TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I told you I had a cold that made me feel like I was trying to cough my lungs out, right?  It was only slightly better today but....my body kept making me go to sleep since I obviously hadn't had enough or else I needed more for my body to heal.  I was up long enough to eat at least twice that I remember and one of those times I chopped up green peppers and onion for our much-loved *hamburger garbage*.  It's been called that because you can add pretty much anything you want to the basic recipe.  We serve it in pita bread and you can add grated cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, salsa...I think you get the idea.  My kids usually scarfed it up just the way it was made until they got older.  If there happened to be any leftovers, it just went into the mix for spaghetti or chili the next day.

The Beast isn't big on eating leftovers.  He will save things but you almost never see him fix any for himself until it becomes a science experiment and needs to be thrown out.  Of course, if *I* happen to fix some for him, he will usually eat it with just a cursory complaint.  I told him that it shouldn't take an act of Congress to get him to eat something he liked the first time.  One good thing about having the Princess here is that she eats leftovers.  It takes a lot less effort to eat those than to make something new so I really don't understand why the Beast couldn't get over that little bit of *training* from his dad.  His father never ate leftovers either.  In my family, growing up, I don't believe we had many.  Tough to have leftovers when you are feeding 9 people at a meal and 7 of those are kids that were very active.

Anyway, today I spent a lot of time sleeping.  I'm sure my body required it for healing purposes and it didn't help that the only cold medication I have here seems to knock me out.  It works but it sure helps put me to sleep.  The Beast finally picked me up it's *sister* medication which doesn't have the stuff in it that helps you sleep.  It's the daytime formula and I am so glad to have the choice now.  I think the Beast got lonely. 

He told me he's going to the Brother's house for a few days after Thanksgiving.  I tried not to seem overly happy but I can use the break, too.  Tara and I talked about what she is bringing and I will talk to the Princess tomorrow when she shows up about what needs to be picked up from the store.  I started a list today to make sure I don't forget anything.  Tara asked me to make sure that I was making some of my sweet potato casserole.  I assured her that the Beast would have a hissy fit if I didn't make it and the Princess would, too.

So, today was mostly lost to me.  I spent most of it asleep once I got the coughing under control.  I worried a lot about it because, at my age, these things can turn into pneumonia quickly and easily.  I've had *walking* pneumonia twice in my life and it's not fun.  I don't want that stuff either.  I will be heading for bed now since this is the only thing I figured I had better get done or I would have my sisters all worried about me.  Oh, one more thing I have to do before I even do that is to change the bandages on my feet.  **Sigh**  I will be so grateful when all this stuff is healed.  Especially with Christmas coming. 

Love you all.  Have a great day.  Be good to yourself. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today happened to be the day that the Beast decided he wanted to watch the last two Harry Potter episodes.  Figures.  I didn't have the heart to tell him I had already watched them so I just went out in the living room (to watch it on the big HDTV) while he fiddled with the sound system.  The regular one for the TV had the English voices sounding muddled so the Beast had a lot of problems understanding what was being said.  When he switched it over to the external sound system, it was great.  Very clear and he enjoyed it a lot more but it upset him that the TV sound system was obviously shot.  I told him that as long as it was American English, there wasn't a problem but he says he heard it on some of the programs HE watches.  I just shrugged.  I can't help him with that being said.  At least Chewlee's cartoon programs are clear...LOL.

At the part of the movie where I grab the tissue, I looked up and saw the Beast wiping his cheek off.  I KNOW he was shedding a tear or two, also.  I think he was a bit disappointed over the ending but he's not alone in that.  It was a bit *flat* compared to the books and the other movies.  He just said he was really surprised that they were the last of the HP movies.  I told him it wasn't like comic strips because they were all so complex in comparison.  Comic strip characters only have a little bit of dialogue and a lot of imagination.  HP required a LOT more thought and effort.

