Sunday, April 29, 2012

Injurious Productivity

By 9:30ish this morning, I had already filled my car's gas tank, gone to Petsmart and exchanged $45 worth of bird supplies for dog and cat supplies, procured my iced tea rations, and was in my office. Getting up fairly early made easier by taking a needed nap later yesterday and even though I should have/could have had trouble sleeping, I did not. Slept great until 7 when it just felt like it was time to get up. That's sort of 'early' for a weekend.

Got much done at work and feel good about that, too - thanks to my hubby for helping me with a spreadsheet project last night - he's sure great at formatting and data entry. Still big stuff to do but progress was made so am glad about that. It will be a crazily busy week so I'm am attempting to get 'ahead' if that's possible.

While at the grocery store for a 'big shop', I left J. and H. tending the backyard. H. spent both nights and most of the weekend riding ATV's at Carnegie ATV park. He and friends spent both nights there - tent camping with at it's finest. He had a great time - but he's got to keep working 'cuz we are his income source. They are pruning the trees in the backyard - especially those that are keeping sun from our raised vegetable garden. They were strategizing and pruning away when I headed out to the grocery store.

I saw the bottle of hydrogen peroxide out when I came back in - and wondered about it - but assumed H. was cleaning his piercings. Then J. said 'we sort of had a little industrial accident' and proceeds to put his chin down and show me the huge bruise and gash on the top of his head. H. was trying to catch a branch with the pole pruner and didn't realize J.'s head was nearby. He swears he's OK but it makes me weak in the knees to look at it. I think he should go to the hospital just to get checked out - but then I've probably watched too many medical shows. I keep saying things like 'sub-dural hematoma' and will be worried all night about him. He swears he feels fine - it didn't bleed much - doesn't appear to need stitches. But on a head with thinning gray hair, it looks horribly serious.

I'm sure he will be fine. And I will still be watching him like a hawk. May be the first time in our marriage I wake him up because he's NOT snoring.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Oh Canada!

J. and the kids are heading to Montana and Canada for a week in June. It's something J. has wanted to do for a long time. He has a cousin who lives in Montana - she is such a wonderful lady and she and J. are pretty close....considering they live many, many miles apart....

J. was considering driving - but the 'boys' weren't too keen on a 'road trip' of that length. That would require close to two weeks off to make it 'worth it' in terms of time in Montana and then time in Canada. Airfare was reasonably priced and they won't need a car thanks to his cousin. It will be a reasonably 'low budget' journey but at the same time, a trip to remember. We may postpone the cabinet re-do in the kitchen - which is totally fine 'cuz we're having a hard time finding someone to do something to the pantry that's reasonably priced - and that's OK. Memories worth making are worth the price.

I have imposed a 'no time off' rule this summer because of our system conversion - so there will be no trip(s) for me this summer. I am sad about missing what will undoubtedly be a wonderful trip but also grateful for a week of relative quiet. Me and work are long-time good friends and there's plenty of that to go around - most especially in the early weeks of June when I am building a budget, etc. So it's all good. I am happy as punch for them to be able to make the trip and OK with time alone. Thought about taking Chloe to the kennel for the week - but she's been so sick, I don't want to risk that she flares up again and they won't notice. It's like your kids - no one knows 'normal' for your kids better than you - and I notice her subtle behavior changes pretty quickly. So Chloe, Klink and I will hunker down - we'll eat a lot of (healthy) takeout and plow through mountains of work. I get so much done around the house when no one is here - so I'm looking forward to a productive week at home and at work...

Having Chloe at home will be the perfect reason to force myself to take a mid-day break and come home to give her a potty break and some play time. And I am far more disciplined about working at home when there's no one around...

It's been a busy week (as usual). It's just after 5AM and I am heading up to shower shortly. Long, long days ahead...

I am listening to Birdy on my iPhone. Love her album - and love how branching out away from 'main-stream' radio has uncovered such amazing talent and songs that I would never hear on the radio. I love the internet!

