TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today was not a fun day for either the Beast or me.  He came home this morning, shortly after leaving, with a horrible nose bleed.  I don't mean a couple tissues type......he was holding a towel to his nose and it was just FILLED with blood.  It was pour out his nose, flowing down his throat (and making him throw it up) and showed no sign of stopping.

I hurriedly dressed and off to the E. R. we went.  Thankfully, triage determined that he got seen A.S.A.P.  The towel was so full of blood, I dropped it into hazardous waste there.  True to form, it wasn't long after getting there that the nose slowed down it's bleeding and finally stopped.  The E.R. doctor sprayed the nose to shrink the blood vessels.  The doctor tried to say it was probably caused by heat drying out the nose but we knew we had no heat on and the Beast has been sleeping with the vaporizer on at night.  But all the Beast wanted was to get home at that point so we headed home.

The second time, he was laying back in his recliner, watching basketball or something when it started again.  This time I could see panic in his eyes.  I mean, real panic.  The amount of blood he was spitting up from what was coming down his throat as well as what was gushing from his nose was just mind-boggling.  He pulled away the t-shirt he had been wearing but was now using to try to stop the flow and it looked to me like he had dipped his nose and mouth area in a bucket of blood.  I tried not to look after that.

This second time, they tried putting some kind of balloon device up his right nostril because it seemed to be blocked.  The Beast said it really hurt him but they never got beyond the obstruction.  That means he MUST see an E.N.T. as soon as he can next week.  I told him if he started bleeding like this again, I was calling 9-1-1.

It didn't help that his blood pressure was high the second time.  In fact, it was higher than when he had his original stroke.  I wondered if the nosebleeds might actually be preventing another stroke but, hey, who am I to think such things?  That's why I told him the next time, it's calling the paramedics because he's lost a lot of blood already and something serious is going on that they need to spend time looking into.  It's not your average nose bleed.

We're home now...again.  I'm nauseous as hell but I was earlier.  It's just HIS needs were more serious than mine.  Now, after I post this, I am going to lay back, try to relax and get some rest until the Beast's next emergency....and I think he will be having another one.  Love you all.  Pray for me...and for him. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I was kind of looking forward to the warm weather that was predicted.  I figured, for no real reason, that warmer weather meant some sun.  Well, wouldn't you?  Nope.  It was the same gray, dismal day like the ones we had for the last four or five days including that misty rain that's been driving the dog nuts.  He HATES to get his coat wet.  It was over 70 today but felt miserable because the humidity was 100%.

So I didn't go anywhere or do anything.  I just sat at my computer for a while but was miserable.  I'll get more miserable if we don't get a break and have some sun show up.  I went and watched TV in my recliner.  After a while, I fell asleep.  I hoped that when I woke up, there might be some sun but I was disappointed....again.  I ended up turning on all the lights in the whole house and that helped a little if I didn't look out a window.

Then Chewlee showed up.  My little bit of sunshine.  She was in a good mood.  She got a smiley face but didn't get to go to the Treasure Chest because that requires a whole week of smiley faces.  But it didn't deter her good mood.  She had made up another song about love so we had the performing artists that did their ballet and rock and roll.  Chewlee sang four different songs that seemed to be related in different ways.  I had to clap at the right time (and I did) and Chewlee was happy over that.

She took an early bath which turned out to be a good thing.  The Princess got off work an hour early and was surprised that Chewlee was in her jammies and ready for bed.  Me?  It was a nice surprise for me because when Chewlee is in this good a mood, she talks incessantly.  THAT often gives me a headache because she will start asking me questions about all kind of things.  Worse yet, she often doesn't listen to the answer before popping up with another question.  **Sigh**  That shows me that her mind is just full of things she wants to know but she isn't calm enough to learn anything when she's like that.  So, I ignore the questions unless she asks me twice.  THOSE are the questions she really wants to know about and she will stop talking and listen then.  Little things you learn.

