TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Chewlee had a really fantastic day, at least as far as I was concerned.  She was amazingly good today.  She sat quietly, watching her programs on the Beast's TV (as she calls it.  It's the living room one).  She loves the HD and huge screen on it.  Who can blame her for that?  But she also asked politely for juice, grapes and her usual salami and hot dogs.  Not at the same time, of course.  She was so quiet at times that I really had to look to make sure she was there.  She asked if she could go outside (she sometimes just goes out back and we end up searching before we realize it.)  She's been told she has to ask so we know that no one has taken her.  She asked me today, *Who would take me Grandma?*  I told her that there really WERE bad people in the world and it might be someone like that.  She said, *You mean people who don't like kids?*  When I told her that, yes, they either don't like kids or they like them too much.  She put her hand on my arm, had a serious look on her face and said, *I don't like people who don't like kids.  I will run FAR AWAY from them if they try to take me.*  I told her if she made sure someone was outside with her all the time, WE would take care of that.  She told me she knew we loved her and would protect her.  She also thinks Baron would protect her and she went over to give him a big, unexpected hug.

She tells me all the time that she loves Baron and Baron loves her.  She even let him stay on the Beast's recliner at one point and turned the TV slightly so she would have a good view of it from the love seat.  It pivots easily and the Beast gets really annoyed when she does that if he comes in and sits in his recliner.  Even if he doesn't appreciate her programs, he hates for the TV not to be straight for his viewing.  So her solution is to just turn it *slightly*...just a little, as she says. 

The Brother left for home this afternoon.  The insulation is done now, including in the ceiling area.  Now is the real intense paneling installation but most of it the Beast can handle with just a little help from me.  I told him he had to wait until my pain meds kicked in and the Brother laughed because HIS wife says the same thing.  She is in much more intense pain than I am.  I'm familiar with what she suffers from and I don't envy her one bit.  It's one of the reasons she doesn't do much traveling except for important family gatherings (like weddings or baptisms, etc).  If the Beast has his way, the Brother will be back in about two weeks or so to help work on the paneling on the end sections since those will take some really intense work because of angles and the lack of wood to tack the paneling up.  That all will take some thinking about how they are going to get the wood installed for that.

The Beast was laughing because the Brother used the Princess's made up bed as a kind of table for cutting odd pieces of the insulation and there was insulation everywhere.  I'm just glad they don't use fiberglas any more or she would go nuts trying to get it all out.  As it it, the Beast shook out the comforter and used the shop vac to clean up.  He hadn't seen what the Brother was doing when he was cutting the pieces for him.  It's kind of typical for the Brother to do things like that because he doesn't think about the consequences.

Another cold night and frost warnings but amazingly nice days.  It was 34 degrees outside last night but was up to 70 today.  At least that is what the Beast's temperature monitor said it was in our backyard.  I never looked to see what Weatherbug said it was.  Love you all.  Have a great day. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Have you ever had a day when you know you were busy (that means for ME that I was up on my feet a lot) but you don't feel like you actually did much?  That was me,today.  In actuality, I put away groceries the Beast and the Brother bought so they both could take a short nap.  They ARE getting up in age, don't ya know....  Actually, they had been working hard to get the ceiling up and insulated so they can work on getting up the special cuts on the paneling that go from the ceiling to the walls.  After that is done, the Brother will probably go home because that is the worst of the work along with the sealing of the openings into the cottage/shed and installing the insulation on all the walls.  The Beast feels he can handle the straight paneling on the side walls but may need a bit of help when he does the ends.  That will probably be ME just helping by holding the paneling when he makes his cuts.   The peneling is light so he CAN move it in place by himself and just use the nail gun. 

So, they did the hunting and gathering (much more than we really needed, truth be told) and I put everything in it's place...pantry, fridge, freezer...you know the routine.  I emptied the dishwasher and put all the dirty cups and dishes in after the things were put away.  Even Chewlee helped.    She does so want to be BIG and she really TRIES to help.  I let her as much as she is able or else I find something for her to do that will satisfy her.  I folded towels and put them away.  Between the Princess and Chewlee, there are a lot more towels being used.  I swear, neither one knows a towel CAN be used more than once.  They get thrown down on the floor of the bathroom OR somewhere in the guest room area.  The Princess has a pile of clothes that need washing that rivals Mount St. Helen.  The Beast says the room is a fire trap. 

