing that and the Beast was getting a bit tired of having to take him to the field across the street from us. Especially first thing in the morning. *Grin*

We didn't get any severe thunderstorms. No tornadoes. We DID get some high winds but they didn't last long here in our area (thank goodness). But the next few days are going to be much, much cooler. I just hope we don't get a bad freeze because the trees are all ready to blossom. Cooler weather may slow that down but a freeze would be devastating. *sigh* Oh well, I can't even imagine what some of the farmers in this area must be feeling about it.

The Princess took Chewlee over to Johnnycakes tonight and they are NOT at home now. I am a bit upset because when the baby doesn't sleep in her own bed, it takes a couple days to get her back on schedule. I am also upset because the Princess has school early tomorrow and, if she has to drag the baby home early in the morning, it's going to be miserable. She never told me she was gonna stay there and she never called. I tried to call HER on her cell phone but...she never answered and I know she never checks voice mail. So, her grandfather and I are both going to be upset with her tomorrow. Me because of Chewlee...and him for the same reason. He knows Chewlee is hard enough on me when she is feeling all right. She won't be tomorrow and I still have all that fluid on my elbow.

Trying to get someone on the phone at my doctor's office is almost impossible. It's a situation where four or so doctors share the same office. It's efficient because I have never had to wait long to see the doctor but....getting the appointment is the problem. I will keep trying because this looks ugly. It's not painful (thankfully) but I know it means I injured my bursa in the elbow. It probably happened lifting Chewlee. She's getting to be a real heavy load. She is over 20 months now. Time flies when you are having fun...LOL.

Well, I am going to bed now. It's late and I am very tired. I waited up as long as I could because I worry. Even Kim, Johnnycakes mother, can't call me now that our land line is not in service. I had it shut down a couple weeks ago and we are trying to go with just the cell phones for a while to save some money. MCI rates were going up like crazy and I had some other problems with them. Kim doesn't have my cell phone number so...we are in limbo here. SHE could call since the princess is kind of thoughtless that way. Oh well.

Love you all. Have a good day and take care.

The Beast has our two lots literally loaded with shit...well, it's called FERTILIZER but it's that *natural* stuff so I am concerned about whether or not it will have an *aroma* when the rains hit it. And rain it is supposed to do any time after midnight here. They predict thunderstorms and rains all over the Tennessee Valley area (that's US) so I am keeping my fingers crossed. He also put down stuff to kill the bugs in the ground, like chinch bugs and army worms and who knows what else here? He's got the spray ready to battle the Japanese beetles when that becomes necessary (once the leaves start coming out on the peach trees, I believe). My *farmer guy* is armed and ready....LOL. He also gave me strict instructions not to let the dog out in the back yard until after all the *stuff* has soaked into the ground. Yeah, right. It means he MUST take him out front and to the lots across the way from us. We'll see.

It's only mid-February and he's acting like it's spring because of the warm weather. Unfortunately, a nurseryman told him it's the perfect time to do all this so I just rolled my eyes and bit my tongue. Only time will tell. I fully expect another couple shots of bitter cold weather but what do *I* know? *See raised eyebrow on face here* along with a smart-ass expression...LOLOL.

I wanted to make the Beast take me out to dinner at Red Lobster or TGI Friday's for Valentine's Day. However, we have neither one close to us and the Princess has to work until 4:30pm. He DID tell me he would take me to the new Santa Fe Restaurant so I think I will let him. The food there is good (I DID get some steak and a stuffed baked potato that the Princess brought home one night when Johnnycakes had invited me out to dinner with them. Sweet boy. But I was trying to get all my summer stuff packed along with some excess linens and towels so I would have more storage room in the house). The steak was tender and wonderful. The stuffed baked potato was enough to make your mouth water just smelling it. It's a place we had earmarked to try anyway so I will let you know how it was afterward.

