So, I know you are wondering if my getting pissed off at the Beast had any real effect, right?  NONE whatsoever.  You expected different?  He left the house early this morning, while I was asleep, and headed for Huntsville again and his new favorite store.  He came home with a shitload of stuff for his muzzle loader, including some *quick loads*.  Those are actually special plastic containers that you can pre-load the requisite wadding, powder and a *bullet* in so you can quickly reload the gun (takes just seconds).  More $$$$ down the drain as far as *I* am concerned.  Just call me cranky.

It DID make me chuckle (to myself, of course) when the Beast got all ticked off at himself because he got the wrong size bullets for it.  It means he has to make ANOTHER trip to Huntsville to exchange them.  I have no pity on him.  He thinks because we owned muzzle loaders before that he knows it all.  Unfortunately, the modern muzzle loaders are a bit different but, of course, all HIS lessons are hard (and expensive) ones.

I spent most of the day today just playing games on Pogo and taking cat naps.  For some reason, I didn't sleep well last night so, although I slept long enough that I SHOULD have been rested, I wasn't.  Hence, the cat napping.  I was actually glad I didn't have Chewlee here because when a nap attack hit me, it REALLY hit me. 

One good thing....today we got RAIN!!!  Real honest-to-goodness cat-and-dog downpours.  The first wave was rather raucous and noisy.  Lots of wind, thunder and lightning.  But it didn't last long.  The later wave was just a heavy downpour that lasted about an hour or so.  A really good soaking for our parched earth here.  It didn't knock the heat down much but it felt a lot cooler, even if it was all in my mind.   

We lost both our internet and our TV, of course.  That's the big drawback to satellite systems.  Didn't bother me because I just watched one of my *Walking with Dinosaurs* dvd's that I hadn't watched yet.  I love those things.  Just wish I had more of them.  I just hate to even look with the way the Beast has spent money the last few months.  I'm not a retaliatory spender, either.  I just can't do that and be comfortable with myself.  I know it's silly in a lot of way but, hey!  That's me.

The Beast, as usual, was spending some time perusing the various hunting areas here in Alabama and he noticed that they seem to be different in each area.  He asked me to look at them and I had to agree with him.  Some areas have much longer *open* days than others.  I also noticed that there are different days for weapons other than guns, such as bows and...lo-and-behold, muzzle loaders.    Black powder guns?  OMG! 

True to his *enthusiasm*, the Beast pulls out the .50 calibre black powder rifle his dad made for him.  The problem with that one is it's a flintlock.  They are decidedly ... well, not reliable in their ignition time.  Trust me, the Beast suffered many bruised shoulders because of a delayed reaction before the powder ignited and finally fired the cartridge out of the barrel. 

The Beast decided he would take it in to this new place he found on the internet in Huntsville called *Gander Mtn. Guns and Hunting Equipment*, I think he said.  They advertised a gunsmith on site and he was going to see if he could have it changed into a percussion ignition.  That's one that uses a small dynamite-type caplet to ignite the black powder instead of a flint.  So off he goes to see what he can find out.

When he returned a couple hours later, he gave me the news.  Yes, it can be converted and they can order the parts to do it.  Bad news, the cost is around $200. plus would require re-drilling holes in stock to fit it properly.  The actual barrel needs to be refinished and that costs $100.  As I listened to him, I knew...I just KNEW what was coming next.  Before he could say anything, I said to him in my most sarcastic voice, *So, tell me....what was the cost of a BRAND NEW muzzle loader in comparison?*  He got this look on his face of delight and said, *What if I told you that I could get a brand new MODERN muzzle loader PLUS enough ammunition for it to allow me to sight it in AND have powder and bullets to last me through hunting season for $350.?* 

If you could have seen him standing there, just waiting for me to say, *Oh, well, of COURSE, you should get that!*  Instead, I threw up my hands and said to him, *Oh just fucking wonderful....another useless piece of shit for some hoped for deer and that's if you get your ass out of bed early enough in cold weather.  All this shit is for a big, whopping MAYBE!!!!!*  With that, I slammed my door and sat down just totally disgusted with him because I KNEW he had bought the MODERN muzzle loader just as well as I knew my own name.

