On A Lighter Note . . .

I haven't posted a picture of Squeak lately . . .



We took her to the Vet last week for her shots and a checkup, and she has gained almost THREE POUNDS since we brought her home! I guess that is what happens when she doesn't have to fight 16 other cats for food!

We may have to change her name again - - to "Chunky Monkey" . . . :-)

The picture was taken yesterday during the "Great Jackson Chili and Soup Luncheon" at our house. We had the usual group of loonies over here, and we all made soup or chili and had all the fixin's on the side. Dad knows all of them also, so he had a great time getting to see everybody as well, even though he was so tired he had to excuse himself early and go lay down for a rest.

As you can tell, Squeak was really tired also - - and you can tell the day's activities were REALLY BOTHERING HER . . . =^.^=

Dad Update, Part 2

OKAY - -

Dad had a procedure that completely shut off an artery in his right leg that was pretty much 100% blocked anyway. That way, when he has his next procedure on the 27th of this month, it will not create a "backwash" into the anuerysm that they will be repairing; also, they will do a 'bypass' from the left let artery over to the right leg, and he should then have very good blood flow to both legs.

The surgeon had some difficulty when he first got in and started working on the leg artery, and it took quite a bit longer than he had expected, but he got the job done. As he said, he is working with 83-year-old 'plumbing', and sometimes things don't always work out as planned. Since it was a little more complicated than he had anticipated, they decided to hold him overnight for observation.

I am SO glad they did.

In the middle of the night, Dad woke up in extreme pain, and called for the nurse. It seems that he could not go to the bathroom, and his stomach was distended and very sore. They put a catheter in, and it relieved things immediately.

The next morning I came to the hospital and was told what had occurred. Dad seemed to be feeling pretty good, but tired. They decided late morning to take the catheter out and see how things progressed.

Well, they didn't.

By mid-afternoon, Dad was again in severe pain, his stomach distended and sore, so they had to put the catheter back in. (ouch!!!!) Dad's surgeon told the nurses to contact the urologist and have Dad checked out. They also had a specimen sent to the Lab to get tested.

The urologist checked Dad out and said he had developed a prostate infection, and the prostate was swollen and preventing him from being able to pass anything. They prescribed a kick-ass antibiotic and FlowMax, and sent him on his was - - to our house - - WITH the catheter and Foley bag still attached. He will be wearing this contraption until at least Wednesday, when we are to get an appointment with the urologist at his office for a recheck.

Dad is still very tired and pretty weak, which is to be expected - - after all, not only did he just go through surgery, but that infections is probably really wearing him down! He spends a lot of time sleeping, and his appetite isn't very good at the moment, but I make sure he at leasts eats SOMETHING so he can try to get his strength built back up a little.

I'm just glad he is here instead of at home.

We will know more Wednesday after we meet with the doctors - - the surgeon for a Carotid artery scan, then Pre-admissions at the hospital for the surgery on the 27th, then the urologist for all the other stuff.

What a week this is going to be . . . at least it's Spring Break at the College, and with no students on campus, it will be pretty quiet.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Dad Update

Well, Dad's leg procedure did not go exactly as expected.

Oh, the procedure itself went great! But there was a complication, and he developed a prostate infection, and they kept him overnight for observation. He is catheterized at the moment, and will be until at least Wednesday.

Steve finally has Dad home from the hospital, and then went back out to pick up some prescriptions for him. Dad is now comfortable and in bed. (In fact, I think I can hear him snoring - - he is sleeping hard!)

I will go into more detail a little later - - but right now it's LATE, and I'm exhausted after spending the most part of two whole days in the hospital . . . just sitting, and waiting, and sitting some more, and waiting some more . . .

So I am going to finish up a couple of things for the "Great Jackson Chili and Soup Cookoff" tomorrow, and then heading to bed for some well-deserved sleep. *yawn*

Well!

It only took THREE WEEKS - -

And TWO PHONE CALLS - -

But the box of 2-1/2 inch galvanized screwes that the flooring guys took off with . . . FINALLY got returned!

FINALLY!

About time.

Update on Dad

Well, Dad has his surgeries scheduled.

He is going to have the leg artery worked on this Thursday, the 13th. He's coming up to stay with us Wednesday night, then he and I will be at the hospital at 9 AM to get him admitted. His procecure is scheduled for 10 AM.

This is just a same-day procedure, so he will be coming back and staying with us that evening, and then spending the weekend with us. If he behaves himself, I MAY let him go back home on Sunday.

Please keep my Daddy in your thoughts and prayers, and thank you for doing so.

Yes, I Know . . .

It's been awhile since I posted - - actually, a lot longer than I had meant for it to be.

The reason? Burn-out. Sheer, total burn-out.

Things at work have been busy, things at home have been hectic, the other house STILL has not sold, the dishwasher died, Dad's surgery procedures (yes, PLURAL) are coming up this month . . . the stress has just been piling up lately, and it's really been affecting me.

Add to all this that I have over 3-1/2 weeks of vacation time accrued, and almost 225 sick hours accumulated, and you can see that there have been no breaks for this girl.

So last week I had a long talk with my boss and told him very frankly that I was not doing well. We decided a little mini-vacation was in order for me, so I put in my request for this past Friday and Monday off.

Oh man - - that is JUST what the doctor ordered!

It was funny - - I had all these little 'projects' around the house that I have been wanting to do, and I was like, "I can work on this one, and do some stuff on this one over here, and start on that one . . . "

Reality - - I sat on my ass on the couch and pet the cats and napped for four days!

And it was good.

I went back to work Tuesday feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world - - or at least my little corner of it!

So I am back, and have LOTS of things to post about. So be watching!

Um - - What???

Update: I Googled this, and found out that this is "A mildly spiced cake, with raisins, served warm, with warm custard sauce." (I'm still not convinced)

Steve and I went to World Market, next door to Borders in Fort Wayne, where we spotted this:



I don't think I want to know . . .

Book Signing!

Saturday, Dear Hubby Steve and I decided it was time for a "Day Trip", so we decided to head on over to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and check out Eileen Cook's Book Signing for her recently released book, "Unpredictable."



There was a nice group of people at the signing. Eileen did a brief reading from the first chapter, and then answered questions from the audience.

Some of Eileen's family members were there, and it was very obvious how proud they were of her (especially her Very Proud Father). They have good reason to be!

Eileen signed my book, and graciously took time to talk with me. She is very personable, and you can tell she loves what she does.

On the back home, Steve drove, and I took the opportunity to browse through the first chapter. I can already tell that I am going to thoroughly enjoy reading this book!

If you are looking for a good read with plenty of humor, please check out Eileen's book. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

In A Book Store Near You

Look what has made it to the shelves of the WaldenBooks store in my little part of the world?



The author, Eileen Cook, is on tour to promote the book, which debuted February 5th.

From the correspondence Eileen and I have shared, she seems like very nice, very talented lady. I wish her all success with her writing career!

So if you want a good read, go check out Unpredictable!

By Popular Demand . . .

After all the bitching, moaning and complaining about FlooringAmerica, and saying how nice the floor actually turned out, I have had a couple of requests for pictures of the beautiful floor . . .

Ask, and you shall receive:







Pretty, no?

The Big "5-0"

No, not me - -

Dear Hubby Steve turns 50 today! And believe me, he wears it well, or at least in MY opinion he does!

I haven't been able to talk him into posing for a "Big 5-0" picture (yet!), so for now, a picture of his cake will have to suffice:



Happy Birthday, Babe. I love you!

Project is Finished! (Part Two)

Installation day was finally here. The installers showed around 9 AM and proceeded to bring in the flooring and their tools, and headed on down the hall to scope out the situation. I locked the cats into one of the bedrooms to keep them out of the FLOOR PATCH COMPOUND and the GLUE (from past experience, I know to do this - - THAT is another post all its own!). I then retired to the sunroom to read the morning paper, drink some hot tea, and stay out of their way so they could get the job done and get the hell out. Yes, I was still harboring bad feelings towards FlooringAmerica at that point.

As it turned out, I had good reason to.