The Beast went into the room to put on the little electric heater to warm the room for Chewlee.  That is the coldest room in the house until the Beast gets under the house and closes the louvres for the vent underneath it's window.  He set the thermostat and got it running.  The Princess had no idea he had done it.  It had satisfied and warmed the room by the time she went to bed.  Then, at somewhere around 3am, it suddenly came on and it both woke and scared her.  She was groping around trying to remember how to shut it off and couldn't find the right button without turning on a light and that meant getting to her feet.  She discovered that it stopped if it was off balance so she finally just laid it on the back of it.  It has an automatic shutoff switch but she didn't know it at the time.  She thought briefly that she hoped it didn't catch on fire or something but was too tired to deal with it.  I told her she should just have unplugged it and she said, *But that would have meant getting out of bed!*  **Insert eyeroll here** 

As we were eating dinner tonight,the Brother brought up the subject of our kids and how they really didn't do many of the recreational things WE did growing up.  He made the statement, *I really felt like beating my kids when they said there was nothing to do....*  Well, Chewlee was just walking up to her mother and heard *...beating my kids...* and got this shocked look on her face and said, *You BEAT kids????*  The Brother kept a straight face and said without missing a beat, *Of course!  If you don't beat them, you don't love them.*  I wish you could have seen her face!!!!  Part horror, part considering whether or not he was kidding her like *I* do and then watching this little grin come on her face.  She looked at the Brother and said, *I don't think I like you.*  The grin kept the statement from being hurtful.  I said to her, *Grandma beats you when you hurt my baby, don't I?*  She shook her head NO then threw her arms around me and gave me a hug. 

The Princess said to her, *Do *I* beat you?*  Chewlee said *NO*.  Then the Princess said, *Does mommy spank you when you are bad?*  Chewlee said *NO*.  The Princess said, *Are you lying?*  Chewlee said, *No* and then crawled into her mother's lap and gave her a big hug around her neck.  I laughed and said, *I see you've got her trained well for when the cops ask her those questions, haven't you?*  We all laughed at that.

It's been a nice evening for me because Chewlee has stuck close to her mother all evening.  She will run into my computer room to tell me anything that she thinks is exciting going on so I am *in the loop*.  Then she runs back out and is either sitting and listening to the conversation while the others are playing cards OR she is trying to get her mother's attention by talking, talking, talking nonstop.  I'm especially grateful because I didn't sleep well and am tired plus..being on my feet has given me the granddaddy of all muscle cramps in my left leg.  Not just a charlie horse but the pain is from ankle to hip along the back of my leg.  I had a hell of a time trying to massage it and get the muscles to stop hurting me so badly.  I hope it won't wake me later when I get to sleep.  There is nothing as bad as being woken out of a sound sleep in intense pain after only two or three hours.

Time to wind this up and get it posted.  We have clear skies but my satellite connection to the internet seems to be having a problem.  I want to get it up while I have a good connection.  Love you all and I hope you have a fantastic Friday.  Have a drink for me if you indulge.  I miss the Friday night stop for Happy Hour before going home to make dinner.  **Sigh**  Be good, have a great weekend.  We're supposed to warm up kind of like Indian summer this weekend...or was it on Monday?  I forget.  I'm an old person so I'm never quite sure if I am remembering it correctly. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Not a good day here for me.  I woke up with a fever and in a cold sweat.  I felt like shit.  I went back to a restless sleep and woke up several times because of chills and fever.  I could barely make it to the bathroom because I felt so weak.  I had no idea what was wrong.  That came later.

Chewlee at some point came into the bedroom and stroked my head and face.  I gave her a hug, keeping my face slightly away from her.  She told me she was sick, too, and wasn't going to school.  A bit later I woke up to find her sleeping next to me.  We both slept for quite a while.  When I woke up the last time (when I decided I MUST get on my feet), the chills seemed to be gone and Chewlee woke up, too.   She followed me into my computer room and told me I could lay down in my chair.  I did after finding out that sitting upright was making me try to heave my stomach out of my mouth.  Not a great feeling.

