3 Three III

degrees

8:15 pm EST

3 degrees WITHOUT the windchill (that is -16 c for 95% of the world's population)

that makes it feel -15 with the wind (-26 c)

In case you are wondering, yes it is painfully cold.

Like lung hurting cold, muscles contracting and not releasing, cold.

So, this weekend was the ONE weekend that the movie Milk was showing at THE art theater. So my friend Mandy invites me to go with her, and her friend Rich, and his partner. The only time the schedules meet up is 5pm on Sunday.

I got home at 8 to find frost on the inside of the living room window and a quick check of the temps shows it to be about 5 on the outside of the glass in the living room. Brrrrrrrr.

The walk from the theater to the car was horrifically cold.

So, it was quite an evening, watching scenes of SF on the movie screen, 20 years of my life roll past my mind with Sean Penn as the backdrop and I fight the tears as my first serious wave of homesick rolls over me. All the years I walked the candlelight vigils in memory of Harvey, the protests in the streets for various causes over the years, the dyke marches, the parades, the wandering around aimlessly enjoying the wonders that always present themselves, the Halloween parties before it became a nightmare, shopping in the long gone neighborhood grocery that was on Castro, hanging with Mayor Angnos at the closing of Ameilia's on Valencia, my friends, the GLBT film festivals...

back at Kia Rio I discuss with Mandy the options for meeting other lesbians around here. Church. Bars. Bowling. Online.

Grand, just grand.

At least I am right on schedule! I have a hypothesis that homesickness usually creeps up for people at about the 6 month mark and I am right there. The movie of course, did not help the issue.

So, there you have it. Freezing freakin cold and the homesick blues.

Good job I have mom to focus on over the next few weeks.

And, I have a personal dealer, university library book dealer that is... so I have a whole stack of new library books to delve into before school starts back on Jan 5. She has 6 more years before retirement, so I should be able to read good books for some time to come!

Alright, enough whining!

Hope you all have nice holidays, however you do or don't celebrate...

Breaking News!!!!!!!!

Ok, the long awaited moment arrived, just moments ago...

drum roll.......

Snuggie groomed little Heljye!

Yup, the bonding is nearly complete.

Snuggie was sleeping on the chaise while I took my online final. After about 30 minutes little Heljye came into the office, all sleepy, looking for mommy's lap, as he is prone to do.

Well, I scooped him up and laid him next to Snuggie to take advantage of Snuggies "lovey" sleepytime nature. Heljye laid his little head on Snugs back leg and they slept like that for a while. I finished the exam and then was on the phone with mom and whala... Snuggie raised his head and bent over and licked little Heljye's neck several times.

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeee !

Crisper Crispy

Yup, ok, so it is the next to last day of the term, and I just finished an awful course by submitting a really crappy 10 page paper and my brain is a little fried.

I have to do a final tomorrow and then I am done, except for that incomplete still lingering out there undone...

So, of course I am busy blogging about the crispy crispers in the bottom of the fridge. I am not much for clogging up an appliance with a bunch of bells and whistles, but these 2 individually controlled crisper drawers work really good!

My sister is raving about the green bags for keeping food fresh, but I am wondering if they are redundant with the adjustable drawers that work so well...

ok, gotta run eat some of the crispy veggies!

Tuber 'capades

Yes, it is the 2008 Sweet Potato roll and drag!

Well, young Ollie of olfactory fame, was sniffing like crazy trying to reach my sweet potato on the counter. Little Heljye was not far away, sitting quietly in the middle of the floor.

I brought the freshly washed sp down to Ollie so he could inspect and he immediately wrapped his ever growing paw around it...

well, I rewashed that one and got an older one outta the tater bin - it was starting to shrivel a bit... and laid it on the floor. Ollie messed with it a bit and then walked away.

Heljye picked up "the ball" from there and started rolling it around the floor. I paid no mind, went back to the laptop on the dining room table and the noises stopped.

Well, a few seconds later I get up to check on dinner and notice Heljye standing in the hallway with his potato. It had a hunk pulled up where the little fellow bit into it to carry it. He took it about 20 feet... the potato is about 30% of his body size...

who needs store bought "cat" toys????

Well, the potato is sitting at the bottom of the attic stairs, discarded in favor of playing in the attic aka "tree house"

I love my fellas!

Oh, ANOTHER car crashes into a local business today. This time a hair salon... and we have had 4 bank robberies in less than 2 weeks...

Heat Wave!!!!!!!!!!

53 degrees at 11pm

: )

it is a heat wave...

unfortunately,

it is dropping to 35 by midday tomorrow...

it was good while it lasted, even if it did rain all day long...

Hometown Proud...

Well, here is just a snippet of the news from this region...

Man Accidentally Shoots Wife During Sex - the woman is now in critical condition at the hospital my dad was in... that is good for her, becuz their trauma unit was really great...


Student accused of inducing panic with shooting threats - this one was at my old school - the high school I went to, which is now a middle school - the kid is currently in juvie...

2 banks were robbed yesterday - within 15 minutes of each other, but with different robbers... (one was a trio who are now in jail- the other was a lone man who is still "at large")...

A 51 year old man was accused of breaking into a local preschool and making off with the teachers' frozen lunch entrees.

and there have been about 5 "drive ins" in which people are driving their cars into buildings - the most recent 3 - one this morning was the result of a 2 car accident which sent one car into a cafe, another was a car driving into a preschool, another car crashed into a sit down restaurant...

yup, this is where I be living these days... Dayton is not exactly a big city, yet we have plenty of crap going on for the police blotter!

and to stop on a warmer note - feelings wise because it is 15 F*****ing degress outside... after about 5 days stuck 450 feet down in a drain, Zeke the dog, is rescued. Some guy who owns a sewer business heard about the dog being stuck and took his remote camera and was able to spot the dog - they dug down and broke through the pipe and coaxed Zeke out - he is apparently doing fine now.

Vignettes

I woke up yesterday with a street scene from the Western Addition blazing across my thoughts.

Chalked it up to the remnants of a dream.

until... I was minding my own business at the laptop and whamo, another SF street scene danced across my visual field. In full technicolor.

Then today it happened again, I was on Clayton headed north towards Haight...

they are brief little flashes, with stunning clarity and details.

there is a tidal wave coming my way... good thing the kayak and paddle are in the garage...

Zicam Rapidmelts

totally gross product.

Yucky yucky yuck.

Cold-eese lozenges seem better despite the fact they become a sticky mess in your mouth while melting...

18 freakin degrees at 10 am and wonder boy Snuggie, who SLEPT with me and the wee ones for the first time last night... yea!!! -- is outside in this bitter cold.

Jaz is on the back of the couch sleeping... the smart one.

Wee ones are settling down for a mid morning nap.

I am starting to dig in on homework... oh, yea, I went and got munchies so as not to be tempted by the Temptations... although they are named to identify the fact they are tempting... and that little bag is a bright shiny silver with green...

but I now have potato chips, corn chips, and pretzels...

Later

Yes, Virginia

there is such a thing as...

fleece sheets!

and they are devine!

I have, for some idiotic reason, been sliding into bed each night on cotton sheets. Now, I love cotton sheets, but in the winter it is a bit like going down to the skating rink and laying down on the ice.

Chilly!

Everytime you move, your face gets a fresh slap of ice.

So, I finally got with it and went to get some sheets, was going to get flannel and saw fleece, so I said let's give fleece a whirl.

It was soooooooo nice last night when I crawled into bed that I giggled for 5 minutes outta happiness.

Then, I discovered a desire to stay in bed in the morning, now that the sheets were so toasty... so I let Snuggie out for a few, crawled back into bed, then got the phone and called mom from bed. I did not get out of bed for the day until almost 10.

ooops!

If I am not careful I am going to be one big ball of fleece, fleece shirts, socks, jammies and now sheets...

Do I need therapy???

ok, so I have developed a habit of sorts...

while doing homework, I am popping a DDP and eating some crunchy snack of crackers or chips or something, like Goldfish crackers.

Well I ran out and for the last 2 days have been eating popcorn, which isn't my favorite.

So, today I rummaged through the cabinets and went to the attic pantry (stocked up on some stuff for yucky winter weather...) and found nothing.

Back in the cupboard, I eyed the silver and green foil bag of Temptations cat treats. Now, it was only a momentary thought, but the fact that I even contemplated it makes me a little nervous...

I think Mom wants to go xmas shopping Wednesday, so I may need to make a snack run while we are out.

I am about to get an apple, but boy do I want something crunchy that is not a standard cracker, of which I have many varieties...

OK, gotta get back at it...

Snuggie under house arrest

Well, the other day I called my little Snuggems, and noticed him running in from the front yard - which is where Rt 4 is... that 50 mph road... I was worried.

