WWW Wednesday

Join us!

 To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My answers:

What are you currently reading? I just started "Worth More Dead" by Ann Rule. I get in these moods when nothing but true crime will do, and I'm in one right now. Also, still reading "Codependent No More" & "More Language of Letting Go" by Melody Beattie.

What did you recently finish reading? I finished "Cold Days" by Jim Butler last night, it's the latest in the Dresden series & was much better than "Ghost Story."

What do you think you'll read next? Maybe "The Bar Code Tattoo" by Suzanne Weyn, maybe "Unless" by Carol Shields.. maybe something else entirely.

WWW Wednesdays

Join us!

 To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My answers:

What are you currently reading? I'm almost finished with "A Stolen Life" by Jaycee Dugard. Wow, what a amazing story this woman has to tell and what a horrendous experience she lived through. I'm also reading "Co-Dependent No More" by Melody Beattie & a book of daily meditations for people with co-dependency issues (I can't think of the name right now)

What did you recently finish reading? I finished "Rosemary & Rue" (October Daye #1) by Seanan McGuire. It was awesome, I love the world this is set in & can't wait to read more!

What do you think you'll read next? I have no idea, I added a bunch of books to my Nook the other day, but it's in the other room & I don't want to accidentally wake my husband up, so I'll try to remember to get back here & update this when he gets up.

Unconscious Mutterings

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1. Complications :: Troubles
2. Bell :: Jar
3. Sunshine :: Walking
4. Laundry :: Fresh
5. Grumpy :: Crabby
6. Throat :: Deep
7. Vitamin :: D
8. Tell :: Tale
9. Potent :: Strong
10. Radio :: Mexican

Stuff

I'll be losing my hosting for Words of a Witchy Woman soon, and I thought I'd get a head start at moving things over to a new place, since I have years of archives over there & don't want to lose them like I did on Rising from the Ashes, so here you have it.

Unconscious Mutterings

Join us!

1. 32 :: 33
2. Ignore :: Frustrating
3. Wet :: Moist
4. Apartment :: Flat
5. Translate :: Language
6. YouTube :: Video
7. Stifle :: Gag
8. Plus :: Size
9. Thanks! :: Welcome!
10. Fiction :: Novel

Friday Five

Join us!
What’s something that’s better on the rocks? Soda.
Whose behavior has been beyond belief? Sadly, most Conservative Republicans right now.
In what way do you color outside the lines? I follow the laws & don't make a lot of waves.
When were you recently relieved to be in the clear? Every time we get the bills paid, can buy food & gas.
What seems to have disappeared without a trace? Respect.

WWW Wednesday

Join us!

 To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My answers:

What are you currently reading? I'm about halfway through "The Surgeon" by Tess Gerritsen. My daughter recommended this series, and since we have very similar tastes in reading material, I took it. I'm enjoying this so far!

What did you recently finish reading? I finished "Natural Reaction" by Terri Reid, along with the five in the series before that one. I loved the series & really wish I had the 7th one to dig into right now!

What do you think you'll read next? Probably "The Apprentice" by Tess Gerritsen, if not, then "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers: Now, once again, he repeated the question he'd been asking all morning: "Is she going to live?" "All I can tell you is that her vital signs are stable." ~~ The Surgeon by Tess Gerritson

Unconscious Mutterings

Join us!

1. Crunch :: Nestle
2. Resourceful :: Cunning
3. Experience :: Age
4. One hour :: Photo
5. Happening :: What's
6. Mushroom :: 60s
7. Humid :: Dank
8. Mini :: Cooper
9. Earth shattering :: News
10. Mistake :: Excuse

Six Word Saturday

Snowy and cold; still gonna play!

We have a Kingdom Game Day scheduled for our Amtgard group today. The Queen is coming down with her consort, but they're encountering bad weather on the way down, too. We're hoping they make it, but we'll all go out to the park even if they don't. I'm happy I have cold-weather garb & know how to layer!

Monday Movie Meme - Cue the Doctor!

Join us!

What movies have YOU watched that feature scenes in an exam room?

Mine would be: 
50/50: There were a lot of doctor visits, trips to chemo & visits to therapists in this one.
Little Shop of Horrors: Steve Martin played a dentist who was very into delivering pain to his patients.
City of Angels: Meg Ryan plays a doctor (a heart surgeon) in a hospital.
Patch Adams: many exam rooms in this one, too!

Unconscious Mutterings

Join us!

1. Throne :: Game
2. Adorable :: Cute
3. Corner :: Baby
4. Others :: Strangers
5. Chilling :: Cold
6. Spied :: Sneaky
7. Limitless :: Boundless
8. Passion :: Sexy
9. Hugely :: Much
10. Devious :: Dishonest

Six Word Saturday

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Very tired, but happy it's Saturday!

Six Word Saturday

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Excited about our Halloween party tonight!

Booking Through Thursday

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 Are there any good books that you read IN SPITE OF the cover and ended up wondering what on earth the artist and publisher were thinking to pair up a cover that so badly represented a perfectly good book? And … if you didn’t like the cover, what made you pick up the book? The author? Assigned reading from school? A recommendation from a friend?

Definitely. I read the entire A Song of Ice & Fire series by George R. R. Martin. I don't think they could have made the covers more boring if they had tried, honestly. I picked up "A Game of Thrones" because the series was starting a couple of months from then & I honestly hadn't known it was based on a book, or a series of books, but I knew that it looked good & wanted to read the first book to see if it would be worth watching. I enjoyed it & eventually made my way through the rest of the series & waited anxiously for "A Dance with Dragons," which was the book that made me realize that I needed an ereader, because my hands can't hold onto a large hardcover book anymore. That cover was also better than the others in the series, maybe because so many years had passed between it & the previous one.

WWW Wednesday

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading? Betrayal by Gregg Olsen. It's very good, and has managed to keep me guessing so far, which is a lot to say for someone who's been reading thrillers & mysteries for about 40 years.

What did you recently finish reading? Envy by Gregg Olsen. Such a good story, very well-written with a believable plot & likable characters.

What do you think you'll read next? Life After Death by Damien Echols. I felt that the West Memphis Three were innocent the minute I read about the case, shortly after it happened & was a very vocal advocate for their release, so I'm very much looking forward to reading this!

Booking Through Thursday

Join the fun!

