Not Guilty

Google the words "no such thing as a coincidence" and see what you come up with. What follows falls into that category.

Not 5 minutes after I hit "publish" on my last blog my work phone rang. The caller ID came up as Bob & Ginny's number. I picked up the phone and said "You just read my blog, didn't you?" Bob chuckled but didn't give an answer one way or the other. He asked about my Dad's truck (still parked in front of the house) and we made arrangements for him picking it up, cleaning it out and selling it. The truck was part of the company Bob and my Dad started so many years ago.

My Mom and I have mixed emotions about the truck. It's a familiar and comforting fixture, parked in front of the house. It's also a dam breaking torrent of emotion, when you pull onto the street and for a nanosecond think "Daddy's home". It hasn't happened very often for me, but it's overwhelming when it does. Neither me, or my Mom currently have the mental capacity to sell it. I'm grateful that Bob and his son, Dan are taking care of it.

We arranged to meet at the house after I got out of work. I would try and track down the title and spare keys.

I told Bob that Mom and I had spoken about how guilty we've felt for not being in touch, about how I've missed talking to him and how hard a time I've been having. Bob expressed the same feelings. We chatted a bit more and said our goodbye's.

Not 5 minutes later, the phone rang again with Bob's number. He told me how he got off the phone, and spoke to his wife about what I had said when I answered the phone. Ginny then got online and read my blog.

"How weird is that?" I said.
"I know! I was wondering why you answered the phone like that". Bob responded.

I'm glad Bob picked up the phone and called me. We were both feeling the same way. We both needed that re-connection. I felt the warm fuzzies after I wiped my tears away.

The Force was strong that day.

Still have doubts?

I spent at least 45 minutes going through files and folders that afternoon looking for the truck title. I had found all the sets of keys and remote door doohickeys for it. I started going through the various compartments in the truck.

Where do you think I found the title?

In the glove box.

It was very odd to find it there. My Dad knew that the title should be kept someplace safe, certainly not in the glove box. Way too convenient for a thief. he Title for Moms car was found in a hanging file folder in Dad's Den/Office.

I was on the phone with Ginny, when Bob & Dan arrived to pick up the truck.

I received one of the most needed, and best hugs ever, when I went out to greet them.

There was something beyond human awareness at work that day.

The Universe?

The Force?

God?

A Higher Power?

My Dad?

Whatever it was...it was more than coincidence.

Random thoughts

I tried posting a couple pics of Maine last night but Picasa was not cooperating.
Plus.....unploading pics on dial up connections takes foreva!

Dusty is taking great delight in tormenting the shit out of Tabitha. He just wants to play. Tabitha hisses and growls....slinks across the floor.....Dusty is a hit and run driver. He loves to ambush, piss off and then retreat. It's pretty funny to watch.

I have a desk full of work to finish and things to tie up before I go on vaca, then I still have a million and one things to do at home to get ready & pack. I feel like I need to rent a UHaul just to get everything & everyone in one vehicle.

I have a major case of the guilty's going on too. I haven't spoken with Bob (Dad's business partner & best friend) since shortly after the party in June. I feel terrible about it. I've been having a very tough time and I don't want to dump on him. I know how hard it's been for he and Ginny and I know he'll probably be ticked that I haven't called for that reason. He would love nothing more than for me to lean on him - we both miss my Dad so much. I haven't sent him the pictures from the party yet either. I was without my PC for almost a month and haven't gotten it together enough to finish everything up. (That's part of why I want to bring my PC to Maine for vaca).

So here is a formal apology to Bob and Gin for my absence. I miss talking to you guys and would really like a great big hug. I'll give you a call from Maine and catch up. I love you guys!