Yesterday morning, I happened to look out the front window and saw him across the street (in the rain and cold, no less) crawling under my neighbor's fence. Well, I ran out of the house in my house shoes and pj's and across the street to try to get him. Bastard crawled into her bushes and would not come out.

I stood out there calling him. After getting fairly wet and cold, I retreated to the house where I put on proper clothes and rainboots/coat and went out after him again. No luck. He finally came in and my sorry emotional ass started crying. I was really worried he would get hit crossing the street. I cannot take another one. I still miss Tashi so much.

Well, that cat door got closed up in a hurry. I let him out briefly that evening to go potty and then he went out again for a few minutes this morning. I'll let him out for a bit tonight, but the days of come and go as you please are pretty much over.

I have got to get a fence and gate put up. If I can get a 6.5 foot wire fence on the front and side yards (and along the frontage side of the IF - which is not my property...) then it will really really cut down on them being able to cross the street. Won't prevent it, they are cats after all, but it will help probably 85%. So, until then, Snuggie is on serious house arrest.

I am now looking for a job, as all out go and no income is starting to take a toll. The job market here is awful. I have even been keeping an eye on Cincinnati (a yucky commute - not quite bay area, but not that far off expecially with winter driving issues) and have not seen much of note there either!

So, Snuggie is up in the attic sleeping. Heljye is on the desk and Ollie and Jaz are in the living room.

Jaz has been a bit sick - lost his voice for a few days, and is sneezing and coughing but is still eating and drinking and licking the kittens and sometimes playing with them. He could become a house bound cat with very little fuss.

The wee ones are growing like mad.

OK, got school work to tend to before Snuggie comes after me pissed off that he cannot go outside...

Oh, those white puffy frozen things are falling from the sky again. Ground is too warm for them to hang out. Not leaving the house today unless there is an emergency...

It is suppose to get up to 43 on Wednesday... yea!!!! Cannot wait to see my heat bill...

Holiday Heartaches are here...

Well, it has begun.

Mom and I went out shopping today for a memorial ornament for Dad. The memory gardens has a holiday gathering and a tree where people can put ornaments up in memory of loved ones.

Well, it was the first time I had actually really thought about Christmas without Dad. I stood in the middle of Michael's craft store and just cried. I then found my mommy and we hugged and I cried and she stayed stiff-lipped true to her "gotta be a tough broad" approach. I have no issues with crying in public and that is one of my frustrations with our culture. We, IMHO, are too cool and compartmentalized. It hurts when it hurts and it seems like it should be ok to model emotional release for others. Just me...

Well, I cried several times before we got outta that store, and it was the first of many stores visited for the ornament.

It is funny, because Dad would always get irritable, or nearly always get irritable, at Christmas, and really most holidays. He would sometimes get mad, make a scene, whatever, but sometimes it was great fun. But it was Dad, and we loved him even during the tough moments. Now, we'll wish like hell somebody was getting irritated.

We have found several fishing ornaments and mom bought a few. Dad was a true fisherman. Lived for it. It was his favorite thing, right after mom. She found an ornament that was a man and a woman out fishing and the sign on it said " a fisherman and his biggest catch" which was his wife at his side and that huge fish on his line, both of them - and that sure was dad.

To try to give mom something to look forward to during the holidays, we are going to watch all the Harry Potter movies, one per week. She has only seen the first one, so it will be very fun for her. My friend Mandy will probably join us as well.

We have been picking up jigsaw puzzles at thrift stores, so I imagine we will start in on those too.

Ollie reminds me more and more of Tashi with each passing week. My heart still aches for my sweet meeper. Ollie and Heljye are keeping me pretty busy though, so less time to notice his absence.

Well, I need to go, just wanted to purge a little more emotion...

Happy Holidays and be safe, whatever you do!

Pigskin Paradise

Well, football rules here.

It is just the way it is.

I was at the local public market last weekend, and while browsing, heard the music broke up to announce the score of the OSU football game. They play in Columbus - a little geography lesson folks, that is the capital of Ohio and it is about 90 miles away... yet, our nice live music was interrupted for the score.

Now, I spent 3 years at OSU. I had season tickets my freshman year. I went to 1 game. The rest of the 3 years I learned to avoid the debacle as much as possible.

Now, when I say football rules, I mean it.

Everywhere you go here, if they sell retail merchandise, they have OSU items. Shirts, hats, coats, socks, coasters, lighters. If you can imagine it, you can buy it in red and grey with the OSU logo on it. At the gas station, at some restaurants and at pretty much everyplace with a cash register...

Everywhere.

Back when heck was a pup and I was at OSU, the campus, sans bars, closed down.

I mean it, people. Closed. I learned this early on when I went to Long's Bookstore and tried in vain to open the door and found it locked. Huh? I needed to get some things for school and it was the middle of the freakin' afternoon.

Someone resolved my confusion by explaining to me like I was a child, that it was FOOTBALL SATURDAY, dumbass.

Yes, silly me.

No one can do anything except eat and drink and watch the privileged football goons smash each other up. I mean everything closed except bars and restaurants.

So, today was THE BIG GAME. Our local Ohio equivalent of the Cal Stanford game.

Michigan vs Ohio State.

Now, when I was at OSU, this game was kinda bad news. The campus is fronted by a mile long strip of businesses - High Street, and the name is pretty appropriate, if ya get my drift... anyway - for these particular home games, out came the plywood. You'd think we were in hurricane territory. After the game, cars would be turned over or set on fire and all sorts of mayhem would ensue.

Yup.

OSU vs Michigan. Time to plan a weekend trip off campus, way off campus.

Anyway, I am now safely about 88 miles away from the scene, and happily so.

Mind you I am not a fan of football, but, well you wanna know why Ohio is soooooooo windy????

Michigan SUCKS.

Yup and we kicked their sorry asses 42 to 7. Ha.

But, I hate football and the privileged life of the football player that I witnessed at OSU.

Did I mention we won?????

You know what, we have kicked their sorry blue butts for 5 years in a row now...

Meet Heljye!

Having a big brother is nice!!!!!!!!!!






I like having a big family!

The Auto Industry Dilemma

What happens to Jane and/or John Doe when they make a colossal mistake or take a giant risk that flops and they hit financial desperation? Folks that maybe have a college education, but probably not... Spent too much on fancy cell phones, plasma TV's, celebrity gym shoes and status symbol cars instead of being conservative and planning for future changes in the market? Have a health problem or major family crisis, loss of job, etc.

BAM!!

Low life no good for nothing scum bags trying to take advantage of "the system" is how they are branded. Unworthy. To be shunned. Eyed with suspicion. Shrouded in shame. Failure. Total personal failure. Deadbeats.

A team of highly educated, ivy league, business PROFESSIONALS making millions per year for their expertise screw up, and the consequences? Their compensation packages are barely compromised, if at all, they get to reorganize or shut down, off-load their debt and smile all the way into their next big RISK and their fat incomes and golden parachutes.

Let them make totally negligent decisions completely disregarding a known situation and well, how could they predict that we would need things like fuel efficient cars and gosh, it would be such an expensive endeavor... hmmm hello anybody got a memory cell at GM - the EV1 electric car from 1996 - a handsdown winner of an auto that would have made the gas dependent Prius a joke... ohhh gotta scrap that plan, let's build Yukon's instead and big big trucks. Hey, it doesn't matter we get government subsidies.

Yes, colossal irresponsibility and now, they want taxpayer money to bail them out of their failure to manage the business responsibly. Highly skilled professionals driving a company and national economy into the ground.

Yet, poor Chet, father of 3, files bankruptcy after losing his job where he worked 15 years at a factory straight outta high school, making good money, with good benefits in a solid blue chip company and the bastard is a low life irresponsible scum.

Yes, I am a bit pissed about the discourse of personal bankruptcy and corporate bankruptcy. It is INVERTED people. Ivy league professionals are paid handsomely for their business acumen. Yet they fuck up, making loads of income in the process, and ooops...

So, I sit, once again in a conundrum.

Chimp boy has left this country in an absolute shambles. I mean, we are in really fucking bad shape people. Even without the failure of the Big 3, things are bleak. Especially here in the rust belt.

Good luck "Rocker Bama" as my dad used to call him.

So, the Big 3 tank and 1 million more are added to the unemployment rates. 1 million MORE people who do not have enough income to meet their basic expenses, much less keep the consumer based economy functioning.

The massive size of the combined pensioners, my mom included, will likely send the PBGC into spasms and potential collapse. I know the reports are saying it won't be a problem. People lie, folks... Enron anyone????????????????

Perhaps the American economy as a whole is being downsized, er that is old skewl, excuse me "right sized" ???

Is this that juncture where we are no longer the dominant force on the globe? No longer the 20% consuming 80% of the world's resources?