 They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but there’s no question that it can make a difference! What book(s) have your favorite covers? Something that’s perfect for the story, the tone, the colors, the mood… And did you pick up the book BECAUSE of the cover? Or were you going to read it anyway, and the cover was just serendipitous?

Man, I've always been attracted by cover art. Right now, I'm reading "Eve" by Gregg Olsen, mostly because the cover attracted me. I love the story, but the cover clenched it for me. The Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series. Seed by Ania Ahlborn (one I got because of the cover). The Unseen by Luke Alistar, My Name is Mina by David Almond, almost all of Kelley Armstrong's books.. yeah, it's probably an even mix of books that I was planning to buy without seeing the cover & books I bought because of the cover, honestly.

WWW Wednesday

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading? Envy by Gregg Olsen. So far, it's very good.
What did you recently finish reading? Defending Jacob by William Landay. This one was very good, with a nice twist at the end.
What do you think you'll read next? Betrayal by Gregg Olsen. I may as well finish the series, or at least, finish what he's written so far.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Next, the cutting and the sawing. The noise of a human body being violated by steel is horrendous - even for those who do it every day." ~ Envy by Gregg Olsen

WWW Wednesday

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading? I tried my new copy of The Face of Deception & it locked my Nook up just like the previous one, so that will have to wait until I get a hard copy of it. So, I started Defending Jacob by William Landay. It's a very good read, especially if you've ever been on "the other side" in a criminal case or have ever wondered how the friends and family of a defendant feel.

What have you recently finished? The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall. I really enjoyed this book & look forward to reading the rest of the series. It's lighthearted, entertaining & a great break from the stuff I usually read.

What do you think you'll read next? I think it's going to be Envy by Gregg Olsen. It looks like a good series, and I have the first two, so I may as well give them a shot!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My Teasers:

"The camera loved him. In person he had a slightly laughable Colonel Blimp appearance - a wine-cask body supported uncertainly by two wiry legs - but as a talking head on the TV screen he projected the sort of reassuring gravity we like to see in our judges."

No idea what page it was. Defending Jacob by William Landay

Another Manic Monday

I've never been one to really mind Mondays, or look forward to them, for that matter (I know a lot of parents look forward to getting the kids back to school after the weekend). These days, I don't really want them to come, at least every other week. My husband works a rotating shift, where he works Monday-Wednesday one week & then Sunday-Wednesday the next & we have extremely active & busy weekends around here, with those Sundays he's off being a day to kind of catch our breath & have some time together, ideally, anyway. They haven't been that way the past couple of weeks. So, I hold onto my weekends like a hoarder does cereal boxes most of the time.

 So, it's Monday, our weekend actually ended last night when my husband went back to work & I have a bunch of stuff to get done with our son so we can start to build loaner weapons for our Amtgard park.

With that said... The Question of the Day is: Do you roast pumpkin seeds? Most years we do, when I feel like I have time between the carving & the Halloween party to get it done. I don't always have that time, some years, I'm carving pumpkins that day.

Sunday Sunday

Today I'm Muttering...

1. Exorcise :: Demons
2. Theory :: Idea
3. Possible :: Impossible
4. 1600 :: Monkeys
5. Feeling :: Ill
6. Excuse :: Lie
7. Mortality :: Death
8. Trivial :: Inconsequential
9. Pupil :: Eye
10. Challenge :: Game

Six Word Saturday

Want to play along? Go visit Six Word Saturday & join the fun!

Tired and cold, but happily alive!

Friday Five

Join in!

1. Where is your favorite tree? In Sedona, Arizona, at the Airport Vortex.
2. Where is your favorite chair? I guess in my living room, it would be my couch, though.
3. Who has your favorite hair? My friend, Jenn.
4. What’s your favorite mug (or other drinking vessel) like? It's a tall coffee cup with a bat for a handle.
5. Where’s your favorite parking spot (not at home)? At the park, right by where we play Amtgard.

Booking Through Thursday

I'm not finding a new entry on Booking Through Thursday, so I'm going to answer last week's & I'll do the new one later if it ever goes up.

Do you bring the book(s) you’re reading with you when you go out? How? Physically, or in an e-reader of some kind? Have your habits in this regard changed? I don't usually, unless I know that I'm going to be alone & waiting a long time. I take my Nook when we go camping, or a regular book if I'm reading one, because I have to read before bed. I don't think my habits have changed as far as bringing books with me, I've always carried one if I thought I might have time to kill somewhere alone, but other than that, I leave them at home or take them camping or traveling with me.

WWW Wednesdays

Courtesy of WWW Wednesdays!

What are you currently reading? I'm almost finished with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, which has been very good. I had no idea what to expect from it, but I'm really enjoying all of the little glimpses into African life.

What did you recently finish reading? I finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen last week. What an amazing & touching story! I immediately told my husband he needed to read it & then we watched the movie together.

What do you think you'll read next? Well, I started The Face of Deception by Iris Johansen before the one I'm reading now, but it kept crashing my Nook. I have a new copy now & will give it another try, because it was very good!

TMI Tuesdays

Which one:

Smelly feet or smelly breath? Smelly feet, they're far enough away from my nose that I won't be as bothered.

Overwhelming pleasure or repetitive numbing pain? That's a tough one.. I'm going to say repetitive numbing pain, since I never want to associate pleasure with discomfort.

Phone calls or text messages? Text messages every time. I hate talking on the phone.

Being spanked or getting spanked? Isn't this the same thing? I guess being spanked.

Go blind or become deaf? Blind. I'm a super visual person, but I'd so miss the voices of my loved ones & the sound of music & life around me.

Bonus (optional):What is one choice you've made that you would like to change the outcome to? The way I raised my kids. I had deluded myself into believing that I'd had a storybook childhood instead of the dysfunctional mess it really was & chose to raise them the same way I'd been raised for the most part.

Just Another Sunday

Growing up, I absolutely hated Sundays. It was the worst day of the week. Not only did I have to get up early, get dressed and go to church (twice!), it was the last day of the weekend and I had to go school the next morning. There was nothing to do, because I had to stay clean & close to home so we could make it for the evening service, and spending my early years in Utah, none of the other kids could play on Sunday anyway.

As I got older, it was a fashion show & I got enough of "Betsy" in the cutest clothes around while I was in school, I didn't need to compete at church, too.

