That's one of the bad things about kids in any school situation.  They pass along and pick up all kinds of little illnesses; some are minor, others are serious.  It's just a good thing that they recover so well.  That's something we lose as we grow older.  I would love to have that ability back again.  Heck, even to have my boo-boo's heal as fast as hers does would be wonderful.  I'm a bit concerned about her right now because she has been complaining a lot about her tummy hurting her.  Not just with this fever but off-and-on the past couple of weeks.  I'm beginning to wonder if there might not be more to it than a simple *kid* thing.

She went right to Papa's chair and laid down to watch Sponge Bob.  I gave her some juice in a sippy cup and she took a couple sips and then put it on the side table next to her while she laid her head down on the arm of the chair.  She fell asleep shortly afterward. 

When she woke up, she was still very warm so I gave her some Children's Ibuprofen.  She gave me no problem taking it and laying back down again.  When I licked my fingertips, I understood why.  The stuff tastes like orange sherbet.    Her teacher had told me that she hadn't eaten any breakfast and she had refused any lunch telling them both times that *she wasn't hungry, thank you*.  She always gets very sweet and gracious when she's ill.

Later on, when the fever had gone down thanks to the ibuprofen, she got more active (of course) and we went outside for a while.  The Beast was burning some cardboard in the fire pit and she was very concerned about making sure Baron didn't get too close to it.  Of course, our concern was that SHE wouldn't but she did want to hand the cardboard that was already cut up to the Beast.  I wouldn't allow it and so she satisfied her need to do something by watering the tomato plants in the boxes on the patio and then swatting flies.  She can keep herself amused indefinitely with that alone since she still hasn't mastered hitting them before they are able to fly away.  The flies were so annoying that I finally fixed the *Little Stinky* fly catcher and set it on the table.  I find it incredibly funny that they can fly INTO the container but are not able to fly out of it.  I can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that they can't just walk to the little circular holes they fly INTO the jar and fly OUT of it.  Go figure.

The Beast got about a third of the yard mowed and figures he can do the rest of the lawn (front and lot next door) between tomorrow and Sunday.  Since we are having Easter dinner here Sunday afternoon (early  so that the Princess can be there for it.  She works from 3:30pm until they close), I told the Beast he could always enlist one of Tara's sons to help.  They are both old enough to drive now so they will have no problem with driving the John Deere around.  I think they might even enjoy it.  At least, they used to....LOL.

He's making plans for putting up a framework on the decks foredeck for the grapes and to enable me to put up hanging baskets.  I want to hang flowers that are both natural food for the hummingbirds and butterflies but also are attractive.  It will help block some of the setting sun's rays when we sit out there in the afternoon, too.  We will just need to be vigilant in keeping the grape vines trimmed so they don't grow like crazy all over the place.  He's making the trip to Huntsville's Home Depot tomorrow to pick up a couple concord grape vines since they have them in stock and he wants to get them while they do.  He said he will get them planted before Monday since he has no clue how long before he will feel up to it otherwise.  Ditto for the framework but he will have plenty of time for that part of it.

I'm making a nice ham (of course) for Sunday's dinner along with mashed potatoes, some cauliflower with cheese sauce, a nice salad, some crispy rolls and a jello fruit combo that Tara said she would make for us.  I will probably make other things, too, but I just haven't decided WHAT....  I was actually thinking about making REAL baked beans from scratch.  I haven't done that in about 15 years.  I just have to start it on Saturday so it's ready by Sunday afternoon.  The Princess is coming over early on Sunday to help me peel potatoes and anything else I might need done.

The hospital finally called and wants the Beast there by 11am on Monday.  That will give them the time they need to get him ready for his surgery.  I'm hoping we get to talk to the doctor (I mean both of us, not just the Beast) so I can ask a couple questions I know the Beast won't. 