Chloe was up very early this morning and starving! Good sign! Her morning routine includes having pills cut in half or quarters to give her (one of them must taste like a dog treat 'cuz she eats it out of our hand). The teeny, tiny quarter of a Pepcid we hide in her food. She's done all of her morning 'stuff' and is curled up going back to sleep.

Wishing I could do the same....and in 16 hours or so, I will be....

PS - Blogger has changed things up again and frankly it sucks. I have to use html to get the posts to format correctly - and I know html is not rocket science but it's frustrating....

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Wine, Food, Fun

We had a great time at the Visattui Lobsterfest last night. Minutes after 7PM, they carry in huge HUGE strained pots and literally pour them on our tables. It's 'family style' with a twist - no plates, no utensils (except the 'nutcracker' tool to get the shells off). Plenty of napkins, lemons, mayonnaise, spices, etc. You dig in with your hands and plow through! Spicy sausages, potatoes, artichokes, corn on the cob, onions....all piled high with the lobsters. Loafs of bread, too! Of course, plenty of wine, too. The employees wander the tables and pour whatever you'd like, as often as you'd like. There was great music and tons of fun. We sat with some very nice people who live in Livermore. It was a great time - then out to the courtyard for strawberry shortcake and more wine. It was so much fun. J. and I sat outside enjoying the coolness (it was 90 degrees when we got to the winery so the cool evening air and slight breeze was very welcome.

One of my favorite parts of the getaway was the drive - we went north on I-5 then took Highway 12 over - through the Delta. The people we talked to from Livermore said they had really bad traffic - we avoided all that by going the back way - which for us is much easier. It's such a beautiful drive - farms, little towns, draw bridges, marinas....it's really pretty. And you are forced to just take your time - it's 2 lanes most of the way so you can't pass. Just keep moving at whatever pace there is. It was tranquil and a nice break...

We are determined to get away more often - we had a wonderful time! H. did a fantastic job of house-sitting. He took great care of Chloe.

B. had a great triathlon with one minor glitch - because of the bad storms we had a week or so ago, the swim component was cancelled - instead they ran a mile, then biked, then ran 5K. He was actually a 'podium finisher' - third place in his age group! (Admittedly, it was a very small class - but still, it's only his second ever tri. He really did great). Also, considering that he was using a mountain bike - with heavy duty shocks - so every 'pump' he did resulted in part of his effort being wasted by the shocks absorbing the 'downward' motion. Especially hard when a good chunk of the ride was a huge, huge hill. He said another racer complimented him on how well he did 'especially with the bike you had. Impressive'. He got a medal, a big special bottle of ale and a 'podium finisher' glass to go with it.

We are all glad to be home in one place, though heading into Monday dampens the mood. We splurged and had In & Out for dinner....we were going to make spaghetti but B. said 'today is the only day I will allow myself to splurge and eat that stuff - so could we please'? So we did. I've eaten so 'badly' this weekend (compared to my usual) I figured 'what the heck', too. Tomorrow, it's bag to salads, soy yogurt, nuts and lean protein. It was fun to splurge!!

We bought huge bags of navel oranges on the way home today from people selling them along the side of the road. I'm making fresh squeezed OJ and it's phenomenally delicious!

Dreading the week more than I can say....but it will be OK. I know I'll get through it.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Weekend Bye-Bye

The weekend flew by as quickly as the preceding 7 days - Spring Break 2012 is now a memory.

Taxes are filed - payments will be debited today. B. is in debt to us even more $ - after 'fixing' some issues on his State return, it turned out he owed the State close to $500 - and that's in addition to the $400 he owed the Feds. I couldn't bring myself to mention it to him when he came home for dinner. His shift ended at midnight last night so we'll have to break the news to him sometime today. Great....looking forward to that (not).

I was up early this morning and am ready to head on in. Making a stop at Starbucks 'cuz it's a Monday after 10 days off and that deserves something more than a McDonald's $1 iced tea.

