In the still of the night

I wake up in the middle of the night. The bed is comfy. I'm not too hot or too cold. I just can't go back to sleep. I lay there awake as things run through my mind. Sometimes I'll just lay there, but sometimes the things that run through my mind just won't stop until I get up and do something. Tonight was one of those nights.

I got up and unloaded some of the dish drainer and sorted through the piles of papers on the table. I paid a few bills. My heart wasn't into it so I decided just to come online and play until I get tired and can go back to bed.

My Dad, as he got older, used to tell me that he didn't sleep well at night as he just couldn't calm his mind down. I understand now what he meant. I'm not laying there worrying about things, I'm just thinking. My mind flits from one thing to another with no order at all. For example, laying there tonight, this is part of the path my brain was going down.

We leave for Florida exactly one month from today. Wow, I've not unpacked one bag still from when we got home in May. Hmmmm OK so today I vow to unpack that bag so I can start packing again. Maybe I should get up and start that now.

I took pictures of hummingbirds today, I wonder if they turned out? Maybe I should get up and download the pictures and see.

We're having a huge party in September. I'm so excited about it I can barely stand myself. Joshua (my youngest son) is flying in from Miami for the shindig and I just found out my brother Dan from Reno is flying home for it. My best girlfriend in all the world is coming along with about 50 other people so far. It's to be a Jimmy buffet. We'll play Jimmy Buffett music and have cheeseburgers in paradise and drink margarita's and revel in each others company. Hmmmm OK so today I vow to tweak up the menu and make a list of every single thing I'll need to get to prepare for the party. Maybe I should get up and start that right now. I wonder if anyone sells paper parrots?

Did I sanitize the table at work before I left?

I've got a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. I've got a list of everything I want to talk to him about. I hope I don't forget anything. Maybe I should get up and look at the list.

I'd like to bake zucchini bread today and take a loaf into work. Maybe I should get up and do that now. Sometimes a zucchini looks like a penis.

Does Den need an allergy shot? I give him his shots...seems a long time since I've stabbed him. Maybe I should get up and check the date of the last shot. I wonder if I'll need to order more serum before we leave for FL. Maybe I should get up and check the vial.

I like toast. I just can't get the graffiti from Daphne's blog out of my mind. I have chuckled about this for days. Bed is jiggling as I'm giggling again. I mean really. You've got a pen, you've got a sign and you can say anything on it so the world knows what you're thinking. What's on your mind, what's important to you. You step up to the sign and you write 'I like toast'. It's priceless. Maybe I should get up right now and go read Daph's blog again. Shit, I love toast, maybe I should get up and have a slice.

My friend is upset as his neighbor has passed away. Maybe I should get up out of bed right now and send him an email. Let him know that I've been thinking of him since he got the news.

Did Pixie fart? I smell a fart.

Den and I have Sunday off together and I asked Jason, my second son, if they were busy as we could pop in for a visit. OK, so they live 3 hours away and it's a major outing and not a pop in. Maybe I should get up right now and email Jason and remind him that he's supposed to be asking his wife if they're busy on Sunday so I can plan what we're doing that day now.

We've got 3 bee nests that I need to kill. It needs to be done at night when they're sleeping and I keep forgetting. Maybe I should get up right now and do that.

Caffeine keeps me awake. Maybe I shouldn't have drank 2 diet pepsi's after work and had a chocolate malt.

I'm going to be 50 in October. Sounds old. I don't feel old. Groovy. No angst about hitting the half century mark. I don't mind getting older at all. I love my birthday. Maybe I'll go skydiving on my 50th birthday and then get a new tattoo. Maybe I should get up and start looking at pictures of pixie's as that's what I'd like the new tattoo to be of.

My freezer is full. I wonder if we'll be able to use all the food up before we leave for FL. Maybe I should get up and take inventory.

The new jeans I bought are still in the truck. Maybe I should run out and get them right now while I'm thinking of it.

OK, Pixie definitely farted.

I wonder how Joann's family is doing. She fell off her husband's shoulders several years ago and hit her head on the garage floor and died. She was healthy, she exercised, she ate right, she took care of herself. She was having fun, laughing with her husband, she fell and then she was dead. Life is short. I'm so glad I've lived it to it's fullest. I say a prayer for her family now.

