TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

She made it!  She graduated from kindergarten.  A lot of the grandparents, families and friends of the children were talking before the program started and some of them talked about how different things are now from when they were kids.  We really had no idea what the program involved except that Chewlee said they were going to sing and it was a surprise.

A surprise it was, indeed.  The kids didn't just sing ONE song, there were 10 different songs in all.  The kids sang well and enthusiastically.  We could see Chewlee who was on one of the back benches that were tiered so you could see all the kids.   She was actually one of the taller kids in her class so she was on the back bench.  We were kidding around and hoping she wouldn't come up with an idea of mooning the audience (she didn't.  She behaved well and we watched her singing like she was an opera star).  The kids (9 kindergarten classes total) even sang a song where they were signing so that deaf people would know what they were saying.  I think everyone was amazed.  Who knew they could all keep it together and sing so well as a group.

The Beast realized he had brought the wrong lens on his camera.  He got a few good shots of the stage but I haven't seen them all yet.  I'll still try to get a few to post tomorrow.  I don't think he got a close shot of Chewlee but, like I said, I haven't seen all the pictures yet.

Afterward, we drove to a local restaurant to eat and talk about the program.  Chewlee was actually doing a word search problem that was on the restaurants kid activity/coloring pages.  She would circle the words and then color them in so you could see all the words she found easily.  She was also doing a maze problem that was giving her fits.  She decided to save it for later to do at home.

We were exhausted when we got home (my excuse for not doing this earlier) so we put our feet up and took a nap.  Mine ended up being for four hours....sorry!  I don't know about you but being in a huge crowd of people (especially after the program was over) just exhausts me.  You have so many bodies to get around and we were parked so far away from the auditorium.  I spotted the Princess and Johnnycakes and they had found Chewlee so I made my way over to them.  I got a big hug from Chewlee.  The kids all had different color tshirts on for each class and the kids were on the grassy area with all of their classmates so you just had to look for their class color to find your child.  With nine different classes, they took up a lot of lawn area.

Everyone was in a good mood because the program was just so cute.  I think everyone was amazed at how many songs the kids learned AND remembered all the words.  Only one song had an adult voice that sang with the kids.  There was one little boy that looked like he was going to cry all the time.  Later on, when he was outside, I saw him with his family and realized he looked like that all the time!  When he finally smiled, he had the cutest face with big dimples.  When they handed out the certificates showing they graduated, some of the kids were Mexican/Spanish and they had long names because of the mother's surname being a part of it.  One little boy ... and I mean he was very small....had this LONG name.  He wasn't the only one but he was the first.  When he strolled out on the stage, he just didn't fit his name.  I remember his first name was Ulysses.  He looked like a little elf.  So cute.

I guess you can tell I had a good time.  I also had some of the best French onion soup I've had in a long time when we went to the restaurant.  It was extremely cheesy.  I loved having to wind the cheese around my spoon because it was nice and hot when I got it so the cheese was very stretchy.

The weather was great...no rain to ruin the time after the program.  Tomorrow we should have more of the same, including hot weather.  I am watching the late night weather channel coverage of the tornado damage in Moore, OK.  It's incredible and I am so sorry for the loss of life as well as the kids that were injured because they were in school when the tornado hit them.  So many acts of heroism by teachers who ended up injured protecting their students.  Please remember to add them to your prayers.

Gotta get this posted now.  Love you all.  Be careful and stay safe.  These storms are not good ones. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I broke down and got my hair cut today.  I really needed it.  It needed some style to it and the girl pretty much did what I asked her to do.  Chewlee said my hair looked *amazing* but that's with the beautician's hand at styling it.  Let's see how amazing it looks tomorrow...LOL. 

Chewlee is underwhelmed by the idea of her *graduation* (cap and gown, no less!).  She asked me if we could sit in the front of the auditorium and I told her I really didn't know but we could try.  She wants to see us so I told her, *Well, if we can't sit up front, how about if I jump up, wave my arms and yell Chewlee!  Here we are!*  She laughed and said, *You can't do that while we are singing, Grandma.*  Since I had no idea they were going to sing, I asked her if she could sing the song for me.  Her reply?  *You just have to wait, Grandma.*  I guess that's kindergarten for *need to know*! 

I know the Princess will be going to the Parent Picnic although I forgot to ask the Princess what she was going to bring to eat.  Since she's been going to the gym, her eating habits seem a bit weird to me most of the time.  But she's looking lean and mean which seems to be the going thing these days.