I have two evening commitments this week also - both social so should be fun though as always, social evening things are hard for me to muster the motivation to do. But do them I shall!

Looking forward to our winery dinner this weekend. B. said 'hey, how come you aren't taking me?' Guess now that's he's legal, we could have - but he has a triathlon this weekend in San Jose so he won't be home Saturday evening either. H. will be home alone. There have been discussions about that fact - what company is allowed? etc. He stuck close to home on Saturday when we went to Mamma Mia (which was awesome, by the way!) to care for Chloe - but I don't expect him to be home 24/7 next weekend. We won't be leaving for Napa until mid-day Saturday and returning before noon on Sunday so it's not like we're gone for days. 24 hours or so, give or take a little shopping time on either side of that.

Accomplished grocery shopping and J. helped with Petsmart and gassing up my car yesterday. So we're set for the week. Have meals planned for the week as well so we should be in good shape.

Off to a busy day....hard to put on makeup - a sure sign that work is looming.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Chloe Update

Another $600 later - three medications, more subdermal fluids to keep her hydrated. She had a fever this time, too. They ran blood work and took more xrays. We will get more info tomorrow. For now, they continue to think it's pancreatitis and perhaps the antibiotics that we finished a couple days ago fell short of clearing it up entirely. She just ate a little food and seems more 'chipper' than she has in a couple days - so we'll see. There are always a lot of terrible things it 'could be' but hopefully isn't. They did give her pain medication this time because she is clearly in pain - and also an anti-inflammatory to see if that helps settle things down. We really like the doctor and the office staff - and as expensive as it's been, we remind ourselves that it would likely be 20-25% more than that at the 'old' vet. And they don't give my silver-haired fox of a husband a 10% senior discount. I've never been more grateful for our age difference.

And no matter how bad she's feeling, if she looks at me or J., she wags her tail. We are her peeps - and with us, she is OK. No matter how terrible she looks or feels, she always has a tail wag for us. This vet's staff (like the old vet's) complimented her on how cute she is and how well she did. And out and about, in a room with total strangers, she never barked once! In our house - when the cleaning crew is here, for example - she's a barking lunatic. I guess in our home, she feels compelled to protect us....

We all went to pick her up after dinner at The Squeeze Inn - H.'s first visit there. I had tacos and they were DELICIOUS!

I'm thinking it's going to be two days of lots of coffee, etc. - between stuff for work, stuff here at home and our lunch and show tomorrow, it will be a jammed weekend. Trying not to panic about 'work'. But I am....

The boys are heading out to some party - rare that they are both attending the same event. Storms are still in the area - did you see the Yahoo pic of the lightening strikes on the Bay Bridge yesterday? Incredible! I always caution the boys (over, and over, and over) about being careful - designated drivers, call us if you need to, etc. - and tonight I added 'and if there's lightening, get inside'. The party is outside - not sure how that will work if it's storming. But I'm too rational of a mom...They humor me as they usually do - though I know they are rolling their eyes in their minds.

I found a new group courtesy of dooce.com - Of Monsters and Men - their album is a toe-tapping, sing along, brilliant mixture of sounds and words that I love. I love every single song - and that's a very rare thing. One of their songs played in the car as we went to dinner and B. said 'hey, I hear this song on the radio'...so glad they are getting airplay - they are from Iceland! Great tunes. Check them out!

I also have the album by Birdy - and love it, too.....mostly covers but I do think she has her own 'style' that comes through. Enjoying it very much and also listening to it over and over and over...as I always do when I love it. I even created a 'New' list on my iPhone so that I can just listen to the newest things that I've found...eventually, they will be replaced with others but for now, the things I've recently discovered are a favorite playlist. Again, thanks to the Internet 'cuz there are so many amazing groups out there that I might never know about without it!

OK - must get to work on taxes. Ugh. But they have to be done, don't they?

