TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Tomorrow afternoon Tara will be bringing me the rug cleaner so I can clean my carpet, finally!  It's really needed it for months.  I told you all about my bitch with Bissell and it's steam cleaner.  Three of them and they all fall on their faces with just three or four uses.  It will still clean.  It just doesn't suck up the water any more.  So that's just more wasted money and I'm a fool for buying three of them and hoping they've fixed whatever design flaw it is that causes that problem.  Almost $500. down the drain.----->>ME<<----- idiot.

Anyway, in order to do a good job, I am going to have to unhook all the lines to and from my computer and get the computer off the floor and on my desk.  I have other things that I have moved out of the room already.  I will just move my recliner around as I get to it's section.  I will be vacuuming the rug thoroughly once the Princess picks up Chewlee after she's done at work.  I have Chewlee in the bathtub right now because she kept insisting she *smelled dirty* and she wanted me to smell her so I would let her take a bath.    I don't usually care if she takes a bath or not unless *I* decide she's dirty.  With the weather the way it has been, that doesn't happen often because there's no outside *recess* when it's this cold out.  That cuts down on a lot of her being dirty.

When she's here, she spends her time watching her TV programs (I love NickJr.) or playing with her doll and stuffed animals.  I don't mind her watching Nick Jr. because all the programming is learning based.  She learns to count in Spanish (and Chinese but she doesn't seem as interested in learning that as Spanish).  The Chinese program is Kai Lan and that program teaches how to deal with problems that are common with little kids.  She always discusses those with me when the program is over.  That's where she learned *you don't bite your friends*. 

She has a vivid imagination and takes good care of her *babies*.  She puts them to bed, gives them a talking to when they have been bad, takes them for walks and to the park.  She has different spots for the various activites like the park.  That's located on my coffee table because there's plenty of room.  I watch her and listen to her when she's playing because she makes me smile.  I'm amazed at how adult her conversations can be at times.  I forget how much time she spent with adults and we never talked baby talk to her.  But she's also gotten a lot of time with kids her own age and older the past two years.  She needed that kind of socialization because we don't have kids her age around us.

But,I digress.  When I was moving things out from under my craft table in the computer room, Chewlee was very curious about WHY I was doing that.  When I told her I was going to clean the rug, she thought I was just going to vacuum.  When I said I was going to wash it, too, she wanted to see me do it.  I told her I was going to do it tomorrow and she said, *Then why are you doing that NOW?*  I just laughed and told her that I had a lot of things to do so I wanted to get them moved before I took my computer apart.  That made her widen her eyes and she thought that meant I wouldn't have a computer any more.  I assured her that I could put it back together after I cleaned the rug.

The good thing about doing that is I can (hopefully) untangle the mess of cords that I currently have.  I know, I know!  That's a dream because computer cords are destined to tangle.  It's what they do at night when you are sleeping so that you wake up to that ungodly mess of cords we all know and hate.  But I really need to do something about mine.  It looks like a fire waiting to happen.

Chewlee insisted she didn't want pajamas on after her bath.  She said she didn't want to go look at Christmas trees in pajamas.  She insisted her mother told her that's what they were going to do after she was done working.  Since she told me she is getting a live tree, I figured she might just be going to look at trees tonight.  So Chewlee got dressed in real clothes and she did very little yelling when I brushed her hair.  She didn't have many tangles, thankfully.  Now all I have to do is make sure she gets her shoes and socks on before her mother gets here.