On a footnote: My bro has had his ski mobiles under the deck and directly in front of the master bedroom slider for 9 months now (In Maine). He was told back in late April/early May that he need to get them out of there. I even have a trailer I was going to give him for it. As of Wednesday - they were still sitting there. I spoke with bro and told him he had a day and a half to get them out of there. If they are still there when we get up to Maine - I'm calling someone to come get them & sell them, bro can turn over the titles to Mom as payment for all the cash he has borrowed and promised to pay back. He has made all kinds of promises to Mom, he's never around (at all), never finished the yard work he promised to do in April, does nothing to help out my Mom. I'm fed up with him. I've had it with his lying ass. The prick.

OK - done venting for now. I'd better get my own ass in gear - so much to do, so little time!

Size Me

Oprah made it all the rage. Up until yesterday - I had never been fitted for a bra.

Don't get me wrong, I love "the girls" and want to take care of them. Having someone that reminds of my Grandmother measure and fondle them wasn't something I was looking forward to though.

Let me tell you ladies, run, don't walk to your nearest lingerie store and get properly fitted for a bra. I wish I had done it years ago. Marjorie, the grandmotherly lady that measured me was so matter of fact about the whole thing I was put at ease right away. She measured me right in the middle of the store, right over my clothes. To prove to me that she knew her stuff, she declared my size before measuring me, she nailed it. Not my boob - my size. Dirty minds!

She picked out two bras for me, one black, one white (fits the basic needs). I had received a gift certificate from my Aunt for this particular store. D had met me at the store after work, she needed a new sports bra. The sneaky wench got me another $50 gift certificate as a belated b'day and a thank you gift. She had left after getting her purchase but called me just a couple minutes later. "Make sure you buy one sexy bra and not just a bunch of old lady bras".

Marjorie got a hoot out of that and picked out a transparent brown lacy number for me. I left with 4 well fitting new bras and a smile on my face.

Ladies, a great bra not only lifts the boobies - it can lift your spirits.

It's almost as if there is some kind of link with our brains and nipples. Gravity takes over and sends them Earthward, our head follows. We look down, it is, after all , the direction they are pointing. With a new bra, man! They aim forward! I need to follow.....they even look perky! Much like me today.

Spend the $30 or $40 bucks to get a great bra. You're worth it, they are worth it, and you will feel better about just about everything. Cradle those girls in support and comfort - you'll be glad you did!

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Don't click here unless you want to win a 37 inch flat panel LCD. Contest sponsored by Best Buy

Not too shabby.

One more day till vaca!

I'm going to try and post some PICs of Maine. I realized from KFarmers comment that I talk about it so much yet no one has the visual. A few pictures and you'll understand the magick of the place.

2 days till vacation

Need a laugh?

You can always count on Danny to at least make you smile.
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Dusty thoroughly enjoys chasing Tabitha down the hall.
He thinks it's a game.
She's running for her life.
Although, she now ventures out of the bedroom and observes the whirling dervish from the height of the recliner.
Since Tabitha resembles Dusty's Mom, he sometimes mumbles his meows while heading straight for her.
One hiss reminds him "Not the Momma!"

Things have settled down enough though that I had all three cats on my bed at the same time - without flying fur. He is a hoot though, chasing every imaginary mouse or accidental hand movement he sees.

I will post video soon. He's just too funny not to share.
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I saw two Red Drangonflies in my backyard the other day. I've never seen one that color before. It was pretty cool.
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Sunday night son and I watched Rocky Balboa (most of it) on a 4X8 sheet of white plywood. It was very cool to watch a movie outside, with the Bats and the stars.
It will be even better when I get the permanent screen up (16X9).
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I'm hoping we can see some of the Perseid meter showers in Maine this weekend. Although they peaked Sunday, we might still be able to see a few. There is little light pollution on the lake and son has never seen a meteor shower. Fail that - there is the Lunar Eclipse on the 28th. But New England isn't a great vantage point for this one.
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It's HUMP DAY!
Enjoy, it's all downhill from here.

Two Years

Can you believe it's been two years?

Two very difficult horrible years.

My Grandmother has gone to North Carolina for 3 weeks with my Aunt & Uncle.
It's good, my Mom & Grandmother need a break from each other.

Only someone that lives with my Grandmother can truly understand just how hard it is.