So, to break the monotony of Sundays, we started having our friends over in the evening for dinner, TV and games every week. We all grew up in situations where Sunday wasn't much fun, so now everyone actually looks forward to it and we all have a great time together. It feels a bit liberating, to take back a day of the week & claim it as our own, you know?

Getting it Done

I finally got the first aid kit for the trailer put together & actually put in the trailer today. I've been in the process for a few months, and just decided I was getting it done today, so that we have it for this coming trip. I think it's a pretty good one, especially for it being just something we put together on out own.

I was digging through our cabinet that we keep junk in, looking to see if I could find anything that we needed in it and came across a few old pool filters, that we had years ago, I mean at least 12 years we've been moving those around. Isn't that crazy? I did find the hydrogen peroxide & an unopened bottle of potassium, so the search wasn't in vain & at least I have something to laugh about now!

Stupidity

Stupid people aggravate me - well ignorant people I guess, since you can fix ignorant. The rules for Freecycle are pretty clear, the most basic one is in the name, which means things must be offered as free. I was reading through the ads a few minutes ago & someone said they had amplifiers for sale, right there, in the subject line. I clicked on it, to see if maybe they had just mistyped or something, but, no, they were definitely selling them. I'm shocked that the email made it through the moderators, and honestly wonder if it was intentional. I'm not fond of anyone playing favorites, but I especially hate it when it violates the rules everyone else has to follow. There are places to sell your things, and they don't cost to post them, so why not use one of those?

I'm pretty sure that most of the people on Freecycle, at least here, in my small town, have no idea what those amplifiers are even for in the first place, I don't picture the majority of them as being musicians, you know? The seller would stand a better chance of selling them to someone who's actually looking for something like that on another site, and they wouldn't be breaking the rules, either.

Yeah, I know. I'm nitpicking. I'm tired and in pain, what can I say?

Excited!!

I can't believe how excited I'm getting for our upcoming camping trip. This is the first one we've been on with Erin for many years, and I think he's just as excited as we are. The trailer is almost ready, the food is planned & ready to go. I'm getting my laundry done, so I can pack my clothes. I just need to bake some zucchini bread, make some Baja sauce & finish loading and we'll be ready to go.

We once took our daughter & her boyfriend at the time with us. He was a total jerk the entire time we were gone, threatened to kill our baby granddaughter to "shut her up" and wandered around acting like he was an ancient vampire who was indestructible & could fly. It might have been better if he had been in full hip hop clothing, trying to hike around, at least we'd have been amused more than we were aggravated.

There have been a lot of trips over the years, some were great, some sucked and some were just okay. I'm hoping for anything but this one sucking, honestly. I just want to have a good time.

6 Months?

Our son has been home for 6 months, as of the 4th. It doesn't seem like it's been that long, but at the same time, it feels much longer because so many things in his life have changed. He also got 6 months clean & sober that day, for which we're so thankful and proud. I think he's close to a year sober, I know he stopped drinking sometime last year in July. He doesn't keep track of that anymore, since he restarted when he gave everything up in January, but I do.

We're pretty sure that we'll be letting our daughter come back home when she gets out of jail, or out of rehab (whichever comes first). She seems to be doing really well, going to AA while she's in and working some steps. She actually seems to see where she went wrong this time, so we'll see how it all pans out when it gets closer to that time. We won't put up with her using drugs or drinking, so if she slips up, she'll be leaving again. We've all agreed to that and are putting the rules together that she'll have to agree to before we let her in. It makes us all a little nervous, but we feel like we need to step in at least try to help her. So, I guess wish us luck in the coming months, we're likely to need it.

Summer!

We had a pretty uneventful Litha, but then, we won't actually have our rites until tomorrow, so it doesn't feel like it's here yet. I'm gotten so used to marking the turning of the wheel with an actual ritual, that it never feels right until we have, even if we're late getting to it. Dawn & I did a little running around, to try to get her A/C on her car fixed and stuff like that, then we sat in the yard while Troy worked on both cars & visited. That was pretty much it.

Yesterday, we did a few other things, none of which were Litha related as much as they were craft & Independence Day stuff. Today, we're heading to a music festival for the afternoon to look at craft booths & listen to good music. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, Troy & I have to pick up our Co-op basket and then come back & put all of it away. I'll spend the morning getting the ritual space ready & maybe going to the store.

Busy Days

This week was our son's first payday, so he kept me a bit busy. On Tuesday, we drove down south to buy a dresser, look at a computer & check out some bedroom furniture, all that he found on Craigslist. He got the dresser, the computer had been sold & the guy with the bedroom set didn't answer his phone. We also stopped at the pet store & he bought the dogs some toys.

We came back home & stopped at the bank, so I could deposit the money he gave me for rent & he could open a checking account. By the time we got done with all of that, Troy was almost done with work & we were starving, so we waited for him to get home & ordered pizza for dinner.

There was some more running around a day or so later, when he found a nightstand & little swamp cooler. He was feeling badly about how he managed his money earlier today, until I pointed out that he has $100 in savings, bought the furniture he needed & a swamp cooler to make his bedroom livable and paid almost half of his rent. He felt better about things after that. I'm pretty proud of the way he's handling things, honestly, he's come a long way in a few months.

We have a mostly "free" paycheck coming up on Friday (which means we have very few bills to pay from it), and I'm pretty excited about it. Hopefully, we'll get to do some fun things with it. It isn't often these days that we have money to play around with, so I'm taking advantage of it this time around!

Not Well

I haven't felt well - or maybe I just haven't felt right - for a couple of weeks now. I can't really put a finger on it. Some days I have a stomach ache all day, others I'm dehydrated & tired. Sometimes I feel like I'm running a low-grade fever. At any rate, I have no energy, so all of those little jobs around the house, like washing the switch plates, vacuuming and dusting have gone by the wayside. I feel like I'm letting myself down, but I'm doing good to keep up with the dishes and get dinner cooked every day. I'd go to the doctor, but I'm still trying to get my bill from January paid off, and we really can't afford another one right now.

I have thought it might be my blood sugar & will have Troy check it today sometime, other than that, I have no idea. I just know that I don't have any desire to spent my Summer sick!

Memorial Day

Another school year is over here, graduation has passed (this year marks 6 years since our son graduated & 4 for our daughter) and another Summer will be settling in on us soon. The beginning of this weekend was blustery & cold, as it always seems to be. We can have temperatures near 100 for a week or so before Memorial weekend, but that Thursday, the weather will turn & the wind will start, usually bringing at least one storm.