Lazy Friday

Last official weekday of the break...and that sucks as end of breaks always do. I did work yesterday and felt 'good' (relatively speaking) as I made voluminous lists and took the time to sort through the muddled thoughts in my head and put them on paper. Half the battle is prioritizing - knowing what must be done and in what order to accomplish things in their rightful time. I often realize that I don't take enough time to simply 'plan'...those quiet moments of writing down everything quickly and furiously and then chunking big projects into smaller, manageable tasks with priorities assigned. So having done that, I still feel overwhelmed and swamped - but in a more organized fashion! and for me, in particular, that's saying something.

We are taking Chloe back to the vet at 12:15 today. She was incredibly chipper and so much better for a couple days - but last night, she tossed her dinner and was clearly not well. This morning, she is heaving though managing to keep the food down. I'm worried about her - and she's worried about herself. Just like a 'kid', you can just tell that she's 'off'...her droopy ears and sad eyes make her look pitiful. So we'll go back and likely spend a fortune yet again for additional tests.

We had sunshine about an hour ago but a new storm has moved in and there are rain drops being blown into the window. It's been wild and crazy weather out our way - and the bay area as well. Glad that other than the vet and a hair cut this afternoon, I have no reason to be out in this bad weather.

I am heading into the kitchen for a major clean up and possibly baking some chocolate chip cookies - using almond meal, whole wheat flour, applesauce and vegan chocolate chips (no dairy). I think if I don't tell the boys what's in them, they will eat them enthusiastically. And then I might make some ginger cookies using the same method - I found crystallized ginger chips at Whole Foods and they are delicious! Can't wait to enjoy them in a cookie.

Tomorrow, J. and I head to Modesto for Mamma Mia and lunch. This weekend we absolutely, positively finalize our taxes and get those off the list of stuff to do. B.'s are quite complicated which stresses me out - and he has to pay (since I forgot he sold stock and owes capital gains on that) and of course, is a little short in cash at the moment so we have to cover his amount due for him. Oh well. Can't be helped.

J. is planning a trip to Montana and Canada with the boys in early summer....from the sounds of it, he is having to do a fair amount of convincing the kids to join him. It's complicated....schedules and vacations and other hurdles. I wish I could go - but summer's suck for me...and this one will be the longest since I took this job. A finance system conversion is no easy thing and I have warned the folks I live with that after this lovely Spring Break, it's all work, all the time from here on out....hoping for a week or two off in October, if I'm lucky. Long haul approaching. Duck and cover.

The boys are up so now the joy of cleaning the kitchen and baking is postponed. No way I'm going to do that with Family Guy gracing the TV. J. says 'put your ear phones in and your iPhone in your pocket and listen away while you clean' - but it's not the same thing.....even with two new, awesome albums to keep me toe-tapping, humming happy, there's no joy in cleaning with trash TV and two adult men lingering around. B. is cooking breakfast...and our next step in his culinary evolution is to learn that 'cleaning up' after yourself is not just tossing everything into the sink. Pans, dishes, etc. - no rinsing - just tossed and left for the 'maids'. I have been harping on 'behold the power of water' lately - and urging them to load the dishwasher as well as they both unload. We'll see.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Post Counter

I added them up and we're at 951. 952 with this one....

Maybe it's counting 'drafts'...I have some out there that will likely never see the light of day....so it's not really 1,000 yet.

Soon, though....

Dinner was chicken breasts dipped in almond meal and garlic sauteed in olive oil. Whole wheat pasta with pesto to accompany. And tomatoes for those of us in the house who eat tomatoes. Delicious.

The crazy lightening I saw on the way home from Pleasanton was over Lathrop - and there was a funnel cloud there as well. There are heavy storm and/or tornado warnings in the Visalia area - totally CRAZY weather here.

So far the only sign we have is the satellite dish acting up now and then. Not a good thing on Survivor night.

1001!!!

