TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I overslept today by almost an hour.  When I awoke and saw the time, I realized that I had about 10 minutes until Chewlee's bus would be there.  I woke the poor baby up, dressed her while she was protesting and got her out into the living room.  She was hungry but I knew she would be fed at school.  I was looking for a quick snack for her when the bus pulled up and I had to get her out the door.  She went out and made the bus but when I checked what the outside temperature was, it was only 20 degrees.  I had been asking the Princess to get a jacket to her for two days but she never showed up at the school on Tuesday nor at our house.  So poor Chewlee has been at school for two days without her backpack and the teacher's folder.  Today, she had to go to school without any money for her snack.

After Chewlee was on her way to school, I sent an email to the Princess about all of it.  I told her that I knew she was injured but the ball was in her park at this point.  I think she had to have known I was angry.  I hate the idea of Chewlee being embarrassed or hurt that she can't get a snack with her class AND that her folder hasn't been at school for her teacher to note her behavior.  That doesn't include the fact that it's been damn cold for the past couple days and Chewlee may be *tough* but she's just a little girl.  She's not THAT tough.  My heart broke this morning that *I* had failed her along with her mother.   Tonight she will be home.  I just wonder what she's thinking.  I hope her mother got to the school in time for her snack and she finally got her folder to her teacher.  I won't even discuss the jacket since I truly believe that Chewlee has several in the lost and found but she won't, for some reason, go check for them.  I think it might be because she doesn't remember what the lost ones look like.  That's something the Princess should probably do.

Buttmunch has been heard from.  She called her brother, Marcus Aurelius.  I think she did that because she's too embarrassed to call Mustachio.  He's the one that has taken her in more than once plus he gave them traveling money twice and bought Buttmunch the new bike.  That doesn't even count the tent he bought for their travels.  Anyway, she's at a battered women's center while her face heals up and she's fit to look for a job.  She likes the area and intends to stay, for a while at least.  But we know she's alive and well, sort of.  Phew! 

A LOT of states (18 in all, I understand) are in for the snowstorm of the year for the next few days.  Our area of the country is due for rain.  Our poor ground is already so saturated that you sink down into it when you have to walk across the yard for any reason.  So, yeah, I guess we are as ready for THAT as we could be.  You can't stop the rain any more than you can stop the snow.  We all will be hunkering down for the next few days.  I'm just glad the Beast made it to the store tonight and got some snacks, more milk and bread and we are set.  I thought it was funny that he bought more orange juice until I read that this stuff had pulp in it.  He loves that.  What he bought two days ago didn't have any.  That's okay with me.  I can drink both but Chewlee doesn't like the pulp in her orange juice.

Love you all.  Hope you're ready for what's coming.  Stay off the streets unless absolutely necessary.  It's not going to be a good time for businesses, that's for sure.  Stay warm and/or stay dry. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Looks like the weatherman screwed up again.  Our weather was really nice today.  It was sunny and got up to the mid 50's again.  That meant Chewlee got to go outside and play for a bit.  She could have played outside more but she never did get a jacket from her mother taken to school.  Her mother never showed up with her backpack or folder either.  I didn't let Chewlee play her NickJr. games either because I had no way of knowing if she had deserved a smiley face or a squiggly one.  That's why having her backpack with folder is important.

Chewlee never argued about it at all.  Plus, a little later, one of the Beast's friends from church came by with his youngest daughter, Alyia so they got to play together for an hour and a half before heading home.  This is the friend that thought he was having a heart attack but it was fragments of buckshot from many years back that had been left in place due to their location that were moving and creating pain for him.  He's due to go back soon since the infection that the surgeon found is now gone and the rest of the fragments can be removed.

What I thought was cute was Alyia actually showed (and helped) Chewlee how to make her bed.  That's a chore Alyia has to do every day and it bothered her that Chewlee didn't do hers up.  Of course, Alyia is two years older than Chewlee but Chewlee liked to do it with her.  They did a great job, too.  I was very surprised but pleased when Chewlee insisted I had to come see.  I praised them both.

Chewlee actually took a much shorter bath than usual when she had been told that it was later than normal and she would have to go to bed right after her bath.  When she heard she COULD have time to stay up if her bath was shorter, she complied.    I think it may have been her fastest bath ever.  She got in and started washing.  She cracked me up at how she washed under her arms because she said *she had stink under them*.   I don't think I have ever smelled a child her age *stink* except for a dirty and sweaty head.  Have you?  I DID say her age, remember. 

