In case you don't know it, Bratfink and I often (her more often than me, I'll admit) cruise the internet for new information or just things we are curious about.  That's how I ran across this new idea for zucchini.  Make them into various types of pickles for a something different.  The more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me.  I ran it past Bratfink and she thought the idea was valid and probably would be a good one.  So.....the Beast got me a few things I needed from the store and I am going to make some tomorrow.  Right now, I have them all sliced up and am chilling them (with ice added...a suggestion to help with crispness) in the fridge.  It says just for four hours minimum or overnight in the fridge. 

I will definitely report on how they turn out.  They only take 24 hours to be ready and I know the Beast will be anxious to try them.  Sis has already put herself down for a pint of them....

Today was the Beast's birthday so he got his usual calls from kids and cousins to wish him a happy birthday.  He actually HATES birthdays and doesn't understand why everyone doesn't feel the same.  I poured him a cup of coffee this morning and even offered to make him a sandwich at lunch but he turned that down.  The way he's been snacking, it's a wonder he has anything resembling an appetite.  But, he is feeling a bit better.  He might even have gone outside today except we got unexpected and unpredicted rain today.  In fact, it started shortly after I posted this morning.  Oh well.  My niece, Tara, called and said she and the older of her two boys living with her (the oldest in in the Marines now...hoo-rah!) will be here around 6pm tomorrow to work on cutting the lawn. 

My oldest grandson is at day 39 in Marine boot camp.  Their boot camp is 13 weeks long and I guess then he is an official Boot!  LOL....just kidding there, guys, don't get bent out of shape.  Tara's son got out of boot camp a couple weeks ago so is probably going through his combat training now.  I really don't like the sound of THAT but....they all have to make their own choices, don't they?

Like I said, it rained and no rain had been predicted for us today.  Just heat, heat and more heat.  But weather, as we know, is unpredictable.  Especially the last couple years and this year DEFINITELY.  Global warming?  Ya think? 

I actually spent more time on my feet today without feeling like my feet were going to fall off.  I didn't even have to put them up as often as usual.  I changed my linens, did two loads of laundry that included my bedspread since Baron makes it so damned dirty with his constant need to be up on it if the Beast is.  I have been throwing him off but, when the Beast is there, he ignores my commands until the Beast reinforces it.  Not a good practice but I can't break the Beast of that either.  Good thing I never decided to be an animal trainer, isn't it?

Since it rained most of the day, the Princess never took Chewlee to the zoo.  That's the second time she hasn't been able to take her.  I know that it's a major disappointment to Chewlee.  I hope she gets to go soon or she won't believe her mother no matter what she says.

I woke up being punished for my over-indulgence on Friday with having Chewlee here for the night.  When I went to bed, I crawled in with Chewlee and she snuggled up to me but remained sound asleep.  I don't think I was asleep for very long when I was kicked then smacked in the face by my darling who really isn't used to sleeping with anyone but a stuffed animal or two.  And, as you know, they don't mind being abused but *I* do.  I pushed her over a bit, covered her up and turned my back to her and went back to sleep.  Not for long.  You would not believe how pointy her little elbows and knees feel when she is thrashing about, trying to get herself comfortable.  I gave it up and went to attempt sleeping on my recliner since I was too damn tired to fight the dog, who I knew would have been sound asleep on my side of the bed.

As I tried to sleep, I realized that my feet were busy protesting and being very painful to punish me.  My poor baby toe just throbbed and throbbed in a beat with my pulse.  The entire foot was getting on and off flashes of sharp, electric-like pains at odd intervals.  It was not conducive to more than a few minutes sleep at a time.  I finally gave it up and got up but found I was sick to my stomach AND was showing all the signs of an IBS attack (which, when you have difficulty walking, is NOT a good thing). 