Shoot I forgot to invite the neighbors to the party. Maybe I should get up and set an invitation out to remind me to do that tomorrow.

And the list goes on. Sometimes I just drift back off to sleep after all this...sometimes I just really do have to get up and do something.

I vow, no more caffeine after 3PM for me anymore. I'll get up right now and write that down so I don't forget.

A boy and his friends

All a boy needs in life are his friends.

He needs a Grandpa to love him and hold him every day. A Grandpa with a soft lap and loving arms and a big smile. A Grandpa to listen to his every concern and to share in every joy.



He needs a favorite doggy to snuggle with. A doggy that loves him more than she loves doggy treats. A doggy that won't pull away even when he pulls her ears. Hard.

He needs a friend to be silly with. A friend who can always make him laugh.

He needs his giraffe.

Routine

I like it. I like it a lot.

I get up each morning, turn on the coffee pot that I've set up the night before and flick the switch on the electric kettle to heat water to pour into my carafe to heat it so it'll keep my coffee warmer longer. I then go potty and on the way back to the kitchen flip my laptop on. Back into the kitchen to fill the carafe to heat while the coffee finishes dripping. Back out to the living room now to do my routine online things. Chat with my friend Silverback, read the WW posts, read my email, any other little odds and ends I might want to do. I drink my coffee, oh yes, by now I've filled my carafe and have it next to me where I pour each of the 4 cups I drink each morning out fresh and hot. This is my daily routine. Every day. I don't like it when it's interrupted. Today it is.

I forgot to mention I enjoy quiet in the morning. My ears are very sensitive when I get up for some reason. Very soft sounds seem amplified several times. I don't like to talk, I don't like to hear the TV. I like, as my old friends Simon & Garfunkel sing about, 'the sounds of silence'.

Today Den's mom and 3 of her sisters are here. One of them dared to get up during my quiet time and wishes to natter away at me. She wishes to interrupt my routine. She does not understand my rules. Sighhhh I guess I better go be hospitable.

I don't like it though. I don't like it at all.

You can't lie to a fat chick

Obviously a Weight Watcher related post...so if that doesn't float your boat (hehe reminds me of my friend that is 'gonna need a bigger boat'), feel free to flit off now.

OK, so if you're still reading, you must be interested.

How stupid do they really think I am? If you love me, you will NOT answer that! I frequent the Weight Watcher site threads. My favorite is the '200+ pounds to lose' thread as we all know what it's like to need to lose a massive amount of weight. We 'get it', we understand. The 'they' I'm referring to are the people that post false clothing sizes. Hello? We've been there, or we are there, and just how stupid do you think we are? Most of us, in our profiles, have our beginning weight and our current weight, so we know the score. So, today, I'm reading a thread about bra sizes. I know, who the hell cares? I was bored and did not want to do my work so I was reading it! The lady that started the post said she was measured for a bra and her size was a 44C. She then went on to say she wore a 14/16 top. She weighs in at 241 pounds. I was thinking, wow she must be tall as that's the size top I wear and I weigh 60 pounds less than that. I could deal with that OK. Now, the woman that wrote the next post, the one that prompted this poof of a blog, said she also wore a 44C bra and also wore a 14/16 size blouse. I thought wow...big hooters...I'm jealous! Then I noticed her weight, 326 pounds. I'm telling you right now there is no way in hell that a 326 pound woman can wear a 14/16 top unless she is A. 8 foot tall or B. there is no B! There is just no way in hell. So, I reiterate, how stupid do you think I am???? Why would you lie to a fat chick? We're not stupid, we're just fat. We've been there, we know we didn't wear a 14/16 at 326 pounds. It took me 10 fucking years to get to a size 14/16 and I sure the hell wasn't there at 326! I sure the hell wasn't there at 241 either, but that's just me! I never hit that size til I got well under 200 pounds. Do not lie to me. Do not insult my intelligence. You can lie to a skinny chick as they have no idea. You can't lie to a fat chick though!

I am through. I shall breathe now.

The devil is beating his wife

This was something my mother always said when it was raining whilst the sun shone.