Other than the depression due to the lack of sunshine around here, I guess I'm really okay.  The Beast was laying in bed last night and suddenly showed up in my room here because he woke up because his nose started bleeding.  I asked him when he last took his high blood pressure pills and he just looked at me.  I shrugged and said, *You know you should take them every day no matter what.*  His nose did stop bleeding not long after that and he just went to bed.  I know he's fooling around with his pills now.  He hates the thought of having to take pills so he won't take this one or that one just because HE thinks he's fine without them.  Me?  I'm just waiting for him to keel over one day and end up dying because HE thought his blood pressure was just fine.  His cholesterol is incredibly high so maybe he thinks the high blood pressure will help push that blood through his arteries so it balances out.  I just don't know what he's thinking.

Love you all.  Enjoy your weekend.  No Chewlee for us tomorrow so I think I'll try to finish getting my room straightened up.  Then I can introduce her to the joy of painting figurines. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I am a sun person.  I love it.  Even in winter, a day can be cold but, if the sun is out, it's not all that bad if you have to be out in it.  Take the sun away tho' and it's miserable.    For whatever reason, the past couple of days here we haven't seen the sun.  Just an awful gray sky.  It's like some of those bad black and white movie type skies that lead up to a disaster of some kind.  Nasty.  I want to know who took our sun and what are they going to do with it????  We were warm with a high of 66 (it's still 65 degrees outside right now and it's after 10pm).  The weatherman says it will be even warmer AND it will probably rain in the afternoon.  Oh joy!  Not just more gray skies but rain, too.  Yuk!

Chewlee didn't have a good day at school.  Then, when she got a squiggly face, she tried to change it (like I couldn't tell) so that she could watch cartoons.  I told her what she did was a bad thing and it was like lying to me.  She cried because she said she had really TRIED to be good.  I told her that she made some bad choices on what she did in school and she knew what would happen if her choices were bad ones.  It was funny to hear the Princess tell her the same thing only she was sterner than I was.  Chewlee gets no cartoons for the next four days unless she has the very best day tomorrow and that is what Chewlee's teacher tells her.  The Princess and Chewlee's teacher have become friends and text each other.  They are in agreement on many of the problems with Chewlee in school and try hard to assist each other in stopping the bad choices Chewlee makes.  We all know that Chewlee is bored in school and isn't challenged mentally the way she should be.  However, she is also challenged in learning how to deal with her boredom without disturbing other kids that don't find the work as easy as Chewlee does.  Tomorrow I am going out and getting Chewlee the Tag Reader that will help her learn to read (and spell).  She really needs it and it will also keep her occupied if she DOESN'T have the best day ever. 

I spent the day doing a couple loads of wash.  A lot of it was Chewlee's clothes and pajamas.  The Princess asked me what I needed and I told her to get me socks THAT MATCH!  She laughed and said it was Chewlee who picked her socks out and she didn't like socks that match.  I told her that *I* did and Chewlee would learn.  It may be a battle with Chewlee but I am the *bossy* person (as Chewlee says) and I don't care that she thinks I am a bully.  I tell her that ladies wear socks that match and what does she tell me?  That her mommy doesn't wear socks that match.  I've seen that she often doesn't so that kind of knocked my feet out from under me.  But I did come up with this:  *Mommy sometimes is in a hurry and she knows that no one is going to see her socks don't match but YOU like to take your shoes or boots off and EVERYONE can see you don't have socks that match.  They will laugh at you, especially since YOU pick out your socks.  They will think you don't know how to pick socks that match.*

If you want to get a real reaction out of her, just call her a baby.  She reacts just about the way you think....she cries like a baby.  If you call that to her attention, she will then say....*You're not nice and you hurt my feelings!*  If I laugh, she really gets mad then.  But, if I grab her and start to kiss her face and neck and tickle her, I tell her I was just teasing her.  She will laugh but, after the tickle/kissy face playing winds down, she will stand in front of me with her arms crossed and tell me that what I did wasn't really nice.  If I say, *You mean teasing you?*  She will tell me *Yes*.  If I say I'm sorry because I didn't mean to upset her OR make her act like a baby, she will get upset (again) and say, *I am NOT a baby!  I am a BIG girl now!  I am almost 6!*

She has big dreams for her 6th birthday party.  It's going to be *spectacular* (her word for it).  I told her she better talk to her mom about all her plans because she really, really needs to know.  Since the various things she is planning change from day-to-day, I won't bore you with them now.  I'll let you know what she ends up *hoping* she has for her birthday when it gets closer.