He actually had the nerve (or the courage?) to trot into the room about 10 minutes later to show it to me.  Like I was supposed to be impressed and ooh-and-ahh over it.  When I wouldn't take it, he showed me some of the features of it.  I just stared at him.  He finally took the hint and left.  He spent the next couple hours on the deck doing the initial cleaning, etc. of it and left me alone.  I'm still so mad, I could strangle him.  I kid you not. 

He's the most self-centered, self-gratifying SOB on two feet.  He's the worst kind of spoiled child in the world because he's got access to cash and a credit card.  He sees no reason he shouldn't indulge his every whim.  He lives in a damn dream world over this hunting stuff.  If he gets a damn deer at all, I will be the most surprised person in the world.  He's too impatient and hyper and you must be patient and calm.  Neither trait is one he has.

Sorry to rave and rant like that but what else is a blog for?  I guess I will end this here and just wish you all a wonderful day and great weather.  We DID get a sprinkle this morning but nothing to write home about.  They say rain is headed in this direction but I'll believe it when I see it.  Love you all.

The Beast got some good news (for him).  It seems his brother is just as bad as he is about wanting something and getting it right NOW!  He wanted HIS softener/filter installed and he also planned on putting a new hot water heater in at the same time.  His wife decided she was tired of him gripping about his brother not getting there to install it so she hired a plumber to install them.  It's done.  Over with.  Finito.  It means the Beast doesn't have to go to his brother's house now. 

Yeah, I'm bummed out about it.  I really enjoy my time without him being underfoot plus, when the two of them (the Beast and Baron) get home after one of their sojourns, Baron is extremely well-behaved and less *energetic*.  I also thought that this time I would paint the guest bathroom and get that done since it doesn't seem to be on the Beast's to-do list and desperately needs it.  So, instead, I figure on doing a little selective nagging about it.  He will either get it done or he will get the hell out of Dodge for a while. 

I'm back to my normal type face and type size since I got some input about it being waaaaaay too big.  So, we are stuck with this, I guess.  Hope it works out for you all.

The day was really kind of boring.  I didn't get much sleep for some reason so I was up at 5:30am (again) and doing some wash.  I also cleaned out the fridge so the Beast could take that garbage out when he got dressed.  I started some chicken cooking for the dog since I wanted to get the rest of it packaged and in the freezer.

I did take a couple cat naps while I was waiting for clothes to dry.  I had planned on changing our sheets today but decided that tomorrow was soon enough.  At least I got everything that was washed and dried either hung up or folded and put away.  I talked the Beast into barbeque-ing a couple burgers for us then went and made up some shrimp salad instead.  We can both pig out on that so the burgers will wait for another day.

It was hot but clear all day.  Not a sign of rain anywhere.  After the rains we had last year, I never thought I would hope for rain.    The Beast got under the house to finish up the installation of the water softener.  He had to put some insulation on the water lines.  After the lines froze up on us last winter, he wasn't going to have to go through that again.  At least it was quick and easy so there wouldn't be any *duck walking* injuries. 

His brother's installation would have been tougher since that would have meant some new copper AND some welding.  I can almost imagine him dragging his welding tanks under THAT house.  I don't think there is as much room under it as we have here.  Good thing his brother's wife was a nurse or it would actually have worried me.  I was more worried about the fact that there is no ventilation under it.  It needs some vents cut into it and frames installed or some kind of grilles that can be opened in the warmer weather and closed for winter.  It WILL have to be done if they want to solve their mildew problem in the house.  Guess it will have to wait until some time down the road.

The Beast took out his ATV and ran the dog around the neighborhood.  It's hilarious how Baron is bound and determined to outrun it, no matter how he has to cheat.  Since he can't beat it with speed, he takes shortcuts.  It's hysterical that he MUST beat the ATV to the garage on the last lap home.  If our one neighbor ever puts a fence up on their property, it's going to really piss off Baron.

Time to get this ready for ya'll.  That's Southern for *you all*, in case you don't recognize my drawl.    Love ya and I hope you have a great Monday and an even better week. 

I am still experimenting with sizes on here so forgive me on that.  I just want to make it easier for people to read so bear with me until I find the right type and size.

