Feel Good Friday

What a truly sucky week!! I'm afraid there's not much good on the list for this week, but I'll give it a shot...
1. K4 coming home from camp. She had a great time! She talks nonstop about all of the things she did and was hysterical to watch during the closing ceremonies. I missed that kid!!
2. Friday. Thank God.
3. Getting hit on when I went to pick up lunch today. It was flattering, amusing, and amazing considering my hair is still boy short. The bonus is the guy wasn't unattractive.
4. Making revision progress - pretty decent progress, considering.
5. Sleeping in tomorrow...
That's all I've got... Like I said... Sucky week. I miss my kitty boy and K4 was devastated when she got home...Blarg!!
Behave!!

Good Night, Sweet Kitty

Today we said goodbye to our kittyboy, Kramer. :( He was 15. We got him almost exactly 15 years ago as a kitten, with his sister (who tragically passed away about 7 years ago). He was a good cat - good enough that I could overlook the bathroom issues he developed recently.


We knew he didn't have long. He'd stopped eating and had been moving slowly for a while. Occasionally, he'd play with something and make us forget how old he was. His favorite thing was to take over the dog's bed (as seen in the first picture). He would always get on the back of the couch behind me and hang out with me when I write. When I'd get up, he'd steal my spot and put his paw on my computer.


Those that aren't home had said their goodbye's, because we knew it wouldn't be long. Though I didn't expect to come home tonight and find K3 on the basement floor, curled around the cat, sobbing. That broke my heart more than I can say. K3 doesn't remember this house without Kramer. He wasn't even 1 when Kramer came to live with us. He and Kramer were buddies.
Good Night, Sweet Kitty. We will miss you more than you'll ever know.
Behave!

Things I Miss...

1. My baby girl. She is at camp this week. It's only Tuesday and I feel like she's been gone forever. I think / hope she's having a grand time. 2. Sleeping in... 3. Summer vacation with the minions... 4. Hanging out with the friends / family. 5. Writing time. 6. Sleeping in. Yes, a repeat, but I am sooo tired. 7. Summer science experiments. 8. Summer relaxation. (Sense a theme here?) 9. The beach!! 10. The bff's. Soon! That is all... It's only Tuesday. Today feels like Monday, but the week *is* slowly ticking away. I hate to wish the days gone, but... Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday Edition

Here's the list:
1. That man and that boy finally home after a long week of Scout summer camp. I missed them. A lot.
2. That man's face. And his hug. And thankfully, he will be sleeping beside me once again. 
3. K4 being so excited to go to camp tomorrow.
4. Our "Hello, Goodbye" dinner tonight. The boys are just home. K4 is leaving for camp tomorrow. Good food is planned. And adult beverages.
5. Sleeping in this morning. After a long week of not much sleep, it was very needed. Then... a nap. Nice!
6. Living through the work week.
7. Making writing progress. Not as much as I'd hoped, but still good.
8. Wedding planning x2.
9. Getting stuff done.
10. Beach plans.
That is all for now...
Behave!

I Need Some Sleep...

Yes, it's after 11pm. I am going to bed as soon as I catch up with myself... I think it's been a week, or more, since I've managed to get to bed before 1 or 2 am. (and during the week, I have to get up at 5:55am)(Yes, I slept in Saturday and Sunday, but when you go to bed at 3 and wake up at 9...well, that's not really sleeping in. It's just sleeping more than usual.) Anyways... Things have gone crazy around here. The oldest and his bride-to-be have decided to tie the knot. Okay, yes, they're engaged, but the original wedding date was changed to "undetermined". With the January arrival of my new grandchild,(didn't tell you that one, did I?) they've decided to push the date up - to 7.5 weeks from now. My future daughter-in-law's mother is ill and I am standing in for her in many ways. Mainly, helping to plan the wedding. The wedding planning is easy. This kind of thing is right up my alley. I love it, but we're doing this on a very skimpy budget so it's challenging. We had our first planning meeting tonight (which is why I'm not in bed yet)and there is a long list. I have to get myself and my family organized to manage it all. My first priority is to get the project I'm working on finished and returned. That's a must and cannot be pushed aside. I'm making fantastic progress. I love this story, but it needs some work. I can't and won't set it aside because this is mine and what I need / have to do is important, too. I might have to get a t-shirt made that says that. Of course, I'd have to wear it every single day... I see a long stretch of 1 or 2 am bedtimes in my future... Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday Edition

It's been that kind of a week! Here's the list: 1. Sleeping in this morning. 2. Waking up to the smell of coffee. Okay, so the coffee smell woke me up, but still... 3. Hanging out with that man I live with. 4. Watching Dr. Who reruns. 5. Camp preparations. 6. My house being somewhat clean. 7. The cat seeming to be feeling better. (He's old and has been hanging out in K4's closet - not really eating and barely coming out.) 8. Making it through the work week. It was chaos. 9. The kids getting all of the laundry caught up. 10. The excitement over camp in this house. That is all for now. Behave!