When I went to the doctor's yesterday, he was telling me that a high sugar count in my blood could be a big reason for sleeping so much.  That kind of surprised me since I don't remember hearing that before.  I may have and just forgotten it but, I am sleeping better at night with the increased medication and am not tired all the time.  Of course, I am also ignoring all the Beast's baked goodies and watching what I eat (and when I eat it) more carefully.  I'm also eating more veggies and fruits.  I put together a list for the Beast (or me...whoever goes to the store first) of things I want in the house.  He's going to buy a case of V-8 like we used to keep around for us.  I want the spicy one, too.  Of course, I can spice mine up but I sometimes just feel lazy.    Don't we all?

When I told him about the cakes, cookies, etc. wouldn't be seeing ME eating them, his face fell.  I told him to just start bringing some over for the neighbors.  Half of a 9x13 cake is not a bad thing to share, especially since the ones he's friends with have kids.  I don't know why he hadn't thought of that before.  They all know there are only two of us here (and Chewlee who isn't really a cake eater).

Love you all.  Gonna talk with Bratfink for a bit before I head for bed.  Hope you have a wonderful Friday. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today I had a doctor's appointment and knew I would be there longer than normal.  The Beast has always been a PITA about me driving even though I was told I could by both doctors involved in the healing of my feet.  He damn near had anxiety attacks when I drove just the four miles to Walmart...and all on country roads.  But today, after having to drive Chewlee to school in icky weather because the bus driver got here five minutes early and was driving away when I got her to the door.  The Beast said, *Well, he honked twice!*  Of course, I was in my computer room with her with cartoons on.  I got pissed at the Beast because the driver would have waited if he had gone to the door.  I had no pity for him having to drive her, believe me.

Anyway, several hours later, I was dressed and ready and just headed to the door, said *goodbye* and drove off.  Icky weather or not, I didn't need him treating me like a cripple.  It was a nice, quiet ride with just the sound of the windshield wipers intermittently.  The rain was more of a mist than anything.  If there had been any sunshine at all, it would have made a difference.  The car said it was 52 degrees out.  It didn't feel bad.  Oh, get this!  We are expected to have temperatures in the mid to low 70's Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  That's a heat wave!  I was

My A1C test was awful!  It was a 10, which is like having an average of 250.  My doctor said he preferred it being down around 7 but I told him I wanted my 5's and 6's back.  He gave me this paper to put on the fridge which is a reminder of good and bad foods.  It was funny but I put it up to remind me to eat better.  I know the Beast is trying to kill me because of all the baking he's been doing.  He's had cakes of various types and cookies or donuts all the time.  He's usually got at least two cakes in various stages of being eaten.  He's complained about putting on weight so he can't get into some of his good pants.  I just pointed to the cakes and cookies.

I made split pea soup today.  I had a wonderful ham bone from Christmas that was in the freezer.  I cooked it nice and slow and it turned out wonderful.  The Princess wants some so I will give her enough tomorrow for two of her dinners.  She's trying to lose weight so she's going to the gym damn near every day.  She's proud of herself because she was able to climb the rope all the way to the top...twice.

I reminded her that muscle weighs more than fat so don't use her weight as a guideline.  She already looks slimmer and her little *belt* around her waist is gone.

When she and Chewlee stopped by tonight, the Princess gave Chewlee a bowl of the spaghetti the Beast made.  This was the Beast's really tasty recipe and he used shells for the pasta for a change of pace.  It was delicious.  Chewlee was upset that he left the mushrooms whole because she had to cut them herself.  The whole ones were too big for her (she thought).  I heard her say to him, *Thanks a lot, Grandpa!*  At least she now eats mushrooms.  For a while, she wouldn't touch them. 

We will get her after school for the next two days then we have Saturday off.    We'll get her for Sunday evening since the Princess closes the restaurant so Chewlee gets picked up around 9-9:30pm.  At least I will have given her a bath and she'll be in pajamas now that I have a couple here.  Then, on Monday starts our two *sleepovers* again.  I'm tempted to get Chewlee another dream light so we don't have to keep bringing it back and forth.  I'm just not sure that it's in the stores yet.  **Sigh** Guess I have to make the trip to Walmart. 