I have an old game playing friend that I got back in touch with recently and he was bringing me up-to-date on all the stuff that had happened to him and his wife the last couple of years. I was sorry to find out that his wife was now being put on dialysis (love you, Cheryl). The two of them had moved from Texas to Biloxi, MS just in time to be hit by Hurricane Katrina. Just from where they said their townhouse was located, I KNEW they had to have taken the brunt of the hit there on the gulf. I mean, the gambling ship Jim was working security on was just shattered into tinder. Their home was nearby. Sure enough, they headed straight back to Texas. I wasn't surprised because their kids and grandkids were there as well as a lifetime of friends, I am sure. We just hadn't spoken in a long time. Jim went through some tough times battling a form of cancer but is doing well now. Life sucks at times, doesn't it?

Although they knew about the Beast, they had no idea what I had been going through the last few years. So we are at least back in touch again and can give each other support if needed. Cheryl will be starting her regular kidney dialysis either this week or next and I feel so bad for her. I had an uncle who went through that for quite a long time. It's a tough row to hoe, folks. Think of her in your prayers, if you don't mind. She's a real sweetheart.

Well, the Beast is in bed and I will be heading that way shortly. Love you all. Hugs and kisses sent your way. Enjoy any good weather you are having and hold it close to your heart. Spring will be here in no time. Just ask my sister, B, who swears my putting away my summer clothes GUARANTEES it! LOL.

It was another wonderful day here today. The Beast got the north side of the house cleaned and rinsed and started on the part of the front that wasn't done. He HAD done the area of the front porch the first day, if you remember. BUT....he decided he just couldn't wait to repaint the banisters and posts on the porch. They are/were white and he is painting them a dark wine/maroon/??? color to match the screen door. Eventually, the shutters (decorative) will also be replaced to match and others added where there are none.

What makes me crazy is that he can't seem to finish one project before starting another one. He won't be able to finish the painting before our weather takes a turn for the worst. Rain is expected on Wednesday so he won't be able to paint. Judging by how little got done today, he won't even have one side done tomorrow and it's going to need two coats. And HE has the nerve to talk about *rednecks* that don't finish projects. Hmmmm. Do you think they suffer from the same problem HE has? Perhaps? Maybe?

Today wasn't a bad day for me, all-in-all. I decided that leftover spaghetti was going to be dinner or else whateverthehell they wanted to make for themselves. The baby got hot dogs, green beans and peaches because I wasn't up to having to give her a bath from giving her spaghetti....LOL. She just throws herself into it when she eats it. She loves it but I didn't let her see it so she couldn't cry for it. I'll probably give it to her tomorrow since I will have her almost the whole day long. The Princess has school tomorrow PLUS work so she will be gone for all except about an hour and a half around lunch.

I tried off and on all day to get hold of my dr's office but Monday's are bad days to try. I finally gave up but will try early tomorrow morning. I NEED to get this elbow taken care of and I also need to renew a couple of my medications. Why do doctors who WANT to see you every three months only write prescriptions for that long? I mean, come on....that's like we are little kids. I'm about double MY doctor's age (well, not quite but you get the idea) so what IS the reasoning? Nothing ever takes long when I go there, thank goodness, and there are no long waits so I don't mind it at all. Good organization makes a difference.

Well, I will cut this short because I want to go lay down on my couch and watch TV for a while. I am tired for no reason at all....LOL. I just feel like being kind to myself while I can. The Princess went over to Johnnycakes to study and to help fill out some form or other. Not sure if it's for student aid or what but his mother tossed up her hands over it. I admit, there are some ambiguous questions that really make you think because of the way they are phrased. Since the Princess just finished up hers, they are all fresh in her mind.

Love you all. Enjoy this weather break if you are experiencing it and brace yourself because you KNOW it won't last.

We got up to 68 yesterday and to 73 today. That may not be the official report but it's what showed on the setup the Beast has. It has something outside and I think it's under the deck and it reports the temperature to a gadget in the house (which also gives us the INSIDE temperature). Nothing we really needed but it's one of his *toys*.