It is a cliff that, on one hand, I want to take the paraglider and sail off of, and on the other hand, it is a scary proposition.

The next county over from me, Preble County, is facing big financial problems not unlike that of the rest of Ohio... this is a rural county folks. According to the 2006 Census figures, population of 42,500 in 18,000 houses, in an area with 100 people per square mile... rural people, I mean "country roads take me home" kinda rural.

Skinny farm roads. No salt for those roads this winter, not in Preble County. Ok, the bridges and curves will get some and the biggest arteries, like the state routes, but secondary roads, which are most of them. No salt.

I wonder how this will play out in the cost of emergency services for people attempting to drive on ice to jobs they are desperate not to lose because they probably and realistically won't find another.

Damn glad I live in Montgomery County and on a major state route...

apparently the cost of rock salt used to melt/prevent ice has more than doubled since last year. Add that to significant budget cuts at every level of government around here and whamo.

So, things here are sorta bleak, unless you are in the medical field, an engineer, an IT whiz or are highly skilled in computerized manufacturing. And this does not describe the majority of the 70% of the county's work age population who have an associates degree or less (54% high school or less).

However, in 2 plus years when they finally complete that 2 year technical skills program for healthcare, the area will be in such a shambles that there will not be enough people with jobs or health insurance who still live here, to provide adequate jobs in the healthcare sector to employ the career transitioners and the kids maturing into this bleak economy...

so goes the pains of an area struggling with economic earthquakes. SF has nothing on the economic quaking here in the rust belt.

Alrighty then, should we bail out the auto industry with requirements for substantial changes in operating procedures (and executive compensation) and keep some of those folks employed, or do we let them implode and continue on the slide into a depression?

Is it really reasonable to bail out the financial industry, participants in that industry made handsome profits engaging in business practices they had to be smart enough to know were not sustainable or responsible, yet they made a tidy sum in the process, and were bailed out on our dime, for our benefit. How is the auto industry significantly different?

How long before Americans are the "illegals" scrambling for jobs in other more prosperous countries???

Kia Rio Catnip Clamor!

Well, wasn't that a party...

Ok, so I go to mom's house tonight for dinner and a movie. I leave all 4 cats in the house together. Snuggie is still hissing and growling and smacking at the wee ones.

I get home about 10 and lo and behold, all 4 cats come out of the bedroom at the same time to greet me. What a nice surprise.

So, we hung out for a bit. I made a cuppa hot tea (it was 34 outside...) and started playing with the cats.

Jaz was actually acting interested in playing, Snuggie was playful which he really hasn't been since 10/18 when Ollie showed up. The little Rough Riders were in full form.

Snuggie was not exactly playing "with" them, but kinda "alongside" them. A real big step for him.

So, I was sitting in the floor in the middle of mayhem with all 4 cats running helter skelter and it hit me. Square in the head. I knew if I gave it time and did not force it, the wee one's name would present itself.

Just like a lightbulb, or a 2 x 4.

Heljye.

Yup. (Heljye --in American culture this is NOT an insult, but an endearment... Really!)

It ends in the "e" sound I always tack onto cats - I call Jaz "Jazzy."

Heljye is a very warm, yet fun and spirited person and so is the little guy. I don't know for sure what the name means, but for me, it is a reminder of Heljye who I so enjoyed working with and getting to know.

So, I said, hey "we need to have a shindig to welcome the Rough Riders to the TumbleFur Gang and the BathTub Boy and to celebrate everyone having a name!" and I broke out the catnip.

It was wild before the catnip came out, got even wilder, except for Heljye isn't really clear on the concept yet. He is real young...

Now, Snuggie is lodged firmly in his box on the desk, napping contently. He hasn't gotten in this box since, you guessed it, 10/17.

Ollie and Heljye are still making a ruckus. Heljye is running through the house carrying a plastic straw and Jaz is lounging on the top of a cat tree.

I am happy, happy, happy.

The grumbling is by no means over, but this is a big step in the family dynamic.

Ollie likes to jump off things onto Jaz's back. Jaz tolerates this fairly well. I hope he has more sense than to try it with Snuggie.

It is nice to have 4 cats with names.

It looks like Helje in Norse means productive, happy, success, or possibly God. Not sure.

Well, I am going to attemtp to get the Rough Riders settled down for bed, it is past midnight and we are all pumpkins now!

Let It Snow...Let It Snow

Yup, this one is for REAL, like I am sitting at my desk looking out the window and there are BIG PUFFY flakes falling.

It isn't going to stick, at least not right now because it is far too warm for that at a balmy 36 degrees.

I know you poor saps in CA are suffering through one of those intolerable blue sky days with mid 70's temperatures... I am sorry.

Here, I can sip hot chocolate or tea, and gaze out the window at the winter almost wonderland... there, you are probably sitting at an outdoor cafe, 3 feet from the street with all those polluting automobiles spewing toxins on your ciabatta sandwich and your cappuccino. Sorry.

You are jealous, it is ok, I understand.

Ever tried to type with a kitten licking your fingers? It ain't easy. Ollie. I love little Ollie, but he is something else. Obssessed with food, much like Jaz and Tashi and boy can little Ollie Olfactory smell anything and everything.

He also shares Tashi's love of water. I have to be careful when running water in the kitchen sink. He jupms up and hooks his claws into my leg, right about where the bottom of my jeans pocket is. Yes, it hurts and yes he is trying to climb up me to get to the running water in the sink. I am not sure how long squirting water at him will keep him in line...

Little Scrapper still does not have a name. He has mellowed considerable over the last 10 days. I think he realizes he is not going to be put back in a cage for most of every day, and can relax. He is still a playful little guy, but not the wild child that arrived here. He likes to be close to me. He is somewhat like Snuggie. When he wants to rest, he is mama's boy, when he is awake he struggles like mad to get out of my hands... He is laying in my lap right now, ready for the afternoon nap.

Well the snow is now turning to rain, although it will probably turn back to snow again as the temperatures continue to drop...

So made a trip to THE local Trader Joe's (yes there is just one in the entire metro area...) for a bag of nan. I couldn't find any and asked one of the guys in those lovely printed shirts, he directed me to the frozen foods... grrrrrr. I asked the lady giving samples if she knew where I could get some fresh nan. Aside from buying it by the piece at an Indian place, nope. Nice. Well, she was giving samples of Cranberry Chevre. I swooned. It was wonderful. Never been a big fan of goat cheese as a stand alone, but this stuff was yummy as all get out.

Snuggie has made umpteen trips outside, only to return, sometimes cold, sometimes wet and cold. Poor baby is now lodged on the back of the couch, Jaz on the back of the loveseat and the babies are on the chaise in the office with me. Grooming incessantly before taking their long afternoon nap.

Well, back to school work.

Well, maybe after getting some mini-marshmallows and a cuppa hot chocolate...

I found a place to hang...

Ok, just a quickie...

I came down to the local community college... Sinclair... and went to their library to browse around.

I am happily surveying faces around me, and seeing a very international crowd. Most of the faces are under 30, but that is ok by me, it is nice to see the diversity all around me.

I may come down here weekly, as long as I am not working full-time.

This college has been managed very well over the years. They have very nice facilities, even if they have a Starbucks smack dad in the middle of the library.

This is one of the places on my short-list of places I would like to work.

OK, catch you later, got a mid-term to finish!

BTW - the Rough Riders (aka Ollie and the little guy with no name yet) are almost integrated with the Bathtub Boys. Jaz rarely hisses and will on occassion cuff Ollie for trying to eat out of the same bowl. Now Tashi had that option, in fact Jaz would move his head so Tashi could eat. The little guy is kind of afraid of Jaz, the size difference is really a big one, as he is much smaller than Ollie.

Snuggie has stopped growling directly at them, but still hisses. He won't sleep in the bed with us, but he has started coming into the office when they are in there... so slow progress is being made.

I still don't have a picture of little guy... sorry!

A choice 4 letter word...

S

N

O

W


yup.

this afternoon as I was driving my mom up to St. Mary's to pick up her clothes dryer from my sister's house. My sister was not using them anymore, so mom bought them off her. Just as we turned off 127 onto 219 I noticed the little white specks slapping my windshield.

It was too warm for it to lay on the car, road or anything as it was a whopping 37 degrees, but it was falling and it did it off and on all afternoon.

Brrrrrrrrr.

I like "driving to the snow and driving home from it" but, hey, this is Ohio and here I am and I can see mom nearly everyday and that is all more than worth it.

OK, gotta head over to her house again, her neighbor boy (17) earned his Eagle Scout award and they are having a party for him. He is as cute as the day is long, and I could not figure out why carloads of girls were not cruising the neighborhood scoping him out. Now I know, he cannot be popular if he is an Eagle Scout. Well, he is a damn fine young man and he is probably better off without being in the sights of a dozen young girls!