*If she heard someone whistling, she'd say 'must be going to rain, the shit bird is whistling'
*If my nose itched, I 'was going to kiss a fool'
*If it was foggy in the morning she'd say her mother always said to 'put the wash water on'. Meaning water to wash the clothes, as I guess if it's foggy in the morning, it will be sunny after it burns off.
Not sure why she'd say those things, but she always did and I never forgot. Another thing she said that I never forgot, and neither have my sons was the following.

When a job is once begun, never leave it 'till it's done.
Be it great, or be it small,
Do it right or not at all.
I still say that!


I'm baking bread so I'm thinking of Mom today. She passed away in 1982. I was pregnant (just) with my 3rd son Joshua. Mummy knew I was pregnant before she died. If I had a girl, Luella would have been part of her name. Obviously I didn't, so Joshua has 4 names. He's Joshua Daniel L., the L. for my mum.

As I said, I was in the kitchen making homemade bread. This also always makes me think of my Aunt Lou, Mummy's sister, as she made THE best homemade bread in the entire world. I never, ever, ever make bread without thinking of her. There was nothing Aunt Lou couldn't cook or bake. They lived on a farm and we'd go visit often. Oh I loved that as I had a love affair with food even in my youth. My mouth is watering thinking of her raspberry (she'd say rahzberry) cobbler. Hot out of the oven with homemade vanilla ice cream on it. She'd make pies with the flakiest crust. Chocolate pies, coconut cream pies, banana cream pies...her meat pies were the VERY best!! Holy shit that woman could bake. She'd fix roasts that were so full of flavor I thought they injected something special in their cows. The chickens she roasted were plump and tasty and just dripping with juice. The fluffiest mashed potatoes and mac and cheese that would darn near bring me to tears. Even her veggies were good. Of course they were all cooked in bacon grease. Bacon grease makes anything good! Sighhh those were the days!

I love making bread. The kneading is cathartic. My mind works as hard as my hands. The tools I use to make my bread are special to me. Aunt Lou's recipe of course. Mommy's bread pans. After you knead the bread it needs to be turned into a greased bowl and covered with a towel. I always used a heavy, glazed bowl that Mom had until it broke. Now I use the heavy, glazed bowl I brought back from Disney Land years and years ago. A whole set, all with Mickey Mouse on the front. Carried them on my lap on the plane all the way home! The towel? Always, always one of the tea towels that Silverback's Mum gave me on my first visit with her. When she learned that I loved tea towels, she insisted I take tons of hers home. I smile now as Silverback says they're pretty much all towels he gave her! Oops, they're mine now and I always think of her when I bake my bread. I also have a long, narrow china dish of hers that I always serve sliced homemade bread on. I think this is why I love baking bread so much. It's about the process, the memories, as well as eating the hot, crusty bread right out of the oven with a ton of cold butter. Oh yeah.

Today after thinking about Aunt Lou, Charlotte, etc., my mind naturally shifted to my Mom. She couldn't bake bread. In fact, she was a terrible cook and a worse baker! The only thing I ever remember her making well was a date nut cake and a 4 layer whip cream cake. Both pretty much no brainers! She could make fabulous head cheese though. Before you gag, we didn't really use head. We used pig hocks and hamburger and I loved it. That was the extent of her culinary talents though. I was chatting with my brother several months ago and he mentioned what a good cook Mom was. I looked at him and said 'who the hell raised you???' My brothers were 14 & 16 years old when I was born. Maybe Mom knew how to cook when they were young and forgot by the time I was born. I'm guessing it was just they were boys and would eat anything.

I figure I'm somewhere between Aunt Lou and my Mom when it comes to my cooking skills.

I'm smiling.
I've had a lovely walk in the past.
I can smell the dough and am anticipating the finished product.

The sun is out and it's cloudy too....guess the devil is just talking mean to his wife today.

I can do that

Those are words my husband will say often & they always make me smile.

Just now...Olympics on...some buff dude swinging around a bar, body fully extended, let go and made a perfect landing. Den said "I can do that'. When watching 'So you think you can dance' the other night, I wasn't surprised after seeing a former dancer first spinning on his head, and then nimbly leaping to his feet, to hear Den say 'I can do that'.

