How soon you forget. Sundays in the South really ARE different. Many businesses are closed. Like auto dealers. *sigh* It's only the big corporate stores that are open on Sundays here in the South. All the small businesses (owned and operated locally) are closed for business because there still ARE many of the old *blue laws* in effect. Also, most of the local people are affiliated with one of the many Baptist churches and are good church-going people who respect the Lord's day (Sunday to Christians).

So the shopping for a car for the Princess was a bit of a bust. Except they did get to look around at the cars that were in stock and look at the MSRP and all the accessories on each car. The surprise was that most of the auto dealers are feeling the economic pinch so badly that their stock is minimal. Makes for this being a tough task. The Beast is getting a bit tired of all the things the Princess wants for her new car because some of them are really minor for the price charged and she has something against hatchbacks that he can't figure out. I like a hatchback better than a trunk but that's me. I've owned cars with both in my lifetime. All SHE is looking at is the payment and she's not thinking that the sooner paid off, the better. Less interest and you own your car a year sooner minimum. It's not like you can take interest off your income taxes any more. *sigh* One way or another, the state and federal governments get the little guy. That's you and me, in case you are confused.

I watched Chewlee while they went out and looked over the Chevy, Nissan and Toyota dealers cars. She and I fell asleep in my recliner. I woke up when the Princess picked her up to carry her out to the car. She (Chewlee) was so tired after lunch that it couldn't have been more than five minutes before she was sound asleep. That is one good thing about her going to day care. They all take their naps at a set time and it's a good routine as far as I am concerned.

I bought Chewlee a notebook for her to write in. As long as she writes ONLY on the paper, she gets to draw, scribble or whatever. She is still trying to decide whether or not she is going to be a lefty or not. That's one reason I want to let her *write* so that can be decided before she starts learning to make her A,B,C's. She is trying to learn the ABC song and it's cute to hear her singing to herself and you know what it is she is trying to imitate.

I am still trying to shake this whateveritis. I have my coughing bouts that take my breath away. But I am not running a fever any more that I know about. I started sweating a bit and thought, *Ut oh!* but it passed quickly. I'm sure all this is just fascinating you but it's MY blog, tyvm. My thoughts, my routine, my events, my family, my friends, etc. Just so you don't forget.

It didn't rain today but it was cloudy. I guess it's part of the weather in the Gulf. I don't mean we are getting it directly but it is affecting whatever weatherstream in up there in the stratosphere. So our weather was dry, overcast and very warm. It's almost 10pm and it's still 77 degrees outside. The Beast opened up the doors so we are getting a nice little breeze in the house through the front and back screen doors. He'll be turning on the AC soon because he likes it on when he sleeps. I don't know why he can't settle for the room AC he bought and installed in OUR bedroom window. *sigh* Shoot, a fan works for me. I HATE the AC being on. I prefer fresh air, even if it IS hot. But that's me. He says it's because I have no fat on me and maybe that's true. But I do have more than I did last year at this time. *smile*

Time to get this posted so I can relax and play a game or two on Pogo before bedtime. Bratfink is spending more time offline than online lately and I miss talking to her. Oh, we didn't talk all the time but we did talk in spurts about this-and-that. I am going to go play some Monoslots and talk to the online friend that I will be meeting up with at the Balloon Fest next weekend.

Love you all. Have a wonderful day and stay healthy. Be sure to tell those you love that you do as often as you can. Make sure, in case something unexpected happens, that you can think *At least the last thing I said to them was Love You!* Trust me, it is comforting.

I've talked about my kids from time-to-time and told you how we ended up adopting our granddaughter (the Princess) primarily because we had raised her from just about a toddler to *adulthood*, although that can be a matter of opinion. We asked our kids what they thought about the move because it makes her their *sister* as well as their niece and can be confusing on an already confusing family tree. We had her for the first nine months of her life and all the kids helped take care of her needs (even diaper changes). Her mother (my oldest daughter) was straight and working at the time but we all managed in the household. What I am bringing up is they all said that she had always seemed like their little sister all along so it was fine with them. If they had objected to it, we more than likely wouldn't have gone ahead with it. But we felt it was important for the Princess to know we truly loved her at the time.

This has created a bit of a perception problem for me mostly. I love her to death but I still think of her as my granddaughter. It's only when I want to make people laugh that I bring up the fact that she is both the cousin of her cousins AND their aunt. Just wrap your mind around that fact.

However, long ago, I said that *birthdays and presents are for the young.* Since then, I try to remember (notice I say TRY) my grandkids birthdays. I usually send a card and some cash. That's been mostly because they have lived far away for most of their lives. Except for the Princess who, of course, lived with us. We tried to give her parties as a way of compensating for the lack of a mother (and a lack of relatives most of the time, too) and it was easy with the homes we had. We had a pool, lived in Florida and her birthday was in August so the weather was perfect for the pool parties she loved. We also had more money to burn back then with a successful business to draw from and she had a lot of friends. It was nice when her cousins still lived nearby and could be there also. She loved to torture them and toss them in the pool. I hated that she did that but it IS a kid thing.