We spent Friday evening celebrating a friend's birthday, we grilled for him & I baked a cake, then we ate & sat around visiting for awhile. Saturday, Troy & I took Dawn & we drove down south to attend our oldest granddaughter's birthday party. She'll be 5 on the 30th, which is just about unbelievable to all of us. It was nice, if a little tense & awkward at times, we were thankful to have been included, since her mother isn't here & we had nothing planned for her up here.

Sunday, Troy had to work some overtime (I should say got to work - we needed the money), so I hung out at home for a bit with Erin, until he left to go help someone move. I cooked sweet & sour chicken in the slow cooker for our friends for dinner, so I got that together & started the rice, which took twice as long as it should have, so the three of us were just starting dinner when Troy got home, which was kind of nice. We watched Game of Thrones, played Rock Band 3 for a few hours, then Dawn left, so me, Troy, Ryan & our son watched "X-Men: First Class" since none of us had seen it. We went to bed around 1:30am.

Erin had to be at work at 10:00am today & Troy works tonight, so we're just kind of taking it easy. We'll grill some bratwurst for dinner later and we did a little yard work a little bit ago and that's pretty much our big weekend.

Clean Car

I managed to get my car cleaned out today & the trash bag in the holder emptied & changed. I always find things I can't explain in the back seat, like the Lowes application someone had printed or picked up somewhere - we don't even have a Lowe's here! There were the usual frappucino bottles, receipts and wrappers, of course, but surprisingly, it was actually pretty clean in the back seat area this time. It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I made a super cute car trash bag holder the other day, from this tutorial, except I changed things around by using two bandannas & cutting them to the height that was mentioned in the tute (the width is just that of the bandanna  and cutting my trim & handle from what was left. Mine looked like this:

 

I love it! It inspires me to keep my car cleaner, so much that I'm self-conscious that it needs to be washed now. It's covered in tree sap & looks horrible.

The Times, They are A'Changin'

Our son, after about 6 years, will be entering the work force again this coming week and starting college in the fall. He's so excited & happy to be changing his life & following his dreams. This was a young man that a year ago, was shooting heroin, smoking crack & meth & drinking himself to a blackout on a daily basis, while he traveled the country with his thumb & on trains he hopped with his dog & traveling companions. When anyone tells me that 12-step programs don't work, I tell them my son's story and show them the difference less than a year can & does make when someone is living that program, everyday.

He deserves the best in his life & is finally willing to work at achieving all of those things. I'm excited that he has a job and love seeing the look on his face when I remind him of it. I just hope his company carries employers liability insurance, just in case something happens, since I know he'll be working the night shift. 

He's been busily getting his room together & to his liking,now that we got his sister's stuff all moved out, and he's really enjoying having his own space again, after so long with nowhere to even call home. The changes are amazing & dramatic to behold, things that most parents take for granted. I used to, now I never will again.

Mother's Day

It's been a bittersweet day for me. It's been amazing to have Erin here, after him not being here for so many years. He managed to spoil me rotten, which was no small feat for a young man with no income (as of yet, he starts his new job this week!). He got me beautiful pink roses, a heartfelt card & a lovely angel calendar. I'd have accepted a hug & some cheap cologne, heck, even just a hug would have been fine - he's here, that's the important part.

Bittersweet because my daughter is in jail & our relationship is in tatters. Bittersweet because I got a half-hearted greeting from my oldest son. I'm okay and having a nice day, it would just be nice if things were different. I realize & accept that I can't change anything, and it is what it is, so I'm not letting it ruin my life or anything.

Purging

I'm on a kick in the house of decluttering, the other day it was the spice cabinet, today I think I'll empty the cabinet under the canisters so that we can use it for actual food, instead of plastic containers &  travel cups. I think we can get away with one of those for each of the coffee drinkers in the house, and I think I can find a place for the plastic containers & other things in there.

I really need the cabinet for food, I also need the lower cabinet next to it for food, but I'm using it for utensils & aluminum foil & such, since we only have one drawer in the entire kitchen & it's being used for flatware. I love my house, I just wish my kitchen had been planned a bit better, we could really use some more drawers & cabinets in here.

What a Day!

Today pretty much started out with us finding out our daughter was making suicide threats again. I'm sure her sponsor thinks we're cold-hearted asses, but.. seriously? She does this every time she doesn't get her way, and since I haven't responded to anything she's said to me since early Saturday morning, I knew this was coming. Her (ex)roommate texted me awhile late to tell me the police had been there & had taken her to the hospital, and that he had told her she had to move out because of her drinking. We had to go to the airport to see our daughter-from-another-mother off on her flight to Job Corps with our youngest granddaughter, then we went to have lunch with my best friend (the "other mother") and our oldest granddaughter before coming home. We got back, Troy & our son took the last of our daughter's stuff to storage, then Troy dropped him off so he could help his friend move into her new apartment & we had dinner. I'm ending my crazy day with this:

 Another freaking mugshot, about 14 months after the very first one (there have been at least 2 more in between.

Excitement!

Our son has his planning meeting at vocational rehab last week and they will be paying for him to get his BA. He really wants to be a veterinary technician, and this will be the road that gets him there. He was very emotional when I picked him, having never had a positive experience with any government agency before, he had been really dreading the whole thing. So, he'll be starting at the local university in August!

He has a job interview tomorrow afternoon, and feels very positive about this one, as he knows everyone who works there & in management & gets a long well with them. Many of them have police records & are recovering addicts, so that shouldn't be a problem.

It's a very exciting time around here for him, and we wish him all of the luck & best wishes he deserves. He's worked so hard at his recovery and getting his life back, it's his turn to have good things happen for him.

The Sweet, Sweet Summertime

I truly do love Summer. It never used to be a favorite season, it just got far too hot for me. Of course, as a child, I loved it, but only because there were three whole months that I wasn't on someone else's schedule, but it was still, far too hot for me. As I get older & the cold gets harder for me to take, I grow to love Summer more and more. I would love nothing more than a screened in porch for the hot months & a couple of sunrooms for the winter, so I could soak up as much heat as possible, year-round.

I'm really looking forward to Summer this year, not only for the camping, but because it's the first Summer in many years that our son has been here to enjoy it with us & on top off all of that, he's sober. Him getting his life together & starting over has sweetened everything else just a little.

