TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I woke up around 5:30 or so with that urgent need to go to the bathroom.  I probably should have gone back to sleep right away but we don't get Chewlee today so I can sleep later if I need to.  When I sleep in my recliner, which I do when my heel is particularly painful and I need to keep pressure off it, I keep the TV on so I can just barely hear it.  It muffles the noises from outside the house and keeps me from waking with a start.  I've actually been able to sleep with the TV on for years.  It always drove the Beast nuts but, if he turned it off, I woke up immediately so he learned to leave it alone.

I told him that when you are raised in a small apartment with six other kids, background noise is the least of the things you worry about.  In fact, it can be comforting at times.  I admit to programming it ahead for hours so none of those infomercials comes on.  The sheer volume of those in comparison to regular programming is just awful.  They are always loud, loud, loud!

Have you heard any of those Lipoz*ne commercials?  OMFG!  I wouldn't buy their product just because of the truly annoying background *music*.  It grates on my nerves so bad that I mute the commercials when they come on.  I only need to hear five or six beats of that music and I know what the product is.  I don't remember any commercial EVER that annoyed me so badly because of the background music.  And it just repeats and repeats itself.  I get nauseous just thinking about it.  Nope, won't ever buy THAT one.

Have you paid any attention to the political commercials nowadays?  Another annoying issue.  Plus, it's such BULLSHIT!  Can you spot the lies?  Can you tell that the Republicans have such awful politicians to offer the country that you almost don't want to vote?  I don't want Ovomit back although he's sure caused some terrible fiscal problems for us and I am very offended by how he has removed the American flags from the Interview background and it's never seen behind him at any of his controlled interviews with the press.  Isn't he an AMERICAN president?  Isn't he proud to be an American?  He's been the biggest disappointment we've ever had in office.  Even Richard N*xon was better.  He seems to have single-handedly started us down the road to national bankrupcy.  Need more money?  Just print it up...in the TRILLIONS!  Barf.  And his insurance plan?  Who the hell actually put that together?  I actually started reading it online and got a headache from both the language used (guaranteed to confuse) and the fact that it glided over some things and went into more detail than needed on others.  I swear, it's like 30 or 40 committees put that mess together without consulting each other.

It's headache time.  And getting worse, day-by-day.  Makes me kind of glad the Beast DID buy all that food we have stored.  We might actually need it within the next year.  November may be an interesting month.  I mean that in the Chinese traditional curse way.

My daughter, Buttmunch, seems to be going through a rough patch right now.  I know she's very unhappy with her life and I think she's become disenchanted with Louisville.  I heard that she might actually pull up stakes and move to Nashville and hang out with Marcus Aurelius and Raven and settle there.  I know that she needs to find some peace for herself, like herself once again (she's fun when she's happy but this sadness goes clear to the bone!) and find some work that she likes.  She's actually a great bartender and she loves that.  Poor choice for retirement benefits but she might find herself a man that she could settle down with and be happy.  That's what I wish for her anyway.  The past decade has really sucked for her.

I think I will try to get a little more sleep now.  Venting has seemed to bring down my blood pressure enough that I should be able to sleep (with the sounds from The Real West on the History channel in the background).  Love you all.  Talk to you later. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today was not a nice day.  It rained, lightly but steadily, most of the day.  The Beast didn't feel good so he didn't end up going to church.  At least he called the Princess early enough so she didn't have to get Chewlee dressed for church.  She had spent two days sick as a dog and hadn't planned on going to work but, since she felt better this  morning, she decided to go ahead and go in.  So that is how we ended up with Chewlee for a few hours in the late afternoon.

She was in a decent mood and played with her Leap Pad most of the time until I turned on cartoons for her on the LR TV.  Once she's settled in the Beast's recliner, it takes very little to make her happy.  A glass of milk, a couple cookies or some fruit or some toast and she's in hog heaven.    To top it off, she had the cat in her lap so her life was as close to perfection as she can get.