Okay....the neon cap.  The Beast made a kind of *promise/bet*(?) to/with the man that owns the gun range that he wouldn't wear it at all until he got his favorite gun sighted in for 100 yards.  To further that whole picture, he also said if he couldn't get all his guns sighted in correctly, he would only wear it at the gun range.  If he DID manage to get them all sighted in correctly AND for 100 yards, then he could wear it at any time, any place.

Today, after taking the last two guns that needed it, he wore the damn thing home!    Yes, you got it!  He now has all his guns properly and correctly sighted in for 100 yards.  PLUS, he has managed to hit within the bullseye of their targets every time.  He even had an audience while he was doing it today.  He admitted it made him nervous because they all had target sights they were looking through at HIS target. 

I guess it's a man thing.  At least, it seems to be to me.  Maybe there are a few women around who like to hunt that will understand it better than I do but I am guessing there aren't many.  I congratulated him when he wore it into the house because I knew what that meant.

Now, he says, he can take out the older of my niece, Tara's, son to the range to start teaching him to shoot the gun.  He told the Beast (and his mother backed him up on it) that he really has always wanted to learn to hunt.  Not that the Beast KNOWS how to hunt but, at least, he can offer the opportunity.  The laws here in Alabama are a bit looser than they were in the previous state they lived.  It would please the Beast to have a male relative to take along with him.  I will be curious to see how he does.  I told him he should call Tara to let her know that he's ready for when the boys get back from visiting their dad.

I'm still not sure yet but I think the Beast might be preparing for going up to his brother's house.  He has to install his brother's water softener/purifier now that he's done ours and has seen how great it is.  I will admit that this has been one of the Beast's smarter ideas.  I've very pleased with what it's done for my glassware, silverware and, especially, for my skin.    I didn't expect that although I knew it would cut down on the amount of soap and shampoo we would need.  It's a real treat.

Chewlee was fun today.  She was as busy as a bee and flitted around the house just having fun.  I think she liked to have drove the Beast nuts at one point, though, because he yelled at her.  She just looked at him, put her finger over her lips and said, *Shhh, Papa.  Don't yell.*  She then continued doing what she had been doing except she stopped getting in his way.

When I finally made her sit down in my room, on my recliner with a pillow, she draped herself (on her stomach) over the arms of it and promptly fell asleep watching TV.  I knew she HAD to be tired.  She slept for over an hour and a half then woke up and told me she was hungry and she wanted noodles.  That meant she wanted chicken soup.

She ate a whole can of it then wanted her popsicle I give her after she eats.  She was about halfway done with it when her mother got here (earlier than I had expected) to pick her up.  The Princess helped herself to a popsicle, too, as they headed out the door.  Chewlee told me she was going to see all her friends.

She had been telling me earlier about her friends at her new house.  I gather she is really enjoying it there because there are a lot of kids of different ages that live there.  Plus, it seems, they like to hang out at Chewlee's.    It makes the Princess feel like she's some kind of soccer mom or den mother but I think she enjoys it, too.

We were supposed to get rain today.  Didn't happen.  I have no idea where it went from 70% chance to 50% chance and then nothing showed up at all.  It was very upsetting except to the Beast who managed to get out and get the backyard mowed and trimmed when it got cooler.  He says he's going to do the front and the other lot tomorrow.   

The only reason I can see him worrying about it is if he really is planning on heading for his brother's next week.  I figure he will tell me about it BEFORE he leaves...or at least, I hope so.  Actually, he may leave on Wednesday since that is the day we get *paid* our Social Security.  Our cash is low since we had auto insurance on the car due the beginning of the month.  Last month it was the truck, this month the car...sigh.  There's never an end to some sort of bill that eats up any extra, is there?

We got our invitation to the Beast's Aunt's 90th birthday party over the labor day weekend.  It's actually a week before the true birthday but her daughter felt it would be more convenient for everyone.  I forgot to mention to the Princess that she and Chewlee are invited, too (and their names are on the invite).  That way we (she, Chewlee and I) can drive up there on Sunday for the shindig and come home on Monday.  The Beast is going to take his ATV up on Friday so he and one of his nephews can have some fun by hitting some of the hills up there in those der mountains.