I gave my four kids birthday parties when we moved back to Florida from California. Years later, I found out they hated the ice cream cakes I always bought for them. *sigh* I tried. The unfortunate thing was that we didn't have the money to really treat them the way I would dearly have loved to back then. That was PRE-business. Later on, as things got better for us and they were older, there was some cars that made the rounds. Cars they were supposed to be buying from us and never did make more than a payment or two. One son got his taken away from him after he got a DUI but he entered the Navy shortly thereafter and that's a whole other story.

Buttmunch got the Firebird that the other kids really envied. It was a cool car. She paid a grand total of $400. on that one but we really hadn't expected to be paid. At least she had transportation for a while. I just hated how badly her azzhole boyfriend/live-together/sperm donor for the daughter treated it. Most recently I gave her my scooter that I really loved but wasn't able to use much while I was sick and she needed transportation in order to work (or so we thought at the time). She ended up selling it for the cash since it was really almost brand new. I won't go into where that went since it's a bone of contention with my oldest son what she did with the cash.

Speaking of which, that son blew his engine while he was on the road and didn't have the cash in order to get it fixed and get home and back to his job. We wired him the cash and that's something else that hasn't been repaid as of yet. In truth, that's another thing that we figure we just gave away. We've given the kids computers (and family members also). We've *loaned* family members money that we don't ever expect to see returned. In other words, we are very much a normal *family* if there is such a thing as normal these days.

Since my kids turned 21, I don't buy gifts for them. On their 21st birthdays, I DID take them out to have their first LEGAL drinks although I don't fool myself that it was their first time drinking. After that, it was usually just a phone call, an ecard or a snail mail card for their birthdays. That's one thing that the Princess WON'T get...a night out of drinking on her 21st birthday (which is next year). She will probably get the usual $20 because I just can't take the drinking like I once did. On Buttmunch's birthday, we met up with some biker couples who thought it was cool that a mother and daughter were out drinking together. They started buying us tequila shooters and I still don't remember how we got home. Friends claimed at one point I got up on the bar and danced but I don't believe it. The song *Jose Cuervo* was played by some joker or other every time I walked into the local bar thereafter. *sigh*

I know my kids don't believe it of me but I do sometimes forget things like birthdays. One way or another, the grandkids find ways to remind me so I don't forget. My days can sometimes be so routine that I don't even remember the day of the week. If it weren't for this blog, I probably would have a tough time remembering what month it is at times. I know. Hard to believe even for me.

The two kids I have the least problem remembering their birthdays is the lost one because her birthday is April 1st. and she sure fooled me. I was expecting a boy. The other is the youngest because his birthday is the day after my mother's. Mom is gone a long time now but I still miss her and I start remembering her when her birthday rolls around. It happened to be just 8 days after the Beast's birthday and Mom swore I had Markus Aurelius the day AFTER just to spite her.

Buttmunch's birthday is February 5th and she was what we always called my *Irish Twin* since she and *Lost* were just 10 months and four days apart. Stefano's birthday is December 4th. I really have to mark my calendars every year right away in order to be sure to at least call my kids to wish them a happy birthday. Of course, it's been a long time since they remembered MINE except for Buttmunch because she is usually with me at the Family Reunion when it occurs.

I bring all this up because I certainly don't want my own kids to be jealous of the attention that my grandkids or even my great-grand get on their birthdays. They are only young for a little while. I will be able to send my long-lost a birthday card and cash this coming January now that we know where she is and have an address for her. She's missed out on a lot of birthdays and Christmas's. I will also be buying all of them something for Christmas as I do every year. It's been a long time since I got any from them but I know it's tough when you are young, have a family or are going through some tough cash times. It's gotten to be kind of normal and I don't expect anything from them any more. I love GIVING presents, however. If I happen to get them something they really like (other than cash...LOL) that really makes my heart sing.

However, once the grandkids hit 21, that will be the end of birthday presents. They will get a card in the mail, an ecard or a phone call like I did with my own most of the time. I just want it to be understood. I love you kids and I don't mean to miss talking to you at least on your birthday. But you have to cut me a bit of slack since I am older now and sometimes life just gets in the way. If I don't reach you when I am thinking about it, the day sometimes slips away and it's too late to call when I remember again. It's not a lack of love. It's just life getting in the way.

That's why I say....be sure to tell those you love that you DO love them as often as possible. Even if it's closing a phone call with a simple *Love you!*. You just never know. This sickness made me realize that the day may come when I don't survive and I won't be around. It makes me sad because there is still a lot I want to do and see. Life is just too short and it gets shorter every day.