My feet hurt like hell due to the neuropathy AND all the walking I am doing lately is helping the vein used in the bypass in my leg expand.  The nerves that were cut from the surgery are knitting as well so I have all kinds of different pains showing up at different times.  I'm also still having the occasional phantom pain in my toe that isn't there.    The foot with the wound that is almost healed has been getting sharp, shooting pains that start at my heel and end at the underside of that big toe.  It'll go zap, zap, zap, zap then slow down and stop.  However, it hurts like hell when it starts.  It makes me flinch and sometimes even say a few bad words.  I keep telling myself that *this too shall pass* so I can relax

I didn't get a nap, of course, so I am tired.  I'm going to lay down for a bit after I get this posted.  I've got a bit of an acid stomach so I won't be able to sleep through the night but I'll sleep several hours before my bladder or my foot wakes me.

It's still drizzling outside but the Beast is happy because of the two pear trees he planted.  They will be well-watered and that way the special fertilizer will really penetrate.  Before the Princess got here, Chewlee collected the cat and put her outside so she could *do her pooping and peeing* since she had been in the house far too long.  I thought that was very thoughtful of her. 

Time to go.  Love you all.  The wireless is doing it's on and off, on and off thing due to the weather I hope.  Be good and drive carefully. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

In some ways it was a busy day.  In others, peaceful.  The Beast wanted to go to his church picnic today.  We had gotten the invitation a couple weeks back.  I felt kind of ambidextrous about the idea since they were providing food (brought by the church women) and we weren't bringing anything.  Also, I really didn't have anything to put on my feet that would allow me not to be hurt by stones and such.  However, since we found out we were going to have Chewlee (or so we thought), we knew it would be something SHE would enjoy and run off some energy at the same time.

My hair was all greasy looking so I shampoo-ed it since I would be meeting a lot of people that I had not met before (other than those that are my neighbors).  That IS.....IF the Beast could find me something like sandals with velcro adjustments all over the place.  If I had the one missing toe, I would have had thongs I could wear but you can't have everything.  The Beast actually found me a pair of sandals I could wear.  They even look kind of cute.  I was shocked, surprised and happy.  I really have gotten tired of stone bruises because all I have had to use when I go to the doctors (which is pretty much the only place I have gone for the last six months) has been some soft soled stocking shoes.  They don't protect you from stones, alas.

THEN we get a call from the Princess.  She ended up coming home early because she woke up in the middle of the night sick.  We are talking barfing and the other end, too.  No idea what was causing it but it wasn't food poisoning or she would have felt better today plus Johnnycakes and Chewlee ate all the same things she had and they were both fine.  She had done the wake-up and run to the john thing two or three times before she finally thought she could make it home and, when I talked to her, she hadn't stopped yet.  She called us when we were on our way to the picnic because she wanted to know when the Beast was going to church tomorrow.  Chewlee wanted to go and the Princess figured she would drop her off on her way to the walk-in clinic.  The Beast told her not to worry, he would pick Chewlee up and call before he came for her so she didn't have to worry about that part.  The two places are diametrically opposed so that didn't make sense.  The church he goes to is closer to their house anyway.

So we get to the picnic and I was truly sorry that Chewlee stayed with Johnnycakes at the motor home.  But she was watching TV or something while Johnnycakes kept an eye on her and worked on something or other.  There were scads of kids around Chewlee's age at the picnic plus they had all kinds of games and things for the kids to play with.  There were also slides, swings and other things there.  One enterprising sole had brought a bunch of huge boxes with doorways and windows cut out of them and put them together.  The kids had a ball with those!

The food was excellent.  They have both English and Spanish people that attend (the Italian minister that oversees the Spanish services speaks excellent Spanish).  He was born and raised in Brooklyn, can you believe it?  His mother is a very typical, TV stereotype Brooklyn Italian mother complete with Brooklyn accent and way of phrasing things.  Too funny.  Her son doesn't sound a bit like her. 