My toes are still recovering from the podiatrist's treatment.  I have to grit my teeth occasionally and just wait until it passes.  Nothing else I can do unless I want to start eating pain pills and I don't.  I will live through it, I know.  But nothing says I will enjoy the wait.

I've been trying to spend more time on my feet more often just to get up that endurance time.  It's getting better slowly.  I haven't been on my feet as much today because of the pain from the toes making me need to put them up but I know that my cold is at least better than it's been.  At least I can cough now without injuring my chest muscles.

I'm tired so I'm going to cut this short today.  Love you all and I sure hope you have some decent weather for your Sunday.  Be good.  Be happy.  And, for heaven's sake, sleep in if you want. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

The Beast has to go in for his 3-month inspection of his bladder (from the inside).  Not his most looked forward to type of appointment but he won't be missing any now that he knows this is a vicious type of recurring cancer.  All the doctor had to say was *so far, so good*.  That can change by the next appointment as we have learned the hard way.  When he asked about the results of the CT scan the doctor laughed and told him he had kidney stones.  StoneS.  Not singular, plural.  But the good news is that they are small and he should be able to pass them without a problem.  I hope so.  He does so love that demerol when he ends up in emergency.  He just floats once he gets that in an IV.  He could care less if a building fell on him once he's got some of that.  He's tried many a time to get the doctors to give him some of that stuff to take home.  They just laugh because that's pretty much how most patients feel. 

I finally got in to see the podiatrist and, let me tell you, he was not tender.  After having me soak the foot with the open wounds, I swear he used a wire brush on me.  He didn't really get much in the way of dead skin off it because I have pretty much kept that much done, knowing that can be the source of real trouble if left on.  But my poor toes throbbed for hours afterward.  He gave me a different salve to use on them and showed me a better way to wrap my baby toe with gauze so that it doesn't end up looking like I have a thumb there.  It's so simple, it made me feel rather dumb that I hadn't thought of it myself.  Oh well.  I go back to see him in two weeks unless I have any seepage from them.  Then I have to call and he says he wants to see me right away so he can send it to the lab to be checked out and make sure nothing else is going on.  When I told him how deep the wound was (you could see the muscle), he said he didn't wonder it took so long to heal.  Especially since my regular doctor really didn't give me the right salve for it and he probably should have kept me on an antibiotic for 10 days and not 5.

Although none of the other doctors has come out and said so, I get the distinct impression that they think he falls short of being ready to care for us *older* patients that don't heal as fast or as well as younger ones.  It's my own personal impression, too, and even the Beast thinks I should find another doctor, although he's happy with him.  But his problems have all been *men* problems and they share that much.  I think he, the doctor, isn't experienced with older, diabetic patients.  Like I've mentioned before, it's almost like he's a bit afraid of even touching my toes for a closer inspection of them when I first came into his office after I injured myself.  He also had to have his recommendations dragged out of him or he wouldn't have said anything at all to me.  I kid you not.  He's a nice young man but it doesn't make him a good doctor.  At least, not for me.

I spent a good part of the day with my feet up trying to make them stop throbbing.  They finally have but I have to redress them later and I'm kind of worried if that will set them off again.  I hope not.  I've been playing some games on Pogo to try to distract myself but it's not working like it usually does.  I feel kind of *antsy*.  Plus it's been cold here and I am such a wimp that way.  I turned my heater up in my computer room to take a little more than the chill out of the air.  I'm just now starting to thaw out. 

Love you all.  Hope you are having better weather (or worse if that's what you enjoy).  Drive carefully.  Life is too short to take chances. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Over time, I have put some blogs on what I call my daily read list.  Recently I have added a few that puzzle me somewhat.  I am just not sure if they are for real or not.  One of them is a person who is really impressed with himself and his intelligence.  I think it's great that he reads all kinds of literature on various subjects but he thinks that everyone else but him is incredibly dumb because THEY don't.  Some people have lives and very little time to relax and read to their heart's content.  By *lives*, I don't mean they are out partying with friends.  I'm talking about people with a spouse and children to take care of.  They require maintenance and that means *time*.

