Keep Smiling!

I JUST REMEMBERED MY PASSWORD AND ACCOUNT!!!!! I've been trying to figure it out for a kabillion years now ... and I'll soon FORGET (ah, the glory of old age) ... but wow! Here I am!

With so little and so much to say.

For now, go here --> http://elims.livejournal.com/
until I see if I want to start updating this again, or associate this with another account, or what. So much computer work to do, so little time .. no .. that's not true, so little AMBITION to do it.

Wheeee!!!!!

OH, my. A whole new year. Wonder what it's going to hold. 12 new months. 2007.

New Years Resolutions? Try to get my life back. I'll explain elsewhere, other journal, later. Email me for the addy if you dont have it.

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In other news, HELP ME, I'm addicted to Nintendogs. *GRIN* I bought my Nintendo DS so I could play Pokemon (of course - what else is there to play?) It's been a very good investment, since I had gift certificates to spend at the time ... then I found Nintendogs. I'm trying to kick the habit, honest!! The boyfriend has been fussing about how much time I spend playing, so I bought him a Playstation-2 and his favorite wrestling game to get him off my back. Mwahahahaa ... am I evil, or what? He cant complain about how much *I* play, cuz now he plays his game just as much. We're such happy campers!

Did I mention that he's moved in? Cant remember. Last month. Things are going well - he came home (St.Louis home) with me for Christmas, to do the whole friends and family thing. He did great. His luggage went to Chicago for a mini-break, it's more adventurous than he is.

I think I'll tie off here, since I'm "on the clock" and some yellow alerts just came up - things I need to go check on before they go red.

I'm gonna attempt to poison ... I mean cook for ... Alan, for Thanksgiving. Should be interesting. It'll be my first BIG meal in ages. It'll just be the two of us, and the four critters (five, if you count the pink-kissing-zombie-fishie-from-hell). I've gotta work an 8 hour shift, but at least I can do it from home that day.

For those of you that know it, I keep my other journal/blog more current than this one, if you couldnt tell. d;) I think about plenty of topics to write about, sit down at the computer with the time to do it, and then just lose the words. Old age, I s'pose.

What odd kids I have.

I was just in the kitchen, wishing for a camera. I had three very eager dogs sitting at my feet, each waiting for their turn at a pinch of ... CATNIP.

I have a container of dried catnip for Cinder, the cat. She doesnt often pay attention to it. The dogs, however, LOVE it!

Been busy ...

There was a large chemical fire in a nearby town that made national news(about ... 15 miles away?), the bank foreclosed on the house next door (the "criminal's house"), my house was struck by lightning, and my favorite Aunt passed away last night. d:(

I turn 36 on the 17th.

I'm tired.

I'm sleepy.
I was in a bad mood most of the day today at work. I fought it for awhile, then realized I was allowed to be in a bad mood if I WANTED to be in a bad mood, demmit! Luckily, I was in the building by myself, so I was the only one who had to deal with me.
Now I'm all mellowed out - have been thinking lots about all of the friends from my past. From early years on up, elementary school, high school, camp, college(s), various places I've lived ... all of those great times I've had with so many wonderful people. All of those people who, at some time, made me feel safe and secure. Cared about, and appreciated. I do miss them all.

Willow got over her upset tummy and didnt lose any weight.
****************
Riley found a baby snake to play with. Do snakes have ears? If they do, this poor little thing (?) was surely deaf by the time I discovered it. Riley was in the backyard barking ... I didnt think anything of this. After awhile, I looked out the back window but didnt see him. I looked out another window and still didnt see him, but saw Bailey and Willow lounging in the sun near the fence. I started to wonder where Riley was, and what he was barking at. They had been out doing construction on the drainage ditches and driveways, so he HAD been barking at the workers for days ... but he wasnt at his usual position.

I went out on the back deck to call him, and he came out from under the deck, then went back under and continued barking. "Oh crap!", I thought.