Everyone seemed to be shocked to find out the Beast and I will be married for 48 years on August 1.  They think we may have the record but weren't sure.  I'll bet you someone there makes it their job to actually poll the parishioners and find out.  There are certainly a lot of people close in age to us but they are pretty much very diversified.  They had food, games, music, even karaoke!.  What I thought was cute was that even the karaoke was available in Spanish!  You may not have understood the words but even the melodies were fun and made you want to dance. 

I was relaxed there.  Everyone was very friendly but aren't they always at these type of things?  They looked at me as a potential parishioner (ha, ha!).  Only one woman while I was there gave me any indication of what is probably more her true personality.  The Beast introduced me to this black friend he had made who seemed very nice to me.  He was certainly in a good mood.  He has a white wife (and that may have been part of the woman's problem) who isn't real educated but seems to be very sweet regardless.  When the man walked away, the woman leaned over to me and said in a scornful voice, *He's a real mess, he is!*  I thought to myself, ya know, self.....that's not the kind of thing you say to someone you just met when you are trying to put your best foot forward.  If that was her BEST foot, I shudder to think what she might be like if I ever got to know her better.  Lord forbid!

I don't think I mentioned that Sheepie and her fiance are coming by either tomorrow or Monday and they are going to help with picking all the berries so I can make jams.  I prefer jams (no straining) and I happen to like that texture instead of one that reminds me of a firmer jello. 

Well, that's about it for the day I had today.  My last thing to do is to thank Bratfink and Fiona for their suggestions on how to keep the cat from trying to rub my ankles when I am walking.  Their suggestions involved water and either a water gun or a spray bottle.  I ended up using a spray bottle and...it works like a champ.  All she has to do is SEE it now and she actually runs like a bat out of hell.  I didn't want to scare the crap out of her but I am more afraid of falling from her actions than I am sorry it scares her that much.  Well, not scares.  She just doesn't like to be surprised by water.  At least I think that's what it is because she was very happy when the Beast gave her a bath.  Not a single pointy end met delicate skin over that.  It's why I didn't think it would phase her.  So, thanks Bratfink and Fiona.  You saved a feline life.    Love you all.

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

This morning, after Chewlee was dropped off, we ventured outside.  We weren't out there two minutes when Chewlee said it was too hot and she went back inside.  What she wanted was the Slip N Slide put on but the Beast was working on trimming in back and told her *later*. 

We had the morning sun that would have been full blast on us if we picked the berries.  I was worried about sunburn since I look milky white right now.  It was around 80 degrees at 10:30am.  By the time it was afternoon and we had some shade around the bushes, the temperature was around 90 degrees.  Even the dog went out and came right back in.  When the weather is temperate, he will *sunbathe*.  That's hysterical to watch because he will even lay on his back so his underneath gets some sun.

We had the a/c on, of course.  The Beast would work outside for about 15 minutes and then come inside for about a half hour.  Then outside again and back.  That was pretty much his routine except for running to the store twice.  We were out of water for our cooler and I needed some cigarette fixin's (tobacco and tubes).  Yes, I make my own.  They don't have that chemical that puts the cigarette out in two or three places.  Somehow, that seems more risky for smokers than the tobacco.  I've heard people complain about having to relight their cigarettes two or three times and they also complain about their throats feeling awful.  I remember feeling the same way and thinking that all that relighting was more risky than nicotine.  Oh well. 

All the do-gooder's want to make decisions for me and I have no idea on how to fight that.  Little-by-little, all our personal liberties are being taken away from us...*for the children* or *for better health and lower health costs* or *because it makes people feel bad to read about such things* (censorship)...a myriad of reasons.  What it boils down to is *other people* are deciding what we can and can't do, read about or are re-writing history like Hitler and the German people.  Yes, there were a lot of shameful things that went on during the years but, if you try to ignore (or erase) the true history of man, how can you change?  You can't change attitudes by having someone say, *Oh, we can't keep that in our history because it makes *whomever* feel shame or hatred or embarrassment.  Oh sure, we've all been perfect angels all the way back to the dawn of history.  Sheesh.  I know such things as slavery and brutality and racial biases have taken place.  Not just here but all over the world.  How can people change if we just close our eyes and pretend such things didn't/haven't existed?  You don't change people that way.  It's all just *pretend* that we live in a perfect world when we KNOW that it's not true.  We just lose respect for our politicians and others that just bend to the will of the few.  And it IS the few.  It's a sad state of affairs.