For once, the Beast actually jumped in and helped me out quite a bit by keeping Chewlee entertained.  He took her to the park, mostly to take some pictures of her but also to help her get rid of some energy.  She jumped into the lake because she had been promised being able to play in water but didn't want to wait until she got back to the house.  But, she was happy even though the Beast was upset over it. 

Later, he took her to the store with him but, of course, he doesn't buy her the things Grandma does (even a bag of chips is better than nothing!).  He really upset her, however, when he wouldn't let her have some of his pepperoni slices.  This from the man who knows we are teaching her to share.  Her comment to me as she cried in my arms was, *He won't SHARE!!!*  Later, I told him, *You know....she would have been happy with just three or four of those and we would have been spared all those tears and upset.*  He actually had the temerity to look at me and say, *I only got a small bag.*

It made me feel good to know that he had no idea that I had given her much more than that the other day.  He didn't even notice they were gone.

A friend of the Princess's who has a couple young kids that play with Chewlee and go to the same preschool came over later to pick up Chewlee so the kids could play together for a while before the Princess picked her up after work.  Although Chewlee and I had a good couple of hours together before she came for her, I was glad to know she would have kids her own age to be with for a while before her mother got her and got her ready for bed.  They are supposed to be going to the zoo in Birmingham today and I'm glad.  It's going to be brutally hot here but will be a lot cooler (although still hot but not as humid) down there.  Chewlee loves all the animals and they can always seek the refuge of the cooler interiors of restaurants or exhibits if they feel too uncomfortable.  When I see Chewlee next, I hope she is full of talk about the animals she got to see.

I went to bed shortly after she left due to the discomfort of both my feet and my intestinal tract.  The IBS kind of resolved itself shortly afterward and I fell sound asleep for seven or eight hours before I woke up feeling fairly decent.

I am now trying to get a few things done and get dressed before my niece, Tara, and her boys come to work on the lawn for the Beast.  Like I told you a few days ago, this time the Beast didn't bounce back after his chemo/treatment like he normally does so Tara volunteered herself and the boys to come over and get that done for us.  Love that girl.  She's got a huge heart.  She's also thrilled that she is going to have her two younger children for two weeks starting next Friday.  The Beast has volunteered to take some pictures of them all next Sunday.

The Beast, thank goodness, is not complaining today although he has had a few minutes when I thought he was going to give it a try.  Luckily, he came in, saw me debriding the dead, dry skin on my left foot and turned a kind of greenish color.  He only said, *Oh, geez!!* and then left.

I'm pretty sure that I have just about finished up with having to remove any more dead skin from my foot.  I realized today that part of that is my fault.  I used this gel on my feet to try to cut down the pain so I wouldn't depend on my pain pills.  Then I was having problems with my feet swelling, going down, swelling, feeling cold so I would put the heating pad around them, getting too hot and taking it away until my feet got chilled feeling.  It was a round robin but....the gel would have helped dry up the skin on my feet while it amplified the effects of the heating pad.  Not a real bright idea but I was really in too much pain to think things through at the time.

The Beast took out a box today to collect what veggies were ready and came back in with a shitload of tomatoes again.  After some thought, I think these will be made into spaghetti sauce or just plain tomato sauce.  I'll work on that tomorrow.

Chewlee didn't get to my house until after 9pm tonight because she went over to a friend of the Princess's house to play with her and her kids.  She dropped off Chewlee and Chewlee was so happy to know she really WAS going to spend the night at Grandma's house.

After her usual glass of chocolate milk, she went in with a request to the Beast for an ice cream cone, which he got for her.  She came in with two cones, which she tried to claim entirely for herself but I took one and gave it to the Beast since it was the LAST of the ice cream.  She then spent it at his elbow while he showed her pictures he had of her mother when she was Chewlee's age and as she grew older.  Chewlee came in and asked me, *How did my mommy get smaller?*  I told her, *Once upon a time, sweetheart, your mommy really WAS little.*

She gave me this look that said *I know you are telling me a fib* and then said to me, *Once upon a time is a story so my mommy wasn't little!*  I laughed and told her that just like she would get big, her mommy started out little and then got bigger and bigger.