When I laid back in the recliner, Chewlee crawled up next to me with a bag of Tostitos and sat there eating a few.  She put one up to my mouth and I took a bite to make her happy and found out they tasted pretty good.  I think it was the combination of it being just plain corn chips that were salted just perfectly.  We sat there, watching television until my stomach started a rumbling I knew all too well.  An IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) attack.  I barely got to the bathroom in time but.....I did feel much better afterward even though it did leave me in a cold sweat.

Later, talking to the Princess, I found out that before Chewlee had crawled into bed with me, she discovered she was here with no adult in the house except me.  She became a typical kid.  The Princess had to make her lab at school and asked the men to keep an eye on her.  I guess they had to make a quick trip to Lowe's and just left her here, thinking *I* would hear her if she got into trouble.  Well, there's trouble and there's trouble.  She didn't do anything to harm herself but.........

When the Princess came home after her class, she found Chewlee with two fudgecicles (one was sitting on it's paper in front of the TV...I think she was sharing with one of her cartoon friends), the other she was eating along with a big bag of Cheetos.  Like I said, there's trouble and there's trouble. 

I had no idea the Princess took off work because she figured I was really too sick to keep an eye on Chewlee so I was trying my best to take care of her.  At some point, Chewlee said she was going to ask her mother about something and off she headed to the guest room. I was shocked to discover the Princess was in there, folding clothes and trying to get them hung up or put away in drawers.

BUT.....

Chewlee still loves to be with Grandma and when she was feeling a bit better, she tried very hard to keep *me* entertained.  I knew she was at loose ends so I went into one of my *stash* places and found a notebook (the spiral kind) that was unused and gave it to her.  She loved the one that Auntie Brat sent her and this one just THRILLED her.  She clutched it to her chest and declared that I was the BEST!!!!  She then ran out to the kitchen where the Beast, the Brother and the Princess were playing cards and had to show each of them what I gave her and she told them that *Grandma was the BEST because look at what she gave her!!!*  It cracked me up.

Later, when she asked her usual questions about what program was coming on her channel next, I told her the schedule up until it would be her bedtime.  She got a bit upset when the Princess changed it and asked me to go tell Mommy that she should stay up until her program was over.  I told her that Mommy was the boss when she was here and I helped calm her down and made her brush her teeth to get ready for bed.  She did go peacefully but decided she could play for a while.  That led to confrontations with the Princess and crying was heard.  Of course, she slept so much today, I don't think she's actually tired and it's over an hour and a half past her bedtime as I write this. 

The thing that sticks with me (and even the Princess brought it up) is that Chewlee got VERY concerned about me being sick.  Thankfully, I have my IBS medication here ALWAYS and it's fast-acting.  The upsets are all quiet right now but I won't be normal for a few days.  I can manage now.  It was just hell before I was diagnosed and got the medication that worked for me.  It's actually an over-the-counter one and much less expensive than the prescription the doctor had given me.  I told him about it and he told me to use it if it worked.  I actually find it works better for me and it's definitely less expensive even with prescription coverage.

I'm feeling better now (thanks for asking) so I hope to be more active tomorrow.  Love you all and thanks for stopping by. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I had a premonition, or maybe it was a dream, the Brother was going to leave home around 2am because he couldn't sleep and surprise us.  Well, I was off about the time he left his house.  It was around 12:30am.  He had taken a bit of a long nap so was wide awake.  He figured if he got tired on the drive down, he would just pull over for a nap at a rest area.  He threw a pillow and blanket in his car (it IS cold now and he checked it before he left) just in case.  But he made it down here in record time.  He got in about 6:30am.  He snuck into the house quietly so as not to wake anyone.  He hoped Baron wouldn't bark.  Baron had obviously been sound asleep.  He came out into the living room, still stretching and yawning, took one look at the Brother, turned around and plopped down on his bed. 