They had not been on it very long - - just long enough to put in the patching compound to seal any seams in the subflooring - - when the first "snag" came up. It seems that one small part of the subfloor, where four pieces of the flooring met, was not glued down as tightly as it should have been. It was going to need a couple of screws on 2 of the corners to make sure the floor was level.

I said a COUPLE of screws. Remember this.

Anyway, the one installer came out to the sunroom and told me about this, and said that they would need to leave, have my husband "work on it" that evening, and then they would come back tomorrow to finish the job.

Excuse me? They wanted to LEAVE? Because of a COUPLE of screws? And come back TOMORROW? Meaning, of course, that I would have to try to arrange to get more time off the next day, which was impossible to find out at that point BECAUSE IT WAS A STATE HOLIDAY AND CAMPUS WAS CLOSED!

I told them they would have to speak to my husband about this. They said he could call in after he got off work. I told them he was on break, and I intended to call him NOW, and they could speak with him NOW. He was still protesting this as I dialed and got Steve on the phone. I handed the phone to the installer, who (very unhappily)took it and started trying to explain the situation.

A couple of minutes later, he handed the phone back to me, and Steve said, "What the hell is he talking about? I have screws, and a drill, and they can just get it done while they are there!" He wasn't getting any arguments from me on that!

I went downstairs, found the screws they needed, brought them up and handed the box to they other installer, who immediately informed me that the other guy was on the phone with their boss to find out what they were supposed to do about this. I totally ignored that, and just politely asked if they would need a drill to use; if so, to let me know. I then walked out of the room and back to my newspaper.

A few minutes later, I noticed that it had gotten very 'busy' - - apparently their boss had told them to "do whatever it takes" to get the job done. Suddenly, the screws had been placed in the subfloor (all TWO of them), they were suddenly very nice and polite, and the flooring got installed - - PERFECTLY - - in no time at all. They then got all their equipment picked up and hauled out, and went on their merry way.

The floor is beautiful, by the way.

However - in their haste to get out of there . . . they took off with the box of screws belonging to dear hubby. I made a call and asked their supervisor to have them drop the box back by the house.

Tomorrow it will be ONE WEEK. The box of screws has not been returned yet.

I know it's a small thing, and I should probably let it go. But after this entire ordeal - - I'm not going to.

But one thing is for certain - - we will NEVER, EVER do business with FlooringAmerica again. EVER.

It's a good thing the floor is as beautiful as it is.

Oh! And?

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Happy Valentine's Day!

Now go hug somebody.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Project is Finished! (Part One)

The bathroom project is FINALLY finished! *whew*

But not without its problems . . .

The main problem was with the company we used to get the vinyl flooring.

Ever heard of FlooringAmerica?

They are new here in town, and Dear Hubby went searching for flooring the Friday we had the major snowstorm. They were the only company open that afternoon, and we needed flooring QUICKLY - - so he decided to give them a chance.

BAD move.

He came home with some flooring samples and we put them down against the wall tile, decided which one looked good, and then decided to go back the next day to place the order.

When we got there Saturday morning, we showed the lady Steve had been dealing with which one we were interested in. She got out her calculator, did a lot of figuring, and then gave a slip of paper with the number $1,470 on it.

YES. One Thousand Four Hundred Seventy Dollars.

For a 12 x 8 bathroom.

I looked at her and said, "EXCUSE ME? I don't think so!" She started in with some big long explanation about floor prep and installing and transitions and seaming all . . . I just kept looking at her and said, "This will NOT do." I said to Steve, "Ready to go elsewhere?" The lady looked a little panicked and said she would refigure. Which she did. And gave another slip of paper with the number $1,140.

I gave her another look. And said, "No, this will not do at all." I then said to Steve, "I'm ready to go elsewhere." The lady looked more panicked and said, "No, no, let me see what I can do."

She went to the showroom floor and picked out a couple more samples. We looked at them - - they were very similar to what we had picked out originally - - so we took them home to see what they would look like. One looked good, so we went back and told her which one we wanted. She grabbed her calculator and started figuring, and then gave us the figure of $320 for flooring and installation. We could live with that.

We placed the order and asked how soon the flooring would be in and could get installed, as we were under a pretty tight timeline. She told us - - MANY TIMES - - that trucks came in on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. She told us NUMEROUS times. Remember that.

We didn't hear from them on Tuesday, so figured the flooring would be in on the Thursday truck. Well, Thursday came, and was almost gone, and we had still not heard from them yet. So Steve called . . . and was first told that they were too busy to talk to him and they would have to call him back. (That man is WAY more patient than I am, apparently - - I would have handed someone their ass right about then.). They actually DID call him back, but seemed to know nothing about the flooring . . . until the guy on the phone FINALLY found the order and told Steve, "That truck comes in on Mondays."

Mondays? MONDAYS??? (Please see above)

They told Steve they would give us a call next Tuesday and schedule an installation for the FOLLOWING week. Remember me saying Steve was more patient than me? Well, this is when he lost it. He started in on the guy and told him in no uncertain terms when the floor needed installed, and no later than that . . . and ended the call.

Later on, there was a message on our phone that the flooring would DEFINITELY be in on Monday, and that he had put us on the list for insallation on the following Tuesday.

But the fun was just beginning . . . I will write about the installation adventure in my next post!

For the Moment - -

It's been a busy weekend! So, until I get a chance to post more, here is something for you:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Most Serene Highness Lady Liz the Weary of Much Leering Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Um - - whatever.

Aftermath

Now that the dust has settled from the oil tank explosion, cleanup is beginning - - and in the daylight, you can really see what happened, as seen in this video from our local TV station, found here

Unbelievable . . .

Mother Nature's Fury

We have had HORRIBLE weather lately. First, 12 inches of snow, and now thunderstorms that have dumped almost 4-1/2 inches of rain on our area, causing flash flooding throughout the area.

And the thunderstorms? Vicious!

Last night a heavy thunderstorm moved through our area around 5:30 PM. I was still at work (taught a class last night) but Dear Hubby was at home. There was a very bright bolt of lightning and a large clap of thunder; he knew it had hit somewhere close by. He looked out our sunroom windows, and this is what he saw, about 1/2 mile from our house:

That is a picture of three OIL STORAGE TANKS - - lightning had hit and caught 2 of the 3 tanks on fire!

Hubby called 911 to report the fire. Rescue personnel immediately flooded the area, and the road just past our house was blocked off.

They had just gotten a good stop on the fire, when it re-ignited, causing one of the tanks to explode:

Flames were literally shooting hundreds of feet in the air!

The news crew interviewed Dear Hubby, since he was the one who reported it. The link to his broadcast is here.

They finally got the fire under control around 9:00 PM, just before I got home from work (so I missed all the excitement!). Fortunately, no one was injured during the whole ordeal.

Mother Nature can be a vicious bitch sometimes . . .

Today Is the Day!

It's finally here - -



Eileen Cook's new book, Unpredictable, is available TODAY!

Look for it at your favorite bookstore or online seller.

Well? What are you waiting for? Get going! :-)

FOG, FOG and MORE FOG

Update: What is it with people? It is FOGGY - - REAL FOGGY - - you practically cannot see your hand in front of your face. And yet - - there are freakin' IDIOTS out there who insist on driving their dark-colored cars with NO HEADLIGHTS ON!

Unbelievable.
-----------------------------------------
It is FOGGY out today!

I'm not talking your kinda misty, eerie, wispy tendrils of fog - - I'm talking the DEADLY, CANNOT SEE A DAMN THING type of fog. And the Dense Fog Advisory for our area has been extended until 9 PM tonight.

It's nasty.

Example: I left the office about 1/2 hour ago to make a quick run to the Post Office to mail a package.

I was back to the office within 10 minutes.

No, I don't work that close to the Post Office - - but I COULD NOT SEE. You cannot see the cars in front of you at the stoplight until you are almost hitting them!

Heck, you can't even see the stoplights!

I'm not kidding.

I have cancelled my appointment tonight after work and am heading straight home. The 5 minute drive may take me 20 minutes, but better late than sorry.

If the weather in your area is anything like ours is here today, PLEASE be careful!

