It was a beautiful day for Easter and perfect for a barbeque. I arrived at the kids place around 2pm, knowing they would be at the store. I WAS surprised to find out that I was the first guest to arrive. I knew the side door was open so I brought in the seafood salad and put it into the fridge then went outside, in the shade, to have a cigarette.

The next door neighbors on this side <----- were having a big family get-together. They had lots of kids of all ages running around and playing soccer or just swinging on a swing in a tree. They had their music pumped up loud and were definitely enjoying the day the way it was meant to be enjoyed. The other neighbors ------> had their truck all packed up and looked like they were heading someplace else to have their dinner with family/friends.

The Princess and Johnnycakes got home and I found out that Tara and the boys were NOT coming, after all. It seems that Tara had reconciled with her boyfriend and he needed some help putting a new engine in his truck so they stayed home. NO COMMENT. Then, I'm not sure if the kids called Kym or if SHE finally called to say she couldn't come. She had hurt her ankle and couldn't drive. She said (if she had only thought of it sooner), she could have had ME stop by to pick them up and bring them. I offered to go get her but the kids weren't sure if it was just an excuse not to come or what but they didn't want to put her in a spot. So, Johnnycakes poured us girls some of his homemade wine
which wasn't bad at all and he proceeded to make up the ribs on the grill.

Chewlee had a ball just running all over the place and playing peek-a-boo with us. But then she spotted the soccer ball next door. That was all it took. Off she ran yelling, *Get the ball! Get the ball!* The poor kids next door were in the middle of a game of sorts and were afraid to kick it because there was Chewlee, bending down, trying to grab THE BALL! Johnnycakes took off running after her when we realized where she was headed and even HE was surprised at how fast that little stinker can run when she's determined. He grabbed her up, told the people *sorry* and brought her back to us, safe and sound. It was NOT the only break she tried, however. The Princess had HER exercise of the day running after her to bring her back. THAT time, it was a little boy about the same age and size as Chewlee that had the ball. HE was just as determined to keep the ball as Chewlee was to get it so it was a funny sight.

The food was excellent. The kids use this rub or something that is really spicy but very tasty. Johnnycakes looks like a true chef while it's cooking. He used some beer (for a little flavor and tenderizing), had water handy to cool down the flames at times, there was lots of poking and turning and, finally, the cutting of the ribs. Heaven! It was a little while longer before the corn was done but when we sat down to eat, we were starving. It was all a hit. Chewlee at HER food then started begging for some of mine. The ribs were too spicy for her (I knew it so only gave her a tiny little piece that she prompty gave back...LOL) but she did eat some of the corn I removed from the cob for her and some of the seafood salad. She wasn't crazy about the green bean casserole or the seafood salad but what do babies know? She was already full from her meal which she had wiped out in nothing flat.

It's obvious the kids appetites did not suffer because they really ate. I was pleased to see that Johnnycakes ate a couple helpings of the seafood salad, which was totally new to him AND also the green bean casserole. I brought home some of the ribs, the green bean casserole and some corn for the Beast but, I have to admit, the homemade wine of Johnnycakes KICKED MY BUTT BIG TIME!!!! I barely put down the food and then headed into bed for a much needed nap. Which turned out to be an all-nighter for me. I woke up around 1:30, got my jammies on and went right back to sleep.

I did feel bad for the kids though. I also was disappointed in my niece because she seems to isolate herself from family while she is with Troy. She was doing a lot more stuff with her boys when she had thrown him out. No real clues there on WHY but she is an adult. Troy has friends that I am sure could have given him a hand with his engine IF IT WAS NECESSARY on Easter. How much good can one tiny little gal and two small boys actually be? I mean...come on now!

As for Kym, I hope she doesn't have a miraculous recovery because she missed a great meal and a good time. We had some good conversation and a beautiful day that we enjoyed. I'm just glad that I didn't miss it.

Hope you all had nice days, lots of good food and some company of family and friends. Oh, the purple outfit was a hit. It seems the Princess only objects to purple on ME these days....LOL. Since there don't seem to be a while lot of Red Hat Ladies in this area, even that is fading.

Love you all and have a great day.

Happy Easter to all and may you enjoy the day with all your family and friends. To any Jewish readers, I hope you had a wonderful Passover celebration with family and friends also. I hope everyone had/has great weather to go with their holiday.

I made up the seafood salad that the Princess requested I bring over with me and, of course, the Beast couldn't wait for it before grabbing a bowl. He pronounced it good but said it needed more onion. I told him that, if he had waited, the flavors would have spread and blended a bit. Since I waited until a few hours later, I pronounced it PERFECT.