The Beast brought in one of our picture albums and started showing her pictures of many of her aunts and uncles and her mother when they were young.  She started to be able to recognize her mother in some pictures.  There was a picture of the Beast, one on of his boats out on the water and he was holding up a very large fish in it.  She looked at it, then up at him and said, *Why aren't you a pirate?*  That made us laugh almost until we cried. 

After we got done watching the end of the second Harry Potter movie that was showing on TV, Chewlee wanted to watch her Barbie movie that *Auntie Bratfink* sent her.  I figured that was a good way for her to wind down so we put it in to watch while she settled into her Dora chair to watch it.

The Beast was up and about bright and early today....6:30am, in fact.  He looked really enthusiastic (NOT!) but got ready and headed for the hospital in plenty of time to get there on time.  Later, when he got home, he said he had asked the nurse when the doctor wanted to see him and was told in six weeks he was wanted to *take a look* up there and see what he can see.  The Beast jokingly told her, *I can tell him what he'll find....scar tissue, black and blue marks and your fingerprints.* 

Of course, he's suffering the usual after-effects...blood in his urine, clots.  And pain.  It's the waves of pain and the way men handle (or should I say DON'T handle) it so well that makes me nuts.  He lays back in his recliner and suddenly has this weak voice and asks me to do this or that for him.  All I could think of was how he wouldn't do a damn thing for me most of the time that my foot was so damn bad and it pisses me off.  But, know what?  I get it for him.  Who's the dumb one?  **Sigh**  I'm a natural caregiver, I guess.  I worry about people being hungry or uncomfortable and I can't be around them and not help.  And that's with my feet still giving me major problems, too.

Chewlee is all excited because I am going to have her spend the night tomorrow.  The Princess will drop her off after they eat and bring pj's, clean clothes and I told her to include her bathing suit, too.  No, we aren't going to the lake but I figure she and Baron can run through the sprinkler or I can spray them with the hose while they chase each other around the yard.  They like to do that for some reason.  Oh, to be a kid again!  She told me what a great day it will be because she will get bubble gum AND come to stay at Grandma's house.  With that, she threw her arms around me and gave me a big hug.  Gotta love 'em!

The Beast got off him chair of moaning and groaning to run out and get some milk.  When he took a look at how much we have left, he decided it might not be enough for his cups of hot chocolate he likes to have on *these* days.  Like he doesn't have some EVERY night.  <<Insert eyeroll here>>  Personally, I think he would get at least four cups of it with what's left in the gallon but he won't take the chance that *I* might like to have some milk, too.  He can't imagine that I might forego having any out of consideration for his needs because it's not in HIS nature to do so.  But, hey, he can't be suffering as much as he tries to make me think or he wouldn't make it up out of that chair.  I've seen the REAL thing so I can tell when he's milking it. 

I told you about Chewlee deciding she was going to actually pose for the camera yesterday.  Prior to this, getting a decent picture of her was as labor intensive as pulling teeth.  She was constantly in motion.  Just about the time you would get a good picture in the lens with a decent smile, she would turn her head to look at something or start to wiggle or start talking, closing her eyes.....if you have kids, I'm sure you know the symptoms.

Yesterday, she decided she was going to pose nicely for the Beast when he asked her if she wanted to let him take some pictures of her.  He, of course, was really checking out his lens.  She wanted to try out different *looks* that she could envision is my guess.  Hell, later on, she told me she wanted ME to take some pictures with her and she would show me how I needed to do it.  She wanted me to practice different poses for her.  I started laughing and told her she had no idea how silly Grandma would look.  I then posed for her and she stood back, looked at me with her hand on her chin like she was judging it and then changed her request to me taking a picture with her so she could have my picture.    I think she *gets* it now.  Grandma has never been photogenic.