I called the dogs up on the deck and tried to baby gate them up top while I went down in to the yard to investigate, but they had other intentions .. they werent about to let me in the backyard without their accompaniment. I knew I was about to come across a snake, I'm an "old pro" at this now, I figured I could control all three dogs while checking out the snake.

Bailey and Willow, as predicted, gave the snake a wide berth. At first, I didnt see anything. Riley danced around and barked and finally snapped at a little wiggling worm. No ... not a worm ... worms dont slink and coil and arent colored like that. It was about 8 - 10 inches long. Info on Black Rat Snakes Looked like a baby black rat snake. Riley kept trying to pick it up. It wasnt a happy baby snake.

I knew at it's size, I had no hope of letting it slither away on it's own to a safe place. I was going to have to 'help' it. I got my shovel off of the deck and thought, "All it would take is one chop ... I can kill it ...", but I couldnt bring myself to do it. So I scooped it up on the shovel, and with a slight shiver, carried it to the woods behind my house and gave it a good toss. It was an amusing parade ... me with my shovel of slightly squirming snake, closely followed by three dogs.

I couldnt harm it. It hadnt done anything wrong, just because it was born a snake. The rat snakes serve their purpose by helping keep the rodents at bay ... it helps keep Riley from eating them and then throwing them up in the middle of the night ... and I have a respect rule that if I leave something alone, they'll leave me alone. Even spiders. I -TRY- at least.

So after I saved the snake, I gave myself time to shiver and shake ... and then pouted. I miss being a GIRL, and not having to DEAL with such things as bugs and dead animals, and snakes, and fallen limbs, and cutting grass .... it sucks to always have to be strong all the time!!

A sickie dog: Willow had a rough night ... she woke me up - I dont recall what time - because she'd thrown up in her crate a few times. I let her out, and she wanted to eat grass. I cleaned up the crate, and she came inside and threw up the grass. Back outside she went, where she threw up a few more times, while I cleaned the carpet. When she was ready to come in, I put her back in her crate, where she took a nap.

That seems to have been the end of it. She drank some water, then I gave her a little bit of food when I got the other dogs up for breakfast. She kept it down ... so I gave her a little bit more about an hour later. She ate eagerly, which she doesnt usually do when these tummy problems act up ... she'll usually refuse food, which makes things worse.

She's eaten some more, drank some water, had a fairly normal day up to this point (it's about 11:30am now). I've had a huge sense of dread since the wee hours of the morning because I know if I have to take her to the emergency room for another one of these 'attacks' where she drops 20-30 pounds in a day or two ... it's highly likely that she wont be coming back. I've been trying to face that.

Ernie Update: We got our feet wet. The ground is still soggy. I only saw one tree down in my neighborhood (my whole subdivision consists of two streets). I only got about an hour of sleep that night, had to keep looking out the window to watch the trees blowing around. The Boyfriend came over to make sure The Kids and I stayed safe and sound ... he slept through the whole thing. Some comfort! d;)

Tooth Update: Pain went away on it's own, I havent called the dentist yet, but yes - I do plan on it. Finances are tight at the moment, even with insurance, but it will happen in the next week or two.

Willow Update: She's off two of her meds, but still on about four. Platelet count is hovering in between 60 thousand and 75 thousand. (Should be up around 250 thousand range). Frustrating, we just keep ruling out what it's NOT ... but we've been able to lower her prednisone without the platelet count actually DROPPING, so that's a good sign. We're considering it 'stable' at the moment. She's her usual happy, gotta-eat-the-cat, loving self.

Other Update: Waterbed went away. Water is bad when it's supposed to be in a bed, and then it's not. Over the weekend, I was changing the sheets and noticed the bottomside of one of the sheets was soaking wet. I thought "Oh, please ... let it be from one of the animals peeing on it!" (SAD thought, since this doesnt happen!) Nope. One of the tubes inside the bed had sprung a leak. Never did figure out which one. TO make a long tiring story short, I drained the tubes and cleaned up the water. I took advantage of the 16-month no interest financing deal of the Select Comfort Sleep Number bed, and ordered one. I'd been looking in to those for years. I should have it next week.