Winter Wonderland

Update: Late afternoon (4:30 - 5:00)
Rain, rain and more rain - - LIGHTNING and THUNDER.

Un-freakin'-believable . . .

*sigh* Welcome to Winter in Central Illinois . . . . .

------------------------------------------------

We had an unusual Winter experience this morning.

Yesterday, the temps climbed into the upper 30's. Overnight, as the air cooled a bit, it drew up a lot of the moisture from the melting snow, creating a heavy blanket of fog. As temps cooled down more, the fog froze, coating everything in crystal:

The trees in the front yard:




And in the back:


One lone sentinal in the back yard:


The bush next to our garage was beautiful:


All the trees and fields around our home were encased in crystal shells. Absolutely breathtaking.

Too bad it has to be so damn cold to be this beautiful!

The House

An update on my house blog . . . go check it out.

SNOW DAY!!

Campus is closed - -
The snow just keeps coming down, more and more - -
The wind is kicking up - -
It's a good day to stay inside!

Except for this afternoon - - once the snow tapers off and the wind starts to lay, it will be time to go out and scoop the sidewalks. Steve is outside right now with the tractor and blade getting the drive cleared in front of the garage so we can get out if need be . . . I think the news said we had 11 inches of snow - - it's really deep out there!

******************************

This extra day will also give Dear Hubby and me an extra day to finish up a MAJOR project in our Master bathroom. We thought it was just a faulty toilet, but unfortunately has turned out to be much, much more than that. Apparently, something underneath it had been broken for a long time, and had been leaking all that time. When Steve went to pull up the old toilet, the floor came up with it . . .

He has torn up the floor, all the way through to the basement, and had to replace the subfloor and overlay all around the toilet area. Fortunately, the rest of the subfloor was able to dry out okay, so just the overlay needs replaced on that. He will probably get that finished up today.

Tomorrow we have to find new floor tile and get it put down, at least around the toilet area, so that we can put in the new unit. Then we can lay the rest of the floor tile.

This has been going on all week - - my poor Dear Hubby has really had his hands full! I wish there was more I could do to help him, but it's a small enough area right there that two people won't fit . . . so I just stand back and offer (im)moral support . . . (hey, it's the least I can do)

If you have bad weather in your area today, please be careful and stay safe!

Let It Snow . . .

It's snowing pretty hard outside, and the wind is really kicking up. This system is a big, nasty one, so this might get pretty interesting before it's all over with.

The College closed at 5 PM today and cancelled all evening classes. If we get the 6-12 inches of snow they are saying we might, and if those winds keep kicking up and blow it all around into mile-high drifts (well, maybe not QUITE that high) . . .

I'm thinking SNOW DAY for tomorrow . . . (keeping fingers crossed!)

I'll keep ya posted.

WHAT Is Going On With the WEATHER????

TODAY: By early afternoon, it reached a high of 62 degrees.
LATER: By mid-afternoon, we were under a severe thunderstorm warning, and the torrential rains started.
LATER STILL: By the time I left work at 4:30 PM, the temperature had dropped. To 22 degrees. And it was sleeting. And everything was frozen. And covered in ice.
TONIGHT: It is presently 15 degrees, and the winds are gusting up to 45 MPH. It is snowing and sleeting.

WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED HERE? :-(

I Don't Know About YOU . . .

. . . but I just about spit my Diet Coke all over my monitor!


moar funny pictures

All Settled In - - FINALLY!

I am finally moved in and pretty much settled in my new office - - FINALLY! The only thing I have left to do is bring a small chrome shelving unit in on Monday morning so I can finish putting some things away, and then maybe I can actually get some WORK done! (What a novel concept THAT will be!)

My little office is really pretty nice, and my new boss is pretty much moved into my old office, so that is working out well. My poor student workers, however, are not faring so well . . . their space is so cramped, they can barely do what they need to do! We have been told that this is just a temporary thing, until they finish up some other construction and moves around campus, and that we will then be moved to a permanent spot with more room (Gee, maybe they can time it for the first week of FALL classes - - that week is even MORE hectic than the first week of Spring classes! Yeah! THAT'S the plan!)(No, I'm not bitter - - not a bit . . . )

I'm just glad to finally be in my space, have boxes unpacked, and being able to DO something to help the students. That's what I'm there for, and it's been rough not being able to help this past week. But come Monday, that is all going to change - - Lizzy's back in business! :-)

Good News on the "Dad" Front

Dad went to see his family doctor yesterday, who said he was doing great, and pronounced him "worth a million bucks" - - or "ten million at today's prices" . . .

So we are very pleased with the news!

His next appointment is his recheck with the heart doctor on Feb. 7th.

Yay for my Daddy! :-)

Renew the Dream

I read about this post on another blog, followed the link . . . and - - well, please go here and see for yourself.

There is nothing I can add - - this says it all.

By The Way . . .

Did you notice the new addition to my sidebar??

Over there, on the left - - just under my Profile - - just keep scrolling . . . There! Do you see it?

Eileen Cook, an author who hails from Vancouver, Canada, has her very first book, "Unpredictable" coming out February 5th.

You should check it out. Also, you should check out her blog.

Go ahead - - I'll be here when you get back! :-)

This Week is FINALLY Over!

Thank God!

This has been a LONG week - - lots of hours. And, it's been a ROUGH one . . . and it went just the way I was afraid it would. *sigh*

When I first heard they had hired a full-time director for our Department, and that they were going to have to rearrange our area to squeeze in another office and another whole person, I said, "As long as they don't have everything all torn up during the first week of classes, we'll be okay."

This was the first week of classes.

They started construction on our area Monday morning.

*sigh* Damn.

All week long, we have had to put up with our furniture all moved out, my student workers in a different room than I am (makes it hard to supervise, and also train the new one), the new boss in another room in a whole different area, students trying to come back for help that we are not able to provide because ALL OF OUR STUFF IS SOMEWHERE WHERE DID WE PUT IT DAMMIT.

Along with all this, there is the actual construction process itself - - concrete drills, drywall saws, drywall sanders, drywall DUST, paint fumes . . .

And still trying our best to serve the frantic students coming back for help, trying to hold Orientation sessions ("I can't print out the attendance sheet for this session! Where in the hell is our printer!?!?!?") and just trying to keep some small shred of sanity (NEVER easy for me, even in the best of circumstances).

But the construction is FINALLY finished, the furniture will get moved in next week, and hopefully we will all be together in the same area and all settled in soon. The new boss will get into the swing of things, and we will finally be working together as a team. And, it will be good to FINALLY be able to help the students like we need to!

But right now - - I'm heading for some well-deserved rest!

Oh His Way Back Home

Dad has been doing great! He finally decided he was ready to go home, so this afternoon, that is what he did.

It was fun having him around for awhile, but I understand his wanting to get back to his own house, sleep in his own bed, play on his own computer . . . and not have darling daughter watching him like a hawk! (Actually, I'm not THAT bad!)

I'll still be keeping a close eye on him for the next six weeks or so, because that is when the second procedure will be scheduled. Once he has that done, he will probably spend a couple of weeks in the hospital, then a couple more in a rehab facility, then a couple of weeks more with me.

Keep you all posted . . .

One Down, Three To Go . . .

Dad had the stent placed in the one heart artery that was 90% blocked this past Thursday. The Doctor proclaimed the procedure 'smooth as silk' when he talked with me after it was done, and that Dad was doing great!

They admitted him to stay overnight, as they wanted to monitor him for 24 hours, but by 8:30 the next morning, the Doctor told him he could go home anytime he could get a ride.

Unfortunately, both Dear Hubby and I were at work, and had not anticipated this . . . *sigh*

SO - - Steve took off work at 1:00, came home and showered and changed, and headed on over to Springfield to pick up Dad. I left work at 2:30, headed to the store to pick up a few things, and then went home to make sure everything was ready.

Actually, they beat ME home! Dad was already discharged and sitting there waiting for Steve when he got there! They headed down to the car and back to our house.

Dad is staying with us until Sunday, just to make sure he's doing okay. So far, he is feeling and doing very well.