If our economy crashes, it will be the result of those misguided *few* that will drive us into anarchy.  Misguided but they got the ears of the powerful and made them see how *reasonable* their wants were.  Americans are getting fat?  Let's get rid of saturated fats in all their foods.  French fries no longer taste the same.  Bacon no longer has fat (and I sure would like to know how they managed that!).  Sausage doesn't taste the same either or cook the same.  A decision that was made FOR us; not our choice. 

Get rid of some of the classic novels like *Uncle Tom's Cabin* AND many of Mark Twain's novels, too.  Why?  Because of the slavery that is the subject matter that's described in it and *slavery is bad and degrading*.  Even though it no longer exists (and many men died over the issue), if we remove those, we can act like it never happened.  Poppycock!  It HAPPENED, folks.  It was ugly, brutal and totally uncivilized but, know what?  We grew and slavery was stopped. 

People lived and died over the civil rights issue but let's pretend it never happened.  We always welcomed EVERYONE and never mistreated them or killed them because they were *different* from us.  Oh, bullshit!  It HAPPENED but we grew as a people and most of us have friends of all races.  Oh sure, there's still some bigotry going on but those people pretty much isolate themselves with others of like mind.  They will die out eventually if you think about it.  The KKK no longer is viable and the skinheads and other bigots are smaller in number than you might think.  We just can't let our government collapse or those guys will be in charge in many areas because they are so well armed.

Anyway, I'm still flabbergasted at how normal people just surrender their personal choices into the hands of *well-meaning* but misguided people who want to control EVERYTHING we do because they think they know better and are *watching out for us* like we were children who needed guidance.  I'm almost 66 years old and I've seen a lot in my lifetime.  I'll make my own choices on what I eat, what I will watch, what choices I make about my reading material and don't try to rewrite history for me.  I can't change the *do-gooders* because they have closed minds and want to make those decisions FOR you and me.  But stay out of my way or you might find yourself on the wrong side of one of my rifles.  Just a warning.  OH...and don't try to take that right from me either.  That's asking for REAL trouble.  I will NOT be left helpless because YOU think they are too dangerous for me.  I have guns and I know how to use them.  Any questions?

Love you lots, everyone.  Sorry to vent on you but such things really get to me.  Especially when you don't know who to fight.  Hope you have a great weekend.  Chewlee is camping in *her* house-truck this weekend and she was really excited over it.  Just the idea of a house that you could drive around was fascinating for her.  And, as she told me, they even have a TV in it (but no DVD player).  She did ask after all. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

After the Beast's meeting tonight, he and Chewlee stopped at McD's for a snack.  Chewlee got her usual McNuggets, fries and chocolate milk.  I have no idea what the Beast got since he had a white sports coat on and I didn't see any stains.    The Princess was here with me, waiting.  We talked about a friend of hers that is having a real redneck wedding.  They are marrying at a state park, in a pavilion with hay bales as seating.  She's actually kind of horrified over the whole thing especially since she wants Chewlee as her flower girl.  The Princess is the type that dresses up for a wedding.  She knew about this chapel that you can rent for a wedding.  Beautiful place in the woods.  They decorate it, have changing rooms, even provide a cake for it in their reception room.  It's not all that expensive.  The Princess said for about $1000. (what you pay for your dress included) you can have a great wedding that isn't hard on the pocketbook.  But her friend wasn't interested.  Sad.

Today, when Chewlee was dropped off, all she could talk about was that they were going camping tomorrow (Friday) in their *house-truck* (motor home).  She told me all about it.  *It has a bathroom, a fridgefrator and two beds!*  When I told her about OUR camping when my kids were young (tent, camping stove, sleeping bags, ice chests) she was horrified.  She put her hand on my like she was expressing sympathy, and said, *You can go with us in our house-truck, Grandma.  That way, if it rains, we can watch the TV!*  Yeah, she's got it all figured out.