The Brother decided to lay down on the love seat, grabbed a blanket I keep nearby and decided to see if anyone even noticed him.  The Princess was the first one up but the Brother was asleep and didn't hear her.  She says he startled her a little but she had no idea when he got here since she went to bed right after work.  Later on, he realized he HAD heard the Princess and Chewlee because he remembered that Chewlee didn't want to get out of bed so he just hadn't been disturbed enough to fully wake up.  Later on, when he woke up, he realized that SOMEONE had been up because the kitchen light was on.  He DID startle the Beast, however.  Me?  I had gotten up around 6:15am to take a pain pill that I had left out on my desk.  I took it and just plopped down in my recliner and fell back asleep.  Later on, at a more reasonable time to be up, I heard a strange voice and thought, *Ah-ha!  I was right!  The Brother DID try to surprise us by getting here early.*  When I talked to him a few minutes later, I laughed because if he had come just a bit earlier, HE would have been surprised/ 

He WAS surprised at how much of the insulation the Beast had already installed.  He really thought he was exaggerating.  The Brother DID bring up something the Beast hadn't thought about, however.  At the top of the wood strips that make up the outside, they are placed vertically and are staggered....one to the front, the next to the back, etc......but up at the roofline, some planks fit flush, the others don't.  Those holes will allow bugs and wasps easy access to the inside and create problems this spring and summer.  So now the two of them are trying to find something to seal those up that will be less expensive than that foam spray.  I have no clue what they will end up doing but, be assured, I will let you know when I find out.

They also went out and looked at the paneling available at a couple lumber yards we have close-by.  I just let them do their thing.  I'm still working on wash.  LOL. 

When the Princess brought Chewlee home, Chewlee was really quiet and just laid down in my recliner with her blanket over her.  I thought she was going to fall asleep but she didn't.  Turns out she is coming down with a cold, I think.  Chewlee, ever the actress, came over to me and said in this weak voice, *Grandma, I am sick.*  I felt her head, gave her a hug and told her she was just coming down with a cold.  She shook her head *yes* (still looking pathetic) and said, *I need chocolate milk.*  I looked at her very seriously and said, *No, I think you need some juice to help keep that cold from getting any worse.*  She stopped dead, got this look like she was thinking it over and then said to me, *Are you SURE?*   I laughed and said I was and got her a glass of juice because I knew she was just thirsty from eating her pizza (which was dinner tonight) and then her Cheetos.  She hadn't wanted anything when we ate our pizza.  She just ate hers and then came and laid back down on my recliner until I came back in the room.

I don't think she will be giving me a problem about going to bed tonight.  Her bed will be nice and warm compared to the house.  We don't have the heat on yet but she has two comforters on her bed and I'll put her in her footie pajamas. She has just one or two that fit her at her present size, I believe.  If not, it's time to get her some more.  Can't have her getting cold at night when she kicks off the covers because she sleeps like she's in a fight.

My dryer is calling me so I'll get this posted.  Love you all.  Have a great day.  Drink lots of Vitamin C to help prevent colds and flu. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Since my feet are less painful to walk on most of the day, I've been working on rebuilding my endurance.  Sad that you can become so disabled in a short time.  It was just a couple months of not being able to walk without a handful of pain pills first and, even then, having feet with no feeling was scary.  I couldn't walk safely without looking at my feet.  I tended to drag them so scatter rugs were an accident waiting to happen to me.  Use a step stool?  No way in hell.  But.....

I've been trying to get at all the things that I had to let go.  Dusting really needed doing to some of the figurines on the higher shelves along the wall and over the TV.  Cobwebs?   If you need some for Halloween, let me know.  I have (had) them aplenty.  The blinds in all the rooms needed it.

Did I mention my floors?  You could see the various drips that hit the floor and weren't wiped up.  The dog's slobber from his water dish all along the kitchen floor.  For a dog with no real jowls, he sure does slobber after drinking.  I swept the floors good yesterday and then used the dust mop on them.  Then, after everyone was in bed (you DO know I am a nightowl, right?), I mopped the floors.  I did it again this morning because artificial lighting isn't as good as sunlight.  There were a few places that needed re-mopping.  I worked on the wash and got everything hung up and put away except for the two pair of jeans that I threw into the Princess's load.  They haven't hit the dryer yet but they will after dinner.  One of them is a pair of those pajama jeans they advertise on TV.  I could have used the next size smaller but they still work.  They definitely are comfortable, that much I can tell you.  If you were considering them, go for it.  You won't be sorry.