True to his nature, the Beast is now frantically trying to get things done around here that he feels MUST be done before his surgery.  Some I agree with, like mowing the lawn.  After the rain we've had, it really needs it.  Others, I believe are NOT worth killing yourself over.  He built two planters for alongside the barn that stretches from front to back.  He's claimed half of it for his two berry bushes and left me the other half for flowers.  Now he says he needs to make two more boxes (4x12's) to form a *U* with his berries at the bottom of the U.  I told him that was kind of an overkill but he *has plans*.  I think he wants to plant black beans there.  I noticed he has some peat pots planted and, when I asked him what he had in them, he said, *black beans*.  He loves black bean soup but has never displayed a yen for them so I have no idea what's prompted this fascination.  He told me they can be either frozen or canned.  I just reminded him that I want an upright freezer before all this stuff ripens.

He actually went out and bought a little refrigerator that he promptly emptied a spot in MY computer room closet to put it in.  His idea is that it can run on solar power without drawing a whole lot of energy and we can keep some things cool in it.  It even has a small freezer section.  He's not fooling me.  That's for his milk.  What he will do if everything goes to hell in our economy and he finds he can't buy his homogenized milk any more is going to be something to see.  I have nonfat dry milk here for emergencies (I always have kept some from way back when we prepared for hurricanes in Florida) but he's not a nonfat kind of guy.  I really should find out what can be added to it to beef up the flavor a bit besides his chocolate.  He must have five or six of those big round containers of Nestle's out in the garage.  He says he can go without coffee as long as he has tea but there's no substitute for his Nestles. 

Poor Chewlee was sick this morning so I was not prepared for being awoken as early as the Princess and Chewlee showed up.  I felt small, cold finders and someone whispering my name.  I whipped over quickly and yelled, *Boo!* expecting it to be Chewlee but it was the Princess and I really had scared her.  I laughed myself silly over that.

She had to go to class this morning, either for a test or some such thing but she said she would be back to pick her up afterward.  Chewlee just wanted to curl up with me on my recliner (with me holding her) while we watched Sponge Bob together and even fell asleep for a bit.  About two hours later, the Princess came to get her and told her she would give her some medicine when they got home (Chewlee was running a slight fever) and they could lay down together on the couch, which Chewlee wanted to do she said.

I expected her to be dropped off around 3:30pm since the Princess was scheduled to work but, when she didn't, I figured she called into work and stayed home with Chewlee.  When Chewlee gets sick, like any child, she wants her mommy.  She may love Grandma but she wants her mommy first and foremost.  It doesn't hurt my feelings but I know the Princess can't take any additional time off work.  Since Johnnycakes is moving out, she will have to pay all the utilities, etc. while attending college with a full schedule.  She desperately wants to continue and get her teaching degree for Math (which makes more sense to me since she always excelled at Math, rather than the social studies she originally thought she wanted to teach).  She DID tell me that demand for math teachers played it's part in that decision.

I sure hope that the next *man* in her life is a real man.  One that is ready to make a real commitment and not just one born of lust or whatever passes for love these days.  She needs one that is ready to be a father, even if it is a stepfather position.  He's got to really love kids and understand that they are NEVER perfect but they all are a source of wonder if you truly love and understand that they are all individuals from birth.  I also hope he will enjoy doing things together, as a couple and as a family.  I just want her and Chewlee to be happy.

News from the Brother is that they are still without electricity.  There are power poles at the rear of his property and, in order to access them, it will require partial removal of his fence.  The sad part is that HE will be responsible for re-erecting it after they do their *thing* and get everyone their power back.  When the Brother had the fence put up, no one thought to tell him that he should have a large access gate because of the *access* he has to provide to the utility companies.  It's in the deed but few people think of that.

The Beast's surgery is scheduled once again.  This time for Monday, the 25th at 1pm.  We don't know what time the hospital will want him to show up so they can prep him for it but they should call us tomorrow or Friday.