I got the menu from the Princess as she was sitting here while Chewlee gathered up the important things in HER life...her blankey and bottle and then her kisses goodbye from everyone, including the dog....LOL. I'm just glad she got HIS kiss last. We are supposed to be having barbeque ribs, potato salad (provided by Kym), seafood salad (mine), a hash brown casserole (Tara's and it's good AND different), then some corn on the cob, green bean casserole and a cake or some kind of dessert. The ribs, corn and green bean casserole (although I think that's not necessary with corn on the cob) are from the Princess and Johnnycakes. I believe the dessert is to be provided by Tara since she believes she is bringing the biggest crew along....LOL. I hope we have good weather because it would be nice to be outside and relax. Kym, Troy and I are smokers and we can't smoke in the house anyway. But there is always the carport if the weather isn't good. We can make do.

I ran out to Walmart to pick up some of the ingredients I didn't have for the seafood salad (mainly the *seafood* part of it) and did a little shopping. I didn't want to pick up a basket of goodies for Chewlee because it's mostly candy and some junk toys that wouldn't last five minutes for HER. Either that or they are too old for her. So, I did some looking through the toddler things and bought her a cute outfit and some much needed socks. Her feet are almost too big for most of the ones she can still use so I got ten pair. I'll keep a couple here for her but most of them will go to the Princess's house. The outfit is adorable. A cute little purple skirt with a pair of pants built into it (short ones) and a soft waistband that folds over and a coordinating top. She will be pretty much outgrowing most of her clothes with the way she is eating these days (and growing). She's already almost too long for her sleepers.

Got to talk to Baby Sister yesterday. She is visiting Cee in Florida for two weeks. Actually, *talk* is a misnomer. I chatted with her online for a bit and I gather they are having a great time. They ate lunch at a restaurant on the beach and then took a walk on the pier there. I think they both forgot how damn long that pier is because they BOTH said it was a LOOOOOONG walk. Baby Sis I can understand forgetting. It's been around 38 years since she last walked along it. We took her fishing on it one time that I remember when she was about 12 or 13. That was her last visit to the Sunshine State. I just wish her lots of good weather while she's there.

I took the time to check over the trees to see for myself any damage the hail might have done. They seem fine for the most part. We lost some leaves on the peach trees (but they will lose them anyway to the peach curl) but didn't lose much of the apple blossoms. It also looks like we only lost about five or six of the little peaches that were started. Not many considering we would have to thin them out in a while before they get too big. Best to let nature do that sometimes. Can't really tell about the cherries since they are all so very small still but I somehow doubt we lost any unless that hail was RIGHT on it when it came down. For the most part, they look like they are pretty protected. The plums have so many on them that we could afford to lose more than it looks like we did. Last year we had to cull about 200 or so off them, they get THAT many on them. I am hoping it won't be so bad this year. As it is, one of the poor things looks more like a weeping willow than a plum tree because we were gone for two weeks last summer and they were apparently critical ones. The Beast just HATES to cull any fruit off. As it is, I culled most of them because I know how important it is to the trees growth. Can't tell HIM that, though. He knows it all.

Time for bed. I get to sleep in tomorrow but I don't want to spend the whole day there. I have a couple things that will need doing before I go over to the Princess's. Love you all. Again, a Happy Easter and lots of good food and company.

You might guess that we had kind of a bad day around the Brat Farm yesterday. We knew a rough weather front was heading our way but, until it gets here, you just never know HOW bad it will be. Yesterday was pretty bad. Not so much for us here at the Brat Farm but in a lot of the communities around us and some of our neighbors to the north.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee was really hit hard and had some deaths. One report said a single tornado touched down, split into three and created havoc in a heavy residential area. The pictures were just heartbreaking and there were many injuries and a few deaths.

I was concerned because one of my sons lives and works nearby. I got ahold of him and found out that he was fine. He had some problems getting home from Murfreesboro to Nashville due to overturned tractor trailers but that was about all. The kids were home with their mother since it was Good Friday and there was no school. If they had been threatened, their mother would have made sure they reached a shelter.

A community on the river between Guntersville and Scottsboro was particularly devastated. Many upscale homes on the island were just blown to bits and pieces. A live report from a commuter told of driving down Interstate 79 and seeing a huge pine tree fall on the car just behind them and they felt blessed to find shelter shortly afterward. No clue as to what happened to the occupant(s) of that car.

The Beast and I had gone out on the deck and brought in the baby's high chair and some assorted things that might become missles if the wind got strong enough (let alone if a tornado hit close to us ). We got hit by hail a couple different times over the next few hours and were on tornado alert three different times. We knew by the hail that a tornado was close. Been there. We were in a tornado once many years back. The roof went flying off over our heads and I have no desire to repeat that experience.....EVER!

The Beast and I were shocked at the size of the hail.....much of it was as big as a quarter, most were more the size of a nickel and a few were a lot larger. I cringed because I really thought the glass top table on the deck might shatter at one point. We had a couple short power outages due to power lines coming down in other areas of Albertville. I have to say, the power people were on their toes yesterday and did the diverting of power to different grids in a very timely and professional manner. It seems that everyone was braced for the day.