Dad goes back to the heart Doctor in 4 weeks for a recheck, and if all is well, he will be looking at having his second procedure - - repairing his abdominal aneurysm - - about 2 weeks later.

2008 is going to be a L - O - O - O - N - G year . . .

My Dad

My posting may be a bit sporadic for awhile - - my Dad is having some procedures done, and between work, running him to Springfield for his procedures, doctor appointments here in town, and having him home with me for some recuperating time, well - - getting on the computer and having time to blog has not been possible.

Dad had a heart cath done last Friday, and then stayed the weekend with us, because they did not want him doing any driving or much else for 48 hours afterward. He went home Sunday afternoon.

Tuesday we went to the doctor here in town, and discussed what will be done next.

This morning, he found out that he will have a stent placed in the main left heart artery to clear a blockage that is at 90%. This will be done tomorrow afternoon. They will keep him overnight, and will then come to our house for a few days.

There are a couple more procedures he will have to go through, but they will be spacing them out every 2-3 months or so.

SO - - 2008 is off to a rolling start! (*sigh*)

It sucks already.

I'm hanging in there - - wish me luck.

And if you are one who prays, please say one for may Dad - - appreciate it.

Happy 2008!

So - - do you make resolutions?

I do, but only if I know I can make a serious effort to achieve my goal. I try to be realistic about my resolutions.

That being said, here is what I resolve to accomplish in 2008:

(1) Continue the "year of un-dieting"
I learned this from reading Crazy Aunt Purl - - she resolved to never diet again, but to walk for exercise, and watch what she eats, and the results were fantastic. I decided to give it a try, and it worked for me also. Therefore, I will continue this for 2008.

(2) Sell our other house
It has been on the market for a year now. I know the market is not good for sellers, but it WILL sell. We just have to keep working at it and get the job done. Fortunately, we have excellent professionals working for us, so we are not in this alone. I would hate to be trying to do this ourselves - - what a nightmare that would be!

(3) Remember to take my meds and vitamins every day - - even on weekends or when I'm on vacation
I try to remember to do this - - honestly I do - - but I tend to get busy on the weekends or when I'm on break, and the next thing I know, it's bedtime and I haven't taken them. I will do better in 2008.

And last, but certainly not least - -

(4) Tell my Dear Husband Steve, the best man in the world*, that I love him. Every. Single. Day.
Well, I do that anyway, so that will be an easy resolution to keep! :-)

I hope 2008 is good to all of us!

* He really IS the best, and I'm the luckiest woman in the world having him in my life!

2007: The Year In Review

It's hard to believe this is the last day of 2007! It's been quite a year . . .

2007 started out with us involved in a hassle with AmerenIP over damage they caused us after hooking our power up wrong after the ice storm in December 2006. We were sending packets of information to Ameren, their Claims company, the Lt. Governor, and every legislator I could think of. Eventually, thanks to pressure from the right legislative offices, they paid our claim.

March found me in a new job at the College, in a completely different type of work than I had ever done before. After nearly 30 years in the Administrative Clerical field, I went into Information Technology. My job now consists of supervising a Help Desk for online students, presenting Orientations and workshops for online students and faculty, and many, many other things involved with online learning. Quite challenging, to say the least.

Other things at work (aside from my new job) became very challenging, to the point where I actually found myself considering submitting my resignation. Yes, things got that bad. But instead, I decided to step back, take a deep breath, and stand up for myself. Part of the situation has been resolved, but a lot has not. My stance at the moment is just to "wait and see" what develops, in part because I have nearly 20 years built up in my retirement, and don't want to have to start over at "square one" going somewhere. Time will tell . . .

Our nephew, Travis, got married this summer. Dear Hubby and I got to travel to the Northern part of the state to attend the wedding. While up there, we had the chance to spend a lot of time with friends of ours who made the trip from St. Louis. It was fun being able to connect with them again. In fact, 2007 gave us many opportunities to spend time with dear friends. They are dear, true friends, and we have developed a support network in which we are there for each other. Steve and I are truly blessed with having some really special people in our lives.

In October, I made a 'road trip' to Peoria to the Women's Lifestyle Show, where I was able to meet a person who is a wonderful writer, and one of my personal favorite bloggers, Laurie Perry (Crazy Aunt Purl). She was on a book tour, promoting her book "Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair" - - a fabulous read. The book tells her story about how she survived her husband leaving her, and her transition into single life and dating. Knitting was her salvation, and she attacked it with a vengeance; in fact, I'm surprised one of her four cats didn't get caught up in one of her projects!

Near the end of the year, we lost our dear little fur-baby, Callie. I cannot say any more about this; every time I try to talk about her, or think about her, the tears start up again. So enough about this . . .

Throughout the year we have been trying to get our other house sold (see my other blog here). With the market being in such bad shape, it's been difficult. But Dear Hubby and I will keep trying to do our best and try to remain positive.

Here's to 2007 - - and may 2008 be a happy and healthy year for all of us.

Other Blog . . .

And update on my other blog . . .

Party Time

We hosted our annual Holiday Party for the gang yesterday evening, and as usual, it was a success!

Jerry came over from Springfield, Curt and Judy, Cindy, and Paul came also. Jan had a conflict, so could not be there this year (and YES, she does know what she was missing!).

Since I am on Holiday Break this week and most of the others were working, I had supper all ready when then came over - - homemade Veggie Beef Soup, Sweet-n-Sour Meatballs (I used Chili Sauce and Cranberry Sauce to flavor them), and a new recipe - - Brie filled with seedless raspberry preserves, wrapped in a sheet of puff pastry and baked. I also had lots of leftover Key Lime Fudge and Peanut Butter Fudge. Cindy brought her "World Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Curt and Judy brought goodies also. But the kicker was - - Paul's Bourbon Balls, made by him and his sister, with some really fine Kentucky Bourbon in the mix. (They make your eyes water, but - - YUM!).

After food and good conversation and our gift exchange (including Jerry's "Mess With Your Heads" gift game!), we opened a bottle of wine and toasted the upcoming New Year.

It was a good time with good friends. Steve and I are so lucky to be blessed with friends such as they - - very blessed indeed.

We Survived Christmas! *Whew*

The Holidays were hectic, but it was worth it!

There was lots of fun, good food, good people, and the kids were wild!

The Orange Sour Cream Cake was a hit, as were the Key Lime Fudge and Peanut Butter Fudge at Dear Hubby's family gathering. I also made a pan of browning with Marshmallow Creme topping for the kids (they almost taste like a S'More).

The Lasagna was a big hit with my family on Monday! I left a couple of containers with Dad for meals this week, and sent the rest of it home with my son and his family.

The kids got lots of neat presents, and they were wound up beyond belief; but the Holidays do that to little ones, don't they?

Dear Hubby went back to work today, and I am off work until January 2nd. But, it's not like I don't have anything to do - - there is cooking and cleaning the house for our Annual Holiday Party with the gang this Friday. Since everyone else is working and I'm off, I'm treating them to homemade Beef Veggie Soup, Sweet-n-Sour Meatballs, Baked Brie with Seedless Raspberry Preserves in Puff Pastry, Summer Sausage and crackers, and of course Key Lime Fudge and Peanut Butter Fudge! I'm looking forward to getting together with the gang - - we don't see each other enough, and have so much fun when we finally get the chance.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Countdown To the Holidays

Today has been a crazy one, and it's not looking to slow down anytime soon!

Dear Hubby's family Christmas get-together is tomorrow evening (Sunday), and my family gathering is Monday evening. Lots of things to prepare for each . . .

I am bringing dessert items to Steve's family tomorrow - - the Orange Sour Cream Cake is baked and cooling, and tomorrow it will get its Vanilla Pudding/Cool Whip/Mandarin Orange topping. The Key Lime Fudge is made and cooling, and will be cut up tomorrow. Next on the list is Peanut Butter Fudge, which will also cool overnight and get cut into squares tomorrow morning.

The Key Lime Fudge is YUMMY, by the way . . . I got the recipe from a coworker, after she brought it into work and I absolutely raved about it! (The Peanut Butter Fudge is awesome also . . . YUM!)