I'm very torn about this.  He needs it and lord knows we want that tumor gone but....  The doctor told me that if they have to go into the lining of the bladder, it will mean a permanent catheter.  I know my husband.  He will hate it beyond understanding.  He will never come to terms with the very idea of it.  I find myself wishing that, should that happen (penetrating of the lining), that he dies instead of lives.  For his sake because it would make him suicidal and, with all the guns we have here, I just can't face that idea.  Besides, it really makes a mess. 

The idea that I would prefer him to die rather than be faced with the prospect of a permanent catheter seems just awful to me.  We've been together now since 1960 and we married in 1964.  That's a lot of history.  We've raised four kids, a couple siblings and grandkids at differemt times and for various durations.  We traveled all over the country with our kids.  We camped in 38 of 50 states and had fun doing it.  We started a successful business together.  I nursed him through two strokes and we built the house of our dreams together, too.  We ended up retiring, not in the house of our dreams but in the summer home we had bought for the Beast to spend his summers in rather than suffer through Florida's summer heat and humidity.  If we had known it would end up happening that way, we would have bought a bigger house. 

It hasn't been all peaches and cream.  He was a functional alcoholic for several years and was both physically and mentally abusive.  The strokes put an end to both, thank God.  But the good times outweighed the bad ones.  I found a kind of peace and contentment in our life together, especially at this, the end game of our lives.  I can live without him if I must.  The opposite wouldn't be true, sad to say. 

I've given it a lot of thought and I pray that the surgery, which includes the removal of half his prostate, is successful.  Say a little prayer for him on Monday, won't you?  Because if it's not, I wish.................

Mother Nature has a perverse sense of humor.  I think she's trying to drown our gardens and topple our trees.  The ground is so saturated that we had a couple of our trees actually pull up out of the ground and fall over from the high winds.  No real damage done but the Beast had to get them reburied and secured.  He decided to anchor them using some large screw anchors instead of just stakes.  It's a good thing because now we are going to get more damn rain, thunderstorms and high winds, too.  *Sigh* 

When we first bought this house, Alabama was going through it's fifth or sixth year of a drought.  Then the heavens opened up and it rained, and rained, and rained...ad infiinitum.  By the following year, the drought was broken and that year saw all the waterfalls here in Alabama (and there is a shitload of them ) were back to falling in full splendor.  But then the state started getting MORE rain than was normal and we were wet, wet, wet.  That was the cause of the fungus, which normally is kept under control by long periods of dry weather.

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!  (Well, more like hot off the cell phone from the Brother's wife).......

The Brother had a storm emergency that hit his home while he was enjoying the basketball playoffs with the Beast (or at least pretending to enjoy it since he's never really been a sports fan).  They had a hellacious storm go through southern Illinois along with high winds and the threat of tornadoes.  A huge tree fell down in his front yard and the utility pole at the side of his house fell down and there's no electricity to the house and wires all over his deck!  His wife isn't strong enough to get the generator started and he's got a freezer full of meat plus he had just stocked up the fridge in the house before he left.  He knows it will all be fine but it does mean that his wife won't have her required coffee/heart start in the morning (they only have an electric one and the stove is electric, too, so that doesn't matter).  He should be arriving home, barring any unforeseen incidents or obstructions, around 4:30am Central Time.

I was glad he had taken a nice, long nap late this afternoon or it might have been more of a hardship and worried me more.  He promised to pull over in a rest area if he gets tired.  I filled up his thermos and his thermal cup with coffee, gave him some cheese and crackers to nibble on and he said he can always grab something sweet if needed when he stops for gas.

*************************************************************************************************
The above storm front is the same one headed our way.  They (the weather center) have labeled it a dangerous storm.  Some areas of a couple states have been hit with tornadoes but there wasn't any news yet about the damage caused when the local and national news was on.  I'm just hoping Mother Nature goes easy on us here.  Say a little prayer for us, won't you?