She is now reading her own bedtime story.  I lay there with her while she reads and I help with the *big words*, as Chewlee calls them.  I help her sound them out and it won't be long before she will know them by sight.  There are only a few in her favorite book to read, like *actually* (that one pops into mind easily).  But after she read her story, a few kisses here and there (face, neck, ears, forehead and quite a few giggles), she settled down under the covers.  I had to adjust her nightlight (a Dora one that you can direct to a ceiling or wall) since Alyia had been playing with it much to Chewlee's surprise.  **Why would she play with that?*  I told her that maybe Alyia had never seen one like it before.  Ya think?  Anyway, Chewlee fell soundly asleep within about 15 minutes.    Guess she had a full and busy day.

The Beast went to put my door up and rediscovered the fact that the hinges have to go on a special way.  He does this every time with a door and poo-pooed my attempt to tell him what was wrong.  But he did, finally, do what I had told him had to be done and the door went back on easily.  He did need my help for just a minute since it's hard to balance the door while attempting to put the pins in place.  But I have my door back up now so I don't feel so exposed and I don't have to listen to the Beast's TV blaring since his hearing is so bad.  It's always a shock to me when I turn on that TV and the volume is so high it hurts my ears.  Sheesh!  I really have to get him into an ear doctor and have his hearing tested.  In reality, it's probably cheaper to take him to a Beltone store for one of their free hearing tests and the hearing aids they have are both smaller and much cheaper than an ear doctor offers.   The Beast is nothing if not vain.  He would balk at a hearing aid that was big and could be seen easily.

The Beast made an interesting casserole tonight.  It consists of some browned beef, some canned chili, some Fritos and some shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend cheese easily found in any food store.  His problem was he doesn't read directions well and he put the cheese on top when he put it in the oven so he ended up taking it out before it had heated up enough.  The recipe he read (and thought he memorized) called for the three ingredients to be layered (not the cheese) and it was supposed to heat in the oven for about a half hour I believe (I saved the recipe, didn't memorize it) and then the cheese was to be put on top and left in for an additional 10 minutes or just until well melted but not browned.  When I ate some, I ran into a LOT of cold spots (the cans of chili were COLD due to the weather and the fact they had been out in the garage) but had to admit, it was very good if a bit salty.  I think if I made it, I would add some drained, diced tomatoes to it to add just a little more flavor and cut the saltiness.  I think the Beast salted the ground beef he had browned, not think that the Fritos were salted and there is a lot of salt in the Mexican cheese blend, as well as the canned chili.

Love you all.  Gotta jump in the shower before I hit the sack.  I wanted to shower earlier but then we had company and that put me off my normal routine.  Hope you have a great week and a good Hump Day. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today was President's Day so there was no school for Chewlee.  I'm guessing it wasn't the same for college or else I've been taken advantage of by the Princess since she told Chewlee (when she dropped her off with clothes and pj's for the next two days....but NO socks!) she was going to be late for class if she didn't hurry.  Chewlee has slept here so often this past week that she is starting to want to stay here even on days she normally goes home.  But when I say (jokingly so she would really THINK about what she was saying) *Do you want to just stay HERE all the time?*  Her reply is *No, I would miss my mommy and I really love her.*  That's when I told her that two days of not seeing her mommy was really more than enough. 

The Beast, although told to take it easy, removed my door today to clean it and paint it.  He carried it out to the cottage so we wouldn't have the smell in the house.  He'll paint the other side of the door tomorrow and I'll have my door back up on Wednesday.  That's because he will paint the frame tomorrow, too. 

I told you a long time ago that the Beast has this *thing* about doing *something* every day or he's going to die or something.  Pisses me off because he will do things that really don't need doing or changing.   It's how a lot of changes around here were made...and why they were made.  If there's nothing to do, he invents something.  That drives me crazy but there's really nothing I can do to stop him.  Some people think I should be glad he shows such an interest AND keeps busy.  Part of the problem is that his *somethings* always seem to end up involving ME.  He thinks I have nothing better to do.  He did that even when I was full of staples and stitches after my surgery.  His chores never seem to be able to be done by ONE person.  I've known men that manage to do the same things he does all by themselves so what gives?

Chewlee was really energetic tonight so I had a hard time getting her to bed and keeping her there.  She gets so active she tires me out just watching her at times.  I wish I had just half of that energy.  But I will be joining her shortly. 