Love you all. Have a great day and be happy. Laugh a lot or at least a little every day. It's good for your health and makes you smile. Spread a smile around you when you can. And, for heaven's sake, take care of your health!

I feel so much better today that I actually feel like doing the happy dance! I know I am going to be better in coming days. I not only did my housewifey things but I also did my hair (love you Lady Clairol!), showered, dressed, did some shopping and finished folding the clothes I did yesterday. It may not seem like much since there are only the two of us here but it really IS so much more than I could have managed.

I finally was able to pick up the birthday present for the Princjavascript:%20void(0);ess that I wanted to get her. I bought her a microwave. She has one but there is something wrong with it and it takes a long time to just warm things up. Johnnycakes wouldn't let her buy another one until the one they have breaks down so I figured it was a safe bet for a present for her. By the time she reads this, she will already have it since she gets it tomorrow when she drops off Chewlee.

Yes, I get to see my baby, who, by the way, may be thrown out of day care. It seems she is constantly picking on this one little boy (who happens to really like her) and is always knocking him down. They wanted the Princess to come to the school and spank her or something to get her to stop doing it. She had called me to see if I could run up there but she called right after I had a bad bout of coughing. Even though I had felt great when I got up, after that bout, I was afraid that I was going to have a bit of a relapse. I don't think she got a chance to run up there during her lunch but I could be wrong. I'll find out when I see the Princess tomorrow.

I heard her and the Beast make plans on going out car hunting again on Sunday and some possible alternative plans for her old car if they can't manage to find her one soon. We shall see what happens. The weather should be cooperative since the forecast is for sunny and hot.

I got a chance to run into Dollar General where I prefer to buy my cleaning products. My clothes soap, fabric softener, window cleaner, etc. costs me so much less there that it isn't funny. It had been a while since I was last able to shop there so I had fun reacquainting myself with the store since they keep changing it around. I even bought myself a couple Bobby Brooks items (shorts, tops) at ridiculously low prices since they are marking down all their seasonal stuff but I needed them for Centralia. Since I have put on weight, I am no longer able to get into a lot of the clothes I could wear when I was just 80 lbs or so. *sigh* I know I look better but I sure hate to give up all the things I bought. I got a lot of them at the *lost luggage* store so they were really good and really cheap.

The Beast is almost finished with the lawns now. I say *lawns* because of the lot next door that is ours, too. I think all he has to finish is the trim work around the fences and under the trees. Under the trees is a job all by itself since we have so damn many of them. Thank goodness they are young still.

After doing a lot of research, the Beast found out that we did, indeed, lose most of our peaches and other fruits due to too much water. We even have some trees that definitely suffered from water rot of some kind. The Beast said he may never water again....LOL. He doesn't understand how people with large orchards can stand the uncertainty and how they deal with the problems. I told him that I believe a lot of it is avoided by the way the trees are planted (and the deep furrows in between). I'm sure if he gets the chance (and knowing him, he will find a way to make it happen), he will ask those questions that are bugging him from some grower or other.

Love you all. I wish you a wonderful weekend. Stay healthy and happy. Find a reason to laugh. Remember this: A smile from you will make someone happy even if they don't know you or like you. It's infectious. Try it.

For most of my life, when I was very sick, I would go to sleep and wake up when I was actually better or on the road to recovery. During THIS bout of being sick, I wasn't doing much of that and it worried me. A couple hours of sleep at night and a nap or two during the day after a bad bout of coughing. Today that all changed.

I went to bed at a fairly decent time for me and woke up around 7am. I grabbed a cup of coffee, the inevitable cigarette and sat and talked with the Beast for a bit. I then went into my computer room and promptly fell asleep in the recliner. I slept for HOURS. I woke up long enough to take my pills, have a little something to eat and went back to sleep again. When I woke up around 6pm, I really felt like I was finally on the mend.

The Princess called me at one point and wanted to know if I could watch Chewlee so she and Johnnycakes could go to Six Flags in Atlanta but it turned out that is the weekend that we will be going to Centralia. I think Tara may take Chewlee for the weekend but she promised the boys to take them to the water park so who knows? Chewlee could go to the water park with her life vest but I don't know if either of the girls thought about that.

The Beast has been working on the lawn and the trees. That's always a priority before we go anywhere. Unfortunately, the little push mower died on him so he had to make an emergency purchase of another one. He THINKS he can fix the old one (he thinks it might be the carburetor but it means he has to tear the whole thing down and it will take him a week to do it). It's always something but we have owned the push mower for several years. With the beating it's taken, I am surprised it lasted this long. The Beast can be rather hard on equipment.