I spent two bedless nights on the couch ... then, The Boyfriend brought over his bed and we put it in the spare bedroom (back corner of the house). He's going to be using a twin-sized bed that his housemate is lending him. Of course, that meant I had to clean out the back bedroom ... but it's clean now! It has a queen sized bed in it, frame, headboard, posts and all! Whee ... I have a real spare bedroom! Now I've got to decorate in there. Of course, with a queen sized bed, there's not much room for anything else .. c'est la vie.

I'll miss my waterbed tho. It was almost 11 years old, very comfy. Since it was a soft-sided waterbed, it still offered support unlike a free-flow waterbed. It was a 'safe place' ... felt kinda like a security blanket.

Ernie is starting to bring us some much needed rain. Remember I said that by Saturday, when things are flooded ... there's gossip of it still possibly reaching hurricane strength before making landfall. Right now, wind speeds are 60 MPH... winds are SUPPOSED to reach up to 69/70 and hurricane strength starts at 74.

Noone is particularly worried. I talked to a guy who didnt even know a tropical storm was coming ... he was just glad we were getting "some rain". That was just this morning. I didnt know whether to be sad or scared at his intelligence level. This wasnt a 'shut in' or an elderly person without access to news ... this was a married family man who works in the technical business, owns his own company, plays in a band ...

ANYWAY ...

I have a dead tree that really needs to come down. I just havent had the money to devote to it. I need to get estimates. With high winds coming, the tree only has two directions to fall - on my house, or on my next-door-neighbor's house. The angle of the tree is going to make it difficult and costly to have removed. Ah, well. Responsibility of a property owner, I suppose.

I was having a bad morning this morning. I've had an abscessed tooth for the past week or so (past 5 days) and have been in constant numbing pain. I keep telling myself that maybe it'll go away if I'm just patient, and keep popping enough ibuprofen. Until I ran out of ibuprofen in the middle of the night last night. That sucked.
(Have I mentioned that I'm scared of dentists?)
Yeah, yeah, I'm going to call on Monday and get it taken care of.

I stubbed my little toe when I was feeding the critters this morning. I never wear shoes around the house. I sliced off a really nice little piece, it turns out. I was running late, so then dripped blood everywhere as I hopped around. Of course, I didnt stop to put a bandaid on it, just pulled on a sock and my tennis shoes ... so I had a really pretty sock to look at when when I got here to work (that's when I noticed the chunk of skin).

And now I'm getting a headache cuz there's a horny cricket somehwere here in the office. Isnt that why they rub their legs together ... to attract a mate? What an annoying noise!!!!!! I know where he is, he's in the cube directly diagonally behind me... I keep asking him to shut up. He's not listening. I turn the tv volume up, and he gets quiet for a second ... then just continues his incessant leg rubbing scree's. It's a good thing we dont have security physically located in this building, they might come running if they heard me screaming at a cricket.

Didnt sleep well last night. On top of the painful mouth, I only got about 3 hours of sleep. Phone kept ringing, silly thing. I kept answering the wrong phone, too. My cell phone would ring, I'd pick up the house phone. The house phone would ring, I'd pick up the cell phone. I hate trying to answer the phone when I'm sleepy. I usually give up and dont bother, but some of the calls were important.

Done complaining now.....

What an odd day.

J called! I havent talked to J in ... uh ... two years? Since he never replies to my emails ... but that's ok, I keep writing him anyway cuz I know he loves me ... d;)

Talked to Kelli on the phone, too. Have I mentioned that she is the coolest 16 year old that I know? Alan and I are taking her out to dinner and to a movie ('Pulse', I think) tomorrow night for getting the highest score in her class at summer school, and passing with flying colors.