Mom, son and I will be taking a weeks vacation soon and heading to Maine. There's a lot of work to do, but it will also be the first real vacation away from home for me in 9 years. Of course, with the dog, the kitten, the bird & the kid coming........

It won't be all work though. Mom wants to go to the ocean for a day.

I also splurged on a new toy. I already tried it out at home - it's so freakin cool! The refurbished Moviemate 25 all in one projector was a steal at $450. I have to give big kudos to Epson. I ordered the unit online on Friday, got free shipping and it was delivered MONDAY! Now that's some good customer service. Son thinks he died and went to heaven - Halo on the big screen?! A teen dream. It should be nice watching movies on the deck in the evenings.

And now - for a few laughs:

This is gonna catch on like wildfire......NOT

This is too cute for words.

Crazy like a Fox.

Backyard entertainment.

Happy Friday - have a good weekend, just not too good.

Dusty, the Double Dew Claw Devil

He's in full kitten mode. I have become a launching and landing pad. I have the scratches on my thighs to prove it. He bounces more than Tigger. I'm talking uncontrolled flight when he's going full tilt. He can leap coffee tables in a single bound, loves skidding across the kitchen floor on plastic bags or diving at a full run into a paper bag. He has brought my son to hysterical laughter chasing the feather & bell on a string.

He and Cuddles have napped together on the couch - within 6 inches of each other. He's dying to pounce on Julieta and will get very close as long as her back is turned, but he'll still verbally backfires (spits) when nose to nose. Tabitha has even started to venture out of the bedroom.

He has squirmed his way into my heart forever. He's even had free roam of the house for the last two nights. He responds well to a verbal "Nah uh" or hiss from me when he is about to get into trouble.

He does everything with gusto. He plays hard, sleep so soundly he has fallen off the windowsill and slept right through rain coming in the window and soaking him. He eats like a champ and who knew such a big stink could come out of such a lil butt.

He has made me laugh more in the last week than I have in the last two years. I have no doubt he was brought into my life for a reason and has already repaid me with love and joy.

I don't think I've saved him - He is saving me.

Random Surfs

Made in China isn't so cheap anymore. Maybe it's just me, but this is like a terrorists wet dream waiting to happen.

Our country really is starting to fall apart at the seams. My heart goes out to those family's. It's something I never really think is possible when I cross a bridge. At least, that's what I used to think. Now I'll be more likely to avoid bridges whenever possible.

For every disaster like this most recent one, there are at least a few heroes.



I got this E-mail today:

Hi,
My name is Katherine Johnson. I run a Humanitarian Organisation/Orphanage home
that caters for Children who have no homes .I have been doing this for some
years now with my Husband,James Johnson,and Few close friends of mine (Jenny
Scoggins and Michael Donald ). The name of My organization is Katherine
Johnsons Orphanage center, based in the city of Lancs , England , UK here. I
want you to know that Thousands of children’s lives were lost recently ,
when this deadly volcano came up and destroyed so many cities in Ecuador
,thousands of children were left homeless recently in Ethiopia ,Africa when
this Deadly flood swept across the country .Again severe watery diarrhea had
spread and killed so many children in Northern Australia .This are all
peoples Children just like me and you , who have been nurturing dreams of
becoming someone great someday.

It is because of the above sad experiences in the lives of so many children
that we came together few years ago ,to set up this foundation (Katherine
Johnson ORPHANAGE HOME ),with the aim of catering for this Children, and
given them a new sense of belonging , we feed , house them, and give them a
new future, which they taught they have lost finally .

God had been so good, and our Orphanage works had been growing steadily this
past few years. We have been able to build Orphanage home in South Africa, we
have set up a catering center for the children in Ecuador. We are set to do
even more, since there have been increase in the number of children suffering
from neglect.