We also had a new lens delivered. It's a lens that would remind you of the standard ones that came with most 35mm cameras. Nowadays, they are special orders (of course) and very pricey. However, the Beast is so shaky now that he really needed a lighter lens for his camera. And a faster one. I hope this one works for him because it's a pain in the ass to carry around and set up his tripod for every single picture he wants to take. We shall see.

This is going to be rather short (for me...LOL) because nothing really happened other than my sleeping most of the day. I DID manage to wash, dry and fold a load of clothes AND I made up my bed. I should have dustmopped the floors again since the Beast and the dog drag in a lot of grass and stuff after being outside. I'll do it manana...LOL

Have a great day and be happy. Stay healthy and try to have a little fun or at least a few laughs. Love you all.

Today was the day that the Princess and the Beast were supposed to go out looking at new cars for her. But when the Beast woke up, it was raining and there really isn't any shopping for a car in the rain. Later on, after the rain passed, the Beast called her and said, *The day is turning out nice, let's go* but she was waiting for Johnnycakes to finish getting ready because he said he had a car for her to look at that would be perfect. She told him that they would go ahead and look at a few cars and, if they found something good, they would come and get him.

So, the Beast, although disappointed, went on with his day. A little later, the Princess called to tell him all about the *perfect* car that Johnnycakes had found for her. It was a BLACK HEARSE that he saw parked in someone's driveway with a For Sale sign on it.

The Beast told her that a lot of people were dying for a car like that, which she did not find the least bit funny (but we sure did). Hurrah for Johnnycakes sense of humor and pulling it off.

So the kids went and looked at several different dealers and, apparently, did not find anything that satisfied both the Princess's wants and what she knew the Beast would be insistent on.

Me? I just suffered with bouts of coughing and lots and lots of blowing of the nose. I ran a fever for awhile but finally broke down and took an ibuprofen to help the back muscles that are still spasming like crazy. About the only thing I did all day was make my bed up and drink water, water, a cup of coffee and then more water.

They say you feel worse before you get better so I am hopeful that the coming days will be better ones for me. I really am tired of being sick. I need to shower before I go to bed tonight. My hair feels awful to me even though it doesn't look bad. I feel like it's greasy but I know it's not. Guess that's just from the sweating when I was feverish. I fell asleep for about four hours from around 10am until 2pm and I had slept well during the night except for one bout of coughing. I'm not sure if the Beast's coughing woke ME up or vice versa but he was better today. Darn him.

So now the shopping day will be Sunday for them. I guess I will be elected to watch Chewlee while they trot off to try to find a car. I think it better be soon because it sounds like the Princess's car may be starting to have some transmission problems.

Have a great day everyone. I love you all and wish you a great day. Stay healthy and happy. Tell those you love that you do and do it often. Life is short and no one gets out alive.

Today it rained. I was glad it didn't start until a couple hours after I dropped Chewlee off at her day care. And what a nice day care center it was, too. Extremely clean is the first thing I noticed. The main entrance reminded me of a small school with classrooms around the outside walls. Some of the classrooms had large windows inside so you could view the kids. Others did not. I had to sign her in and the time I dropped her off and got to escort her into *her* classroom. The woman in charge immediately called her by name and said good morning and then asked her if she was ready for some breakfast (cereal and a banana). Chewlee kissed me goodbye and went and sat down right away. It was evident that she was happy to be there, which made me feel good.

Of course, Chewlee had woken me up as soon as she woke up (at 7:30am) with her bright smile and clutching her blankey and sippy cup. I got up, poured myself some coffee, took a sip and then changed her wet diaper. I sure wish they had the wipes back when my kids were small. It's nice to have the wipes you can use to clean up their butts and then throw them away. Remember the hassle of having to carry around washcloths in sandwich bags? She wanted her juice and then asked for a cookie. When I asked her if she wanted to eat, all she wanted was one of the oatmeal cookies I had. So, I gave her one and then started getting her dressed for dropping off at day care. Once she had her clothes on, she insisted she wanted her shoes and socks on RIGHT THEN and while I put them on her, she started telling me it was time to go bye-bye. When I told her *not yet*, she got very upset with me and went and got my sandals for me. I asked her if she wanted to go to school and she ran for the door so I took that as a *yes*.

I made up my bed once I got home and the guest room bed, too. Then I dust mopped the floors in the kitchen, living room and my bedroom. I was glad I did it because shortly after that, it started to rain and we had a power failure for some reason. It wasn't even thundering when it happened. After about an hour or so, we finally got the power back on so life returned to normal here at Brat Farm. That means I got to watch my TV while I played some games on Pogo.