When the tornadic storm areas had finally passed beyond us and into poor Georgia, we breathed a sigh of relief here at Brat Farm. The Princess's place in Boaz didn't suffer either although a tornado was spotted in the area. At that point, I was beyond wanting to listen to all the various reports (mostly off the cuff and incorrect) about the damage that was suffered. I was stressed beyond belief between the baby wanting to constantly be in my arms (I don't blame her) and the idea of a tornado as close to us as it was. The frame homes in this area are not exactly what you would call GOOD construction for surviving a direct hit. Heck, a direct hit isn't even necessary.

After that, we had some relative calm and I could finally relax. I tried playing a couple games on Pogo but then there was more thunder in the distance and that was the final straw. I got offline and ended up staying offline. I finally packed it in and crawled into bed. The Beast told me I forgot to shut down my puter but it powers itself on twice a week to do uploads so I am sure that is what happened. I couldn't have really forgotten....could I? At this point, it's moot.

I am amazed that I just seemed to be awake one moment and then the Princess was suddenly here, dropping off the baby this morning. Exhausted? I think I must have been.

Today dawned gray and dismal and it's much cooler than it was yesterday. I suppose that's a good thing since the 75 degree weather seemed to spawn most of the tornadoes yesterday. The weatherman (ever a harbinger of good news) now says that we can probably expect more of the same type of weather that we had yesterday on Monday and Tuesday. It might have been either/or but I was just stunned by THAT news. I swear, I am going to give up listening to the news. No news is good news, right?

Well, the Princess gets off work in about an hour or so and she, Johnnycakes and Chewlee are supposed to be going to the Grandfather's birthday celebration. I'm supposed to NOT let Chewlee take her nap now because it's a long ride for Chewlee and she would rather that it was THAT time she used for a nap than to take TWO and be up all night long.

Love you all and forgive me for not doing this up last night. I just couldn't handle it then. Hugs and wishing you only the best weather, the best of family and friends this Sunday (if Christian) or a Happy Passover this evening.

The Princess dropped off Chewlee bright and early today. She was running late, I guess, because she literally dropped her in my arms and left...without leaving me a bottle for her. Good thing I had one here or I would have been in BIG trouble. I DO have a non-drip cup for her but it has a hard type drinking nub. That won't do her when she's tired and wants to sleep. I didn't think to mention it to the Princess when she picked her up (and took my one with her) but I will sure have it in mind when she brings her in the morning.

After her classes today, she came over and got to help the Beast bring in part of the new desk he bought off the floor of Staples. It has a scratch on it but, all-in-all, is not in bad shape and it was an expensive desk. He got it for $65 and got to use his $10 off coupon on it besides. He said it was just too good a deal to pass up and less expensive than the desk he had planned on *building* for himself. I'm sure that was true (knowing him) but he didn't really need it NOW. He wasn't going to get one or build one until after he painted our bedroom. And...he had no plans on painting it just yet. I got the creepy crawleys thinking that this meant he was going to jump in and paint after all. But, he surprised me. He isn't painting it first. He went ahead and got everything cleaned off the desk he was using and brought that over to the Princess's house. It was hers originally anyway. Then he set up the new desk and is using it now. *Phew*

I really WANT him to go to his brother's for a few days. It gives me a much needed break from all these projects of his and Chewlee and I have a good time, just the two of us. I can give her more of a free rein of the house since the dog isn't there, getting excited and knocking her down because he's such a klutz at times. He's got more body than brains and the two aren't in tune.

Later this evening, I get a phone call from the Princess, asking what I am planning on for Easter. I told her that I had only just realized that it was THIS weekend so hadn't given it much thought. So, she invited US over to her house for it. I guess they are planning on bbq-ing some ribs. Tara, my niece, will be coming over with her boys and bringing something (I'm sure) plus Johnnycakes mother and sister will be coming. I thanked her and told her I would talk to the Beast and let her know. She doesn't work that day so I don't have to worry about Chewlee being here. Hmmmmm. Got to think about this. I'm sure she would feel bad if we didn't come over and I will have to see what she would like for me to bring. If the Beast isn't up to it (and he's been feeling bad off-and-on), I can always bring him home something or just send the stuff over for everyone to enjoy. It all depends on how bad he's feeling.

Played some Monopoly Slots on Pogo with my sister and a couple online friends for a while this evening, just relaxing and chatting. You know, fun things. We made some jokes, had some others join in and then had a couple annoying people in the same room with us, too. *sigh* Just can't get away from them at times.

Also chatted for a bit with my son on Yahoo Instant Messenger. He can sometimes just talk, talk, talk. I don't mind until he starts repeating himself or rehashing old stuff. It just tells me he's had a bit too much to drink. So, I said goodnight to him and set out to finish up this post before I hit the sack myself. The Princess will be dropping off Chewlee early tomorrow and I need the rest. I should start taking Chewlee's nap with her....LOL. Maybe tomorrow.