Tomorrow morning I also need to prepare a large pot of spaghetti sauce, and prepare meat filling with Italian seasonings. I have decided to follow our family's Holiday tradition and make my Dad Lasagna! I'm using my Mom's sauce recipe, so of course it has to cook slowly all day, and then cool overnight to let the flavors blend. Monday morning I will build the lasagna and have it ready to take down to Dad's and bake in his oven. We will also have Sweet Italian Garlic Bread, and salad. My son and his family are bringing a cake, and Dad has a pumpkin pie for us to bake. It's been ages since I've made Lasagna, and I'm looking forward to it.

Tuesday I plan to SLEEP . . . as if the kitty-babies will let that happen? We'll see . . .

I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed Holiday! Spend time with your loved ones. Give your sweetie an extra kiss under the mistletoe (Hubby and I are about to wear our mistletoe out! ) Enjoy the season and all that it means - - love, togetherness, peace.

Merry Christmas!

Finally - - Stage Three!

The presents are all wrapped and under the tree, which, by the way, is STILL STANDING! After just a couple of minor incidents, the furbabies have decided they have better things to do than mess with the tree. In fact, Dear Squeak has decided she likes laying under the tree, where the heat vent points out towards the tree, and take a nap. I do believe we could put a bow on her and she would just blend right in with the rest of the packages!

So here we are - - Stage Three:



Nothing left to do now but sit there in the loveseat, hot mug of tea in hand, nice warm kittycat on my lap, and snuggle up with Dear Hubby and enjoy! And with my Holiday Break starting after work tomorrow, and not having to go back until January 2nd, there will be plenty of time to do just that!

Christmas Tree, Stage Two: Uh-Ohhhhh . . .

I was home all weekend.

Furbabies never ever paid a bit of attention to the tree. All day long, they acted as if there was nothing out of the ordinary in that corner of the sunroom.

"Nope, Mom, we don't see anything over there in that corner. Not a thing. You can relax!"

Uh-huh.

Today we go to work . . .

Instead of coming home at lunchtime as I usually do, we had a Holiday luncheon in my Division, so I stayed on Campus.

When Dear Hubby got home this afternoon, this is what he found:

The best we can figure is that the new little girl, who LOVES to be up high, and who LOVES to jump, launched herself from either the loveseat or the window bench into the tree.

Steve reprimanded both of them (oh yeah, I am SO sure they listened to him, and they have learned their lesson) and put the branches back in where they belonged.

I am determined to have my tree up this year, in spite of the little furry terrorists roaming the rooms of my home.

However, in the spirit of compromise, we have decided that the tree will have lights and garland (up from the bottom row of branches, of course!) but no ornaments except for some jingle bells along the bottom branches (that's our 'alarm system'!).

We also moved the loveseat back, and removed the bench from in front of the window . . . at least we have taken care of TWO of her launching points!

So, here we are - - Stage Two - - White Christmas Tree with blue lights and blue garland:

Stage Three will be adding the topper (I'm still looking for a blue one) and the tree skirt, and then piling packages underneath. We have also decided against putting bows on the packages until just before we take them somewhere - - Carmichael has a SERIOUS ribbon fetish, and our packages often arrive with bows filled with teeth marks . . . *sigh*

Christmas Tree - Stage One

It's time - - actually, way PAST time for my liking - - to put up the Christmas Tree.

In past years, we have not had much problem with the fur-babies and the tree. We knew how each one of them would act - - Callie would just lay under the tree, among the packages, and nap. In fact, if we had stuck a bow on her head, she would have blended right in with the rest of the packages! Carmichael's main problem was that his tail is so long, he kept brushing it up along the bottom branches and knockin goff ornaments. That problem was solved by moving them all up to the nex layer of branches. (Actually, I have some jingle bells that we hang on the bottom branches - - just to mess with his little kitty-head . . . yes, we are five.)

However, now that Callie is gone and we have this new little kitty-girl Squeak (formerly named Destiny) in our lives, it is anybody's guess how she will react to the tree. So, we have decided to put it up in stages.

Stage One:
Yes, I have a white tree - - wanted one for years, and finally got it last year!

Stage One is just the tree itself, with no lights, garland, ornaments, anything. Squeak showed a bit of interest at first, and had to be reprimanded a couple of times, but she is now not evey paying any attention to it.

Stage Two will be next - - either this evening or tomorrow after work. We will attempt to string the lights and add some garland, and see how that goes!

Wish us luck . . .

Great White Hunter

Well, another deer-hunting season is pretty well wrapped up for Dear Hubby and the rest of his hunting buddies. He had a very successful year - - had 3 tags, and filled them all. Yup, 3 deer.

Now I know a lot of people out there are totally against hunting, and under certain circumstances, I am also. I am totally against anyone who hunts strictly for the "trophy" head to hang on the wall, and lets the meat go to waste. But here are the facts for Hubby's situation:

He and his brother hunt every year on the same land that has been in their family for many generations. They spent a lot of time during their growing-up years on that land, and know every rock, tree, and shrub on it. His grandpa farmed it and raised cattle, and always had meat to feed the families.

Hubby's grandpa is gone now, but Hubby and brother still spend deer-hunting season on that same land 'grocery shopping' to feed their families. It has filled our freezers for the past 17 years with very good meat.

This year he got more deer than he usually does. Did we need 3 deer to feed the 2 of us? No. What did we do with the extra? Well, we donated A LOT of it to the Food Pantry of which my Dad is President of the Board. That will go a long way to help out some needy people who might be without otherwise.

Hubby feels really good about being able to continue to help feed his family from the same land that has done so for so many years, and we both feel good about being able to help others less fortunate.

I'm very proud of my "Great White Hunter" - - and I hope we can continue to eat good and also help out others for many more years.

WHY I HATE WINTER . . .

Scenes from the 2006 Ice Storm, one year ago:













Any questions? (I didn't think so!)

"Deja Vu All Over Again" - - Hopefully NOT!

SO - - this morning around 9:00 AM, it started . . . sleet, mixed with some drizzle. I left campus about 9:15, and decided to get to Walmart to pick up a couple of items before heading home, in case the weather turned as nasty as they were predicting.

By the time I left Walmart and headed for the (usually) 5-minute drive home, their parking lot was an ice-skating rink. So were the streets.

Uh-oh - - this doesn't look good.

As all of crawled slowly down the streets, I saw quite a few accidents that had already occurred due to the slick conditions. People were sliding around like crazy . . . there was no traction to be had anywhere.

But if I thought THAT was bad - - I was totally unprepared for the condition of MY road! Since it is consider a country road, it is "crowned" in the middle, and drops off a bit on both sides for water drainage. This crown also made the Jeep want to keep sliding to the edge of the road, and was a VERY uncomfortable feeling! I was traveling around 25 MPH for the mile outside of town where we live. When I reached home, I slowed to almost a total stop, and slowly turned left into the drive. Even a near stop was too fast for these conditions, and I almost slid off the drive into the yard. Fortunately, I was able to stay on the asphalt, but was almost sideways as the Jeep slid down the drive towards the garage.

I am now inside, with a hot mug of tea by my side and a nice warm cat in my lap . . . and I intend to stay here for the duration!

I hate winter . . . :-(

One Year Ago, Part II

One year ago today . . . the Great Ice Storm of 2006 hit Central Illinois

It started out innocently enough - - cloudy skies, breezy, then the wind took a turn from the North and the rain started. Then the temps started dropping - - like a rock. By the time I got off work, all the cars on the parking lot were covered with ice. We were all out there, in the blowing, freezing rain, chipping out our cars so we could get inside and get HOME.

Damn, it was cold.

I finally got the Jeep going and made it home. Dear Hubby had supper started, so I picthed in to help. We had the TV on in the Dining Room, and the local weatherman was giving out weather details in an ominous voice; that this was just the beginning of what could be a major storm.

Then the power went out, with a decisive "clunk" . . . I looked in the general direction of Dear Hubby in the dark and said, "This can't be good."

Truer words were never spoken.

You can read all about it here, here, here, and here.(that way, I don't have to retype the whole darned thing!)(and yeah, I had a lot to say about it, apparently!)