Trees finally planted - whew

Well, finally finished planting both trees.

Glad it was only 2. The soil here is clay and it can be tough to dig.

The trees are a Canadian Red Cherry or Chokecherry tree. It will have green leaves in the spring with white cluster blooms that are 3 to 6 inches long. By the end of June the leaves will be dark red and then turn more of a purple until they fall off in Nov or Dec. The berries are edible and a favorite of birds. The tree is abou 12 ft now and is planted on the north side of the house outside the dining room to block the view of the side of my neighbors house.

The other tree is the working tree - in several years it should be big enough to give the house some shade in the late summer afternoons. Due to the driveway, walkway and septic and leech lines, I really cannot safely plant a tree in a spot that will provide shade relief from the intense mid-day summer sun... too bad.

The working tree is an Autumn Blaze Maple. It will give some fantastic bright to dark red leaves next fall and may grow as much as 3 feet a year. It is planted to the west and south of the house. Far enough to not damage the septic and leech lines and far enough to not crack the concrete slab in the backyard.

I still have to clean the rest of mom's gutters out and one of mine leaks... and there is still a long list of to do's, but I am about to turn my attention to schoolwork and finding a job...

Wee Ollie and the little scrapper (he is a pisser... has pee'd on at least 3 different things in as many days... he is young, I hope it is age and acclimating to the new environ. He has a strong odor as well. Snuggie is gonna hate him. Ollie is perhaps the purrfect kitten.

The scrapper? Hellish little devil. He has sooooooooo much energy that sometimes when he is sitting still he shakes. He breathes fast and hard even when trying to go to sleep, turbo charged little guy.

Pictures will come soon.

The Slippery Slope...

here is a hint...

I just joined....

http://www.crazycatladies.org

ok, so here is the deal...

Little Ollie was spending his days somewhat alone, while Jaz and Snuggie, being big boys, came and went. I, of course have had to deal with things at mom's house, try to get something done around here, schoolwork, you know, life.

To be fair, Jaz would hang out inside while he was ill - he is back in action, btw - but then spends some time inside even when well. Well, he took to little Ollie pretty good and sweet little Ollie will run and jump square on his back. Jaz is 15.7 lbs Ollie, maybe 2, maybe...

Jaz, being the love daddy he is, just shrugs him off, sometimes will give him a 45 second wrestling session (guess who wins) and occasionally cuffs him lightly.

Snuggie is still royally pissed. Snuggie is also now on antibiotics. Yup, he had a blistery bump on his lower gum and under the BEST of circumstances trying to hold his mouth open long enough to inspect is just asking for trouble, so I did my best to figure out what it was and couldn't. Was worried he had a bad tooth because the area was black -now he has always had a bit of black pigment there but I don't recall it being near that large, then again, I don't spend a lot of time with my face in his little mouth...

so, the vet is happy to see me as I may be funding her retirement plan, well turns out it was some sort of cyst or a stick poke or something that blistered and then it broke before I got him to the vet, well it was mildly infected, so antibiotics for 5 days for him.

Well, back to my wee Ollie. (he doesn't seem so wee anymore...) Bored bored bored and as much as I'd love to spend all my days playing with him, I just cannot. And, yes, he is as soft as he looks.

So, on Tuesday a scrappy little fella roughly 2/3 Ollie's size came to live at Kia Rio. Yup, the wheels are coming off the bus.

For those of you counting, it is 4.

I have it on reasonably good authority (google searches) that 5 is the number that makes you the crazy cat lady (unless you have a farm) so, I am just on that slippery slope...

Little guy is hell on wheels. OMG. He spent 3 weeks confined at the humane society and he came out wound up like an eight day clock!

I hope he mellows out a bit. Poor Ollie got a bit more than we bargained for.

I don't have pics yet, or a name...

Those two are running helter skelter all over the office. Ollie stands on the desk and jumps down on him.

Snuggie has sussed out that something else is afoot, but is not clear on it yet.

Snuggie may pack his shrimp treats and split if I don't do this carefully. It was all for him, too. Little Tashi, sweet love, was his playmate and I wanted to make sure Snuggie had someone to have fun with. Well, he'll adjust. Hopefully before the retail orgy season is over. I know he will like Ollie. If little scrapper doesn't mellow some, they may not exactly hit it off...

I'll post his pics soon. He is a short hair, dark, and is very uniquely marked.

Ollie has jumped in my lap (apparently I am home base) twice just while I was writing this. Scrappy little guy is a meower too.

Better go wrestle Snuggie and give him his antibiotic.

The last time a young charasmatic father of 2 was elected

somebody...

(hint)

AIC ..

get your mirrors out folks, and read it backwards...

didn't want him in office and put an end to it.

I pray (and I don't do that often or lightly) for his young family that he does not become another successful hit for them.

Gas $1.95 per gallon (ok 9/10ths)

Well, despite colder than normal predictions for winter temps, a change in the Presidency and all the political unrest in the world (prior excuse used for fleecing drivers) the price of gas is steadily dropping in the face of the economic crisis and the Conspicuous Consumption Consumer Holiday in order to spur people to spend money on the retail and travel sector.

I still cannot fathom how millions and millions of people do not GET that the oil companies have been taking us to the cleaner and posting record breaking profits quarter after quarter, despite all the excuses to raise gas and here, when gas should be going higher, it has been cut in half.

I guess even when hit in the head with a 2 x 4 they cannot see the simple truth in their face.

Grrrrrrrr.

Jaz is up to 95% - I still have to get him started with the dry food, but he does fine with the canned stuff.

Little Ollie still has a puss oozing eye and is now sneezing out baby bits of blood. I called my vet like friend, Maria (bless her heart) to get her opinion on how much of Jaz's antibiotic to give him and if the terramyacin, or whatever it is (Tashi's old eye Rx) was reasonable safe for such a small guy.

So, hopefully he is on the mend as well. He still eats, drinks, poops, pee's and plays, but the eye has just been getting worse...

He scared me to death last night about 3 am. He got on my chest to lay down and within a few minutes he became excessively hot. It took me 20 minutes of messing with him and a cool wash cloth on his face to rouse him. I could not hear him breathing as I have been able to do since he got congested and I could not feel much in the way of his body moving with his breaths.

Well, he finally opened one peeper and tried to open the other one a little. He got up and ate a little and drank a little. He went back to sleep and I sat up wondering if he normally sleeps that deep everynight or if he was just spiking a temp. He doesn't normally get on my chest until about 6 am before we get out of bed...

Snuggie played with me a little tonight. Ollie jumped next to him and Snuggie did not notice him and ended up doing a 180 and hissing and growling like mad.

Someday they'll be buds... no wine before its time!

Whooooooooo Hooooooooo

You might say I've gone cucku (hee hee - howdy over there at corporate!) -but I never thought I would be this excited about seeing my cat drink from the toilet bowl!

Not only did the precious munchkin (ok, he is hefty at 15.7 lbs...but still my little baby) drink on his own, he has finally gone potty and is eating his dry food without me putting it into his mouth.

Am I ever so glad to not have to shove bits of food in a cat's mouth!

Still a little dribble of drool now and then, but he is probably, in the last day, up to about 80% of his old self. Even took a little wrestle with the wee Ollie!

Snuggie is slowly, ever so slowly coming along with Ollie and Ollie has a bit of a cold, but it is not keeping him down.

I may get mom's video camera and video a little bit of him for those of you seeking a virtual kitten.

Ok, gotta get some school work done while the little wild one is sleeping!

Ollie Ollie all come to Kia Rio

Well, I've gone and done it.

Meet Ollie...


Yes, he is little, about 3 1/2 months I am guessing...

He arrived on October 18, 2008. It has been a riot here ever since. I am positive I felt Tashi walk across the top of my pillow last night, while little Ollie was sleeping to my side. I am taking that as his approval of the little guy.

Ollie seems to be channeling some of Tashi, as he appears to share the fascination with water and loves to drink from the bathtub faucet.



Apparently Ollie, while healthy himself, arrived with a micro friend.







Here is the first sign of trouble on the horizon... these two have not been that close to each other for an extended period in nearly 1.5 years



Jaz has an upper respiratory infection and it is not mild, unfortunately. He started drooling excessively, like a steady stream of it. I immediately called the vet. They thought it could be sign of an abcessed tooth. Well, his teeth were fine.

He has drooled for days and had no appetite or has not been drinking. He has had two subcutaneous fluid injections to keep him hydrated. I am having to hand feed him because he cannot smell his food. If a cat can't smell, it won't eat. Not eating is bad, according to the vet and my vet like friend, Maria (of cross country fame).

