I knew something bad would happen when I tried decorating the senior cat last week, in a fruitless effort to persuade her that there are better places to bathe than my desk. And it did.
Exhibit A: Woke up with one eye glued shut, snuffles, malaise, body aches, and the attractive nose zits I get when feverish.
Exhibit B: Second cat had a little poop accident right there on my sheets, while purring of his eternal devotion.
Today I devoted most remaining brain cells to losing mah jong on the internet. On the up side, my beloved says he brought me soup. Hopefully, there will be a miraculous recovery to report.
What's happening in your world?
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41 comments:
I hope you feel better soon! And that your cat decides there are better places to poop.
My high school Creative Writing teacher died over the weekend. So sad to lose him, so happy to have known him.
liz, the world is a better place for having had your writing teacher in it. it must have been amazing to have him for a teacher!
It was completely amazing to have him as a teacher. He retired from teaching the year I graduated. Angela's Ashes came out 10 years later. I was thrilled for him.
I am back from a week's vacation, and with Juggling Freak off for another week, we decided to redo our kitchen and dining room floor.
I would complain, but I brought it on myself. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.
At any rate, our flooring was WAAAAY overdue for an overhaul. The linoleum had been there since the house was built (late 50s) and was coming up in places. (Not to mention hideously ugly, well on course for 1950s decoration standards...)
Neither JF nor I are DIY people, so we're anxious to see if we can get this done and have it look halfway decent.
Oh, and feel better, Kathy!
doesn't "linoleum" just say it all? klee, wishing you and JF a good floor replacement! and may all your subflooring be sound!
i'm feeling in the human range today, thanks! still working on the productive part...
KLee, pictures, please, of before and after!
Oh yeah, pictures for sure! You can't possibly NOT take before pictures!
kathy a. - hope you're feeling better soon. We too have experienced the lovely and ever-delightful poop on the bed saga. Ick.
Liz - so sorry. The world lost a great writer this week.
KLee - pictures, yes. Linoleum - gone. My parents old house had linoleum that looked like that old game called "Pick Up Sticks" - it was very cool flooring in 1954. Now? Not so much. The new owners had that floor ripped up in minutes after purchase.
No whines today: I had a wonderful birthday on the weekend which included a surprise visit from our son who lives out West. He leaves tomorrow, but even a few days to visit is delightful.
Not really a whine: We're off to see the lawyer today to update our wills. There's something good about having it done, but like anything else involving the thought my own mortality (I'm going to die someday???? Wha????) it's a little unsettling.
my parents' 1950's linoleum looked like a huge accident involving mike 'n ike and good 'n plenty candies. tres chic.
yay for sue's good birthday and the surprise visit!
anyone wishing to submit photographic proof of whines/anti-whines this week can email me at kathy with cats [all together] AT g mail d0t com. don't worry, i won't post cat poop.
Kathy A! Kicking it UP!
Oooh...I should have thought of pictures. Well, hopefully, I can at least find a square of the old linoleum, and take a picture of that.
We've already torn up all of the old, and are halfway through laying down the primer. We have decided to do this in stages because we have nowhere else to put all of the furniture, and it's been raining every day, so leaving the stuff outside for long is not an option. At least, not if we want to actually USE that furniture again for anything other than kindling.
The strangest part about this whole escapade is that the mastic or glue that they used to put down the linoleum was black, so it looks like the floor is either the gateway to hell, or we are the dirtiest people on the freaking planet. And, considering that we've swept that damn floor about five times and JF's mopped it at least three times, I'm leaning towards filthy. Bleargh.
And, I have to find some time to do my course work this week. It's mid-term, and this week's project is supposed to take about three times of the other projects. So, it's either cut corners or sleep. Guess which one will most likely win out?
I'm guessing sleep.
they probably used something like tar. gah! photos, klee; we all could stand to know what the gateway to hell looks like, so we can tell when we aren't there. ;)
Ok, now I have a whine: My status as the Angel of Death has been secured for yet another week. I have a funeral on Friday. This. Month. Will. Never. Fireplacing. End.
(And yes, I know it's worse, much much worse for the family involved and I will my very best for them. I just thought that perhaps the Summer of Funerals was done. Not so much.)
Anti-whine: My new tattoo - I got it on Saturday, the day before my 50th. It's beautiful. It's a phoenix, done in black with a touch of red. I love it! It's on the front of my right hip, just above the hip bone.
It's purdy.