Time to get this posted so I can get a few more things done.  I have to remember to tell Bratfink about taking the computer down for a few hours tomorrow so she doesn't worry if she doesn't see me online.  Love you all and I hope you are having a great week.  Work on getting those Christmas decorations going.  Time flies by too quickly and you don't want to have to do it all at once.  Be good and keep smiling.  It's more important than ever during the Holidays. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I finally heard from the Beast this morning just before he left Titusville on his way to Ft. Lauderdale.  He was fine but feeling stupid because of leaving the dog's chicken and bowls here.  He had to go to Petco and get more bowls (yes, MORE bowls...sigh).  He said he also stopped to pick up chicken to cook while he was at the Cousin's house.  I informed him of my putting the chicken here in the freezer for when they came home so that made him happy.  Then he called me ... don't faint....again this evening to tell me that two of our favorite places to eat had gone out of business.  The first was the Sonny's Barbeque's in Ft Lauderdale and the second was Tona Roma's House of Ribs.    They had the BEST ribs ever!  It was one of those places you take guests to eat when they come to visit because all the food is so good.  It just goes to show you how bad the economy has become because that restaurant was always packed and still it went out of business.

Chewlee was so excited that she got to watch her programs all evening and didn't have to worry about Grampa throwing her off it when he was ready to watch HIS programs.  She was exceptionally good for me and I was grateful because my left foot (the least wounded of the two) was just throbbing for some reason and extremely painful.  I had to keep it up with no pressure on the heel because it was so sensitive.  I took a pain pill and some aspirin and, even so, it took almost two hours for it to become a part of me once more.  Or should I say it took that long before I felt like I could use it.

Chewlee is not eating everything in sight like she has done for a while.  Today she was more selective.  She didn't want any of the French bread pizza because it was *too spicy*.  She had hot dogs, some salami and some pineapple tidbits.  She snacked on some popcorn and later on, some cheese-its.  There weren't many left in the box so I just told her to finish them off.  She was upset with me that all the oranges were gone.  If we have a lot of fruit in the house, she would eat all fruit if you let her.  She loves fruit of almost any kind.  She's highly suspicious of kiwi fruit and thinks star fruit is cute but she won't eat it.  She'll learn as she gets older. 

I folded a lot of the Princess's clothes that she had in my dryer.  I had to wash them because she had forgotten about them and they were starting to sour.  Then I dried them and told her I had done that but she forgot she needed to take them out.  I had to do something with them because I was doing my wash and needed to dry our clothes.  I told her when I talked to her today that she needed to take them home with her after work tonight and she's getting me some more tortilla chips.

I'll finish up the clothes tonight and then can move on to other things.  After talking to Tara today, we decided I will do the rug on Tuesday (one of her days she doesn't normally work).  I wanted things down out of the attic but I suppose she and I can manage that IF she can climb the ladder.  It's scary to me because it's about 4 feet longer than a normal attic pull-down ladder and it's also narrower and a bit on the flimsy side compared to our ladder in Port Charlotte.

I weighed myself today.  I was just curious to see if I had put on weight or lost it from the last time I weighed myself.  I lost 5-1/2 lbs.  That's a good thing since I am 20 lbs. over my ideal weight as it is.  I have been trying to watch what I am eating and also trying to eat healthier.  Even the Beast has *kind of* joined in on that....at least part of the time.  He loves his greasy food too much to totally give that up!    If the grease doesn't drip off his elbows, it's not one of his favorites. 

Chewlee has been running in my room every time a new program of hers comes on so she can tell me what it is.  I went to get some coffee and Fresh Beat Band was on and there she was, dancing in front of the TV along with them and even moving her arms and doing turns when they did it.  She looked so cute.  She was singing at the top of her lungs along with them (she knows the words to most of their songs) and I just stood there because if she sees me, she stops in embarrassment.  I think it's good exercise for her so I like to see her move around and wiggle that little butt of hers. 

She's moved up to a size 5T now.  Her size 4 pants are high-riders but she has some she likes a lot.  On her skirts, it makes no difference but it sure does on her tops.  How do they grow so much without us noticing until their sleeves are too short and shoulders don't fit any more?

The Beast just had to taunt me during his one call.  He told me he was 140 miles from Ft. Lauderdale and it was 80 degrees outside.  He had to stop and take off his long sleeve shirt and was just driving in his t-shirt.  I gave his razzberries and told him he was cruel to tell me that. 