Willow went to the vet this morning, for her usual blood tests. It was like family reunion day ... it's starting to get REALLY sad. I know people. The nice oriental (that's probably not PC, is it?) lady who has the golden retriever, Toby, that has the same platelet problem as Willow, was there .... we compared notes since the last time we'd talked. Sorin - a Dutch Shepherd that I'd had in an Agility Class last year, came in. There was another white shepherd there ... he was there to donate blood. A Lillington policeman brought his german shepherd/police dog in ... the dog was 6, and they'd worked together for 4 years... the dog has cancer. There were three or four boxers ... there are always boxers. Every time I'm in the waiting room, there are always boxers with misc. health probs.

But it was so ... sad? ... that I recognized people and their dogs, could catch up on lives ... it's just not exactly the IDEAL place to hang out.

And I ate Ice Cream.

There's been some weird stuff happening around here this week.

I was working from home the other day. I was watching 'The Ring 2' on cable, talking to Kelli on the phone, and just vegging in front of the laptop on the couch. The power went out ... the phone line went dead, I lost the network connection to my laptop and it kicked to battery back up. The AC turned off, and the ceiling fan stopped. The fish tank stopped bubbling. Everything in the house went still, except for the TV and the movie on cable. The power flicked on and off several times (three, that I can remember ... Kelli kept calling back asking why I hung up on her). I never lost the TV and movie. It was possessed!!

Then the next day, I was putting the lawnmower away (under the house - I have a huge crawl space). I'd had the lawnmower out for days, just hadnt bothered to put it away. The door to the crawlspace was closed, but not latched. I went around to the backyard, and was attacked by two of my dogs .. Willow and Bailey. I called for Riley, no dog. He sometimes ignores my calling, so I didnt think anything of it. I opened up the crawlspace door, and .... ABRACADABRA, there he was! Somehow, he must have gotten the door open ... gone in ... and one of the other dogs had closed it (or it had slammed closed). I've never seen him do anything even related to opening a door, he's timid about new things except for eating hair scrunchies, towels and clothes, and/or digging holes. Maybe one of the other dogs put him in there ... Willow? Bailey?

Maybe I've got a Gremlin ...

Willow had her (almost) weekly trip to the NC State Vet School today, for blood and urine tests. While we were sitting in the lobby waiting to make sure her blood sample was good (her blood 'clumps' if they dont test it right away, so we dont leave until we've made sure they have a usable sample), we talked to several other pet owners. Well, ok, she hid under the bench seat, I talked to pet owners. People tend to share stories and bond in the waiting room. Almost everyone is willing to talk about their babies, and why they're there... what they've been through, what they're willing to GO through ... those kind of experiences. Everyone likes to have their pets ooh'ed and ahh'ed over. Harry, the retiree volunteer is there for that very reason .. to help put people and animals at ease. Love him, very neat man.

Anyway, today my attention was caught by an older blind man who was escorted out of the back and in to the lobby by a 4th year vet student. He was leading himself around the lobby with a cane, called for his ride, and then sat down across from Willow (under the bench) and me. I'm way too outgoing sometimes, and could not RESIST looking directly at him and saying "Good morning!".

He wished me a good morning, and I asked him if he was in with a dog or a cat ... actually, he'd just taught a seminar to about 50 students/techs about working with blind (2-legged) patients. He said he did (does) have a dog and a cat tho, his dog was his retired Seeing-Eye Dog who had been his companion for 11 years. She was now 13, and he was finding it hard going places without her, but it was time to let her relax and be spoiled. He was on a list for a new partner. He and Kelly, his labrador, used to visit schools and taught seminars and travelled all over, talking about disabilities and accepting them, helping people cope.

I encouraged Willow to come out of hiding, so she could say hello. He'd never "seen" a white shepherd before - she didnt think much of the petting, but she stood still for a soft pat on the head. She went back to her 'safe place', after she'd socialized.

It was an absolutely wonderful conversation, though. One of those people that I'd like not to forget. I was almost sad when his ride arrived and escorted him out. Of course, there were more people around to chat with ...

I've been bitten by a cleaning bug. SOMEONE HELP ME!!! I need therapy. I found a large amount of kitchen counter space, I found my bedroom floor, I found the top of my dog's crate, I moved all of the living room furniture and steam cleaned the carpet, I've been cleaning out my closet and HANGING UP MY CLOTHES ... I've been vaccuming almost daily ...