Say a few prayers for my sister, Cee.  The doctor put off the biopsy of the spot on her lungs and we are all worried about her.  She's been caring for Baby Brat and Frankenstein and they aren't able to take care of themselves.   She's really amazing at how she deals with it all.  But the important thing is that we love her dearly and want her healthy and strong. 

Love you all.  Drive carefully, please. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

No problem today with getting Chewlee up for school.  She got up, sat in my chair and I gave her a bowl of cereal to eat.  I turned on her cartoons and let her watch them while she was eating.  When she was done, I got her dressed and ready for the school bus to pick her up.  We walked to the front door and right on the button, there was the school bus.  I gave her a hug and out she went.  After the bus driver shut the doors, I closed the front door and headed back to bed.  I was so nervous about making sure she was up in plenty of time to eat and dress without being rushed that I was up and down all night.

I probably could have slept the whole day away but I did wake up around 11.  I thanked the Beast for all his help.  He didn't even set the alarm so it's probably just as well that I didn't really sleep.  He just laughed and said, *Well, I stayed out of your way, didn't I?*  It hadn't even occurred to him.  That is, until he got up, looked around, saw the guest door was shut and he ran over.  Once he saw Chewlee was gone, his panic stopped.  He envisioned him trying to quickly get dressed to get her to school.  Her crying from being rushed.....  I'm glad it didn't happen.

When she got home from school, she was happy.  She got a smiley face and got to go to a first grade classroom to see what their work was like.  She was so happy because she could do it.  Then she came back to her classroom and did HER work.  When she got home, we had a mischievious Chatty Cathy on our hands.  She pretended she was a cat and was playing with Baron.  When Baron tried to get on the Beast's lap, she tried to get on, too.  Baron actually started to run from her.  Me?  I took a nap while she was focused on Baron and the Beast.  It ended up that the Beast fed her. Because he knew (thought) I was sleeping. 

We folded some sheets up together shortly afterward and Chewlee became a PITA because she wanted to help.  PITA=pain in the ass, in case you didn't know that.  THEN it was my turn to play.  She couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to hang up some of her schoolwork around here or be a kitty again.  Kitty won out.  I had to walk the kitty, which I told her very few kitties I've known want to be walked.  They hate having a harness on them.  They prefer to roam on their own and discover things around them.  Attack field mice, caterpillers, butterflies...stuff like that.  She said HER kitty was different.  Oh sure.  In her dreams, I guess.

Her mother, the Princess, called to talk to her when she was between classes.  She told Chewlee she would pick her up after her gymnastics class and that was a big thrill to her.  I'll have to get her things together since I'm sure the Princess will be coming by tomorrow to pick them up.  This ritual will eventually become normal.  It's just going to take a few weeks to get used to.  PLUS...I'm going to have to find games to play with Chewlee that allows her to use her imagination that are less...chatty and requires less moving around.  I'm starting to opt for the school role playing.  She does all the moving around then.

She ASKED if she could go to bed at a little after 8pm.  She seemed so hyper before that, I intended to let her stay up until 8:30pm.  We had a little panic time because we couldn't find her kitty that she sleeps with.  We tore the place apart but she had to sleep without it.  She tried the pity thing by saying she couldn't sleep without a kitty or a mommy or a grandma there to cuddle with her.  I promised her that I would sleep with her but it would be later.  And I will.  I just go to bed later than she does.  She then said, *You HAVE to sleep with me today, Grandma.  I will be sleeping at home tomorrow.  It's not a sleepover if you don't.*  Kid has a point there. 