So, to entice him to eat I had to find the smelliest thing I could. Tuna and sardines. I hate fish and the smell. Nonetheless, there I was, with microwaved fish (to enhance the smell - notice the lack of use of aroma...) picking up the oily slimy bits of it and forcing into his drool covered mouth. Yup, I love my boy. He is starting to eat a little on his own, and has gone pee pee a couple of times. If he isn't drinking fluids by Tuesday afternoon, the vet wants to give him more sub q fluids. I love these vet bills...and the drool puddles when he actually gets up from a resting position.

My poor baby.













Snuggie was out of it for about 12 hours but does not seem to be catching it...

It is highly contagious. I am needing to keep little Ollie away from them, and yet manage to entertain him as he does not have another feline playmate at the moment...The feeding and comforting Jaz has to be done when Ollie is napping or he mews very loudly and insistently at being left all alone.

Jaz had pretty much a blaise reaction to him, with a wee bit of hissing and such, but not much at all.

Snuggie???

Well, as predicted, he is slow to warm up, always has been. It is day 8 and the hissing is much less, but there is no level of bonding just yet. Ollie is not a pushover and will hiss back.



Here are some more shots of the gang during sick week...



Just to keep things, umm, fun, my pc has been whacked out. Frequently not connecting to the network, freezing up and then giving me a greyish black blank screen with a lone white line flashing in the upper left. Had I used Cucku to back up my files??? No. Had I used my external back up drive to do so since the move, no...

Well, my niece's husband is a geek and he helped me get back into operations. I have not done any of last week's homework.

Oh.... I have 2 trees I need to plant, pronto... more on that later.

Okay - almost forgot. WHY Ollie??

I struggled with a name. I played free association with some such as Rumi. Here, the default interpretation would be "roomie" and a whole different connotation. I did not want to be labelled as loco by the hood, by standing outside yelling "Rumi" and them hearing "roomie." Just not good.

Ollie has nothing to do with the North of notoriety.

Little guy has an amazing sense of smell. I was remarking, to myself, what a keen olfactory sense he had and whalla, Ollie it was.

I still miss my Tashi every day and choke up just thinking about him. He is a one and only. Ollie is his own cat and will hopefully be Snuggie's playmate (Snuggie willing...) and will certainly be lovey with Jaz. He stole my heart already.

'nuf said...

Tuesday, Oct 28
Sunshine and patchy clouds
Low: 28 °F
High: 54 °F


Wednesday, Oct 29
Sunshine and patchy clouds
Low: 29 °F
High: 46 °F


Thursday, Oct 30
Plenty of sunshine
Low: 36 °F
High: 53 °F


Friday, Oct 31
Partly sunny
Low: 35 °F
High: 59 °F


Saturday, Nov 1
Rain
Low: 26 °F
High: 56 °F


Sunday, Nov 2
Colder with clouds and sun
Low: 24 °F
High: 43 °F


Monday, Nov 3
Mostly sunny
Low: 24 °F
High: 43 °F


Tuesday, Nov 4
Sunny
Low: 25 °F
High: 44 °F

ok, maybe one thing else...

BBBbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !

Nov 2, 3 and 4 are particluarly attractive...

His absence is deafening

I cannot stand it.

I've been parted from more than one cat in my life, and Tashi's takes the cake for totality of impact.

I cannot fathom what mom must be going through, having lost dad.

The grass on his grave is now mostly like the rest of the yard. It is marked with a stone from the yard, but I plan to change that, but have not made a decision on how I want it to be. I don't want some tombstone type thing, but I do want to mark it as special.

Mom has suggested planting cat nip on it...

I don't know, but will decide over the winter how I want to honor the gifts he gave us.

I intended to report on what I am calling Beetle Mania, but Tashi is so everpresent that he is often on my mind. I studiously avoid looking at the top right corner of the blog because I melt into a pool of tears each time I see him there.

I know in the coming months he will recede as the dominant thought, and then become a warm and happy memory that I had the gift of knowing him at all.

I am considering putting up a 72" welded wire fence and gate in hopes it will deter them from the road. The welded wire is fairly soft to discourage climbing, and the openings are 2" x 4" which is too small for a cat to get through. I have read that it is a very common fence type for pets. I will have to address the gaps around the gate...

It is too late to save Tashi from the road, and it may not really work for Snuggie or Jaz, but if I don't at least make a well educated attempt, I will be in really bad shape if another loss is incurred before I move on to a more remote property.

Well, the Beetle Mania post will just have to wait...

One Hundred Percent American, by Ralph Linton

I don't know how I failed to come across this during the last 30 years, but I have just been acquainted with it and, of course, just love it. I have actually read several different versions in which language has been changed, references slightly modified and bits added and deleted. My guess is that it was ultimately printed in a number of places and perhaps over the years he modified it... at any rate, it is a First Class piece...

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

Our solid American citizen awakens in a bed built on a pattern that originated in the Near East but that was modified in Northern Europe before it was transmitted to America. He throws back covers made from cotton, domesticated in India, or linen, domesticated in the Near East, or silk, the use of which was discovered in China. All of these materials have been spun and woven by processes invented in the Near East. He slips into his moccasins, invented by the Indians of the Eastern woodlands, and goes to the bathroom, whose fixtures are a mixture of European and American inventions, both of recent date. He takes off his pajamas, a garment invented in India, and washes with soap, invented by the ancient Gauls. He then shaves - a masochistic rite that seems to have been derived from either Sumer or ancient Egypt.

Returning to the bedroom, he removes his clothes from a chair of southern European type and proceeds to dress. He puts on garments whose form originally derived from the skin clothing of the nomads of the Asiatic steppes, puts on shoes made from skins tanned by a process invented in ancient Egypt and cut to a pattern derived from the classical civilizations of the Mediterranean, and ties around his neck a strip of bright colored cloth that is a vestigial survival of the shoulder shawls worn by 17th century Croatians. Before going out for breakfast, he glances through a window, made of glass invented in Egypt, and, if it is raining, puts on overshoes made of rubber discovered by the Central American Indians and takes an umbrella, invented in Southeastern Asia. Upon his head he puts a hat made of felt, a material invented in the Asiatic steppes.

On his way to breakfast, he stops to buy a paper, paying for it with coins, an ancient Lydian invention. At the restaurant, a whole new series of borrowed elements confronts him. His plate is made from pottery, invented in China. His knife is steel, an alloy first made in southern India; his fork, a medieval Italian invention; and his spoon, a derivative of a Roman original. He begins his breakfast with an orange, from the eastern Mediterranean, a cantaloupe from Persia, or perhaps a piece of African watermelon. With this he has coffee, an Abyssinian plant, with cream and sugar. Both the domestication of cows and the idea of milking them originated in the Near East, while sugar was first made in India. After his fruit and first coffee, he goes for waffles, cakes made by a Scandinavian technique from wheat domesticated in Asia Minor. Over these he pours maple syrup, invented by the Indians of the Eastern woodlands. As a side dish, he may have the egg of a species of bird domesticated in Indochina, or the thin strips of the flesh of an animal domesticated in eastern Asia that have been salted by a process developed in Northern Europe.

When our friend has finished eating, he settles back to smoke, an American Indian habit, consuming a plant domesticated in Brazil in either a pipe, derived from the Indians of Virginia, or a cigarette, derived from Mexico. If he is hardy enough, he may even attempt a cigar, transmitted to us from the Antilles by way of Spain. While smoking, he reads the news of the day, imprinted in characters invented by the ancient Semites upon a material invented in Germany. As he absorbs the accounts of foreign troubles, he will, if he is a good, conservative citizen, thank a Hebrew deity in an Indo-European language that he is 100% American.

Linton, Ralph. The study of man : an introduction. New York : Appleton-Century. 1936

Asian Lady magnet

yup, everytime I walk out my front door these days I am greeted by a considerable number of Asian Ladies...

unfortunately, they are beetles looking for a place to winter and since they have historically lived in cliff crevices in Asia and I am fresh outta cliff and the accompanying crevices, well, they are just looking for someplace to call home for the winter.

I'll sit inside and wait for the mail man (yup - really is a man) to bring the mail so I can (pray pray pray) hopefully get my reader for class in today's mail. Today marks the beginning of the 4th week of the quarter and my reader has still not arrived... so I am 4 weeks behind at the start - isn't that nice!

Ok gonna go, just wanted to share my popularity with the Ladies!

Spray Can Blister...

OK, maybe I am extra fragile and delicate, or maybe I have been pressing far too many nozzles attached to spray cans...

I have a small blister on my index finger. Fortunately it is low enough on the pad that I can still type.

Lots of spraying going on. I was using the spray citristrip for the built in cabinets and had planned on using the brush on gel on the doors, since they can be laid flat and it wouldn't run like it did on the cabinet frame.