I'm preparing myself mentally for quitting smoking.  I'm trying to use up what tubes and tobacco I have left.  I think I mentioned I'm kind of strongly against wastefulness.  I want to be off cigarettes entirely by the beginning of June.  I DO have the electronic cigarette here to use until my third hand disappears.  I also have pulled out a few of the afghans I haven't finished to work on to keep all my hands busy.  There are a few of the various statues I have outside that need re-doing and I am going to get those done.  Chewlee loves my house gnome that I have at our front door.  When she found out I had painted it, she said, *Wow, Grandma...you really know how to paint!*

She told me that God was a good painter, too.  She looked all around and said, *See how good he stayed in the lines?*  She also can't figure out how HE thought of all the different colors.  She had just made the comment about God keeping in the lines when she started to get out of the car and there was a broken spot along the side of the driveway.  She looked down at it and said, *Oh, look!  There's a spot HE missed!*  It just cracked me up.

We had rain today and some high winds, too, but nothing more serious, thankfully.  Since it was still daylight, the boomers didn't scare Chewlee.  She just went about her business (mostly drawing and then reading different names of the DVD's I have).  I downloaded a couple more books for her on my Nook.  She likes to sit and read them once in a while.  I noticed that she had read almost all of the ones I had for her the other day and I want to encourage her to read over the summer.  With the way she likes to play school, that shouldn't be a problem.  I will probably get sick of it but it will be good for her.

It got up to 84 today but had a nice breeze before the rain started.  Chewlee and the Beast washed Baron and put his flea stuff on him then actually put a lotion on Baron's skin.  He's been driving us nuts with his scratching which seems to be dry areas.  But, after putting the lotion on him, I didn't see him scratching even once.  It's worth the cost to keep him comfortable if that is what it takes.  The next couple days should show if it's working.  I put some extra on a dry spot on one of his knees and it felt much better almost immediately.  It's always bothered me that he's only had that dry patch on one leg.

The Beast was hoping to get the mowing of a sick friends lawn done today but the sheer length of his grass has kept his lawn too wet to mow.  Now we are going to need 3-4 days of sunshine without rain before he and Jack can try to do it again.  Jack has a riding lawnmower that the Beast envies.  It's one of those zero turn ones with a larger than normal engine on it.  The damn thing moves like it's on fire.  It was Jack that I saw mowing our lot next door a couple weeks back.  He had just had it delivered and his lawn didn't need mowing.  He HAD to give it a test mow so he came over and did our lawn.  I only saw his back so I had no clue who it was until a few days later.  The Beast wants a new one that has the zero turn feature but he doesn't want to pay what Jack did for his.  I told him if he gets a new one, he has to sell his John Deere.  I could see by the look on his face that he really didn't want to but he agreed that we just don't have room for it if he gets another one.  He said he was going to sell the ATV but the Princess is buying that one for Johnnycakes, I think it is.  That way they both have an ATV to ride.  There are a lot of places around here you can take them and the Beast swapped the smaller trailer for ours with Johnnycakes a few months back.  That one can hold both ATV's.  We don't need one that big any more.

When I told the Beast my decision about going up to Chicago by flying, he was relieved.  He didn't really want to go with me nor did he want me to attempt it on my own.  He keeps saying we are getting too old for that kind of trip.  But he wants me to check out prices for flying out of Atlanta, Huntsville and Nashville, too.  I can actually fly out of any of those airports.  It's just the trip works out differently.  The trip to Atlanta airport and to the one in Nashville works out about the same.  I just want to get it as cheaply as possible AND without having a layover anywhere.  I think if I flew out of Huntsville, I have to have one layover.  It's one of those *you can't get there from here* things but I said I would check it out.  If I flew out of Huntsville, the Beast could drive me there otherwise I have to drive myself and park in long term parking at the airports.  At least I know that Atlanta has shuttles from the parking lots to the terminal.  I don't know about Nashville.  I'll have to ask the Princess.  She flew out of Nashville when she flew to Denver last year.

Time to get this posted.  Love you all.  We have a 40% chance of rain tomorrow along with a high of around 86.  I'll be at Chewlee's graduation and then no clue where we will end up afterward.  I'm hoping the Beast gets a couple of good pics of Chewlee.  He said he would put them on a thumb drive so I might have pictures.  I hope so.