When the Beast and I were sitting while the power was out, we were talking about the problem with the PH levels in our *dirt* (it's more clay than dirt). He really doesn't have the patience to wait for anything, as I am sure you know from other things I've talked about. It's always got to be NOW. So, I said to him, *There HAS to be a way to find out what your PH level is without having to send away samples to the Agricultural College labs. Look it up on the internet.*

So, he did. And guess what? I was right. What is hysterical to me is that they not only have testing kits like those you use for your pool PH testing (the chemicals are just different) but there is even a meter you can stick in the ground, let it sit for a minute or so and it gives you the PH level of that area. The funniest part? You can buy them at Lowes! I know! He practically lives there and you would think he would have found it on his own....I mean without my suggestions about researching it.

The Beast found them there, came home and started his testing and was so happy to discover that, in most places, his treatment with the lime was almost perfect. He will only need another 20 bags of it to do the areas he hasn't already treated and a couple of the areas that he has. That's better than the 50 or more that he figured he might need. In fact, he admitted that he was afraid it would take almost 100 more bags if this first treatment didn't do *the trick*. I'm just not sure what signs he would have been looking for to determine that. He has a tendency to *over-do* usually so I am relieved he found these new toys. He could have, in his zeal, just destroyed the lawn and all the trees and plants we have here.

At least the rain we had today has watered in the lime well without it running off. It was a perfect type rain; not too heavy and not too light. It was juuuuuuuuuuust right!

It's time for bed. Still trying to kick this whateveritis. It's no better, no worse except that my back has now joined in the fun. After I have a bout of coughing, it slides into my back spasming for about the same amount of time I spend coughing. No fun.

Love you all. Hope you have a great day and some love and laughter in your life. Remember that laughing is good for the body and the spirit.

Here's the quote for the day: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. [Miss Piggy]

It really wasn't all that bad. Just weird weather and I didn't sleep well. I was coughing so bad I ended up sleeping in my recliner. Reminds me (almost) of when I had walking pneumonia except there was never a chance for sleep with that. I don't wish THAT on anyone either. I just have bouts of coughing now. No fever unless I do too much for my body to handle, then it heats up and makes me need to stop and rest. Funny how we don't really have control because our bodies can get even with us. We have to learn to PAY ATTENTION!

That's one of the things that the Beast and I still argue about. I know that he knows better but he just will NOT allow his body to make him do something he doesn't want to......like rest. Go figure. I think he's going to end up having another stroke one of these days. His smoking has really gotten bad again. He's smoking almost 3 packs a day again and he sure can't blame it on stress. When we owned our business, yes. But not now.

As it is, when he plays Hearts on Pogo (yes, like the card game) all you can hear is him swearing, cussing, hitting the top of his desk and other assorted noises. It's a GAME. It's an electronic game played on the Internet against people you don't know and have no idea whether or not they even really understand how to play the game correctly. I swear to you, his BP has to go up at least 75 points most times he's playing it. He will complain about what a**holes people are that play that game online (like his life or real money depended on it) but he will be back playing it every time he gets on his computer. The only time he is NOT playing on Pogo is when he is working on the lawn or trees OR is working with his photos and the new program for that. I get SOOOOOO tired of hearing it. *sigh*

I ended up having my Chewlee tonight. I know! The Princess has to be in Birmingham by 8:30am for a one day training seminar for AT&T. Chewlee presented a problem because it meant that either the Princess had to wake her up at 5:30am to drop her off at day care at 6am OR that Johnnycakes (he gets home from work around 5am) would have to wake up by 8:30am, get Chewlee up and dressed and drop her off at day care by 9am (so they could feed her breakfast). I gave them a third alternative. Let her stay HERE for the night and I will get her to day care by 9am at the latest. When the Princess talked to Johnnycakes about it, even he agreed it made more sense.

The Princess finally got around to talking to the Beast about co-signing a loan for her for a new car (I had already told the Beast she was going to talk to him about that AND helping her find a car). Of course, after the Princess headed back to work (she ate lunch here....the chicken and homemade noodles), the Beast had to go out and start looking around at some of the dealers here. He found a nice, small and brand new (2009) Chevy model...he said it was a small 5-door so I guess it had a hatchback. It was fully-loaded, including leather seats, electronic door locks, etc. [stuff WE like] and was about $12K. It had been a demo so it had 9,000 miles on it. He was impressed and called the Princess after the dealer called him here at home and said the car would cost $11.5 OUT THE DOOR, taxes included.

So, the Princess came here after work and Johnnycakes met her here and off they trotted to take a look at this *deal*. Now what the Beast neglected to tell ME was that the car was a horrible mustard yellow that the Princess did NOT believe even the Beast would drive on his worst day. Needless-to-say, she was less than impressed. She also said it was just a teensy bit TOO compact. I have no idea since I have long since lost track of all the various new models. By new, I mean any new model added to any line of cars in the past 10 years or so. I just want comfort, economy and durability which is why our cars for the last few years have been Toyota's.