Love you all.  Our temperature here got up to 59 degrees!    But it's going down to around 35 degrees according to our weather update.  Even lower tomorrow.  Yuk!  Even Bratfink had warmer weather than she expected to see...around 50 I think she said.  Oh, that reminds me.  Sheldon is under the weather and it worries Bratfink a lot because he's almost never sick.  Please say a little prayer for him that it's nothing serious.  The symptoms are not a cold or flu.  Many thanks for that. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I was watching an episode of NCIS this morning.  Mark Harmon (a much older but very attractive man now) is the head of a team of investigators and an ex-Marine (there really IS no such thing as an EX-Marine, trust me this is true) sharpshooter.  This episode deals with a flight that crashes that was carrying Marines that were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.  They were in their full dress uniforms, the special Marine coffins and were to have their final DNA tests before being sent on to their families for burial.

I had never seen the special Marine coffins before this program but they are enough to make you cry because Marines are some of the proudest of our troops.  After hearing about their training from my grandson (who IS a Marine), I can really understand why they are so proud to have made it as a Marine.  I also know they are adamant about the *no man left behind* thing when a comrade is injured or killed.  They practice, on mixed terrain, carrying the bodies of their buddies both up and down.  If anyone is left behind, they WILL go back to retrieve them.  They even have special helicopter teams that will actually enter a zone under fire to do that.  It kind of amazes me at times when you think about that.

But what cut to my heart was the fact that my grandson was deployed to Afghanistan.  I've become a bit of a junkie about listening to the news coming out of there and watching for that familiar face in some of the clips they show.  I listen for names although I know my son and d-i-l would be notified if anything happened and my son would call to let me know. 

I also have a great-nephew in the Marines also.  He is Tara's oldest son.  He's fortunate that he is still stateside, although his unit had been ready to be deployed until several of the men popped positive for drugs (marijuana most likely).  Their punishment was to be kept stateside.  Punishment?  Weird idea but that's the Marines.  The men had to be embarrassed among their peers.  Even as far as advancement goes, that's a slow boat to China thing.  And the innocent suffer with the guilty. 

But I want each and every one of you to say a prayer for our men fighting in the Middle East.  They truly ARE fighting for freedom.  Freedom from oppression.  Freedom from those that would love to see more events like September 11th.  Freedom to continue our way of life without fear.  Freedom for those that would love to enjoy the same thing in other countries.  They do it with their whole hearts, knowing they could lose their lives doing it.  I know many live with fear because they WANT to live to return to their loved ones.  But, as one Marine said when interviewed, *Once the fighting starts, you are too busy to worry about fear for yourself.*

Love you all.  This is just a reminder that not all our fighting men are home.....yet.  We need to keep those men in our prayers and be grateful that they are doing what they are...for all of us. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Chewlee spent the night cuddling, first with my robe and then with me when I went to bed with her.  It was really cute.  I love how she tosses and turns to get comfy with me and then ends up with her arm across my neck or chest.  She will put her head near mine and go soundly back to sleep.  The Beast woke us up so Chewlee could have breakfast and get dressed for church.  I thought the Beast might be going but it was Birdie that came to get her.  She also took her to a piano concert.  It seems Birdie's daughter was going to be playing and that made Chewlee so happy because she loves her and has heard her play before (or so she said).   She wore the cutest blue dress that the Beast had bought for her.  It was one of those that hit her mid-calf and Chewlee refused to take it off and put on her brown corduroy pants and red top.  Later, Birdie gave Chewlee a pretty pink dress (also longer) that her daughter had outgrown.  Chewlee says she tried it on and I checked it out.  It WILL fit her although it kind of looked bigger than the blue dress.  Chewlee wants to save it for *church* so we are keeping it here.  The dress says a size 10 but there's no way in hell that it's that big.  I checked it against the size 7 one Chewlee wore today and it's just a touch bigger in spots.  If it WAS a size 10, it shrunk down quite a bit.

When the Beast talked to the Princess, he was asked if he could drive her home since the Princess was trying to keep off her sprained ankle.  The Princess sprained her left ankle.  How badly, I don't know yet but she's trying to keep off it as much as possible so she will heal faster.  Chewlee didn't want to go..  She kept saying she wanted another sleepover because she sleeps over tomorrow anyway.  But I got her out of her dress and into her cords (which she told me were her *favorite ones*) and her red top.  She packed up a few things she was taking home with her like her Leap pad, one of her lip glosses and some things Birdie gave her.  I have to talk to the Princess to find out if she is going to make it to her class tomorrow evening or not.  If she isn't, it means she will go home early and that will really upset her.  She loves staying overnight here.  Why?  I really don't know.