Well, have a great day all. Love you and wish you some good weather, lots of sunshine and happiness. Tell those you love that you do and often.

I don't know why they call it a *day off*. That sounds like you don't have to do anything...nothing...nada. The only thing I didn't have to do today was watch Chewlee so I was free to do whatever I wanted, when I wanted to do it. Or not do it. Whatever. But I had *stuff* to do. I got most of it done, too. I showered, dressed, played some games on Pogo with a few friends and then went *out into the world*!

It got nice near noon. The temperature went up almost to 60 degrees and it got bright and sunny out. By the time I went out, I didn't even need a jacket, just a long sleeved shirt. My first trip was over to my niece, Tara's. I dropped off the papers she needed to do our taxes. Then I headed for the Princess' house to see it before I went to do my *hunting and gathering* (shopping) complete with list in hand. I found the house with no trouble and I will say this. It's a cute house and will be comfy if....and that's a big IF....the Princess ever concentrates and gets everything unpacked and put away.

They still don't have a couch there, although my niece, Tara, promised them one. It seems that her other half loaded it into his truck but, for some reason, he went to Huntsville (totally opposite direction) to do *something* and the truck overheated. I don't get it but it just means that they don't have a couch to sit on in their living room area. I think they are sitting on the floor to watch their TV, which is sitting on top of the Princess' night stand for her bedroom set. I know that eventually they will get more furniture in there and it will be more comfortable. Suffice it to say that the kitchen area was immaculate. The baby's room was just a little bit messy but everything else needed to be unpacked and put somewhere.

It's a cute little two bedroom house on a nice piece of land. I just wish it had a fenced yard. The pond is close enough to be an attractive place to Chewlee. It has a barb wire fence but also some open areas so that's no deterrent to a curious and FAST footed baby. I can almost SEE her, hellbent for leather, running towards that water before someone stops her. Ack! I have too vivid an imagination. The Princess and Johnnycakes won't let her out there by herself, I know.

Chewlee gave me kisses and hugs but wanted to go bye-bye with me. Actually, she really just wanted to see the doggie and she waved goodbye to me when I finally left.

I did my hunting and gathering, all without consulting my list until shortly before checking out. I wanted to see how much I remembered and how much I forgot. Zero. I got it all and didn't get anything that was NOT on the list either. I was very proud. I even got the toaster (yes, we have one here again), the frying pan with a *flat* bottom on it that the Beast was moaning and groaning about and a new pancake turner (metal). These were all HIS requests and I was just DARING him to say anything about how much I spent. He lives still so you know he didn't. I then stopped at Murphy's on my way out and got us some cigarettes and used the new coupons we just got in the mail for them. It's still incredible to me how much they are costing us with the new tax that Obama hit us with. I meant to fill up the gas tank but forgot to do it since it wasn't *on my list*.

I had brought my Walmart bags with me for the groceries but had forgotten to bring them in with me. I know, I know but they were in the back seat of the car instead of on the seat next to me. But I DID take the time to repack all the groceries into them and put them in the trunk as I packed them. Since those fabric bags hold a lot more than those darn plastic ones AND have strong handles, I wanted that for ease of carrying them into the house. I even walked the plastic I took them out of and marched them back into Walmart's recycling box.

When I got home, the Beast had a program on TV that was so LOUD, you couldn't hear yourself think. I walked into the bedroom (he was on his computer playing a game on Pogo) and shouted to him, "Are you deaf???" He jumped up and turned OFF the TV then followed me out to the garage to help carry in the groceries. He then proceeded to make himself look busy by vacuuming the guest room while *I* had to put every single item away. I also had to repack the meat into meal size portions. By the time all of it was done, repacked and put away, my back was spasming so I came into my puter room, turned THAT on with high hopes, took my pills and laid down on the floor. It seems that is the fastest way to resolve the spasm problem.

After that, I was starving so I made myself a sandwich, found out I was shaking with cold and my hands were like ice. So back I went into the computer room, I turned on my electric blanket (so glad I hadn't finished packing it away) and wrapped myself in it until I felt warm again. I finally was and got my jammies on and sat down at my puter to try to enjoy a little time relaxing and playing Monopoly Slots. I know I am tired so I decided to get this done early and get to bed early too. Chewlee will be here in the morning before 7 but will be gone as soon as her mom's classes are over. I could get used to that.

The Beast asked me once again if I wanted to go to Centralia for a couple days and I told him (again) that NO, I did NOT so he finally has shut up about it. He was trying to make the Princess feel guilty because *I* wanted to go and couldn't. I set her straight on that. I know that if I had really wanted to go with him, she would have found a way. It will be easier once Chewlee is in Day Care (please, Lord, make it soon because Chewlee NEEDS to be with other kids more than with her great-grandma). I will miss her once she starts day care but it will be so much better for her. Kids need that socialization for learning new things (and new behaviors, too, not necessarily all good).