Hey, that last post was my 1,000!! Hard to believe! Here's to the next 1,000 -

Today is my sister's birthday. I looked for the reminder on Facebook and found none - so I sent her a message because everyone deserves a day full of birthday greetings on Facebook. It's a neat thing to see people celebrating. The first person to send her greetings after she updated her profile with the month/day was a former co-worker of mine from my corporate days. She's never met my sister but they are fast friends via Farmville! Fun....

I had lunch with another former corporate life friend who's now also working in education. We got to compare notes on the intricacies of a union work environment. Until you are in one, there is no describing it - and I say that without any intention of an ounce of judgment. It's just different. And 'government' jobs get a bad reputation but there are plenty of people who work harder in their 'state funded' jobs than most people in the corporate world ever will. I am so happy for her - that she's working full time doing something she really loves vs. toiling away in a dead-end job she didn't like but stayed in because it paid the bills. That's the best thing about the type of work I do - it is very rewarding. And I would much rather toil this hard for an entity that doesn't have a handful of people getting very wealthy off the prodigious efforts of others.

My friend has had quite a year and getting caught up sort of took my breath away. We are both feeling blessed that we have that kind of friendship - the kind that just picks up where we last left off - breathless gasps and holy crap's included....

After lunch, I ventured up the freeway a bit to Whole Foods. Thought of not going because I knew that if I went, I would spend money on things I didn't know I needed or wanted until I saw them. I made it out for just slightly over $25 - and was excited to find soy cheese, soy cream cheese and soy sour cream. I miss cheese and dairy and these options were worth trying. They aren't worth driving 40 miles for too often but once in awhile would be nice. The shopping center was absolutely jammed with cars - and a new Home Goods opened up there, too....had to park very far away, which in hindsight made not buying a ton easier.

Tomorrow is a work day...can't be helped. I am not setting an alarm but will likely wake up early anyway (have been) and just won't go back to sleep (also have been).

There are big rain clouds just east - saw lightening on the way home. There was also some rain - it's strange to be rained on one minute, then not, then again - like the clouds are just in certain places. When they unleash, though, it's a doozy. Good for the newly planted garden.

I caught up on Revenge - watched 16 episodes! Thank goodness for very few commercials and my ability to multi-task! Can't wait for a week from tonight when the next new episode is on! I am hooked!

Time for dinner making. Pesto chicken and whole wheat pasta. And a big salad!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Revenge

I convinced myself to spend yesterday home 'alone'. J. went to his office for the day and the boys were here but in and out. They slept most of the day so it was like they weren't home.

I read a couple blogs and one of them suggested the series "Revenge" on ABC. This person said they hesitated to get involved with another series - and how the subject seemed implausible to be maintained for a long term run. Then they watched some episodes on their laptop - all are available online free - and they were hooked.

So I spent the day working in the study and watched 6 episodes....multi-tasking all the while....and now I'm totally hooked, too! It's a great story and it's compelling and it really does draw you in and you can't wait to see what happens next!

I went in to work for a part of this morning - and then headed to the movie theater in Manteca. Lunch at Red Robin - a chicken teriyaki sandwich and a few fries. Then went to see The Hunger Games....and it was awesome. Disorienting in some ways - I'm not a big fan of the filming method - I spent the first 20 minutes concentrating really hard on trying NOT to focus. Impossible to watch without feeling topsy-turvy. It is intentional and it does truly sort of put you in the place of the main characters - thrown in to situations they can't imagine and are struggling to navigate. It worked - you feel just like them. It was a great movie....enjoyed every second. And I did have popcorn with fake-butter and water. No Milk Duds or Good 'n Plenty. No sugar. The treat was the lunch and I savored every bite.

I am now watching more Revenge - next Wednesday is a new episode so I want to be all done with old episodes by then.

Tomorrow is working at home (brought laptop and projects home) then heading to lunch with a friend in Pleasanton. Might drive to San Ramon to go to Whole Foods - curious to see what it's like and if shopping there provides any additional variety that I can't find here in terms of no dairy, etc.