Chewlee is sticking close to her mother today.  They looked so cute in the Beast's recliner.  Chewlee was in the Princess's lap,laying back in her arms, watching TV.  The Princess was falling asleep and I thought for a bit that Chewlee would, too. But Chewlee was aching for some snacks and the Princess put the kabosh on that so she would do a better job eating dinner.  Chewlee was definitely unhappy about that but I understand why the Princess got upset about it.  Yesterday Chewlee wouldn't eat her dinner.  She turned her nose up at it because it was ground beef (it's something we call hamburger garbage.  We brown hamburger meat, add onions and green pepper and eat it using pita bread.)  You can put shredded cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes...almost anything you want in with the meat.  Chewlee didn't want any part of it.  However......the Princess wouldn't let her have anything else until she ate her dinner.  It ended up that the Princess reheated just the meat and Chewlee ate it with Tostitos corn chips.  She ate all of it, too.  Then she went for the grapes (she loves grapes, bananas and strawberries) while she watched TV.

The Princess had said she was going to make nachos today but she stopped and got some hot dog buns so I think she changed her mind on that.  She only has tonight and then she won't be home at dinner time again until Friday.  She works double shifts on Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday is day time shift.

Oh, the Brother will be here tomorrow.  He and the Beast will probably have to go to the storage unit the Princess has her furniture in to get the bed for the cottage/shed.  I hope she has linens in a box that will be easy to identify.  She might even have a set here already since she brought a shitload of dirty clothes with her.  I don't know how it could pile up the way it did for her.  What a mess in the guest room!  I'm hoping she will do a load or two every day she can.  It WILL go down, even if slowly if she just keeps it up.  On her days/evenings when she's not working, she could do more...two loads?  Whatever.  Anything to get that hill made into a plain.  I'd like to see the rug again.

The Beast pulled a real boner today.  It was a bit warm in the cottage/shed and he was working on the insulation so he decided to turn on the fans for a little circulation.  He walked under one and almost died from the heat it was circulating.  He forgot that between having a metal roof and no ceiling or insulation up there, of course it would have nothing BUT hot air to pull down.  He quickly turned off the fans, let me tell you! 

So now I am going to go change my sheets and get my blankets and comforters all straightened out.  I think I'm going to spray the mattress and pillows with some Febreze to freshen them up a bit.  I don't want to have the Princess say, *It smells like old people in here*>  I sure didn't know that we smelled different once we hit a certain (old) age.  I guess we might if we didn't bathe every day but doesn't everyone?

Chewlee has fallen in love with my powder and powder puff.  I actually have two different fragrances.  One is White Shoulders (a gift) and the other is Beautiful (I love it but it's expensive).  She doesn't care which one I put on her but she really wants to put it on herself, don't you know.  I've caught her a couple times trying to get one of them off my dresser.  All she needs is just a little more growth and I will have to move them.

Time to go.  Love you all and I hope your day has been a good one.  Smile a lot.  It's good for the teeth and your mood, too.  Be nice to strangers.  They are just friends you haven't met yet. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today was a productive one for the Beast.  He got the hole for the air conditioning unit framed out and got the unit installed so now there is both heating and cooling in the cottage/shed.  However, he said he leveled the air conditioning (window type) unit and it made the walls look crooked.  I told him maybe they are.  We already knew they aren't made all that well so it's just something to ignore.  It's not like we are really going to live in it.   

He also has been installing the insulation and, I have no idea why but, he was using his big level while doing it.  Later, while he was framing in the area for the A/C unit, he went to look for it and could only find his small one.  After searching carefully later, he realized he must have left the level on one of the wood cross bars while putting up the insulation and covered it over.  We are considering it *lost* and he will just have to replace it.  He doesn't know which panel it is behind and it's not worth destroying what is up, getting the insulation all over the place and having to replace it when the level probably costs only about $10. or so.  You have to balance things out and the insulation is more costly than the level so.......

Chewlee decided today that SHE was in charge and came into my room while I was folding clothes, grabbed up a DVD and TOLD me that's what we were going to watch.  She handed me the remote for the DVD player and said, *Come on....lets go!*  I gave her a scathing look and told her that *I* was the grownup and *I* did NOT take orders from a kid.  I said we will watch it IF and WHEN I say so.  She turned to leave the room, paused at the door and, over her shoulder, said, *FINE!* as she left the room.  But, it was a very different Chewlee who came back a few minutes later.  She must have thought it over and decided that *I* must want to choose the movie we watched.  She gathered up several different ones, laid them out on the floor and said to me, *Go ahead, Grandma....pick the one you like.*  She then pointed to her two favorites, which were in the line-up, and said, *I like those two but you go ahead and pick one for us to watch.  She then gave me a shit-eating grin, reminiscent of her grandfather's,  like she knew how to get me to do what she wanted anyway.  It DID make me laugh.  But, we couldn't agree on which one to watch especially since she only wanted to watch one of her favorites and I deliberately didn't choose one of them.  Impasse!!!  So she finally settled on watching her regular Nick Jr. programs.