She went through my DVD's today and said she wanted to see if she could take some with her for when they went camping.  I told her she had better check with her mom and see if their TV plays DVD's or if they have a DVD player in the *house-truck*.  She re-stacked them (she was going through them all and putting them in different stacks) and put them away until she could ask.  I'll bet you she doesn't remember to ask.

When Chewlee and the Beast got home, Chewlee was excited and said she brought home some of her chicken nuggets to share with me.  She had three left (out of 10) and what she did was grab two for herself and *I* got one.  Her idea of *sharing*.    I'll get her for a few hours in the morning and then, when the Princess picks her up after work, they will be hitting the road.  I think they are meeting up with some friends of Johnnycake's but they should have fun and be comfortable, too.

Me?  I will be outside with Chewlee in the morning to pick some of the wild blueberries and blackberries that the Beast discovered at the back of our property next door.  Yes...we were surprised, too, but they are just loaded with berries.  We'll pick them and I'll make a bit of jam with them.  That part excites me.  It's been a long time since I last made any but the Beast got me the sugar I will need for it and I have everything else, including the pint mason jars.  I'll let you know how that part goes.  I'm going to drag a folding chair outside with me so I can sit down when I get tired.  I told you I still don't have a lot of endurance but I can get around some now.  It's been a long time but the doctor thinks I am doing well.  He acts like I am amazing with both the way I heal now and how well I get around.  It really makes me wonder what he usually sees if *I* am amazing. 

I really want to be able to go to Chicago in a couple weeks.  I haven't seen my family in a couple years now and, although the idea of getting into a bathing suit and letting my awful scars be seen isn't an appealing thing to me, I would love to spend some time in Kay's pool with Chewlee, if I take her.  I'm willing but I don't think the Beast will be willing.  I know that Chewlee can keep herself entertained with her portable DVD player and her Leap pad.  I can read my books with my Nook if I am not driving.

Time to get this posted.  Love you all.  Drive carefully and I hope you have a great weekend. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today the Beast made a momentous decision.  Little by little he's going to get rid of the peach trees.  Our fruit trees will end up being pears and plums.  The cherry trees will stay because, trimmed, they are pretty.  Whatever it is that is destroying the fruit that starts out so well (not including the Japanese beetles) has won.  He says he's done fighting.  The pear trees we have seem to be faring well.  We got some nice fruit on them last year.  They are young, however, since they were the last fruit trees the Beast put in and there was a couple years between the original fruit trees and those.  They have a lot of fruit on them this year especially on the canning pear trees.

He bought a couple more pear trees today of the same variety as the eating pears (they aren't hard pears like the ones you can)  He's already pulled out two peach trees and is going to chop them up and burn them in the burn barrel with a little gasoline to help it along.  We just have to wait until it's not raining AND isn't windy.

He also bought two pecan trees.  They are very young; only about 3 feet tall from ground level to crown.  He was stunned to find out that they get to be around 90 feet tall but we will never live to see that.  I like the fact that some lumber company will pay good money for the wood in about 30 years or so.  A friend of mine, in California, sold one of the pecan trees they had on their property for over $10K.  She also sold a couple cherry trees and a black oak to the same company.  She ended up with about $100K FOR WOOD!   I know the pecan trees were at least 50 ft. tall and were large in circumference.  I could only wrap my arms around a little more than half of the one I knew she sold.  It was quite close to the house and they were starting to have root problems so she wanted it gone anyway.  Thank goodness the wood was valuable.