Others are very much into information on movie stars and their lives.  Some good.  Some bad.  I never understood the people that just HAD to know what was the latest fashion and OWN it, too.  Much more sensible is the gal that has a blog that tells where to get good copies of the latest fashions at more reasonable prices. 

I have others that are cute and funny.  They detail events that happen with their kids, their animals, their spouses that make you smile and sometimes laugh out loud.  Others are like reading someone's diary of the daily events of their lives and how it made them feel.  Some of those types are really sad and you know they are teenagers going through all those highly emotional times we all did.  A wonderful/terrible time that we DO eventually grow out of, thankfully.

Others are like mine.  We talk about the things we do and the people we are surrounded by.  I talk about my four-year-old great-granddaughter who is both amazing and funny.  She's the light of my life.  She is both smart and funny with her views on things in general.  I talk about our Doberman, Baron, who is very much like a kid and is up my Beast's butt constantly.  He has his own personality.  I also talk about the Beast, of course.  He's my husband of 47 years and I have known him for 51 years.  You would think after knowing him for 4-1/2 years before I married him that I would have been smart enough to back out of it.  My life would have been very different but it might have been happier.  Who knows?  After all this time, we are used to each other and there are few surprises.  I personally wonder why so many strangers read about our simple life without knowing us.

BUT....I also read about others who are leading lives like ours and it's just different enough to be interesting to me.  I think I write a bit more about the personalities of those who share my life (my niece and grand-nephews, our granddaughter/daughter and, of course, our Chewlee).

In case you forgot, Chewlee is down in Destin, Florida which is located in the Panhandle portion of Florida and on the water.  She's spending the week with her OTHER grandfather.  He's the one she constantly tells me I can't call the bald-headed grandfather because it hurts his feelings.  I tell her that I only call him that when I talk to HER so that she knows WHICH grandfather I am talking about.  I sometimes call him that just to hear her reaction.  I think it's so cute.  She should be home on Monday and I can't wait to hear what she has to say about her *vacation*. 

ACK!  The Beast just came into my room to announce that our temperature is supposed to drop down to 31 degrees tonight.  That means he will be getting up early tomorrow to light the fireplace and get the chill out of the air.  I will remind him to put on his flannel sleep pants at some point during the night because he will complain about being cold, regardless of the fact that the heater is on in our bedroom.  I happen to like a cold bedroom to sleep in.  I have enough heavy covers plus a down comforter on the bed that you can nestle under them and stay nicely warm all night.  I HAVE, at times, been so far underneath that just my nose jutted out (and was cold...LOL).  Hmm...Weatherbug says it's going down to 28 degrees by us.  Their station is located just down the road from us at the small, local airport here.  I believe that one more than the weatherman who just gives a general temperature for the area.  Oh well.  We all know winter will be rearing it's ugly head soon.

Love you all.  Please stay warm and drive safely.  Watch out for the other guy, who may not be paying attention.  Smile at everyone you see.  I love to watch how those smiles spread without a word being said.  Amazing. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I don't know why but finding out I most likely have stress fractures in my feet has had an amazing effect on me.  I can actually put up with the pain a lot easier.  My bad days are probably when I re-injure half healed fractures because I didn't know how to take care of my feet properly so that they could heal entirely.  I'll find out tomorrow when the doctor takes the x-rays of my feet.  It's going to be interesting because he wants pictures of me standing on my feet and then others when I am not.  There are a lot of bones in your feet that you never consider.  Most are small.  I will let you know what he finds and what he wants me to do about protecting my feet.  I just hope I don't have to have surgery, which is a possibility I gather.  Two others are special protective shoes or casts.  Oh that would be cute...to have casts on both my feet.  Can you imagine?