He finally started the cleaning and pressure cleaning of our house. He got the porch done yesterday (it looked just AWFUL) and the entire back of the house today. Tomorrow is the north side of the house's turn because the south end presents a problem....it has a gable roof. Think about it. We have a crawl space that is actually ground level so it adds 4-5 ft. of height to the house. We only have a six foot ladder and, even with the special brush the Beast bought last year, it won't make it. I have no idea what he will do since that side looks as bad as the rest of the aluminum siding did. We found out it NEEDS the brushing with the soap and bleach water. He tried drawing it through the pressure cleaner but it just didn't do the job. Besides that, the bleach isn't good for the pressure cleaner anyway. But, since we wouldn't be doing it more than once every two or three years, I doubt it would hurt it.

The rest of the front won't be so bad...easy to get to and no gables as high as the south side. I have no idea why it's that way since I don't believe our attic extends the entire length of the house. We have some stuff to put up there and I am going to have to look with the flashlight, I guess, to make sure. We sure don't have any high ceilings or anything inside.

The work was tough on the Beast. He actually had a dizzy spell at one point and had to go lay down until it passed. Baron is sticking to him like glue so it makes me wonder if he's not sensing something. He took a total of four naps (counting the dizzy spell one) in-between working on the siding. The last one bothered me because his naps usually don't last long (maybe 20 to 30 minutes tops) but he just got up from one that was over an hour and a half.

I made spaggetti for dinner and some fresh Italian bread. I used the one that comes from the Pillsbury doughboy and it's good. Next time I will *wash* it with some salt water to make the crust a bit more *solid*. I like mine really crusty, don't you? There's something about the crunch that gives me warm feelings. *sigh* It was one of the pleasures I had when I was young. When my mom bought it from the bakery, all of us kids gathered around for a slice and fought over the *curly hair* end piece. We were always told if you eat the end, you would get curly hair. Since most of us already had it, do you really think we cared? Well, my sister C did. She had the curliest hair of all of us. It was incredibly curly and thick. Right now, I envy her having that. My hair still has the natural wave it's always had but it seems to be thinning a bit. That scares me. I don't want to be one of *those* old ladies. I'm sure you know what I mean.

I was putting on some skin lotion today and discovered I have fluid on my right elbow. It's a rather big bubble of fluid, too. Looks different depending on how I bend it. The Princess looked sick seeing it and I showed it to the Beast, too. The interwebs (borrowing that term from Bratfink) said to put ice on it to reduce inflammation and to also put an elastic bandage on it. I will probably just go into the doctor's and see if he will draw off the excess fluid. It's just a bursitis problem and doesn't surprise me. I think I actually hurt it the other day picking up Chewlee to put her into her crib. I do remember thinking, *Wow...she is getting heavy!* In reality, *I* am just getting old.

It doesn't hurt at all and is not red or inflamed looking. Should be okay if I take care of it, which I intend to do. I will even keep using my mouse on the TOP of the desk instead of the pullout. That way, I can keep my arm straight and at heart level or slightly above (as long as I put the chair down a notch). It should help keep more fluid out of the area and, hopefully, reduce what IS there.

Has anyone seen any of the Librarian movies? They are so cute and clever. I was watching what I think is the latest one which was about the Judas Cup. I loved the first two, one of which was the recovery of Excalibur. In the one I watched today, he also recovered the sorcerer's stone. If you get a chance to watch one, do. It's worth your time and there are a few laughs to be had. It's also interesting how they handle folk lore.

Well, time to rest my arm. The elastic bandage is really uncomfortable if I bend that arm. I am going to do something that will allow me just to click my mouse for a while and then go to bed early. Love you all. Have a great night and I wish everyone good weather for a while.