Well, I am going to sit here, play a game or two and just relax.  I'll go to bed in an hour or two.  Love you all and I wish you a great week.  Tomorrow I go to my regular doctor for a check up. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today was the first day of our new schedule with Chewlee and the Princess.  The Princess got the time from the driver that he should be picking up Chewlee.  It's going to take him some time to adjust, too.  BUT....he was supposed to drop her off here and 4 o'clock came...no chewlee, no bus.  At 4:05, I texted the Princess and asked, *Who do I call?*  I call the Beast who had taken Baron for a run down by the river and told him the news.  He started back to the car while I kept checking to see if I had heard from the Princess, gotten a number or if she checked with Johnnycake's cousin that lives next door to them.  The bus showed up at almost 4:20pm and Chewlee tells me it was a different bus driver and he didn't know the way.  I call all interested parties to let them know she is home, safe and sound.  Chewlee, in the meantime, is just hungry and is throwing her boots down on the floor as she yanks them off her feet.  She had no idea why I kept kissing and hugging her while she's trying to get comfortable.

Then I got online and told Bratfink that she was home so SHE wouldn't worry any more about it.  It scared the hell out of me thinking Chewlee might be at her house, walking around outside and no one there for her.  At least, not until the Beast got there but that would have been another 20 minutes or more.  That would just have put me into a panic mode for sure.

Later the Princess called, asked a few questions about homework and other stuff then she talked to Chewlee for a few minutes while she was in between classes.  I know it's going to seem strange to her to have Chewlee be gone two nights in a row.  Chewlee took her bath around 7 and was in bed by 8pm.  I tried using a shampoo and cream rinse combination on her but we decided it just wasn't her cup of tea.  It actually wasn't bad but it didn't have quite that silky feel to her hair.  There were only a few small snags in her hair but that was more than Chewlee wanted to feel. 

After finally eating her soup, she went to bed.  Not without saying she wanted to sleep with me (which I will do later) but she also complained that I would be staying up and having fun watching my programs.  But she settled in, got herself comfortable and put on her dream light.  She told me she has her own alarm clock now but no batteries for it.  I told her we needed to find out from her mommy what kind she needs because *I* might just have them here.  She told me we should ask Santa because he brought it to her and he's always watching us, right?  So she says out loud, *Santa...what kind of batteries do we need for my alarm clock?*  I told her we could probably get the answer sooner just looking ourselves because Santa might actually be on vacation right now.  She shrugged her shoulders and said, *I don't know if he is or not.*  Just then I hit a snag in her hair so the conversation about THAT was over.

She's now sound asleep.    I knew she had to be tired because there were just too many times she suddenly got very quiet.  I'd check and she would be watching her cartoons very peacefully.  Made me smile.

Me?  I'm just hoping that everyone gets used to these new times and changes to our schedules, including the bus driver.  If the Beast has to drive her to school, we will all hear about it and that's a real pain in the ass. 

Love you all.  Gonna go lay back in my recliner and drift off to a short nap, I hope.  At least my back will feel better, if nothing else. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Although I was jolted awake by the Beast walking in and flipping on the light to wake me, the day didn't turn out too bad at all.  He left early so that he could stop for something to eat before his early church meeting.  He came home around 11:15 or so.  He went back to bed and so did I.  Later on, when we both got up, I made some sloppy joe while the Beast went up to Walmart for some fresh buns, more milk and some butter to freeze since I had pulled out the last package of salted butter and put it in the butter compartment to thaw.

There are several staples that we try to keep extra around all the time.  Things like sugar, butter, milk, coffee, filters and coffee mate.  We also keep a big package of imitation sugar, a couple different types of tea.  Somehow, I've also gotten extra vinegar, salt, brown sugar (both light and dark) and a shitload of jello, pudding and cake mixes.   I have about a dozen boxes of Kraft mac and cheese, a case of the Velveeta shells and cheese.  He's bought extra boxes of pancake mix and syrups.  He even bought several boxes of cupcake papers.  He buys a giant bottle of dishwasher soap AND an extra.  Same with dish soap.  We now keep two large bottles of it and just fill a small bottle on the sink to use for cleaning the counter or prewashing some greasy pots and pans.  All the soap he buys is antibacterial.  I made him buy me some milder soap for Chewlee and me to use for our shower/bath.

I'll be keeping Chewlee on Monday and Tuesday nights from now on because the Princess has a late class on both nights and wouldn't be able to pick her up until around 10:30pm.  Since the bus picks her up early, it means she must get up early enough to get dress and eat breakfast before she leaves for school.  Thankfully, the bus driver will pick her up.  I'll know tomorrow what time that will happen but I could just ask a couple of our neighbors that live across the circle that have kids that go to the same school.  The Beast and I will most likely be getting up with her and then go back to bed once she's on her way to school.  Hey!  Just being honest.  We old folks like being able to sleep whenever the hell we want! 