We all have favorite things.  Usually there are multiple favorite things under different categories like a favorite pair of shoes, a favorite dress, favorite perfume, et al.  I have several DVD's that fall into that category.  There are just certain ones I love and can play over and over without getting tired of them.  This is where my tragedy happened.

Thursday evening, I decided to watch one of my favorite collections and that was *Tremors*.  It's a sci-fi set about previously unknown underground giant worm-like creatures.  It came in a collection with the three Tremors movies (set in modern days) and a prequel that was made that kind of explained how the town originated and the very first time the *worms* were discovered.  I watched the first two...no problem.  I put in the third one and the DVD player kept telling me the disk had no auto-start.  I knew differently and couldn't for the life of me see why it suddenly was rejecting it.  Then I turned it over.      It had a crack in it that goes from the outside edge to the very end of the track.  I almost cried.

This was actually one of the first of MY DVD collection selections.  I found the complete set several years back and it was on sale for about $20.  I HAD to get it.  I had the same thing happen to my original *Independence Day* DVD.  I was afraid I would have a tough time finding a replacement like I did for *The Stand*.  THAT one was lent to one of the Beast's relatives and the second DVD to the set was never returned. (I didn't find that out until after we moved due to being quite ill for a while beforehand and not watching any of my DVD's).  However, I DID find (and order) there was an ample supply on Amazon.com.  It hasn't gone down much in price for the complete set (yes, I am getting the whole set AGAIN).  I hate doing it but it was almost as much just to replace the ONE DVD.   

Chewlee was funny today.  She has discovered the annoyance that asking *Why?* can be.  She had asked me a question and then kept asking me, *Why?* to my reply.  I finally looked over at her and she had this grin on her face that told me she KNEW she was starting to piss me off and thought it was funny.

We went to Walmart for a few things before we came home and she was pointing at things and telling me I should get some of that and when I had enough.  She only wanted me to buy four peaches, for example.  That worked for me since I picked up several different fruits.  She is a big fruit eater if given half a chance and I will have her all day on Saturday.  We went down the Barbie aisle (by mistake, trust me) and she surprised me because she wanted what she called the *baby Barbie* which is actually a little mermaid on a seahorse.  It is really cute and came with a tiny little brush that she is just crazy about.  Perfect for her hands but it's very tiny for mine.

The Beast got to wear his neon orange hat today.  Yes, he went to the gun range and got his favorite gun adjusted perfectly and hit his target at 100 yards.  He's so proud of himself because he finally figured out why it was screwing up on him whenever he tried adjusting it.  It seems he would fire several shots, which heated up the barrel.  He would make his adjustments based on those shots but, by the time he fired the gun again, it would have cooled down and the adjustment was all over the place.  It seems the barrels warp slightly if too many bullets are fired in a row.  But, when hunting, you don't fire a dozen shots (at least, let's hope not!).  Anyway, he's now the proud wearer of a neon orange ballcap.  He's so proud.  Go figure.

No rain today, despite the predictions on TV and Weatherbug.  However, tomorrow is a 70% chance of showers so I am hoping we finally get some.  My plants always do so much better with rain water.  Hope you all have a wonderful day, rain or shine.  It's Saturday so enjoy your weekend.  Love you all.  See you tomorrow. 

It finally hit triple digits here in NE Alabama today.  I don't know if it was official or not but the Beast has an outdoor/indoor digital temperature thingy set up with the outside temperature detector set underneath our deck (so the sun doesn't shine on it and give a false temperature).  It showed we got up to 100 in our backyard. 

Of all days, today the Beast decided NOT to turn on the AC but to open up the house.  I kind of expected it because we just paid the electric bill for last month and he had it on most of the month.  This is a game he plays.  He KNEW it was going to be scorching today.  What he had hoped for was for ME to ask him to turn it on.    What he keeps forgetting is that I like the heat.  HE is the one that can't take it.  Just about the time the temperature started dropping outside, he said to me, *What do you think?  Should I turn on the AC?*  I didn't say a word.  So he repeated the question to me while I walked past him and put on a fresh pot of coffee (THAT had to blow his mind!  ).  Still no comment from me.  I knew he wanted to turn it on BUT....he wanted to be able to blame me for a high electric bill next month. 