Well, time for me to close this for now. Love you all and I wish you a wonderful day. I hope yours is filled with good things, family and friends. Hugs for everyone!

Finally....I asked the Beast to do a project for ME a couple years ago.  At that time, we weren't living here full time so he didn't feel it was necessary.  But...today he actually got it done for me.  He put up the bi-fold doors for my utility area and they look wonderful!  It gives the kitchen area a whole new look and hides the washer and dryer nicely.  He surprised me with it.  I never heard a thing while Chewlee and I were watching one of the Harry Potter movies.  She actually likes to watch them.  I think it's because there are so many kids in it. 

The Princess dropped off the baby before 7am this morning, still in her jammies and wrapped warmly in a small quilt.  She stayed up for a while but laid down with me later and we both napped for about 2 hours.  The Beast took that time to run up to Home Depot in Huntsville to look for the doors for the utility area.  Our Lowe's here apparently didn't have a complete set (hardware missing).  He found a set and didn't even tell me.  He told me about going up there to look at some things we had talked about and then he stopped at Publix up there to buy us some wonderful fresh Italian bread.  I could eat a whole loaf by myself, it's that good.  He also picked up some nice roast beef so we had some great sandwiches with lettuce and tomato.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it as I write this. 

The baby started getting anxious for her mother about an hour before she was due and it was tough to distract her.  I had to pop in another Harry Potter movie and then brushed her hair for a while.  She still doesn't really like it but is starting to accept it since it gets the hair out of her face.  I think by later this summer it might actually be long enough for some small braids.  That would be so cute on her.

Chewlee got to get up on Grandma's bed and jump around and disturb the dog.  She just loves to do that.  I guess all kids love jumping on beds.  I remember doing that myself.   I let her do it until I got everything ready for the Princess when she got here.  She is always in a rush to get home. 

I guess Johnnycakes found them a good, used washer and dryer for a decent price.  It came from the same man that his father uses.  The guy rebuilds them and, if something goes wrong with them, he fixes them, too.  The Princess is happy because she didn't want to have to come here to wash her clothes or (gasp) go to a laundromat.  I'm happy for her because I know how nice it is when you have a place of your own (finally) and time to spend there.  It's much nicer to be able to be at home and do all that stuff.

My baby sister was supposed to fly into Ft. Liquordale today but ended up missing her plane.  It seems that AA (American Airlines) screwed up on the gates (twice) so she ended up missing her flight.  She's flying in tomorrow morning instead.  At least Cinderella found that out before she and Frankenstein had left for the airport.  It also seems that Baby Sis's luggage is already here, waiting for her.  Isn't that always the way???

Well, bedtime for Bonzo.  I need the rest and I have a big *hunting and gathering* to do tomorrow.  I am going to go up to Boaz to do it so I can stop by and see the Princess' house before that.  Otherwise, her feelings will be hurt.  *sigh*  I'm kind of curious anyway. 

Love you all.  I wish you good weather and a wonderful day.  Which reminds me...the weather here did NOT go down to freezing but we still have tonight to go through.  Keep your fingers crossed.  So far, so good....the fruit is safe.  I just KNOW that has been on your minds....LOL

The Beast is in a panic/depression. We awoke to cold weather and the news that there is going to be a frost late tonight and into the early morning. Why depressed? Because we have fruit already forming on many of the trees. Peaches the size of a nickel already and he even found cherries started. There are plums and the apples are just blooming and a frost could kill them off and the hope of any apples. I suggested that he wrap up the AREAS where the fruit is with black bags to help keep in the heat. I don't know what he's decided. Whether to let nature take it's course or fight back. Especially since they are saying that we will have TWO days of frost level temperatures between the hours of 2am until 7am.

The Beast has been a nut about having fruit trees on our property since he had his strokes and could get around halfway decent. He took over the yard work and started planting his trees. In Florida, he found peach trees that were developed for Florida by the agricultural department of Florida State University. So we had four or five different peach trees as they became available. I will say that the white peaches were delicious. However, our Alberta peaches we have here in Alabama still can make my mouth water just thinking about them and they are the earliest ripening ones we have. We were eating them around the 4th of July, I think it was. Those trees in particular have fruit on them already.

Since we own about an acre of land here (we bought the lot next to us, remember), he has actually measured the space in between all the trees he's planted so far. He has researched how tall they get and how much spread they will have when fully grown. He also knows just how many MORE he can plant if he finds something he doesn't already have. He knows if they need a special pollinator partner and makes sure he has those within easy flight of the bees and other insects that do that stuff. He didn't go into it blindly but.....he will NOT trim them the way they should be because he feels they are too young and he wants to see them look BIGGER, FASTER. He makes me crazy because I tried to show him how the peach plantations trim even the smallest of the trees they are waiting to transplant into the orchards when they need to replace some. You can just look at some and KNOW they need to be trimmed back because, like human hair, the branches do NOT grow equally.