Well, it is much more time consuming to try to paint that gel on than to spray it on, and the spray is a much more even coating... so... lots of cans of that crap in the garage waiting to be used.

I also used 2 cans of spray paint when I painted the register covers and the air return covers.

Then, I got a can of green to spray on that icky rusted up T bar for the clothesline.

Then, I got a can of grey to spray on the front of the porch to cover up the crack house address someone painted on using black spray paint. It was too dark (it was primer - the only flat grey I could find...) so I primed the galvanized metal hand rail for the steps.

I then took the dark red paint I bought to cover the primer, but it ended up being too bright and with a purple cast. It was also failry glossy for a satin... so I have to take that back and get something less flashy...

so, now I am sporting a blister... who'd a thunk that using spray cans could give you a blister!

Time to go to bed so I can get up and do some more stripping!

Now I Know Why...

there is no range hood in the kitchen!

The kitchen is compact and the way the cabinets are constructed, the stove has to go in front of a window.

I figured I would just do some online browsing for a suitable range hood that I could put over the stove and in front of the window - like one for the island cooktops. Yes it will block the window, but you really should have a vent...

Well, turns out the freestanding hoods - called chimney hoods - start at about $600 and go up to $2500... huh? That is not including all the duct work and other things needed to get the thing up through the ceiling and roof.

Now I know why there is no evidence of a hood in that kitchen!

Plan B...

I'll take ideas if you have them.

And, no, keeping the window cracked is not an option when the temps will be hitting low teens...

guess I have some researching to do!

El Productivo day at Kia Rio

Well, today was the first really productive day I have had working on the house.

Between grieving periods and just a general funk from life altering changes, I have been operating at about 30% for most of the 3 months I have been here.

Today, however, I actually finished sanding down the frame of one kitchen cabinet, putting a coat of wood conditioner on it, gave it a couple of coats of stain, sanded and spray painted the heat registers - they were awful looking to say the least - Mom has the camera so I did not get before pictures, but essentially they were rust with a little bit of black here and there. Now they are shiny black - courtesy of 2 cans of black rustoleum spray paint.

Of course, there was that run to the no-Homo Depot for the extra can of rustoleum and the wood conditioner...

Also got the first quote for window replacement - $4k - owie.

I also started trying to figure out why the garage door is not working. I think it may be a problem with the wall mounted control box. I do not have a remote for it, so I did the research and have ordered a replacement opener that will allegedly open up to 3 different garage doors. If true, I may be able to program it to open mom's garage as well.

Was going to poly the kitchen cabinet frame early tomorrow, but have decided to wait. The new fridge comes tomorrow, and I did not get around to getting the walls on those 2 sides primed and painted. This means the fridge will have to come back out to do that, so I will probably do the poly at the same time, and hopefully the other cabinets will be ready to poly -(absolutely nothing has been done to them yet...).

FYI, stripping and staining cabinets is not hard, but it is very time consuming. I discovered I am not the only crazy person who has used dental picks on the edges and trim work when stripping old paint... I also discovered that I do not know how to get the imbedded paint residue out of the wood. I tried many tricks listed on the internet to no avail, so the cabinets have some spots where there is a few white areas with little to no stain on them. C'est la vie.

Snuggie and Jaz are both on the desk with me. It is times like this when Tashi's absence looms so large.

Jaz is sitting on the mouse cord and I am starting to cry, again, so I am going to sign off and will be back in a few days with an update on the progress.

The chimney inspector is coming on Friday, so I will know if the fireplace is usable with minimal repairs or if I will just block off the flue for insulating the house better.

Sorry for typos, hard to type under current cat conditions.

"Joe P." 1925 to 2008 - Gone Fishin'

Well, mom and I had been planning for the last few days to go out and decorate dad's grave for the fall.

For those of you that do not know Mom, she is a decorator - holiday decorator - yard, porch and now dad's grave. I know he is shaking his head right now... kinda amuzed by it, cause she is his pretty little blonde girl, and partly annoyed that she spends money on this stuff.

Well, for one reason or another, we did not go out on each of those planned trips.

Finally, on Sunday, Mom wasn't able to find her floral wire to tie the fall flowers onto the decorative post at his grave. So, instead of decorating his grave on Sunday afternoon, then going to Red Lobster for the all you can eat shrimp (no I did not eat any of them), we went to Michael's crafts, (ok to Lowes also - the car does not leave the house without a stop there or Homo Depot -- btw way it is decidely NOT very homo here...) and on to Red Lobster.

We decided she would do the flowers on Monday morning then she would drive out by herself and decorate it and make a few stops in New Lebanon - where I grew up, to do her errands. She went and did her errands but did not go to the cemetary. She came home, called me and we decided she would come help with the house, then I would drive her out there and we would go to her house and have dinner.

Mom has been struggling with the gravemarker issue. On one hand, his grave is unmarked and she feels that is disrespectful. On the other hand, she has said more than once "seeing his name on that stone is what will make it real."

Well, on the way to the cemetary I found out why she waited. She told me that last night dad told her the grave marker was there. Now, from a previous post you may remember the marker being ordered and a 50% deposit being paid. The cemetary said they would call when it came in, and after she paid the remaining 50%, they would set the marker at the grave.

I gently reminded mom of this, and that it probably would not be in until another week at least. She was insistent that it was there, dad said it was so. Now, she was not always fond of agreeing with dad or listening to him in the past, but, times have changed.

We arrived at the cemetary, and I was just ahead of her walking to the grave with all of our decorations. (it is ok to laugh, really). I noticed it looked different, and was not clear about the status. I thought they may have just done the prep work, but no, as we came closer, they had set the gravemarker out in its' marble base. I really think they must have done it earlier today, or perhaps yesterday, because I know they would have called to tell her they had done it so she would not be surprised by it. There was also fresh tire tracks in the grass leading up to his grave and stopping there.

Well, seems dad took care of the notification detail for them...

As one could imagine, mom was highly emotional and did some intense grieving, seeing his name in bronze on that marker. I was so glad she trusted her intuition and had me go with her. I would have really felt awful if she had to go through that alone.

After some grieving, we started to decorate and our moods lightened a bit. We even joked about taking a pair of his overalls and putting his shoes, a ballcap and a life-sized picture of his face on them and setting them at his grave complete with a fishing pole. About 50% of the time, Dad would have found that idea funny, so don't go thinking I was disrespecting him. I inherited that weird shit equally from both of them.

I offered to stay the night with mom, but she declined and said she'd be ok, well as ok as she will ever be.

I am going to go and call her to check on her before bed.

We took pictures of the fall decorations. I will post a picture, or two, along with a photo of the marker, in a few days or a couple of weeks...

I am trying to imagine Tashi hanging out with Dad. Tashi and dad both love the water, so maybe they are now fishing together in spirit. I sure do miss them both.

Things I did not know that I missed...

Horizons that stretch for miles

Sunsets that stretch for miles, and have amazing colors and shapes

Mom

Deciduous trees that create a burst of fall color

Dread of winter, with the longing for spring

Stars

Mom

Drivers that wave when you do something considerate

Drivers that get out of the way when a sirened vehicle is nearby

Drivers pulling off on the shoulder and stopping when a funeral procession passes

Using the high beams and driving through the dark of night

Going to my hometown

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

I guess there is no mistaking the fact that I am squarely middle-aged.

Dad was right, it was time for me to come back.

It is different, for sure, but except for Dec to March each year, I'll be pretty darn happy with the decision.

Yes, I miss home, but so far only when I watch movies set in large urban areas with lots of interesting street life, cafes and restaurants along with colorful people. I'll always miss that.

I will miss my friends, too, but am going to work on calling them more often and being a bit more in touch.

I still miss Tashi immensely. It is as if a part of my soul has been ripped away.

Snuggie and Jaz are still behaving in ways that are out of the norm for them. Snuggie is picking up weight and looking more like a full grown male cat. Both of them are already starting to get their winter fur in. I cry every time I wonder what Tashi would look like with winter fur, or when I think of snow and how much he would have loved it.

Well, as happens often, my eyes are overflowing with tears, so I will sign off.

Savannah - Soccer at Six

I was happily surprised at the soccer game.

My great-niece was sooooooo cute in that hot pink and black soccer outfit. She had ponytails. She is a typical midwestern white girl, blonde blonde hair, and blue eyes.

She is a tough little one, too. No shrinking violet, just aggressive enough to not be run over like a door mat, but restrained enough to probably stay out of brawls, should she continue to play in the coming years...

They rotate the kids through positions. Her coaches were two men and they were really good - very supportive. The other team's coaches were two women and one of them was a bit overboard with her coaching - they are 6, chick.