He came over to me and stood right in front of me and said, *Well?  What do you think?*  So *I* said to him, *Don't you think it's a bit late in the day for that?  If you wanted it on, you should have put it on earlier.*  (Notice I said if YOU wanted it on)  He then starts walking around, closing up the windows and doors and says, *Well, it's going to get muggy now*

I asked him why he thought it would get muggy since the humidity was only at 36% and we weren't going to get any rain.  His comment was a flat, *It always gets muggy after a hot day,*  Untrue.  Not when we haven't had any rain in a couple weeks and there are no clouds in the sky that look like rain clouds.  I think it ticked him off that I wouldn't BEG for it to be put on.  I know that he hates for it to be warm in the bedroom when he wants to sleep.  Even during the winter, the temperature is kept low at night for comfort sleeping.  But it has always annoyed him that I will still sleep with a blanket or comforter on me even when it's hot out and we don't have the AC on.  He's never been able to comprehend how I can do that.  I swear, he believes I do it just to annoy him.

He went to the gun range again today to sight-in another of his guns but this time for 100 yards.  He actually thought he missed the target.  What happened was all his shots were in such a tight circle, he thought only one had hit.    He had a huge grin on when he came home even though his nose got sunburned.  He DOES wear a hat (baseball-type) when he shoots but somehow his nose (and it's not a big one) manages to get sun no matter what.  He also bought himself one of those neon orange ones but says he won't wear it until he hits the 100 yard target with his favorite gun.  *Insert eyeroll here*  Men!  They can be truly weird at times.

The man that owns the range is from Chicago so he and the Beast get along extremely well.  They are about the same age and have lots of things in common.  I think sometimes the Beast goes there to shoot more because he can talk his *doomsday coming* stuff with him and get feedback on it.  I guess the guy told him he can't believe the number of guns he's selling and the people practicing because they think *bad times comin'*.  Neither one of them are sure if they mean the economy (and are worried about eating so they figure on shooting deer this season) or something worse.  Who knows? 

I just tell the Beast, hope for the best and prepare for the worst can mean a lot of different things.  I have been purchasing seeds for various veggies...it makes the Beast feel better and it might actually get him to start rototilling an area of the yard PROPERLY for next year.  We need for some sand to be added and some lime and the ground tilled fine with all the rocks removed.  I told him, he could probably get Tara's boys to help out once he showed them what to do or ask Tonto to come over and give him a couple $$ for helping out.  He agreed it should be done so I am hoping that his bit of paranoia might help me get some things done *I* want done.

The Beast was moaning and groaning that the grass needs cutting and he needs to spray his trees again but he doesn't dare do it in this heat.  I told him to either get out there early or do it once the sun gets behind the trees in back of us (that's the west side of the house and property).  The trees are about 40-50 ft. tall and it would still leave him a couple hours of daylight.  He made no comment so who knows?  I know he could mow the grass except for the fact that the heat just destroys him.  That's when I suggested he ask Tara's boys to do it.  They have both driven the John Deere although I would prefer the older of the two do it just because he's more organized than his younger brother.

Of course, the Beast hates to pawn off work he thinks he should do mainly because of pride.  He just HATES the fact that he can't *tough it out* like he did PRE-strokes.  I tell him that it gives the boys a chance to make a couple bucks and saves him for more important stuff he needs to do but I don't think he is swallowing that. 

I told you the Beast decided we are making our own cigarettes now, didn't I?  We have a top-of-the-line cigarette maker and it's actually very easy to do.  I sat down and filled 200 tubes while watching a movie and talking to Bratfink.  That lasted me a long time.  The interesting thing about it is that the tubes we buy and fill don't have those damn strips in the paper that will put it out.  I now find that smoking a commercial cigarette (I still have a couple packs laying around here) is annoying as hell because of constantly having to relight them.  I truly don't mind this money-saving idea of the Beast's.  What IS funny is that the Beast, as always impatient, can't seem to do more than a day's worth of his cigarettes at any time.  It just cracks me up that he finds it tedious and boring. 

Chewlee has decided that she and Papa are sharing his chair.  She gets it when she comes here after school until her mother picks her up.  What's funny is the Beast lets her claim it!    She sits there, rocking, eating a snack and watching her programs.  She still will give her mother a hard time about leaving but she's just pretending and thinks it's funny.