When the Princess dropped off Chewlee today, she told me what Chewlee had told her.  She said, *Don't you pick me up, Mommy, because I am going to spend a long time with Grandma today.  We are going to watch movies.  Well, you can come and get me but first you have to call.  Okay?*  I really got a kick out of that.

After her mother left, she came over to me and told me she was hungry.  I said to her, *Oh, big deal.  You are always hungry.*  She turned and said, *You told me I had to eat to get bigger!*  I looked at her and said, *But I didn't say you had to eat all the time!*  She just laughed and waved me towards her as she headed for the kitchen.  I told her to slow down because I couldn't walk that fast.  She stopped briefly, and imitated a very slow walk and said, *Just walk like this Grandma.*  She then started speeding up and said, over her shoulder, *...and then you can go faster and faster.*  I told her I didn't think so and she'd better slow down or she'd run into something and hurt *my* baby.  That's kind of a joke between us.  She will tell me, *My mommy hurt your baby today, Grandma.*  I then have to ask how and why and promise to beat the snot out of her mother for hurting her. 

The Beast, anxious to try some of the new settings and stuff that he's gotten for the camera. asked Chewlee if she wanted to take some pictures.  She practically set the floor on fire as she ran outside.  She didn't even stop to put her shoes on (which is rare since she is horrified if she spots an ant).  But, the big surprise is that she actually POSED for the pictures and, without being told to, changed her poses.  The Beast came in, mouth open in surprise, and said, *OMG, she's becoming a GIRL!!!*  I laughed but I applauded Chewlee and we high-5'd over her being so good for the pictures. 

The Beast put the pictures up on the computer and called me in to look at them and even I was surprised at the variety of poses she did for him.  I will try to get the Beast to send me some over so that I can post them.  You will see what I mean then.  The Beast is so thrilled that he is hard put to decide on which picture to do first.    I'm just glad he's happy for now because he's been so worried about tomorrow and it's aftermath.  It's his last day of chemo/treatment and he actually told me how many hours he had before that appointment!    So, if he's distracted for now, good!

Right now she is in the bathroom, talking to herself about something or else she is rehearsing a conversation she intends to have with me.  I'm not sure but it sounds cute.  Maybe it's a kids version of *singing in the shower*.    She will run in and sit in the chair that the Beast put next to his computer chair and watch him working on her pictures.  Then she runs back in here to catch a couple minutes of her program that's on.  Since she has seen most of the ones they are showing (cartoons have reruns, too), she doesn't have to stay long before she knows she's not missing anything new.  I love to watch her run back and forth and then sit and talk to the Beast, telling him what she likes and doesn't like about each picture.  Too funny for words.

The Beast talked about finally thinning out his garden and I applauded and encouraged him to do so.  He got rid of some of the eggplant and zucchini plants (which were too close together anyway) and exposed the strawberry plants.  I was happy he had done that because, lo-and-behold, they are full of flowers.  We may get some good strawberries from them soon now.

He took the plants he had removed and put them into his compost maker after dumping out the compost that is ready in a spot in back of the barn that is partially protected.  He threw a tarp over it and put some rocks on a couple of the edges.  Now I am back to saving coffee grounds and other stuff that has been just thrown in the garbage that works for compost.  He says he is going to be doing some raking up of leaves and grass cuttings and throwing those into the composter, too.  Since he only has tomorrow left before his last chemo date, if he doesn't do it then, it will be a week or so before he gets to it.  Trust me on that.

However, after doing that, he went to check on his watermelons (there were 3 of them) and discovered they now look like they have been affected by the fungus and it has broken his heart.  He decided to rip out the vine and was astonished at how it meandered all over the place.  I had told him he had to watch it and direct it but he would prefer to just let *nature take care of it*.  Well, let's hope he's learned now because it actually killed off a couple of potential cantaloupes.  Some lessons are hard ones.  With the Beast, that seems to be his way of life.  It's the only way he CAN learn and sometimes it takes more than once for him to learn.