Enjoy the memories!

"I'm So Pretty . . . "

Destiny in her favorite place in the whole entire 2,300+ sq. ft. house in which she now resides:
Admiring the awesome beauty in front of her very nose:

What are YOU looking at?

One Year Ago, Part I

One year ago today, we moved into our dream house!

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving. We chose that day because we knew family would all be together, so what better way to share the feelings of 'togetherness' than to have a MOVING PARTY, right? Right?

Dear Hubby and I got up VERY early that day - - oh, not to prepare for the impending move;instead, we went to Circut City for the Friday After Thanksgiving Sale Event.

Yes, we did.

The reason? We had been looking at an electronic phone system for quite a while, and they had it as one of their Early Bird sales.

SO - - 5:00 AM found us waiting in line in Circuit City - - which wrapped ALL AROUND the inside of the store . . .

*sigh*

We were in line for almost an hour, but we walked out with our new phone system.

We then headed to Panera's to grab a quick bagel and drink for breakfast, then to the U-Hawl dealer to pick up the truck, then home to start getting ready for all our movers to show up.

It was a hectic day - - people brought food for lunch and snacks, trucks and cars and the big U-Haul were loaded up and made many trips back and forth between the two houses. We got it all moved in, then sat around the sunroom, eating a bite, and watching the sunset. We were all exhausted, but relieved at having everything moved to the new place.

It's hard to believe that we have been here for a whole year already. It's also very difficult to understand why our other house is still on the market! It is such a nice house; it's very roomy, and we did so many things to update it; the location is good, and there is a nice big yard. The neighbors are great. But, the market has slowed, and lots of people are having difficulty selling their homes. We just have to keep hoping, and praying, and trying our best to get the job done.

So here we are - - one year later. Things are pretty much settled in, and Dear Hubby and I are are so very happy in our new home.

Here's looking forward to many, many more happy years here together!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's wishing everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!

Thursday we will be having dinner with my Dad, and then going to my aunt and uncle's house to visit with them and all my cousins and their families. (Ah, nothing like a big Italian family get-together!)

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Dear Hubby has to work . . . darn it . . . but, it's holiday pay, so it's money that will come in very handy until we get the other house sold (hurry up and SELL, dammit!).

Friday I will be going to the antique shop and setting up some holiday craft items in my booth, so that will be a fun, relaxing thing for me. Saturday and Sunday will be spent getting things done around the house . . . funny how I don't seem to get these things done when Dear Hubby is home - - guess it's just too much fun having him around, and I don't feel like working! :-) (Yeah, I'm kinda 'stuck' on him .. . . . )

Happy Turkey Day!!

Nap Time

Why is it - - every time I try to change the bedding, Carmichael decides it's NAP TIME?

Check him out - - looking at us upside-down with one eye open:


Now back to sleep:


Meanwhile, Destiny is asleep on the love seat in the Sunroom:




Ah, to be a cat!

Bazaar Wrap-Up

Well, our "First Annual Holiday Bazaar" was a success! People came in a steady stream all day, and we sold LOTS of things!

We learned a lot from this year's "trial run", and know what we want to do different next year - - so the "Second Annual" should be even better!

We also learned - - again - - how inconsiderate some people can be . . . someone apparently backed into my gazing ball on a concrete pedestal, knocked it over, shattered the gazing ball - - and left without saying a word. I don't know who did it, or exactly when it happened . . . I just know it happened this morning during the sale.

I just don't understand people sometimes . . .

If the person who did it had at least come in and told me, and apologized, I would have still been upset, but would have appreciated being told, because I understand that accidents happen. But to do something like this and just leave?

Inconsiderate bastards.

It's not like they wouldn't have known they did it - - heck, the pedestal is made of concrete, and is so heavy I can't lift it or carry it anywhere. I would be surprised if it didn't scrape the heck out of their bumper!

Anyway . . .

At least the rest of the day went well - - and the rest of the people were nice! :)

SO - - we are already looking forward to next year's Bazaar - - and you can be sure the new Gazing Ball will be in a different location by then!

Bazaar Time!

My friends Betty and Cindy are joining me in having our "First Annual Holiday Bazaar" this Saturday! We have all been very busy with crafting, baking, and sorting through all kinds of holiday 'stuff' getting ready for the Bazaar.

I have a lot of holiday items that we never use, and it has been sitting in boxes, just taking up vaulable storage space. A couple of months ago, Dear Hubby and I got the boxes out and sorted through all of it; one pile to "Keep", and the other to "Sell". I talked to my two 'partners in crime' and we decided a Bazaar would be a fun thing to do!

That's what I love about the house we live in now - - we live on a main county road, with LOTS of traffic. The two rummage sales we had this summer were incredibly successful - - we put up some signs, and people just poured in!

SO - - Betty and her hubby have been busy making alll kinds of wood crafts and items; Cindy has lots of holiday items she has not used in years, and is also baking her "World Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies" (which I may have to buy - - they are SO good!); I have my holiday items, plus have been baking up a storm and have lots of breads and brownies and coffee cakes ready to go. Plus, I have started getting into some crafting - - I have even learned how to use a glue gun! So I have some craft items to add to the mix.

We are even going to have holiday music playing, and have hot apple cider and cookies to munch on while people browse all the goodies we have to offer.

Dear Hubby helped out a lot by clearing out the garage and getting the tables set up, and helping get the signs ready. Tomorrow Betty and Cindy and I will be busy pulling it all together, then hanging up the signs late tomorrow afternoon. The forecast for Saturday is a good one, so we should have a beautiful day for the event.

It will be a fun day!

Strange Weekend So Far . . .

Got a phone call at 1:11 AM this morning - - Dad was not feeling well yesterday, and it was getting worse. He had severe stomach pains, to the point of almost being doubled over in pain.

So being the dutiful daughter (loves my Daddy!), I got up, got dressed, and drove the 40 miles to get him and take him to the Emergency Room.

We got there around 2:46 AM. They ran all kinds of tests, took all kinds of blood, took X-Rays, and a CAT scan. When we got the results of everything, it was apparently his acid reflux kicking up and causing severe heartburn. They got that under control, gave him a prescription for Prevacid, and sent us on our way.

By that time, it was 6:30 AM, and my day, unfortunately, was just beginning!

When I got back to Decatur, I went by the other house and kicked on the heat for the Open House this afternoon. Then it was a trip to the grocery store, then Walmart . . . and then, FINALLY, home.

It is now 12:30 PM, and I have still not been able to slow down long enough to get some sleep. I think I'm still running on pure adrenalin.

But when I DO finally crash, it's gonna be for a LONG, LONG time!

I'm relieved that Dad is doing okay. He felt bad about my coming all the way down there for 'heartburn', but he will be 83 this next Friday. I don't like to take chances when he's under the weather.

I want to keep my dear Daddy around for a lot longer!

Cat Wrap-Up

Well, that is all the posts about the Jackson Household Cats.

Writing these posts brought back lots of memories for me - - some happy, some very, very sad, but ALL of the memories included the love between us and our beloved pets.

When we lost our dear Callie, we were full of mixed emotions. We missed her, but we knew that Carmichael needed the companionship of another cat. Reactions to this by others have been mixed - - one asked if I were really sure I wanted to get another cat, because I always got so heartbroken when we lost one; another thought we may want to consider 'downsizing', and that Carmichael would adjust to being alone.

Well, I'm going to address both of these . . .

First, YES, I am ABSOLUTELY SURE that I want another cat! Regardless of the heartbreak that is sure to come at some point, there is no way I would ever want to miss out on the joy and love we and our dear pets share. Yes, I cried when Dusty passed away; and when Boo Boo Kitty got so sick and we lost her; and Callie - - well, that is still too raw and painful to think about for too long. But when I think of all the good memories we have, well - - if given the chance to go back in time, I would do it all over again, and not change a thing.

Second, NO, we do NOT think it is time to consider 'downsizing' to one cat; and NO, Carmichael would NOT adjust to being by himself, or if he did, he would never be the same as he was before - - some of his sparkling personality would be forever lost. So downsizing? NOT an option.