It's very purdy.
sue, what's that, 4 funerals in 2-3 weeks? you're an angel, all right, but glad you have a break coming up.
Yup, that's 4 in two weeks. *sigh*
Kathy - wow, the sickness and still hosting. :) Keep on keeping on.
KLee - old floor removal scares me. Good luck. What I can't fathom is that if everything in fashion cycles, will the patterns of the 50s linoleum come back? Oh my!
Sue - a birthday visit surprise! Yay! And the month of death is ending soon. Really.
My whines feel like near misses:
My brother and his wife came to stay this weekend for a wedding Sat night. Of course, they left their dog here all weekend (in the garage as I do have some boundaries in cement). But, I had long-made plans Friday and Saturday, so my parents and my kids had some dog time, which they enjoy in small doses. And it was just a bit awkward, the company, nothing too whine-worthy. Lots of hours of no one talking, adults taking naps at weird times, not checking the map to see that the wedding was potentially as close to their house as it was to ours - but that sort of amused me.
And #2 - my husband's 17 year old niece (my niece, I guess, but from his side of the family) arrived to stay with my husband's brother. We weren't informed/asked about her visit until she arrived. And we did get a late night call asking if we could take her, but we arranged a day visit. It is a crazy week of doctor's appointments around here and I am not sure what we would be getting into. So we saw her today. It was nice if strange. I think there is a whole lot more to the story, but I don't know it. And isn't that an anti-whine???
Whine the petty: I am off to the dentist tomorrow. And I know I didn't floss often enough.
The Baboo and I have returned from the g'parents, a tad sleep deprived all around, but none the worse for wear.
In fact. The Baboo is growing up! She hasn't had a bottle since last Wednesday. Apparently 8 people under one roof provides plenty of distraction, and she is drinking milk from a straw like the big kids. AND. She is up to taking 7-8 steps all by herself. The Constantly Running Cousin (14 mo old) was apparently a good motivator.
Whine: 4 of the above 8 people are coming to our house for a visit/job interview this weekend. Am I unpacked yet? Nope. Is the house somewhat clean? Nope. Do I have energy to do either of those things? Nope.
And, I'm tired. First appointment with the "regular" OB tomorrow morning. Ultrasound last week showed a placenta previa. Because a boring pregnancy would be too much to ask. Sigh.
Hope the pixies and ugly linoleum are both being rehabilitated post-haste.
(((esperanza))) so sorry to hear about the ultrasound. I hope the next one shows better news.
Whine: Crazy week of far too much to do, and I've been feeling like hell by the time I get home each day. Not sure if it's just fatigue or if I'm coming down with something.
a vote for sarah. any time you can't tell where the whine ends and the anti-whine begins, you need an award. or pie. or cake. or an award, pie, *and* cake.
hugs to sarah, elizabeth, and esperanza.
and esperanza -- i'm sure i speak on behalf of the pixie nation -- you need to plant your butt on the couch and let your visitors fend for themselves. NO cleaning! NO special fussing. NO exceptions!
Amen to kathy a's suggestion - esperanza - please do the proverbial butt-plant as suggested.
Elizabeth - I have the same feeling at the end of the day, but I'm literally counting sleeps until my holidays start, so I chalk it up to that. Hope you're not coming down with anything.
(((sarah))) I'll second the award nomination for the Fine Line Award when an anti-whine is really more like a whine, but on the other hand the whine has a slight whiff of anti-whine to it.
It's a delicate blend of pixie flavour, to be sure. One day we'll cork it, bottle it, and make our own labels, yes?
Whine the confusing ... Every day this week, I have been convinced it was Wednesday or Thursday, only to discover that I was wrong and my work week was not almost over. Ugh.
Also, a long-suffering friend of my dad's died Monday. Sad to see him go, but really a relief for everyone including him because ALS is a miserable drawn-out way to go. The whiny part is that the family has not scheduled the funeral, leaving all of us with confusion over our weekend plans - which were supposed to be a few days at the lake. My parents say to go ahead without them. But really two adults and a baby afraid of boat rides means we are all stuck on the shore anyway ... so maybe it is best to stay home?
Antiwhine: Rain! It hasn't rained a meaningful amount in weeks and it sounds like it's pouring outside.
JenR - so sorry for your loss. Yes, ALS is a terrible, horrible disease - definitely. I hope you pull your weekend plans together without too much complication.
Thanks for the couch advice. I am currently planted there. Mr. E will clean bathrooms and the rest of it can just be undone.