The Beast and the Brother went off to the doctors this morning, bright and early.  The Beast, as you know, was scheduled to take a nuclear stress test.  When they got home, shortly before noon (they had stopped for breakfast and then at KFC for me), I was regaled with all the details of his tests.  The one that scared him was the one where they gave him a shot of something that increased his heart rate suddenly.  The nurse had told him he might find it difficult to breathe for a bit and his heart would race.  When it hit him, his heart was pounding out of his chest and he grabbed the nurse's arm (he thinks it might have been a bit hard) and said, *Where the hell did you get this stuff?  Was it tested on the Jews at Auschwitz or something?* 

The nurse told him not to worry, they would give him the shot that counteracted it right away.  And they did.  He said the nurse kept giggling.  He thinks it was at his joke under extreme duress.  After all the tests were done, they sent him home without his knowing if he had passed or failed.  The nurse said the doctor would review it all when .....and this is key.....he got in.  The Beast said, *Of course!  I should have guessed.  Why would he come in so damn early?*

When they finally called to give him the good news, it was after 2:30 pm and he never asked if they were going to contact his doctor so they could reschedule his surgery.  When I called his urologist's office, I got their fax number and then tried to call the cardiologist's office.  Figures they close at 4 pm so I have to wait until tomorrow to give it to them.  If we had been able to do it today, he might have been able to get on the surgical schedule this Wednesday.  *sigh*  Guess it will be another week or two now.

The Beast and his brother spent the day bonding, as brothers do when together.  We did find out something incredible however.  It makes me very happy to announce that they are OPENING AN ALDI'S IN GADSDEN!!!!    I know!  Actually, it's open but they haven't fully stocked the place nor gotten it staffed like it should be.  But, it's there and, in a couple weeks, the Beast and I will be making the trip down there to see how it compares to the one's we've been to in Illinois. 

That's pretty much the gist of the day.  It was gorgeous outside and the Beast and the Brother inspected all the trees and the garden once again.  I had been out to check on Chewlee and my flower bed and the couple fruit trees that I have a particular interest in.  They are looking wonderful....so far.

The Brother arrived around 3:30pm.  Chewlee knew who he was and got so excited!  She ran in to tell me he was here, grabbed my hand and proceeded to drag me out into the kitchen thinking I was going to miss him.  He was not too tired, however, not to accompany the Beast to Lowe's to *pick up a few things*.  That's all the information *I* got from the Beast so I knew he was going to be bringing home something I was not going to be happy about.

And I was right.  He brought home a blueberry bush AND some potato starts...white potatoes.  That's the Brother's influence because their father, when he was alive, used to have potatoes in his garden.  It's not like the Brother planted them or took care of them but he's an expert now on them.  *I* am not an expert but I do know that, like watermelons and cantaloupes, they take up a lot of room and they will take over an area if left neglected for even just a week!

We got a chance to talk after the Beast had gone to bed and he's very concerned over the health issues his brother is having.  Or, should I say *discovering* since there has never been a hint of a heart problem even before or after his strokes.  The Brother's wife is a retired nurse (she had to retire due to a severe work related injury that was exacerbated by a car accident when they were rear-ended a few years back) and, when she found out he had to undergo a stress test, got concerned because one of them she said can be difficult to recover from.  Since they knew I took care of Chewlee and the Beast will be there for HOURS, they figured I wouldn't be able to go along with him.  What they didn't know, and the Beast never told them, was the doctor's fact sheet discourages bringing someone along and states clearly that there would be no problem with them driving home after the test.  That would have reassured the Brother that the tests the Beast will be taking (actually it's a couple tests) was not the one that they were concerned about.  However, the Brother said it wouldn't have mattered.  He would have come anyway.

Chewlee spent the majority of the couple hours I had her here with her Papa and her uncle outside.  She walked along with them looking at the garden, worried constantly about ants.  She's terrified of them since she was stung by red aunts a couple summers ago.  She freaks out if any ant gets on her, even if they aren't the kind that bite.  She sat at the table on the deck with them and drew while they talked.  She would run into the house (I was busy folding clothes and other things since I took advantage of the accidental babysitters ) to excitedly tell me about different things that were said to her or that she saw or even just for a popsicle or juice.  By the time they came in, it was getting kind of cold outside and it wasn't too long before the Princess would be coming to pick her up.  I threw in the movie she wanted to watch (the Pinocchio one that the Boy sent her) and we watched that.  It finished shortly before it was time to leave and she was totally engrossed during it.  She LOVED it.  It wasn't the Disney cartoon but the one with Martin Landau as Gepetto and Jonathan Taylor Thomas (as Pinocchio...as a boy of course). 