And my parents arent even coming to visit!!! (Not til January.)

Had to rescue two turtles from the backyard today. The total turtle count is up to 5, in the past month or so.

I let the dogs out around 6am, Bailey and Willow did their usual thing, Riley took his trot around the perimeter of the backyard. He does Perimeter Patrol every time he goes out, and before he comes in. At the very back of the yard, he stopped and jumped back, then sent out the alert. Fierce barking. Bailey and Willow came running to see what treature Riley had found. Riley snaps at something (I cant see what, from my position on the deck) and jumps back, and pounces and jumps back ... barking loudly. By his mean stance, I'm thinking "Oh crap. Snake. "

I call the dogs, Bailey and Willow come to me half-willingly. Riley wont back off. I came inside and threw on normal clothes (I had been in a nightshirt, and barefoot) and marched out, armed with a shovel. Bailey and Willow actually stay back in the middle of the yard, not wanting to approach Riley and his Nemesis.

He's ferociously barking at a turtle. Willow approaches it and takes it in her mouth and shakes it ... I'm pretty sure it's dead by now. I make her drop it, and try to pick it up, with Riley barking at it, and Willow trying to play with it. I end up going out the back gate and putting it as far away from my property as possible. When I come back, I take a quick scan around and see another turtle watching me, near the fence. Riley hasnt seen this one yet, but it was just 5 feet away from where he'd found the other one. ARGH! This one was obviously still alive... so I carefully picked him up and put him outside the fence as well.

TIRED OF TURTLES!!!!!!!!!

I'm such a sucker for an African Violet. It physically HURTS when I see them dying in a department store ... so ... I rescued four, on sale from WalMart today. They were 1.50 each. Bone dry. Doubt they'd been watered since they unloaded 'em, and even then, I bet they watered them from the top, not from the bottom.

I confessed to the boyfriend, my obsessive purchase. He asked me where I was going to put them. I said "Uh ... in the house?" Right now, they're scattered about the kitchen counters. I dont know where their permanent homes will be.

I've always had a thing for African Violets. Ever since I was a kid. I'd bring them home from yard sales, around the neighborhood. My Mom would kill them, I'd bring them back to life.

Always had some on my desk(s), wherever I worked. Coworkers would bring me their dying violets, for me to rehab.

We'll see what we can do with these WalMart Refugees ...

The boyfriend brought me flowers the other night ... just cuz!! And then he cut my grass, and did the weed-whacking and all that glorious stuff ... *melt*

Here's a pic of my 'just because' bouquet.. and Riley, my collie, stunned because I had to put them in my 'sun tea' jar since I didnt have a vase large enough!

Dont flirt with the Veterinarian ... dont flirt with the Veterinarian ... dont flirt with the Veterinarian ... *rofl*

Had an AWESOME weekend with the bf at Biltmore and Asheville. Will write more details later, but everything went really well.

Had some "interesting" weather (BIG thunderboomers at night, hail while driving, lightning strikes right next to the road, etc...).

Walked around the Estate, the gardens, the winery, did the wine sampling ... saw downtown Asheville (which is a story in itself). Ate dinner at a piano bar, and lunch at an irish pub ... and one of my favorite parts was hanging out at the hotel reading the local newspaper (local entertainmement, weekend happenings, reviews, etc.) out loud to each other. Ads and adverts.

More later, like I mentioned above. d:)

A coworker had to stop by to pick something up from her desk today, so she stopped by Starbucks and brought me a Caramel Macchiato. *drool* *melt* I havent had one of these in aaaaaages. I dont care that it's 90-something degrees outside ... the 'iced' version just didnt sound as appealing. There are times when coworkers can really come in handy!!!! d:)

Today is Alan's Birthday!!! Right about now, he was being born many moons ago! (It was around lunchtime, he said ... ) To celebrate, we're going to Asheville this weekend, to spend time at Biltmore Estate.