Anyway, I folded some clothes and gave them to the Beast to put away because they were all HIS.  He asked me where I found his sleep pants because he swore he couldn't find them and looked EVERYWHERE.  These were his favorite ones.  I found it just where I suspected it would be....mixed up with the quilt and bedspread at the foot of the bed, between the mattress and footboard.  I just told him I found them and just to be grateful.  He swore he looked there when I suggested it.  That is where I find it all the time.  If he were neater, there wouldn't ever be a problem.  He's only neat where people might see when they come over.  He gets mad at me because he thinks my room needs to be *cleaned up*.  I told him if he took out all HIS stuff that he's got in here, I could keep it neat.  Every time I turn around, he's claiming more and more of the house for all his stuff.  He's got cameras, lenses, booklets, folders..all kinds of stuff in here.  His booklets take up two shelves in my bookcase.  He was eyeing a shelf on the small wall hung bookcase he made for me and I told him to *forget it because I had plans for that.* 

In our guest room, he's got more cameras, two spare computers and two boxes of computer parts.  THEN...he's got a couple drawers filled with stuff for cleaning his guns, more computer parts and only God knows what else.  One of the nightstands in our bedroom is filled with more of his *stuff* and he has two wall hung bookcases he made for himself that are chock full of goodies.  One of the shelves over his desk has a regular printer and the second shelf has his photo printer.  Yes, he must have two different ones because a double-duty generic one isn't good enough for his pictures.  There are people who would kill for the one he has.  It's a very expensive Canon.  Like all his cameras are.  Expensive, I mean.  They aren't all Canons.

One of his digital ones you can change the lenses on and there was a professional photographer we met that almost drooled all over it when he saw it.  I kid you not when I say I shudder every time he has a new interest.  Nothing but the best for HIM.  I can't wait to sell it off when he dies.  Sounds awful, doesn't it?  I just do NOT need four or five different cameras like he does.  ONE works just fine, tyvm. 

BUT...I digress.  The day was kind of a bright dull, if you know what I mean.  It wasn't really sunny out but never looked dark or dismal.  Oh, we had some sun early on but then that *film* came over the sky and lots of shadows disappeared.  Chewlee and I played with her nail polish (peels off if thick, washes off if not), her makeup and hair clips.  She has two little bright pink ones and one that's a dark pink and about double the size.  She laughs at how I will use them in her hair.  She mangles MY hair with how she uses the clips for me.  Too funny and strange looking on me.  She really hasn't a clue.  For some reason, she doesn't equate it with the bigger brown ones her mother uses.  I tried to show her how to twist her hair up and clip it but she keeps telling me it doesn't look like mommy's because the clip is wrong.  Okay.  Let it go, let it go.  She'll learn eventually.

She painted her own toenails and did an amazing job on them.  They looked perfect.  She was so proud.  Even the Princess noticed it later on when Chewlee showed her mother her boo-boo on her toe.  Yeah, she accidentally hit it on the Beast's recliner when she was fooling around with Baron and it bled.  Not to worry!   All she needed was a bandage that I let her put on herself and she was just fine.  She ate and watched TV, got excited when I reminded her about staying overnight here tomorrow and Tuesday.  She won't be coming here on Wednesday so we can recuperate.    She goes to sleep without an argument on school nights.  I think she gets tired from the school routine, including when they get to play (outside on nice days; in the gym on others).  I've heard them....they get wild! 

Well, I'm tired and heading for bed now.  Love you all.  Have a great week. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I had really stopped thinking about all the dire predictions for the world once 2012 was over but....today, what do I catch but a bunch of scientists talking about the huge number of solar flares taking place.  They are working to attempt to predict the solar storms that will occur THIS year.  It's supposed to be the end year of a cycle of solar flares.  It's worse than the one that ended in 2003, which cost us one satellite in space.