No one has heard from Buttmunch....yet.  But Mustachio found out that Ron is still in jail.  We now think that Buttmunch probably got into some shelter there locally and may just decide to stay and reinvent herself.  She has always liked smaller towns that are kind of isolated.  We can hope she would be compelled to get a job locally.  If she could find a job as a bartender, she would be ecstatic.  She always loved that.  We are hoping someone hears from her soon.  She may not want to contact anyone until/unless she makes a decision on her course of action.  Say a little prayer for her, please.

The Beast is still not well.  His lower extremities are still mad at him and he's suffering a lot of pain from time to time.  He can't take the pain pills the doctor prescribed.  They make him extremely nauseous and sick to his stomach.  The last time he took one it gave him a headache and an eye ache.  I told him not to take them any more and, if the pain keeps up, I will call the doctor's office and see if we can get him a different kind of pain medication.

It got really cold here last night.  When I checked the temperature this morning, it was at 20 degrees!    No showers or snow, thank goodness but we did get lots of sun and the temperature got up to 45 degrees.  That's light jacket weather here when there's low humidity.  I didn't check the weather across the country like I usually do because I didn't really want to know who was suffering now.  Let's just say I hope nobody is suffering during bad weather.  Love you all.  Stay warm and be safe.  Drive carefully.  The life you save may be your own. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

First, the Princess.  From what I understand, the Princess injured her ankle or her foot (not sure which) but she's on crutches now for a while.  Chewlee said she did it when she was at the gym and had to go to the hospital.  She also (per Chewlee) has a BIG BANDAGE on it.  I doubt she will be serving any pizza or any other Italian dishes for a while.  No prognosis on when she will be free of the bandages or the crutches.  I'll find out and let you know when I get to speak to the Princess.

Now Buttmunch.  No one has heard from her although Mustachio heard from some kind of counselor (voice mail).  He called the number and extension he was left but had to leave a message himself.  He never got a callback, however.  He thinks Buttmunch must have tried for some assistance.  There are provisions in most areas for women caught in circumstances like hers.  However, since she has not talked to anyone, we suspect she may have met up with Ron when he was released from jail and continued on her journey.  We found out, through Ron's sister whom Mustachio seems to think has her head on her shoulders, that Ron is no stranger to jail and even prison.  She lied to his family about when they met and how long they had known each other.  She led them to believe that the Beast and I were dead and she only had the one brother.  In reality, she and Ron knew each other for two weeks before they married and, of course, the Beast and I are NOT dead...not yet anyway.

She also told the sister she had never been hit by any man.  Not true.  The father of Sheepie was a real treat and very abusive.  He even broke Buttmunch's arm.  When Buttmunch finally got away from him both mentally and physically, she was running for her life through a cornfield with Sheepie in her arms.  She was and still is afraid of that guy.  Why she didn't turn tail and run after the police arrested Ron, I don't know.  It was, however, Ron's sister that called the police on him in Danville, not Buttmunch.  How sad is that?  We figure it will be a while before anyone hears from her if she has gone on with Ron to the Amish Village.  I know this much, if Ron hits Buttmunch while they are living there, he will be fired from his job.  That is something they do NOT believe in.  People are shunned for even abusing an animal, let alone another person.

All we can do at this point is pray for them.   I pray that Buttmunch has her moment of clarity or epiphany some day soon and learns that she MUST take responsibility for her actions....ALL of them....!  She owes many people an apology, which I doubt she will believe but who knows?  I know she owes one to Sheepie...another to her brothers....and to me.  There are others but that's for HER to see at some point in the future.  All I can do is hope she finds herself once more.  Believe it or not, she was once a nice and a fun person.  She was considerate of other people and a good guest, too.  But that has all changed.  I blame part of it on early menopause but not all of it.  She became mean spirited and nasty to people beyond the scope of menopause.  Like I said, prayer is all we can offer.

Chewlee spent tonight with us because she's going to church with the Beast in the morning.  He went out and bought her the cutest dress to wear.  After that, Birdie is taking her to a piano concert because Birdie's daughter is playing in it.  Chewlee is so excited about seeing her play in front of a big audience.  She's heard her play the piano at home and thinks she is good.  Of course, Chewlee's experience is limited in that but she likes it so she should enjoy hearing all the different music.