Dear Hubby Steve and I will probably always have cats in our lives, and we are sure to get our hearts broken again and again . . . but that is the chance you take if you ever want to find real, true love.

Carmichael

Carmichael came into our lives 7-1/2 years ago. He was an itty-bitty thing - - in fact, I could hold him in my cupped hands and still have room left over! Some friends of our had rescued him off their church's parking lot and brought him home. They already had numerous cats, and when Judy told me about him (all gray, almost a Russian Blue color), I immediately wanted to meet the little guy.

I went to Curt and Judy's house on my lunch hour the next day. Judy picked up this little bundle of dark gray fluff and placed him in my lap. He immediately purred, curled up in my lap, gave out a huge "groan", and went to sleep. And yes - - I melted. Judy said, "You're going to take him home, aren't you?" All I could do was whisper "Yes." (Didn't want to wake the little guy!)

The next day after work, I went and got him and brought him home. Callie was NOT happy with this intrusion on HER private property, and having this, this - - KITTEN - - getting attention from HER people! There were some tense moments over the next few weeks, but she finally gave in and got used to him. We think it was only his "kitten status" that saved his little hide!

We took the new kitty to the Vet to have him checked out. Although we thought he was only about 6-7 weeks old, because of his small size, it turned out he was almost 3 months old! He was so small because he was hungry! WELLLLL - - this is an Italian household - - NOBODY, not even a cat, is going to go hungry in MY house! We started packing the groceries in him, and he filled out in no time. (He's a big chunky boy now!)

We noticed right away that he had a bad habit of clawing things, so when we took him back to the Vet to get altered, we also had him front declawed. Hey, I love cats, but I also love my furniture, my drapes, and my carpet!

We were still trying to decide on a name for the little guy. I was thinking very strongly about George, for "Curious George", because he was so darned curious about everything, and getting into all of it! (I also considered "pain in the ass", becasus he was that, also!) But George just didn't fit right, and 'P.I.T.A.' was too darned long. What to name the little guy . . .

At work, I was clerical support for a team of caseworkers for Children and Family Services. One of my caseworkers, whose last name was Carmichael, real character; he was always walking up behind me, and was so soft-footed, he always wound up startling me. He didn't do it purposely (I don't think, anyway).One day, shortly after the arrival of the new kitten, Don again walked up behind me asking for something, and scared me half out of my wits! I told him that I had this new kitten who was always underfoot, always startling me, and was a general pain in the ass, just like he was, so I was going to name the little guy Carmichael! He just laughed and walked away. But I am a woman of my word. The next day, when I took the kitten to the Vet for altering, I gave his name as Carmichael!

Carmichael (or Carmie, for short), has been a trial at times, but has provided Dear Hubby and me with many hours of entertainment, and an abundance of love. He loves to run and play, and loves it when we take one of his toy mousies and throws it so he can chase it across the fllor.

Carmie adored his big sister Callie. She would always sleep during the day at the foot of our bed, on my robe, which I left there specifically for that purpose. I would come home at lunchtime, and would always find one of his toy mousies on the bed, next to the robe. He was always bringing one of them to her.

When we lost dear Callie, Carmichael became very depressed. He wouldn't run, or play. We would throw one of his favorite mousies, and he would just sit there and watch it go past him. If he did run after it, he would then just sit there and look at it. He wasn't eating like he normally did. He kept watching the doorways, looking for Callie to come into the room. The day after we lost her, I came home at lunchtime, and found one of his favorite mousies on the bed, next to my robe. I just broke down in tears. He and I were both totally heartbroken.

Steve and I had a long talk, and decided that even though we felt it was too soon for us, it was NOT too soon for Carmichael. He needed a companion, and he needed one NOW.

That is when Destiny came into our home. Carmichael hissed quite a bit the first couple of days. (Who is this? This is NOT my big sister!) We started calling him "Air Leak Kitty", and told him we needed to fix that leak before he went flat! But he got over that, and is now back to his normal, fun-loving, playful self. She is apparently just what the doctor order!

So there you have it - - the Jackson Household cats!

Callie

When we bought the house we lived in before (yes, they one we are trying to sell - - STILL), the sellers had a cat. Callie was a dark Tortiseshell, 5-1/2 years old, very petite and ladylike,. She had a sweet disposition, and a very LOUD purr; very lovable. She had been born there, and had always lived there.

I was told by the wife that they didn't really want to move her the 1,000 miles they were moving, and had not had time to try to find her a new home, so they were more than likely going to take her to the pound.

Excuse me???

You see, back then, if an animal was taken to the pound, and not claimed or adopted within 7 days (or sometimes less), they were put to sleep. And they were just going to do that? To that sweet little girl? I don't think so!

I told them to leave Callie with us, and that we would take care of her. Was I sure, the wife asked me? I already had a cat, did I really want a second one?

Yes, I was sure.

Well then, I was really going to have to watch Callie, the wife warned me. "She is an outside cat, but every time you open the door, she tries to slip inside. You really have to watch out for that!"

Then the wife told me, "She has wanted to be inside ever since last winter, when she got sick. We had her inside, in a cage covered with blankets and a vaporizer, and the vet gave us medicine for her. She was inside for 10 days, then she was better and we put her back outside."

?????????????

It was freakin' WINTER - - it was COLD, and BLEAK, and WINDY, and she had been inside the house for TEN DAYS . . . and they just threw her back outside.

I told them I was sure, and not to worry about it.

They moved away, we moved in, opened the door, said "Come on in!" to Callie . . . and she was an outside cat no more.

Oh, and? This little "outside cat" NEVER, EVER tried to get back out! She was inside, she was warm, she was loved. And that was all she wanted.

She was our constant companion - - it didn't matter what room of the house you were in, she wanted to be in the same room. Even if she was just laying there sleeping, it had to be in the same room her 'people' were in.

When she was about 10 years old, we brought home a 'rescue kitty', Carmichael. He was a little bitty thing, and even though Callie was NOT happy with the intruder, Steve and I believe what saved him was his 'kitten' status . . . but Carmichael's story will be told in the next post.

When we moved to this house a year ago, we were a little concerned about how Callie would handle the move; she was almost 17 years old, and had lived her whole live in the other place. Would she adapt? Would she totally freak out? We were worried for nothing - - she adapted to the new house beautifully. I guess as long as her 'people' were there, everything was fine! In fact, she was a lot better about it than the adventurous Carmichael . . . but that story will be told a little later.

I am not going to end this post telling how we lost our dear little girl - - that story was told a few posts back, and is still too painful and raw to go into again. Let's just say that our dear little girl will always be in our hearts, and we will always love her.

A Quick Note . . .

There is an update on my other blog about the lot closing. You can access it here . . .

Boo Boo Kitty

After we lost Dusty, I was heartbroken - - absolutely shattered! We did have Callie, who came with the house (long story - - next post, I promise!), but I was too angry and upset to let her near me. I did not want another cat around me - - I wanted my dear girl Dusty.

A couple of months went by. Then, a lady I worked with said that her friend, who was moving out of state, had a cat who was supposed to go to another person we worked with, but the other person would not be able to take her for a month; she was leaving on a business trip and did not want to leave a new cat in new surroundings with the other 2 cats she already had. I was asked if we would be willing to be 'foster parents' for that month.

My first response was a flat "No." I was adamant. I was determined not to give any other cat a chance to grab my heart and hurt me again.

They both asked me again, and again, the answer was "No."

Then the one told me that if I didn't take the cat, the current owner was going to place her in the pound, where she would more than likely be put to sleep within a week's time.

Damn. Lay on the guilt, why doncha??

*sigh*

I agreed to take the cat. For ONE MONTH, and ONE MONTH ONLY.

Boo Boo Kitty was 2 years old, part Siamese, crossed blue eyes and all, declawed, and as sweet and lovable as any cat I have ever met. She immediately latched on to me (figures!) and decided I was 'hers' and that I had no say in the matter. I resisted as best I could, because she was going to be a part of our household for ONE MONTH, ONE MONTH ONLY! I was not about to get my heart broken again!

Well, here's what happened . . .