Those of you that don't know my better half have to realize he weighs in at a good 3&1/2 bills....at least. He's 6'2, flat footed, huge bellied, and just getting up out of the chair brings a symphony of moans and groans from him. 'I can do that' really doesn't mean he can do that. It's just a way to make me laugh or smile. He CAN do that.

Den maybe can't compete in the Olympics or break dance, but he can still be a winner with 'I can do that'. I worked 8 hours today and am really tired. I came home, cooked dinner, and I hate to do dishes. Den's answer? 'I can do that'. I mowed the front yard and back yard the other day but the weed whipper is heavy for me. Den's answer? 'I can do that'. I'll want a glass of milk or any little thing and Den's answer is always 'I can do that'. Yesterday at work the thought of lifting those heavy boxes of lettuce just about did me in. I know you're thinking lettuce? Heavy? Man I'm telling you those boxes weigh about 4o pounds and they're hard to get hold of and you have to dead lift them off the floor of the walk in. It's just at the limit of my strength. I asked Den if he could pretty please put them on the cart for me. His answer? The usual, "I can do that".

Yes, the words 'I can do that' always make me smile and I hope he never quits saying them.

It's all in the name

We were driving home from our camping trip a few weeks ago and looking for a place to have lunch. We were driving this, so as you can see, our choices might be a bit limited by the parking lot. I'm in the picture for scale, but PLEASE keep in mind I weighed 50 pounds more then than I do now so the scale is much more impressive than it looks!

We never did find a place to stop, but the name of one of the restaurants got me thinking. We passed the 'Country Critter'. Now, that conjures up in my mind at least, a picture of roadkill. I really didn't think it an appetizing place at all, and even had there been ample parking, we'd have given it a pass. We got talking about other interesting named restaurants and places we've seen or been to.

Again, on the same camping trip, we were out driving one night and I saw an ice cream place called the 'Whippy Dip'. Ohhhh how I wanted to go there. I mean I just loved saying whippy dip. In fact, I said it over and over and it just rolled from my tongue. Whippydipwhippydipwhippydip. How fun is that??? We didn't stop though. As stated in the opening paragraph, I'm 50 pounds less than I was in that picture you saw and I'd like to take a bit more off.

Another ice cream place in Michigan, Grand Ledge, MI to be exact, is called the 'Lickity Split'. I just refuse to go there. I don't like saying the name and I'm embarrassed driving by it. It's the town my husband grew up in and we visit often. Still won't go there! Yes, it's all in the name for sure.

Not ice cream, but still in Michigan, remember I told you a few weeks ago what a cool state I lived in? We have 'Joe's Gizzard City'. Now who wouldn't want to go to Joe's and eat gizzards? I know I can't wait to visit there. I do love a well prepared gizzard and I'd have to assume they do them to gizzard perfection there!

On the way home from above said camping trip we also passed the 'Midget Market'. Now those of you that know me well, know my husband has a midget fetish. I thought he'd make me stop thinking it was a store selling midgets, or at the very least, catering to them therefore a perfect sighting spot! He wants to toss a midget and I'm not sure they'd allow that at the Midget Market. No, that's not a euphemism for any sexual thing. My husband, God love him, wants to go to a bar (yes, there really is one in the UP of Michigan...told you we have it all here) where midgets are adorned in Velcro suits with little handles on their little backs. You pick them up by the handles and toss them against a Velcro wall. They stick, hopefully, and I guess that's a draw for some people. I know the best gift anyone in the whole world could give Den would be the opportunity to toss a midget.

We went to Alaska a few years ago. If I were like my fellow blogger Daphne, I'd have had a little camera with me and thought to take pictures of the restaurants we saw there. Oh heck, I had my camera, I just never thought to take pictures! Anyway, we had left Neanna after doing some bodacious white water rafting (I have a picture of that!) and were on the way to Fairbanks when we passed 'Skinny Dick's half way inn'. Ohhhhh now THERE I wanted to stop for sure but the tour bus we were on just flew past. Hrumph, I fancied a sausage! We did eat at the 'Souper Bowl' in Anchorage though. It was super, thank you for asking.

It's all in the name. Have you been to a place with an unusual name? I'd sure love you to share it with me if you have!