The Princess has Wednesday off and they plan on going out to look at a few dealers and what cars they have available. The baby will be at day care and Johnnycakes will be able to sleep until/unless the Princess finds something she likes. Knowing her, she will call him then to meet up with them to take a look at it. Even if he isn't going to be helping make the payments, he is the one that will be changing the oil, doing the tuneups, etc. and she wants him to approve. Some cars are just NOT able to be worked on that way. The car the Princess owns right now, you can't even change the battery on it without taking it to the dealer because of where it is located. It's underneath the carriage next to the wheel well. I kid you not.

About 8pm, the baby surprised me by telling me *potty* as she patted her crotch and headed for the door. I actually said to her, *What????* so she repeated herself and the motion. So we headed to the bathroom, she closed the door and waited for me to unsnap her little jeans and take her diaper down (no, she didn't have pullups on). She plopped her little butt on the seat, leaned forward slightly and waited. I wasn't sure just WHAT it was she was trying to do but she finally reached for the toilet paper and wiped her underside (front) and dropped the paper into the bowl. When she finally got off the toilet (it became a game after that), I realized that she had asked to go potty AFTER he had pee'd in her diaper. She needs to work on making the action BEFORE, not AFTER. But it IS progress.

By 8:30pm, the baby was ready for her *night-night* clothes so I obliged. She was ready and I finally snatched her up (she was trying the *sleep on the recliner* routine) and plopped her down on the guest bed. She never fought me. I gave her the sippy cup, her blankey and covered her up. She was out like a light once she saw I had put her nightlight on. It's just a low-level led light that goes on and off with ambient light.

Knowing her, she will be up bright and early in the morning so I am heading to bed right after I get this posted. I am tired anyway because of getting very little sleep last night and no nap today.

Love you all, take care. Stay healthy and I hope you have a wonderful day. Smile often and share the joy. No thought or quote for the day today, forgive me for that. I will get back into the routine again tomorrow, I hope.

--

The Princess turned 20 today so....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY! WE LOVE YOU!

I really did up my blog a little too early yesterday. After it was all written and was about to post by Xanga (according to when I put the time up), I got a phone call from the Princess. She had obviously been crying and I was worried since I thought the two of them must be fighting. Either that or he had found a way to hurt her feelings since she really does have a tough shell around her. She's been through a lot in her short life regardless of how much we tried to keep her safe and sheltered once we got her custody. Her mother.....well, as any drug addict's family will tell you, they just don't live nice lives.

When she came over (she called to make sure I was still up since it was kind of late), she told me the story of her day after she came home from work. It boiled down to this: She just wanted to eat, put the baby to bed and then have the two of them curl up together on the couch, watch a movie and spend the time together. She says they just don't get to spend time together since he works nights and she works day. She had told him this but what does he do? He decorates the kitchen and dining area with balloons and a sign that says *Happy Birthday*, invites a few of his friends over with their girlfriends and has a *surprise* party for her.

Now this is NOT unlike Johnnycakes. He did the same thing for her when she finished her training for her AT&T job and had been in Birmingham all week. She appreciated it then because she had been away and missed them terribly. However, I don't think he invited anyone over that time.

She was tired, cranky and it wasn't the night she wanted. The friends were really HIS and he spent his time with his buddies and didn't even bother to stop, say *Join us* to her. She finally went into the computer/gym room and sat there on her computer for a couple hours and he never came into the room to see why she was gone. She felt the party was NOT for her but just was an excuse for him to have his friends over and socialize. He was gone to the store a couple times for ice, booze and whatever.....she understood that part of not being WITH her but not letting her leave to go to another room without coming in to at least talk to her.

Then she found out that they planned on spending the night there! That did her in. She had to come over here so she could vent a little and cry some more. Just not a good night for the Princess all-in-all. Worst of all, the baby was sick so it meant that SHE wouldn't be able to sleep in on her birthday (her one request) because Johnnycakes had taken care of her all day Saturday while the Princess worked and would probably be up all night with his buddies.

She wasn't feeling good today (probably stressed out and her immune system wasn't protecting her) so she and Chewlee never made it over for Papa (the Beast) to take some pictures of them. She's coming over for lunch tomorrow since she did find out I had planned on surprising her with my homemade chicken soup and homemade noodles. I decided to do that AFTER I posted for yesterday (today). I also made some brownies with pecans so she will have a good lunch.

The Beast decided to check out our soil (clay mostly) and try to decide what it needed so our trees would thrive and be healthy. For three years of growth since we bought them, they really aren't cutting it. We have some that have even died after what seemed like a good start. Turns out what we need is lime. Did you know lime is a fertilizer? We still haven't had the Ph tested but...the recommendation is a minimum of 50 lbs of lime per 1000 sq. ft. It's going to take at least 50-50 lb bags of it just to get started.