I got my tomatoes all taken care of today and worked on seasoning the salsa.  With getting the rest of the squash and zucchini ready, I didn't can anything today.  But I have to do that tomorrow and that should be the end of it for a while.  I told the Beast to keep an eye on the cucumbers because if we can get some small...but not too small...I want to use them to make some bread and butter pickles.  I also told him to watch for and buy some pickling cucumbers at the store when they get them in, which should be soon.  I'll make some dill pickles then, too.  That idea appealed to him so I imagine that will be coming soon.

I woke up bright and early this morning and I was raring to go.    I know!  Surprised me, too!    Of course, the reason I woke up was the Beast.  Once he is out of the bedroom proper, he thinks he doesn't have to be quiet even though the door is wide open.  **Sigh** But that's the Beast.  I didn't think much about it any more.  That's just the Beast.  An idiot.  I wanted to get busy early anyway.

And that's just what I did.  I cut up zucchini and squash, celery and onion.  I filled jars, added the necessary liquid with seasonings in it and got the ball rolling.  The first thing I did was zucchini and, after they were done and out of the water bath, the Beast laughed at the fact that I count the *snaps* you hear when the lids seal tight.  I do it to make sure they all have sealed.  Otherwise, if one or two don't seal, they go back into the water bath for a while.  I can do 6 quarts at a time or 7 pints in the pot I have.  Next was the squash.  I had mixed two of the jars with onion and tomato and added some chopped garlic (not a lot...I just like a hint of garlic) for good measure and taste.  When I made it for us the other day, it was delicious.  The Beast was sniffing everything and telling me how good it smelled. 

When he went into the garden to get the tomatoes and any other veggies that were ready, I was shocked at what he brought back.  Those dozen *or so* tomatoes?  Try 30 more.    I looked at them and my hands started to hurt.  But, he found three nice cucumbers, two pablano peppers and two great looking green peppers.

The Princess called and bribed me with some Mudslide to watch Chewlee for a while so she and Johnnycakes could go out on the Jet Ski for a while.  I said yes, of course, and Chewlee, who hadn't been awake for very long when she got here, told me she wanted to be in my room and watch her cartoons.  I went in, turned on the TV, got her Nick Jr. channel on it and she settled back with her tee-tee and the panda bear.  She came out twice while I was slicing and dicing to ask for things.  The first time it was some milk and salami.  The second time it was a milk refill.

I was surprised when the Princess called to tell me that they were on their way to pick up Chewlee.  It didn't seem like all that long.  It wasn't.  It seems the tune-up that Johnnycakes gave the Jet Ski didn't include the correct oil or gas filter.  It wasn't large enough.  They planned on getting together with Tara and her family for a barbeque a bit later and I had tried to use that fact on Chewlee so she wouldn't ask to stay here with me.  I was so darn busy and getting very tired, too.  I'm still so tired and my foot  aches.  I really need to put it up for a while but I will do that once this is finished.

Tara knows about my foot so she understood why the Beast and I weren't going to come (although I did try to get the . Beast to join them).  Then, wouldn't you know it?  We had a storm roll in.  A real boomer.  But...it did pass quickly.  I was glad because that meant the fireworks and Tara's barbeque wouldn't have to be called off.  We just grabbed leftovers although the Beast broke down later and made himself a hamburger.  He asked me if I wanted one but I was feeling nauseous at the time.  So nauseous that I actually vomited...twice.  No real reason why and my stomach was empty at the time (it was time for an early dinner or late lunch).  I was forced to go lay down for a while but I recovered quickly. 

I still have lots of stuff to can tomorrow.  I haven't even finished up the salsa, although I did mix up some especially for the Princess because she wanted it HOT like I made it in Florida.  The Beast (and most others in the family) don't mind it being spicy but they didn't want it to be so hot that their tongues and mouths were on fire.  I don't know why they are such wimps.  I want to break out in a sweat after just a bite or two. 