The Beast finally talked to the Brother tonight so I am sure he knows when the Brother will be coming to help put up the paneling.  He hasn't shared that information with me just yet but I don't think it will be for a few more days, thankfully.  I think the Princess and the Beast will be bringing the bed into the cottage/shed tomorrow now that the heating and cooling are working.  Like the Beast said, they can just move the bed over when they need to but at least the Brother can sleep comfortably and he's got lighting in there, too.  Now when he snores, he won't be waking anyone up.  I swear, his snoring has reached levels never heard before!

Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler but not by much.  A high of 78 degrees which is really nice weather.  The Princess has decided she is making nachos tomorrow...the kind with all the goodies, ground beef, onions, cheeses, jalapenos,guacamole and sour cream.  Yum!  Actually, I don't know for sure about the guacamole because she's dieting   She will be leaving soon for her trip down to Florida and wants to be in good shape for her bikini since the beach is on her agenda.  With her skin tones, it won't take much for her to tan.  Chewlee will also be going to spend a week with her paternal grandfather in Florida.  He's promised her the beach and shopping, too.  She will have a ball.  He adores her but hasn't seen her for over a year except on Skype since he's been in Afghanistan working as a civil contractor.  I forget what his job has been but he gets back this week.  This is the man that has a trust fund in place for Chewlee that will sure help pay any college expenses.  The Princess said there is over $50K in it already.  It was one of the reasons he went to Afghanistan.  He feels terrible that his son is such a crappy father.  He's seen her just once in three years and that was only because his father made him come to see her.  **Sigh**  But, since the guy really IS a jerk, it's just as well.

Love you all.  Have a wonderful week.  Remember to smile.  Takes less muscles than a frown and doesn't make as many wrinkles. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

It's cute to watch Chewlee with her mother, the Princess.  She loves to snuggle up in her arms and becomes so sweet and soft.  Then, if she's told something she doesn't like, you see this imp suddenly appear.  If the deed or chore is unliked enough, the little devil appears.  You know, typical four year old. 

Today the Beast finally wired up the heating and took a reading of the electrical draw at our box in the garage and then at the electrical box on the cottage/shed with the lights and heat on.  He was trying for no more than a 3% drop in the amperage but ended up with even less than that.  We did a ^5 for his figuring it, not just correctly, but better than he had hoped.  He said the wiring cost him a small fortune but it was worth the investment.  He was dealing with a run of 125 feet in total and, although you might not appreciate it, the longer the run, the greater the drop.  You correct this by the proper use of wiring sizes.  But, that was his area of expertise along with understanding just how all the bits and pieces of an air conditioning system worked.  It was why he could use a single color wiring to rewire a unit.  He was so known for doing that (he had a fondness for red wiring) that other A/C techs could open a unit and know the Beast had worked on it. 

So, now they can move the bed in there for the Brother to sleep on since he will have both heat and light.  The best part of it all is that the heating, although it is baseboard heating, works through a regular thermostat he's mounted. 

We discovered an interesting thing today that just floored the Beast.  He's always kept his chargers plugged in for his drill and his special flashlight.  This has been his habit for years.  Because he had his ohm meter out, he decided to take a reading of the circuit that they were plugged into and he almost had a heart attack.  They were drawing one amp of electricity WITH NOTHING IN THEM TO CHARGE!!!    That's the equivalent of 2-100 watt light bulbs being on for 24/7.

No wonder we've seen and heard about unplugging your computers, television sets and other seemingly non-working appliances when not in use.  Those items still draw electricity even when you aren't using them.  So, look around.  You might be increasing your electric bill even when you aren't using many items in your house.  Even your phone charger draws electricity when it's not in use but left plugged in.    It may not be a lot, but the fact it uses any is surprising.