She wanted something to eat so I gave her some of the Pina Colado jello that I had added some pineapple chunks to when I made it yesterday.  She was crazy about it.  I had given her kind of a restaurant sized serving and she wanted more.  She just finished when her mother got there.  I had to promise to save it for her before she finally grabbed her tee-tee and went to run out the door. 

And that's all for now, folks.  The guys are in bed and this is overdue to be posted.  Love you all and I really hope you had a good weekend.  I hope you didn't suffer any damages if you were hit by the storms these past couple of days.  Have a great Monday! 

Today Chewlee was here early.  By early, I mean before the mailman got here so she was just thrilled when the box from *Auntie Bratfink* got here.  She knew that we were both getting surprises from her and she couldn't control her excitement when the Beast carried it into my computer room.  She said, excitedly, *Open it, Gramma....open it.*  Then she ran to get me the scissors so I could cut the tape.

Of course, right on top was the stuff for Chewlee.  It was the cutest childrens book called *The Rooster* and, if you spread out both covers, the *fur* that covered the book had attached to it felt pieces that helped make up the looks of a rooster (easily recognizable).  She grabbed that, clutched it to her chest and said, *Oh this is wonderful!  It's for ME!*  Even if it hadn't been for her, it would have been hers, if you know what I mean.    I pulled out the pad of paper that was for her, a cute candy cane pen with a little elf that slides down and around it...it's almost a foot long, mind you...and some Crayola markers (erasable and washable, thank goodness).  I claimed those as MINE because she has to be closely watched when she uses them.  I did, however, tell her that Gramma would share them with her.  She also sent along some of the empty holders used for cd's and dvd's to put the ones the Beast makes in.  She even sent along some big colored dots that can be used to mark the ones that belong to Chewlee for her.  Chewlee was all for marking all the holders right them!

My darling, wonderful, amazing sister sent me an early birthday present (I will, unfortunately, turn 65 in June) of three sets of queen size sheets...Egyptian cotton!    And, get this!  They come with FOUR pillow cases.  I was totally floored by that.  I usually have to buy an extra set of two pillow cases whenever I buy sheets so that I have enough of them for the pillows we use.  I thought that was an incredibly different and thoughtful gift.  I LOVE sheets and blankets.  I have all my life.  Most people know I am a blanket junkie.  In fact, I had so many when we moved from Port Charlotte that I gave away comforters to my son, Marcus Aurelius and each of his three kids and it barely made a dent at the time.  I gave one to my daughter, Buttmunch and I believe I gave one or two to my niece, Tara.  I don't remember if I gave one to Mustachio or not but...no matter...I have two I don't use any more if he needs one at any time in the future. 

She also sent me a really cute dorm shirt that says *Love* on it.  When Chewlee saw it, she said, *Oh look, Gramma...it has your name on it in pretty flowers!*  I told her it said *Love* because Auntie Bratfink is my sister and she loves me.  Chewlee threw her arms around my neck and said, *I love you, too!* and gave me a hug and a kiss.  It was a fun few minutes.

Chewlee wouldn't let me touch her book, not even to read it to her.  She told me it was a *night-night* book so she would read it when she went to bed when it got dark outside.  That brought a smile to my face.  Even when she went to draw in her notebook, her candy cane pen and her book were right beside her.  When I reached for the book, she quickly put her hand on it and told me *NO!  It's MY book.*  She would hear no argument from me that would convince her to give it over to me.  She did, however, decide SHE would show it to ME but I couldn't touch it.  She then got down off the chair, came over and put it in my lap as she turned the pages and pointed out all the other animals in it.  When she was done, she closed it, put it under her arm and got back up to the table to draw some more.  She kept changing her colors (I let her choose two each time) and I made sure she put the cap back on them and gave them to me before she got new ones.