Frustration

So, apparently I was wrong about the girl falling off the wagon - at the time. She did eventually, but she claims it was only for a day. I just know she hasn't been to a meeting since then (she went to one drunk) and has a different excuse every day. I removed myself from the equation, it's just easier that way. If I don't let myself care then I don't lose sleep or start dreaming that I'm smoking a fat cigar from the stress. I can't keep making her disease my disease, you know?

Yes, it is frustrating. Yes, I do love her & worry about her health. I can't do anything about any of it, so it's best not to spend every day of my life hyper-focused on what she may or may not be doing. I spent almost a year doing that & it wasn't pretty.

(Months later as I'm editing this & moving it to the new blog - she was never on the wagon, she was never sober during those months, she was just good at pretending)

Music

Our son has been spending a lot of time playing guitar lately, several hours a day, I would say. He's been learning a lot of folk, blue grass & old standards and is getting really pretty good at it. He really seems to have found his musical joy again & that makes me so happy. His birthday is in August & I've been looking at guitars for him; if he needed an electric, I'd consider getting a nice one, but he doesn't & I'm not made out of money, so I'll keep looking at acoustics, and hope I find him something he loves as much as he does his dad's.

Getting Through It

The other day, my son asked if I had an extra backpack lying around that he could use. I kind of got quiet and stressed & asked him what he needed it for, he replied with, "I just want something to carry my notebook, Big Book, pen & iPod in when I'm out & about." I said I'd see what I had & we went about our day. I realized, even at the time, why I was so freaked out about him asking. Our daughter has one, and she only carries it when she's using/drinking.

I explained my freak-out to him a few days later and we all laughed about it. I know he isn't planning to start using again, if he was, he'd just leave. He wouldn't make us watch him kill himself. I think I have a nice leather backpack out in the workshop, I'll try to find it as we're going through stuff out there so I can give it to him.

It's terrible the residual damage that's done to a family when they live with an active addict, the associations and fears that remain when they move on or seek recovery. I hope that one day, I won't still be dealing with all of this.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I honestly should have known it was too good to be true. She really managed to fool me for awhile, I guess getting that new phone was pretty important to her. Yes. The girl is drinking again, I hear she's back to mouthwash. I'm just so tired of being lied to and so tired of her pretending to be sober because she fears jail. Why not just get sober because you fear dying? To me, it would just be easier to actually work on my steps & work my program (and trust me, I have my own steps & program, so I do "get it") than it would be to go to meetings every morning while I was drinking every afternoon or evening. It would be so hard for me to lie to the people I love like she has been.

At any rate, I've told her that the deal for the cell phone is off the table & not to contact me until she's ready to actually work a program for herself & not to stay out of jail. I know it sounds heartless, but I can't do this anymore.

A Different Perspective

There was a time when we avoided bath stores like the plague, because I went into one, once, with my mother & something I looked at & liked was more than I was willing to pay. So, I assumed there would never be anything in one of those stores that I could afford. Living in a town where you have one store to shop in really colors how you view pricing everywhere else. You really don't have a reasonable idea of what things do cost in the real world that way.

We shop at places like that all the time now, every two weeks. I see things I like, want & can afford every time we go in. I could have afforded to shop there before, I just had this warped view of things then and believed that I couldn't. Shopping there has given me the chance to buy quality products at reasonable prices, so I'm not constantly replacing everything because it broke or wore out. These days, I'd rather have to spend more money once, than less money many times.

SSDD

That title pretty much sums up my life, not just right now, but always, really. My mom calls me and always asks what we've been up to & honestly, we really aren't ever doing anything amazing. It's just the everyday, every day. I'm not complaining, it just makes it awkward to have conversations with people when they don't understand why I'm not going to their house weekly.

I am busy, it's just busy doing the things I want to do, like staying home, hanging out with my husband, kids and friends rather than going out there where I really still don't feel that welcome. My oldest brother recently got married, while we were all hanging out after the reception, my other brother's girlfriend verbally attacked me, out of the blue & for absolutely no reason (not that I could see, at any rate). I cried all night, even in my sleep. My mom told me to "drop it because J was sorry & crying over it." It was nice to know that my feelings in the situation don't matter to my own mother, not even enough that I was allowed to talk about it. Then she lectured me last Saturday night (my mother) about "appreciating your family" and all of that. What?! I'm always there for my family if they need me, just because I have my own life & desires doesn't mean that I don't appreciate them. It might mean that I don't have much time for people who don't appreciate me, though.

Blargh. It doesn't matter. The more I talk about it, the more it upsets me.

So Much for That

Well. The day came at me with a little more than I was really ready for. The afternoon/evening portion has pretty much sucked rocks. At any rate, I've separated myself from the rest of the family to avoid anymore conflict.

I really wish it was bed time, at this point. There are so many other things I'd rather be doing that feeling like this - helping teen girls find gifts for boyfriends, serving cake at a nursing home, walking twelve chihuahuas.. you get the idea.

I'm tired, I'm sad, I'm angry and I'm confused & it isn't feeling like anyone is going to help any of those feelings go away, at least not in the near future.

Lazy Saturday

Troy is in the living room playing Skyrim, I went out once to take our daughter to her AA meeting & haven't done much since, other than play on Facebook & Pinterest. Our son is out with an old friend of his - one he formerly used with - having lunch & browsing the pawn shops. Troy is worried that he's with him, I'm trusting in the program & our boy's dedication to it & himself.

I occasionally wander into the living room & we talk, sometimes about his college days & living  in the Midwest, or just about the kids, the day, what game each of us is playing. It's a nice, relaxing afternoon. I don't think we take advantage of days like this often enough. Thursday was spent doing yard work, going to a movie and getting things done. Friday was a combination of busy & relaxed. Today is just going to be for recharging, I think. I have an Italian pot roast in the crock pot (one that I last cooked almost 20 years ago & Troy has been asking for since) and I may go & rent a couple of movies later on for watching tonight, but then again, I might not.

I'm just going to take the day as it comes at me. For once.

Spring!

It finally feels like Spring here. The fruit trees are blossoming, the other trees are starting to bed, flowers are coming up & the grass is getting green. Over the past week, we've managed to get the front lawns all clear of leaves & debris, Troy finishing up yesterday with our new leaf blower/vacuum/mulcher, now we just need to get the dead branches & such out of the yard & ready to be picked up on Spring Clean-up Day.