The fact that having stress fractures makes so much sense to me AND the symptoms all match my problems with my feet really makes me happy.  It means that I can actually expect my feet to return to something near normal although I believe I have lost the nail on my little toe on my right foot.  It was weird how it came off, too.  I'll spare you that part.  I'm not sure I could really describe it correctly anyway.  It does say that I need to use ice packs when the pain is intense.  That part doesn't make me happy because my feet throb when they are cold.  Ice packs=pain.

I had a bad night as far as sleeping goes.  I tried but it escaped me.  I did rest and am only now beginning to fade.  I suppose I will go to bed early tonight.  That will make the Beast happy.  I was surprised to find out that he misses me.  I know when he does.  It's when he turns toward my side of the bed and goes to throw his arm over me.  He's now started to put one of my pillows in the appropriate place so it almost fills the bill.  When I go to bed, I have to move it for sleepi since it's my favorite pillow.  It's the one that's the most comfortable.  It's a down pillow and I have a fiberfill one that's kind of like my teddy bear.  **Blush**  I sleep with it clutched to my tummy and chest area. 

The Princess has a few days off school and Chewlee is gone so she is going to take a trip up to Tennessee for the weekend.  Chewlee will come home on Monday I believe she said.  She will return on Sunday afternoon before it gets dark.  She's been talking to Chewlee every day.  She said she is having a good time and seems happy.  At least she hasn't wanted to come home yet.  I'm glad she's doing well and having fun with her paternal grandfather.  He sure loves her and you can tell when you see her with him.  He's very good to her.  I think he's compensating for the fact that his son truly is/was just a sperm donor.  He could care less and has never sent/spent a dime on her.  If left up to the Princess, he will never have access to her.  She wants to remove his parental rights legally but needs to save up some money for the attorney.

The Beast and I are going to re-do our Family Trust and file it here in Alabama since this is now where all our assets are located.  We are going to remove daughter #1 from being included.  We may have to leave her $1.00 in order to ensure she can never try to overturn it and gain a share.  We may also have found a new executor who is wholly uninterested in trying to obtain OR be unfair in the distribution of our assets as we wish it to be done.  There is no jealousy or hatred on her part and we know her to be very good about such things as seeing that what should be done, IS done correctly.  The Princess said to me that she just wants us to stick around....or at least ONE of us.  I sure hope that one she is thinking about is ME.  I admit it.  I'm a bit selfish about wanting to be the survivor of this marriage.  I think I'm owed that much after all I've put up with for 47 (almost 48) years.  Wow!  Can you believe that shit?  We got married in 1964.   

Oh, I finally went ahead and watched both of the Harry Potter *Deathly Hallows* DVD's.  Although not following the book in many ways, it was still a box of tissues night.  Yes, I cried more than once and used up a lot of tissues.  Although the stories are *dark* in nature, they are so worth the time spent watching them back-to-back.  It was almost six hours of movies.  If you haven't seen them, do so.  I'm just sorry that the whole adventure is over now.  No more Harry Potter movies.

Love you all.  Hope you are enjoying whatever weather you have where you live.  Ours has been wonderful here.  We did have some rain today which we needed.  It may be the last hurrah and our next change of weather may be solid rain (snow). 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

As old as I am, I still have a lesson I haven't learned.  When you are very sick one day and feel better the next day, do NOT assume you are *over* it.  I forgot that and did a bit too much and I paid for it today.  I wasn't AS sick as I had been but it did knock me off my feet for most of the day.

The Beast surprised me by looking in on me a couple times.  However, it might just have been to see if I had died or not...ever hopeful, he is.    Later, he asked if he could scramble me up a couple eggs.  He mixes them with milk, however, and I forgot that.  It changes the taste of the eggs.  I managed a piece of toast and a few bites of egg.  The rest I gave to Baron, who thoroughly enjoyed them.  I almost....key word ALMOST...didn't keep what I had eaten down but I won that fight.  I also have managed to stay upright now for a few hours but I am taking it easy and just keeping up on my water and a couple aspirin for the slight fever.  I do NOT want another relapse.