Be good.  Take care.  Drive safe. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

We can all have a change of plans on occasion and this time is one that I figure I can make.  After due consideration since no one seems to want to hear MY side of anything (and people have such short memories about their own complaints), I am cancelling plans about seeing any of my siblings when I fly up to Chicago.  I will try to forget all the fat jokes that they did NOT make about me when I was fat (including measuring my butt to compare with others).  Memories are not what they used to be it seems.  I will spend time with my much loved sister-in-law, Kay and take her and her hubby out to dinner.  I will spend more than a few hours with my girlfriends.  I will make contact with my cousins from my biological father's family.  I can cut my time short and fly back sooner.  It won't matter then if I bring Chewlee along or not as long as I can keep HER from finding out I saw Kay....LOL.  That way, I will not have to intrude on Kay's family for very long although I will have a rental car and can always move to a motel if I feel I am creating a problem in any way.

I was never allowed to say sorry for a tasteless joke about someone being stolen from her bedroom only if the thief had a crane.  It's something that the Beast has said about me more than once and I'm only 158 lbs (I checked today) and wear a size 14.  However, he's gotten weaker as he approaches 70 and I tell him he's just not the man he used to be.  I take the crane cracks as a joke.  I guess I am the only one that does.

Love you all.  Take care. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I was fighting almost daily with the Beast about driving up to Chicago to see my family because of one stop I truly wanted to make.  However, that has changed now and I can drive up to Nashville to see my grandson, the Marine, who will be home on leave.  I can then drive up to see my son, Mustachio, and spend the night with him.  I will then return home the next day (with a short stopover at Marcus's home again).  I will fly up to Chicago and rent a car for the duration of my time there.  I want to see my siblings and my girlfriends from high school (some of them I actually went to grammer school with...LOL).  I am going to look up my relatives from my biological father's family.  I've met them but lost track of them after the second of the two sisters living in Chicago died a couple years ago.  I do have a way of getting ahold of them so I will call my one cousin before I fly up and make sure he finds a time and place the rest of the cousins might be able to meet with me.  I have some things I really want to ask them about.

I figure that if I rent a car there at the airport, I won't have to have my sister-in-law, Kay, take the time off work to pick me up.  I wanted a car so we could avoid that but a rental will work.  Chewlee will love flying (she's flown before...out to Colorado with the Princess to attend a cousin's retirement party from the Air Force).  That is IF I can still take her since her mother is determined to put her into a swimming class according to the Beast.  I told her long ago that I wanted to take her with me at the end of June and the Beast tells me that is the time she will be putting Chewlee into the swim class here.  I will have to check with her.  If I fly to Chicago and Chewlee finds out I went without her, her little heart will be broken.

So, I have to let Kay know for sure what day I will be flying in (and the fact that I will be renting a car...and it WILL have a GPS in it or OnStar...whichever the rental company uses).  I will be staying up there for a full week before flying back and it will be the first time I will be spending the fourth of July in Chicago since I was about 19 years old...and married.

I told the Beast that I am taking the laptop with me.  I know Kay has internet at her house and, since she has it on her cell phone, I can piggy back on that with our wireless adapter.  That way I can keep up my blog while I am gone.  But we are talking about an event that won't take place for over a month.  I just wanted to prepare you.  This way I don't have to fight with the Beast any more.  There's no reason.  The Inn is closed.

Love you all. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

It started last night when Bratfink and I were watching Undercover Boss..Epic Bosses.  We spent more time crying over the things they had done for others in their employment than was believable.  It was heart-grabbing.  Then, later on, Bratfink got mad at me...not that I blame her because I said something rather rude and she didn't give me a chance to apologize.  She's not talking to me now and I already miss her.  But it is what it is.

I went to bed on the late side, waiting to be tired enough to sleep through the rest of the night without oversleeping.  Alas, I got hit by an episode of IBS so that wasn't going to happen.  At least I didn't poop in my britches.  I made it to the bathroom just in the nick of time two or three times, including early this morning.  But that was around 8:30am and when I went back to sleep, I didn't wake up until after 10:30am, which really wasn't all that bad.

Needless-to-say, I was keeping very close to the bathroom all day today.  But I decided to do something I haven't tried before, which was eating something cheesy to stop the IBS process.  I decided to try some chile con queso and tortilla chips to snack on.  Cheese works like that for other people, so why not me?  I'm not going to say it did but....I seem to have less *urgency* now.  That's an improvement I can live with.