She drew pictures for me, her mother and Uncle Brother who is coming tomorrow (Sunday when he gets here you will be reading this perhaps).  She carefully folded them because they were *mail* and then she delivered mine to me.    I oooh'd and aaah'd over it and then hung it up on my wall.  She was so proud!  I figured out her word for this week is *wonderful*.  I can't wait to find out what next week's word is. 

This being the third time I am trying to write up a blog due to the storm and no chance to save the previous ones, it may not be real newsy, if you know what I mean.  We have had horrible weather today and, of course, being Friday it meant I had to go out in it to get Chewlee from preschool.  I kept hoping for a break but it never happens, does it?

I was actually busy doing washing and making up the guest room for when my brother-in-law shows up on Sunday and wasn't thinking about the date at all.  My niece, Tara, showed up around noon to drop off our State and Federal Income Tax returns so we could sign them, make out the checks and get them in the mail so they had postmarks of the 15th on them.  The Beast forgot that it was all we needed and figured we were going to get charged late charges.  Without thinking, I said to him....*Where the hell is your mind?  The rules haven't changed.  Don't you remember all the main post offices having people out in their parking lots collecting the returns so they would have the right date stamped on them?* 

That's when I thought, *Oh damn!  Between his strokes and being worried about the stress tests on Monday, he probably wasn't really thinking clearly*.  But, he just nodded and said, *I guess that means I run up to the post office after you make out the checks.*  I just raised my eyebrow.  That went without saying.    And, yes, WE have to pay every year, although the Federal taxes we pay aren't much.  It's the STATE taxes that are killer because they collect even for our Social Security.  Can you believe it?

We have been under tornado watches several times today.  Actually, we had a wave of storms passing over us and each storm carried it's own potential.  I really have to wonder about this last one that hit us just before the Princess picked up Chewlee.  Shortly after she left, the wind outside sucked our storm door open at the back.  The Beast said, *Ut oh!* as I ran over to pull it shut.  It's scary because the wind WAS sucking instead of blowing and that's usually a tornado sign.  But it was over almost as quickly as it hit us.  Just a lot of rain and wind.  The rain has stopped (again) and the wind is less pushy than it's been.  At least the trees are getting a break.

The Beast was outside adding some pipe to our downspout on one side of the house and then he attached one of those green rollout sprinkling things to the end of the new pipe.  We had to get the water away from that area because it makes a dip there and it was filling up and flooding under the house.  We need to get some dirt and gravel for that area but the Beast shuddered at the thought.  It will take a lot from what we can see by the water that's accumulated under there.  For sure, we don't dare plant anything there.  Not unless it likes swampy conditions. 

Other than my earlier report on the Beast's results today, my day was housewifey related.  I felt good enough to get busy on getting the guest room cleaned up and ready for whomever occupied it next.  I fully expected it to be Chewlee staying overnight until the Beast told me his brother is coming down from Central Illinois on Sunday so he can go with him to the doctor's on Monday.  I was actually grateful because the Beast is so lousy about telling me the important things.  He sometimes forgets to even ask what to me might be the obvious questions.  Not that the Brother is any better but he does TALK about the things that involve others.  He, like his brother, can be reticent about things applying to himself.  Guess it's a family trait.

Chewlee was out playing on the school playground when I went to pick her up.  Her teacher told me that she spent some time happily rolling around on the ground amidst the dirt and fallen pine needles and other things to be found there.  She told me she had been spending a lot of time trying to pick stuff out of Chewlee's hair.  When Chewlee came around the corner, I could instantly tell she was going to be needing/getting a bath.  She looked...well, really dusty.  I told her she definitely looked like she was having fun.

