10/28 - Its the end of the world as we know it.....

At least that's what the forecasters would have us believe.  Fortunately for the DC area, it looks like Sandy is going to turn a bit further north - back to the original prediction that it would nail NY/NJ.  I feel badly for those folks, but I'm very glad not to take a direct hit.  I'm old enough to remember Hurricane Agnes back in the 1970s - it wasn't so much the wind as it was the rain - they had to open the dam and we had severe flooding...wiped out a bridge and the city swimming pool and made the next town over an island until the water came down.

I've put the lawn furniture away and am debating moving my car in front of the house where its not so close to the neighbors less than healthy big tree......but then again - at the moment it has the protection of the neighbors less than healthy big truck as well :)

I'm in the process of catching up with my laundry, I've been to the store and have plenty of adult beverages, milk, bread and toilet paper. I've also got plenty of things that can be eaten cold since my range is electric.   Everything is plugged in and charging and I've got a full tank of gas in the car.

We were encouraged to bring our laptops home so that if the weather was bad we could work from home (assuming we have power).  That's kind of silly for me being only a few miles from the office - but its a nice option to have if the weather is scarily bad or a tree  comes down and blocks the road.

Speaking of trees - I took a look at the big white pine out back and I only see one big branch that might blow loose - and if it does, I don't expect it to hit the house.  But I also have a big dead tree of some sort in the farthest corner of my yard - and I suppose that one could go- hopefully towards the county parkland rather than my house.

This morning started off cloudy and you could feel there was something odd going on....and now the temperature has dropped dramatically and the winds have picked up......the furkids sense something happening and are a bit alarmed......and I can imagine how terrifying it must have been in the days before we could predict these storms and their paths..

 As annoying as the past few days have been with the nonstop coverage of what is NOT going to be the end of the world no matter what the forecasters might want us to think, I"m grateful to live in the information age.  Thanks to science, I'm forewarned and forearmed.

10;/27 - Seasons change, people change

This time of year I can see all the way down to the creek, and it tempts me to put a bench down there so I can sit and think and listen for the quiet trickle of water over the rocks.  The few inches deep few inches wide flow of water probably doesn't even qualify as a real stream....but its more than a lot of folks get to have in their yard.

 

This is a blog that's been bouncing around in the empty spaces of my head for quite a while....but I wasn't sure how to put something so personal out there without sounding whiny - or worse yet, hurting feelings.  I eventually decided that I need to share - and that as long as I don't link it to my Facebook  its unlikely that anyone involved will come across it.  Sometimes its good not to have many readers ;)

 

Let's start with a confession.  I have not seen my granddaughter, my son, or my DIL since August 25th when I attended a family party for her first birthday.  I guess you could say that the party was an awakening for me of sorts as to where I fit in the family social order.....and the answer wasn't what I was hoping for.  I was there for about an hour and a half and in that time I got close enough to little IM to take some pictures - I didn't have a chance to pick  her up, hug her, or even talk to her - that priviledge was reserved for her mom's family.  I left before presents were opened - and unfortunately I didn't choose wisely enough because unlike the others, my gift didn't make the party pictures nor did I hear any comments about it being good or bad or anything else. 

 

I know from googling that its not unusual for paternal grandmothers to feel left out - daughters are generally closer to their moms and the whole baby/child raising thing tends to be centered around the women of the family.  In this case, grandmother provides day care so little IM actually spends more time with Moga then she does with her own mother.   That's actually what happened with my own son growing up - but his father made sure that there was frequent contact with his family as well, even after we separated.  So I don't think I'm being unrealistic in terms of how things should be.

 

When I stop and think about it all, I'm frustrated to tears because I've honestly done my best to build a relationship with my son  that consists of more than the obligatory Christmas visit, but it hasn't worked.  I am welcome to come over and visit my granddaughter on Tuesday evenings when they hold open house for their friends......but as far as the visits being reciprocated its just not going to happen.

 

Its not just me - I don't discuss them with my father....but I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen any of them (or even gotten a picture or an email or a  note) since his birthday in June. 

 

OK, now I'm starting to sound whiny and I really don't mean to. Well, maybe I do just a bit and I'm sorry - I'm human. 

 

Whats important and pleasantly surprising is this - as long as I don't think about it - I'm really not bothered.  I have an awesome life - friends that truly love me even though they don't have to - and people who I know will be there for me - all I have to do is ask.

 

And that really is the definition of family - it has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with love.  I'm worth spending time with - if some people don't see that - its their loss, not mine.

 

10/17 - I haz a plethora

of disconnected stuff to write about today....even though it isn't "Thursday Thirteen", please bear with me.....