They were talking about a life changing event could be in store for us because the storms are really incredible AND are fully able to cause the satellites to realign themselves and point OUT towards the sun or else to fry the electronics that we depend on for things like our internet and our cell phones.  Hell, even regular landline phones could be affected as well as the electronics in our automoblies and the satellites we use for cable and satellite TV.  THINK ABOUT IT!

Life changing?  Hell, I'd say so.  Are any of the old steam locomotives around?  Stage coaches for long distance traveling?  Buckboards like the Amish have?  THEY won't have to adjust, will they?  But, boy, will you and I have to in our everyday lives until we can fall back on simpler devices and/or get new satellites up in the air once again. 

I know my life would change drastically.  We could buy what would probably be a very expensive horse from one of the farms around us.  That way we could get to whatever place is offering meat, vegetables and other things when they solve the movement problem from one city to another.  I was patting the dog and thinking....*Hmm, he might be tasty!*  The Beast didn't think that was funny at all.  BTW, so far so good with the dogs condition.  He is one lucky dog.

I love my TV but I could get along with DVD's IF...and I say IF the electronics on both were not scrambled.  We are lucky that we have our solar since electricity in the whole world will more than likely have been affected.  This IS a worst case scenario but they truly believe that many of our satellites WILL be affected, so they are working hard to predict (or TRY to predict) upcoming storms.  It would allow the most critical satellites to be shut down temporarily until the worst of the solar bursts had subsided.  I am saying prayers for the scientists to achieve their goal with a more higher accuracy than our weathermen and women.

Food for thought, eh?  Love you all.  Be safe and pay attention if you are suddenly informed that you should shut down all electronics in your home.  Just be ready. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I've told you before how Baron will whine and cry because, when the Beast mows the lawn, he won't let him outside.  Baron has a dangerous habit of running in front of it...very close and the Beast's reflexes are not what they once were.  He even has the problem when he's on the motor scooter and has to keep yelling at him to keep him off to the side.

Today, the Beast was putting some tools in his car so he took Baron out front with him.  As usual, as soon as the Beast took his eyes off Baron, down the road he ran and over to a neighbor's house.  So, the Beast got into the car in order to get him back home.  When the Beast got up to the neighbors house, Baron jumped in front of the car and BAM!  The Beast said he heard the solid thunk when Baron's head hit the bumper.  I thought he would have a heart attack.  He was so upset and nervous when he got home with Baron.  Baron slunk off into the bedroom and laid down, his eyes darting towards the Beast then quickly away.  I swear, Baron thought the Beast was pissed at him and did it on purpose.  So Baron was suitably both scared and repentant.   I was worried about a possible head injury to Baron so I kept a very close watch on him when the Beast had to run up to Huntsville for a part he needed to repair the heat at his church.  Baron seems fine but we will be watching him closely even though the Beast doesn't think he was moving any faster than 15 mph at the most AND he was braking.  He braked HARD when Baron jumped in front of the car.  My hope?  That maybe NOW Baron will stay away from the front of any vehicles.

It may be too much to expect that he might have just a little bit of fear in him now.  But we shall see.

Today was Chewlee's first day back at school.  She came home with a smiley face and a grin.  I did an unfortunate thing.  I read a little announcement strip that was in her booklet that she wanted to know what it said.  The school is selling game tattoos tomorrow for a dollar.  You can get the one for your team (Monday's college game here...both Alabama teams).  As soon as the Princess got here to pick up Chewlee, Chewlee ran up to her and told her mother she needed a dollar for a tattoo tomorrow.  The Princess told her NO and Chewlee had a heart attack.  She was crying like her mother broke her heart.  She told her mother, *But I LIKE a tattoo.  They come off.  YOU have a tattoo, Mommy, and I want to be like YOU!*  After her mother told her she was sorry she had gotten a tattoo because it was ugly, Chewlee was still upset.  Her mother told her to remember how, when she had to scrub off the fake tattoo, that Chewlee had cried because they weren't easy and they always put them on the kids face.  She told her mother that she wouldn't let them do that.  She would have them put it on her hand or her arm.  She wasn't going to give up.  The Princess told her that she would read what the note said when they got home and they would talk about it then. 

It's tough to see a kid so unhappy but I understand the Princess's objection.  NOW she understands why we always hated tattoos.  And they WILL be ugly when the kids that get them get older. 