It's cold tonight.  Right now it's 29 degrees and it's not the coldest part of the night either.  We're already as cold as the weatherman said we would be in our area.  He said our high tomorrow would only be around 40 degrees.  Bratfink said they were getting some snow in Inderaner.  I'm hoping we don't get any.  I hope no one that is reading this gets any kind of weather they aren't prepared for.  Love you all.  Please stay warm and dry. 

QUOTE TO REMEMBER:  Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.  -  Mark Twain

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

When my kids were young, I had a house full of kids there all the time.  Not just my four but sometimes as many as six other kids that hung around all the time.  Their families always knew where their kids were and so did I.  They were playing games at my house.  The one or two girls in the bunch changed from time-to-time but there were four boys that stayed the same for years.  The friendship between my boys (especially Marcus) has remained steadfast over all these years.  They have stayed in touch and a couple of them moved up near Marcus even.

However, one of my *other sons*, a boy named Chris who was a Chinese boy that had been adopted by an American family, was one of my favorites.  He was kind of shy and had incredibly long, black straight hair.  It was always beautifully shiny and silky.  It was also one length so it was constantly falling in his eyes.  That bugged me until one day when I grabbed a snap clip and used it to pull his hair out of his eyes.  I told him that he finally let me figure out why so many Chinese guys in movies wore headbands.  You know, the kind that go across the forehead.  It was to keep their hair out of their eyes.    The boys, of course, laughed but he brought a hair tie with him after that to tie his hair back at his neck for a long time after that.  His game playing improved, too. 

Anyway, tonight my son, Marcus, informed us that Chris was dead.    He was only in his early 37 when he died.  It was only by chance that it was discovered.  His mother had already died and his brother (not adopted) hated him.  So when he died, the obituary was not informative at all.  He died TWO years ago and none of his friends were notified.  Since he was a video game designer, at first, no one thought much about his not answering emails since he got totally engrossed while designing.  After that, he just kind of fell through the cracks.  I know his neighborhood and the direction it took.  It's now considered ground zero with the police department for shootings, home invasions and drugs.  Chris was probably a victim of something like a driveby shooting or a robbery attempt.  Marcus is trying to research it and see if he can find out exactly what happened.  It's just so sad.  He was genuinely a nice person.  Rest in peace, Chris.  WE loved you.

There is some good news though.  CHEWLEE GOT SMILEY FACES ALL WEEK LONG!  Isn't that great?  She was happy but kind of acted like it was not a big deal.  But she WAS in a good mood.  Today was Daddy Day and all the daddys were able to come and have a snack with their kids.  Johnnycakes showed up for Chewlee (luckily, it took place from 1pm-1:30pm and he didn't have to be at work until 2pm).  When Chewlee showed up here (I forgot the kids got off early....after the daddys left), I was surprised.  When she said to me, it was daddy day, then it hit me.  Duh!  I forgot.

Chewlee knows when she has no school the next day.  Tonight, after her usual hour playing NickJr games, I tried to get her into the bathtub.  She begged me to let her stay on and keep playing her games because *she didn't need a bath.  There's no school tomorrow.*  Since that was true, I went ahead and let her play for another hour.  Then she decided she was going to draw pictures for Birdie that she could give her on Sunday.  She had just finished those up and put them in an envelope when the Princess showed up to take her home.

The Beast went to bed early tonight due to being in pain.  He took a pain pill and ended up with a vicious headache and eye ache.  I think he might be sensitive to Lortabs.  We know he can't tolerate Percocets but I was surprised these Lortabs made him ill.  So he was in pain and had both a headache and eye ache.  I really don't know what to do for him at this point.  I know he's way more active than he should be but he's stubborn and won't listen so I just let him do his thing.  But, when he starts to complain, I do NOT show him sympathy.  Even Chewlee told him tonight that he *should be in bed if he's sick!*  Out of the mouths of babes. 

It was absolutely gorgeous today.  We even opened up the house although it was only 65 out.  That feels almost like summer after 30's and 40's with lots of wind and humidity.  Today was sunny, not much in the way of wind and 65 degrees out.  Perfect.  The Beast took Baron out to the park to let him run and work off some energy then stopped at PetsMart on his way home to get some dog food for him.  I know it did Baron good to get out but the Beast, not so. 

Love you all.  Have a great weekend.  Stay warm (our bout of warm weather is over).  Our high tomorrow is supposed to be only about 37 degrees.  I wish you weather better than ours. 