Wonder of wonder, the weatherman was right. We really DID get much warmer weather today. It went all the way up to 63 degrees this afternoon. Even Baron spent more than his normal 30 seconds outside in the yard. Tomorrow the Princess gets off work early so she is taking Chewlee over to the boyfriend's house to play in HIS yard and they might even take her to the park. It all depends on how awake and aware he is by the time she gets off work. HE works tonight from midnight to 8am. By the time he gets home, eats and takes his shower, it will probably be close to 10am. He will need to sleep because he works again at 9:30pm until 6am.

The Beast loved the warmer weather. I was shocked that he didn't call his brother to rub his nose in it. But then I remembered that Chicago, too, is having warmer weather. If not today, then tomorrow. Not was warm as our but a wonderful break from what they have been having. There's not much fun in it for the Beast unless there is a BIG difference in our temperature here. Me? I don't rub anyone's nose in it; I am just darn grateful for whatever break we get.

Our son was hoping that we would drive up to Nashville this weekend. I tried to tell him that his father wouldn't want to go anywhere for a while. It always takes him a week or more to recuperate from his trips. At least this time, he actually stopped on his way home instead of pushing himself to get home the same day. It means he might actually recuperate in just a couple days.

Funny but he looked very old and pale this time. I think this trip really WAS hard on him. He now looks like a typical Northerner in the winter....pale, white skin, purple lips (although that has changed since he's been home for over 24 hours). I checked and discovered that MY skin still retains some of my summer tan. Oh, not much, but it still gives me some color. I guess snow has a bleaching quality to it. Must be the reason. It's all I can think of that would affect the Beast so quickly. The people that live in the North all the time just don't go outside more than they have to so that would also affect their skin coloring. But, the Beast had a lot of skin color from taking care of his trees, cutting the lawn and walking (or running on the scooter) the dog. Today, I took a good look at him and he's almost milky white. It's awful.

I figure that I am definitely going to start working on my tan as early as our weather permits. I am also going to encourage the Beast to get the pontoon ready early so we can get it out on the lake. The only bad thing about that is the Beast must wear long sleeve shirts and lots of sunscreen because he is so very prone to skin cancers. He has already had several melanomas removed. It's not the only kind of skin cancers he gets but those are the ones I worry about the most. They can be deadly. I have to make another appointment for him with the skin doctor because I can see he has more on his arms that need to be removed.

He also has to go back to see the urologist because he needs to give them more pee in a bottle to check for free cancer cells in his urine. I guess after his last *exam*, they asked him to pee in one but he wasn't able to manage much. It came back from the lab marked as not enough to test. He had just left for his brother's house when the lab called so I told them I would call the doctor's office when he returned. That's on a note on my computer for Monday.

The Princess just ran over to Johnnycakes to pick up her laptop and other stuff she left there yesterday after they had their regular group study on Thursday evenings. There are about 5 or 6 of them that have the same psychology class that live locally so they get together to study. A couple share other classes like math or English so they sometimes grapple other homework. I am not sure how many of them actually get together all the time or if it's just to study for tests but I know that Johnnycakes mother is there so I don't worry much about the Princess. I like his mother. She, like her son, is very down-to-earth and a genuinely good person.

Well, Chewlee is sleeping soundly now and the Princess will be home no later than 11:30 since Johnnycakes has to work. The baby just about wore me out today and I ended up having to put my back brace on me since I had actually forgotten to take my meds for it. Which is really stupid but....hey, I am sometimes forgetful when dealing with an active toddler.

We DID find out that there are no day care centers currently taking babies Chewlee's age. The Princess had to put her name on a waiting list with the Coalition after attempting to find one on her own. She really hoped the one just off campus was taking them but they are currently full. I told her we might have to try to find someone to give me a break if this takes a while. I can use it and, in reality, I think it would be better for Chewlee to have some exposure to other people right now. It would also help if the Beast and I want to take a weekend and go somewhere (or even during the week).

I am tired now and going to just sit back and relax for a bit. Maybe make myself a drink or two....I haven't decided. Love you all. Keep warm and I hope YOU get a break from the cold weather also.