I'm very excited to get started on our gardens and flower beds, too, I want such a nice yard this year & hope that I'll have the time to devote to it this time around. We spend a lot of time in the yard in the warmer months & I want it to be an enjoyable place to hang out, have company, spend quiet time & just relax in.

In other news, our son has been working a lot lately, doing a little bit of everything here in town. He's mostly been outside & it's all been physical labor, which he's finding that he really enjoys. He'll be getting his first paycheck today & is pretty excited about it. Our daughter has been sober & attending AA meetings for 19 days now, we have high hopes for her. She's looking so much healthier, getting things accomplished (like applying for food stamps & health care) and starting to think about the future.

Things are so much different for us this Spring, as compared to just a year ago. We have our son back, clean & sober & trying to make his life work. Our daughter is out of jail & sober, trying to get herself together. So, here's hoping things just keep on improving!

Music Lovers

For most of my life I've been surrounded by music & people who love it. My dad bought me my first record player at an auction when I was about 7, followed that Christmas by a transistor radio. After that came the guitar he bought me at another auction; I loved that guitar. It was red & blonde, with a pearl inlaid pick guard. I would pluck around on it & pretend I was Lynn Anderson or Loretta Lynn for hours and hours. I took lessons for a couple of years and never learned anything. I was so sad to find out I had no talent for it, at all.

I later learned to play the flute & piccolo and marched in the band, played in the concert band as well as the orchestra at school.

My first major gift to Troy after we got together was an Epiphone guitar, one that he still has & still plays. Our son plays it more than Troy does these days, but it's hanging where I see it daily. Erin has a couple of his own, and is getting better every day, too. I love when they play together, or even when one is sharing his tips & tricks with the other & I get to sit in on it & hear (and see) what's going on.

I know Erin craves an acoustic of his own, and have been looking at guitars for him for Yule. We'll see what the future brings, I know he'd be thrilled with anything we got for him. I had always tried to pass my love of music onto my children, and I'm happy that I managed to do it with at least one of them & will do whatever I can to foster that love & his talent into something amazing.

Planning for Summer

I got a Ball Blue Book from Paperback Swap in the mail yesterday, so hopefully, I'll stop being so nervous about canning & actually get into it this summer. I'd love to get a container garden put in, as well, along with my Topsy Turvy planters, because the soil in my backyard is terrible & nothing will grow, plus it gets so hot out there, too. It's on the west side of the house & the afternoon sunshine is just too much for it.

With all of this in mind, I've been thinking of getting a composter, that way we can make our own mulch for the gardens for next year. I'm very excited about becoming more self-sufficient in our little house and making sure we have a little stockpile of foods & necessities built up for when the hard times come (and they will come, I can feel it). I'm not talking about getting all hoarder crazy about it, I just want to feel comfortable that we can eat for a little while, you know?

I've gotten very good about making our laundry detergent and shower gel, plus I know how to make dishwasher detergent, too, I just haven't been lately, so I could easily make a stockpile of those things, too. I realize that if things get really bad, we won't have power, but I've done laundry by hand many times & can also make regular dishwashing soap and have that ready to go, just in case. Having those skills makes me feel a little more secure.

Still Lazy

I still haven't managed to get anything done, other than picking up one of the offspring & making sure they both got off to their meeting. I've had breakfast & some coffee, then some iced coffee. I'm sitting around about as dressed as I'm getting today. Sweat pants, tee, Chucks.. looking at a lady walking her dog in the snow, wearing capri pants & one of those scrub tops, but no jacket of any kind. It snowed last night, it's pretty cold out there; what was she even thinking? And, it just started snowing again, she seems to be hurrying the dog along now. Maybe she thought she had enough time to just run out & walk it really fast and it had other plans?

I'm so ready for Spring, this snow stuff is so last month. Seriously.

Busy Times

My life never seems to slow down much anymore. That could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. On one hand, I'm rarely bored, because there's always something going on, but on the other, there are so many outside things going on that I rarely get a chance to do the things here at home that I want to.

Between running the offspring to meetings & appointments, planning for my brother's wedding, trying to spend time with other family members, and hanging out with friends at their homes and such, there seems to be very little time to take care of my own business. My house needs cleaning, we've been trying to find time to change the sheets for two days, I have to get the bedroom vacuumed & things put away so we can have Ostara rites in there on Thursday. We'll see if I find the time to do even half of that in the coming days.

Today, I have to get the kitchen cleaned, the sheets changed & dinner cooked for our friends tonight. Then, someone has to go pick up Dawn, Morgan & Dani, since she's out of gas. I really hope to get everything done, for once. My allergies are giving me hell today & I have almost no energy, but I'll see if Troy & Erin will give me a hand later on.

Lazy

I didn't even drag my butt out of bed until after 11 this morning, at least not for good, anyway. I woke up earlier, but my allergies were so bad that I could barely keep my eyes open, they were stinging so badly. I took a dose of benedryl & read awhile, then fell back to sleep. I got up, started dinner in the crock pot & have been somewhat struggling ever since. I do have things that need to get done today, it's not a day where I can afford to sit here reading blogs and doing nothing else. I have to shower, go to the store, straighten out the house, put laundry away and probably some other things, but here I sit, doing nothing.

Argh!!! I need to get myself up out of this chair & started doing what needs to be done, dammit!

Hmphf.

I started the photo a day challenge for March & promptly fell behind. I'm so amazing. Maybe I'll catch up, but I probably won't. But hey, I may have averted a break up for my brother & his fiance this morning, hopefully that was the right thing to do, I never know. I gave our old RV to someone who will actually fix it, and my parents are finally getting an actual building for their church instead of having to buy one of those steel buildings and put it on their land or hold their meetings in the high school auditorium.

Our ceiling is now insulated & covered again, we're just waiting for it to be taped & mudded now, so that hopefully, we (or the handyman) can get it painted & we can get our bedroom put back together again. That will be nice, maybe I'll find some motivation to get my laundry folded and put away at that point. I doubt it, but you never know!

Our son gets his 60 days clean & sober tonight & my best friend's youngest daughter got out of rehab this week, so things are looking up a bit, let's just hope things stay good for them both.

Mini Vacation

The ceiling still isn't repaired in our bedroom, but the insulation has been removed, along with some of the dry wall. Everything is finally dried out, so it can be done at any time, we're just waiting for the handyman to have time to get to it.