Anyway, little Savannah is pretty quick. She doesn't seem to get defense just yet, but was aggressive on offense.

They won. We think the score was 3 to 2 but we don't really know.

We picked her oldest sister up from cross-country and Savannah told her they won 5 to 0... a minute later she told her the truth... little shit.

It was much more exciting than I had expected, those little girls were pretty good.

My niece says Springboro is pretty competitive with soccer. Her oldest daughter, Ashlynn, played until 5th grade. She is now in 8th grade. I suggested that she get back into soccer and was told that she would not be anywhere near good enough now, having missed 3 years. Apparently these kids play indoor soccer in the winter and are pretty committed by 7th grade. Cripes.

Well, Ashlynn is off to her first audition for a non-school play. Auditions are open to kids in 8th to 11th grade and they will likely perform the play at the main theater in downtown Dayton.

Ashlynn is unlikely to make it. She has an attitude issue. She is whiney like a small child and has not yet grasped the idea that the world will not be handed to her on a silver platter. She seems really to want to be a performer and she has a really really great voice - she just needs to get her head out of her ass a bit.

She did show some maturity today at her cross-country meet. She could not get her new earings out (she had a second piercing in each ear in the summer) and one of them was swollen. The refs told her if she ran the whole team would be disqualified for the event, her coach told her she could run or sit it out. She sat it out instead of being self-absorbed. I was proud of that, at least that she thought of the others. She is not a very good runner, she does not have the body structure to be a first place runner, but, more importantly, she seems to really like to run and that is what counts, doing something she enjoys.

Well, it was a fun day with the kids and I hope Ashlynn is "breaking a leg" right about now.

More on her aspiring career as a performer as news comes in. She did make show choir this year - in a school with 1000 kids, that is pretty darn good, and this community takes the arts seriously...

Wow

Well, nothing like a 6 year old, 3 ten year olds, an eleven year old and a thirteen year old girl at a birthday party to make you run like hell to the deck outside.

Actually, it was kinda fun, they even broke into a spontaneous conga line. It was a Halloween themed party, as is usually the case for Brenna's birthdays. One little girl came dressed up like a grandma. She looked like Vickie Lawrence in Mama's Family. She, of course, had no idea who that was, but I am sure her mom or whoever did her costume did. She had a huge bossom and a really big butt. It was the best costume I have seen on a kid in a long time.

Brenna got art supplies, some girly things - barrettes, "make-up" a few toys and a brand new bicycle. Unfortunately my niece sent her husband and his dad to pick up the bike in his dad's truck. They did not see a smaller bike like my niece described, and brought home a 26" bike which was too big for the 10 year old.

Well, turns out little Savannah, 6, is having a soccer game tommorrow. I am going to take the Jeep down so we can take the bike and exchange it for one Brenna's size, and then we are going to watch the soccer game.

Well, my niece made a jello brain and had gummi eyeballs in the girls drinking glasses - eeeeeeeew.

The kids were actually a lot of fun.

Mom and I left, and headed to the gridiron - that is a football field, fyi... at my alma mater.

We arrived at the bottom of the 2nd, and Dixie was down 27 to 3 - ouch --especially on homecoming.

Dixie now has a show band or something like that - I am not much for bands, but it was different than the regular marching band - and it was odd because they were not wearing the school colors - red and grey - they were in sharp uniforms, but they were black with an orange triangle and a white stripe. The performance was not great, and the girls with the fake guns didn't seem to know what they were suppose to be doing.

It was a sureal experience, being back at that football field after 28 years away.

The field was officially named after Chief, aka Coach Brown, so that was cool. The bleachers, press box and track was all new. The bleachers had a ramp, a nice wide metal walkway and, the clincher folks, there were metal gates blocking the access to under the bleachers. It didn't look like you could slip through the gaps between the seats and footboards, either. Not a single drunk, or stoner, under those bleachers.

I hate it when time honored traditions hit the dust. I didn't see any stoners loitering in the parking lot either. Man, high school has changed.

Well, Mr. Keener, band and choir director extrodinaire, who was the band director during Bruce's high school days, (he came in 1964, left in the late 70's, then came back and finally retired) Well, he came to the game as guest conductor, in memory of Bruce. He looks great, and it was really cool to see him up there waving his arms about. He led our kids to a large number of first place victories in band and choir competitions. A bit of a legend, as was Coach Brown.

It was really a weird feeling when the marching band, complete with alumni band members for the tribute to Bruce, came out playing the Dixie fight song. I was awash with nostalgia. They were good, even with the old people. Plenty of bald heads and grey hair. I did not really expect such a reaction to the football fight song, but there it was, and I started clapping like a trained seal.

Dixie has a tradition of setting a white drum on the 50 yard line to honor a former band member's passing. I think it is a nice tribute. It was sad in a way, to see that lone drum sitting there, half way between Mr. Keener and the band.

Well, I gotta say, it is freaking weird to see middle aged people who look like they gobbled up your 17 year old classmates.

I encountered this several times, and admonished myself for not digging out the yearbook and taking a refresher course. I knew some of those middle aged people, I am sure of it. One of them gave me one of those looks in return. He was probably 50 pounds heavier and, well 28 years older, but I am sure we graduated together.

Getting old I suppose.

Well, nostalgia and team spirit overcame me and I ordered a school sport jacket. I can pick it up in just over a week. Somewhere, I have my high school jacket with my varsity D on it. I hope I have it somewhere...

Anyway, when we left half way through the 3rd quarter, it was 41 to 3. Our boys were getting mopped up. Some of those kids from Waynesville looked like they were junior college sized. Waynesville is a bigger school and I was shocked we were even playing them, we never did when I was in school. Dixie must have changed divisions or ratings or something.

The lady that was in charge of the jacket and shirt table teaches business classes to the high schoolers. Imagine that, Dixie with a business class. Turns out they have a bunch of business classes, including a basic law class! We've come a long way baby.

Hey, the track is no longer that ankle breaking cinders and is now one of those spiffy - and environmentally icky, spongy type surfaces. Looks sharp as hell. I hated running in those black cinders and when you fell, ouch. I ran (okay tried to run the 220 relay when I was in school). I was a little bullet, until about 3rd grade, when the anatomy began the slow slide into puberty. In first and second grade I could win against any classmate, boy or girl. Those were my glory years.

Dixie also has a preschool and head start program!!!!! Wowsie, did not expect that. I may investigate that as my internship site for the anthro degree. Unpaid, but hey, it is my school...well, it is next to where my school was. I'll never see that 4th grade drinking fountain that was too tall for me when I was in fourth grade. Sonya, a bigger than usual 4th grader, would pick me up so I could get a drink. If she were not around, I had to walk all the way to the first and second grade hall to get a drink. NO Kidding... I was little, hence my mom calling me "half-pint." I didn't catch up until the summer before my freshman year.

Ok, off to bed to rest up for a wee soccer game.

Pigskin and Tiaras

Well, as fate would have it, I am set to attend my alma matter's football game tonight.

Imagine my delight.

Now, we only have to stay until half-time is over, so that is good.

And it is for a good reason.

New Lebanon has what one could call a "first family" of sorts. Not for $$ mind you, but for being a wonderful well loved family. I don't know what kind of work Truman did before he retired, but he was heavily involved in the school, and the town, and well loved by everyone.

It doesn't hurt that he is gorgeous. Even in his late 70's/early 80's. Head of thick rich, now grey and silver hair, and the most beautiful blue eyes and a soul that radiates warmth and love.

His wife, Norma, was the Postmaster for New Lebanon, and is equally well loved and known by all.

One of their sons, Bruce, lost his battle with cancer about a month ago. Bruce was a legendary figure in the high school band. He attended the Music Conserevatory at Univ of Cincinnati and became a Deacon in the United Methodist Church. He was about 10 years older than me.

The school is holding a tribute to him at half-time at the football game tonight.

My sister used to date his brother back in high school.

Mom wants to go to the game for the tribute.

In looking for the time of the game, I discover that it is the Homecoming Game.

Nice.

Football Fridays are bad enough, but Homecoming adds a whole new level to the situation. Attendance will be high, and kids will be extra hyped up - except the stoners and they will be extra stoned under the bleachers.

So, we are playing Waynesville (famous --locally anyway--for their Saurkraut Festival).

Dixie has won all 5 games they have played this season, and all except one was by a wide margin. Waynesville has won 4 out of 5 games, so the match should be good, and attendance will be even higher because Dixie has won all their games so far...

Well, when I was 17 I was happy to go to the games and kick back wide-mouth Mickies that we bought at the drive thru in Drexel - a drive thru that would sell alcohol to anyone with a pulse, regardless of age. Of course, one must remember that in Ohio when I was a teen, you could buy 3.2 beer legally at 18, so selling it to 16 and 17 year olds was not a stretch. Stupid, yes.