Love you all.  I wish you a good work week and good health.  Drive carefully. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I found myself up in the wee hours of the morning.  I had slept and I didn't feel tired so I got online and started reading the news.  Once I did that, I turned to the comics and read my favorites.  The site I was on had scads of different comic strips that appear all over the country, I guess.  Or maybe just in big city newspapers.  There were a few I had read when we lived in Ft. Lauderdale because they were in the paper there.  But what occurred to me was that if you haven't seen the strips before, you don't always *get it*.  Some were truly weird.  Must be New York comics. 

Then I started thinking about my kids and their *bumps* in life that they had encountered and mostly had conquered.  I was happy they had done it but I still have kids that are climbing some bumps that have popped up.  One seems to be doing okay now and time will tell.  The other...I don't know.  I think they may have lost their way a bit.  No ambition and barely getting along.  That truly worries me.  All I can do is sit here and say a few prayers.  We all want our kids to be happy.  They don't have to be successful in a material way but they shouldn't have to struggle on a daily basis. 

What do you do about jealousy?  I don't mean mine.  I'm way beyond that now at my age.  There is nothing that I want from life in a material sense.  I also am way beyond being jealous of other people and anything that goes on in their lives.  But what if you have kids that are jealous of each other or perhaps just one of the kids?   It's sad to see and know there IS a reason for it but there are also different circumstances that allowed it.  We reached a stage in our life that allowed us to give more to one child than the others had received.  One child told me that they were happy that we were able to do it and they knew it was because our business was successful and we finally had extra money to spend.  But.....hard feelings are around about what they feel is favoritism.  The difference is that the child has repaid us for all the things that they are upset about.  Somehow they seem to ignore that fact.  Or, perhaps, they don't truly believe it.  Whatever it is, I have no clue how to cure it.  Maybe if we hit the lottery, we can spend money on them and make them feel less deprived.  We just can't do it now that we are retired.  The Beast has spent so much of our savings that it's scary.  I'm not sure how much longer that will last for us.

He went to Ft. Lauderdale primarily because he knows we are getting low and it's mainly his fault.  It sure isn't mine.  I don't spend that much.  He will earn a couple thousand dollars on his work there but it will take so much out of him physically that it worries me.  He's getting too old for that much activity that the trip will require.  And I'm not talking about the drive down there either.  He gets involved physically with doing a lot of the needed repairs.  He can't help it.  He's a tech through and through.  He loved air conditioning work because he was really, really good at it.  When he left the Union, they were really pissed over it because he was on of their best people.  Oh well, that's the past.  He just can't keep from doing the work himself if he knows what needs doing.  And no one knows this building and it's system as well as he does. 

He's tried to helpl other techs that have worked on the building via the phone but they don't always listen.  Then the problems start and it gets worse and worse until he's compelled to go down there and straighten things out once more.  He keeps telling the owners to replace the equipment but they don't really want to spend the money.  Who can blame them in this economy.  But, they hope to sell the building soon and they just might have to do it or lose a lot of money on it.  Time will tell what happens.  If they replace the equipment, the Beast already knows that he will oversee it's installation.  He was already told that by the owners of the building.

Have you noticed some of the commercials that are advertising for people that used certain drugs because they have caused side effects that they may have had?  I swear they are fishing for people who are just plain greedy.  Worse is the one where they have people saying, *It's MY money and I want it NOW!*  It makes me think of a spoiled rotten kid demanding a new toy or some such thing.  What do YOU think?  I just hate it and even if I had a trust or some such thing, I wouldn't use those people just because of their commercials.  Kids see that commercial, too.  I wonder what THEY think when they see grownups acting like spoiled brats?  Do they feel justified in demanding something that THEY want?