I had never thought about a mill paying for trees on someone's property.  I envisioned someone that *farmed* trees like they do Christmas trees.  Except that it takes such a long time for the trees to actually be useful.  That isn't exactly what you could call a *cash crop*.    I'm not sure how I feel about the loss of the peach trees but in six years we've had one good crop from them.  The first crop.  After that it was Japanese beetles and then the fungus we battled.  The cherry trees are a bust now, too.  Either the cherries are rotting suddenly before they even ripen or the birds strip the trees.  I tried to get the Beast to net the cherry trees but that required his finding the netting and then it would have been horribly expensive due to the number of trees we have.  It's not like our little farm is commercial or even had plans for that.  Everything we put into sprays and other things comes right out of our savings.  It probably requires that we shorten our life spans a few days for each $ we pull out of that.  It's not like we had a whole lot to begin with.....and then I had to deal with the Beast's spending habits.  **Sigh**

Today was my doctor's visit at the Wound Center.  The doctor was visibly excited about my heel and how well it's healing.  I don't see him for two weeks and he seems to feel that I may be totally healed up by then.  I will still have some *filling in* that will need to be done but not much.  He wants me to go ahead now and make my appointment with the prosthetic doctor to make my false toe and also fit me with diabetic shoes because of the neuropathy.  I checked out the shoes (they used to be so damn UGLY) but they have made some strides in that direction.  I even found some rather nice closed toe sandals, which is probably what I will aim for.

I found out that Medicare allows me to get a new pair of shoes every two years.  They are so horribly expensive but, as a woman at the Wound Center told me today, they are damned comfortable because they actually ARE made for your feet.  They make a form of your feet.  This I gotta see.  I'll let you know when it happens just how that's done.

It really hit me today that Chewlee is, in fact, getting older.  In fact, she doesn't even TALK like a typical five year old ... at all!  You'd have to be here and have a conversation with her to really understand what I mean.  If you closed your eyes and just LISTENED, you would think you are talking to a young adult or adolescent except for the voice.  She still has a child's voice but her conversation just flows and the way her mind works is shocking at times.  She got excited today when I told her I might bring her with me to Chicago later this month or the beginning of July.  When I told her it was to visit relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins) she got SO excited.  She is so curious about that.  Right away she wanted me to pull down the collage I have hanging on my wall and point out everyone she might get to meet.  She stood there looking at the pictures and turned to me, very serious, and said, *Do you think they will recognize me now?  Will they even know who I am?*

I told her they had never met her and had, perhaps, seen pictures but she would be as new to them as they will be to her.  She smiled and said, *Good.*  ?????  I have no idea what she was thinking but she seemed more relaxed over the whole thing after I said that.  She's also looking forward to swimming in her Aunt Kay's pool.  She told me she really liked pools better than our lake (she hates the duck weed in areas where it darn near reaches the top of the water) or even the ocean.  And she likes the ocean. 

Time to go.  Love you all.  Hope you had a great *hump day* and the rest of the work week flies by.  Have a great weekend, too.  Plan something with family or friends. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM #3

I don't usually write this many blogs in a day but I have been watching the movie *Avatar* on FX and it has to be one of the best movies made in a long time.  You don't have to be a fan of science fiction or fantasy to enjoy this.  The graphics are fantastic; the creatures and planetary features amazing and the storyline will grab you right from the beginning.  I own the DVD (but can't watch it at the moment due to the suicide of my DVD player) yet I will watch this movie any time I can.  I constantly see new and engrossing things that I missed the first, second, third times ad infinitum. 

If, by any chance, you haven't seen this movie, rent it, buy it, see it with a friend.  You will enjoy it a lot. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM...PART 2

A few days back, I asked for suggestions on how to keep the cat from either killing me or getting killed.  Well, Fiona sent me a suggestion that involved the use of a few beans, tape and persistence.  I have to tell you that it didn't work....not like Fiona led me to expect.  Or any normal person would have.

I got a can, put a tablespoon of beans in it (actually, I used a mixture of my precious split peas and some Northern beans), taped the hole and got ready.  Sure enough, as soon as I got to my feet, the cat sprang into action.  I stopped dead, pushed her gently aside with my foot while shaking the can and said, sternly, *No!*

What did she do?  I swear she smiled like she found a new toy.  She got on her hind feet and tried to reach for the can.  I tried again saying, *NO!* and shaking the can and she wanted to rub her face on the can!  Brain dead.  The cat has to be brain dead.  Worse, later on, with the can sitting on my desk, she jumped up in my lap, swatted at the can to make it drop to the floor then jumped down to paw it and bat it around.  I tell you she is totally BRAIN DEAD.  She isn't normal.  Even the sudden thumping noise the can made as it hit the floor didn't make her flinch.  She knew a new toy when she heard one.  Either that or I just don't know how to shake a can to make a scary sound.  Whichever it is, it failed. 