At the end of that ONE MONTH, ONE MONTH ONLY, the new owner came up to me and said that one of her cats was so sick, she did not feel that she could add the stress of introducing a new kitty to the household. She had changed her mind about taking her.

Oh, GREAT. NOW what??

I could not - - WOULD NOT - - take that little girl to the pound. There was no way I could live with myself if I did. The only other options I had were 1) keep her; or 2) find her a new home.

My son and daughter-in-law decided they wanted her, so Boo Boo Kitty had a new home to go to.

Now here is where it gets really weird - - when I heard that they were taking her, and she would no longer be with us . . . it hurt like hell. But I was determined not to cave - - and so Boo Boo Kitty left to go to her new home.

A few months later, they had to move, and could not take Boo Boo with them (poor kitty, seems to be a pattern going here!). So, Boo Boo came back to us.

I could not believe how HAPPY I was to have that little girl back! The minute she came back home, she latched on to me as if to tell me that she was NOT going to lose sight of me ever again!

Well, of course, I melted - - just absolutely, totally melted. That was it. I was hooked. Boo Boo was my girl.

Unfortunately, it was not to be . . . I noticed that my little girl was not eating well, and did not act as if she felt good. Then she started getting sick. We took her to the Vet, and it was not good news - - not at all.

Boo Boo Kitty had cancer. The tumors were all entwined in her intestines. There was nothing they could do to cure her.

So for the second time in one year, I lost a dear kitty-baby.

I was, if possible, even more devastated than when I lost Dusty. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was totally inconsolable.

And through it all - - dear Callie was there, silently sitting by, waiting for me to be ready to accept her . . . but that is another post.

The Jackson Household Cats

You know, I have shared little bits and pieces about our cats, but have never really gotten to how we came about acquiring them . . . or THEM acquiring US, as is probably more accurate.

So I think the next few posts will be about the cats Dear Hubby Steve and I have had over the years, and how they came to be a part of our household.

The first one will be Dusty - - she came into our home in 1986, I believe, and was a very bossy, opinionated, stubborn little girl!

I had been wanting a cat for awhile, but Steve was just not sure about it. So the topic of "Let's Get A Cat" kind of simmered on the back burner for awhile. Then Steve left for a weekend to ride along with the Chicago Fire Dept (he was a volunteer firefighter). I just happened to be scanning the "Pets" Classifieds (hey, just looking, okay?) and saw a cat listed as "Free To Good Home" - - so I called and talked to the people. Then went over there to meet her. Then brought her home.

By the time Steve got home, she was a part of our family. (I also told him to try going away for the weekend again, and see what happened!)

It was not easy at first with Dusty. She was, as I said previously, very stubborn and opinionated. She did not know who I was, or where she was, and all she wanted was to GET OUT OF THERE. In fact, she did get out one afternoon, and we could not find her. She was gone all night and into the next day. I was beside myself! Then, that afternoon, I heard the little bell she wore around her neck. I went to the front door, and there was Dusty! She ran in, laid down in the middle of the living room, exhausted. But from that day on, she was ours, and she started loving us.

We had dear Dusty for 8-1/2 years, and she was already 2 years old when we got her. We moved to our other house, which came with our next cat (Callie, who will be discussed in a future post). A couple of months after we moved, Dusty started acting like she did not feel good - - she was not eating, she would just crawl up into my Lincoln Rocker with all the stuffed animals in it and sleep all day and night. She stopped running, which she did ALL THE TIME, and loved to do. I knew there was something wrong. Steve took her to the Vet, and it turned out she had developed Fatty Liver Disease. There were things they could do for her, but it would cost thousands of dollars (which we did not have to spare), and the Vet said she would still have many health problems. We made the very hard decision to have her put to sleep.

I cried like a baby, and it took me a long time to get over losing my little girl.

By that time, we had Callie . . . but that is another post.

A New Member Of the Family

Ever since we lost our dear Callie-girl, Carmichael has been very 'mopey' and depressed. He hasn't been eating like he should, he keeps looking all over the house for her.

One of the saddest times for me was one day when I came home for lunch, and he had placed one his toy mousies on my robe at the foot of the bed - - Callie always slept on that during the day, and he would always bring her one of his toys. I stood there that day and cried like a little baby.

We would try to pay extra attention to him, and would try to play with him, but his poor little heart just wasn't in it. We would throw one of his favorite toys, and sometimes he would just sit there and watch it go by, or he would chase it, but then just sit there and look at it. He just seemed so sad, as were Steve and me.

SO - - we had a long talk, and decided that even though our hearts were not in it - - NOT AT ALL - - it would be best for our little fur-boy if we got another cat.

We went to our Vet's office, where they had a rescue kitty who was totally sweet and lovable, but I just could not 'connect' with him. He would have made a wonderful pet, but all I could do on the way home was cry . . . missing my little girl. So that dear kitty still needs a good home, and I hope they find one for him soon.

I started looking online at Petfinder.com, and researching cats in our area. None of them really caught my eye, until I got to the cats at the Springfield Animal Protective League. There were a couple there that appealed to me - - one was a black and gold named "Muffin", and the other was a Dilute Tortie named Destiny. I told Steve we needed to go to Springfield and look at kitties.

Last Sunday afternoon we headed over to Springfield. The APL has SIX ROOMS of cats! All ages, breeds, and colors. I asked about Muffin, and was told that she had been adopted out; I'm glad she has a good home. So we went into the first room - - and Destiny greeted us at the door. Actually, Destiny greeted STEVE at the door, doing figure-8's around his ankles, then loving on him when he picked her up.

I started looking at the other cats, and realized right away that the only ones I was really noticing were the dark Torties. I knew I could not get another dark Tortie, because I would constantly compare the cat to Callie, and that would not be fair.

Steve walked up and handed Destiny to me. She immediately started squirming around. I thought she wanted to get down, but no - - she wanted to turn around to face me. She then put a paw on each side of my neck, leaned in close, and HUGGED me. Her head was under my chin, she was holding on tight, and purring loudly. The tears started, and I handed her back to Steve and went out in the hall to 'mop up' . . .

We decided to head upstairs to the "Cat Loft" to check out the other felines-in-residence. There were some very nice animals, but it just seemed like Destiny would be the best fit for us. But it was still so soon, and I was still very unsure.

We went downstairs to the office and decided to fill out an adoption application - - yes, they make you apply to be parents to a pet! They ask for your Driver's License number to check that you have not been charged with animal abuse, they check with your vet to make sure you bring your pets in for regular checkups, and they ask all kinds of questions to make sure their animals will be going to a good home.

We filled out and signed the form, and headed for home. Steve and I talked a lot about it that evening and the next day. Tuesday I called Steve at work and told him that I wanted to go get Destiny and bring her home. I called the APL to check on our application status, and was told we were approved, so I told them we wanted to bring Destiny into our home.

And on Wednesday, that is what we did:

Introducing, Miss Destiny Jackson:

Who absolutely ADORES Steve:

And who is actually starting to have fun chasing around and playing with Big Brother Carmichael:

So - - we now we are back to a full family again. It's not the same - - it will NEVER be the same without our Dear Callie-girl - - but Carmichael is starting to perk up again. He runs after her, chasing her down the hall, and then she chases him right back. He has started playing with his toys again, and she is enjoying them also.

My heart is still heavy, and so is Steve's, but this little girl will helps us heal, in time. And I'm glad that we are able to give her a good home.

My Dear Little Girl

I have been putting off writing this post, because it's so hard to do. We lost our little furbaby girl, Callie.

It's hard to believe it's been almost 2 weeks ago that this happened. She had not been acting like herself for a couple of months, but nothing I could really put my finger on. Two weekends ago, she got really sick, not able to eat, and so weak she could hardly walk. Dear Hubby went by the Vet's office that Monday morning and talked to them, and then went home to get her and bring her in. They ran some tests, and found that she was in kidney failure. There was not much they could do for her but make her comfortable. She was put to sleep the next day.

I miss her . . . she had a good life though, and would have been 18 years old in December.

That doesn't make it any easier.

We all miss her very much, and she will be in our hearts always.

I love you, sweet girl.