The Princess was really pissed today.  It seems her windshield has a crack in it now and will have to be replaced.  She's still waiting on the check from the police departments insurance company for the repairs needed from the cop crashing into her.  She feels the car is jinxed.  It was hit when she had it two weeks.  It got mangled from the tornado.  It got hit by a cop.  She feels it is a riding target or something and she's come to hate it.  I think once all the repairs are done, she's going to want to turn it in.  She's been talking about getting a truck (so she can haul her own ATV) but then she said she thinks she's going to sell it because she really bought it mainly for Johnnycakes to use when he went hunting with the Beast or his dad. 

The Beast just can't go a day without some kind of project as I've noted before.  Even though he was hurting (although not as bad as yesterday), he just HAD to pick replacing the faucet in the guest bathroom for today's.  I am well aware of the way you have to lay INSIDE the cabinet section in order to undo the old one and then installing the new one.

I tried to talk him out of it.  I told him that he would regret not letting himself heal before attempting that.  He thought, *It's an easy project.  Just unfasten the old one and install the new one*.  He couldn't have been more wrong (or me, more right!)

What he felt would take him maybe 20 minutes turned into almost a 2 hour nightmare.  Nothing ever seems to go right for him.  He ended up having to cut the straight rod that is part of the plug setup.  He put a fitting on upside down so had to undo a bunch of stuff in order to change that.  The piping leaked so he had to undo all of it because of where it was leaking from!  Like I said, a nightmare.

The worst part is that *I* was the one that got wounded while trying to help him.  I was trying to hold the lip of the drain to keep it from turning when he was attempting to tighten the fitting underneath the sink.  When he got ready to tighten it down good, he neglected to say anything so it spun and the metal cut into two of my fingers.  It feels like paper cuts except deeper.  I had a tough time stopping the bleeding.  Figures, doesn't it?

I can't tell you how many times he had to stuff himself into the cramped area due to the close proximity of the wall nor how many times he had to get up and down.  He's paying for it now.

Of course, once he had taken the faucet apart, he was committed because of Chewlee.  There is no way in hell she would have let THAT opportunity to be curious pass her by.  Now he has stiffened up just like he did from his crab walk underneath the house.  He's in pain and totally miserable.  Know what?  I have absolutely NO sympathy for him.  I DID try to change his mind and I warned him.  But, what do *I* know?    Serves him right.

I picked up Chewlee from preschool and the first thing I noticed was that she was a bit quieter than she normally is.  I have a feeling she played hard all day and probably didn't nap once again.  She has been sitting, quietly, in Papa's chair, watching TV since we got here.  That was almost an hour ago and she finally asked for some juice.  That's normally the first thing she asks for. 

Poor Bratfink is really suffering with the heat.  She has the window AC in her room but it limits what she can do during the day (and how long I get to talk to her online, too).  I somehow doubt that being prone most of the day is good for her although it might help her knees and hip a bit.  I'll be glad when they can finally get the AC for the house fixed.  I miss having her to chat with, off-and-on, during the day.  Our contact seems to be mainly later in the evening nowadays.

The Beast decided that he wanted to try one of the DiGiorno pizzas after all the television ads he's seen so he picked up one at the store.  This one is the garlic bread four cheese pizzas and we will be trying it out tonight.  I'll let you know what I think.

The Princess got so disgusted with my cell phone reception (I rarely get even two bars.....Nextel sucks! at least in this area), she is getting me an AT&T one on her account....or so she says.  I haven't gotten it yet because she says she is BUSY at work and has other things to do.  I was thinking about saying that to her when she calls me to find out what I have here for her free (as well as prepared and ready for her when she gets here) lunch. 

The Beast took his bath to try to loosen up his leg muscles and then had me stretch his leg for him.  As bad as he says it feels, I got it to a better point than when I did it yesterday.  He will probably be much better tomorrow.  That's just experience talking.

Gotta get this posted now.  Love you all.  Have a great day and I hope you get a wonderful night's rest.  May there be angels on your pillow. 