Well, I should stop this raving.  It's becoming too long to justify just because I am up and my mind is meandering.  Love you all.  Have a great Sunday. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

The Beast told me he overslept this morning when he woke up around 7:15 am.  He had wanted to leave around 6 since his stop for the night is a 10 hour drive.  So, instead of getting there while it's still light, he will get there after it's dark.  For me, well, it was heaven after they left.  The house was nice and quiet so I went and checked my email.  I read the news online.  I talked with Bratfink who was up early and then I went and laid back down for a few more hours (quiet) sleep.  It's so nice to not have someone restlessly turning in bed and waking you.  I slept like the dead.  When I woke up 4 hours later (yes, I know..I'm a slug), I felt energized.  I wanted to get the rug done but....I know how busy my niece, Tara, is on Saturday when she's trying to get her shopping done for her family and other errands.  So, I decided not to call her.  Instead, I worked on wash.  I really HATE doing the wash, which is silly with only the two of us here (and a few of Chewlee's things occasionally).   So, I bit the bullet and started on it.  I made smaller loads so it was easier on me but takes longer, of course.  I really didn't care.  I can do things late at night if I need to because I AM THE ONLY ONE HERE!  **Grin**

The Beast, in his haste to leave, forgot a couple important things.  He forgot the dog's dishes and his chicken.  I put the chicken in the freezer so it won't go bad.  The clean dog dishes are back in their place and waiting far their dog to return.  No, I take that back.  They are near their place but up on the counter since I do want to clean the floors while the Beast is gone.   When I was moving things around to clear the floor for sweeping is when I realized the Beast had forgotten the dog dishes.  He'll have to stop and buy some to use now.  Just what we need....more dog dishes.  I still have his puppy dishes.  Hmmm, wonder if they are big enough for the Princess to use for her malamute.  She's not all that big, just muscular.  I've seen some larger malamutes but her's isn't going to be.

Johnnycakes took care of Chewlee today, for which I am grateful.  It gave me a day I really needed.  Not just the extra sleep but Chewlee always wants to participate in anything I do and folding clothes is not one of her strong points.  I may teach her how to mate socks, however.  That will help her mother out, too, if she really pays attention.

An interesting fact:  I have hardly smoked at all today.  What do you think that means with the only changes being no dog and no Beast?  I want to thank everyone for their prayers for my daughter-in-law, Raven.  The surgery took longer than normal due to her excessive bleeding.  They had to stop and work on controlling that plus giving her more IV's of either blood or saline solution to make up lost volume.  But she is fine and there was good news.  They were able to leave the ovaries so she won't have to undergo any other therapies (and no big mood swings...LOL).

Okay...more clothes to fold.  Dryer is going to make me nuts buzzing the way it does.  Love you all.  Hope you are working on your Christmas shopping or decorating.  That's what I hope to accomplish tomorrow.  Or at least get a start on....LOL. 

wow

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Winter is definitely here.  All I have to do is look at the maple trees behind the house and I now get a clear view of all the pines and spruce trees that are the only green things left.  All the maple leaves are covering our back yard except an area the Beast raked and put those leaves in our composter.

The Beast packed the car with the tools he anticipated needing, his clothes, the dog food and some snacks.  He'll put the ice chest in back in the morning with the chicken he cooked up for Baron, some milk, chocolate milk and some candy.  He put ice in the chest tonight to precool it and will just drain the water out of it tomorrow and add more ice.  He's ready to go but isn't really enthused about it all.  He hates the drive.  At least he will have Baron with him this time and that's company of a sort for him.  He has to stay aware of Baron's needs as well as his own.  He will stop at the Cousin's house in Titusville which is a bit more than halfway to Ft. Lauderdale.  Heck, it's almost 2/3 of the way.  He would love to get there early (meaning before dark) but he would have to leave HERE very early (like 7am) and I don't think he'll make it that early.

I kept busy today doing some wash, cleaning up my room and, even though I don't feel like I did enough, you CAN see the difference.  I'll finish it up tomorrow and it will be ready to get the rug cleaned.  It really, really needs it.  I am still pissed that my Bissell rug cleaner won't suck up water.  I could use it to clean the rug but then would have to use the shop vac and hope it got up enough moisture so that it won't take days to dry.  A real pain in the ass to do it that way.  Instead, I will rent one of the one's they have at Ace Hardware ($19.95 per day) and get it over with in one shot.