The only good thing is that you can add it at any time. It's not like some fertilizers that you can only add before the weather gets really hot. The Beast, however, got some that is easily broken down with a minimum of water and he started putting it down after the sun started going down. He's only done a small portion of the land and has LOTS to go. He said he might just go over and borrow Tara's boys to help him out. Hee hee...like he can wait. I'm not sure if the kids are back in school yet or not. If they are, he won't wait until the weekend. I know him too well.

So I don't get to see my Chewlee until this coming weekend I guess, if then. She is such a doll baby. I miss her. I know Bamakat must miss her too. Bamakat is Johnnycake's mom. Hopefully, I will find out what happened after the Princess went home last night, too. I hate the idea of her feelings being hurt but I know what Johnnycake's did was really a *man thing*. They can be both thoughtful and thoughtless at the same time. *sigh* He's good to Chewlee and good to the Princess, too. And, I could tell whether the Princess wanted to admit it or not, she loves him. That's why her feelings were so hurt. She wanted it just to be the two of them and he needed to see his buddies. Oh well. They will have to work it out, one way or another.

I AM feeling a lot better but still have the cough and snotty sinuses. But the episodes are getting further apart. I think that's a good sign. I sure want to feel 100% when we go to the balloon fest in Centralia. I'm looking forward to that for some reason. I guess because I know I will never get to Albuquerque, NM for THEIRS. This one is supposed to be sponsored by the same one and is the second largest hot air balloon gathering in the country.

Okay, that's it for today. Love you all and I am going to get this posted for the night so it's there for any people that are still reading it. Stay healthy, be happy and smile often.

Here's a quote I found very interesting and something to think about: * My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what's really going on to be scared.* by P. J. Plauger, Computer Language, March 1983

I was doing some reading online last night and found out that it really is possible that the Beast and I are suffering from both a chest cold and a slight form of swine flu. If so, we are lucky because it does mean our immune system is working better than we might have thought.

I did suffer a bit of a set back. I couldn't sleep because my sinuses kept filling up and I was blowing my nose like crazy. I can't tell you how much Kleenex I went through but I was glad I had chosen the stuff with aloe in it. It's kept my nose from being irritated on the outside, too. I remember that from last year. I think I haven't bought any without the aloe in it since then.

After the sinuses were emptied, the dry cough started in and had my stomach muscles so sore that it wasn't until almost 5 am before I finally was able to fall asleep. The fever I kept at bay with some ibuprofen that I figured would help the sore muscles.

The Beast let me sleep. I should have slept in the guest room but I am betting that I kept waking him up. He decided that the lawn needed cutting (it did) so he started out back on his John Deere. It's amazing how the grass here grows like weeds with just a little rain. It's the front, however, that really needs cutting. It's not just long, it has clumps of what almost looks like wheat but is some kind of weed, that is almost a full foot taller than the grass.

From the way I feel right now, I am glad that the Beast told the Princess not to bring Chewlee over for me to watch today. It really IS in her best interest. I am starting to feel better today so I am hoping the worst may be over and it's all downhill from here.

I had hoped to buy the Princess a gift but I have been too darn sick the past two days to feel like going out. I count myself lucky that I got out the other day when I did. At least we have had coffee, milk and some easy to make food for us.

I haven't felt good enough to do some of the things I wanted until just a little bit ago. When I get this ready for posting, I'm at least going to try. If I really am on the mend, I figure tomorrow I should feel good enough to do my linen changes because both beds need it now just from the sweating we've been doing. I sure hope not many people have suffered from this stuff. It's awful and I sure don't wish it on anyone. I know that a lot of people have suffered and died from swine flu. I feel badly for them and their families and my condolences to all of them.

It's funny how you start thinking about a lot of things when you are ill and wonder if this might be the thing that kills you. Once you hit the age of 60, it could be a lot of things and you realize that *My God...my life really COULD be over soon!* It's not a happy thought. I would like to live much, much longer than most people do. My great-grandmother lived well into her 90's and was still very active until the end. She looked and acted like a much younger woman and took such delight in cooking and baking. She really enjoyed watching people enjoy whatever it was she had made. She taught me how to make crescent cookies and real homemade crusts for pies. There are still things that I judge more by the texture than any recipe directions because SHE taught me that it DOES matter.

My Busha (Polish grandmother) taught me how to make kolacky one year when she, my aunt, two cousins and I were making them for a wedding she was catering that weekend. I learned a few things just by watching her and she let us watch as long as we didn't get in the way.

Much of what I learned from other women in the family seems to be centered around cooking and I wish I could pass it along to MY daughters and grandkids. They just haven't shown the interest in it that I had when I was young. I DID decide that at Christmas time this year, my granddaughter/daughter is going to learn a few things and we will write them down as a kind of family legacy. I think I will talk to my sisters and find out what little tips they might have to add to it and put together a kind of *book of knowledge* for the generations to come. It may not be extraordinary but it will be a piece of our family for our family. With it will be a little bit of *us*, too.