Ever wake up, halfway screaming in the night because you have either leg cramps or charlie horses?  Welcome to my world.  I woke up at 4:30am with the muscle at the front of my leg contracting HARD on me.  On my opposite leg, I had foot muscles contracting and pulling my foot over to the outer edge.  I couldn't put that foot down without groaning at the pain of it and I had to fight to straighten up the other leg so I could try to walk.

The Beast was suffering from tightening of his left leg muscles from *crab walking* when he was working under the house to install the water softener.  That's the leg that has never fully recovered from his strokes.  So he was trying to soak the leg in hot bath water, then applying Icy Hot to it and having me *stretch* his leg as we learned when he was undergoing PT after his strokes.

He had been moaning and groaning all night when he tried to turn over or on his side.  But he could do it without fully waking himself up.  I was not so lucky.  I think it contributed to MY problems since I had been on my feet more than usual with chores and watching Chewlee.  I don't just watch her, it's a participatory day.  If she is on her stomach (looking through the DVD's in the new rack that I have put there for her), *I* must get down there with her to help her decide which one she wants to watch.  That's the least of it. 

I stumbled out of the bedroom, trying not to fall on my face and sat on a kitchen chair and kneaded the leg muscle for a while until it loosened up enough for me to stand on it without screaming and waking the neighbors.  I made some coffee, grabbed a cup and went into my computer room.  After sitting down, I kneaded the muscle some more and then applied Icy Hot to it and wrapped it in my short, warm robe.  When I felt I could move without sending it into spasms, I laid back in my recliner with my legs elevated and fell asleep for a couple hours.

I felt better when I woke up, although the muscles were sore from contracting so severely.  The Beast, however, looked like some kind of comedy routine when he got up and tried to walk.  You would have thought the left leg was a foot shorter.    I know that sounds awful but it IS funny to watch even if you feel bad because you know it's very painful.

It didn't keep him from going to the gun range to check out his newest rifle since it had the scope installed on it.  He thought forcing the leg by using it would help.  It didn't.  I am still having to listen to him moan and groan.  I keep telling him he had better learn to deal with things *as they are* and not as *he would wish them to be* so he can avoid this shit.  It's kind of like pissing in the wind with him, however.  He wants what he wants and there's no telling him otherwise.  That's why his body punishes him.  It will be a couple more days before he's over THIS.

I am feeling much better.  I have no clue why my legs do this on occasion.  I take vitamins daily (the Senior Citizen type) so it's not lack of potassium.  I have been told that lack of good sleep will do that to you in some form or another and I am kind of guessing that might be it.  It's taking me longer to fall asleep lately due to the excessively loud snoring the Beast is doing.  Since he often spends 15 minutes or more with bouts of sneezing every morning, I am guessing that he has some allergy or other that is probably causing it to be worse than normal.  His snoring, I mean.

I had to run out to do some chores today and, since I can walk properly now, I was the one that dragged out the garbage can for tomorrow's pickup.  The Beast tried like hell to make me feel sorry for him but, since I have warned him about this stuff before, he finally gave up trying to get me to wait on him, hand and foot.  Screw that shit!  I used to do it after he first was recovering from his strokes since he was still testing out his limits.  But not any more.  If he refuses to accept those limits, I refuse to be solicitous.

I made him a good dinner and filled his plate for him so that should suffice.  He walked the empty plate over to the sink and didn't even try to wait for me to come out of my room to get ME to take it over.    Taking the garbage out to the end of the drive was plenty.  That's one of HIS jobs, normally.

Well, time to get this posted.  Love you all and I wish you a great day.  Enjoy the short work week (for those of you in the good ole' US of A). 

Today was one of those strange days.  I went to bed early so I would wake up early and I did.  I think it was about 7:30am. when I got up and made some fresh coffee.  Shortly thereafter, the Beast dragged his sorry butt out of bed.  He looked like hell.    I don't think he had a good night.

I was reading emails and deleting spam while drinking my coffee when the Princess called me.  She and I hadn't thought about the fact that the preschool would be closed today like many other businesses.  She was on her way to drop off Chewlee for the day.  Oh well.  I'm just glad my doctors appointment was for tomorrow and not today.  Tuesday is the Princess's day off so I don't even have to pick Chewlee up from school. 