An old friend of mine and I were talking online today and she was sending me links for really cheap airfares to Chicago.  She found a bunch of cheap fares for her family members all over the country down to the Gulf Coast of Florida where they meet up for a week every year.  That's their form of family reunion and they usually rent a couple of time shares to stay in and they share the cost.  Wish our family could have been doing something like that for our family reunions.  Many of us would probably still be doing it.  Perhaps.  Maybe.  Who knows?  But I have to admit, the prices on the flights are enticing.  It just wouldn't allow me to make the stops that I wanted to make on my way up.

The day here was alternating between overcast and sunny, like it couldn't make up it's mind what it wanted to be.  I had washed some clothes yesterday that the Beast threw in the dryer today but he just threw them all in the basket without bothering to hang up a couple of the dresses for Chewlee.  When I chided him over that, he got all snarly and said, *Well, at least I took care of them (huh?)!*  I turned to him and said, *I* washed them and was coming out to throw them in the dryer.  At least Chewlee's dresses would look decent if they had been hung up.  Now I need to redo them because I am NOT going to iron dresses that don't need to be ironed.*  He had the good grace to keep his mouth shut.

So what is his idea of making things right with me?  He goes out to the store and buys some decent toilet paper.  He had bought the Walmart brand because it was cheap and it wasn't until it was opened that he found out why it was so cheap.  It's the crappiest stuff I have ever seen.  It's not only single layer but it's thin and stiff.  Even if you wound it around your hand a dozen or more times, it would still be crappy toilet paper.  I kid you not.  I've seen that stuff in some public washrooms that seems kinda cheap....this stuff is even cheaper and a lot less durable.  It IS absorbent...so absorbent it can dissolve in your palm.  That might be good for an RV or trailer but not home usage.  Chewlee didn't even want to TOUCH it.  She thought it felt *funny*.  I couldn't blame her.  It felt funny to me, too. 

But he comes home from the store and says to me, *I bought you a surprise!  Just for  you.*  Yeah, right.  I've heard that shit from him before.  Now if he continued to use up ALL the Walmart stuff himself, then I might say he really meant that.  But he brought in two rolls for the guest bathroom out of the big family pack that's out on one of the garage shelves and he also had two rolls for the master bathroom.  I use the guest bathroom most of the time since it's next to my computer room.  He uses the master bathroom AND the guest bathroom (when he's watching the living room TV).  So who do you think he REALLY got the good toilet paper for? 

I was eating some of the store purchased chile con queso and, since the toilet paper hadn't unthawed me, he made some of the Velvetta/Rotelli chile con queso which is nice and hot plus it's spicy like I like it.  It didn't work but I did thank him.  All it would have taken earlier was for him to say what was probably true...*I'm sorry but I didn't notice the dresses.*  I would have forgiven him.

Chewlee was cute when she was dropped off today.  She walked in the house and announced that she couldn't get her clothes dirty because they were NEW.  I knew her mother had bought her some new play clothes because the kids store she sometimes shops at was having a big sale.  Chewlee had a new shirt on and either a skirt or a skort and she wore her little girl play heels, too.  They make her feel so grown up.  I have her flip flops here but she wanted no part of those.  When she went outside, it was in her *high heels*.  All you could hear was *clack, clack, clack* as she went from place to place here in the house and it wasn't any better outside.

She played with Ian for a bit but, since he's still a little boy, he takes naps.  Then his parents took him with them to have dinner with his maternal grandparents so that was the end of her playing with him.  Johnnycakes came at 7 to pick her up which confused me because I thought she was supposed to stay overnight so it would be easier to get her ready for church in the morning.  I ended up giving him one of Chewlee's dresses, her fancy socks and her church shoes (nice patent leather ones).  But I finally ended up calling the Princess since it IS easier for the Beast if she's HERE.  She was going to call Johnnycakes to bring Chewlee back but he didn't want to do it so she said to just leave it the way it is.  The Beast can just come by the house at 9:30am and the Princess will have her dressed and ready since SHE has to be up to get ready for work. 