Last night, I dreamed J. and I owned 'antennae farms' all over the place. We had to pack and move the antennae from one rooftop to another all day long. It was 'fun' (in the dream) and we were both in pretty great shape - they were big and bulky. But we are both a bit acrophobic so hanging out on rooftops was more than a little unsettling. I'd do the work and then sit, a bit paralyzed for a bit, before I could move down and climb back up to start on the next roof.

I know there's a message there....

I know what it is....

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Endings

I have been a member of a women's organization since my college days. I have never been an 'active' member. I was active in the chapter I originally joined but then I moved to Northern California and never re-established the same 'kinship' with the new Chapter here. Add to that moving 40+ miles east from there and never considering joining a more local chapter....I've been happy to be uninvolved. Too many commitments on my time as it is much less adding meetings and events to the calendar. Tried that with the Lions group I joined and that was a fun time - but I was never more glad than the day I stepped off that treadmill.

My 'home' chapter (that I joined when I moved to Hayward in 1984) is dissolving. The membership has been on the decline for decades. They have tried to merge with other chapters but the other chapters don't want to do that. Not the sisterly thing to do - but I understand adding a group of total strangers to your tight-knit 'family' might be a challenge. Can't blame them for that.

I wrote the annual check for my dues - and then it got buried on the desk that we culled off today. Since I wrote that check, I received a letter outlining the options members have. I have already been contacted by my local chapter and while the lady on the other end of the phone did her best to persuade me to come to a meeting, I politely declined. They hold evening meetings and I have enough evening commitments for work as it is, thank you very much. Something my 25-year-old self was never able to say - a polite 'no, thank you - I am very busy with work commitments - many of which are in the evenings - so I don't think I would be able to attend meetings regularly'. So I dodged that bullet and stayed 'un-attached'.

One of the options outlined in the letter is to return my pin to my 'home' chapter and request 'inactive status'. And after careful consideration, that is what I am going to do. I have voided the dues check and written a letter to enclose with the pin - confirming that I have decided to become an inactive member.

I can hear my mom and my grandmother and possibly my aunt (who is still alive, blessedly) 'tsk-tsking' under their breath....maybe my member sister, also. But the truth is - it's just never been my thing. I enjoyed the first few months of the group I originally joined with - but then I moved and the 'connection' was never even remotely close to the same. The group is full of rituals and rules and things you dare-not-do and things you should-always-do....and I never understood/got much of that. It just always felt like other people had the playbook - and I never knew there was a playbook most of the time, much less had any idea what the dos and don'ts were....

It isn't hard for me to step off the platform of a group I never connected with. There are members who hope to find chapters to join and they can't do that as long as they are 'tied' to a dying chapter. So I wish them all well. I really do -

And now I can skip the entire 'instructions' of the procedures in place for when a member dies 'cuz there are a bunch of rules about what happens to your pin when you die. I don't know all those rules - though I know they exist and followed them to the letter when my mother died....at least the ones I knew. My kids can just skip all that - the pin will be properly handled before my death. Eliminating one more list on my sons' 'your mom died' to-do list.

It's been a lovely, quiet day. The boys were beyond thrilled with their Easter surprises. J. helped me tidy up my desk and we worked in the garden for a bit - planted lettuce, squash, bell peppers, some dill and basil and lots of pansies. It's looking a lot like Spring and to prove it, two gorgeous butterflies flitted around the yard for a bit, enjoying the flowers and the sunshine.

Happy Easter

The Easter Bunny left six Reese's Peanut Butter eggs and little peanut butter chocolate covered bunnies. He also left the thing that young adult men appreciate the most as a gift...cash, in cute little bunny themed cards.

Mr. Bunny also is giving each boy a full tank of gas 'on the house' with the only restriction being they have to wait until tomorrow and go to Costco to fill up - saves close to 20 cents a gallon over the Chevron price.