I didn't ask if he's gotten any or even a little of the insulation up.  I went to try putting on a pair of my thongs on my feet but discovered they were worse than my being barefoot.  Without being able to *feel* the toe section, they kept slipping off and made me unstable on my feet.  So, in Chewlee's casual observation, I *took them off*.  Actually, what she said was, *If they hurt you, Grandma, take them off!*  It was the casual way she said it that made me laugh.  Like *gee,it's obvious what you should do*. 

This is going up early because we haven't eaten yet while the Beast cleans up his mess outside.  I had to send Chewlee out to the porch on the cottage/shed to clean up HER mess from playing out there.  She gave me a bit of a hard time and tried the *I'll do it tomorrow* ploy but I have lived WAAAAAY too long to put up with THAT.  She did go out and bring in her toys but she did it grudgingly.  I don't care.  It got done.  Now it's time to get dinner ready so I will say Hasta manana, mi amigos!  Same place tomorrow. 

PS:  Love you all.  Have a great week.

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Some days are tranquil, some are hectic, others make you want to shoot yourself from frustration, others are filled with anxiety.  It's called the pulse of life.  Just as some people need to take medication for high blood pressure, we all have different ways of handling things.

For everything but tranquil, the Beast has always just exploded, thrown things, cussed, hit things (or people) and that is really why he was singled out for his two strokes.  It's God's way of telling him, *No, no, no, no!*  Of course, his heavy drinking and smoking was like the seasoning to the mix, too.  That's one way of handling (?) things.

My way?  For the most part, on those difficult days, I take a deep breath, try to wrap my mind around a less hectic place and grab a piece of optimism that allows me to shake myself and believe that things WILL get better or be calmer if I just keep my head and keep going.  Everyone has different ways of handling things; some are good, others not.

Today was rather an interesting day because no one....NO ONE...here had a bad day or bad event,which is unusual.  The Beast mowed the lawn and had no problems.  He also didn't have to run to Lowe's for anything (he's finished with the electrical lines and will be starting the insulation tomorrow).  Plus, the Brother is talking about coming on Monday or Tuesday to help finish THAT up and then get going on the paneling.  The Beast wired in the heat since he says they will put the Princess's bed out there for the Brother to sleep in.  He says it won't be a problem to put the wood flooring down, he will just move it from side to side.

The Princess didn't have any unless she had something happen at work that she didn't relate to us.  But, she got home earlier than usual on Saturdays.  I loved it because I let her finish reading Chewlee's bedtime story.  She DID, however, have to yell at Chewlee for playing instead of sleeping but that may have been her only frustration we can hope.

My feet hurt me but not unbearably.  I got some wash done and did some of the normal daily chores in the kitchen while the Beast was mowing the lawn.  Our grass here in Alabama grows pretty much year round...it just slows down a bit in winter and isn't as green unless we get snow.  But it's better than in Florida.    There the Beast had to mow about every three days and he hated that.

Nothing exciting happened unless you want to call Chewlee coming in from the last vestiges of the garden with a big bowl of banana peppers and green peppers.  She had a big grin on her face because she had helped the Beast find and pick them.  I had to look at every one of them and sing the praises on how good they looked (and they really did!).

Later, the Beast decided to stop by the Princess's work and he ordered two pizzas to bring home (a small and a medium) then he stuck the Princess with the check.    I told him I thought that was awful!  She's been great about buying a lot of things and paying for it herself even if it's meant for us.  He just gave me that shit-eating grin of his and took another bite out of his pizza.

After so much fresh air, the Beast went to bed early tonight (for him lately at least).  The Princess didn't go until after 11pm and she looked tired when she came home from work and should have gone earlier.  I got a nap at least while Chewlee was outside playing with Baron and helping the Beast.  Not long but long enough to *take the edge off*, so-to-speak.

For some reason, although the skies are clear, my internet connection isn't steady tonight.  Maybe sun spots?  Or the remnants of that comet that was torn apart by solar action?  Whatever it is, I'm going to get this posted right away.  Love you all and I wish you all a great Sunday. 