  The little dog I've mentioned before was out of his yard again today (and no one was home) so the Beast brought him into our backyard and let him and Baron play.  That is...until the little dog jumped into the strawberry planter and then the Beast was watching him like a hawk.  He jumped up into another planter (the squash one) and that was when the Beast decided to put the little dog outside again.  Later on, he was back in his own yard.  I told the Beast that I think those people let the dog loose when they go anywhere.  I think he should tell them they have to stop doing that around here or someone (probably me) will be calling animal control.  We get too many dogs dropped off around here every spring and summer to put up with any of them being turned loose without an owner to keep an eye on them.  No one around here does that any more and it makes for better neighbors.

It was up to around 81 today and they say it will be hotter tomorrow.  I'm happy but not sure if the Beast will be.  He and another friend are going to be mowing the lawn of a sick friend IF the ground has dried enough.  He'll check ours out before he loads up the John Deere.  He's tried twice before this to get that lawn mowed and couldn't.  I hope the hotter weather makes a difference, especially since we've gone a couple days now without getting rain.

Love you all.  Time to get this posted.  Enjoy the day. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I went to bed early yesterday because of having such a bad night and then not getting much of a nap.  But....I woke up after midnight and remembered I needed to do my blog (sorry 'bout that) so I was up for a couple hours before I headed back to bed.  Then...I woke up around 8am to the smell of fresh coffee.  I got up, poured myself some and set the coffee machine for the next pot.  The Beast had obviously been up but he went back to bed so....I headed back there after staying up just long enough to get a couple gulps of coffee.

I woke up at 11am.  Yeah, you heard me....11am but I was wide awake.  I got up, grabbed my coffee cup (it's an insulated one with a top that screws on) and it was still warm.  After a cigarette, I was going to get more coffee and what do I spy on my way into the kitchen?  The Beast and our RV friend, Dennis, on the deck, talking.  So I grab some fresh coffee and head out there to say my hello and sit down to chat for a bit.

Yes, the owner of the lots accepted their offer so they ARE going to be our neighbors soon.  His wife, the nutty psychiatrist, is still the same.  She was out shopping around to make sure they had gotten a good deal.  Her hubby knew she wasn't going to find anything anything as good for anywhere near the price so he wasn't worried.  Sure enough, she didn't find anything...so far (her words).  I know she would love to have another house on the water but she's not going to find anything around here or down in Gadsden that are cheap.  They have money but Dennis is the one with the level head.  They have a lot of years ahead of them so he's not going to be wasteful.

She will get with the program in a couple weeks or whenever they close on the properties because then the *fun* part starts.  The getting bids on building the home that Dennis has drawn up (yes, he has the plans ready and all the various ones for the electrician, the plumber, etc.).  He and his wife will shop for the cabinets, light fixtures, flooring and other things for the house. 

The Princess got here early and left me some pj's for Chewlee since she will probably end up sleeping overnight on Saturday so she can be up and dressed with the Beast for church.  She will then come home for a bit and then have a play date with Birdie's kids around 3pm or so.  I'm glad it stays light longer nowadays so she doesn't have to be back here until around 7pm.  The next day (Monday) is Parent Picnic Day (it starts at 10:30am) then it's collect her belongings from her classroom (and hopefully the Princess will be able to collect all of Chewlee's lost jackets from the office).  She will also get a personal present to take home with her.  Parents can then sign out the kids and take them home.  That way they can rest until it's time to report to the auditorium for graduation.

School will be over for Chewlee after that and we will be seeing a lot more of her, I think.  But she should be able to play with Olivia and her siblings more after school is out.  I am going to start doing some walking around the circle and, hopefully, build up my endurance that way.  I have a neighbor that told me it was why she started doing that after she had her heart surgery.  If she could do it, I figure I can...even if I only get to the first curve, I will be happy.  Each day should be helpful and after each week, I will extend my walk just a bit more until I can get around the circle at least once. 

Love you all.  Have a fantastic weekend or at least try to.  Smile a lot.  It's good for your teeth and confuses everyone around you. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I admit it.  There are nights that I am up until the cock crows.  That will be when it hits me....I NEED sleep.  What usually happens is I sleep for two or three hours and then I am up and busy for maybe six or seven hours.  I'll take a short (1-1/2 hr) nap then I am up until around 10pm and it hits me.  A really bad case of heavy eyelids.  I will actually catch myself falling asleep at my keyboard.  You know what I mean.  Your whole body jerks itself awake and you shake yourself and try to continue whatever it was you were doing.