H. goes back to school tomorrow and B. starts his Spring Break. J. is working most of the week and I have decided to also work - tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday for sure. I will still sleep in so it will feel more like a break.

J. is helping me tackle the mess known as my desk - now time to wade through the carefully sorted stacks and file, shred, etc.

Dinner will be in process around 3 - B. is working all day so we are timing dinner to be around 5:15 when he arrives home. Ham, au gratin potatoes, green bean casserole and brownies with homemade whip cream for dessert.

We are also planting in the garden a bit today - pondering how it is that the raised beds we built last year are now almost completely shaded by the trees next to them. Duh. Should have thought of that. Now not sure how anything will grow there -

I'm watching Courtship of Eddie's Father while I tidy up...I love that show...

A Facebook friend lost her only son in a car accident a couple days ago....I don't know her personally, but feel like I do. I've been hugging the boys extra tightly the past couple days; working hard on reaching out instead of pushing away. It's a lesson in the fragility of life and how you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Today we celebrate the certainty that this life is just temporary. The real life begins beyond this earthly existence. I really love that and while Christmas is my favorite holiday, this one is a very close second.

He is Risen!

Friday, April 06, 2012

Don't Do It!

Right this minute, go watch this video:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/transgender-miss-universe-contestant-interview-barbara-walters-16085743

Not because of the topic....ignore that.

But because of this: what in the hell has Barbara Walters done to her face?

Seriously, people - why do people do stupid procedures like whatever it is she has obviously done?

People need to stay with the face God gave them.

Her face doesn't look as altered in the interview part of the video - but with Katie Couric, she looks unbelievably different.....

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Hail!

Wow - what amazing weather! Windy day but gorgeous and clear. Around 6PM, clouds rolled in - patchy, brownish clouds....the thunder started...followed by huge downpours...and then, hail! Huge hail....those raindrops traveling around and around in very cold, windy skies. What an exciting end to the week! Spring Break arrived!!

We had Mountain Mike's pizza for dinner and I enjoyed ever delicious morsel. First cheese I've had in 4 weeks -

J. is playing at church tonight and tomorrow night....H. has a friend (a girl) upstairs watching movies...her car needs new tires so she's hanging out here until the rain/hail stops and things dry out a bit. B. went to the gym.

Chloe is doing well. She's able to eat more today but she still spends a good portion of her day sleeping...which is good. She seems to realize that too much food right now would not be good - she doesn't seem interested in food until she's really hungry and then she let's us know - so she's eating less than 1/2 of what she usually eats. Better to keep her pancreas working less hard at the moment. She's perky and chipper (when she's awake) and she's back to barking at the gardener, doorbell rings, etc.

I'm enjoying a Doris Day marathon on TMC - love her movies and two of my favorites have been on tonight - so it's a great way to spend the evening -

I have 10 days of sleeping in ahead of me! Work will be involved a bit...but the thought of 10 days of no alarm clock is great!!

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Chloe-Bear

is greatly improved. She's still spending most of her time curled up on the floor nearby...but when I got home and came in through the garage door, I got three twirls....she twirls when she's excited....and last night, she barely moved when I got home. Tonight, it was twirls, a quick trip outside, a little play time, a little of her new food...She is so much better and I'm so relieved. I'm so glad J. was able to stay home with her today - she was able to eat a tablespoon of food every few hours and that seems to have perked her up also.

Tomorrow is the last day before the break. At the very least, I will sleep in while still possibly going in a couple days next week. Definitely Thursday because we are screening apps for a position we are interviewing for as soon as we're back from the break - one of my direct reports moved to a new job so we are replacing that positions ASAP. I hope so 'cuz I spent a big chunk of today doing his job on top of mine - and that's not great for me. Too busy already to add another job to the mix. It won't be long...

As always, there are so many 'to-dos' on the list here...