What's funny is after she had her required pickle treat, she settled down to watch cartoons and fell asleep in my recliner for two hours.  I took a nap, too.  At my desk...LOL.

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Chewlee got a gold medal for being in the 50 Letter Club.  From what Chewlee told me, it requires her to be able to say her whole alphabet twice without a mistake.  It's a big deal in Kindergarten I guess.  Chewlee's teacher texted the Princess to tell her about it so she could make a fuss over Chewlee for making the Club and getting the medal. 

Chewlee has gotten four smiley faces in a row now this week.  I think she likes getting them now because it makes her life more fun for her.  If she doesn't get a smiley face, she gets no cartoons and no NickJr games for that day.  She loves the NickJr. site because if she doesn't play a game, she can watch the videos of her favorite shows instead.  They are the full shows, too.  My big disappointment with the channel now (and the videos online) is that they have commercials.  They used to be commercial free.  I'm an idiot to think THAT would continue.  Oh well.

Good news on my Buick.  It seems the factory issued a *recall* of sorts.  The onboard computers all required re-programming due to a transmission issue.  (Hurrah!)  We only had to pay for a part to something else (I forget what it was) so our bill came to just under $150.  We were seeing the possibility of a $1500 or more bill to repair whatever was wrong with our transmission so we were happy...hell, we were overjoyed....to pay the $150.    It didn't take them long to get the repairs done so we went and picked up the car this afternoon.  I swear, it actually drives better than when we first bought it.  The Beast took it for a drive and filled it up with gas and agreed with me on that.  I'm just glad it's fixed.  I want to be able to drive it to Chicago this summer.

OH....HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!  Hope you had someone that loves you that sent/gave you a nice card/gift/both.  I was hoping for a nice bottle of Mudslide or something.  Nope.  But I still have my orchid from the Princess and Chewlee from last year.  Chewlee loves that I still have it.  She doesn't realize that it will bloom again so that will be a surprise to her this summer.  The Beast has never been *into* any Holidays (he barely acknowledges our Anniversary) so his not giving me anything was NOT a surprise.  I think he WAS surprised that *I* didn't give him anything, though.  He's such a self-centered person.  Sheesh.  Last year he gave me a big box of candy but that was only because the displays were all over the store.  He LOVES chocolate.  *I*, however, am diabetic.  What the hell?????  He ate the whole box by himself.

Chewlee was shocked and happy because I went to the store today (By yourself, Grandma??  How did you get there?  You can't drive.) AND I remembered to buy a big jar of kosher dill pickles.  She loves them.  (Who doesn't?)  But she still doesn't believe that I can drive without a big toe.  Good grief.  What in the world will she think when she meets someone who has lost a leg and has an artificial limb who drives??  She still has a lot to learn, don't ya know?  I didn't do much in the way of shopping because my hip was out and it was very painful to walk.  I really think it's my sneakers.  I guess I need to make my appointment with the prosthetic doctor and get a replacement toe and a pair of shoes.  I was surprised to see that the new shoes offered are incredibly diverse.  They all don't look like nursing shoes any more.  There are even HIGH HEELS! 

It was a really nice day today.  It started out crappy but the sun came out and it warmed up to 61 degrees.    I know!  It's only supposed to get up to around 55 tomorrow but even that is shocking.  It's mid-February, for cryin' out loud!  I could get used to this.    It's down to 37 degrees now and may get as low as 34.  I'm taking no chances.  I turned on my little heater to warm up this room.  Even the Beast (who is still in a great deal of pain because he won't listen and take things easy) turned on his little heater to take the chill out of the air in our bedroom.  I don't care about that part as long as there are enough blankets and/or comforters on the bed.  I'm sleeping in my recliner, however, while the Beast is recovering.  I leave my door slightly open so Baron can wake me if he needs to go out or if something is wrong with the Beast.  He's decided HE is the Beast's nurse.  I think I told you about that yesterday. 

Love you all.  Be good and please stay warm. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Yes, the Beast's surgery was successful although some of his discharge instructions seem a bit more on the dire side.  This time there are instructions that include possible signs of a heart attack.  There's medication he has been prescribed to prevent *another* (?) heart attack.  It has me wondering just what exactly happened or that they found that made them suspect he had had a heart attack.  This might explain the missed cardiologist appointment that I knew nothing about a few months back.  A male friend of the Beast's took him to the hospital and brought him home so I missed hearing what the doctor had to say at that time.  I wasn't cleared to drive then so I was really at the mercy of the Beast telling me what was going on.  He didn't.