The internet says that trimming makes the branches stronger. Even after the poor plum tree broke several branches under the weight of the fruit on them (and we culled that plant big time!), he still wouldn't cut it back and give the poor tree some time to just concentrate on making those branches thicker and stronger.

So, although he has some important knowledge, he doesn't have the knowledge that I think is most important ....patience and practicality. He wants the fruit and he wants it NOW. I swear to you, this is all about his feeling that he will be dying before he can enjoy the fruits of his labor, so to speak. When he dies, all the trees will get a proper trimming. I am not so impatient and want the trees to be both strong and healthy, not just to fill up with fruit when they are so young. I admit to eating and enjoying the fruit but I had no choice on the trimming. I just am here to can and freeze when it is ready. That's MY job.

So, if he gets lazy and decides to let nature take it's course, at least I won't have a whole lot of canning and freezing to do. I may not have ANY. C'est la vie!

Chewlee came early today because the Princess was needed earlier than she was scheduled. She had slept in for once and was barely awake when they got here. She rushed around to gather up some of her toys and didn't even kiss the Princess goodbye. She did SAY it though.

That was just two hours ago and guess where she is right at this moment? She's half asleep on the floor at her *regular* naptime so I am hopeful it won't be such a fight today. I really would like to see her get back on schedule, if possible. It makes life so much easier on us all.

I thought I was only going to have Chewlee until about 2 or 3 tomorrow but the Princess told me that she was rescheduled so her *days off* would be Wednesday and Thursday. That would give me the whole day on Wednesday off and the Princess would be picking up the baby after her classes on Thursday. I find that acceptable. Nothing like a whole day off. I need to do a big shopping anyway. It's *payday*....the day we get the Beast's SS check and part of mine. My BIG (cough, cough) SS check comes at the end of the month. With all the Beast has been buying with his projects, however, that was spent almost as soon as it hit the bank. It left us a bit cash poor unless we hit our MM account and that is just too damn easy to do. You can spend yourself into nothing a little bit at a time.

Weird, but it was the Beast that always said *I* had no concept of money even though that was years ago (and I worked my whole life). Who is the big spender now? Who is constantly buying stuff we really don't need? I mean, surround sound in a house THIS size?? It's overkill. The deaf could hear when he cranks it up. What's the point, anyway? He's like a little kid. If he wants it, he buys it. No thoughts about whether or not it makes sense. It's always just about what HE wants.

Which brings up something else. He and I have been *having words* (I don't cuss, swear or raise my voice). I can't say the same for him, however. He has been trying to talk me into letting him do stuff like wallpaper. I told him he was nuts (but I think I covered this in another post). Anyway, he keeps coming up with these off-the-wall things that he's seen and thought was really neat. When I try to tell him just why they aren't, all hell breaks loose. He thinks I am doing it just to frustrate him. I keep telling him that everything he's coming up with is really more work than just painting. He tried to say vinyl wallpaper was easier to clean. I told him a GOOD paint (or even oil-based) was just as easy. You can wash it down with soap and water BUT...vinyl wallpaper is sloppy to put up. Very messy because it doesn't come in pre-pasted. Not the really GOOD vinyl. Besides, I hate the idea of a pattern. It just messes up what I can use for bedspreads and curtains. He thinks if I have the colors that I want in the wallpaper, that is all that matters. He doesn't understand PATTERN. Is it a MAN THING? Or just the Beast?

The baby is now asleep like a little angel. That's a step in the right direction. Now if she stays asleep for her usual amount of time (2 hours), that will be perfect.

The Beast just announced to me that he is going to do what the big orchards do. He's going to go out late and spray the plants with water. The ice that forms is a protection for the fruit. I've seen that on TV so I know it SHOULD help. Let's pray it does for HIS sake and mine because I will have to listen to him bemoaning it if it fails. He will just make my ears miserable all summer long.

Well, I am going to close this post for now and get it set to post after midnight so that it shows up tomorrow. I will let you know how things turn out, too. Love you all and sending hugs your way. Keep your friends and family close to your heart at all times. Laugh loudly and often. Sing along with your favorite music. Who cares if you are on or off key? Enjoy the stroll down the lane of life because it could come to an end sooner than expected.

you would think after his admission today, he would slow down on the damn projects department. But NO!!! He doesn't know the meaning of the word. I swear, he looks ONLINE to find projects he hasn't thought of yet. This consists of his looking over the websites for both Lowe's and Home Depot. He surfs them like they are a shopping center. I guess they are....for men with nothing else to do!

His latest idea is to wallpaper, panel or plank the wall behind the bed instead of painting it! I looked at him and told him he was nuts. He, of course, got pissed off at me even though I told him..."Look...we have spent most of our lives taking DOWN wallpaper and paneling looks cheap no matter how much you pay for it. Besides, they limit what *I* can do with my bedspreads and/or curtains."