No, I do not know how wide-mouth Mickies became the beer of choice, but it was.

So, Friday in Ohio will consist of attending my great-niece's 10th birthday party and then bolting to the high school for the football game, sans wide-mouth Mickies and this time I'll be in the bleachers instead of under, behind or no where near the football field.

There is a new high school building they built in the last few years, and a new elementary school.

The old elementary and middle schools were destroyed. My high school building in now middle school, and the new elementary looks like a juvenile detention center. no kidding...



Many moons ago the high school was opened up during Homecoming so the alumni could come in and relive their "glory years" (thank goodness my life did not stop after high school...) so, if the new one is opened up tonight, I may just go take a tour and check it out even though I have never been there before.

We are attempting to adjust to life without Tashi. Our routines are a mess. When I call the boys with the dog whistle, often Jaz will sit and watch the IF for Tashi. Snuggie just roamed around checking Tashi's hiding spots over and over. Bedtime is a mess and chaotic. Jaz and Snuggie still fight but sometimes Snuggie lets Jaz groom him and sometimes Jaz will play with Snuggie without pulling alpha male attitude. Tashi left a gaping hole in our lives.

The good news is that I am now to the point to where I can see him in my mind. I cannot yet recall his little voice, but it will come in time.

catch up with you all later.

Hurricane Ike batters Dayton with 70 mph winds

Sunday afternoon, about 2pm, while Mom, Mandy and I were working on the house -prepping for painting, Ike hit with a force we did not expect.

Having spent my adult life in CA, I was naively unaware of the magnitude, and oddity, of the storm.

One time when ignorance was somewhat blissful. I was still very sad over my sweet Tashi baby, and glad to have Mom and Mandy to distract me. I was just thinking it was a strong late summer storm.

WRONG.

I was not really paying much attention to the tree tops in the IF, for all I knew they always blew like that in big storms.

Apparently not.

The trees would whip one direction for a few minutes, then stabilize somewhat before whipping around in a different direction. The winds were coming from all different directions with little time between. Had I realized the oddity, I would have watched them more. People who have lived in Ohio for 80+ years say they never saw anything like it before.

Mom later told me she was scared, and she doesn’t get scared of storms. Dad would get scared in storms, but mom is not so inclined, normally.

I naively hung out in the living room on a ladder, scraping peeling and cracked paint. Snuggie was in the basement, mostly because of Mandy and Mom both being there, but probably because he was being a bit smarter than the rest of us. Jaz was hanging out in the living room.

The IF protected Kia Rio, and we escaped with absolutely no damage. Some big branches fell in the IF, and a tree fell and hit my neighbors front porch, but most of us within a 6 house strip, got away with little to no structural damage, and just tree debris to clean up.

The first time I realized the magnitude of what I had just been through was on Monday morning, when I awoke and found the electric was not yet back on. I decided to run up the street to the Shell station and grab a couple of bags of ice for me, Mom and her neighbors. Well, I got about a half a mile up the street, passed several downed billboard sized signs and when I got up to the gas station, this is what it looked like:




The white in the background is the canopy.

I figured they probably were not going to sell me any ice at the moment, so after I closed my mouth, I went over to the station across the street. They sold out of ice on the evening of the storm.

I had heard that some parts of Dayton had power, so I drove toward my friend Mandy’s house and when I got into Dayton I started to see traffic lights that worked and street lights on. It was about 7 am.

I went into store after store - of the few that had electric and were open-- and nobody had ice. I finally gave up after having drove around for a while and having seen an enormous number of trees, limbs and branches down in yards, blocking roads and creating havoc.

I went out to Mom’s and picked her up and we went in search of stores that were open so we could get her more batteries, some lamp oil, ice and other emergency provisions of non-food nature.

While mom and I drove around, we listened to the radio. Over 200,000 in the Dayton area without electric. All schools were closed. A restaurant had caught fire and burned. Just as we approached the Dayton Mall area, the newscaster said that there was a major electrical situation in the south parking lot of the Dayton Mall, with a big set of lines down and live in the parking lot. Nice.

We chanced upon an area that had electric, working traffic lights and so we set about looking for ice, batteries and lamp supplies in the stores. We had company. Long lines were at the few gas stations that were open. It takes electric to pump gas…

After hitting many stores, we finally scored some D batteries but did not find lamp oil. I gave her mine and just used my candles. We decided to hit a fast-food restaurant if we found one open. We did, an Arby’s, and the drive though line was to the street and the lobby line was out the door and along the side of the building. We went back to Kia Rio and I made us pancakes and eggs on my backpacking stove.

We got back to Mom’s house mid-day, after taking a trip to check on Dad. His decorations were still intact, but the beautiful tree about 30 feet from his headstone had been literally sheared -off about 3 feet from the ground. The thing is probably 12 inches in diameter and the whole tree trunk was snapped. Dad loved where the tree was, and talked about it shielding his grave from the snow. Hopefully they will replant a good sized tree in its place.

One of Mom’s neighbors is a family that runs carnival rides and concessions. Thankfully, they had a huge diesel generator. The man had the good sense to hook it up and bring it home when they emergency evacuated the festival they were set up at. He ran an extension cord from it to Mom’s house so she could plug in her refrigerator. Later in the day he set out an extension box and gave mom a second line and connected 2 other neighbors to it. He said it can power 3 carnival rides with no problem.

Mom’s house had lots of downed branches and her pear tree was hit again. About two weeks ago it was hit by lighting and it was only on Thursday when her neighbor finally came and sawed it up for his fireplace. Now an even bigger section of it is spread out across her back yard. She lots a few roof shingles from the house and a few from the garage and the gutter on the garage was ripped off. Nothing we cannot handle.

The newscasters are saying that it could be this weekend before the electric is restored. This is due to 2 primary factors. 1- the widespread damage - Ike cut a path probably 100 miles wide with sustained winds of 50 to 75 miles an hour and they were wild for about 3.5 hours. Electric lines are down everywhere. The meteorologists called it a level 1 hurricane. The other factor is that many of our emergency workers and utility employees headed to Texas to help with recovery there. They have been recalled.

Ohio is officially declared a disaster area with 84 of our 88 counties suffering damage. The worst of it hit here in Dayton and to the north - Columbus and to the south- Cincinnati.

Mandy was lucky she was not home because the tree in front of her house fell right where she normally parks her car. Fortunately the tree fell across the street, and was just short of hitting her neighbor’s house.

Fortunately, my 3 tubs of earthquake supplies were in the garage, so I was able to whip out the 2 backpack stoves, lanterns, candles and stove fuel. I also have my Eton emergency radio with TV and weather along with a light, siren, and cell phone charger - the radio runs by 3 “AA” batteries or by hand crank. I highly recommend each house to have one. They are only $50. Radio Shack sells them and as it turns out, Walgreens here sells them and had them on sale on Monday for $30. Odd, they are usually raising prices on those types of things in an emergency. I bought one for Mom in Dad’s memory - he would have loved that radio. We are calling the radio “Joe” after Dad.

Anyway, a lot of the gas stations that had electric are now out of gas because people went into panic mode. Luckily, Mom and I had been out on Friday or Saturday and we filled up her tank and I went back and filled mine up, so we had no worries about gas for the car. She heard prices might spike because of the hurricane, so we filled up to avoid the spike. Thank heavens.

Well, I was able to cook meals for me and Mom on the stoves. My electric came back on Tuesday evening about 6:30, just as I finished fixing us a rather decent looking meal for the situation.

Mom still does not have any electric. Fortunately the neighbor is periodically running the huge generator to keep the refrigerators cool. I hope she gets her electric back before the weekend.

My crappy ass digital phone service does not work if the electric is out.

Mom has old fashioned phone service, and I think I will switch providers because I did not care for not having the phone to call her on. My cell doesn’t really work here in the house.

Well, Dayton is still in emergency situation and realistically the power could go back off as it has done for some folks. Precarious situation. It will be next week before life here returns to business as usual.

Thankfully, the weather has been fall like and people have not needed fans or a/c so that is good news.

Snuggie and Jaz are still looking for little Tashi and my heart still aches for his sweet self. Ike’s wrath was a distraction for a while, but now my home life is back to what it was before Sunday.

Jaz still won’t go in the bedroom unless I coax him in while I am there. I am wondering if laying Tashi on my bed while we dug his grave was the best idea. We continue to sleep on the couch and loveseat. Maybe tomorrow I will try to get Jaz to take a nap with me on the bed. Tashi’s absence is most noticeable at night when he should be laying across my feet/shins or between my calves. Trying to sleep there without Jaz and Snuggie to pick up some slack is not fun. The couch is a different space and has no history of Tashi sleeping with me on it.

Time for bed.