The cabinet guy gave us an estimate on just the bathrooms - and for what he quoted, we think we could buy a room full of cabinets. We're going to head to Lowe's and Home Depot and see if we can order or buy the cabinets for over the toilets ourselves...we are reasonably confident that with the two boys assisting us with the lifting and positioning and holding in place while we bolt to the studs, we can do it ourselves...and save a lot of money. I don't know what his quote will be for the pantry but based on his quote for three small over-the-toilet cabinets, it will be ridiculous. Plus it's taking him forever. It's been over three weeks since he was here - and he finally emailed me the quote for just the bathrooms and said we need to arrange to have his cabinetmaker come look at the pantry - though he didn't suggest a time to do that. We waited three weeks for him to be available for the quote!

So far, Angie's List isn't really working for us all that great....hard to find people with very many reviews - and without reviews, the companies don't appear in any searches.

We planted a Jacaranda tree in the front yard last year - and while every living plant around us is returning to beautiful, lush Spring growth, the Jacaranda is doing barely anything. I see 'buds' on it - so I'm thinking it is still alive - but it's not growing yet. I remind myself that I think it's a tree that is typically in warmer climates - and it's still barely 70 here and was much cooler than that today with a steady breeze. So we need some true warmth and hopefully the tree will take off.

We also have a solar company bugging us to sit down with them and show them our electric bills - which I won't do. It's like cell phone vendors - show them your current bills and they will structure a 'plan' that is just a wee bit lower than what you've been paying. I want them to quote what our energy rate with them will be without having any idea what we pay every month - otherwise, what's the point? They say they will install the panels for free and then for whatever the length of contract is, we buy our electricity from them. We have the perfect roof for it - but again, they want to know what we're currently spending - and I'm not telling them that. Let's see what their proposal is first and then we'll go from them.

J. is at church for rehearsal - he's playing twice this week! I'm watching Survivor and then heading up to bed.....

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Pets....

Our sweet little Chloe is one sick dog...poor baby. You know when you have the flu so badly that all you can do is stay in bed, not moving, not watching TV...just lying there thinking you are so, so sick, you don't want to move? That's our Chloe. She is so ill, she just lies there...

She has pancreatitis - treatable. She got an injection of antibiotics, fluids in her 'skin' that absorb into her body (like an IV she can have at home), a restricted diet (for the next week or so, at least)....

She has been 'off' for a few days - and when I got home last night, while I was working in the kitchen, it was pretty clear something was majorly wrong.

We called our regular vet first thing this morning - and the soonest they would have a vet in the office was 10:15. We took that appointment. About 5 minutes later, they called back to ask if we could take her in later - the vet would be doing a surgery as soon as he arrived. So we called a different vet in town who had a doctor there within 1/2 hour - so we took her there. Either change vets immediately or drive her to the emergency vet clinic 30+ miles away in commute traffic. We called our regular vet back and cancelled. And I'm thinking of sending them a letter - I think they are downsizing because business is off - and I feel bad about that for them - but it's a vicious circle. They lost $550+ today - because they didn't have a vet that could see our pet at 8 in the morning. We would have actually spent more than that - 'cuz they are the most expensive vet in town and that's what we paid the 'new' less expensive vet. How long can you operate a business where people go to the other vet in town 'cuz you don't have staff that can see sick animals right away?

We feel she is in good hands - and the vet is confident she will be OK. I hope so 'cuz losing another pet is just not something I can cope with at the moment.

And, small thing....yet not when you've had $200 in vet bills already this month - they gave us a 10% 'senior' discount! We will probably stay with them now and start taking all the pets there....

Tonight was board meeting night so it's been a really long day - I'm heading up to feed the loudly meowing cat that is begging for his dinner. Hoping for a decent night's sleep 'cuz I'm not getting that lately and it's wearing on me.

Only two more days before the break....a break I desperately need. It is getting so jammed up with work commitments, etc. - but darn it all to heck, I'm going to wedge in some 'me' time somehow....

March

I'm starting to think maybe I will just do a monthly post and call it what it is - whatever month we're in.  Here we are winding dow...