In the meantime, we had an amazing little vacation over the past weekend with some friends. We went down to Las Vegas & stayed on Fremont Street, and a nice, historic casino hotel. The strip sometimes feels too much like it's full of  people who think they're at a huge amusement park, especially as we get older. We loved staying down there when the kids were younger, because they enjoyed the chaotic atmosphere and all of the things to see and do down there. So our weekend was a break from the ruined ceiling & full of good friends, good drinks, good music & a great atmosphere, what more could we have wanted?

We enjoyed the more laid back feeling on Fremont and had a very fun stay. Our hotel was right by the main stage, so we could open our windows & watch the people & listen to the music while we stayed in our rooms. It was like being a part of a very large party that all of your favorite people were invited to. There were families, couples, groups of friends and everything else you could imagine, there was even a very good 80s tribute band playing every night.

Wow. That Long?

I seem to keep forgetting about this blog, for some reason. It seems like the only time I post in here anymore is to complain about being sick. Yes, I am again, with a terrible chest cold or bronchitis, I've coughed so much in the pat 6 days that it feels like my ribs are broken. I've tried to treat this migraine without drugs, but so far, it isn't working, so I may have to dig out something to treat it with before too long.

This afternoon or early evening, part of out bedroom ceiling caved in. It didn't go all the way to the roof, but the insulation is soaking wet & hanging down, dripping. The landlord got someone to come & look at it & they'll be here in the morning to work on it. I'm hoping it'll be done tomorrow, since I'm having to sleep on the couch (my bed is covered in everything from the corner of the bedroom where it caved in) & while it's super comfy, I really do love my bed & will miss it tonight. At least it happened after Troy woke up & before I went to bed, right?

Ugh.

So I'm finally getting over the salmonella I gave myself last Sunday, and as a consequence of that, started eating low-residue & am getting my latest diverticulitis flare under control, too. Now? My nose is running like a faucet. I guess I'm either coming down with another cold or my allergies are kicking up again. I really just want to get better and actually feel normal, so I have the energy to do more than sit around watching Face-Off & marveling over the contestants air brush make up skills, yelling at Dave on Storage Wars for being a butthead and sleeping on the couch.

I want to be able to eat normal food again, like fruit and nuts and cheese without it feeling like my stomach is going to tear itself apart from the inside. I'm bored with taking it easy & resting. I'm ready to play, walk and laugh again.

All I can say is that I'd better be well by the 24th, because I'm going to Vegas regardless.

Musical

I know that I've been talking a lot about Erin & his first lately, but it's been awhile since those memories were "safe" for me. For a long time, remembering him before the drugs and booze just hurt too much, so I didn't.

Anyway, I'm hoping that his ex-fiance remembers to send his guitar when we meet her in Las Vegas later this month, he's really been wanting to play lately. It would be nice to see he & Troy playing together again, or maybe see him get together with the people he used to be in the band with and start getting gigs again, now that they're all sober again. I imagine they could make some really great music this time around. They've all grown up a lot, and are a lot less angry than they used to be, I'm excited to see where this journey will take all of them.

At any rate, if she also sends the game back with him that I bought him for Yule, he can play that & brush up on his skills. He said that Rocksmith was an amazing teaching tool and that it's a ton of fun to play, too. He noticed a difference in his playing after he got here & he had only had a chance to play the game a couple of times. It's cool because all you need is an electric guitar, the game and the desire to learn to play. You can start out as a beginner and still learn from it. Maybe I'll finally learn to play guitar if we get it back!

Imbolc & Winter's Return

We had a nice, if very small, Imbolc celebration last night. There were only 4 of us, which was fine, I know people get busy during the week and that it's not even a hugely important Sabbat to a lot of people. It matters to me, as a Sabbat, because it shows me that we're already halfway through Winter & Spring will be here as quickly as Imbolc came. We didn't have our traditional potluck, because I was out of it when I bought groceries last week & forgot about it, then no one else ended up having the money to do it, either, so we just cancelled that part.

Anyway, it was quick & easy, I tried out a few new things with the altar & quarters, they seemed to work out fine! I do need to get a lot of things to fill out the quarters, but South is looking pretty nice so far.

Winter made a reappearance yesterday morning, dumping several inches of snow on us. It was very cold all day, snowed a little throughout the night last night & still feels like it's going to be cold today. That's okay, I don't think I have to go anywhere today, except maybe to take Erin to a meeting or two and paying the rent, but that'll be pretty quick. I kind of plan to just take it easy today & relax, I've been quite sick for the past few days & really just want to get through it so I can feel well again. I may do a little sewing, but that is far from strenuous, and if it gets to be too much, none of it is 100% necessary & I'll quit for the day.

I spent the front half of the week on the couch, watching TV & napping, if need be, I'll do some more of that today, while Troy plays Skyrim. Gods, I hate being sick.

Reminiscing

I remember when our son was finally old enough to have a job. He worked every shift he could & saved almost every dollar he made. He had a goal in mind and that was all that really mattered; some of his friends wanted to start a band & wanted him to play electric guitar, so he did some comparison shopping & found an guitar that he really liked and started saving up for it.

He bought it & used it often, he even had his Senior portraits taken with it. Eventually, he decided he wanted a white guitar, and bought one (which he later loaned to someone who stole it from him) and used it even more. I'm not sure how many different bands he was in here, before things got bad with him & he left, but it was more than a couple. He uses a different guitar these days, but he still owns that first Epiphone, and I'm sure it still holds a place in his heart.

These types of memories would have made me sad while ago, but now that we're getting back to a place where he's more like his old self, it's a lot easier for me to remember them. I'm really hopeful that the memories of our daughter will someday be safe for me, too, but right now, it still hurts too much to remember when she was happy & carefree.

Longing for Spring

I went out yesterday, while taking Tiny out to potty & raked one of the back flower beds/garden plots that hadn't had much done to it last year. Our daughter had planted onions in it & I noticed that they were greening up & reaching for sunlight, so I thought I'd give them some. I intend to fill all three beds with various mints, but don't know if seeds can be bought for mint. The beds are very hard to get into to plant any seedlings, although I'm sure Troy would do it for me if that's what I wanted. At any rate, I plan to do a little research on different types & see if that will be a good place for it.