I was sick when I woke up this morning.  I didn't realize it until the Beast started frying up some bacon for our breakfast.  I was able to actually cook up a couple eggs for us both but, when I tried to eat, I almost barfed on my plate.  I told the Beast to give it to the dog (who was slobbering at my side anyway) and barely made it to my recliner.  I have no idea why I was so nauseous.  I even broke out in a cold sweat and had to cover up to get warm.  My hair around the whole head was soaking wet within a minute or so.  I had slept well so I was at a loss.  There went my original plans for my day!

I slept for a while and, thank goodness, when I woke up, the nausea and other symptoms seem to have passed.  I still felt kind of shaky so I told the Beast I was going to wait a bit before I proceeded to do anything.  In the meantime, the Beast goes out in the garden and drags in....more tomatoes, zucchini and crook neck squash.  He also told me that there were probably a dozen or more tomatoes that just needed another day and they would be ready!  I looked around and thought...oh crap!  I had him get down some more mason jars for me, took a deep breath and set the jars out to put into the dishwasher.

I cut up some of the zucchini and put it in some water to keep since I didn't have jars ready.  Then I went to tackle the tomatoes and decided to just make more salsa since I hadn't put any of it in jars yet.  I tasted it and decided it needed a little more cumin and a touch more of the hot pepper that I can never remember the name of but it starts with an *A*.  Hey, this isn't a cookbook after all.  I like my salsa with a bit of *snap*.  It actually doesn't need *cooking* but it doesn't take all that long in a hot water bath to preserve for future use.  It only takes about 20 minutes, which is about the least amount of time for preserving anything.  The zucchini and other veggies take longer since they need to cook in the jars.

So, I am cutting up more tomatoes and I realize that these tomatoes seem to be a bit more acidic than the ones I cut up the other day.  I pulled out the container I had my prepared salso, put it into a bigger container and the Beast says to me, *Do you think that's going to be big enough?*  I told him if he was right about it only being a dozen or so tomatoes still on the plants, it should be.  If not, I had one other container that was slightly bigger.  I just have to wait and see.  I will need more celery and onion to add but the Beast had already figured that out and had checked to make sure there was enough.  Sometimes, he really can be helpful.

I ate a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich when my appetite reared it's ugly head and had no problems, thankfully.  I had never suffered from any kind of morning sickness or nausea when I was having my kids except for just one time.  I was pregnant with my son, Mustachio, and one of my husband's aunts was at the house frying up some bacon for breakfast for us.  She often dropped by and was a real sweetheart.  She felt right at home with us and I was comfortable with her.  This particular morning, however, the smell of bacon sent me running to the bathroom for the first (and only) time during any pregnancy.  Needless-to-say, I didn't touch the bacon but I ate some soft boiled eggs and toast that day.  The being nauseous about the smell of bacon today just made me remember that day.

So, tomorrow is more cutting and then I have some serious canning to do once more.  The Beast is enjoying this (of course he is....he isn't doing anything except collecting veggies!).  All the real labor is ME cutting, chopping, stuffing, etc.  **Sigh**  I seriously need a slave. 

I discovered that the Beast has some very weird ideas about canning.  Let me explain.  Yesterday I cut up some zucchini, squash and eggplant and put them in some sterile jars.  I added some of the seasoned, salted water to them and set them aside to be put in a hot water bath later.  I ended up doing that in the wee hours of the morning.  Now, to some of the squash, I added onions and some firm, chopped tomatoes with a touch of garlic.  I have made this before and it's really good.  I've also mixed the squash, zucchini, onions, tomatoes and garlic with the same result.  Delish!