We discovered that Chewlee may be our guest on two nights a week.  That is, unless I get her dressed for bed and the Beast takes her home and puts her to bed then waits for the Princess to get home from her late night college classes.    She can get her Master's in the next full year and she's going to really give it a try.  Since she's going for Math, and she's always excelled at it, I think she can manage.  She'll be eligible to teach at a college level then.  Not that I can see that.  She looks young...younger than she is even.  Lucky little bitch. 

It's cool out.  Poor Bratfink has the really cool weather, however.  I count us lucky but my left hand doesn't think this weather is any good.  Bundle up and stay warm. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I don't remember if I ever mentioned the skin problem Mustachio came up with over a month ago.  He figured out it had to be a fungal problem due to his previous bouts with athlete's foot when he was a kid and the fact that he's always climbing under houses or in their attics pulling new wiring for homes that he's installing equipment in.  It got awful...bad enough they really DIDN'T want him to come in to work.  His skin peeled off in sheets and it was horribly painful.  The dermatologists that saw it were totally shocked.  I gather he didn't want to go through testing.  All he wanted was to get better and stop hurting.  They treated him with steroids and some special creams.  He got better; felt better; went back to work.

A few days ago, he had put his favorite sweater under his work shirt and headed off to work.  His skin started burning.  It got so bad, he pulled over, took off his shirt and peeled off his sweater.  The skin was red but the relief was wonderful.  The sweater was 100% polyester.  After cogitating over it all day, he felt it must be tied in with his earlier problems.  When he got home, his skin was showing the same signs as the first attack.  He started reading labels and realized damn near everything he had in his home, his wardrobe and work clothes were ALL polyester or a blend. 

Now he had, for a time, thought it might be the soaps he was using.  He changed all those.  I think after talking to me, he changed them again to make sure they were hypo-allergenic.  He washed them again.  When the new symptoms popped up, he started working on seeing what natural fiber clothes, linens, etc. were in his home.  He had to buy all cotton sheets for his bed but didn't think about the fact that his polyester pillows might still affect him.  His face became affected.  The whole time I was telling him to make an appointment with the dermatologist that treated him and, this time, get the tests done.  He was just hoping to wait until his medical insurance kicked in, which it did on the first of this year. 

He started checking out websites for allergies and symptoms.  He panicked when he read the symptoms he was experiencing might also be related to a milk allergy.  He's a milk and cheese nut.  He often gets up late at night just to have a cold drink of milk (like his dad).  He asked me if his father was milk intolerant (he's not) but.....when I mentioned it to his dad, he reminded me that he WAS when he was a kid.  AND...worst of all....the symptoms were similar to what Mustachio had just gone through.  However, his mother found a dermatologist that gave the Beast a series of shots and the milk allergy disappeared.  His mother, however, suffered with it her whole life.  I have either one or two sisters that have a lactaid problem.  I know Bratfink does but not sure if the other sister I am thinking about does so I won't name her.  I don't, nor have I ever had anything other than a sensitivity to ragweed.  I just get drippy nose and some sneezes during ragweed season.   The Beast's family is loaded with various allergies.  Mine, only a few.

My son is finally going to stop self-diagnosing and make the appointment with the doctor.  He says whatever it is, it's going to be life changing for sure.  He's already discovered that finding all natural fiber clothing has to be ordered online these days.  And it's not cheap.  But he says if he has to throw everything out, he will.  His couch is even a polyester blend fabric.  I suggested he get an all cotton blanket and cover it until he can afford to replace it (probably with leather which will be expensive).  He has to realize that some of the so-called leather (like) coverings are actually made from polyester blended products also.  REAL leather will be terribly expensive.  I know.  We have had real leather furniture.  I hate it because it's always cold to sit on so what do you do?  Cover it with a blanket or an afghan.  Dumb.

He went to the store and picked up a bath product with natural oils and lubricants to help keep his skin from drying until his appointment with the dermatologist.  He has a cream he also is using.  If it IS polyester, he can't do much about the sleeves on his work uniform but it's a blend so it's not quite as bad as his full polyester sweater was that he had on.  I just hope he gets in soon. 

Be grateful for your good health.