I have finally started giving in to it and just getting in my recliner, covering up and falling asleep.  If it's around 9pm or so, I will wake up around midnight for the inevitable bathroom journey.  That's also when I will remember that I have NOT blogged about my day for YOUR edification.  Thus I find myself HERE and I will head right back to bed when I am done telling you all the boring details of my day.  Yes, we had Chewlee today and she looked around when she came in the house to her surprise.  She wasn't used to seeing our window units installed and running.

I've told you that the Beast does not do well in the heat.  Today we hit the mid-80's and he was miserable.  This may have been the last summer that he is able to install our units.  I watched him struggling to carry each one from the cottage, up the deck stairs and into the house.  I held the doors open for him and opened each window for him.  Once it's on the window ledge and we close the window, he just has to screw the unit in place and plug it in.  He carried all three of the window screens out to the cottage once they were installed so they weren't a pain in the ass here in the house.  We now have a unit in our bedroom window, the living room window and the dining room window.  The Beast said he'll get me an oscillating fan for my room since I have told him more than once that I don't want a unit in here.  I don't mind the heat and my window fan works just fine for my needs.  I can pull cool air into this room just by having the fans pulling air from the other rooms and out the window.  I control that by either leaving my door open or closing it so I don't keep pulling cooler air into the room.

The AC window units work well for us because this house is as small as it is (1250 sq. ft.).  We just leave the door open into the guest room and have the overhead fan on to keep that room fairly cool.  When the days are really warm, the Beast will close the Master bedroom door and keep that room very cool for sleeping.  He spent more time laying down today than he normally does because of the heat.  What do *I* do?  I use the oven to bake our dinner...LOL 

I really did.  We had some chicken thigh cutlets that I lightly fried up (for color) then placed over some partially boiled penne pasta in a large casserole dish.  I added a large can of mushrooms and then a sauce of mushroom soup blended with chicken broth was poured over all.  It was baked at 325 degrees for an hour and served with some boiled cauliflower, broccoli and carrots on the side.  The Beast pronounced it delish but I think he was just too hungry to be critical.  I happen to love it because the thighs are always tender and they absorb the sauce as do the penne pasta.  Bratfink said I could have used rice but I was craving some pasta.  It tasted fantastic to me and it's an easy dish to make for a family.  We'll eat it for lunch tomorrow and any remaining leftovers will probably be fed to the dog since there's nothing in it he can't eat (like onions).  Waste not, want not.

Chewlee was in a good mood when she came home from school today because she gets to go to Fun Day at school tomorrow.  I'm not sure what all is involved but the kids have all been told what will be *fun* for them and that's good enough for her.  We won't have her tomorrow because it's her mother's day off work and we won't have her on Monday either.  That's Parent Picnic day and the Princess has it off since that is also the day that Chewlee graduates.  Yes, there is going to be a cap and gown graduation but it should be cute.  The Beast and I are going and so is Tara.  It's going to be held at one of the auditoriums at the college campus in Boaz.  That's not all that far from us and I imagine we will go out to grab a bite to eat afterward.

Chewlee isn't going to be happy that she won't be here after school tomorrow.  She had her day planned once she got here and it included riding her bike until Ian gets home from Day Care.  But her mother plans on picking her up and that means she won't be playing with Ian (or his electric car).  She will be here on Saturday, however, and Ian should be home all day and there's always the possibility of playing with Olivia across the circle.  Our RV friends should be stopping by and we'll find out about how the offer on the property across from us went.  HE is a talented engineer and will probably have already drawn up house plans for the two builders he's found.  I know him and he will probably have them bid on the price for building the house they want.  And, trust me, he will be here every day overseeing the actual building of it, too.  He's almost anal about building everything as perfect as can be.  He personally built his dock at his house in SC and it was a sight to behold.  Just gorgeous with lights built into the pilings.  Every step was inspected and the inspectors were impressed.  Like I said...anal.

Even their RV was built to his specifications.  He had done his research and knew what they wanted/needed.  I was speechless the first time I saw it after it was finished.  He really did do his research and the end result was amazing.

I'm debating quitting smoking.  I realized a couple weeks ago that I wasn't enjoying smoking like I used to and more than half the time, I was grabbing a cigarette just because of habit.  If I do quit, it will be right around the end of this month since that is about when I will be out of tobacco AND the tubes.  I also have this problem with not wanting to waste things and that includes the tubes and tobacco.  I just CANNOT bring myself to just throw them out.  That's just me.