Now for the good part of my day.....

I watched the last two of the Harry Potter movies, back-to-back, like I planned.  I had my Kleenex at my side, thankfully and I needed it.  They both are such dark and tragic movies but the saddest part of it all is that these are the last two that will ever be made about Harry, Hermione and Ron.  I do want to thank J.K. Rowling for the adventures and the amazing cast of characters.  I will miss looking forward to the next adventure with them.

Our good friends, the ones adventuring around the country in their custom made motor home, have been staying somewhere in Texas near the Mexican border.  The Beast's buddy said that they can hear gunshots all night long and he was all for getting the hell out of there when Di came home and said she might just stay for two years because she had been offered a contract.  Di is a psychiatrist and a very good one.  But it sure makes me wonder just how intelligent she is if she is really considering staying where the Mexican Drug Cartel and Texas Rangers along with the Border Patrol are in a fight every single night!  I was to say the least.

The Princess got home from work tonight and went out to the cottage/shed and found out the walls are still not dry.  She sighed, took her shower and headed off to her friend's house to spend the night.  She can't sleep in those fumes and I wouldn't even recommend it.  I told her she should just sleep in Chewlee's bed but she says it's uncomfortable.  I believe that.  It's much too hard for me, too.  I should have gotten a good pad for it.  No wonder the Brother ends up sleeping on the love seat.  Even if it's a bit short, it's WAY more comfortable. 

The Beast just came in looking for Baron.  I have no idea why he would wake out of a sound sleep to look for him.  It must be he had a dream about him.  I told him I knew he was in the house because I had let him out and let him back in earlier.  I told him to just call him and I'm sure he would come to him.  I heard him call him and then the *click, click* of Baron's nails on the wood floor so I'm sure they are reunited.  Baron has several places he sleeps since he's been banned from out bed.  He's been pretty good about staying off it, too.....most of the time.  He still has some times that he sneaks up on the bed with us sometime during the wee hours of the night.  He's gotten very good at getting up there without waking either one of us. 

It's actually happened.  One of the boxes that I have packed with Christmas stuff was never put up in the attic so now, when the Beast was ready to move it out to the cottage/shed, I told him he might as well leave it here because I plan on starting on the decorating.  If the weather is decent, I will put the little solar lights on our small evergreen out front so the lights can charge up.  I think I can even wrap some of the Xmas presents I have already gotten with some of the supplies in this box.  I have to wait and see what all is in it and then have the Beast bring down the Xmas stuff in the attic...hopefully it will be the last time we need to put it up there.  They will all go out in the cottage/shed after Christmas is over.

Well, time to put this to bed, so-to-speak.  Bratfink says we are becoming vampires.    Our days may suck but our nights aren't so bad.  The funny part is that it's true.  But, thankfully, we have no objections.  Love you all and I wish you a great *hump day*.  Stay warm, smile at everyone you see and watch the smiles spread. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I'm better today, thanks.  I mean MUCH better.  Just the occasional bout of coughing and a touch of fever but it's mostly over.  Whateverthehellitwas, I'm just glad it got out of my system fast.  I managed to get a few things done like starting on packing up my summer clothes to go out in the cottage/shed.  I'm not done but it's a good start.  I also had to pack up my summer jammies so that meant going through my drawers as well as UN-packing the winter ones. 

Today was the day the Beast decided he would put the stain/varnish on the paneling.  Did I tell you he bought the unfinished paneling due to the amount he needed and the prices on the finished paneling?  Well, he opened up all the windows and the door before he started.  It was really a nice day for it since it was almost 70 degrees outside and there was a nice breeze.  Not much more than 5mph and he figured that was all to his benefit.  He wanted to get that part done so he could start on framing out the closets.  He didn't want to have to go inside a closet to put stain on.  Do it first and that part is done, right?