First off is that I am starting to accumulate things to try to make the 20some hours worth of travelling to Oz a bit less difficult.  I've purchased a new neck pillow and an eyemask/ear plug combination to help me get some sleep, I've got a couple dozen unread books in my Nook, and I've even bought melatonin to test out in advance.

Next is also travel related.  I've decided to cancel the 17 day cruise from Chile to LA and instead book a land trip that includes both Machu Picchu and Easter Island.  The cruiseline opened up the excursion they were offering to the ruins - and it was sold out in less than a day.  I"m currently on the waiting list, but as I started to do the math I realized it was a lot less expensive to do a tour of Peru - which was really all I wanted to see.  And then I discovered that I could tag Easter Island on there for not much more. Only downside is I'll have to spend a bit to get my FF miles reinstated - but its well worth it..  (Note to Amy - that doesn't mean I won't meet up with you out west if you'd like to go - it just means I can be a lot more flexible with when).....

We move on to my furkids.  I had a bad experience with my regular catsitter the last time I went away - I came back to the cats being just about out of food and litter boxes that looked untouched for at least five days.  So this time I'm hiring a service....not cheap, but still much less and more comfortable than boarding the demonic duo.  

Next is WeightWatchers.   I'm afraid that after dropping about 15 lbs everything stalled - and I got frustrated, stopped tracking and gained a couple back.  That said, I'm back on the "wagon" and I kind of look at it this way - if I can go through the lose 15 gain 2 cycle a few times....I'll eventually get to where I want to be so its worth sticking with it.  Note to Steph - I really do need to lay off the beer, though).

Remember the mole?  Well, he (or she or they for that matter) won.  I told you that the solar spike was worthless......well, the "mole deterrent" granules aren't any better - nor are the poison peanuts, it seems.  I've resigned myself to just living with the critters until the first freeze drives them deeper....next spring I'll try lawn insect killer to see if maybe I can get rid of whats got them so excited.  The grass seed I planted didn't fix everything, but the lawn is better than it was - I'll deal with the rest in the spring.

The debate?  Well, I wasn't going to watch it, but then I saw some tweets about how it was quite aggressive on both sides, so I changed the channel and it wasn't bad....at least I thought it showcased the difference between the two party platforms.  There were exaggerations and misstatements on both sides, which I expected - as well as the "after debate" claims by each side that the other lied.  What troubles me is the way that the media (and I mean ALL media here) tends to pick up one point to focus on and ignores the rest.  But I did find the binders of women very funny..

I have lots of other things to write about including my Renfest experiences, but this has rambled on longer than I intended so I'll save that for another post.

 

10/2/12 Nobody likes me, everybody hates me

ha

I know its not really that bad but it feels like it right about now.  Lets start with the furkids.  Today I took them both to the vet for a long overdue checkup.   That meant loading them into carriers and going for a trip in the car - neither of which is on the feline "good times" list.

Then there was an emergency which had the vet running a bit behind.  I let Batcat out of his carrier and he became a must be cuddled lapcat.  That would have been fine except that he never ever sits in a lap unless he is completely terrified in which case clouds of fur erupt with every stroke.

Jezebel sat quietly in her carrier - so quiet that I was a bit worried until she decided to bound out of the thing and investigate the doctors countertop......managing to smear herself with petroleum jelly before wedging herself behind the cotton ball dispenser. And of course with my new "lapcat" nailed (or more accurately clawed) to my body, I couldn't do much to stop her.

Eventually both suffered the necessary indignities of an exam, got their shots, and even got their nails trimmed as a "courtesy".....I guess the vet noticed the blood dripping from my arm.  Both are healthy although Batcat has gained a bit of weight so I need to cut back on his food.  I took them home and headed back to work.

They hate me at work.  OK, that IS an exaggeration, but I questioned an assignment that really doesn't belong to me - and after a day and a half of trying to get the folks who should be doing the work to review it......the response was - If I'm really overloaded they'll take it.

I said "Thank you" and handed the paperwork over.......and the look I got tells me they never thought I'd take them up on it.   Good thing they only THINK they are superheroes because if they could shoot bullets from their eyes - I'd be dead.

Damn, speaking of a bad day, Jezebel just knocked my glass of wine all over the desk - hang on a second.........

OK - I'm back.  Anyhow, I got home from work after a less than stellar day and called for the furkids....Jezebel showed up immediately, but I had a difficult time finding Batcat, and even when he did deign to poke his head out from wherever he was hiding, it was only to make it clear that I should just change the water, put out food and leave because he didn't want to see me.

Wait until he finds out I'm cutting rations......I sure hope HE can't shoot bullets from his eyes.......