Jeffrey...

We had a little Blue Jay... Well, kind of.
Last night two little Jay's blew out of our big tree. One was trying to fly and ended up stuck between the woodpile and the fence. I tried to help him by encouraging him to step up on a stick so I could put him someplace safer. That went well, except the momma bird went crazy and I thought I was going to get my eyes pecked out. (Kid you not. As soon as he was safe, I ran.)When I went out later, the two little birds were hopping around the neighbor's yard. They were very cute and the momma and daddy were close. Today when I got home, one of the little Jay's was hanging with K2 on the patio. It looked like something was wrong with his mouth, and he was so weak and scared. We managed to get some water into him via the rodent tube water thingy. He took to that very well and the kids were hopeful he'd be okay. He continued to hang out on the edge of the picnic table. The kids named him Jeffrey.
B and I knew something was wrong and we tried to prepare the kids for his eventual demise, (This was not our first bird rescue. They never end well.) but they were confident he was going to live and be their yard pet. Then...something bad happened. K4 scared him on accident (forgetting he was clinging to the leg of the picnic table) and he squawked and flew into K3's foot. And died. Chaos erupted. K4 cried, yelled that she'd killed Jeffrey, and ran to her room. K2 tried to coax Jeffrey back to life. K3 offered suggestions. We really thought Jeffrey had fainted or something. But... No.
Jeffrey was very truly dead.
I seriously don't think K4 accidentally startling him had anything to do with his death. He was very weak and, like I said above, something was wrong with his tongue. I don't think he broke his neck flying into K3 either. Obviously, he was a sick bird. He was beautiful and it was sad (and so weird). K4 is still feels responsible despite how many times and ways we've explained she's not. :(

Rest in Peace, Jeffrey. You were a beautiful baby.
The other thing is... the kids name everything Jeffrey. And everything they name Jeffrey dies (mainly plants - like K2's bonsai tree - and bugs). So the new rule in the house is that Jeffrey is a death name and no living thing shall ever be named Jeffrey again.
Behave!

Summer Survival Journal: Year Four - Entry Two

We're not even halfway through the hot season... 

The constant hunger of the natives is wearing me down. The shells and beads I must trade to fill their stomachs breaks my meager supply. They must have sustenance though, so what am I to do? I return to camp after a long day of earning the required shells and beads only to find the baskets and cold box empty of supplies. Their cries of hunger break me and I have no other choice but to drag my weary self to the market to make sure they are provided for. 

The natives are whiney and bored and constantly haunt me. There are no private spaces in our camp, or even when I am away from camp. They are always connected to me in some way. I have constant company in the checking of electronic devices, cooking, talking on the phone, walking, writing... Most of the time I do not mind, because I miss the natives as much as they miss me, but there are days...

Days I dream of running to other camps and hiding out for a moon or so. I could do so, but chances are, I will not. These natives have touched my soul. I am powerless to resist them. I have obtained the ability to escape for a few hours on occasion and have done so. The time does wonders for my soul and gives me the energy to deal with the chaos when I return to camp. 

I already know I will survive this season. In many ways, it is easier than past seasons, though I long to be at camp full time again and not have to deal with this kind of sweating for shells and beads, arranging native companions, and being so drained every second of every day. Someday. Hopefully before they are ready to leave our camp... 

Look for my signal flare. If you see it, fire up the margaritas...I will be most appreciative...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Post-Mini Vacation Edition

So...our little vacation was wonderful. Four nights sleeping by the creek... (freezing at night, believe it or not), fishing, relaxing... it was very nice!
Here's the good stuff...
1. Meeting my sisters Spanish foreign exchange student. She is super nice and super sweet. The kids all get along fantastically!
2. Hanging with that man! We actually got a few hours of alone time!
4. Sleeping in.
5. Camp coffee!
6. Kayaking on the creek.
7. Hanging out with the crew.
8. Kid time.
9. Hanging out with friends by the pool after we got home.
10. Friday now!
That Thursday and Friday back into the real world sucked pretty hard core! I did get to see Magic Mike! Which was hysterical and great and awesome to be with the bff's - even thought I was lame and had to come home earlier than I would have liked!! (We won't talk about how I had to be at the day job way past normal on Thursday and barely made it to meet up with the girls in time! We also won't talk about how crazy next week is going to be at the day job!)
It's the weekend! (And "Roller Derby" is in my head! Awesome!)
Behave!