I have two Emerson robotic reading lights here.  They are the type you clip on a book and you can read in bed without waking your partner up or use it during a blackout.  As soon as Chewlee saw the one I had out, she laid claim to it.  She points to the other one I have and tells me that THAT one is mine.  She loves how it moves when you click the button for it to open up.  It does remind you of a robot arm or something like it.  I had to show her only once how you close it up properly and she got it right away.  She's good about turning it off and putting it where I showed her to leave it when she goes home.  Today she put it away when I let her watch her Barbie movie.

The Princess surprised us by coming home early but it seems she had a stomach ache.  All she wanted was to get home.  So, of course, Chewlee was dragging her feet a bit because she was eating a cookie and wanted to finish it before she put her shoes and socks on.  She finally shoved a rather big piece in her mouth and grabbed her shoes and socks when her mother threatened to leave without her.

Chewlee gave me strict orders to wash my hair tonight because she wanted to comb it tomorrow for me.  I didn't have the heart to tell her she wasn't coming here tomorrow (which is why I want to get the rug cleaned).  Her *daddy* is going to keep her.  She actually might enjoy herself because it's been so long since he's done that.

I slept decently last night.  It only took about 10 minutes for my feet to settle down so I could fall asleep.  It felt wonderful to be able to stretch out straight and stay that way.  The recliner keeps making that *dip* and it's uncomfortable after a while.  I'll take a pain pill after my shower and putting new dressings on my toes and that should enable me to sleep on my bed again tonight.

Got to go now so I can get to bed at a decent time.  I didn't take a nap today so I am tired.  Love you all.  Have a wonderful weekend. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I haven't spoken with my son about details but my daughter-in-law, Raven, got through her surgery although it took two hours longer than the doctor's estimate.  When he blogged about it, he still hadn't spoken with the doctor so I don't know what caused the extended time.  Let us pray that he didn't discover tumors he hadn't counted on or something else that doesn't bode well for her.

Their 20th anniversary came and went (they married in November) and they were still kind of dazed over how they could have been married for so long.  It makes ME feel even older than I am.  They've weathered a lot during that time and now, hopefully, life will be good for them.  They own a nice house, have a son in the Marines, a daughter that is getting ready to graduate and one in middle school.  The older daughter will be going on to college (locally, I believe) and the younger one will be getting ready to enter high school.  OMG!  They are all getting so big. 

The Princess picked up her car today and it's really a nice one.  Lots of goodies on it and the Beast just loved the built-in GPS.  It has a really nice size screen for it.  Very easy to see.  Chewlee likes it because it's so shiny.  She told me that it *smells funny*.  When I asked her was it funny GOOD or funny BAD, she shrugged her shoulders and said it just smelled FUNNY to her.  I told her that it must be the new car smell and she smiled and said, *then it's funny GOOD?*  I shrugged and said, *If you like that kind of smell.* 

I have had my kids ask me for a Xmas Wish List almost every year that I can remember (even though I seldom actually get a present due to their money situation).  We have always taken whatever money we have and bought for KIDS first!  Then, if we have any money left over, we buy for the grownups in order of importance to US.  That means husbands and wives FIRST, then parents.  So....I decided this year that I would provide a Wish List for their convenience IF they have any money left over to spend on poor Mom.    So, here it is:

                            #1:  The Mint Automatic Hard Floor Cleaner (this one is $200. not including the cloths required.                                           Those are another $19.00)  Truthfully, I have expressed my liking this to the Beast.  

                             #2:   Flannel or any fuzzy type sleep pants, size Medium or 12.

                             #3:   Tops to wear with sleep pants for winter.  Size Medium or Large (for comfort)

                             #4:   Furry or fluffy leg warmers.  The kind that look like they are really warm.  I don't know if

                                  they even make them any more.  I think it's one size fits all.

                              #5:   Pot holders that are not for a Holiday.  Plain or generic pattern.