As a result of this great works and because people want to be a part of
making this children happy(after all it is more blessed to give than to
receive, and again ,it is not how long we live that matters and will always
be remembered , BUT IT IS JUST the number of lives we are able to touch with
the few years we have to live that matters , and will be remembered forever
.),more personalities and Companies in USA are ready to give something to
improve the life of this children.The problem we are facing right now with
this people, who want to donate something to this Orphanage Children, is that
most of them are willing to donate something only through money order or
cashiers check, which is difficult to cash here in UK

THEREFORE WE ARE LOOKING FOR A GODFEARING ,HONEST AND RELIABLE REPRESENTATIVE
IN THE USA ,WHO WILL BE WORKING FOR US AS A PART TIME WORKER.WE ARE
WILLING TO PAY 10 PERCENT OF ANY MONEY WE RECEIVE TO THIS REPRESENTATIVE. I
WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT ACCORDING TO OUR ORPHANAGE POLICY AND RULES WITH
WHICH WE OPERATE,10 PERCENT OF ANY MONEY RECEIVED GOES TO OUR
REPRESENTATIVE,THE OTHER MONEY IS USED IN PAYING THE SALARY OF OUR VARIOUS
STAFFS AND GENERAL UPKEEPS ,AND THEN THE REMAINING PERCENTAGE IS CHANNELED
INTO TAKING CARE OF THIS CHILDRENS VARIOUS NEEDS.

Do understand that the cost of coming to the States and getting all this money
that had been donated ,is very expensive and time consuming, therefore we are
working on building an Orphanage home very soon in the States, and operating
from there.

These Donations are in Money order, cashier’s check or a special financial
facility such as, Equity Line of Credit, Business Line of Credit. or CREDIT
CARD. and they would come to you in your name, if you are willing to assist as
representative for this Children, so all you need do is cash the money order
,deduct your percentage and Western Union Charges, then wire the rest back to
us .
You are to receive the Money order or cashier's check payment which will be
sent to you by the FedEx or UPS from this great DONORS , , then you are to
take it to your bank account to enable you cash it ,and send the money back to
us , via Western Union money transfer .

NOTE: All charges of the Western Union Money transfer
will be deducted from any money you are receiving , so you are rest assured
that you WOULD NOT spend a dime out of your personal money.
If you are interested, please get back to me as soon as possible via
E-mail.
N: B, Please send to me the listed information below:
#Your full name:
#Your full home address :
#Your age,#Occupation and as well your #marital status,

#direct contact telephone number,


If you have a special financial facility such as, Equity Line of Credit,
Business Line of Credit. Or CREDIT CARD, Please indicate so as to forward the
requirement to you.

I will be needing your home address, so that I will forward it any of our
numerous donors who are willing to send something for this Children’s upkeep
right now, so they send you the cashier's check. via FedEx or overnight
shipment.
Remember for any of this assistance you render ,the souls of this
children’s will say special prayers for you ,and your life will become
immensely blessed too , because whatever we do in life for others , comes
back to us immediately.
Thanks for your assistant and God bless, please reply to
Katherine Johnson

Thanks for your assistant and God bless,

Katherine Johnson
Director, KatherineJohnsons Orphanage center,
London, United Kingdom.
katherine_johnson889@yahoo.co.uk

Now, we all know this is a hoax, right? Seriously, do people buy into this line of crap?

And, would someone please tell me why I have to be Godfearing in order for them to steal money from me? Seems like I'd only have to be stupid.

No matter how bad a day you may be having, it's better than this kids

I'd better get some work done toady. later!

Dusty Update

When I picked up Dusty from the Vet today, I found out just how special this lil 3 pound guy is. Everyone at the Vet was in love with him. They all commented on how well he had bounced back and that all he did was "make bread". Dusty is a kneading machine! They brought him out and put him in the new cat carrier I had bought and the love stood there kneading like crazy, brushing up against the bars for a scratch.

I paid the coughsixhundredfiftydollarbillcough and left. We haven't even started on immunizations yet, but this lil guy is worth every penny.