Got to get this posted now so I will leave you.  Looks like we will be getting some rain and thunderstorms tomorrow.  The weatherbug tells me it's a 40% chance and that usually means we're gonna get hit by those storms that cruised through Louisiana today.  Oh well.  However, we are still supposed to hit the 80's so it will be very muggy, too.

Love you all.  Have a great Friday and be happy. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Chewlee actually did manage to remain fairly calm when her class departed for the zoo.  At least, I assume she did since we did not receive a call to pick her up from school.  She told me she wore her field trip shirt on all day but then took it off and left it for her teacher because that was what they were supposed to do.  She was a bit *snappy* while telling me that so I know she was unhappy but putting on a brave face.

The Beast picked her up from gymnastics and hurried home because our RV-ing friends were here.  They had decided to make the owner of the lots here an offer on three of the lots directly across from us.  They figured they would rather build a house that they liked than buy one and have a LOT of work to do inside before they could live in it.  I will love having them there because HE is level headed.  SHE is a bit on the nutty side but very likeable.  They say all psychiatrists are a bit nuts and that's what she is/was.  She's really not old enough to HAVE to retire and she's been open to picking up work while they have been traveling around the country.  She almost took a job in Texas but it was right on the border and they heard gunfire all day long due to the drug smugglers and border patrol action.  It was scary.  We've known the two of them for about 22 years now.  We've known HIM longer....when he was married to a different woman.  What's sad is that his first wife developed MD a couple years after their divorce but by then she was living close to family so she's had a lot of support and the last I heard she was doing well.

Since my brother-in-law has MD, I know that they have both good times and bad times.  Sometimes my BIL gets so bad he has to be in a wheelchair; other times he doesn't even need a cane.  He's a wonderful artist and very talented at woodworking but he's given up doing any of that due to his shaking coming on him without warning at times.  Some of the machines he used to use he just can't take the chance of injuring himself by using them.

His wife is extremely talented.  She is a program designer for computers and her hobbies are artistic.  When I met her mother, I knew where THAT came from.  The two of them have trees that are trained and trimmed that rival many I saw at Disney World.  I mean they are truly amazing.  Chewlee walked down the path they put in on their property and was so impressed that she was afraid to touch anything....LOL.  But she thought it was beautiful.  Their whole property design is amazing and beautiful.  They even have a rock lined stream bed that his wife picked every single rock AND placed them.  I thought that a bit anal but what do *I* know?  I have no talent that way.

My granddaughter, Aimee, and I spoke online for a bit today.  Her pregnancy is going well and she is having a little boy.  He is due just one day before the Princess's birthday and two days before the birthday of the maternal grandfather of hers that he is being named for.  I told her that babies come when they want to so who knows?  Maybe she will have him on the grandfather's birthday and wouldn't that be special?

My allergies are making me nuts tonight since the windows are open and the fans are in.  There's even one of the AC window units in the living room window.  The Beast installed it today.  He also cleaned the window, the blinds and the curtains.  That's one *I* won't have to do.  I need to take mine down and clean them.  I also need to wipe down my walls.  They actually sweat at one time so there's strange water marks up near the ceiling.  Those MUST go.  Maybe I will work on that tomorrow.  I feel strangely energized.  Let's see if it lasts.

Love you all.  Have a great week and enjoy any good weather that may come your way.  Be careful if you get any of the storms the weatherman is predicting.  I saw pictures of softball sized hail that fell in Texas tonight.  It created some serious problems, two deaths and sixteen injuries so far.  Say a little prayer for them. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

When school started at the beginning of this year, the kids in Chewlee's class were told about the field trip to the zoo and they all got excited.  THEN they were told that if they got more than six...6.....frowny or squiggly faces, they would not get to go.  Chewlee got 20.  TWENTY!  And she still expected to go on the trip.  Well, it's tomorrow and she isn't going to get to go.  When she really and truly believed it, she came apart crying and begging to get one more chance.  She promised to be good tomorrow when *she went to the zoo*.  Both her mother and I told her that wasn't going to happen.  Her mother called here after speaking with Chewlee's teacher and she cried and cried.  However,

I was the one left to try to deal with it because her mother was sick at home and we were keeping her overnight.