My sister, Bratfink, once put together a binder of pages that was really meant for that purpose and more. It was to write down funny and tragic incidents in our lives and with other relatives. A kind of testament that you can't get except from living them. A record of important dates in our lives...births, deaths, divorces, adoptions, whatever event made some sort of difference to us individually (and collectively).

A search for lost souls even, like my daughter, *Cracker*. When her life ends, we will be lucky to be informed of it. Whatever happens to her, it will be tragic because we have all missed her but know we cannot allow her into our lives as she is now. And the chances of that ever changing is nil.

I still have that around here and intend to open it up and start using it. I will add pages if I must but that way, if my life ends suddenly, I will at least have left that much of my soul behind me. The idea of life going on without me makes me sad because of all I will miss but I do hope in another life to be reunited again with my family in some way. For now, I would love to live to see my Chewlee married with children of her own. Why not? That runs in the family. As long as I can keep my marbles intact, of course.

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and are in good health. Love you all and am sending hugs and smiles your way.
The thought for today is from Ralph Waldo Emerson: *Children are ALL foreigners*. So true!

Although I went to bed later than I had hoped, I woke up at a decent time. The Beast had actually made coffee and I was in the mood. We went out onto the deck since there was a nice breeze and the hummingbirds were feeding. I really love to watch them. There are two little ones that I think are females because they don't have any bright coloring on them that like to hover close to our heads and look at us. At least, that is what I assume they are doing. I can hear them when they come from behind me. They almost sound like big bees but the sound is just a teeny bit different.

The Beast wasn't feeling as good as he hoped but he always tries to push himself faster than is good for him. It makes him cranky. I knew this but I wasn't thinking about it a bit later when he got pissed at me for something I did not do and wasn't responsible for either. I won't go into the details but it all has to do with his deductible on his Medicare. I had to tear out a letter from his supplemental insurance (thank goodness I save them) to show him that he had NOT paid his deductible for the year. He would have if he had gone to the urologist like he was supposed to do back in March but....you can't tell a man anything. I even reminded him that HE is the one that always gets the mail (like I care who gets it?) and opens it. But, of course, everything is MY fault, right? Sure. Why not?

Anyway, it left me feeling a bit bad. My sis was busy and couldn't talk to me so I tried my girlfriend but she wasn't at home. I really, really needed someone to talk to then. Why? I guess just to vent a little or get a distant hug but it wasn't in the cards for me today.

Later on, when the Beast dragged himself out the door to run to the post office for some much needed stamps, he tried to make it up to me (he would NEVER apologize, god forbid!) by buying me lunch. He stopped at KFC and bought me a two piece, dark meat, crispy chicken meal. My fav! He got himself a pot pie there since he knows he won't be able to get them all the time and he just loves those since Bratfink told us about them. I accepted the meal but ate it at my desk. Yeah, that'll show him! Like he really cares, right?

When I am sick, I start to worry about the older of my two sons for some reason. Or maybe it's because it's been a while since I saw him and I didn't get to spend much time with him then. I know he's busy but I like to hear what he's doing and how he's feeling. I'm always a bit afraid to call him because he works for himself and doesn't keep regular working hours because of that. I also know he's still working on a *project* of his and I hate the idea of breaking his concentration if he happens to be doing that. So, instead, I rely on Buttmunch telling me if he's okay or not. Even SHE doesn't hear from him that often and he doesn't live all that far from her these days.

I'm not sure if I am getting Chewlee tomorrow or not. If the Princess is using her head, she won't bring her over if SHE is feeling good because we sure don't here yet. But, if she is using her heart, she will because I miss my little one.

I just found out that I won't see Chewlee tomorrow because Johnnycakes is going to keep her home since we are sick and he will be home. Apparantly the Beast stopped at the Princess's work to let her see and know and beg off so Chewlee won't get sick again. However, he IS planning on taking pictures of both her and Chewlee together on Sunday (a birthday present?). The Princess told me she blew Chewlee's hair dry after her bath and then straightened it slightly and was shocked at how long it was AND how cute it looked. So she says she will stop over for pictures and will *style* Chewlee's hair for it. Chewlee may love the attention to her hair (since she watches Mommy doing hers so it probably makes her feel grown up) but I am not sure how good she will be about sitting for a picture that will satisfy the *photographer* of the house. *sigh*

I am going to go ahead and get this posted early so I don't have to worry about it and I can just go ahead and keep watching my Harry Potter movies. I really love those. TV sucked today so that's what I am watching right now. I should be able to get them all done before I am ready for bed.

Hasta Manana ya'll! Love you and hope you have a wonderful day. Smile, it's good for your teeth and makes your face look younger and healthier.

The thought for today is: A bore is someone who bothers you when you want to be alone without providing you with company.

Hugs mi amigos!