Since the Beast felt as bad as he looked, I gather, he decided he was going to clean the guest bathtub with CLR.  We discovered that, since it is a *green* product, it was safe to use on any surface.  Which kind of amazes me since it works as well as it does.  He had used it on our bathtub and discovered that it made our tub enclosure look like it was brand new.  It did the same thing for the guest bathtub.  Both are fiberglas units.

The big problem he had with it was the best way to clean the sides is to be naked in the tub with the shower on.  This is kind of chancey with Chewlee around.  So he hedged his bet and kept his underwear on and, sure enough, Chewlee had to see what Papa was doing in there with the water running.  She was puzzled why he would take a shower in his *clothes* AND when it smelled so *nasty*, as she put it.  I told her it was the cleaner he was using and she then looked at me and said, *Gross!*  Cracked me up!!!

After cleaning the toilet and the top of the sink, he took a short nap.  Then he took a REAL shower in our room (with the door locked  ) and got dressed.  His other big job of the day was to try to find a burn barrel.  They are used here by most people to burn leaves, cardboard boxes and small branches.  The problem is finding one.  Some of them are just 55 gallon drums and others look like they were pressed by a waffle iron for better circulation of air (and better burning but lots and lots of sparks flying everywhere!).  He checked at Lowe's and at Tractor Supply but was told his best chance was at a garbage dump.    No one sells them???  Wow.  I found that hard to believe.

He did, while he was at Lowe's, buy a new faucet for the guest bathroom.  It's really pretty with white china handles.  The (cheap) one that was put in the house when it was built has started making all kinds of nasty noises when you turn on the hot water.  That will be one of his projects for another day, however.

Chewlee and I had a dinosaur and monster day today when she wasn't eating and watching Sponge Bob or Dora.  It went from Prehistoric Planet to Godzilla to Jurassic Park and then back to a different Godzilla movie.  She is starting to watch different Godzilla movies lately, which I appreciate.  I am really tired of watching the two I have with *baby 'Zilla* in them.

A couple times, the Beast disappeared on me.  It just struck me as unusual because he usually tells me if he's going to be outside doing something or if he's running to the store.  First he was gone, then the truck was back but he wasn't anywhere in the house.  He was out in the garage, with the light out, working on something with his back to the door into the house. 

Since he was sitting down, I couldn't imagine what it was he was doing so I opened the door and asked him.  He was very quiet for a few minutes and then said, *I'm putting together this gun sight aligner*.  I raised my eyebrow and just said, *I see!* and he had the courtesy to look a bit embarrassed.  It was another piece of gun equipment he had purchased without mentioning it to me.  And, after I saw what it was and how it was made, I KNEW it had been expensive.  That was why he hoped I didn't catch him at it because he could then say he had it for a while.  But, since I caught him assembling it, that possibility was out the window. 

Once Chewlee left with her mother to go walk for a while (the Princess has started running a couple miles every day and then finishes with a walk for her cool down), I halfway expected to just fall over, exhausted.  But, I found myself actually feeling pretty good.  I managed to straighten up some of her things she hadn't had a chance to put away and I straightened out the guest bed that she had *tried out* as she told me.    This will be another evening she goes to bed early for her mother since she never napped, just stayed quiet for about an hour or so.

The reason the Princess is running and walking is to get in shape for a trip to Las Vegas as a birthday present from Chewlee's paternal grandfather.  She got a heck of a deal on the flight and hotel.  She is bound and determined to go up and down the strip and play at least one game in every hotel and casino there.  I wished her luck on that one.    I've been there and that was before the town about doubled in size.  Plus, some of the hotels are such works of art and have so much to see, she will end up losing time looking around.  Watch and see. 

It's had a couple good effects on the Princess.  She is losing the little bulge she had at her waistline and her calves have more shape to them.  Her legs have tightened up, too.  She made me start working on my exercises just from seeing the positive results she has gotten.  Mine have nothing to do with running or walking but, done regularly, they are just as helpful on an old fart like me. 

Today is July 4th here in the United States.  A holiday we celebrate because it is the official day our Declaration of Independence from England was signed.  Close enough, anyway, if you don't want to get trivial.  A lot of families area celebrating with barbeques, picnics, boating on the lake and other recreational activities.  Me?  I am cleaning the rug in my computer room.