My first reaction was to just keep Chewlee home from school but Chewlee didn't want that.  She knew she would go to this other teachers room for the day and *they might do something fun!*  This was in-between sobbing.  But she was still trying to cut a deal on going to the zoo with her class and I told her it was too late now.  When she continued sobbing, I told her if she was going to do that tomorrow at school when she couldn't go, I was just going to keep her home because I didn't want grandpa to have to go pick her up from school because she was crying and wouldn't stop.  She promised she wouldn't but we know how that can go, don't we?  We shall see.

As I was tucking her into bed, I said to her, *Now do you see why you were told over and over that frowny faces would mean you couldn't go to the zoo?  Did you think your teacher was kidding?*  She said to me....*First I was told I wouldn't get any prizes on Friday, then I was told it meant I couldn't go to the zoo, then I was told I would have to go back to baby school.  Why would I think anything was serious?*  I almost fell over because it was such an adult thing to say.  We think kids don't put things together or that they don't think we aren't being serious or honest with them but....well, there you are!

It was beautiful here today and Bee said it was beautiful by her, too, so she had a wonderful birthday.  I did some work in the flower box so it looks much better now.  I also am almost ready to harvest some of my leaf lettuce from the garden.  Once that stuff gets going, it really GOES!

I promised Chewlee to sleep with her and when I told her that I needed to take my shower first or I would stink, she looked at me and said in all seriousness, *Grandma!  You NEVER stink!*  My jaw dropped but it warranted a kiss and a thank you.   I told her that I knew better but I loved her for saying that. 

Love you all.  Enjoy this great week we are about to have all over.  Smile a lot.  It confuses people. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

The Beast is on a bit of a rampage.  He's started pulling out the trees that are not producing fruit or that the mold/fungus seems to have destroyed any chance of having any decent fruit from it.  I'm a bit pissed at him that he refuses to trim the trees that really need it or thin out the fruit that has started so it won't break branches as they progress.  We have two pear trees that are showing the signs of breaking branches and he won't do a thing about it.  Then he will bitch because of the broken branches and/or the fact that he just didn't get the fruit he expected from them.  Truth be told, he's responsible for a lot of the problems just because he hasn't taken the time to learn about the trees and do the pruning they needed.  He has never pruned a peach tree, yet the orchards prune them or *top* them and trim them out on a yearly basis.  And this happens when they are very small, I notice.

I want to wish my sister, Bee, a very happy birthday.  You look just beautiful, Sis...I saw your pics on Facebook.  She sheared her hair to raise funds for Children's Cancer through St. Baldricks Foundation.  She was unable to donate her hair to Locks of Love because it was too grey to be used for children and that is what Locks of Love does.  But...what a wonderful thing for her to do, don't you think?  And she doesn't look bad bald, either.  I'm pretty sure that her hair will grow back quickly.  I know men who have shaved their heads just because it grows back fast and thicker, too.  Well, it works for some of them....LOL

The Beast wants to hit a Health Food Store tomorrow.  He says he's been reading about diabetes and he thinks he knows what is going to *help me out*.  Oh, just great!  Now he's going to be an expert on that, too.  He thinks if he reads something or talks to someone who talks halfway intelligently (although they do not have diabetes) that he now knows more than I do.  I've had it for 16 years now but *I* know nothing.  So what does he bring home the other day for me?  Coconut sugar to use which has 15 calories as opposed to regular sugar which has 18 calories per teaspoon.  He thinks THAT is better for me than chemicals.  What he doesn't realize is that the reason I wanted Nectresse (from the makers of Splenda) is that it is a natural sugar, produced from the monk fruit that has a natural sweetness but no calories.

He's been buying me the cheapest things a store makes (which is made from aspartame) and THAT is dangerous for me to be using.  Sheesh.  Yeah, I think he's trying to kill me. 

We had Chewlee here for about 45 minutes.  Her mom came to pick her up and Chewlee complained because the Beast was washing Baron and Chewlee loves to help.  She got a happy face today (Hurrah!) and we all made a big deal out of it.  She also got to take a ride on the *mooter scooter* with the Beast when he took Baron for his run around the circle.  That was really the reason he had to be washed.  He decided to run through a couple muddy areas so his paws and legs were really muddy.  The nice thing is that he looks (and smells) wonderful afterward.

Love you all.  Have a fantastic day, Sis.  I agree with your comment to Bratfink....where have the years gone???