BTW, my daughter-in-law, Raven, came out of surgery just fine and is home, recovering.  It's just a matter of waiting for the test results now before she will feel any relief if it's all negative.  Fingers crossed and sending up prayers that it is here.  Thanks to everyone that remembered to say a prayer for her.  We appreciate it deeply. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today the Princess didn't have school OR work so she was busy doing things she needed doing plus she ran some errands for the Beast.  Little things but sometimes it means standing in line....like getting the new tags for the vehicles.  That's a chore the Beast hates but the Princess needed her plates renewed, too.  So she did that for us.

She, the Beast and I took nice naps around the same time.  She had her alarm set to make sure she got up in plenty of time to pick up Chewlee from school.  Chewlee spent a lot of time outside, today, since the Princess was cleaning out her car, then she waxed it since she had it washed before she came home.  Our next door neighbor was outside, walking her little boy and Chewlee got so excited, she had to run in and tell me all about that before she ran back outside.  She just had to tell me how the *lady was nice and the little boy is like my brother*.    If she meets little ones that are sweet, she says they are her brothers or her sisters.  If they aren't nice, she just calls them bad kids.

I woke up earlier than I hoped because my big toe was causing me a great deal of pain just from the weight of the blanket on it.  When I took off the bandage, I was surprised to find out how well it seems to be healing though.  I don't know what to think unless the pain was/is related to the healing process.  We shall have to just wait and see.

I will get to see the ortho doctor next week.  He's back and seeing patients.  His *replacement* only took care of emergency patients I gather.  His nurse did ask me if my regular doctor gave me a pain medication as she requested and she was almost as happy as I was to hear he had.    I usually only have to take two in the morning and can manage all day afterwards.  I can take as many as three a day but I really don't want to since I have no idea if they will be hard for me to wean myself off when I don't need them any more.  I DID go almost three weeks without them (the same ones) without a problem so I really shouldn't worry, I guess.

The Beast and the Princess went to Lowe's together to take a look at some of the paneling there and to see the flooring the Beast will be putting down.  He's been slowly clearing out the garage for when he starts bringing in all the supplies he will be needing.  The insulation is both inside the cottage/shed and on the porch section of it outside.  It's all in neat plastic covered bundles.  I'm going to try to get my sandals on my feet and go out to take a look at what's been done since the Beast is anxious for me to do so.  I'll let you know my impressions.

Time to go.  Love you all.  Have a great weekend.    Oh, and stay dry if you can.

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Funny how a little of this and a little of that can start making a whole....well, at least you can begin to envision it.  That is what is happening to the cottage.  The Beast added a fan light to the cottage at the back because it lacks windows and he needed the light to work back there.  He's been working on putting in the wiring that will be for other lighting and the outlets he wants in it.  But...with the completion of the subflooring, the shelves, the clothes rods and a few other touches, you can see it taking shape.  It won't be long now and he will start putting up the insulation and then the paneling.  He admits installing the one fan light will make finishing the ceiling a bit more difficult but one need surpasses the other.  The Beast is very proud of it so far.

I don't remember what started the conversation with Chewlee but she said something about finishing her little container of chocolate milk *at home*.  I told her she WAS at home.  She got this surprised look on her face and said, *But I want MY OWN home!*  Then, the little stinker, started laughing and said, *I'm only kidding you, Grandma.  I like this being my  home.*  She really does have a strange sense of humor for a four-year-old. 

I also found out she has inherited a family...hmm..problem?  She sleepwalks with her eyes open.  She also sleeps at times with her eyes open and you can watch her eyes roll back in her head.  It's really weird.  I hope she outgrows it.  The Princess says she will even talk in her sleep.  The Beast does that at times, the walking and talking part.  I've never seen him sleep with his eyes open but then, I really haven't looked for anything like that.  My oldest daughter talked in her sleep and I recall her sleepwalking once.  The Beast's sleepwalking was potentially embarrassing for us all.  He walked outside in his titey-whitey's (or however that's spelled) and pee'd on the lawn in front of God and everyone.  My oldest son ran out to guide him back into the house and bed again.  I was really tempted to wake him up with a ball bat but better sense prevailed.

I could tell you such stories......but I don't think that's really kosher here.    Those are stories we tell when the family gathers together and we can share a laugh or two over them.  Or we can cry together.

Satellite connection is chancey due to storm headed here.  I think a small part of it has drifted our way because of other internet problems I have had today.  So, i will post this now.   Love you all and I hope your week has gone well.  If not, the weekend will be here shortly.