Sorry, Fiona.  I thought it was a good suggestion and worth a try.  We just didn't know how brain damaged this cat truly is.  **Sigh**  Anyone have any other suggestions?

Love ya! 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Like a plague, the Japanese beetles have shown up.  They weren't there yesterday but they are out in force today.  Not juveniles so that you might think it was eggs that hatched (and, trust me, with the way the Beast saturated the hell out of all the trees that attract these ugly pests, no eggs should have been able to survive).  These are big, ugly brutes with voracious appetites.  It's actually kind of funny how they eat leaves.  They eat one side, then the other and leave all the veins in place.  Weird.

So the Beast went outside with his spray and started spraying.  After he sprayed, he put out his Japanese beetle traps.  These have some sort of scent that they find irresistible and they crawl down inside it and get trapped.  I think they eventually starve rather than these things having a poison in them.  They kind of look like weird windsocks and are quite big (but so are the adult beetles).  So, now there are four of them hanging out in the back that I can see.  I think the instructions say two would be adequate but the Beast is nothing if not thorough.  He takes no chances with his beloved fruit trees.  If we aren't going to have rot, for heaven's sake lets not suffer with the beetles!  When winter sets in, we just collect the bags and toss them into a small garbage bag, tie it up and throw them out.  The Beast will replace all the ones he's put out the next time he goes to Lowe's so he's got them for next year.  They come wrapped in cellophane so they will be good until next year.

That's the early part of the day report.  The Beast has gone to do a bit of hunting and gathering and also to buy me a new DVD player.  It died last night.  I thought it had overheated on Sunday because Chewlee and I were watching a lot of different DVD's and after she went home, I watched for another five hours.  It was then that it crapped out on me and started to tell me that the DVD *didn't have playback feature*, which I knew wasn't true but I was tired anyway.  I just shut it down, figured it would cool off and didn't even try it until Monday evening.  I tried seven or eight different DVD's (just to satisfy the Beast who always thinks I am an idiot and don't know what I am talking about....I obviously did something wrong...etc., etc..  Lo and behold, he actually listened this time....so far.

He got back from Cheapmart (using Bratfink's term for it) and said the only one they were selling in the store, they wanted almost $70. for an it was a piece of crap in his opinion.  It was also marked *refurbished* and I think that, more than anything, was what REALLY put him off it.   I checked their website and found a lot of different ones with different features and a heck of a big price variation but you had to order them online and they would either ship it to the store or directly to your home.  The more expensive ones were the ones they would ship to your home, of course.  The rest...to your local store.  But I can deal with that.  Not so, the Beast.  If he's decided he wants something, he wants it NOW.  For me, he might....I say MIGHT....wait until he can lay hands on it (somewhere) and buy it even at a higher price.  He can be strange that way and it makes no sense to me but he wants instant satisfaction.  I'm just glad our sex life wasn't like that...LOL.  Of course, that was long ago.  **Sigh**

Love you all.  Going to make some mashed potatoes to go with the great smelling pork roast that's in the slow cooker (not like it needs it...ever had a tough pork roast?).  I think you would have to be a terrible cook to end up with a tough pork roast.  The Beast brought in a couple HUGE tomatoes from the garden and I put them in the fridge to chill (after I inspected them for signs of bug intrusions).  I'll cut those up to go with dinner, too.

I may write another blog later.  It just depends on what goes on here at the Brat Farm.  Today we should be getting Chewlee again for the evening shift....LOL.  See you then. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

To my sister, friend, comrade-in-illness and my bestest friend most of the time......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRATFINK!!!!!!  I wish you the best of everything and a quick return to good health. 

Love you much!