I'm so ready for Spring, planting and longer days. I miss being outside, in the warmth & relaxing in my yard. I miss camping, grilling and smelling the grass, trees & warm earth. I know that Winter is necessary & I would hate living somewhere that we didn't experience it, I'm just ready for it to be over & hoping these next 7 weeks pass quickly, so I can get on with my planting & relaxing!

Funny!

I was on Pinterest the other day & saw the funniest, most appropriate picture for our group of friends. It was a picture of a merit badge; like the ones you get in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts? It said "Asshole Merit Badge" around an image of an "a" in a circle with wings. The reason it's perfect is because occasionally, when we're all spending a lot of time together, someone will say something extremely snarky, and another will look at them & say, "I guess you just earned your title." the title being "Asshole" of course.

If I could afford it, I'd have some of those made, or barring that, custom pins with the same thing on it & hand them out to my friends as they earned them. I'm sure it would take no time, at all, before we were all proudly sporting them around town!

A Small Dilemma

When we moved into this house almost 2 years ago, we also emptied our storage unit & moved everything over here to sort & dispose of at a later date. It's long past that later date & we need the space that junk is using up. So, should I carefully go through everything & decide what to do with it, either donating the good stuff or grabbing some cheap yard signs and sell them, or do I just load up the truck & haul it all off. One option reduces the load in the landfill, the other saves me time & is probably more likely to get the job done.

The more work a particular job is, the more likely I am to keep putting it off until I have no choice but to do it, which would be never, unless we end up having to move. I guess I'll stew on it a bit & see what plans feels better in the end.

Crazy Weather

The wind is blowing like crazy here today. Part of the time it blows & rains, then the sun comes out, the wind calms & the sky is blue. Then it starts all over again. It's definitely cold, I can feel it in the house, and really ought to get out of my pajamas & into something I'm not freezing in.

I have a bit to do today, I'd like to cut out the homemade swiffer pads I have the leftover polar fleece for & maybe make a couple of mop pads for the O'Cedar mop thingy I own out of a couple of old kitchen towels I'm not using. I ought to wash the bath & hand towels today, too, while no one else is using the washer & dryer. I'm obviously putting off a very simple sewing task by filling my day with chores that I hadn't really even planned on doing today, even though one of those chores also involves sewing.

I guess the weather isn't the only crazy thing around today!

Hearts & Flowers?

I have to admit, I'm a fan of Valentine's Day. I like the sentiment behind it & have never thought of it solely as a day for lovers. I use it as a day to shower my friends, children, grandchildren & husband with tokens of my affection, a day to remind them that they are precious to me.

I know that it can be a stressful day, from trying to find the perfect gifts for someone, to being single and feeling completely alone in the world. I get that, I do. Find other ways to express your love for people, get out of the "day of lovers" box and plan ways to show other people in your life how much they mean to you, and take extra time for yourself, too. You are important, too.

If you're single, spend the day pampering yourself, then go out for dinner, drinks or dancing with your other single friends. Don't waste time and energy being resentful of the happy couples out there, be happy in your own life and situation; it's where you're meant to be right now or you wouldn't be there.

If you're in a relationship, take the stress out of the day by setting some ground rules about how you'll celebrate the day & a price limit, too. This is a day to show your love, not go into debt and it shouldn't be about buying an extravagant gift. Plan a date night together, maybe not on the actual day, as most places are very crowded & you feel rushed to get in & out. Fix a favorite meal at home together, watch a favorite movie or play a game that helps you bond and get to know each other better. Take the focus off of the material aspect, and put it back where it belongs; on the emotional.

Buy or make your children a small, but special treat, so that you can begin to teach them about the real reason we celebrate the day, so that when they are older they don't feel so much pressure and conflict about it. Valentine's Day doesn't have to be a horrible day, it's all about your attitude.

A Sad State of Affairs

What's wrong with people in this country? We have millions who have no healthcare, no insurance and no way to provide for themselves. My best friend is diabetic, with dangerously high sugar levels and can't even go to a doctor. What will eventually happen is that she'll end up having to be admitted to the hospital, go further in debt & never be able to pay the bill.

So instead of trying to solve the real problems in our country, people are bashing on Paula Deen for admitting she has diabetes & taking an endorsement deal from a pharmaceutical company? She didn't have to tell anyone about her diabetes, it's her personal business & her's alone. It isn't the way she cooks that caused her diabetes, there is no proof that high fat diets cause diabetes, or that obesity itself does. Do fat people get diabetes? Yes. Do skinny people get diabetes? Yes. Does eating fat & sugar give you diabetes? No. Should any of this matter to us? No. It's her life, her business & her career, we don't get to choose or judge.

Let's fix the real issues in our country & help the people who are dying because they can't go to a doctor & stop playing food Nazi with everyone out that who doesn't eat like you think they ought to.

Another Year...

It's my birthday today - the big 46, I guess I'm closer to 50 than 40 now, it doesn't feel any different, just a different number to get used to telling people. I spent a little while with my daughter earlier, taking her to her PO appointment & then later driving her & her roommate to another friend's house. I had lunch with my younger son, which was nice, I haven't had my Mexican food buddy around for awhile.

My husband is taking me out to dinner when he gets home from work, so all in all, it feels like a pretty successful birthday.

That Time of Year

I've been sitting around waiting for Troy's W-2 form & my 1066 to get here so we can file our taxes & see if we're getting anything back, or paying in. I hope we'll get a little back, so we can have a little more fun on our Las Vegas mini-vacation, but if not, we'll figure it out. I really just want to get it over with. I've actually started filling out the forms, but, of course I'm at a standstill when it comes to money earned & taxes paid. I did enter all of the information for my small office here in the house, but wasn't able to take anything as a deduction for it, which is fine. I'm nervous about it, but we'll manage either way.

We've had beautiful, warm weather on & off, with the off parts being bitter cold or snowing. This is typical for us, but usually in December. This year, the entire month of December was bitterly cold, with one snow storm after another. January has been more like late February or early March, I'm not complaining, not at all, but it is odd & I'm left wondering what the rest of the winter will bring us.

I'm getting ready for our Imbolc celebration & I'm actually kind of excited about it, I don't know why, but I definitely am. I have some beautiful red & white fabric for a new altar cloth, all I need to do is hem it & it's good to go. I'm very happy about my altar plans for it & am thinking about drawing it out to see how it might look before I get it all set up.