She ran through the hallways of the school on our way out, opened doors to tell the teachers goodbye and, in the foyer, she stopped and said, *Goodbye office lady* and ran out the door.  The parents standing there at the sign-out sheet laughed at her enthusiasm and happy face.  When we got fixed up in the car and I started driving down the road, she looked around and said, *Isn't it just a beautiful day?*  She was very happy.  She chatted away and told me about her day at school and how she had fallen on the playground and that's why she had her shoes off.  I guess it was her flip-flops that made her fall. 

I have always wondered where she got certain things that she would say and today, I found out a couple places she gets her *quotes* from.  The first is Sponge Bob Square Pants.  I have to say, he is a happy, very enthusiastic, playful and optomistic character.  But he is one that will often say *Isn't this a wonderful day* and I hadn't *gotten* it although I do watch it with her when she is with me.  Another thing she picked up and I heard her using was telling a little boy on the playground, *You don't HIT...you use your words and say why you are mad!*  I DID recognize where THAT came from.....from a cartoon show with a little Korean girl named Kai Lan.  In fact, I think that particular episode really impressed her because of the other characters that are on it and their reaction to a frustrated and made little one that hit one of the friends.  They were all horrified and so was she.  She yelled out to me, *Gramma!  He hit xxxxxxx!* 

She told me that Sponge Bob is always happy and he liked when the days are bright and sunny and he gets to play with his friends and take care of his pet snail, Gary.  She informed me that she had a pet, too, but it wasn't a snail, it was a puppy and her name is Bailey.  When I asked her why she liked Sponge Bob so much, she told me, *Because he is happy!*  Well, duh!  That was her attitude towards me even asking the question.

She constantly surprises me with some of the things she says and does.  Even the Beast can't believe what comes out of her mouth at times.  I told her today that her Auntie Bratfind was sending her a surprise and she clapped her hands together and said, *That's WONDERFUL!*  Then she stopped, got this quizzical look on her face and said, *But HOW?  Is she coming to visit me?*  I laughed and told her the postman was going to bring it with the mail.  She got this sad/puzzled/tortured look on her face and said, *But I am not here when you get the mail.  What am I going to do????*

I did tell her that I would save it for her to help open since I was getting some things from Auntie Bratfink, too.  She made me promise (yes, she did!) and then she spent time just sitting in my lap, hugging me and giving me kisses.

Her bath time really tires ME out.  She's gotten good about washing her hair as long as I let her help shampoo her hair.  She has learned to lean her head back for rinsing.  But it's a total battle to get her OUT of the tub and then to get her dried off, her hair brushed and re-dressing her for her trip home.  It's much easier if she's spending the night but that wasn't the case today.  In fact, this is late because her mother worked until closing and I can't even start on it until AFTER she leaves....that is, IF I am able to move at all. 

It's a crazy world.  I guess only in questions of health can you fail a test or two and that requires MORE tests before they finally give you a total failing grade.  Don't you wish you were given as many chances to fail while you were/are in school?

The Beast went to the cardiologist this morning.  He left here at 7:20am and got there in plenty of time to fill out his paperwork before he saw the doctor.  The doctor did the EKG and then did a sonogram on his heart and abdominal area and told him that he couldn't clear him for surgery right now because he was afraid that putting him under the anesthetic might be the last thing that was ever done to him.  He meant that it would be too dangerous with what they were able to surmise because he might never wake up from it.  So, they scheduled him for a stress test at 7am next Monday.  Heck, the hour alone is going to be stressful because it will mean his getting up at 5 or 5:30am in order to make it there in time. 

Depending on what they find out from that, he may be able to be cleared then.  However, he came home with a long list of things he has to avoid eating for 24 hours before the test.  Two items brought him to tears.  They are coffee and chocolate.  If I had to pick two things that he can't go without, those are the two I would pick.    I told him that it was just for one day and he would live.  At least, I certainly hope so.  Seems weird that there should be such worries for someone that hasn't had a heart attack at all.  Hell, we all were pretty sure he didn't have a heart!