                              #6:   Fluffy slippers that are soft except for the sole and come up to the ankle.  Size 8

That's pretty much it.  I don't really expect much to come from this but I really, really hope the Beast gets me the Mint floor cleaner.  It's actually got a guidance system that works and it *learns* the different rooms as it cleans.  That's why it's so pricey, I guess.  I know you can also use those wet or dry pad products that are on the market to use with other, manual systems.  I could have the cleanest floors in the neighborhood and get rid of the dog hair on a daily basis.

The leg warmers are things I have always wanted but not the knit ones.  I saw a few that were really gorgeous and looked like they were made of lots of rows of looped yarn.  I even saw some that had to be artificial fur.  I have just never seen them in the stores or I would have grabbed at least one pair to wear during the winter.  I suffer with the cold and any help is a blessing.

The sleep pants have become favorites of mine during the last two years.  I used to wear nothing but dorm shirts.  Now I have both plus two long gowns (one thermal).  I own three pair of gloves, one is leather and the other two are knit.  I even have a fluffy, warm hat with gloves that match.  They have the *fluff* around the wrists.  They are beautiful.  Chewlee loves them.

Okay, that's about it.  Love you all and I hope you have a great Friday.  Yay!  The weekend is upon us.  **Grin**  The Beast is leaving for Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday and he's taking Baron with him.  He knows Baron would be a disaster after a week with me not having a car.  He MUST be run every day to get rid of the excess energy he has.  He NEEDS to run.  With my feet, I can't even use the motor scooter on a nice day.  They are getting better, little-by-little.

Be good.  Be happy.  Get those decorations up because *time flies*! 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

The Beast took care of turning over the title to the Mitsubishi to the insurance company today and collected the check for the *totaled* value.  I was stunned because it meant that the Princess drove the car for 2-1/2 years, had four accidents of one sort or another and it only cost us a grand total of $1200. from what we paid for it.  I had read that used cars of certain makes were worth more these days but...WOW!...that seems almost unreal to me.

So, the Beast turned the money over to the Princess and she is buying a brand new Kia.  Bad thing is it's only a 2-door but it has a lot of goodies on it and...shock! surprise!...the balance of it she actually got a loan for.    Her credit has all been cleared for a while (she paid off all her credit cards, finally!) but she had no real credit going for her since she HAD to pay them off, if you know what I mean.  But, I digress.  Since she will be driving over 100 miles to school every day next semester and for the next year and a half or so, she at least feels better about having a new car with better gas mileage.  It's got all the widgets and gadgets in it (remote door opener, push button start, built-in Garmin-type direction guide and lord only knows what else).  As long as she's happy.....!  She picks it up tomorrow and traded her shift at work with someone so it means she works Friday and I'll have Chewlee then instead of tomorrow.

Chewlee was all happy about a new car once she understood what that meant and she was sure it was for HER.  I told her that it was for both her and her mother.  So what does she say to the Princess when she asked Chewlee if she wanted to take the ride with her to get the new car?  The Princess said, *Do you want to go with me to pick up my new car?*  To which Chewlee says, *Grandma said that the new car is yours and mine, too!*  I heard, *Oh, she did, did she?*  I didn't say a word.  Let her figure it out for herself.  She should know that Chewlee thinks EVERYTHING is for her.  I merely try to make her think of it as *sharing* some things.

I told the Beast today that his *therapy* has certainly been seeming to work but....it's also very painful.  Those nerves that are renewing are painful.  It's like they generate electricity along them and it causes some of the muscles to contract or to *jitter*.  I don't know how else to describe it.  I also seem to be sleepling better (except when those nerves start acting up) and I don't need to nap like I did.    Well, as time goes on, I'll find uot how it all is really going.

The Beast thinks he will leave for Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday.  He'll drive down to his cousin's in Titusville and spend the night and then finish the drive down to Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday so he's got time to recuperate before starting to check things out on Monday for his old customer.  He'll then reverse on the following Saturday or Friday if he can.  It all depends on how badly the building is in need of repair to get and keep it running.

I think the Beast is a lot happier with me being up and around a lot more and not sleeping so much.  I AM getting more done and that makes ME happy.

Love you all.  Sorry I got this up so late.  I just got busy doing other things and time just flew by.  Be good and take care.