Let me tell you this.....that stain and varnish combination has potent fumes!  I could smell it from the deck of the house and the cottage/shed is probably 30 feet away.  The Beast had to keep leaving it even with the fan lights on because he was getting so light-headed.  He said he felt like he was half-drunk.    He finally got one wall almost done and gave up for the day.  He was afraid it might have cumulative effects on him and he would pass out or something.  I thought it was kind of funny that it scared him like that.  He's always trying for *macho man of the year* and this was a sign that he's definitely not in the running.  Not this time around anyway.

I got the second of my Harry Potter *Deathly Hallows* DVD today.  I haven't watched Part 1 because I HATE when things are divided up like that.  I decided I would wait for the second one and then watch them together.  I asked the Beast if he wanted to watch them with me and he said he did...later on in the day.  Well, by the time he was ready to sit down and watch it, it was too late.  Between the two movies, it's a little over 4 and a half hours.  That will stretch out with pauses for the bathroom and the Beast's snacks.  So we will wait and do it tomorrow...only we will probably start watching it around 5:30 or so.  That way the Beast won't be too much past his usual bedtime.  I love our large screen HDTV in the living room and I figured that's the way to watch the last two of the Harry Potter series.  I still can't believe it's over.  They have been some of the most enjoyable movies I have ever watched.  If you don't have yours for whatever reason, get them soon because they are going to remove them from the market and they will go into the *vault* and not be around any more. 

Of course, we all know why they do that.  It will create a demand and they will be able to charge a lot more money for them when they re-release them again in the future.  These are classics.  There has never been a series like it.....ever!  And we watched those kids grow up from 12 to their 20's.  Amazing.  I just adore Emma Watson (Hermione).  She's grown into an absolutely beautiful woman.  I just wish Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) had grown up taller.  I'm sure he does, too.    As for Ron (Rupert Grint), well,he's not exactly my idea of a heartthrob but he still holds a special place in my heart.  What an amazing writer J.K. Rowlings was when she conceived of the idea to entertain her children.  She deserves her success.

Love you all.  Hope you have a fantastic week and some good weather.  Snow will be falling soon enough in the places we haven't had any....yet. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I woke up around 4:30am and I knew I was sick.  I moved into my computer room, covered up well, started chills and fever, coughing and just wanted to get some sleep but couldn't.  I tried getting up but would make it to the bathroom then need to get prone again.  I took some aspirin but it didn't seen to do much for me. 

The Beast, as usual, just ignored me even though he had to have heard me coughing and sounding like I wanted to barf.  When he had finished making something that was definitely beef for dinner (must be another roast and it was turning my stomach), I finally got him to bring me some ice water because I was really dehydrated.  Getting that down helped and I was able to keep it down.

I am not going to prolong this but I am going to be staying in my bed tonight and not trying to spare the Beast.  I have a feeling his flu shot he got the other day may just have given this to me.  I'm going to make myself (I hope) some hot lemonade which will dry up these sinuses at least.  Other than that, just keep your fingers crossed that I feel better in the morning.  I really DO have things I need to get done.

Love you all... 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Well, it seems the Princess was out with our other Marine in the family.  It was Tara's son and poor Tara said she missed it being HER going out with her cousins.  She always thinks of the Princess as more her age but Tara is cousin to the Princess's MOTHER.  What makes her forget is that she has a son younger than Chewlee.  I guess it could be confusing if you haven't come to terms with growing older. 

What is it with these boys in the service and tattoos?  Tara's son has a couple and that kind of surprised me.  I hope our Doc doesn't go for them like Kyle has.  Of course, it may be that he had some before he went into the Marines.  His father may have let him get them.  Or, it could have been just because he's over 18.  Who knows?  I do know this....Kyle no longer looks like a kid.  He looks like a man in progress.  Looks good on him.

The Beast took some pictures of the three older boys and the baby, Chance, together on the porch of the cottage/shed.  It makes for a nice setting.  I'm going to have to put up some cute curtains on those front windows when the Beast is done putting up the paneling and trim.  And I think a rocking chair.....hmmm..