Dusty will have to have separate food water & toilet until he is cleared of all parasites. I still wanted to start introductions though. I put the closed carrier on the floor next to Cuddles (the old lady at 19). Cuddles showed mild interest and sniffed at the intruder. There was a hiss, no louder than someone blowing out a candle from the crate. When Tabitha approached and sniffed, Dusty retreated to the back of his small space. Tabitha turned tail and retreated to the bedroom.

This surprised me.

It was only a few years ago when one of sons friends brought his miniature Collie in the house(Picachu, no less). Tabitha's back was to the dog when it entered. The dog barked. Suddenly, it was like Tabitha had an Acme rocket attached to her back. Her feet started running so fast in place she practically dug a trench in the linoleum floor. She shot down the hall in a blur, only to return a few seconds later, looking like a Halloween lawn ornament. Her tail was the size of a Raccoons, she was walking sideways and shooting flaming knives from her glowing eyes. She reacted to a dog that outweighed her by 25 pounds like this, yet retreated from a three pound kitten half her size.

Julieta was next. Poor Julieta. She is the sweetest thing with a 22 karat gold heart. She heard the minute hiss from her one sniff, hung her head with dejection and walked away like nobody loved her.

The old lady Cuddles, was the only one left when I opend the door. Dusty eagerly came out to my open hands and turned into a vibrating mass of jello on my chest. Free of his fleas, he is the softest, most gentle and affectionate kitten there ever was. He never stopped making bread either. He became a spineless ball of fur, so relaxed, rolling on his back, trusting me to support him, as long as I kept rubbing any part of his body.

He looked straight into my eyes while he rythmically pumped his paws And revved his motor. He came straight to my face, ducked his head and pushed against my nose. I'm not sure exactly what came over me, but the tears started flowing and I couldn't stop them. I looked up at the picture of my Dad on the wall and spoke out loud to him, "I couldn't save you, but I could save him".

My Dad was such a gentle man, he had an affinity and connection with all animals. He had a pet squirrel as a kid. It would sleep in the bottom drawer of his bureau and come & go through an open window. Wild animals could sense something about him and would take food from his hand (I will post pictures to prove it & remember the Saw Whet Owl?.) One time at a warehouse where he serviced forklifts, a baby squirrel climbed into his cupped hands when he bent to the ground.

There was only one choice for me, regarding this 12 week old baby. It's more than a coincidence that I decided at that precice time to trim the shrubs. Why didn't I do it while I was on vacation a couple weeks ago? I was watching TV and looking at the window being crowded by the stray branches. It was a spur of the moment decision to grab the pruners and go do it. Had I not, I would have found Dusty's carcass days or weeks later. In the 13 years I have lived here, I have never gone out and trimmed The Neighbors shrub. I didn't feel compelled or any strange sensations. I just did it, and I'm so glad I did. I'll pay for it with shredded furniture, more dollars than I can afford, surprising foot ambushes, scratches galore, cleaning up stinky male marking (even after neutering), being woken up in the middle of the night by a cold nose & whiskers and most importantly, more unconditional love & appreciation than you can imagine. I have no doubt that his nickname of "Boopy" with be replaced at times with something more profane, like "lil shit". But I will never regret my decision to save him. I'd like to think, I have my Daddy to thank for that.

Getting back to the introduction business. It was an hour or so later, Cuddles and Dusty had circled each other a couple times. Dusty figured the situation might not be so bad and decided to try and approach Cuddles for a lil nose to nose.

The crustly old lady laid such a bitch slap on Dusty, he did a flip and landed on his back. He dutifully gave her a wide bearth beyond that point. He happened upon the food and water of the resident felines in his exploration, not unnoticed by Cuddles. She cornered him by the water dish. He immediately went into a submissive postion on his back - exposing his belly. The otherwise passive and lazy senior, Cuddles, gave a second very vocal, as well as physical notice to this intrusive punk.

It's only been an hour and a half of the "quarantine" in Sons room before Son appeared from his room complaining about the kitten waking him up with his wiskers.

That lasted longer than expected.

It's been 19 years since I've had a kitten in the house. I have a feeling my memory is about to be refreshed.