The planking idea came afterward. He found some in long enough panels (96") that they could be put up, stained and varnished. I told him, when confronted with the idea, that I thought it would work better but wasn't the idea to have something that was LESS work, not more? So now he wants to go *window shopping* at both stores to see if maybe they have some pre-stained and varnished. **banging head against the wall**

He just complicates, and complicates, and...well, you get the idea.

The Princess asked me today, as she left with the baby, when the Beast and I were going to come by and see the house. I told her (laughing) that it would have to be on a day when I didn't have to babysit. She laughed and said, *Well, that let's out this week*. Actually, she doesn't have to work Tuesday or Thursday but she has classes both days so she might as well be working....almost. It just means an early drop-off. I told her just to tuck the baby into bed with me....LOL.

My sister, Cinderella, called this evening to talk for a bit. It seems she's getting VERY excited about having our baby sister with her for the next two weeks. It will be the first time, in more years than she can almost remember, that she will have one of her siblings for a Holiday. She's already bought the spiral ham for Easter and will do the rest of the shopping on Saturday. Then baby Sis can help get everything ready for Sunday. I'm sure Cinderella will also either be having over or at least taking dinner over to some of the *orphans* in her condo that don't have family nearby.

My daughter, Buttmunch, also called me today (a big day for calls for me). She is getting excited because my son gives his presentation tomorrow for an invention of his and then will be involved on Tuesday with the research and development people on downsizing his prototype for mass production. For Buttmunch, it means my son will be moving out in the next couple of days (come hell or high water, as she says) because he picks up a nice large check just for the prototype work. It means he can get his own place again (or live in his truck or with friends, she doesn't care at this point and I totally understand) and OUT of hers. I am amazed she's put up with him this long. I told her to just tell him that the Princess finally moved out and it's been less time living here with us than it has been for him to be living with his sister. He had to drive up to Bowling Green where the investors will be meeting together with the original idea guy (who had been told by many that it couldn't be done). My son heard the idea and said, *I can do it* and he DID! That's something my sons inherited from their father, the Beast. They all have done things that other people said couldn't be done...people who supposedly KNEW what they were talking about. It's a gift, I think. Now if only it had made them rich....LOL

Actually, this same son saw something needed by some of the companies he services (he's a computer tech but I forget what class it is...just know he's got some certification that is not easy to come by after working for a wireless company...he tuned *towers* or something like that). So, he thought about it, what it would entail and started working on a program for it. He's worked very hard on it and it's now almost ready for release...well, first it has to be copyrighted (which his attorney will take care of, thankfully). It actually could go national to...police departments, drug and alcohol rehab centers, there are a lot of applications that it will work for. Amazing to me that he could see the problems they all shared and come up with such a unique idea and get it to work for him. More on this in the future. THAT is something that really COULD make him rich. I sure hope so, for his sake.

Well, that's pretty much my day except for playing on Pogo. Played with Bratfink and a couple friends and had a lot of fun chatting and making jokes. It was relaxing and fun. Going to call it a night now. You have fun, hope you have a great day, nice weather permitting and time for family and friends. Slow down and smell spring in the air, listen to the birds flying back and the flies starting to return (those annoying little shits).

Love you all. Sending hugs your way.

Although the Beast has NOT started on another of his planned *big* projects (which is the painting of all the bedrooms and, eventually, all the bedroom floors), he cannot resist looking for *smalll* projects. For instance, the base of the bathtubs. The caulking, or whatever it actually is since the enclosures are fiberglass, was splitting and looked awful. He could just recaulk the areas but, unless you can thoroughly clean off the old stuff, it usually ends up looking awful. So he devised a plan. He would put trim at the base and caulk the edges of that. It would have to fit perfectly (of course) so he measured carefully..three different times. I have to admit that it does look much better than it did but I said to him, "Yanno, Beast, it's like you are afraid that when you run out of these projects you keep inventing you think you will die."

He stopped, looked at me and said, "That's right. I probably will." I was stunned that he finally admitted it. I knew in my heart that it was the real motivator for him all along but I never expected to hear him admit it. He then said, *But I can go for a long time around here. And then there's the stuff I want to do out in the yard...." Yeah, right. Like the berm he wants to build and some of the brickwork. We shall see. Each project is taking his toll on him. I can see it and it really worries me. I think he's taking on a lot more than he should be but there's no telling him anything. I really have given up on that much.

Well, yesterday was the first day I babysat for Chewlee and the Princess had to drop her off. She was so happy to see me that she wrapped herself around my leg and didn't want to let go. The Princess said she was calling for me this morning so she missed my not being there. When I picked her up, she wanted to just hug me and give me kisses. It was so sweet.