Well, today was day one of the Beast quitting smoking.  I think he smoked five cigarettes all day.  For someone that smoked a packful before noon, that's not bad.  And he made sure he went several hours before bedtime without one.  He's not crazy about the taste of the Nicorette lozenges and he told me they don't come in flavors so he's kind of stuck.  He liked the gum but...he's not willing to have it stick to his plate and having to chisel it off.    They really should do something about that.  Maybe another blend for people with false teeth?  I may email them and suggest it.

I couldn't believe that the Beast was up and out of the house before 6:30am.    He got up and went to Walmart to pick up a couple things including a wonderful carrot cake and some more of the frozen coconut cream pie.  He left it out to defrost and we had some for dessert after dinner tonight.  I couldn't believe his comment on the carrot cake.  He said...and I quote...*It's carrot cake but not quite.  It's got nuts and raisins in it.*  I laughed and told him it's supposed to have them.  When he said, *No, it's not.*  I told him that it obviously had been too long a time since I made it or he would have remembered.  But it seems his aunt makes it without nuts because they don't agree with her and he thought that was how it was supposed to be.  MEN!!  They just don't KNOW these things because they just eat and don't think about it.  I think trying to make something unique is wasted on them.  They just want something that tastes good and is filling.  Period.

We haven't seen the Princess all day so she either was working or has been at Assholecake's house when she should have been here trying to get rid of some of her stack of laundry.  But that's just MY way of thinking.  She should have had MY laundry when my kids were growing up.  Thankfully, my sister, Cee, used to come over to the house on Saturday and help me out there.  If she saw the pile was growing too large during the week, she would always throw in a load or two of towels since that was always the most incredibly large loads I had.  Teenagers don't realize you can use a towel more than once and they always use TWO per shower.  My girls sometimes took two showers a day.  EEK!!!!

The Beast went to bed around 9pm so he's sound asleep now.  Baron is in there, too, farting up a storm.  I don't know which food it is that makes him so gassy but I sure want to find out and not give it to him any more.  Baron also has started that rubbing his muzzle on the furniture again so I told the Beast he needs to go to the vets again.  It has to be something he's allergic to and we need to find out what it is.  Hopefully, the vet may have some suggestions on how we go about finding out what it is.  We shall see.

Love you all.  Have a great Sunday.  Found out my son and family won't be here for Thanksgiving due to DIL's surgery on the 30th and a lack of funds.  Seems Christmas is in question, too.  **Sigh**  We will just have to take it a day at a time and see what happens.  Be happy.  Life is short. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Early this morning, well, around 9:30 or 10 am, the Princess finally got Chewlee packed and ready and off they went to meet up withe the paternal grandfather.  I didn't ask just where they were meeting but I'm sure it was somewhere between here and Mobile.  It saved the Princess from having to stay overnight at his new house and returning in the wee hours since she works a double tomorrow. 

Chewlee was so excited about going to stay and see his new house.  He had told her it was so big he felt it was more a museum.  That idea tickled her.  I'm sure she's sound asleep in a room prepared just for her.  I also have a feeling that some of the rest of the family might be down or coming down from Michigan to see Chewlee and spend time with her.  She will LOVE that.  She is just enthralled with the whole idea of aunts, uncles and cousins that are HER family.  The more, the merrier she feels and I can't say she's wrong.  Since her other grandfather now has a large home, he has plenty of room to put the family up for their stay.

The Princess was up really early this morning.  I heard her around 5am taking her shower.  I believe she had a test at school (or two) so she had to get there early in order to be able to leave HERE early to meet up as planned.  I hope Chewlee has a wonderful time and doesn't end up crying for her mother or me.  When they were leaving, Chewlee had to keep running back to give me a hug and a kiss and say goodbye again.  She took her kitty with her (the one I repaired the other day) and her mother packed one of her security blankets for her.  She also took her bathing suit and her life jacket.  She would have taken her bucket and sand toys with her but the Princess told her that she would find more at her grandpa's new house.  I don't know if that's true but he would be sure to buy her some when they go to the beach.  It's how he is about her.  And that's a good thing to my way of thinking.