I really had to get serious today because the Beast said we have so many tomatoes, he can't even pick them because he has no more space to put them.  So, I decided I really need to get serious and make up some salsa for canning and, if there are enough tomatoes left after that, perhaps a mason jar or two of just canned tomatoes.  I have the Beast get down another box of my jars and start taking them apart for putting in the dishwasher.  The nice thing about today's dishwashers is that they really do sterilize the jars.  So, I am putting the jars in the dishwasher and he starts adding stuff  or at least he tried to add a greasy egg pan and some other things to it.  I had a fit!  I told him I only want my jars in the dishwasher when I am getting ready to can.  He was going to be a jerk about it and I told him I didn't want to take the chance of there being any grease or anything that could possibly interfere with the jars being clean and sterile for it.  I worry too much about bacteria and other things that could possibly make us sick.  He said....get this...I don't know why you even bother with all this.  When you put the jars in the boiling water, that should sterilize them, shouldn't it?

I rolled my eyes and said to him, *And what about the INSIDE of the jars?  These jars sit in a warehouse that probably has rodents in it and lord knows what else.  And even at the factories where the parts are made, how long do they sit out where they can be visited by flies, roaches and other insects?*  He told me he thought I was being ridiculous but I told him better to be safe than sorry. 

So part of my day has been being busy doing more cutting up of veggies and tomatoes.   I used my mini-chopper to chop up the celery and onions for the salsa.  Right now, that is sitting and allowing the flavors to mix with the different seasonings I use and then I will ladle it into jars and get them canned, dated and put away.

The Beast and I agree that the veggies that don't have any onions in them can always be used to mix up with the dogs chicken we cook up for his meals.  We always add fresh cooked veggies to his food and sometimes rice or barley.  It all depends on how active the dog is on a particular day.  But, it's a way to use the veggies up and not waste them, that's for sure.  I am going to have to hide the salsa from the Princess, especially if it turns out tasting as good as I can remember making it the last time I made it in Florida.  Since I am under no pressure, I can take my time making sure the seasonings are just right. 

Had a very happy Chewlee here today.  She was very calm and in good spirits until after lunch, when I insisted it was time for a nap.  I laid down with her although she complained for a while before she grabbed her tee-tee, rolled over and finally fell asleep.  No, she wasn't tired.  That's why she slept for three hours....LOL.  She had told me she got up early and had to be quiet until she could wake up mommy.  That could be anywhere from 5am on up knowing Chewlee.

Later, she stepped on my poor, wounded baby toe.  Not once, but TWICE.  And when I say it hurt, IT HURT LIKE HELL!!!!!  I couldn't help it; I started crying because the pain was THAT bad.  That just sent Chewlee over the edge with remorse.  Not only did she keep telling me she was sorry but she wrapped her arms around me, kept kissing my cheek and patting my back.  I was glad when the pain quieted down and I could finally wipe off my eyes for the last time, calm down and then give Chewlee a hug back and reassure her that I knew it was an accident but even accidents hurt sometimes.  She felt better once I resumed doing what she considers normal for me.  All was right with her world.    Oh to be so young once again!

Today, when the Princess came to pick her up and she asked her if she wanted to go home with her, I was so happy to hear her say *Yes.*  Then she dropped the bomb....she added...*Where are we going?*  She was thinking it was another night they would be going visiting.  The Princess didn't lie, she said they were going home because she was tired.  At that, Chewlee asked, *Are we going to take a nap?*  I almost laughed when the Princess left it simple and told her yes but Chewlee just put on her sandals and away they went after a hug, a kiss and a *bye-bye* to me and the Beast.  As for me, I was just happy that I could relax.  I have the next three days off from babysitting, barring any tragedies.

Love you all.  Hope you are having a nice weekend.  Lots of picnics going on with this being the 4th of July weekend and I hope you are going to be part of one.  I'll be busy canning, I'm sure.  At least tomorrow.  And on Monday, I will be out on the deck watching the fireworks from down at the lake.  Be careful if you are going to be using any personally.  They can be so very, very dangerous.