She just loved that my computer room was so empty compared to the last time she was in it. She was riding her little push truck and even rolling around on the floor. I even got down there and we played tickle and I did the leg lifts with her on them that she gets so silly over. She kept taking the throw pillows and rearranging them until she got them in just the right spot before she grabbed her blankey to lay down and watch some Dr. Doolittle with me. She liked it so much, I put on Dr. Doolittle 2 which has even more animals in it. That's what she really loves. I just hope she doesn't grow up wondering why animals don't talk to her.

I tried laying her down for her nap on the big bed in the guest room that was *mommy's bed* for so long. She wanted no part of it. Not even when I laid down with her. She just wanted to play. So, I gave up and we went back to watch some more TV and do some reading. She was very ready to go home with mommy when she got here. I had packed up a basket of things that I had washed for the Princess and a couple things I gave to her (nice scatter rugs, for one).

When they arrived here around 10:30am today (it was a short work day for the Princess...she only worked until 3), Chewlee was in a great mood. The Princess told me that she had to take the baby into bed with her around 4:30am because she would not lay down in her bed again after being changed and given a new bottle. When her alarm went off at 8am, she jumped up and, thinking the baby was Johnnycakes, actually YELLED *OMG...you've overslept!* It startled the baby awake and there was no getting her back to sleep so she gave up and got up. Now, what's really FUNNY about this whole scenario, is that she was actually AWAKE when Johnnycakes left for work at 5am. So her panic was a real slapstick event.

The baby fought taking her nap mostly because our next door neighbor came over to see the flooring and to tell us that her dog, Bozo, has heartworm. I was stunned because she is in the medical field and you would think it would make her more aware of those kind of hazards, even if it IS for a dog. So he's at the vet's for the initial treatment for it and then has to spend 40 days being quiet so it means they have to keep him kenneled and walk him instead of letting him run free like we do with our dogs around here. No playing with Baron for a while, either. She got to see Chewlee and thinks she's adorable (of course!) and was pleased when Chewlee said goodbye to her and waved.

That was the problem, however, because Courtney sounded like the Princess at first and it made Chewlee anxious for her mommy to come and take her bye-bye. Finally, just before 2, the baby got the pillows arranged the way she wanted them, grabbed her teddy bear and got him just right and laid down. She pulled her blankey up to her chin and passed out in about two minutes flat. I knew she would still be tired when the Princess showed up and she was. It may be a good thing, though, because it might mean that she will finally sleep through the night. Tara and the baby are coming to visit after dinner and that will keep her occupied.

Well, the house is relatively quiet now and I am going to just relax and enjoy it. Love you all and hagn. Take care and be happy. Sometimes the greatest joys can be relatively simple things. Learn to recognize them.

Oh good lord but what a momentous day it was today. I really was going to talk about the Beast and his progress but....once the kids got the keys to their rental house, it was a rush to get the deposits down for the water and the electric. Then, surprise! surprise! Johnnycakes comes here with a rental truck to move all the Princess's and Chewlee's stuff. The truck was kind of overkill but I guess Johnnycakes is a friend of the rental guy.

So, the moving out of the Princess's stuff was accomplished quickly. Even the boxes in the barn and the ones over at my niece's house (Tara). They had enough room for the couch but I don't know if Tara even was sure about which one she wanted to give to the Princess.

The Princess got one of the part-time workers to work for her (her manager knew they had found the house) but she DID have to go in for a while until the girl got there. So, POOR JOHNNYCAKES and his buddy were stuck being directed by the Beast and me while I was also trying to keep Chewlee out from under their feet. She was dismayed that her crib went out the door but she knew she was eventually going to go bye-bye so she was excited. She was very over-tired because she didn't get her nap today. After everything was loaded, the Princess went off to do some much needed grocery shopping plus she had to pick up pots, pans and dishes. She will be making a list for the next couple of weeks, I am sure. I tried to help out with a list of basics for them but I am sure my niece, Tara, who met her up at Walmart, was even more helpful. She should remember the days of re-setting up a household since it's been just about two years since she had to do it.

I don't envy the kids what they will have to go through. Johnnycakes also had to hit HIS house to pick up HIS stuff. He did that last, I think and then headed for the house. When the Princess came back here to pick up the baby before taking the groceries home, she said they hadn't unloaded anything yet. It will be pandemonium, I am sure. It will take them weeks to really get settled in.

I will miss Chewlee a bit but it will be nice that she goes home....away from Papa and Mawmaw. She, in turn, will miss *her* doggie, Baron. But, as long as I still watch her while mommy is in school and working, she will be able to play with him. With good weather not so far off, they can spend time out back together.

I should be in bed now since I will get Chewlee tomorrow but I do get Sunday off. At least they won't be here until around noon. I'll know more then about how things are going with the two of them. I'll report it here, you can be sure.

Okay, going to call it a night before it turns light out. Have a great day and be sure to tell those you love that you do. It might be the last thing you get to say to them since life is so uncertain. Never part with angry words. Love you all and am sending lots of hugs your way.