The OB, however, only prescribed one kind of "rest"--pelvic rest. Which is pretty much what you think. Oh well. Queasy isn't all that attractive anyway.
Vacation at home with short local trips whines! Are you excited?
Q: If you go to the beach on Tuesday, how will you be sure on Wednesday that your sunscreen worked exceptionally well?
A: By the oddly shaped red, burned patches on your inner calves, of course. Because you always miss a spot somewhere, generally bilaterally symmetrically.
Q: How can you tell it is sure to rain for the next few days?
A: We made camping reservations.
Anti-whine: Snuggly Girl's favorite sun hat survived 2 or 3 years folded up in the tent that we bought the last time we made camping reservations but have never used.
Sue, glad you had a marvelous birthday! You are rising from the ashes, surely. Sorry to hear about yet another funeral.
esperanza, your family doesn't need to know that the doctor didn't mention the couch-butt requirement. And the Baboo will have plenty of people to chase her, so rest while you can. Mazel tov on all the growing-upness.
As an aside on child growth, SG came home from camp hungry and has been eating nonstop. We checked her height just after she arrived and then, after she ate for 5 more days straight, we measured again, and she had grown 1/4 inch in that first week home! As much as since the end of May. Growing is a fascinating process.
JenR, so sorry for your loss, and for the resulting scheduling dilemma.
Klee, I hope your reno adventure is going well.
Sarah, there must be a special prize for family awkwardness on both sides of the aisle.
Wow, Esperanza, scary stuff. Rest and try not to worry, which, I know, is nearly impossible. Good luck with the house guests.
And thank you for the pixie hugs. I re-read my whine because I was feeling like those misses were pretty much anti-whines. But I didn't say that well enough - I knew you would see the mixed flavor of my week. It has been a week to make me know how close I came to really big whines.
Yay for Snuggly Girl's hat! And for all the growing. Boo on the rain! Hope camping works out. And Aloe Vera for Madeleine stat!
JenR - so sorry for your loss. And hope the weekend works out.
My foot hurts. A lot.
I have Plantar Fascitis (sp?), but I can't take any pain killers today because (and this is an anti-whine) I'm pumping milk for donation to the human milk bank in my state. Yay! I have wanted to do this for a while, and I'm finally underway. The list of restrictions of what you can't take while pumping milk for them is looooooooooong. Alas, alack. It's for a good cause, though, so I'll do it.
And I'll take some ibuprofen later, I promise. I'll just have to wait 12 hours before I can pump any milk for donation again. Same goes for my antihistimine, only the wait time is 3 days. So, I have to plan what days I can pump so that I don't die from my seasonal allergies.
I think we have decided to not go to the lake after all, since now we are not ready to go and we would normally leave after work today. We could still get our acts together and leave, but my husband was mysteriously overwhelmed by the fact that our neighbor dropped off extra vegetables for us last night. I actually heard "but what about the broccoli and garlic? We have to deal with them!" this morning. Really? Isn't that what they make refrigerators for?
On a side note - what do you do with 6 bulbs of garlic? Do they last for a while or do I have to do something with them soon? I'm usually a chopped garlic in a jar kind of person, so I'm not sure how to handle so much fresh stuff.
JenR. Pesto. Also, Garlic Roasted Chicken (stuff as many cloves as possible into the cavity of the chicken). Also, garlic roasted potatoes (use your garlic press to squish cloves of garlic, cut up the taters into wedges, coat well with olive oil and spread the garlic around well. Roast in a 350 oven until brown and crispy on the outside and squashy in the middle.)
liz - that sounds yummy. I even have potatoes that need to be used up!
Uh, this is probably not a gourmet suggestion. But cloves of garlic DO keep for..uh..quite a while in the fridge.
Or, I'm pretty sure you can chop them up and put them in a little olive oil for preservation. Never tried it myself.
You don't even need to chop 'em if you're going to preserve them in olive oil. Just peel them and keep them whole.
Also, you can spread garlic butter on sliced italian bread and freeze it for several months. Brown in the oven when you're ready to eat!
More garlic ideas . . .
Roasted whole heads of garlic turn into caramelized garlic goo.
Also, if you store some of it for a few weeks until either your neighbor or your farmers' market have tons of basil, you can make a big batch of pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays to use all winter.
Saute up the broccoli in olive oil and garlic.
awards will be a little while longer. my computer went out and i lost over half of them.
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