The Beast thinks he's a real jerk and it's true, actually.  If he weren't Chewlee's grandfather, he's not a person I would like to be friends with because he's really kind of stupid about a lot of things.  A good example:  when the Princess got pregnant, he and his son came to the house.  He made the statement to us that the Princess was really good for her son because she was a working fool and she might just rub off on his son who couldn't seem to keep a job for six months.    Can you imagine?  You could tell he had given up on getting his son to be a man.  The son was just covered in tattoos on his arms and back.  I think he also had one or two on his chest also.  **Shudder**  He would never have even gotten a second look from ME as a kid, I can assure you.  The Princess said, at the time, he made her feel *safe*.   He must have had a reputation as a *bad boy* then.  What she didn't know was that he was also a stalker....but that was in her future.

Oh, and so far, I don't think he has been able to keep a job for six months even after all this time.  I doubt he will ever straighten up and fly right.  Some leopards just can't change their spots.

I spent the day making up my bed with fresh linens and blankets.  We're all set now for winter weather with the down comforter, a nice fleece blanket and our quilted bedspread.   I asked the Beast if he planned on putting the electric blanket underneath the sheets like he had it last year but he mumbled something about electrical energy interfering with our bodies so I took that as a *no*.  I'll put the flannel sheets on the bed once the weather stays down in the 50's during the day and into the 30's at night.  That will solve the shock problem with cold sheets. 

The Princess did up two loads of wash, I think.  Then she went out...somewhere.  It's date night, after all.  She's probably out with Assholecakes.  Will she never learn?  Leopards.....spots....good at deception when it suits their needs and hungers but still a leopard.  In the animal world, they kill kittens that are not theirs.  They don't treat them badly one time and nicely another.  Of course, animals do it to make the mother sexually available which they aren't if they have cubs.  C'est la vie!  Humans, however, are not supposed to be like animals regardless of what we might think.  It's why I object to Assholecakes since he was so cruel to Chewlee and hurt her so badly.  If he does it again, she will NEVER trust him again.  She's giving him some slack right now because she WANTS his love.  To her, that's her daddy.  She will have to be much older to understand his place in her life.

I helped the Beast make a couple cuts in the paneling today.  He went to Lowe's and bought another 20 sheets of it because it was in such good shape.  He has enough now to finish up the walls and do one side of the dropped ceiling.  He says hauling it out of the stacks, then to the trailer and then into the garage almost killed him.  Key word:  ALMOST.    He put up the couple pieces I help him to cut even and then called it quits for the day.

He's decided he's going to quit smoking.  I suspected he was going to attempt it when I saw the nicorette lozenges.  He liked the gum except for one thing.  It stuck to his plate and he almost couldn't get it off.  Tomorrow morning he starts off his day with a lozenge in the morning.  He put up and emptied all his ashtrays and washed them.  He used up the few cigarettes he made up today.  I asked him if he wanted me to lock my door but he said it wasn't necessary.  We shall see.

If he quits, I just might.  I quit once for the sake of his health and was totally pissed that he couldn't wait to get out of the hospital and smoke a cigarette.  I started smoking again and told him that if he wanted/needed to quit again in the future, he was going to do it without any help from ME.  I would quit when *I* wanted to and I meant it.  This will see what he can do on his own.

Love you all.  Thanks for stopping by.  Am looking forward to being able to watch SyFy tomorrow and not kids cartoons.  That's IF SyFy is worth watching.  I'll probably go ahead and fold some of the Princess's clothes she washed and throw in another load for her.  I'm tired of hearing the Beast having shit fits over the mess.  She will be good about getting me my mudslide or whatever I want so I can, hopefully, make inroads on Mount Stinky.  Have a great weekend.  Stay warm wherever you are.