This time, Sissy (a neighbor and one of the people who goes to the Beast's church) wanted to take him because she knew I wasn't feeling well (bless her heart).  She's really a very sweet woman and I love her mother (who is a down-to-earth cracker).  She even went back after having something to eat and sat there and waited for him to come out of the anesthesia (and take his first pee!).  They won't let him go home until that happens.

He's been complaining about tasting plastic in his mouth and he can smell it even.  I told him they probably intubated him after he was sedated to give him oxygen because of the wheeze he has in his lungs.  He said that would explain why they kept asking him to open his mouth wide with his head laid back.  He had a feeling they were trying to see how big his throat was even though he hadn't had that done to him before.

He's weak, in pain, hungry (but feels like he wants to vomit every time he eats or drinks anything).  I put out a glass of ice water for him and told him to sip it.  I have to remember to ask the Princess to drop off a few straws for him to use for the next few days.

There's trouble in Paradise.  Buttmunch's new hubby is sitting in jail in Danville, KY for beating up Buttmunch.  Figures, doesn't it?  Now it's a matter of what to do with Buttmunch.  She can't go back to Louisville and stay with Mustachio.  The landlord told him that either she goes or he does.  He's spent a hell of a lot of money on her over the past couple of months, regardless, including putting all her furniture and boxes into storage once again.  That required a truck rental, a couple strong guys and the cost of the storage unit.  He sent Buttmunch and her hubby to IN twice (both times for funerals, verified by family members that called to let them know).  He also gave them travel cash.  I feel bad because I haven't been able to help him out with our bills that we've had to pay the past couple months (house insurance, license tags, real estate taxes and car insurance). 

So now Buttmunch becomes a family problem.  What to do with her.  She can't come here, that much the Beast made clear to her already.  She can't stay with Mustachio.  She can't stay with Marcus Aurelius.  She can't stay with Sheepie.  I told Mustachio that she's wanted to go back to FL and we should all wish her well on that score.  Throw in a couple bucks in a pot to help her along.  Let her go stay with some of her old friends.  Maybe find another bartending job where she's known and loved.  It might be just what the doctor ordered for her.  She certainly can't go back to the new hubby that's physically abusive.  No, no, no!  What to do...what to do.

Well, love you all.  I have to keep checking on the Beast.  Funny thing, though.  Baron actually chased me out of the room after I had brought the Beast a damp rag.  I kid you not.  It was like he had claimed the Beast as HIS to take care of.  Too funny.  Even the Beast laughed at that.  I know if something happens, Baron will come get me.  Right now, it's like he knows the Beast must rest.

I'll be praying for all of those affected by the severe weather up North.  Please be careful and stay warm. 

PS:  For those of you that know Bratfink, you might want to check her blog for today.  Sad events.  http://planetbratfink.blogspot.com/2013/02/our-surreal-day.html

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Chewlee woke up this morning in a good mood even though she decided she didn't want to get up to watch Orangutan Island.  Can't say I blame her.  It's at 5am CST.  She opted for another half hour of sleep.  But I went in and started kissing her neck and her face and she woke up giggling and wiggling, trying to cover all the spots with her two little hands.  She got up to watch some cartoons and wake up fully before we got her dressed for school and the concert they were going to this morning.  I didn't have a jacket here for her (that I knew about..but more later on THAT!) so I had her put on a soft, pink sweater that she likes.  She doesn't like many of her sweaters since she says they are *itchy*.  Some of them DO feel a bit rough but I think they could be improved with a nice rinse in Downy.  It was still early so she sat back in my chair and started asking questions.  What type of questions, do you ask?  These type:

* Grandma, what are dangerous things for kids to do?  You know...like don't put fire in your mouth.  (Huh?)

* What if a stranger is someone you know?  (Uh, if you KNOW them, they can't be a stranger, don't you think?)

* What if I lie to them and tell them I will be right back and then go ask my mom?  Is that a bad lie or a good one?

* But what if my mommy isn't at home?  How can I run to her and tell her someone is trying to get me?  (Where would you be if you weren't at your house?  At your house?  Then you run quick as you can to MY house and tell ME or Grampa.  Oh.)

* Okay, but what else is dangerous to kids?  (What things do YOU think are dangerous?)  Climbing up a real tall ladder and getting on a roof and jumping down?  (Good thinking!  Do you know WHY it could be very dangerous?)  They could break all their bones and die?  (That's a good start...)  And it would make them have to go to a hospital and the doctors would have to try to save them?  (A good answer there.)  And it would make their mommy cry?  (Yes, it sure would!  No mommy likes to see their kids get hurt!)

*Okay, Grandma.  I think I got it.  (Well, we could talk about playing out in the street or running out in it, even if you are chasing a ball or a balloon or something...)  Oh, I know about THAT!  You have to stop, look left and right and make sure the cars are all passed.  Then you RUN and get your stuff or cross over as fast as you can.

Doesn't that just make you feel secure?    I told her to just be careful and not play out front where her ball or balloon might blow away or get knocked out into the street.  As little traffic as we have here, I don't let her go out on it even on her bike unless the Beast or I are out there to keep an eye out for her.

But she made me laugh that she really thought she had all the dangerous things figured out.  I told her we would talk about it again (as soon as I finish making up a list!)

Once she got her socks and boots on, she decided that *we* should wait outside for the bus.  It was too early but out we went anyway.  It was foggy outside, which is why I knew the bus wouldn't get here until the latest time it usually comes (6:45am).  So there I sat with my morning cigarette and my coffee while Chewlee practiced jumping down first from one stair, then two, then three.  I drew the line there because I didn't want to take the chance she would get hurt.  After doing that a couple times, she told me her hands were cold so we went into the house to warm up a bit.  When it was almost time for the bus to get here, I told Chewlee, *Let's go.  I think I hear the bus.*  And the bus was coming up the road just then so she gave me a hug and took off towards the bus.  The bus driver gave me a wave as she got on the bus and Chewlee waved at me as the bus pulled away.  Off to school for the day's adventure she went.

BTW, she got a smiley face (again).  When she got home from school, I checked on her homework and we got that out of the way before she had her snack.  The Beast decided that we should do KFC for dinner so Chewlee got chicken nuggets and some of their potato wedges.  The Beast got a chicken pot pie and I got my hot wings.  Chewlee wanted to know why she needed to eat vegetables and I told her to be healthy so she could grow up big and strong.  That just got an *Oh* because she WANTS to grow...especially UP (taller).  But she ate almost everything (she didn't eat three of her nuggets) and drank a big glass of milk.  Then she ate an orange for her dessert.  Then she ate half of MINE, too.    That's her idea of sharing.  She eats hers and then half of mine, too. 

She played her games from 6-7 and then it was bath time.  After her bath, she got into her jammies and spent a half hour watching cartoons before going to bed....dragging me along with her.  She really DOES go to sleep faster if I lay down with her but only if she thinks I am going to sleep, too.  Yesterday, I did.  Tonight, I just stayed there, resting a bit until she was sound asleep.  It was cute because she pulled the quilt up over my shoulder before she turned over and, with birdie tucked under her chin, fell asleep.  I turned the baseboard heater on low before I left the room because it was a bit chilly in there.

The Beast went to bed early because his surgery was changed to an earlier time tomorrow (9:30am).  The Princess is driving him there since the Beast knows I am still suffering from the tail-end of this cold I've had for almost two weeks now.  At least it's not waking me up constantly or keeping me up now.  It still affects the quality of my sleep and I usually need to go back to sleep for a while once Chewlee is off to school on the days we have her overnight.  One of the nurses in recovery will call me when he gets out of surgery so I am there when he wakes up and before the doctor leaves so he can let me know what's going on and the prognosis for the next few days.  Fun, fun, fun.

Today I didn't get to go back to sleep because we had to bring my Buick in to the dealer's where we bought it.  We are HOPING they are honest but we just aren't sure about that.  I mentioned the transmission seemed to be slipping but a couple other things showed up when the transmission started working right again.  Like the speedometer stopped working.  Then the speed control stopped working.  They both started up again after a bit but now we think it may be computer control related.  We dropped it off today but they won't be able to look at it until tomorrow.  However, we are FIRST car looked at tomorrow morning and we seldom need both cars on the same day.  Especially NOT tomorrow.

Time to get this posted.  Love you all.  Try to have a good day even if you are in a bad weather area.  We got some good news today. Buttmunch and her hubby made it about 100 miles in two days of bike riding.  Tomorrow they have some mountainous area to cover so they won't make such good distance, I don't think.  Its going to be tough on their legs.  But they should reach their destination on Thursday.  So far, so good and thanks for the prayers for their safety.